by Leger, Lori
“You get your pretty little ass back over here so I can keep an eye on you, Curly Q,” he said, grabbing her by the hair again.
Tiffany sucked in her breath as she felt some of the hair rip from the base of her skull. She clenched her teeth against the pain, using the opportunity to place her phone on the seat beside her, out of Benji’s line of sight.
Tiffany forced herself to think, to be aware of every movement he made, and everything going on around them. If the chance to escape presented itself, she had to be ready. As long as he had that gun pressed to her side she was pretty damn helpless to do a thing. If only he’d move it for a second or two, she could make her move. She knew that the further from the police station she got, the less chance she had of ever seeing Red, or anyone else, again. He’d never let her live.
She cast a sidelong look at her captor. “What did Red do to make you hate him so much?”
Benji shrugged. “Not a damn thing to me personally, but he fired my little brother a couple of years ago. McAllister accused him of stealing from the door. He got in with the wrong crowd after that and was shot in a drug deal that went bad.”
“So, you’re thinking he didn’t steal?”
Benji laughed loudly. “Hell yeah he stole. That little son of a bitch came off his mama’s tit wanting whatever wasn’t his.”
“Then why blame Red?”
“Because I can, that’s why,” he sneered. “Bobby was the only family I had, and he’s dead because of McAllister. If he’d given him another chance and kept him on, he’d be alive today. It’s not right that he should get everything he wants out of life when others have nothing.”
Tiffany forced herself to remain calm in light of this new information, and tried to put herself in his frame of mind. She knew he’d stop at nothing to make Red pay, even though he wasn’t responsible. Benji’s failed attempt at framing Red for murder left him no choice but to take away someone he cared for. She suddenly knew with certainty that he would be more than willing to die, as long as she did, too. Oh God, help me.
She forced herself to keep the fear out of her voice as she continued to talk, trying to glean as much information as she could. “It’s not like it was handed to him on a silver platter, Benji. He’s had to work hard for it. That club was his dream and you burnt it down. Isn’t that enough?”
“Hell no! He would have rebuilt with the insurance money and it would have been bigger and better. People like him keep coming back financially. I have to let him know what it’s like to lose someone he really cares about.” He sent her an evil glare. “I saw the look on his face when he threw Angelique out of the club. You don’t throw away a dish like that over nothing. She was good too, I almost regretted the plan to kill her but it was the golden opportunity to set him up. I don’t know why she never showed up.”
“She did. She went through the side door and overheard you talking to your girlfriend. Your pregnant girlfriend—you killed your own child.”
He laughed maniacally. “The hell I did. I know for a fact that my loads are all blanks. Once that bitch said she was pregnant and tried to pawn it off as mine, I knew she’d been screwing around. That was the easiest kill I ever made. Walked up behind her while she was bitching and moaning and snapped her neck like a twig.”
An icy chill went down Tiffany’s spine at his confession. God, she hoped Red hadn’t heard. She had no doubt that everyone knew her exact location. Her phone had a built in GPS, and she suspected they were being followed very closely. All she could do was stay alert, and wait for her opportunity to escape.
They were a few miles from the station when she got the chance she’d been praying for. Just as they crested the overpass that led to one of the busiest intersections of Lafayette, she saw at least a quarter mile of brake lights ahead of them, clear down to the intersection.
Benji swore when he saw the bottle necked traffic due to the accident at the light. He slammed on his brakes and grabbed the wheel with both hands to avoid hitting the car in front of him.
Tiffany took a deep breath and gripped the letter opener tightly in her right hand. Channeling every ounce of strength she had, she jabbed the opener just above Benji’s right knee where she knew it would do the most damage. His furious, pain-filled roar resounded throughout the truck a second before he dropped the gun. It hit the truck’s floor board, sliding over to the passenger side. Tiffany lunged for the door and hit the unlock button. She threw it open and slid out, grabbing the pistol in one fluid movement before she hit the pavement running.
Panic closed in on Red as he watched Benji’s truck approach the crest of the overpass. They weren’t more than thirty car lengths behind them and the three passengers of the Jeep had been keeping a close eye on the pick-up with binoculars. “Can’t we drive any faster?” he groaned. “We’re about to lose sight of them.” He caught Mike’s reflection in the rearview mirror.
“Just hold on, Red. He doesn’t know it yet, but the intersection ahead of him is gridlocked because of a wreck. We can use the opportunity to get closer but we’ll have to be careful with all these people around.” Just as he predicted, as soon as the truck disappeared behind the overpass, vehicles behind it began hitting their brake lights. The instant traffic stopped around them, the officers exited their vehicles and began to run up between the lanes of traffic toward the crest.
Red got out and stood next to Mike and the two accompanying officers. He strained his eyes at something up ahead. “What the hell is that?” He pointed in the direction of the overpass then raised his binoculars to focus on the sight. It only took a second before he realized what he was seeing. “It’s Doc!” Before the other officers could stop him, Red bolted toward Tiffany, who looked like she was trying to break her own personal record for speed. Recognition dawned on her face as he approached.
Benji howled with equal parts of psychopathic rage and pain as he pulled the letter opener out of his knee. I’ll kill that bitch for this. He hobbled out of the truck then pulled his rifle with the scope out from under the seat. He ignored the people in the cars around him, several on their phones. Let them call the cops. By the time they got here it would be finished. He was ready to die to avenge his brother’s death, as long as McAllister’s whore died too.
He hobbled to the top of the overpass with some difficulty, cursing her the entire time. He switched off the loaded rifle’s safety, and brought it to his shoulder. Just as he’d brought her into focus, Red reached her. He swore again when Red grabbed her hand and pull her in front of him as they headed the opposite direction.
“That’s okay, Red. This son of a bitch is powerful enough to go right through the both of you. Two for the price of one.” He applied smooth and steady pressure on the trigger until the shot fired.
The captain raised his binoculars. “Do you have a clear shot, Hobbs?”
“I will as soon as McAllister and his lady get out of my way.”
Red had already reached Tiffany, pulled her in front of him as they both ran back to the Cherokee. They passed at least a half dozen officers positioned along the roadway at regular intervals to insure that no passengers exited their cars.
“Hobbs, you got it?” the chief asked.
“Yes sir.”
“Take it.”
Ken Hobbs fired just as the couple dove inside the Jeep. The single shot explosion filled the air and Benjamin Bradford crumbled to the ground before pulling his own trigger. “It’s done.”
The captain lowered his binoculars. “Good job. Let’s go pick him up and see what we can do about this FUBAR of a traffic situation.”
Red and Tiffany returned to the station twenty minutes after the shooting. As they entered the precinct’s central office, Vivienne threw her arms around Tiffany.
“Please tell me he didn’t hurt you. Sweetie, you risked your life for me.”
“I’m okay, Vivienne. Did he hurt you when he knocked you down?” She looked down at Vivienne’s scuffed slacks.
“I’m fine! I
felt so helpless watching him take you away like that.” She began to cry as she placed her hand softly on Tiffany’s curls.
“It’s all over with and he can’t hurt us anymore.”
“Is he …”
Red and Tiffany both nodded.
She covered her mouth with one hand. “I can’t believe something like this happened to one of my children.”
Red hugged both women tightly. He caught a slight movement in the doorway and grinned. “Mom, where’s dad, anyway?”
Vivienne pushed away from her son. “Your father’s at home, fighting the flu. He wanted to come with me, but he was burning up. I had to sneak out while he was in the bathroom.” She covered her eyes with one hand and groaned. “He’ll be furious with me. After this, I’ll never be able to win an argument with him again.”
“You didn’t win that one, Vivi. You cheated.”
Vivi jumped at the sound of her husband’s deep baritone. She turned to see Pete McAllister’s massive bulk filling the doorway.
“It just took me awhile to get cleaned up to get here.”
Vivienne rushed into her husband’s bear hug.
“You should have waited for me, hon,” Pete scolded.
“I know, but you’ve been so sick.” Vivienne touched her husband’s face then reached up to feel his forehead. “You’ve still got a fever, Pete.”
He pulled out a bottle of aspirin and downed two tablets with a cup of water from the cooler. “Satisfied?”
Vivienne smiled at him and nodded. “Melissa called me a few minutes ago. She said one of the local networks had a helicopter view out there because of that accident and they preempted regular programming to show the entire thing. She wants a ‘family gathering’ at her place to make sure everyone’s okay. They live in a subdivision across town, Tiffany, but it’s on your way back to I-10.”
“Let me find out what we need to do before we can leave.” Red left in search of someone in charge. He returned in less than a minute, accompanied by an officer. “Doc, you need to give your statement to Officer Tate before we can go.”
Tiffany held up one finger to the officer. “I need a minute first,” she explained before pulling Red off to the side for a private consult.
“Hey, McAllister,” she said, placing her hands around the back of his neck and beaming up at him. “You feel like getting married today?”
“Don’t tease me, Doc. Not after I came so close to losing you.”
“I’m not. Everything we need to seal the deal is in my car. Think you can find us a judge that can take care of what we need to do to get this done before we leave Lafayette?”
“Are you serious? After everything you’ve been through today?”
She nodded. “I can’t wait to be Mrs. Scott McAllister. Our birth certificates are in the glove compartment of my car. Here’s my set of keys. There’s a Scala design I’m dying to wear and a sexy as hell suit for you with all the trimmings. You think you can handle this?”
Red beamed at her. “You bet your beautiful ass I can. I know just who to call.” He wrapped her in his arms for a mutually mind blowing kiss as the station erupted in a chorus of ‘atta-boys’, cat calls, and whistles.
The ceremony had been short and simple, starting with a quick run to the courthouse for a waiver from a judge who was a close friend of Red’s, as well as an agreement to perform the ceremony. Two hours later, they faced each other on Melissa’s back patio, surrounded by Red’s family, as well as Jackson and Giselle.
Tiffany had glowed with happiness in the Scala gown he’d chosen for her. Red, dressed in Armani, beamed with pride as he stood before friends and family and vowed to love, honor, and cherish her until death. They’d stayed for a little over an hour to visit with everyone before the need to be alone overwhelmed them both. They’d said their goodbyes and left for the ranch, each driving their own vehicle.
Red closed and locked the door behind him and turned to his new wife, starved for her touch after being separated during the hour long drive home. “Oh God, come here.” He pulled her into his arms for a scorching kiss. She jerked frantically at the buttons of his shirt, finally tore the damn thing off, baring his chest to her palms. He pulled her sweater from her in one fluid motion, his fingers flying to the button of her jeans. They stumbled down the hallway to the master bedroom, leaving a trail of discarded clothing. Gloriously naked, they fell into Red’s king size bed.
Within seconds, Tiffany had him flat on his back and had straddled him. “I need you. Now.” Her low, demanding growl turned to a gasp as he entered her quickly. She rode him fast and hard with a sense of desperate, needy recklessness. As Tiffany neared her moment of release, she threw her head back, but bit back anything more than a whimper.
“No, Doc … Hell, no.” Red tangled his hands in her hair and pulled her face down to his. “Don’t hold out on me. I want to hear you.”
She needed no other encouragement to release the sharp cries she’d been holding back from him. She finished, and Red bellowed with his own release, as though to prove his point.
He rolled them both onto his side without releasing her. Red lay there, holding his wife, and waiting for his rhythm to return to normal.
Tiffany wiped at a stray tear, then another, until they were coming non-stop.
Red recognized a simple release of stress when he saw one. He kissed her tears away, comforting her, speaking in low, soothing tones until she could speak.
She sniffed and snuggled closer to him. “I’m so relieved it’s all over.”
“I know, Babe. I know.” He held her, one hand moving softly in her hair, the other clutched around her back and shoulders. Her breathing evened out. He continued to hold her as she slept, and eventually, he joined her.
Red waited until Tiffany stepped into the shower that evening before dialing he’d acquired from his new brother-in-law. Within seconds, a deep voice barked out a greeting.
“Daniel LeBlanc here.”
“Mr. LeBlanc, this is Scott McAllister. I wonder if you have a few minutes to speak to me, Sir.”
“Scott McAllister. The same man someone tried to set up for arson and murder? The man I just saw on the evening news running to my daughter on an overpass in Lafayette—that Scott McAllister?”
“Yes Sir, the one and the same.”
“I’d be more upset about this call if my son hadn’t already been singing your praises to me, and why the hell hasn’t Tiffany been answering her phone?”
“Well, I wasn’t aware Drake had done that, Sir, but tell him thanks for me when you see him next. As for Tiffany’s phone, she lost it at some point during the incident.”
“Hmm,” he grunted. “Drake had his P.I. check you out, you know. If he hadn’t, I would have.”
“Not surprising. I had my own check out the both of you, also.”
“How did that bouncer get past your investigator, Mr. McAllister?”
“He was half-brother to a man I fired two years ago—same mother, different fathers, different last names, no family resemblance. He was the perfect employee for two years, and extremely patient.”
“I see. I assume you called for a reason. Is my daughter all right?”
“She’s fine, but I did call for a reason. I was wondering if you had a little time in your schedule to meet with me tomorrow.”
“Just you, or will Tiffany be accompanying you?”
“Just me; I thought I’d speak to you man to man before dragging her into this. She’s been hurt enough by you and your wife. I don’t want it happening again.”
“Excuse me, boy? Just who the hell do you think you are?”
“I’m a thirty-eight year old man, Sir, so don’t call me boy. I’m her husband, and I’ll do whatever I can to keep her from being hurt.”
“Her husband!” Daniel bellowed. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“We got married this afternoon in Lafayette.”
“Why weren’t we told about this?”
“Ask Tif
fany. We’d planned to do it several days ago and it fell through. She’d wanted Drake there, but not you or her mother.”
“Well, why the hell not?” Daniel sounded more perturbed by the second.
“I don’t know, Sir, but she’s been your daughter for thirty six years. I bet if you try hard enough, you could think of several reasons.”
Red waited through an awkward silence before taking control of the conversation again. “Okay, let’s start off with the most recent and work our way back, shall we?” He cleared his throat and began. “How about the fact that you both tried to force her to marry a man she didn’t love, and who obviously had mistreated her for five long years? Your wife went so far as telling her she’d be responsible for making her a social outcast.” He heard Daniel’s long drawn out sigh.
“Monica always did have a flair for drama.”
“Tiffany feels like you both tried to sell her to the highest bidder to bring money into the family.”
“That’s ludicrous—we don’t need any more money.”
Red stared at the phone in disbelief. “Sir, excuse me for asking, but do you and your wife ever communicate at all?”
“Not if I can help it.”
Red thought he was beginning to see the problem. “How long has it been like this between you two?”
“At least thirty years.”
“My God,” he murmured in disbelief. “Are you aware that you didn’t pay for Tiffany’s college education?”
“That’s ridiculous!” Daniel exploded. “Tiffany went to a very fine college—L.S.U. is my old alma mater, as a matter of fact.”
“Yes, but did you know that you didn’t pay for it? Her school counselor had to help her fill out applications for academic scholarships. Someone told her that if she didn’t go to law school, you wouldn’t pay for it. She had to hold down jobs all through college and med school to make ends meet, and she still graduated at the top of her class.”
“You’re a fool if you think I’d let something like that happen to one of my children.”