Don't Mess with Texas

by Christie Craig

  “Bring it on, baby,” he whispered. “Bring it on.”

  Later that night, Dallas watched Nikki get up and head toward his bedroom. What had seemed like a brilliant idea now suddenly felt foolish. A desperate attempt to fix something when he didn’t even know what the hell was wrong.

  She came to a sudden stop at his bedroom door and glanced back at him. “You do this?”

  “Would you believe me if I said I opened the window and they just blew inside?”

  She grinned as he approached her. “I’ve never made love on rose petals.”

  “I read it in a magazine and I thought…”

  “It’s sweet.” She turned and kissed him, but it ended too fast.

  He ran a finger across her wet lips. “What’s going on inside that head of yours?”

  “Nothing,” she said.

  He couldn’t force her to tell him. And he didn’t know what to say to change something he didn’t understand. So he did what he did best. He undressed her, laid her back on the bed and brushed a rose petal over every inch of her soft skin.

  When she came the first time, she called out his name, and that, Dallas decided, was the sweetest sound in the world.

  Tuesday afternoon Dallas was at the gallery with Nance and Nikki when Tony walked in. Dallas saw Nikki look up and for a second she looked scared.

  “It’s okay,” he whispered in her ear. “I think he’s here with good news about Nance.” He felt her relax against him and when she leaned on him, it felt so damn good. For some crazy reason, he recalled his dad telling him the thing he missed most about losing Dallas’s mom was the feeling of her leaning on him. He said her weight balanced out his life. That without her occasional weight against him, he didn’t feel grounded. At the time, Dallas thought it had been a sappy thing to say. Not anymore.

  Dallas looked at Nance who now wore the expression Nikki had moments earlier. Then Tony smiled and Nance’s shoulders relaxed.

  “How you doing, kid?” Tony asked.

  “I’ve been better,” Nance replied hesitantly.

  “What if I told you it was over? All charges dropped.”

  Nance looked at Dallas. “Is he for real?”

  Dallas nodded.

  “Oh, damn!” Nance swung around and grabbed Nikki in a big bear hug.

  Dallas watched the two embrace. “Remember, she’s mine.”

  Nikki smiled and, for a flicker of a second, she looked at him without reservation.

  “I do the work and she reaps the rewards,” Dallas said to Tony.

  “What’s wrong?” Nance asked when he released Nikki. “You’re jealous? You want a hug? Come here. Hell, I could kiss you for what you’ve done. But I’m not slapping you on the ass like Tyler did.”

  Dallas held out his hand. “A handshake will do.”

  “Whoa,” Tony said. “Tyler slapped Dallas’s ass? First a pink sofa and now this.”

  “He used the gay card to get out of sleeping with someone,” Nance said.

  “Did not. She assumed it. I just let her assume.”

  Nikki laughed. “I’ll attest to Dallas’s masculinity.”

  Dallas pulled her against him. “Thank you.”

  Nikki looked at his brother. “Maybe you’re not so bad, after all.”

  Tony grinned. “I’ve been thinking the same thing about you.”

  Later, when Dallas walked Tony to his car, Tony’s body language changed. “I thought we were working together on the Leon case. On the same side—isn’t that the way you put it?”

  “We are.”

  “So would you like to share with me what you’re hoping to find on Brian and Sterns computers? Mr. Sterns mentioned it during his interview.”

  “I was going to tell you if I hadn’t heard anything by this afternoon.” Dallas explained about the disk.

  “Christ. I could’ve had those computers yanked yesterday.”

  “And they’d go into your CSU unit for a month before any one got to them. You know I’m right.”

  Tony’s grimaced. “You could have told me.”

  “I told you about the busboy,” Dallas said. “Have you located him yet?”

  “No.”

  “Have you tried?”

  “I sent a guy out. But that’s not a viable lead. That kid probably just up and quit. We have no connection between him and Brian.”

  Dallas knew his brother had a point, but his gut said differently. “Did you question Brian?”

  “Yeah. He swears he’s innocent. Says he never left the office that night.”

  “And you believe him?”

  “No, but I need to prove it. The Leons are getting impatient. They visited my boss yesterday.”

  “You can’t arrest Nikki with other leads still pending.”

  “I still have two people willing to testify she told them she was going to kill him.” Tony sighed. “I’m going to fight this. I’ve already pissed off my boss over it. But I need something concrete.” Tony pulled out his keys. “Are things serious between you two?”

  “Define ‘serious.’ ”

  “Dad thinks you’re as good as married,” Tony said.

  “Married? Hell, no. Did that once. Didn’t care for it.”

  “That was Serena.” Tony opened his car door.

  “Believe me, I know the difference. Nikki and I… we’re good together. I like her… a lot. And if I can convince her, she’ll be around for a long time.”

  “Convince her?” Tony asked. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing wrong,” Dallas said. “We’re just… just in this weird relationship place.”

  “Maybe because you can’t admit what you want.”

  “I know what I want.” And he did. He’d spent a lot of time thinking about it these last few days. He’d finally made sense of it all.

  “And what do you want?”

  “For her to stick around a while.”

  “Wow, with an invite like that I don’t see why she’s isn’t chomping at the bit to say yes.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Dallas asked.

  Tony just looked at him. “Not a damn thing. Good luck, brother.” He got into his car.

  “Everything is going to be fine,” Dallas said. He watched his brother drive off and then reached up and touched his eyebrow, which kept jumping up and down. “Shit!” he muttered, wondering what his fucking eyebrow knew that he didn’t.

  The next day, Nikki poured herself a cup of coffee. Dallas was getting dressed to go to the cemetery for his mom’s birthday. Dallas hadn’t asked her to go. She respected that this was a private event, but it was another clue she longed to be a bigger part of Dallas’s life than he wanted.

  Nursing her cup of coffee, petting Bud with her foot, she tried to figure out her exit strategy. A knock came on the door. She opened the door and Tyler stormed in, picked her up and swung her around in his arms.

  “I’m so damn good,” he said.

  Nikki laughed. “I don’t think I can attest to that.”

  “Good thing, too, or you’d dump the gay guy with the pink sofa.”

  Nikki laughed. When she’d first heard the story, she’d felt jealous that another woman had approached Dallas. Though it felt good that he’d turned her down, she and Dallas didn’t even have an exclusive agreement. Wasn’t that her number-one rule? Get an exclusive before sleeping with a guy? How did things move from puking on the guy to being a breath away from blurting out “I love you” when they made love?

  Pretend we’re on vacation or something. His words played in her head. Vacations were fabulous, but temporary. Vacations always ended.

  “So exactly how are you good?” Nikki asked, shoving her problems aside.

  “I don’t care how good he is. He needs his own woman.” Dallas moved in from the bedroom.

  Nikki looked over her shoulder at Dallas. “Tyler has good news.”

  Dallas smiled, but he eyed Tyler’s hands at her waist with what looked like jealousy. Would a guy who didn’t want an
exclusive be jealous?

  Maybe she should stop guessing and start asking. Soon, she promised herself. Instantly, she heard Ellen’s voice of warning. I’m not so certain he’s the only one with a commitment problem. Was Ellen right?

  Tyler must have noted Dallas’s look, too, because he dropped his hands from her waist. “Hey, I’m the one who should be jealous. You just up and went straight on my ass.”

  “Don’t you think that story stopped being funny the third time you told it?” Dallas asked.

  “I’m still laughing at it.” Dallas’s dad walked through the door.

  Dallas nodded a quick greeting at his dad, whose phone rang, so he stepped back into the hall.

  Watching his dad leave, Dallas frowned at Tyler. “Is there anyone in the state of Texas you haven’t told?”

  “If so, it wasn’t intentional,” Tyler said.

  Dallas, in navy slacks and button-down light blue oxford shirt, turned Nikki’s heart into a big gooey pile of emotion. How long could she let this vacation last? Was it wrong for her to draw it out?

  “What’s the news?” Dallas asked Tyler. “Did Sterns call and want us to check the computers?”

  “Nope,” Tyler said.

  “Then what?” Dallas hooked a hand around Nikki’s waist. It felt good to be close.

  “I found the connection between the busboy and Andrew Brian.”

  “And?” Dallas asked.

  “Drugs,” Tyler said. “That’s the thing they both had in common. I researched to see if the busboy and he attended the same AA meeting or rehab. I knew they traveled in different circles, but AA groups aren’t class subjective.”

  “So they were in the same AA group?”

  “Nope. That came up empty.”

  “So?” Dallas asked.

  “I remembered that Andrew was new to Brian and Sterns. He worked for a small firm, Godfrey Law. I checked the public records and found out that busboy’s drug case was handled by none other than—”

  “Godfrey Law,” Dallas and Nikki said at the same time.

  “Nope.” Tyler grinned. “I was very disappointed, too.”

  “You’re losing me,” Dallas said.

  “Hell, I stay lost,” Dallas’s father said, walking back into the room.

  Tyler continued, “He received free services from a nonprofit anti-gang group called Freedom.”

  Dallas shifted, obviously impatient. “The point?”

  “Brian Senior is committed to the organization and he’s twisted his son’s arm to handle a few cases pro bono. The busboy’s case was one of them.”

  Dallas picked Nikki up and kissed her. “I think we may have just cleared your name.”

  Five minutes later, after a mini-celebration, Dallas and his dad started out for the cemetery. Mr. O’Connor looked back at Nikki. “You’re not coming with us?”

  Nikki saw Dallas look at her in something that looked like surprise and then he said, “If Nikki would like to come, she’s welcome.”

  “No,” she said. “It’s a private party.” Besides, she had some serious thinking to do.

  Thirty minutes later, dressed, and still unable to think, Nikki stopped by the office and waved good-bye to Austin and Tyler. “See you later.”

  “Be careful,” they chimed out together.

  Nikki went to give Bud, resting in the casket, a good-bye pat.

  The front door opened. Nikki looked up, and stumbled back. Andrew Brian stood there staring down at her and he didn’t look any happier to see her than she was to see him.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  DALLAS SWALLOWED HARD. They stood in front of the gravestone, Tony on one side of his father and Dallas on the other.

  “I sometimes talk to her when I come here,” his dad said, his voice hoarse. “I know she’s not really here, but…” He drew in a deep shaky breath. “I miss her so much.”

  “We all do.” Dallas’s own voice sounded strained.

  His dad moved forward and placed the roses on top of the grave. When he stood up, he looked at his sons. “She loved you both so much. She said you were the best things she ever did.”

  “She was a hell of a mom.” Tony passed a hand over his face.

  Dallas’s breath caught. “I’d give anything if she’d known that… that I was exonerated.”

  “She knew you would be,” his dad said. “The day before she passed, she told me that she’d had a talk with someone…” He pointed to the sky. “Someone upstairs and He told her you were gonna be fine.”

  Dallas smiled and tears filled his eyes when he looked at his dad. “You picked us a damn good mom, old man.”

  “I did, didn’t I?” He smiled and pressed his fingers to his lips. Taking a few steps, he pressed those fingers to the stone. “Love you, sweetheart. Happy birthday.”

  Dallas put a hand on his dad’s shoulder. “You know, Dad, Mom wouldn’t want to think you weren’t taking care of yourself. Or that you weren’t living life.”

  His father shook his head. “I know, and I’m working on it.” He ran a hand over his face, then stared at Dallas. “Can you tell me you’re doing the same?”

  “I’m fine,” Dallas said.

  “I’ll admit you’ve been happier these last few weeks than you have in months. But…”

  “But what?” Dallas asked.

  “Pull your head out of the sand.”

  “My head’s not in the sand.”

  His dad shrugged and dropped his hands in his pockets. “Hold on to her, son. You’ll regret it if you don’t.”

  Dallas opened his mouth to argue, but didn’t know what to say. Shit. His head wasn’t in the sand. He knew what he wanted now. Why the hell did everyone keep saying he didn’t?

  His dad glanced at Tony. “We’ve all hit a rough spot. Thank God O’Connors are made of steel.”

  “Yeah.” Tony’s gaze shifted to the right, where Dallas knew his little girl was buried. “I’m going to go take a walk.”

  “Yeah,” Dallas said and while he didn’t want to rush his dad, Dallas ached to get back to Nikki.

  Austin, looking panicked, met Dallas at the door to the office a short while later. “Andrew Brain is in the conference room with Tyler.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah, it’s fucked up. He wants to hire us to prove that he didn’t do this murder.”

  “Where’s Nikki?” Dallas asked.

  “She left for the gallery. She was shaken when she saw him. But she’s tough.”

  “She’s not that tough.” Dallas pulled out his phone and Austin walked away.

  She answered on the first ring. “What does he want with you?” she demanded.

  “Don’t know yet. I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

  “I’m fine. Nance is here.” She paused. “How did things go at the cemetery?” she asked.

  He wanted to kick himself again for not inviting her. “Good. Thanks for talking me into going.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Look, I’ll call when I know something about Brian.” He started to hang up, but paused, “Nikki…” He heard his old man’s words. Hold on to her, son. You’ll regret it if you don’t.

  “Yes?”

  “I miss you.”

  “Me, too,” she said, but it took her a long time to say it.

  Getting off the line, feeling as if he’d screwed up again, he took off to talk to Brian.

  “I didn’t kill anyone,” Brian’s patience already seemed to be failing him and Dallas had just gotten started.

  “What brought you to our door?” Dallas’s own patience was in short supply, too.

  “Sterns had you checked out. I read the report. It said you specialized in wrongly accused cases and I’m being wrongly accused.”

  “There’s just one problem,” Dallas said. “We’re already working this case.”

  “So you’re trying to pin it on me? Is that what you’re saying?” Brian looked at Tyler sitting on the other side of the table.

  “Goes back to
the duck story,” Dallas said. “If it walks like a duck, talks like—”

  Brian slammed his hand on the desk. “I didn’t kill Jack.”

  Dallas kept pushing the guy, hoping he’d crater. “Do you deny knowing Jose Garcia?”

  The man’s face went white. Oh, yeah, he was guilty. Dallas couldn’t wait to hand him over to Tony.

  “I didn’t do it. Fuck!” He took several deep breaths. “If I tell you the truth, can you help me?”

  “That depends on what the truth is,” Tyler said.

  Brian hesitated. “I knew Garcia.”

  “And you gave the kid the stuff to put in Jack Leon’s soup, didn’t you?”

  “Yes, but it wouldn’t have killed him.”

  “Did Leon discover you were cooking the books? Is that what happened?”

  The man grew paler still. “I told him I was going to pay it back.”

  “What is it? Cocaine?” The muscles in Dallas’s jaw tightened.

  “At first, yes. But I stopped using. I hired this man to… help me. He helped me kick the habit six weeks ago, but then he came back and said I had to pay him or he’d tell my dad. I took the money one more time. Jack found out. I tried to explain, but he wouldn’t listen. I thought if I… threatened him, he’d back off. All I wanted was a chance to pay back the money. I’ve done some bad things but stealing from my dad’s firm was the worst. I just wanted a chance to fix it.”

  “But he refused and that’s when you decided to kill him, right?”

  “No!”

  “You broke into Nikki Hunt’s apartment,” Dallas accused.

  “Jack had the information on a flash drive. I knew he’d seen her, so yes, I went looking for it. But I didn’t kill Jack and I didn’t attack anyone at that gallery. I’ll take a polygraph, whatever, but I’m not going down for this.” Brian shot his gaze to Tyler. “What do I do? How can I prove I’m innocent?”

  Dallas folded his arms over his chest. He didn’t believe Brian. “For starters, you turn yourself in.”

  “If I tell them about the money, they’ll think I killed Jack.”

  “They already know. I handed all the evidence I have to my brother over an hour ago. He’s probably already sent a squad car over to arrest you.”