Unwelcomed Greeting: A Riverton Crossing Novel

by Savannah Maris

  “Yeah,” Mitchell responded.

  “Good. Ginger, you go straight for the pre-paid phones. You want two with an hour of time on each. You’ll pay cash for ‘em. Mitchell, you and Kayla will have to split up. I don’t know where. Maybe some new must read has come out and Kayla looks for it while ya get the food for tonight. Or vice versa. That way one of ya can keep an eye on Ginger. When she buys a bottle of wine, she’s ready to leave. Just make sure y’all are in line behind one another at the check-out, but leave outta different doors. Ginger, your next stop will be the hotel. Park where the hotel clerk can see your car. Mitchell, you’ll circle the block once then pull to the side of the road closest to the hotel entrance. Make sure ya can see Ginger and her car. Pop the hood on your truck and appear to work on it.”

  “Dude, my truck doesn’t break down,” Mitchell said, half seriously.

  “I don’t give a shit! Make it look like it today.” Evan’s sense of humor was gone with a capital “G”. He looked at Ginger. “Ya don’t get out of your car until ya see the hood go up. That way ya know someone has eyes on ya. You’ll reserve a room for two nights under a fake name, and pay cash for it. Tell the clerk you’re meetin’ your boyfriend and would like a room in the far corner ‘cause ya haven’t seen him in a while.” His eyes went back to Mitchell’s. “Don’t get back in your truck until ya see her come out. Follow her back here with a couple of cars between y’all. Got it?”

  “Yeah, man. Got it.”

  “What about later? Why are Thomas and Cat coming over?” Kayla asked.

  “Tonight, Mitchell and I’ll take Ginger’s car back to the hotel to make sure everything’s good. Make sure it’s as private as possible. We’ll put the ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door, and I’ll take it down tomorrow.”

  This was going to be a long thirty or so hours. The closer it got, the more they were all on edge, especially Evan.

  Just like clockwork, Thomas and Cat arrived a little after six o’clock. Thomas carried a bottle of wine and held Cat’s hand when they got to the door. “You two look as if you’ve spent the day rolling in the bed,” Kayla said with a cheerful tone.

  “You said you didn’t want that image in your mind, Kayla,” Cat reminded her.

  She waved her arm as if showing them the entrance as a grand prize. “Well welcome to the stressed-out planning meeting, anyway. I’m sure this wine will come in handy during dinner and after,” she said, smiling at them.

  “I’ve been awake less than an hour, Kayla. Don’t expect perfect precision,” Thomas joked.

  “To help wake you up, we’ve got a country buffet. Help yourself to the food. Once everyone has food and a drink, preferably of the adult variety, we’ll begin hearing about the plans for tomorrow,” Kayla said.

  Everyone filled their plates and headed for the dining room. They were actually going to eat at that table and not just throw their purses and laptop bags on it. Kayla was very excited. Once everyone was settled, Thomas, the brave soul, asked first, “So, what are Cat and I doing here tonight?

  Evan told Thomas and Cat what was happening. Then, Thomas inquired about the next evening, and Evan continued to take point on this as he explained the plan to Thomas. “Yours and Cat’s job is to watch the guys at the bar. If they follow Nathan, then you notify Mitchell. If Mitchell sees ‘em, he’ll notify me. Nathan’s cover team’ll be on him at all times as well. After the arraignment, I don’t know where Sam is or what their plans are for ‘im. Maybe he’ll be with Nathan, maybe not. He’s a wildcard I hope Nathan can take care of on the fly.”

  They finished eating and cleaned the kitchen. Kayla wanted to go to bed, but instead they were brewing a pot of coffee. None of them really wanted to sleep until Evan and Mitchell returned. It was close to ten o’clock, and they were just leaving. The closer it got for them to walk out the door, the sicker she felt. Her nerves had her on edge and they’d be worse tomorrow. She definitely needed some mountain time when this was over.

  Mitchell wrapped her in his arms. “Baby, we should be gone an hour to an hour and a half tops. If you want to wait naked in bed, that’s fine with me.”

  “Okay. I love you.”

  “I love you, too, sweetheart.”

  “Why are you taking my car, again?” Ginger inquired.

  “The hotel clerk has seen it, the plates are registered with the hotel, and it’s quiet. We should be back before midnight. If ya want to rest while I’m gone, I’ll wake ya when I get back.” He kissed her on the nose.

  “Thomas, we’ve loaded ya a couple of shotguns by the wall between the livin’ room and the kitchen. They’re within easy reach. The extra ammo’s on the table. I don’t think anythin’ will happen, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

  “Y’all be safe,” Thomas said as they walked out.

  Kayla didn’t know how long they were gone because she fell asleep. She vaguely heard people talking when two strong arms picked her up and carried her to bed, laid her down, and took off her clothes as she stirred. Mitchell must’ve stripped because she felt his cock against her ass cheeks when he lay behind her.

  21

  Last night took longer than Mitchell expected. Kayla was asleep when he got home, which was fine since today would be so stressful for all of them. Ginger had to flirt with a man she didn’t know, and Evan was pissed for having to put her in that position. Kayla would worry about her friend until it was over, and Mitchell’s job was to make sure no one else bothered Ginger.

  He got up so he wouldn’t wake Kayla. Even though she loved to be woken up that way, she needed to rest so he quietly dressed and left the room. A strong cup of coffee would do everyone some good. As soon as he was halfway down the hall, he got a whiff of coffee. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one who thought coffee would be a great idea.

  “Couldn’t sleep?” he asked Evan.

  “Nah. I want to get a message to Nathan’s team that I need to talk to ‘im, which means gettin’ in touch with my Cap’n out west, but they’re an hour behind us. If Nathan knows, he’ll be lookin’ for a sign. Anyway, I thought I’d make the coffee until I can call in. How ‘bout you?”

  “Just started thinking about tonight. I knew I’d wake Mak if I didn’t get up. I want her to rest so maybe she won’t be so stressed today.”

  “Yeah. I know I need to go over what Ginger needs to do with her, but I don’t want to think about it. It feels as if I’m givin’ her permission to cheat. Hell, that I’m forcin’ her to. I keep thinkin’ how differently I’d feel if this wasn’t the best way for me to talk to Nathan. Then, I wonder what she’s thinkin’. Does she think I want to share her, that I don’t care enough to make her completely mine? This is so fucked up on so many levels.”

  “Dude, whoa! Let’s put this shit in neutral right here. Ginger agreed to do this to help you. She doesn’t want to do this anymore than you want her to. If you’re concerned about what’s going through her mind, ask her. Give her a reason to think about you tonight. Are you doing this to find out what Nathan knows? ‘Cause seriously, I think he probably knows more than you do. He sat right there in the damn courtroom. Don’t get me wrong, I’d like to know what the hell is going on, too, but not at the cost of the girls getting hurt. I still haven’t talked to Jimmy about what parts they’re getting from him since he towed the car in the middle of the damn night. Right now, we have more questions than we do answers, don’t you think?”

  “Yes, I need Nathan’s information. Yes, I want to be a part of this take down. Yes, I need to keep the girls safe. No, he still doesn’t know I’m here. He may have been at that hearin’, but he doesn’t know the Judge. Obviously, he knows Jones and Curtis are bein’ bought. But who else? Did Harley snitch? Is that why the Judge gave ‘im thirty days? Was he tryin’ to protect ‘im or keep ‘im out of the way so he couldn’t tell anythin’? Did Sam plant the drugs? What did he see or hear in county lock-up? They killed our steer on our damn property, so yeah I want some answers!”

  Mitchell knew E
van didn’t normally raise his voice, so he held his hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay. I get it. I thought you were bad yesterday, but damn this takes the cake. So how are we going to pull this off? Walk me through it.”

  Evan pinched his bottom lip between his thumb and index finger while he slowly pulled it out. He did this several times before he said anything. “I don’t think you need to take your truck tonight. Everybody knows it, so they’ll know it’s you following Nathan and Ginger. Thing is, I don’t know what kind of car Nathan’ll be drivin’. I think you need to take Shelby. No one’ll know her. If someone wants to play on the road tonight, you’ve got the horses under the hood to take ‘em. Plus, with all the souped up muscle cars in town these days, she’ll blend in.”

  “You taking the truck then?”

  “Yeah. I’ll park it behind the twenty-four-hour restaurant across the street and walk to the hotel.”

  “Why not Ginger’s car?”

  “They’ll notice it when I leave later. Nathan’ll be the one to check out, and I want them to think she’s in the car with him. Anyway, I’ll wait about an hour after y’all leave. It’ll be dark. I’ll slip in through the back. I can pace in the hotel room just as easily as I can here.”

  “Alright, so Mak and I follow Nathan and Ginger. If I pull into the parking lot behind them, I’ll be seen and heard. If Ginger runs across the street, there’s a good chance she’ll be seen.”

  “Ya need to pull to the side entrance of the hotel and turn off the car. Ginger’ll have to stay with us for a little while so people’ll think she and Nathan are havin’ a good time. Fuck! I don’t want people thinkin’ that about her.” He paused to regain some control. “She’ll send Kayla a text before she heads out. Be ready for her. I’ll stay and talk to Nathan then head back to the truck. I’ll meet y’all back here. Hopefully when this is over, we’ll have enough information to know what we’re dealing with. Do you think the girls would be safer back in North Carolina?”

  “Mak isn’t going anywhere. I’ll lock her up here before I send her someplace where I can’t protect her.”

  “True.”

  “So when are you informing Ginger about what she needs to do tonight?”

  “Just before y’all leave. If she has all day to think about it, she’ll get too nervous. Plus, I don’t want her thinkin’ about another man all day. I gotta go call my Cap’n.”

  Evan and Kayla passed each other in the doorway. He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “Mornin,’ Kayla.”

  “Morning, Evan. Everything okay?”

  “Hopefully by this time tomorrow it will be,” he said as he walked toward the office.

  “He seems a little tight this morning,” Kayla said as she walked into Mitchell’s open arms.

  “Good morning, sweetheart. He’s just worried about tonight.” He kissed her gently. “We’re taking Shelby tonight, so I need to uncover her and see how she’s running, okay?”

  “Yes. After I’ve had my coffee, I’ll join you.”

  About an hour later, Kayla walked into the garage. She ran her hand over Shelby as she walked toward him. She whistled before she said, “Damn, Mitch. I’ve never seen her before. She’s beautiful. I love the silver color. I’m surprised you didn’t go black with how much you love a black car.”

  “Yeah, but I wanted her to stand out. She may be a mustang, but she’s my silver steed. You know, kinda like I’m the Lone Ranger,” he said with a grin. He was checking the fluids in the car to make sure everything was good.

  “You’re quite full of yourself this morning.”

  He poked his head around the hood. “I can fill you up with me instead.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

  She laughed. “Did you and Evan work out the details about tonight?”

  “Yeah, for the most part. He still needs to talk with Ginger, let her know what she needs to do. He’s putting it off for as long as possible because he doesn’t want to think about another man touching her. I know how he feels because I couldn’t do it. It’s all new to him. I don’t even think he felt like this about Ruby Mae in high school. This morning he told me he doesn’t want people thinking badly of Ginger. He didn’t elaborate, but somehow I think he was referring to Ruby. He’s never talked about it, and I’ve never asked. I figured he’d tell me if or when he was ready. But watching him with Ginger is totally different.”

  “I’ve noticed that, too. She’s fallen pretty hard, though. I hope we all walk away from this in one piece.”

  He nodded. “Hey, would you slip behind the wheel and crank her up?”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yes, baby. I need to make sure she’s perfect.”

  Kayla got behind the wheel and turned the key. The exhaust echoed off the walls of the garage. A few minutes later, Mitchell closed the hood and motioned for her to turn it off.

  “I have to admit, that sounds sexy as hell,” she said with a sparkle in her eyes.

  “Well, hell, baby. I didn’t know that’d turn you on. Wait ‘til we take her to town tonight. Your panties will be soaked before we hit the bar,” he said with his lips against her ear.

  “Hmmm.”

  When they walked out of the garage, Mitchell heard music coming from the house. Evan’s playlist. Maybe they needed to stay in the garage for a while. The closer they got to the house, the clearer the words became. “Already Callin’ You Mine” by Parmalee was playing.

  “Mak, do you think we should stay out here for a bit?”

  “No. If they’re doing anything, they’ll be in his room,” she said.

  God, he hoped she was right. When they walked in, Evan and Ginger were slow dancing in the living room. Evan’s hands were roaming all over Ginger’s backside. Kayla hadn’t rounded Mitchell when Evan’s fingers flexed in the end of the t-shirt Ginger had on, and Mitchell saw the bottom of her ass. Before Kayla could say anything, he grabbed her shoulders and guided her to their room.

  “What the…” she started to say.

  “Shh. Let’s just say I don’t think they’re going to make it to his room,” he whispered in her ear.

  They spent the next couple of hours working off excess energy and taking a nap. When they woke up, the music wasn’t playing anymore so Mitchell figured it was safe to leave their room.

  It was a little after seven, and they were supposed to meet Thomas and Cat at the bar about eight. They sat around the kitchen table, where Evan was talking with Ginger. Mitchell and Kayla listened to make sure they all knew the same things.

  Evan slid a picture in front of Ginger. “This is Nathan. This is who I want ya – no, I don’t want this at all. This is who we’ve got to get to the hotel room.”

  Ginger took his hand. “I don’t want him, Evan. I want you.”

  He took a deep breath. “I’m glad, darlin’. When ya can, whisper in his ear that you’re a very close friend of Evan Burns. He’ll know that name and know it’s the code to talk to ya. He’ll figure out a way to get y’all out of there. Take him to the hotel. I’ll be waitin’ for ya there.”

  Ginger just nodded her head. Her eyes were as big as saucers as the realization that this was really happening hit her. She licked her lips and tried to smile, but her lips were shaking. “Okay. I can do it.” She let out a laugh and tried to make it sound playful. “Blond curly hair, blue eyes, I think I can manage.” It fell short, but Evan turned deathly serious.

  “Don’t do that, darlin’. I’m hangin’ on by a thread here.”

  “Sorry. Kiss me, please.”

  Mitchell and Kayla walked out to give them a moment before they left. “I hope this doesn’t backfire,” she whispered.

  “Me, too.”

  Ginger walked out of the kitchen toward the bathroom. She came back with her make-up perfect. “Ready?” Mitchell asked.

  “As I’ll ever be,” Ginger’s tone was flat when she replied.

  The three of them got in the car while Evan stood in the doorway watching Ginger as if he were sending her to death row. His
grip on the door jamb was so tight his knuckles were white. Ginger watched him through the back window until they pulled out of the driveway and headed toward town.

  Thomas and Cat were waiting on them at the door. They all walked in with the girls sandwiched between Mitchell and Thomas. They sat at a high top table for six situated close enough to the dance floor for the girls, but far enough away they wouldn’t be deaf in the morning. Mitchell knew the moment Ginger spotted Nathan because her eyes widened. He thought she was going to back out, so he had Thomas nudge her arm. When she turned her head toward them, he held her stare to see if she was okay. She nodded about the time the waitress came to take their order and bring water glasses for everyone.

  “I’m Nadine. What can I get for y’all?”

  “Three vodka cranberries and two Jacks on the rocks. Go ahead and start us a tab,” Thomas said as he gave her a credit card.

  “Oh hey, Dr. Gregory. I didn’t expect to see you here,” Nadine said when she saw the name on the card. “You proba’ly don’t remember, but I brought my baby in the other week with a double ear infection. You were great with him.”

  “I do remember your son. How is he?” Thomas inquired in his bedside voice.

  “He’s great now. Thank you,” Nadine said. “I’m gonna go fetch those drinks for y’all.”

  “Aw, Thomas has an admirer. I sure am glad Cat is here,” Kayla teased her brother.

  Thomas very casually flipped her off with a smile full of brotherly love. Kayla played along and acted offended.

  Cat asked, “Should I be jealous?”

  “Ha ha. You two should have your own comedy act,” Thomas responded.

  Cat kissed his cheek. “I’m just playing.”

  Nadine delivered their drinks then blended back into the crowd. They heard a loud uproar of laughter come from the group Nathan was with. Ginger lifted her head then sipped her drink. Mitchell still couldn’t tell if she was going to bolt.