Toxic

by Debra Jupe

  “He told me he’d served in the military, but he didn’t elaborate.”

  “You sleep with the guy, and you don’t know what happened to him in the army?”

  “No Quinn. Our careers, past or present didn’t come up when we were in bed. We were busy doing other things.” Gracie tucked her bottom lip beneath her teeth, wishing she could snatch back her words the instant they’d left her mouth. She didn’t mean to let Quinn get to her and hated she’d stooped to her level.

  “Quinn,” Krystal scolded. “Enough. If you can’t act any better then you need to go home.”

  Vivian dabbed away another flow of tears and sniffed. “You possess a lot of information about this murder, Krystal, who’s your source?”

  Krystal retrieved her pen and nervously clicked the end. “Charlie’s friend, Phil works at the police department. He was over last night, and after a few beers, he shared a little too much.” She shook a finger at Quinn. “Don’t go blabbing.”

  “I don’t blab, Krystal.”

  Gracie sidestepped that landmine and kept her focus straight ahead, her mind worked in overdrive. “Have they located the weapon?”

  “I’m guessing no.”

  “He probably stashed it somewhere, or he’s thrown it in the river,” Quinn said.

  “If we could figure out where to locate it…”

  “Gracie, we don’t agree on who killed Mike, but either way, you need to stay out of this.” Quinn stabbed a forefinger in her direction. “Anyone who kills once will kill again, especially if it means saving his ass.”

  “I can’t, Quinn. I believe in Ethan. I’m going to find a way to help him. Two attempts were made on his life this week, correct?”

  Krystal’s eyes brightened. “Yes, that’s right. The first one, the one you saved him, was serious. The second was no laughing matter either.”

  “Exactly.” Gracie gave Quinn a satisfied glimpse.

  “He could have set the whole thing up to throw suspicion off him.” Quinn snatched a nearby magazine and flipped the pages without looking at them. “He’d planned on killing Mike all along.”

  “He was in pretty bad shape after the first incident,” Krystal said.

  “I rescued him, Quinn. I was inside that greenhouse; it was filled with chemical. He would’ve died had Reed and I not shown up.” She turned to Krystal. “Have you considered Mike’s death might be connected to the disappearing plants?”

  “Crossed my mind. I gave the information to police. But they didn’t do anything with it. They’ll probably use it against Ethan. Make the thefts a motive.”

  Quinn turned her attention back to the conversation. “What missing plants?”

  “Are you talking about the hundreds marked diseased?” Vivian wanted to know. “I thought there was something strange about that. They weren’t sick, were they? What’s happening to them?”

  “Someone is ripping Mike off,” Krystal said. “For what purpose I have no idea. The detective I spoke with speculated Mike stole his own product and used the robberies as a tax-break, expanding the materials worth and pocketed the overages.”

  “A rumor in town claims Ethan tried to blackmail Mike. The missing plant angle would fit the scenario.” Vivian tossed her soggy tissue and fluffed another to wipe her leaky eyes. “We all know Mike wouldn’t give in to extortion. If it’s true, the situation may’ve gotten out of hand to the point to where Ethan killed him.”

  “Blackmail.” Quinn raised a fist. “That’s it.”

  “That can’t be just ‘it’.” Gracie argued.

  “I don’t believe Mike destroyed his own plants for profit, and I hate anyone would think that.” Krystal tossed her pen onto the pad. “I’m betting the lost material is the key. The police are blowing the whole thing off. Things aren’t good for Ethan, but if Gracie believes in him, then I trust her instincts. We should help.”

  “Thank you,” Gracie said softly.

  “I’m in,” Vivian agreed. “What’s the plan?”

  “We need to do some investigating of our own. We could meet for the next few nights. Find out if anything happens.”

  “Come here after dark?” Quinn stared at Krystal like she’d lost her mind. Even Gracie gave her a funny look, but Vivian nodded.

  “How will doing that help Ethan?” Gracie asked.

  “Mike’s gone. No reason for the burglaries to continue if he was having them pilfered for profit. If they disappear while Ethan is locked up, then we have something to take to the police. He can’t be blackmailing. We can possibly prove his innocence.”

  “Or his guilt,” Quinn said snidely.

  Gracie frowned at Quinn, refusing to be drawn in.

  Krystal lifted a shoulder and turned to face Gracie. “It’s a risk, but at least we’ll know one way or the other.”

  “Are we allowed here after hours? Won’t we get in trouble?” Gracie asked.

  “If we ask I’m sure the answer is no, but if we don’t…” Krystal raised her brows with a smile. “This place is located in the middle of nowhere. Who’ll tell? The police are almost finished with their investigation, and they believe they have their man, so nothings stopping us.”

  Gracie refused to consider the consequences. Clear Ethan, clear her mind. “I’m in.”

  Chapter 15

  Ethan gulped the last drop of beer as he stared at the water below. The moons subdued spark radiated over the river’s ripple. His growing issues drifted through his head. Mike’s death, the possibility of murder charges, which transferred into a wrecked reputation even if he was proven innocent.

  His fucked up life in general.

  Gracie.

  The drained can crushed easily in his fist.

  The woman somehow managed to slip into his heart, and she’d stayed there. His mind couldn’t find any escape from thinking about her despite his dismal circumstances. His impulses bounced from blame to out of control erotic daydreams that drove him wild. Both had him wanting to rush to her and do—something.

  He shifted his gaze into the darkened sky.

  And she’s the reason he’d ended up here. He squeezed the flattened tin between his fingers and gave it a toss into the rushing water. Time to go. Except he didn’t want to. He hadn’t been to his house since the police released him, and going to an empty home was just sad. Eyes closed, he sucked in a load of air in an effort to keep his panic at bay. His lids lifted as he stood in the twilight, alone. So very alone. Hard to believe it’d come to this. After following a bunch of last ditch orders that stressed him to the point to where he’d imbibed way too much, he was done.

  Thoughts in a whirl, he scrambled to his feet, and stood on the edge of the pier.

  An odd sound made him freeze.

  Subdued.

  Behind him.

  He did a half turn and gazed into the darkness.

  Other than the frogs harmonizing with the river’s flow, he couldn’t make out anything unusual.

  Just his imagination. He’d drunk several beers, and he wasn’t used to so much alcohol, one being his usual limit. Probably an animal getting a drink down the way. He jammed a hand in his pocket, hoping he hadn’t locked his keys inside his truck. Relieved, they jingled between his fingers as he took a step.

  He stopped.

  He heard it again.

  The strange soft bump. Didn’t sound like anything wild, and the thud was definitely in back of him. “Who’s out there?”

  A jolt hit him from the rear. In a split second, an attacker was on him. His body swayed above the rushing stream below. He grabbed for something to latch onto while trying to wrestle away from his assailant. They tipped sideways, toward the water. Their weight propelled them over the dock’s edge, tumbling into the murkiness beneath.

  His capturer released him the second they crashed into the river. Ethan sank into the muddy depths until his butt bumped the spongy bottom. Holding his breath, he pushed from the base, thrusting his body upward. After a few moments, he broke the plane, releasing a gu
sh of air.

  His feet found the sodden floor.

  Good, this area was shallow enough that he could stand and keep his head above the surface. He looked around. His attacker seemed to have disappeared.

  On alert, he combed the darkened surroundings. Treading water, he used his arms to explore alongside the dock, beside the supports, and beneath the shifty river’s rim, searching.

  Nothing.

  He gauged the length to the top of the pier, ready to hoist up and get the hell out of there.

  A palm clutched his shoulder. He snatched his attacker’s wrist and whirled around. He tensed his other hand, tightening it into a ball, his fist set to lay this pest out in the mud.

  They both gasped.

  “Ms. Desoto.” He released her and stared. Gracie Desoto stood in front of him, bouncing in the current. A small, solid log was positioned above her head.

  “Ethan?” She dropped her weapon, shoving her wet tresses away from her eyes.

  “Either my savior or my opponent. By the looks of things, the latter appears to be this case.” He gestured at the wooden dock, then to the water. “I’m assuming you’re the cause for our eleventh-hour dip?”

  She clutched the log and glared at him. “Why are you on my pier?”

  She sounded angry. Obviously, she wasn’t happy to find him on her property. With good reason. He’d essentially walked out on her, again, and now he was a person of interest in the death of her former boss, ending with him semi-intoxicated at her home late at night.

  “Technically I’m no longer on your pier.”

  She shot him a death glare.

  A hand raked through his damp hair. He’d have to tell her something, anything. Except the real reason, he wanted to be with her. “Hard to explain.”

  “Please try.”

  “I was upset. The police held me for twenty-four hours. They had nothing, I mean, nothing. No evidence, other than my being with Mike before he died and my military background. Because of this proof, I’m a person of interest.” He spat out the words as if they were poison. “After they freed me, I decided to get drunk.”

  She gazed at him without a stitch of remorse on her face. Not that he deserved any, but hell, a smidgen of sympathy on her part would make things a lot easier.

  She opened her mouth. Reflections from the moonlight displayed a blaze in eyes that showed she was about to set him on fire.

  He shot out a palm triggering a slew of water to trickle down his arm. “Before you start, I’m aware drinking won’t solve anything, but at the moment it seemed like a good idea. I picked up some beer, actually I bought a lot of beer, and for the last hour I spent my time driving past your house.”

  Gracie’s eyebrows rose as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Alcohol and behind a wheel?”

  “I know. But I wanted to see you, and I was afraid you wouldn’t want to be around me, which under the circumstances is probably for the best.”

  “You wanted to see me?” she repeated, dropping her arms, her voice high and squeaky. The moon had disappeared behind a cloud, therefore, she was only an outline in the shadows but he could hear the smile in her tone.

  Ethan groaned. He must still be a little drunk. “Yes. I missed you. I parked across the street and drank some more.” He paused. “I suddenly felt suffocated. I needed fresh air, so I decided to go for a walk and ended up on the dock.” He stopped and peeked at her. “I was about to leave when you came up behind.” He hesitated and backed further from her. “Why did you shove me into the river?”

  She clasped her hands in front of her. The cloud had moved away from the moon so he had full view of her wide smile. “And you missed me.”

  He ignored her, bothered she only caught the mushy parts and totally disregarded the fact she’d been ready to take him out. Again. “Do you want to hurt me? I mean the other night you took a swing at me with that heavy ass flashlight, and tonight you pushed me off your pier, and were ready to cold cock me with a hunk of wood.”

  She wadded to him, sliding her hands across his shoulders, moving in close. Way too close. Gently, he disengaged her embrace, and gripped her wrists. “Gracie. We’re going to draw some unwanted attention.”

  She jerked free, snapped around, and splashed toward the pier.

  He fanned into the water, performing an easy breast stroke to follow her. “Gracie.”

  “Ms. Desoto.”

  Damn this woman. He shouldn’t have come here. Common sense told him to go straight home. The consumption of a few beers almost had him professing his feelings for her, which would’ve been crazy. He needed to get away, leave, before he did something completely stupid.

  She paddled to a ladder he somehow missed and scaled the steps onto the dock. Ethan trailed close behind.

  He’d made it to the top rung when she whirled to him, standing in the moonlights glow and pointed a finger in his face. “You frightened me.”

  Her white t-shirt clung to her body, giving him a clear view of her lovely tits underneath. A corner of his mouth lifted as her breasts delightfully jiggled. Ethan totally lost focus.

  “Okay, but—”

  “Don’t you ‘but’ me.” She placed her hands on her waist. The shirt tightened. Saliva filled his mouth as he fought to restrain himself. “I’m willing to forgive and forget. And you’re being nothing but difficult, as usual.”

  “Please keep your voice down.” He stepped onto the pier and patted the air with his palms. “People nearby may not like the noise. They might call the cops.”

  “Really? You’ve been sitting in a jail cell under a murder suspicion, and you’re worried about the neighbors calling the police because we’re loud?”

  “They never locked me up. I sat in the detective’s office the whole time.”

  “Whatever.” She turned and stomped away, her bare feet echoing against the dock’s wood.

  Ethan sighed and smiled at the moon’s radiance shimmering on her tight, round butt. He hurried to catch up, slipping an arm around her waist. He tugged her to him. “I’m sorry I upset you, Ms. Desoto. I’m overwhelmed from past few days, and I’m disturbed by you shoving me into the water.”

  Gracie answered with glare.

  “Okay, maybe you’ll explain later.” He bent forward and brushed his lips against her temple. “Forgive me, please?”

  She snuggled into him, tilting her chin up. He couldn’t resist. His insides burned, on fire from need. Her hands stroked across his chest; her fingers caressed his arms. He twirled her to face him, mashing their saturated bodies together, crushing his mouth into hers.

  Without breaking the kiss, Gracie rose up onto her toes. Her body trembled. He positioned his hand under her butt and hoisted her up. Her legs wrapped around his waist and situated herself into his throbbing erection. She clenched, his hardness nearly burst into the middle of her thinly covered thighs.

  He licked her bottom lip, and set her to the ground. “Lay down.” he commanded in a low growl.

  Gracie’s eyes grew round. “You want to do it here? On my dock?”

  His hand lightly skimmed over her breasts, past her belly, under the elastic of her bottoms. Fingers glided between her legs. Heat, wet, and swollen. Her body yielded against his.

  He released an easy chuckle. “Why not? No one will know. We’ll have to be quiet, though.”

  “I’ll do my best,” she mumbled breathlessly, as they lowered. “But I won’t make any promises.”

  Thirty minutes later, Ethan lay on his back, his arms pillowed his head.

  “I’m not sure if this is a revision of my teenage years or if we’ve sunk to a new low.”

  Gracie giggled. “It is bad, huh?”

  Ethan was almost positive her entire body blushed. He was a little stunned, too. While he was always one for an adventure, this was over the top, even for him. Yet, this ride was so good.

  “We probably shouldn’t stay out here like this. Let’s go inside and get out of these soggy clothes.”

  He st
ood, tugging at his wet boxers. “Um, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we are almost out of them.”

  She followed suit, dragging her pajamas over her firm thighs. She gazed at him with an expression of guilt. “I bet you believe I have no self-control.”

  “You’re not the only one who wants to have sex everywhere.” Ethan chuckled. “The chemistry between us makes us crazy.”

  “Think so?”

  “I am a man, and while men are not known for restraint where the entity between our legs are concerned, I’ve maintained scruples since I’ve become an adult. With you, I just lose it.”

  Gracie’s face broke into a huge smile.

  Ethan wanted to throw himself back into the river, and not come up until the alcohol was out of his system. He searched his mind for a save. “This is one for the record books.”

  “You’re sure to get extra points.”

  Ethan stood and offered her a hand. “I will.”

  “Do you maintain a point system on all of your sexual encounters?”

  “Only a joke, Gracie.” He smiled at the positive end to the day from hell.

  They entered the house. He drew her close, taking her hands, fingers interlocked. “I know we’ve played around, and had some fun, but I need you to understand something.”

  She looked at him, her eyes anxious.

  “I didn’t kill Mike. It’s important you believe that.”

  “I do.” She gave him a half grin. “You don’t seem like the blackmailing type.”

  “Ah, you’ve heard the gossip.”

  “I have, but it doesn’t make sense. Attempts were made on your life, too. I don’t understand why the detectives aren’t taking that into consideration.”

  “My attorney posed the same question to them when they were interrogating me. Basically, they blew off both incidents, but the fact is, somebody went from trying to kill me to making me the murderer.”

  “That’s crazy.” She shook her head, her damp strands snapping into her face. She combed a hand through her hair, then jiggled the drops from her fingers. “We’re soaked,” she said as if this was the first time she’d noticed their wetness. “Hang on a minute; let me get us some towels so we can dry off.”