“Are you out of your mind?” he demanded.
“What in the world were you spendin’ all that money on?”
A sheepish look crossed his face. “I was sending money to Amanda.”
“With a credit card?”
“Cash advances.”
I propped a hand on my hip, madder than all get out now. “You sent money to your wife and left me to foot the bill?” I shoved his chest. “Now I really want that money!”
“Where the hell am I supposed to come up with twenty thousand dollars?”
“I don’t know,” I said, tilting my head as I glared at him. “Maybe you should give me that ten grand you’re supposed to turn over.”
His eyes grew wide. “We can’t spend that money, Neely Kate.”
“No shit,” I said. “Do you even know what it is?”
“I know Hardshaw wants it something fierce.” Then his posture changed, and he turned accusatory. “Have you had it all along? We were scrapin’ for money to get that house you wanted so bad, and you were sittin’ on that money?”
“I didn’t know about the money, Ronnie! I only found it this summer and it was nowhere close to home. It was in Ardmore.”
“Ardmore? What in the hell were you doin’ back in Ardmore?”
“I went to pick it from the money tree I’d planted back when I was a stripper,” I said sarcastically. “What else would I be doin’ there?”
The soft whine of an engine broke the silence.
We both froze in our tracks. It was growing closer, which meant someone else was about to join Kate’s party.
“Is your wife comin’ to meet you here?” I asked in a hateful tone.
“Neely Kate…”
“Just answer the daggum question.”
“No, I left Amanda back in Tulsa.”
“Where are you supposed to meet the Hardshaw guy to give him the money?”
“I’m supposed to bring it back to Dallas.”
“Well, somebody’s on the way.” Was it Jed? I pulled the phone from my back pocket and called him.
“Neely Kate,” he answered. “Are you okay? I can see that you’re out in the country and have been there for a while.”
“It’s a long story, but I hope you’re close.”
“Probably a half hour away.”
Which meant the approaching car wasn’t Jed. “Then I’ve gotta go. Somebody’s about to show up on my doorstep.” I hung up and stuffed my phone back in my pocket. I’d probably encouraged him to speed, but if any situation called for a ticket, this one did. “We’ve got to hide.”
“Where?” Ronnie asked, glancing around. “In the garage?”
“Seriously? And you’re supposed to be the criminal!” I shook my head in disgust. “That’s the first place they’re gonna look.” I pulled the flashlight out of my other pocket, turned it on, and panned the light over the ground surrounding the house and barn. My hope shot up when I saw a one-lane road in the yard to the west of the house. I pointed in that direction. “There.”
“There’s nothing out there but an empty field,” he countered. “There’s nothing around us at all, Neely Kate!”
Good God, what had I ever seen in this man?
I pushed him to the passenger side of his car, the same old clunker he’d had while we lived together. “Get in. I’ll drive.”
And just like he’d always done in our fake marriage, he did exactly what I told him to do.
I hurried around the car and got into the driver’s seat. It was pushed back too far, but the bag of money at my back provided enough support to keep me in place. I glanced at the dashboard and froze for a second, remembering how many times this car had broken down on us. At least I’d know what to expect while I was driving it—not much. I turned the key and put the car in reverse. “Do you see headlights yet?”
“No.”
“Good.” I hightailed it down the small dirt road, hoping the dust I was kicking up died down before our visitors arrived, because I planned to drive like a bat out of hell, then slow down and turn off all the lights.
Where the heck was Kate? All the more reason to think she’d set me up.
“The moment you see any sign of that car, you let me know,” I ordered, focusing on staying on the road, which didn’t look too different than the fields on either side.
Ronnie turned in his seat to watch. “Who were you talkin’ to on the phone?” he asked.
I gripped the steering wheel as I concentrated on the road. “My boyfriend, Jed.”
“You have a boyfriend?” he asked, sounding put out.
“Let me remind you that you have a wife!” I shouted.
“Jed…” he mumbled under his breath, then said, “Jed who?”
“Jed Carlisle, not that it’s any of your business.”
He turned to face me. “Skeeter Malcolm’s right-hand man?”
My eyes bugged out. “Turn around and watch for the car, Ronnie!”
He swiveled back around to look out the rear window. “How’d you hook up with Jed Carlisle?”
“How’d you hook up with your wife?”
“Neely Kate…”
“I don’t get it,” I said. “Why on God’s green earth did you marry me?”
“I don’t know,” he said quietly. “I guess because you wanted to.”
“And you didn’t think that marryin’ me was a bad idea?”
“I suspected you’d break up with me if I didn’t do it and I really needed you to not do that.”
“Because you’d get in trouble with Hardshaw,” I said.
“I told them they were barkin’ up the wrong tree,” Ronnie said. “I told them you didn’t have a pot to piss in, but they weren’t interested in money at first. They just wanted me to keep an eye on you.”
“A pretty close one if you had to marry me to do it,” I said, casting him a dark glance.
He lifted his shoulder into a shrug.
“If you were lookin’ for the money, then why didn’t you ask me about it?” I asked.
“Like I said, they didn’t ask about the money until the last few months.” He paused. “I never understood why they were interested in you. You seemed like no one of interest to anyone.”
That hurt, but I had to admit he was right. “It was Kate’s doin’. She was lookin’ into me, and havin’ you watch me was one more way to do it.” When he looked confused, I added, “She was out to get me, but she’s since changed her mind about that part.”
“Who’s Kate?”
“My sister.”
“When the heck did you get a sister?”
“A lot’s changed since you left, Ronnie.”
He sat up straighter. “I see the car.”
I took my foot off the gas and turned off the lights. “Do you think they saw us?”
“I don’t know.”
The car was creeping along, but I didn’t dare speed up since I couldn’t see what I presumed to be the road, and if I hit the brakes, the brake lights would give us away.
“He’s comin this way, Neely Kate!” Ronnie shouted in a panic. “Go!”
Light glared in my eyes the moment I glanced over my shoulder. The car’s headlights were right behind us. Unfortunately for us, the vehicle following us looked like an SUV…which likely had four-wheel drive.
I turned on the headlights and hit the gas—and immediately drove the beat-up car into a small ditch that banged the bottom of the vehicle against the ground.
“Neely Kate!” Ronnie shouted. “What are you doin’? He’s gainin’ on us!”
“He’s driving a car meant to be driven on rough terrain,” I said, swerving to avoid another hole. It was clear we were no longer on a road. “Your piece of crap is rear-wheel drive and is low to the ground.”
“It don’t matter what kind of car any of us are drivin’ if he catches up to us and shoots us.”
He was right, but I wasn’t willing to concede defeat. I had the gun Kate had insisted I take—even more proof she’d set
me up in her stupid game. Besides, I was still ahead of the car. It would be better to stop and take cover than let him shoot at us while we were driving…if he planned to shoot us. Although given the situation, I figured it was a fair assumption.
I spotted a small grove of trees to the left, so I veered off what might have been the road and headed for them.
“What are you doin’?” Ronnie wailed.
“Tryin’ to save your sorry hide.” The car skidded to a stop and I hopped out and ran for the trees, taking cover. Ronnie seemed reluctant to leave the shelter of his car and stayed put.
“Ronnie!” I shouted. “Get out of there!”
He got out of the car, but seemed frozen, as though unsure which option was his best bet.
I got out the gun and turned off the safety. I was about to holler at Ronnie again, but the SUV slid to a stop in front of the beater car. A man hopped out—a big, beefy guy who looked like an enforcer—pointing his gun at Ronnie as he stalked toward him.
“Where’s the money, Colson?”
“I don’t have it,” Ronnie said.
“I do believe that,” the man said with an evil laugh. “You’d hand it over in a heartbeat to get this gun out of your face.” His amusement fell away. “But I think you know where it is, so start talkin’.”
“I told the guy I’d get it and bring it to Dallas,” Ronnie said with a shaky voice. “What are you doin’ here?”
“Makin’ sure the money gets to its rightful owner.”
“And who’s that?” I called out from behind the tree, my gun pointed at the shadowy guy. “I’d like a name.”
“What are you doin’, Neely Kate?” Ronnie demanded.
The man turned his attention to me. “The infamous Neely Kate.” He took a step toward the trees, his gun pointed in my direction, but I wasn’t sure if he could actually see me in the shadows or if he was just pointing in the direction of my voice. “I want that money.”
The tree I was hiding behind wasn’t wide enough to completely protect me from bullets, so I needed to be careful. “Here’s the thing,” I said. “I’m pretty sure the money’s not yours either.”
“True,” he said, “but I’m authorized to hand it over to the person lookin’ for it.”
“You know, I suspect there’s a lot of people lookin’ for it,’ I said. “So you’re gonna have to be more specific.”
“Or,” he said with a grin in his voice, “I could shoot you both and call it a day.”
“I don’t think you want to do that,” I said. “There’s a few people you’ll tick off if you try to shoot me.”
“Try?” He laughed. “I like your spunk, so what do you say we make a deal?”
“And what’s that?” I asked, taking a step closer.
“How about I kill this worthless bastard first?”
“If you kill him, then no deal.”
“Maybe I’m not in the mood to negotiate, after all.” He lifted his gun higher and pulled the trigger.
Ronnie let out a screech as the bullet hit the tree to the right of me. I caught a glimpse of him racing off toward the open field as I dropped flat onto the ground, grateful there weren’t any dry leaves to give me away.
The gunman released another shot that went to my left, confirming he couldn’t see me, then spun around and called out to Ronnie. “Where do you think you’re goin’?” He shot in Ronnie’s direction, but from my vantage point, I could tell he’d shot too high to intend on actually hitting him. It was just a warning shot. That was something to keep in mind.
Ronnie released a grunt then dropped flat on the ground in the field, covering his head with his arms.
The gunman let out a disgusted groan as he started walking toward Ronnie, now pointing the weapon at him. “Maybe I should kill you first and be done with it. You always were an annoying twat.”
I quickly got to my feet and stepped away from the trees, my weapon trained on the man’s mid-section. “Remember, I’m not makin’ a deal with you if he’s dead, so you better think this through.”
The gunman stopped walking and laughed. “Seems to me you’d be happy to be free of him after what he did to you.”
His knowledge of Ronnie’s deception seemed to confirm he was with Hardshaw. “True,” I said, moving closer, now standing next to the car, “but shootin’ almost seems too good for him, you know what I mean?”
“Neely Kate!” Ronnie shouted in protest, still cowering in the open field.
The gunman laughed and shifted his weight as he slowly turned to face me, keeping his gun trained on Ronnie. He looked shorter than six feet, but his bulky muscles made up for his lack of height. “What do you have in mind?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure,” I said, slowly taking a few steps closer. “But I do know that negotiatin’ with guns pointed at each other isn’t the best idea.”
“I beg to differ,” he said, looking a little too sure of himself to suit me. “All that pressure tends to provide a useful advantage.”
For him. He was obviously used to holding guns on people. “You want the money,” I said, “and I want to get even with my wayward husband, but we have one small problem.”
He put one foot in front of himself, shifting his weight slightly. “And what’s that?”
“I’m not givin’ you the money.”
“Then there’s nothing stoppin’ me from shooting this asshole.” Quick as a wink, he turned, pointing his gun at Ronnie.
“Stop!” My instincts took over and I squeezed the trigger, aiming for the guy’s head as he turned to glance at me.
Ronnie released a cry as the gunman dropped to the ground with a thud.
Chapter 24
My head exploded with panic, but I kept my arm extended as I inched my way closer to the gunman.
Ronnie scrambled to his feet. “What did you do?”
“You’re welcome for saving your sorry ass,” I said in disgust. “Thanks for stickin’ around to help me.”
“You’re the one with the gun,” he protested. “I would have only been in the way.”
“You made a nice target runnin’ off like that,” I said, shifting the bag to my back as I came to a stop next to the gunman, who lay on his side. “Check and make sure he’s dead.”
“I’m not touchin’ him!” Ronnie shouted.
“Oh for Pete’s sake,” I groaned as I pushed the gunman’s shoulder with the heel of my boot. He rolled onto his back, his vacant eyes staring.
I turned the gun’s safety back on and tucked it behind my back as Ronnie moved closer.
“Jesus Christ, Neely Kate,” he said in shock. “You shot him dead center in the forehead. When did you get to be such a great shot?”
I turned to face him, scrunching my nose in disbelief. “Was it all a lie?”
He took a few steps back. “What are you talkin’ about?”
“You and me. I know you were only with me because Hardshaw made you, but did you care about me at all?”
His eyes softened. “Neely Kate. Of course I did or I wouldn’t have shown up lookin’ for you.”
“Maybe so, but the more I think about it, the more I realize you never really knew me at all.” When he didn’t respond, I pressed on. “I sort of understand why you married me, but havin’ babies with me was a whole other thing. Why did you agree to it? Did you plan on abandonin’ us once Hardshaw set you free?”
His face hardened. “That fall I realized there was no goin’ back to my old life. No just walkin’ away. I was gonna be stuck with you for life, so I figured one of us should be happy.”
I gasped, surprised that he still had the ability to hurt me.
He held out his hand. “Let’s be done with this, Neely Kate. Go our separate ways. Hand over the money and I’ll take it to Hardshaw, then we’ll both be free.”
I studied him, wondering if I’d ever known him at all. “I know you ran from Hardshaw. So why would I believe you would take this money to them now?”
His hand shook slightly,
but he didn’t take it back—he held it out farther. “They just want the money, Neely Kate. I’ll give it to them, and they’ll leave us both alone.”
“No,” I said. “You’re gonna take it and run. Then they’ll still be after me.” I gestured to the guy behind me. “How’d he know you’d be here?”
“He was the one who called me.”
Shaking my head, I pushed out a huge sigh. Kate. “I take it you knew him.”
“He was my handler.”
I nodded, mulling everything over. Kate had implied everything would go back to normal if I turned over the money, and thus the evidence that Carson had his hand in the counterfeit ring. Only that wasn’t entirely true. Hardshaw was still descending on Fenton County, money or no money. Kate had set that in motion, and it wasn’t going away unless we made it go away.
Mason had asked me if I had people protecting me. It occurred to me that I held the power to protect a whole county.
I glanced down at the bag at my hip.
“Give me the money, Neely Kate,” Ronnie said, sounding more insistent than I’d ever heard him.
“No,” I said, “I’m turning it over to the authorities.” But which ones? I could turn it over to Mason, but would that hurt Rose? Besides, Hardshaw was in Texas. I needed to think bigger.
“Have you lost your mind?” Ronnie asked. “Is this some vendetta against me? A plan to make me come back to you?”
“Are you serious right now?” I demanded. “I don’t want you! You couldn’t pay me enough money to take you back. I want to be free of you!”
“Then what are you doin’, Neely Kate?”
“We need to stop Hardshaw.”
Ronnie started laughing.
“This isn’t funny, Ronnie!”
He kept laughing, although he choked out, “No, it’s definitely not.”
“Then why are you laughin’?”
“Because you’re deluded. Look at what you did, Neely Kate! You just killed a man! You think you can call the police?”
Dirty Money Page 18