Up Shute Creek: Rose Gardner Investigation #4

by Denise Grover Swank

  “No.” I took a breath. “But let me tell you what’s safe for you to know. Scooter Malcolm was missin’ a few weeks ago, and the likely culprit for his kidnappin’ was Buck Reynolds. He hired me to find Scooter.”

  Joe was quiet for a moment. “Why? Did he think you might know where he was since you’re in thick with his brother?”

  “No. He hired me to fend off a battle. He knew Skeeter Malcolm would blame him after their latest beef over a necklace. In fact, the same person who kidnapped Scooter tried to kidnap me too, but I got away.”

  “Jesus Christ, Rose! When did this happen?”

  “The night of the county fair,” I said. “Like I told you that next mornin’, Levi was called away for an emergency, so I told him to leave me there and I’d get a ride home. Instead, I was kidnapped in the parking lot.”

  “I saw you the next morning,” he mumbled, clearly unnerved by my confession. “Wearin’ men’s clothes.”

  “My clothes had gotten filthy and ruined, so someone gave me new clothes to wear.”

  “Ruined?” he asked, sounding horrified. “Were you…”

  “Raped?” I supplied for him. “No. But I got hurt and my skirt was covered in blood.”

  “Blood?”

  I cursed myself for mentioning the blood. “I’m fine. I was slightly injured, but nothing a few stitches didn’t fix. I’ll show you the scar on my leg sometime if you want.”

  “I accused you of… Rose.” He sounded sick.

  “Stop,” I said. “I’m far from innocent, so don’t you feel guilty over your reaction.”

  “I was judgin’ and condescendin’.”

  “True, but I probably deserved some of it.”

  He lowered his voice. “I take it you found Scooter Malcolm and figured out who took him. I know for a fact that Scooter was at Walmart in the lawn and garden department a few days ago.”

  “I did. And prevented a war in the process.”

  “Who took him?” Joe asked.

  “I’d rather not say.”

  “Did that have anything to do with Merv Chapman’s disappearance? We’ve noticed he’s no longer around.”

  I didn’t answer.

  “Did Skeeter Malcolm kill his second-in-command for kidnappin’ his brother?”

  I could hear the wheels spinning in his head. He could use this to arrest Skeeter for murder.

  “No,” I said with plenty of force. “Skeeter Malcolm never laid a hand on Merv Chapman. Just the opposite, in fact. Merv nearly killed Skeeter. And me.”

  He let that sink in for a moment. “Who killed Merv Chapman, Rose?”

  I was beginning to have serious regrets about this phone call, or at least for deciding to be so forthcoming. “I’m not answerin’ that question one way or the other, Joe Simmons. You were lucky I volunteered anything at all. I was nearly killed by that madman.”

  “Did you kill him in self-defense?” he pressed, righteousness in his voice.

  “This phone call was a bad idea. Sorry for wastin’ your time.” I hung up and dropped the phone on the table next to me.

  Why had I volunteered so much information? I replayed our conversation in my head, trying to determine if I’d implicated James in any way. I’d been stupid and careless. Sure, Joe and I had been getting along better lately, but he was the chief deputy sheriff of Fenton County, which ranked much higher in his book than being my friend. Sure, he’d bent his ethics to help Neely Kate, but she was his sister. I was his ex-girlfriend who had hooked up with his archnemesis Mason Deveraux after our breakup. I was lucky he was speaking civilly to me. I sure couldn’t expect him to understand my associations with the criminal world.

  The front door opened, and Carly stuck her head through the crack. “Neely Kate says it’s time for dinner.”

  I gave her a wry look. “Do you happen to know if she added any extra ingredients to the pork chops and fried potatoes?”

  Her forehead wrinkled. “Extra ingredients?”

  I got to my feet. “Sometimes Neely Kate fancies herself to be a chef on Chopped. You know, the show where they get odd ingredients to make a dish?”

  Carly nodded with a grin.

  “Most of the time her experiments are… interesting. She might have added some to impress you.”

  Carly laughed. “I didn’t notice any odd ingredients.”

  I laughed with her. “Then we should be safe.”

  Carly started to go in, only to stop and turn back to me. “Rose, I know I keep saying this, but I wanted to thank you for bein’ so nice to me. You had absolutely no reason to take me in, yet you did.”

  “I told you that’s what Neely Kate and I do. We help people.”

  Her smile fell, and she nodded. “I think it’s only fair to tell you that I’m scared my father’s going to find me.”

  I studied her for a second, then decided to be honest. I seemed to be doing that a lot today. “I know there’s more to your story than you’re tellin’ us.” Fear filled her eyes and I held up a hand. “Please, that’s no recrimination. I lost track of how many half-truths I’ve told over the last year. What I’m tryin’ to tell you is that we can help you. Whether you want to go back or stay, we’re here for you.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t go back. This is too big. It goes too deep.”

  I decided to take a shot in the dark. “Does your father happen to work for an organization called Hardshaw?”

  Confusion flashed in her eyes. “What’s that?”

  “Never mind,” I said, feeling relieved. “It would have been a crazy coincidence.” I placed a hand on her upper arm. “You have a job if you want it, Carly. Maeve and Violet love having you at the nursery, and we’ve made no secret that Violet won’t be workin’ there for much longer.” I paused. “Violet and her kids are movin’ in here tomorrow, but you are still welcome to stay here at the farmhouse. Or if it’s too much for you to handle, I’m sure Maeve would love to have you. She’s already offered.”

  “You all seem too good to be true.”

  I grinned, but it was half-hearted. “Would you be sure to tell Joe that? After the call we just had, he might need some convincin’.”

  Carly laughed. “I’m not sure how persuasive I’ll be, but I could give it a shot.”

  “I might hold you to it.”

  After dinner, Carly and I cleaned up the kitchen while Neely Kate and Jed took Muffy on a walk. Once we were finished, I headed upstairs and packed a bag for my night with James.

  Carly was reading a book on the front porch when I walked out the front door.

  “You headed out?” she asked, looking up.

  “Are Neely Kate and Jed not back yet?” I asked, glancing around. “Are you okay with me leaving you here alone?”

  “I’m fine,” she said. “I found this book on your bookshelves.” She cringed. “I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Help yourself,” I said. “Make yourself at home. Nothin’s off-limits.”

  I got into my truck and waved goodbye as I turned around and headed toward the highway. I mulled over the case while I made the half-hour drive. I still wanted to know the connection between Sarah and Emmitt, and as far as I knew, Joe hadn’t linked the two disappearances. Should I tell him? I decided to keep it to myself for now.

  The lights were on at James’s house in the woods when I pulled up. He’d given me a garage door opener, so I pushed the button and parked in the empty garage. He’d told me he’d be home by eight, and it was a few minutes after, but with everything else going on, I wasn’t surprised he was late.

  I headed inside and opened the fridge to get out a pitcher of tea. James never drank it, but I’d made a pitcher after we returned from Shreveport on Saturday. I’d been here often enough it was starting to become familiar. It still felt strange to think that James would never be as familiar in my house as I was in his. He’d never spent more time there than necessary. It was safer that way, and I was used to it, but tonight it chafed.

  I filled a glass and w
ent out onto James’s screened-in porch off the living room. The evening had a bit of a chill, so I kicked off my shoes, grabbed an afghan off the sofa—another new addition since I’d become a frequent visitor; James claimed he had no need for afghans—and cuddled up on the cushioned love seat. The lump between my legs reminded me that I was still wearing my gun, so I removed both the gun and the holster and placed them next to my glass on the table. During my drive, I’d decided that I needed to tell James about my encounter with Denny Carmichael but it would be best to ease my way into the conversation. As much as it was possible to ease into a conversation about being kidnapped by a drug dealer.

  I must have dozed off, because when I roused it was dark outside and I heard James bark from the kitchen, “I know there was a whole lot more than you told me, so call me back and spill it all, or your cushy little job’s about to be flushed down the toilet.”

  He was quiet for a good half minute before he called out, his voice much gentler, “Rose?”

  “Out here.”

  He appeared in the doorway, the light framing him and making him glow like an avenging angel.

  “Hey,” I said, my voice still groggy with sleep. “Sorry. I dozed off. What time is it?”

  He sat down next to me and pulled my legs onto his lap, then tugged my foot free of the throw and began to massage the ball of my foot. “Only eight forty. You been here long?”

  “Long enough to take a nap,” I said with a soft moan. “That feels heavenly.”

  “Sorry I’m late. I’m dealing with another situation.”

  “I heard the tail end of your call.” And Jed had mentioned there was trouble too, but I wasn’t about to tell him that. “Everything okay?”

  He leaned back and put his feet on the ottoman. His shoulders relaxed, and it looked like he was dropping a hundred-pound load.

  “It is now,” he said, his words full of contentment.

  I sat up and reached for his cheek, gently turning his face toward me. I placed a soft kiss on his lips and he kissed me back, just as gently.

  He released a soft sigh into my mouth and his fingers pressed lightly into my jaw. “When I’m with you…” His voice trailed off as he searched my eyes.

  I grinned up at him. “Don’t stop there.”

  He kissed me again, his mouth more demanding this time, and I could tell his inner demons were winning the war over the softer part of him. He was capable of gentleness, but not for long. His possessiveness usually rose up and took over.

  He reached for the hem of my shirt as his mouth claimed mine, our tongues tangling as I wrapped my hands around his head and brought him closer.

  He lifted my shirt, pulling away for a brief second to throw it to the ground before his lips found mine again. Seconds later, he’d unhooked my bra and sent it to the floor with my shirt.

  “Come here. Let me look at you,” he said, his voice husky. He lifted me under my arms and straddled me on his lap so that he was gazing at my naked chest. “I never get tired of this view.”

  I grinned down at him. “I don’t get to see you?”

  He lifted his shirt up and over his head within seconds.

  “Better?” he asked with a lazy grin.

  “Yeah.” I placed my hands on his chest, letting my fingers trail along his hard, defined muscles, and his hands lifted to my breasts. He gently cupped them as his thumbs brushed the sensitive skin below my nipples.

  A shiver ran down my back and I sucked in a breath.

  His grin spread across his face. He loved every reaction he elicited from me.

  “I missed you today,” he said as his thumbs became bolder.

  “I missed you too.”

  He lowered his face to my breast, taking my nipple into his mouth.

  I moaned, and his arm wrapped around my back, holding me in place. Closing my eyes, I soaked him in. I knew I couldn’t have him forever, so I’d take what I could for now.

  Cupping both of my butt cheeks with his hands, he stood. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he headed inside. He started for the stairs, then stopped and kissed me with a raw hunger that stole my breath.

  When he finally pulled back, his voice was husky as he said, “Tell me that I get you all night.”

  “I’m yours.”

  My words stoked a fire in him and he kissed me with such passion that I was sure he’d take me right there against the wall in his living room, but instead he carried me up the stairs and into his room. With his mouth still capturing mine, he slid my body down his front until my feet touched the floor. He finally took a step back, his gaze dropping to my chest. “Take off your skirt.”

  His rough voice sent a thrill down my spine. I reached for the button and unfastened it, then pushed it over my hips and let it drop to the floor.

  “Now your panties.”

  They followed suit and I was standing in front of him naked. It wasn’t the first time, and it wasn’t even the twentieth, but the hungry look in his eyes sent a flush of heat through my veins that filled me with the same anticipation I’d felt the first time. This man had a hold on me I couldn’t explain, and I didn’t know how to handle it.

  “Lie down on the bed,” he said, his eyes hooded with desire. “On your back.”

  Still facing him, I backed up to the bed and sat down. Scooting backward, I lay down with my head on the pillows, then bent my legs at the knees and spread them wide.

  He inhaled sharply, and his chest expanded as his jaw tightened. With his dark gaze on my body, he reached for the button of his jeans. He made quick work of stripping off the rest of his clothes.

  “Touch yourself,” he said as he stood at the end of the bed.

  I froze. He’d never asked me to do that before, but his gaze set my body on fire. I reached between my legs, feeling wicked and aroused.

  He watched me as he knelt on the bed between my legs, his gaze blazing up my body to my face.

  He slowly leaned over me, and I started to pull my hand away, but his hand covered mine, and he grunted, “Don’t stop.” Then he guided my hand back between my legs as his mouth claimed one of my breasts.

  Desire shot straight to my core, and I arched my back as I cried out, but he gently pushed me back down. He released my breast and kissed me with abandon as we worked together to bring me to climax.

  Then he rose up on his knees and pulled my hand free, lifting it to his mouth. Holding my gaze, he licked my fingertips as he prodded my entrance. Then, sucking my index and middle finger into his mouth, he plunged into me, fully sheathing himself.

  I lifted my hips to take him, crying out again, overwhelmed with sensation. I closed my eyes, reveling in the feel of him.

  He pulled back and dropped my hand. “Roll over,” he grunted.

  I opened my eyes and stared up at him with a questioning look, but the naked desire on his face stole my breath and I quickly obeyed.

  “On your knees.”

  Leaning forward on my elbows, I got onto my knees and lifted my butt to him.

  He grabbed one hip and slid his other hand around my stomach and between my legs. I sucked in a breath as white-hot desire shot to my core.

  I gasped as he slowly slid into me. Something deep within me tightened, and his hand swept up from my hip to the nape of my neck as he plunged in again. I pushed back into him, overcome with some primal force as he grabbed a handful of my hair, tugged it back, and thrust again.

  “Oh God,” I breathed out, closing my eyes, and my words sent him into a frenzy.

  His hands were everywhere, grabbing, claiming, as he thrust into me over and over. His arm snaked over my chest and between my breasts, his hand grabbing my shoulder so he could get a firmer grip. His forearm lifted my chest off the bed, arching my back as I pushed back into him even more.

  “Oh God. James,” I cried out as he stoked a sexual hunger I’d never experienced before. I would have sold my soul to fulfill it, and from the frenzied pace he set, he felt it too.

  His mouth roughly kissed
my back, his teeth scraping my shoulder, and I grabbed his arm, my fingers digging deep. I was desperate for more of him everywhere. He plunged harder, shaking the bed so hard I could barely maintain my balance, but he held me firmly in place as he thrust as though he couldn’t get deep enough.

  “Jesus Christ, Rose.” He grunted, his hand tightening its grip again. Then, with his left arm still holding me off the bed, his other hand reached between my legs, coaxing me higher still.

  I released a loud moan, nearly ready to fall over the edge of my climax.

  “Not yet,” he growled, sounding more animal than man, and bit lightly into my shoulder.

  It was one sensation too many, and something in me exploded, white-hot and bright. I saw stars as wave after wave of pleasure washed through me, and just as it started to subside, his fingers shifted, and he changed his angle, and another, even larger orgasm slammed into me.

  I lost myself in the tidal wave of feeling, more intense and blinding than anything I’d ever experienced.

  He pushed my chest onto the bed, one hand on the middle of my back and the other gripping my hip as he gave several more forceful thrusts. Then he shoved deeper yet and released a loud roar as he came.

  He collapsed beside me onto the bed, still inside me as he pulled my back to his chest, his arm crossing over my chest and bringing me closer yet. I had to loosen his arms to breathe.

  “Rose,” he said, my name like a prayer on his lips. He pressed kisses to my back, and I could feel his passion rising again as he turned my head so he could kiss me, his tongue and lips hard and demanding.

  He pulled out, then rolled me onto my back and straddled my legs. Leaning over me, he grabbed my face with both hands and kissed me deeply.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck, answering his silent call for more and demanding more in return.

  Something had happened tonight, something soul-deep and earth-shattering. Something that I had no clue what to name.

  And that scared the crap out of me.

  Chapter 29

  “Rose,” he said, placing kisses across my cheeks. “I want more than this.”