by Deborah Camp
“Of course. And he wants to help, but he’s seven and his world is changing so rapidly, I’m sure he feels like he’s on a runaway roller coaster sometimes. You’ll let me know the moment you find Lincoln?”
“You betcha. Y’all be extra careful.”
“We will. Thank you.” She shoved the phone into her pocket, then went to find Levi and Stuart. They were in the kitchen. Stuart sat on the island and played a game on Levi’s cell phone. Levi stood nearby, glancing through what he called his “punch list.”
“Everything okay?” he asked when he heard her enter the room.
“Yes.”
“Did the police catch him?” Stuart asked.
“No, not yet. They’re trying to find him, though. But they won’t be able to arrest him, Stuart, because they don’t have any proof that he’s done anything wrong.”
“He was at our house that night,” Stuart said, his lower lip beginning to quiver. “He . . . he shot . . . shot them.”
Trudy looked from him to Levi, needing guidance. Levi stepped closer, getting Stuart’s attention.
“If you saw the man, could you say for sure it was him? Not just ‘feeling’ like him inside.” He splayed his hand on his chest. “Beyond your feelings. Did you see him with your eyes well enough to recognize him?”
Tears gathered in his blue eyes and he shook his head. “It was dark.” He sniffed. “I could see he didn’t have any hair. The light was shining on his skin up there.” He patted his own head. “I know how he feels, though. Like I know how you and Trudy feel.”
Levi blinked and glanced at Trudy. “How do we feel?”
Trudy edged closer, intrigued.
“You feel like the ocean,” Stuart answered, looking at Levi. “Tugging back and forth like waves.” He let go of a quick sigh. “Trudy feels like mud.”
“Like mud!” Trudy sputtered, glaring at Levi when he chuckled. “Well, thanks.”
“Like when I step in mud and it holds tight and won’t let go,” Stuart tacked on.
“Oh.” She considered that, then kissed his forehead. “Well, thanks!”
“That’s my girl,” Levi rasped. “Tenacious.”
“I heard him. I heard him with my ears.”
Trudy’s heart skipped a beat. “You heard the bad man that night? Well enough to be able to know if you heard him again?”
He nodded and tipped up his chin. “He called my name over and over.” Tears glistened in the corners of his eyes and he heaved a quick breath. When he spoke again, it was in a higher pitched, sing-song voice. “Stuart, come out, come out wherever you are! I’m going to find you, kid. Come on out, you little shit.” Fat tears rolled down his cheeks and he snuffled.
Trudy wiped away his tears with her thumbs and kissed him on the nose. Her gaze went to Levi, who looked as angry as she felt. “You were so brave, Stuart. That night, you were so brave and smart to hide like that and to be quiet.”
“H-he would have found me, but he heard the ambulance.”
“What ambulance?” Levi asked.
“Outside. It went by the house, but it scared him when he heard it and he ran. He didn’t come back after that.”
“I’ll ask Myers about that,” Levi told Trudy. “It will be easy to check records for an ambulance run that night.”
“Thank God for the ambulance,” Trudy said, suddenly feeling weary. “Let’s go home. Maybe we should cancel the symphony thing tonight and –.”
“No.” Levi helped Stuart down from the island. “We’re going and Stuart is staying at Wes and Mya’s tonight. Nobody will know he’s there and he’ll have fun. The kids are all bedding down in sleeping bags in the living room, so Stuart won’t be alone. He won’t be scared, will you, Stu?”
Stuart thought about it another few seconds before he shook his head. “No. I’ll be okay if I get to sleep with people in the same room.”
“That’s the plan,” Levi assured him. “You’re going to roast marshmallows and wieners in the fire pit and pop popcorn and have a right old party.” He ruffled the boy’s hair. “Promise.” He met Trudy’s questioning eyes. “And we need to honor our commitments and it’ll do us good to go out tonight and put this all behind us for one evening.” He flung one arm around Stuart’s shoulders and the other around Trudy’s. “Come on, gang.”
Outside, Trudy couldn’t help but survey the area with trepidation. In the car, she kept glancing behind them, beside them, ahead of them in search of a white pickup. She started a little when Levi’s hand landed on her knee.
“Take it easy, baby.” The corners of his eyes crinkled with his smile. “We’re okay.”
“Are we?”
His smile vanished, overtaken by seriousness. “Yes. Nobody’s hurt and we’re closer to finding the bastard.”
“Shhh,” she hushed him, looking over her shoulder at Stuart, but he was engrossed in watching a movie. “Okay. I’m just . . . just . . .”
“Muddy,” he supplied, grinning again.
She fought the laugh that bubbled up from her chest, but ultimately had to release it. He squeezed her knee and she placed her hand on top of his the rest of the drive home.
Pausing to check his black tie once more in the closet mirror, Levi gave it one more adjustment and then stood back to look over his tuxedo and black, ten-pleat shirt. He fidgeted with his brushed silver cufflinks, then made sure a hair wasn’t out of place.
“You’ll pass muster,” he whispered to the scowling man. He caught the sound of Trudy’s voice and went into the bedroom to find her on the phone.
“How’s he doing?” she asked the person on the other end of the line as her gaze slid to him. He didn’t have to ask who she was talking to. Had to be Mya or Wes. “I just wanted to check in. I know he’ll be fine. Oh, is he? That’s good. Sure. Thanks.” She waggled the phone at him. “Stuart.”
He nodded, mildly amused at her concern for the boy who had only been out of their sight for a couple of hours since they left him at the Statlers for the evening.
“Hey, Stewie. We’re leaving for the concert. Are you having a good time?”
He could hear Stuart, but not what he was saying.
“Okay. I understand. Go back to your game. Call us if you need anything, okay? You have the number. Yes, I know you memorized it. Okay, okay.” She smiled and shrugged when the call ended. “He’s very busy playing Sorry.”
“Told you he’d be fine.” He emitted a low whistle, taking one of her hands to spin her around. “And speaking of fine. Baby, you are looking mighty fine.”
“Oh yeah?” Smiling, she spun around again for him. The black velvet gown was cut simply, hugging her figure. A swirl of white and silver crystals across the bodice and down the skirt brought to mind the Milky Way. The long sleeves were sheer and ended in satin cuffs and the neckline dipped to the swell of her breasts. She’d placed a spray of rhinestones in her hair, just above her right ear. Diamonds sparkled in her earlobes.
“Hot damn.” He pulled her against him. He wanted to kiss her mouth, but he knew he shouldn’t smear her carefully applied lipstick, so he opted for the soft curve of her neck. He sank his teeth gently against the throbbing pulse there and then gave it a lick. “You’re wearing Euphoria,” he noted, and his cock noted as well. “Trying to drive me crazy, aren’t you? You want me walking around with a boner tonight.”
Laughing, she pushed at his shoulders. “That’s my master plan, all right. Stand back. Let me have a look at you.”
He obliged, holding his arms out from his sides for her inspection. Her gaze traveled slowly down and then back up. She moistened her lips and her eyes shone with lust and mischief. Damn, he loved that combination!
“The ladies are going to get an eyeful tonight,” she mused, tapping her forefinger against her chin. “As long as they look and don’t touch, I’ll be magnanimous about it, though.” She snatched up a small, silver evening bag from the table and then held out a long, black velvet coat. “Help me with this?”
He hel
d it out for her to slip her arms into it, then shifted it up onto her narrow shoulders. “It’s nippy tonight. You’ll need this.”
He walked her to the front door. Before opening it, he whispered in her ear. “Fair warning. When we get back here tonight, I’m peeling that dress off you and fucking you until you beg me to stop.”
She arched a brow at him. “Really? Hmmm. We’ll see who ends up begging.”
Bursting with pride to have her on his arm, he escorted her from the building to their parking spaces, not missing the admiring glances of the security guards assigned to follow them. He settled her into the passenger seat of the ivory Cord. Behind the wheel, he appreciated the purr of the engine as he steered the sleek car from the underground parking lot to the Woodruff Arts Center on Peachtree Street.
“The traffic is horrible, as usual,” Trudy noted. “Looks like everyone is here tonight.”
“Probably two or three hundred. It’s an invitation-only event. We’re having drinks before the concert and then at intermission they’re serving drinks and hors d'oeuvres.” He parked the car in the VIP section, reserved for season ticket holders.
They made their way to the main entrance where the Galleria served as the cocktail party reception area. He checked Trudy’s coat and then they entered the throng. A sweeping, marble staircase dominated the two-level area where tables and chairs invited people to sit and talk while they enjoyed a martini or other drink. Levi nodded and spoke briefly to a few people as he guided Trudy to the bar.
“Two champagne cocktails, please.” He slipped his arm around Trudy’s waist. “You are by far the most beautiful woman in this room.”
Her cheeks bloomed pink and her lashes fell to hide her sparkling green eyes from him. “You’re so full of it, Wolfe.”
He kissed her forehead. “Say, ‘Why, thank you, Levi. I appreciate that compliment.’”
Her lashes lifted and her smile was apologetic. “Thank you, Levi. I appreciate that compliment,” she dutifully recited.
If only she meant it, he thought. “That’s better.” He tasted his cocktail, gave the bartender a nod and a tip, and then handed Trudy her tall glass of golden liquor.
“You have your cellphone on you, right?” she asked. “In case Stuart calls.”
“Yes, Tru. Come on. Let’s mingle. I want to show you off and watch men turn green with envy.”
Seated in the third row, dead center, Trudy glanced around at the well-dressed crowd. She angled a sideways look at Levi beside her and whispered, “Do you have season tickets to the symphony, too?”
He dipped his dark head toward her and whispered, “Yes. Eight seats for every concert. And they aren’t my tickets. They are our tickets.”
“Ours.” She sighed, wondering when she’d get used to saying that and then why it was so darned hard for it to sink in.
“And they’re rarely empty,” he added. “Employees and clients clamor for them. But this concert was by invitation-only, remember?”
The symphony began their next selection – Shubert’s Serenade. The light, lilting notes arrested her attention and held it. It had been ages since she’d attended a symphony concert and her soul seemed to drink it in, parched and thirsting for the timeless classics. Levi seemed to be enjoying it, too. Relaxed in the red, upholstered chair, he tapped his fingers on the arm and his gaze moved slowly, taking in the talented musicians and the animated conductor.
After three more moving pieces by Bach, Handel, and Chopin, the lights went up for intermission.
“They’re so good,” Trudy enthused as she and Levi made their way from the hall back to the Galleria at the front of the center. “We should bring Stuart with us one evening.”
Levi sent her a chiding glance. “Like he’d sit through one song?”
“He might.” She paused, imagining it. “No. He wouldn’t. Then we’ll invite other couples and have a lovely evening out next time.”
“That sounds more likely,” he agreed. “Want another cocktail?”
“Not really.” She spied a passing tray of something that smelled delicious and caught the waiter’s eye. “These look good.”
“Grits and gumbo tarts, ma’am,” the black-suited waiter said, pointing them out. “And mini baked potato bites with smoked salmon.”
“Yum.” She placed one of the tarts on a cocktail napkin. “Which one do you want, Levi?”
He shook his head. “Neither. I’m going to get us a dirty martini we can share. How’s that sound?”
“Good idea,” she said, thinking that a sip or two of it would suffice for her. As he strode off, she tasted the gumbo concoction and decided she’d made the right choice.
“Trudy?”
She turned toward the woman who’d spoken and recognized her from working on a charity board for the children’s hospital. “Judith! Hello. How are you?”
“Just wonderful, and you? That gown is stunning.
“Thank you. It’s a great concert so far, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I was telling Richard . . .” She glanced around for her husband. “Oh, he’s over there. Anyway, I was telling him that the selection has been so interesting. So eclectic and random!”
“It’s been too long since I’ve been to something like this. I’m enjoying it so much.”
Judith spotted someone behind Trudy and waved. “Hello, stranger! Where have you been keeping yourself and who is that gorgeous man you’re with this evening?”
A woman’s low-throated laugh crept up Trudy’s spine, stiffening it. She turned her head slightly to see Sissy Franklin saunter up to join them. Her ruffled pink taffeta and silk gown was almost girlish and not the sort of thing a woman of her age should have chosen. The high pony tail she sported didn’t help.
“Are you referring to Duke Ralston?” Sissy asked, fluttering her fake lashes. “He flew in from Houston just to escort me to this shindig.” She spared Trudy a glance. “He’s been sweet on me for years. It’s good to see you again, Judith. You’re looking as elegant as ever.”
“Why, thank you.” Judith’s educated gaze drifted over Sissy’s overdone dress. “And you’re looking in the pink, shall we say?”
Sissy threw back her head and guffawed at the ceiling where white balloons trailing multicolored streamers danced and bounced off each other.
“Judith Tumbridge?” A woman in a dark green, embroidered creation rested a hand on Judith’s arm, turning her toward her. “I thought that was you!”
“Francie Setters!” Judith hugged her. “How delightful to see you. Oh! Is that your son? He’s shot up since I saw him last . . .”
The two women moved away, leaving Trudy and Sissy staring at each other. Trudy was about to pivot and make tracks when Sissy edged closer to her.
“Still trying to shove that round peg into the square hole?”
Trudy frowned at her. “You’re jabbering again, Sissy.”
“I’m talking about that foster child. What is he? A trial run? See if Levi can stand to have the kid around for a few weeks or months?” She scoffed, shaking her head. “He’s not ‘daddy’ material, hon. Even if you manage to hatch one the old-fashioned way, it won’t change his spots. You can’t domesticate him. That’s not who he is.”
She looked away, unable to stand the woman’s confident, even superior, demeanor. “I wish you’d just forget all about us and mind your own damned business.”
“Hey.” Sissy’s fingers bit into her forearm and an ugly meanness emanated from her. “Levi is my business. I knew him – hell, I had him any time I wanted him – waaaay before you entered the picture, hon. And if and when I decide to have him again . . ?” She let go of Trudy and snapped her fingers an inch from her nose. “. . . he’ll be on me like mayo slathered on white bread.”
Trudy breathed in slowly, reining in her temper that was straining to be released on this mouthy, monstrous, malicious . . . Movement to their left had Trudy and Sissy both glancing that way. Trudy froze when she realized that the man who had just turned arou
nd to face them was her husband. She heard Sissy’s quick intake of breath. Uh-oh. What had he heard? The ticking of a muscle in his jawline and the steely glint in his eyes told Trudy all she needed to know. He was about to blow.
He held a martini glass in his hand and he tipped it to his lips, drowning the liquor in two long swallows before placing the empty glass on the tray of a passing waiter.
“Levi!” Sissy let go of a breathy, shivery laugh. “I didn’t see you there.”
He took one step closer to them, angling sideways toward Sissy, his gaze trapping her. “I want you to listen carefully to me, Sissy,” he said, his raspy voice tinged with anger as he spoke through clenched teeth. “You listening?”
Sissy gave Trudy the side-eye before looking back at him. “Yes. Of course.”
Trudy held her breath. He certainly had her full attention! She figured he was about to tell Sissy to shut her big mouth, but something else brewed in his stormy blue eyes.
“Good.” He swallowed, making his bow tie bob. He held up his index finger, pointing it at her for emphasis. “I don’t want you to email me. I don’t want you to call me. I don’t want you to text me. In fact, I want you to forget my fucking name from this moment on. Do I make myself clear?”
Trudy blinked, hardly believing her ears. Was he actually ending it with this woman? Finally?
Sissy’s eyes widened and she tried on a laugh that failed. “You’re being very dramatic, Levi.”
“My name,” he said. “I told you just now to forget it. I’ve already forgotten yours.” Hot, smoking anger blazed in the blue depths of his eyes and his upper lip curled. “You think I’ll tolerate you speaking to Trudy that way? She is everything to me. Everything. And you?” His gaze slid over her and his snarl deepened. “You are nothing.”
Sissy’s eyes filled with tears and she batted her lashes, trying to erase the evidence of how deeply she’d been wounded.
Trudy stared at him, her lips parted in surprise. She resisted the urge to grab him and kiss him.
He turned away from Sissy, grasped Trudy’s hand and tucked it in the crook of his arm. Without another word, he steered Trudy away, leaving Sissy red-faced and speechless. Trudy tried to regulate her breathing as her heart did double time and happiness bounced inside her like a rubber ball. She glanced up at Levi’s impassive expression as he scanned the crowd ahead of them. The lights in the Galleria flickered, urging the guests to return to the concert hall. Trudy stopped, giving Levi’s arm a tug.