Deadly Ties

by Vicki Hinze

  “Nora told me before Lisa and Mark returned.”

  “No sense in spoiling their reunion with that kind of news.” Nora sniffed. “They’ve waited such a long time for it.”

  “Yes, they have,” Roxy said.

  Lisa was about out of patience. She opened her mouth to demand answers on Masson, but Nick beat her to it.

  “Why are you putting out word Masson’s dead?”

  Roxy swiveled her gaze to him. “If NINA thinks he’s dead, they won’t look for him. Kelly, you’ll be safe.”

  “While he’s breathing?” Kelly said. “Not likely.”

  “Masson is a survivor,” Roxy said. “He knows that if he comes after Kelly, we’ll expose him to NINA. If we do, they’ll neutralize him.”

  Kelly gasped and buried her face at Ben’s chest. “He’ll haunt me the rest of my life.”

  Lisa swallowed hard. Kelly had lived with constant fear of Masson showing up to kill her. This could spare her that.

  “Makes sense.” Nick looked at Joe, who nodded.

  “Not good enough.” Mark crossed his arms.

  “It’s the only way he’ll ever surface, Mark.” Roxy sighed. “I don’t like it any more than you do. But anything else we do leaves Kelly, Lisa, and the village wide open. He’ll lay low, but men like him always surface. When he does, we’ll get him.”

  A lot of thought had gone into this. “Is there more you can’t tell us?”

  Roxy didn’t answer.

  Mark scanned his old team. Lisa saw their subtle nods. They agreed with her.

  “Yeah, bro. If Roxy says this is best, then I trust her.”

  “Are you saying that, Roxy?” Mark asked her.

  “I am.” Roxy looked him right in the eye. “It’s not perfect, but it’s the best we can do right now.”

  Mark stared at her a long moment. Resignation settled in his expression. “We’ll be notified of any change that impacts us?”

  “You have my word.”

  He nodded. “We’ll still have to stay on our toes,” he told Ben and Kelly and then looked over at Roxy. “What about Masson’s boss?”

  “We don’t know who that is yet,” Roxy said. “You know it’s not like in the movies. At the end of an operation, we don’t get everyone all wrapped up with a nice bow. We just stay after them and take them down as we can, and we pray a lot in between.”

  Mark pushed. “Chessman?”

  “He’s been told Masson’s dead. He knows who their boss is, of course, but he’ll never reveal that.”

  Seeing Beth near the door, Joe waved her to him.

  “I thought Chessman had crossed over,” Mark said.

  Beth fell in beside Joe and smiled at him. He smiled back. Lisa liked that. From her twitching lips, so did Peggy.

  Roxy held off a second, then answered. “To an extent, Chessman has helped us. But the minute he tells us the identity of his boss, he’s dead and he knows it.”

  “Wait.” Mark lifted a finger. “Juan mentioned Frank getting a call from the boss.”

  “Did he say who that was?”

  Mark hesitated, his eyes glazed as if he were pulling the conversation from memory. “Yeah, he did. Raven.”

  “Raven.” Roxy made a note of it. “Well, that’s a start. You guys ever heard anything on him?”

  “It’s not a him. Raven is a woman,” Lisa said. “In the truck, they referred to her as a female.”

  “They did.” Selene nodded.

  “I heard it too,” Gwen added.

  “A woman.” Roxy stiffened. “Now that’s a surprise.”

  “Women are as capable of evil as men.” Annie tugged at her sheet.

  “Ain’t that the truth, dearie? My sister Nathara’s there in a pinch, but she’s mean as a snake.” Nora sniffed. “Not at all gentle like me.”

  Lisa smiled at Mark. Nora was many good things, but gentle wasn’t among them.

  “Roxy? What about my manager?”

  “I’m sorry for not already telling you, Selene. I do have news for you and Gwen. Your manager and, Gwen, your husband, Derek, are in custody. We followed the money and picked up payments from each of them to Chessman. Don’t expect them to be a bother any time soon.”

  “May he die of old age wearing stripes.” Selene grimaced.

  “That would work for me.” Gwen shot a glance at Lisa. “I know. That forgiveness thing. I’ll work on it. But right now I’m pretty steamed. Pray for me?”

  “Always.” Lisa smiled.

  “Raven, it appears, will be another battle for another day.” Roxy shrugged. “Unless we get lucky and make a connection through Chessman and the payments.”

  “Something will turn up,” Clyde said. “It always does.”

  “Eventually.” Nick tilted his head. “But sooner would be better than later.”

  Roxy grunted. She hesitated, then spoke to Annie. “I don’t know if it’s appropriate under the circumstances to express my sympathy for your loss.”

  Annie gave her a soft smile. “I do love an honest woman.”

  “Well, I’ll get out of your way. I just wanted to catch you up. We’ll keep in touch through Jeff Meyers.”

  “We understand. Thank you, Roxy.” Mark turned to Lisa.

  “What’s that in your hand?” she asked.

  Mark opened it. “Our sand dollar.”

  Her eyes stretched wide. “You carried it with you?”

  He nodded. “Everywhere, just like you did.”

  Annie sighed her content. “It’ll be harder to keep track of who has it at what time after you’re married.”

  “You’re getting married?” Tim brightened.

  “Later, if everything works out,” Lisa said. “We need time. So you two wedding planners need to back off. We’ll let you know when and if we’re ready.”

  “Pshhh!” Nora blew off that statement, as if the prospective bride and groom had nothing to say on the matter. “They’re perfect together, Annie.”

  “I know and you know. Soon enough they’ll know.”

  Lisa warned them off. “After we have some time together, then we’ll see.”

  “Well, all right.” Tim held out his hand, palm up. “Pay up, ladies.”

  Sam and Nick slapped twenties into Tim’s hand. He laughed.

  “I know you boys aren’t standing at Annie’s bedside gambling.” Peggy Crane gave them a stern look meant to wilt knees. “Joseph?”

  “Not me.” Joe held up his hands. “I don’t owe anyone anything.”

  Which didn’t mean he hadn’t bet, only that he hadn’t lost.

  “I’m seeing pepper juice in all their immediate futures,” Mark whispered to her, clearly amused.

  They’d need a tea taster for a month. Lisa bit back a smile. “Just so we know, Tim, what was the bet?”

  “Whether you’d ask him to marry you—someday—or he’d ask you.”

  Mark folded his arms across his chest. “When and if we do decide to make it official, I’ll ask her. Until then, I’d say it’s a draw.”

  Everyone started laughing.

  Lisa faced her mom. Her eyes were shining, and she looked beside herself, overjoyed. “I expect you and Nora are already picking out wedding colors, but we’re not ready for that.”

  “Of course you aren’t, dear.”

  “So you haven’t?” Lisa glanced at Nora, then back at her mother, elated and deflated at once.

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “She sure didn’t, dearie. I was listening.”

  “They picked peaches and cream,” Beth said from the back of the crowd. “Sorry, ladies, but truth is truth.” She shrugged. “And there was a mention of the reception hall at the club too.”

  “Beth Dawson, I’d be clamming up right about now, dearie, if you ever want to taste my peach cobbler again.” Nora bumped into the edge of the bed.

  Everyone pretended not to notice. Beth tucked in near Joe. “Protect me. I tell the truth and I’ve started a war.”

  “How about coffe
e at Ruby’s?” Joe asked. “I’ve heard about it and want to try it myself.”

  Beth nodded.

  Joe dropped his voice, then hastily cut through the crowd, pulling Beth along with him. “You’re definitely prettier when you’re not snarling.”

  “Thanks.” Beth frowned. “I think.”

  Peaches and cream. Lisa’s room at home had been decorated in peaches and cream. Those had been her signature colors her whole life. Swallowing a knot in her throat, Lisa pecked a kiss to her mother’s cheek. “You remembered.”

  Annie sniffled. “You’re my daughter. Of course I remember.” She deepened her southern drawl. “I love peaches and cream, mama. I’m making ’em my signature colors.”

  Everyone chuckled.

  “I like it here.” Sam winked at Gwen.

  “What’s not to like?” Nick asked Sam. “It’s hot, humid, and flat. Perfect.”

  “Man, do you have a romantic bone in your body?” Sam tugged at his cap.

  “Apparently he does not.” Selene raised her brows.

  Sam hooked a thumb toward Nick. “Ignore him. He’s a little rusty.”

  “At what?” Selene tucked her hair back. It snagged at her shoulder.

  “Everything.”

  Selene laughed. Not politely but with gusto.

  Nick liked that a lot.

  Tim told Mark, “Dead stumps from the neck up.”

  Roxy stepped over to Lisa and Mark. “I’m grateful for your help. We wouldn’t have been able to pull it off without you.”

  “There’ll be more women.” Lisa wasn’t going to get starry eyed about this. “There’s always going to be more.”

  “Unfortunately, yes,” Roxy said. “But we shut down Phen and got his buyers. It’ll take time for NINA to build up a network that trusts it again. We got Frank and Karl Masson out of commission, which should help Kelly and Ben sleep better at night.”

  “We saved thirty women too,” Gwen said. “And Juan.”

  “Don’t forget his family.” Selene sniffed. “People always underestimate the value of family.”

  “We did all those things,” Roxy nodded, “and revealed NINA’s expansion. An imperfect victory, but we definitely won this time.”

  “We did.” Lisa smiled at her mom.

  “One crisis at a time, right?” Roxy glanced at Harvey. “Isn’t that what you say at Crossroads Crisis Center?”

  “It is.” Tight-lipped, he looped his arm through Roxy’s. “I’ve been patient while you said what you had to say to everyone else, but I’m out of patience. Actually, I’m pretty steamed at you right now.”

  “I expect you are.”

  “You divorced me, Rox.”

  She cupped his face in her hand. “And you’ll be really mad at me for a very long time and lecturing me even longer.”

  Anger flushed his face. “Bet on it.”

  “Wanna yell at me over coffee? I’m thirsty and I guess we have some serious talking to do.”

  “You guess?” Harvey scowled at her. “You know, it’d serve you right if I refused to say a word. Who would blame me?”

  “Not a soul.” Roxy moved with him toward the door. “But you promised for better or worse. This has been the worse.”

  “Don’t even—”

  “I’m not,” she assured him. “I did what I did.”

  “How could you, Rox? Do you know how miserable—?”

  “I do. I really, really do.”

  As they left the room, Lisa watched the body language between Harvey and Roxy. The sparks were still there. This wasn’t over yet.

  “I’m smelling a reunion right there.”

  Lisa smiled at Nora. “I hope so.”

  “Count on it.” Peggy fiddled with her chunky necklace, letting the beads clunk together. “Though we might have to nudge just a little.”

  “Cupid and Rambo?” Nick grunted. “Another goner.”

  “Yeah, they’ve all got the look.”

  “What’s the look Sam’s talking about?” Mom asked Mark.

  “The way I look at Lisa.”

  “Ah.” Mom smiled. “And the way she looks at you.”

  “Yeah.”

  Mark didn’t even try to hide his feelings about that, which brought Lisa joy that ran so deep she couldn’t begin to describe it. Mark was willing to accept love.

  Sighing contentment, Lisa watched everyone chatting and laughing, so happy with the way things had worked out. Not without pain and suffering. Not without loss and tragedy. But things had worked out. The tunnels in her life had been dark, and some of them had been very long. But God had been right there, preparing her, guiding her, giving her maybe not what she wanted but what she needed to survive even Dutch’s deadly ties.

  “I’m selling it.”

  Lisa looked to Annie. “The house?”

  She nodded. “I want a fresh start, honey. That’s okay with you, isn’t it?”

  Likely the bad memories there with Dutch outweighed the good ones with Lisa’s father. And if her mom knew Dutch had been responsible for her dad’s death, they’d be even worse. Lisa had talked to Mark about telling her mother, and they agreed to wait until she’d recovered. It would hurt and she’d mourn again, but she just didn’t have the physical reserves to cope with that right now. “Whatever you want, Mom.”

  She reached for Lisa and Mark. “I have you two in my life. I’m free. What more could I want?”

  “Well, you might start with meeting Miranda Kent at the club on Sunday for brunch, dearie. She’s been the mainstay for the prayer warriors through all this, and she misses you. It’s time, I’m thinking, you start living your life again, Annie Harper.”

  “Oh, Miranda and brunch. That’s a wonderful idea.” Mom clapped her hands, setting her IV line to swinging. “I used to love our brunches at the club. And golf. Nora, I haven’t had a golf club in my hands in years.”

  “Don’t I know it?” Nora harrumphed. “I can’t see to play anymore, but I’d sure like to ride along in the cart now and then.”

  “We’re going to have a lot of fun, Nora. We really are.”

  Lisa nearly wept. Seeing her mother so excited thrilled her and squeezed her heart.

  Mark nudged Lisa, and they walked out of the room and into the hallway. Lisa looked up at him. “We’re doing the right thing, not telling her about Dad now, right?”

  “We are.” Mark stroked her cheek. “Harvey says she’s had all the trauma she can handle right now. No added stress until she’s stronger.”

  Lisa touched the placket of his shirt. “That puts my mind at ease. Thank you for consulting Harvey.”

  “You don’t have to thank me. I love Annie too.” Mark shifted, tensed. “Lisa, I want to say something to you.”

  The edge of regret in his tone worried her. “Don’t even think about jilting me, Mark Taylor. I’m not ready to get married and won’t be for a good while—it’s a big step. Nora and Mom are just doing what moms do. Nora’s been my surrogate mother, if you’ll recall, so I’ve got a double dose of maternal meddling going on there.”

  “Jilt you? Not happening, lady.” He clasped her hands, pecked a kiss to her cheek, then a longer one to her lips. “They’re razzing us more than anything. The truth is, we’ve never been on a real date. I’ve never brought you flowers or—”

  “You gave me a shell. A beautiful shell and romantic walks on the beach. Remember that first night we walked?”

  He nodded. “Nora set us up.”

  She had. “I so hoped you’d kiss me that night. Then I was glad you didn’t because what if you did and you didn’t like it?”

  “I like it.” His eyes glinted.

  “Then I wish you had.” She smiled up at him, let her fingertips drift down his muscular arms, shoulders to elbows. “I wanted that night to last forever.”

  “Me too.”

  “I didn’t dare dream you could be interested in me.”

  “You were beautiful in the moonlight. That was one of the most special nights of my lif
e, and I was pretty frustrated—debating between kissing you and not.” He let out a soft chuckle. “If it helps, I almost kissed you.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “I didn’t want you to think … I don’t know. That’s not true. I know exactly,” he confessed. “But why didn’t you kiss me?”

  “I wasn’t sure you were interested in me that way, and I didn’t want to lose what we had.”

  “Honey, I’ve been interested in you in every way since the first time I saw you.”

  “Really?” Pleased about that, it oozed from her every pore.

  “Oh yeah.”

  She smiled. “I’m so glad. I’d hate to be falling in love by myself.”

  He smiled back. “Not happening. I’ll love you forever, and that’s a promise.”

  Nora’s voice spilled into the hallway. “But that’s red. Red and orange—peach is too so orange, Annie—clash.”

  “See why I’m not worried?” She laughed. “Let the matchmakers talk weddings. It’ll take a couple of years for them to agree on anything, much less everything. And I have a feeling they’ll be recruited to handle a different wedding long before then.”

  “Harvey and Roxy?”

  Lisa nodded.

  “That will keep them diverted.”

  “I am totally crazy about you.”

  “I’m glad.” He kissed her softly, then more deeply.

  When their mouths parted, he swayed, looking a little dazed. Right there she decided she needed to keep him that way.

  “I can’t believe it, Lisa. Things are … perfect.” He linked their pinkies.

  And she was lost. “Absolutely perfect.”

  “We’ve made some mistakes, and we were wrong about a lot of things.” Mark slid a fingertip down her cheek. “But we were always loved.”

  “Yes, we were always loved.” She pecked a kiss to his finger. Deadly ties might be hard to endure, but from them can spring ties of hope and joy.

  Ties of truth and of love.

  READERS GUIDE

  1. Annie asks God to let her go back twenty-four hours. Have you ever wished you could go back, regretted a decision you made, felt guilty because if you had chosen differently, perhaps another could have been spared a tragic event or being hurt? 1

  2. Mark feels he let Jane down. 2 Have you ever been in a situation where you disappointed another who mattered a great deal to you? How did you cope, survive, and recover?