BlackJack (A Standish Bay Romance Book 1) (8 page)

They went back
to the hotel so Shannon could freshen up before dinner. Cole was sitting on her
bed watching television when he heard Shannon’s cell phone ring. Without giving
it a moment’s thought, he answered it.

“Hello, Ms.
Gallagher’s phone.”

“Hi, may I
speak to Shannon Gallagher please.”

“May I tell her
who’s calling?”

By this time
Shannon stood in front of Cole looking sexy in the thick hotel terrycloth robe,
her hair dripping wet. He dipped his head to nibble her neck but the earth
moved out from under him, causing him to sway as he heard a name from his past.

Chapter Seven

Cole’s head
snapped up in shock and Shannon watched in horror as his eyes burned in anguish
and the color evaporated from his face. He thrust the phone at her and
disappeared into the bathroom, and to shock her even more, she heard him getting
sick.

With suddenly
trembling hands and a nervous knot in her gut, she put the phone to her ear, though
all she wanted to do was run to Cole.

“Shannon
Gallagher speaking,” she spoke into the receiver.”

“Ms. Gallagher,
Detective Simone returning your call,” clipped a hard voice on the other end of
the receiver.

Shannon’s hand
went to her throat and the room spun circles around her. Oh God! What must Cole
be thinking? Knowing she sounded distraught, but not caring, she spoke back
into the phone. “I’m terribly sorry Detective, but I’ll have to call you back.”

With an
unsteady hand she knocked on the bathroom door and opened it. Her heart stopped
beating. Cole sat on the closed toilet seat with his head in his hands. Tears
immediately sprang to Shannon’s eyes. This was all her fault. She caused this
turmoil she saw him struggling with. Falling to her knees on the cold tile
floor in front of him, her hands resting on his thighs and her voice quivering,
she whispered, “Cole, I’m sorry.” Would he think she overstepped the boundaries
in their relationship? Did they even have a relationship? Would he think she
had second doubts about his innocence? “I made some inquires. I’m trying to get
pertinent information together so I can help you prove your innocence.” Why
wouldn’t he look at her? Panic set in beyond anything she’d ever imagined, and
she suddenly thought
she’d
be sick as her stomach revolted. Had she
blown it? Would their so-called relationship end before it had the chance to go
from seed to seedling to full-blown plant full of precious blossoms? She
sniffled and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. “I want to help
you.”

She heard him
groan and then he reached for her, wrapping his arms around her so tightly she
thought her ribs would break.

“I don’t want
you to get involved,” he breathed into her ear with deep desperate intensity.

“It’s too late.
I already am,” she said as she pulled away from his embrace, gently placing her
trembling hands on his face and bringing his lips to hers.

***

Shannon tossed
and turned most of the night, worried about Cole and frustrated about how to
help him. He didn’t want her sucked into his past life and trial. Too bad, she
already was, just by caring for him now. How could she not help him if she was
capable of it? The sound of the lock on her hotel door clicking open had her
pulse soaring. Had Cole bribed a hotel worker to let him in so he could
surprise her and finally make love to her?

“Cole is that
you?”

No answer.

Sitting up, she
came face to face with a tall man wearing a black ski mask. He moved fast,
diving on the bed, pinning her and covering her mouth with his hand, blocking
her scream in her lungs.

Sick, deranged
laughter fell from his lips. “Cole. The murdering bastard. Don’t insult me by
confusing the two of us. Although you will never make that mistake again since
you will be dead. A cool, hard sharp object pressed against her carotid
artery.”

“Why?” she
asked.

“Why you say?
Because I fucking hate him. And because I can.”

Dear God,
please help her. She didn’t want to die. Not like this. Not when she knew it
would be blamed on Cole. He would go back to jail once again for a murder he
didn’t commit. Who hated him enough to do this to him?

A commotion
outside her door had the man tensing up. He leapt from the bed and flatted his
back against the wall by her door. She screamed, “Help me.”

The door banged
open and in stepped two hotel security officers. Her attacker threw his body
into them, knocking them off balance, giving him the opportunity to run. One of
the security personnel spoke into his walkie-talkie. She didn’t wait to hear
what he said, she pounced on her cell phone and called Cole

“Cole,” she
said breathlessly, a man just attacked me.”

“Be right
there.”

When he walked
in, her room was crowded with hotel personnel, but her eyes locked on his
worried ones and she waved him over.

“Excuse me.” One
of the security officers stopped him. “Who are you?”

Shannon watched
as his eyes went to her and back to the officer. She could just imagine what
was going through Cole’s head. He’d say his name and they would instantly
believe it was him because of history repeating itself and all. This time,
however, she could prove his innocence. Before he could answer the query, she
went to his side and placed her trembling hand on his arm. Instantly she felt
his tense muscles relax. “This is my boyfriend, Cole Jackson.”

“The Cole
Jackson?” the officer asked with raised brows.

“Yes,” Cole
replied with his head held high.”

“I’m a fan.” He
held out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Cole hesitated
then took the proffered hand. “Thanks. Now please tell me you caught the guy?”

“Sorry.”

“How did you
happen at my door?” Shannon asked.

“One of our
room service employees saw him hanging around the hallway before he entered
your room and became suspicious.”

“Thank God,” Shannon
said with relief.

“Shannon, was
there anything familiar about him?” Cole asked as he slid his arm around her
waist and pulled her close against his side. Having his warm body pressed to
hers eased her nerves and had her heart slowing finally. When the guy had her
pinned to the bed she’d thought it would leap from her chest and run away
seeking a calmer person.

“No.” She shook
her head. “Never heard his voice before. Although it was muffled by his mask. I
asked him why he was doing this, and he said because he hated you and because
he could.”

“Damn it.” He
raked his free hand through his loose hair. “The bastard is after you because
of me.”

“Why do you
believe that Mr. Jackson?” the officer asked.

“Isn’t it
clear? He wants anyone I love to die.”

An hour later,
after Cole locked the door and rechecked all three locks, he joined Shannon in
bed. He snaked his arms out and pulled her close so her back was snuggled up
against his chest. “Go to sleep. I have you and I’ll keep you safe. He’ll not come
back tonight and hopefully not ever.”

Shannon
believed him when he said he wouldn’t be back tonight. But never? Her body
shivered. He’d be back to finish what he started she was positive of that fact.
The question was when and where? If he wanted her death pinned on Cole then it
would have to be when they were together again. God only knew when that would
be.

***

They went their
separate ways the next day at the airport. It was an emotional parting, but a necessary
one. It tore at his heart to remember what might have happened last night. Shannon
could be dead now. His whole body shuddered at the thought. She promised him
she would hire a bodyguard. And he wouldn’t rest until she did, and quite
possibly not even then. Not until the attacker was caught. Cole knew with every
fiber of his being he was the same man who killed Lindsey. Proving it was
another thing. The man wanted Cole framed for another murder. If he never saw
her again, she would be safe. Was he strong enough to stay away from the woman
he’d come to love? If it kept her safe he could.

Meanwhile he
flew to Los Angeles to check in with his parole officer, something he could
never miss or he’d be in violation of his parole, and they could send him back
to prison to serve out the remainder of his sentence. And Cole had no
intentions of spending another day behind prison walls. Then he planned on
resting and relaxing for a few days at his Malibu beach house before he flew to
Philadelphia for more concerts, only to fly back here again in a month’s time
to see his parole officer once again. His life was one vicious cycle being
interrupted by parole officer visits. Would he ever not be reminded of his
convicted killer status?

The one good
thing that came with all this traveling was he would have no time to see
Shannon. And that meant she’d be safe. At least he prayed she would be.

***

Cameron sat on
a rock in the woods at Wompatuck State Park, drinking with some buddies, still
seething in anger at his father. He spoke to him, but barely. Didn’t his father
have any idea what spending one night with BlackJack had meant to him? His
father could be so stubborn and narrow-minded at times, and this definitely
qualified as one of those times. Cameron didn’t care one way or another that
Cole Jackson spent time in prison for murder. It was like, ancient history. The
guy was way cool. And Cole liked
his
music, how awesome was that?

But no, his dad
couldn’t see past his policeman’s mind. The mind that said justice prevailed
and Cole Jackson deserved what he’d gotten. Boy, wouldn’t his dad be shocked if
he knew his mom and Cole had been together in Chicago. Cameron found out by
accident. He called his mom one night and he’d heard Cole’s voice in the
background. She didn’t deny it. Cameron laughed out loud, which caused his
friends to look at him strangely, which caused Cameron to reach for another
beer. Wait until his dad found out. The shit would hit the fan.

Cameron was
also royally pissed at his dad for the phone calls coming into the house
inquiring about his music. He wouldn’t even listen to what the people had to
say. His father felt he had the right to interfere with his dream. And shit, it
was his dream, his life. His mom, or Cole, would never interfere. He couldn’t
wait until she came home. He’d had it with staying with his dad. He glanced
around at his friends and took another hit off his beer, nearly falling back in
the process. Shit, he was
sooooo
past wasted.

***

John McKenzie
sat in his study, trying to think about what to do with Cameron. Everything had
been fine until Jackson came into their lives.

“John, the door’s
locked.”

John raked his
hands through his thinning hair and went to let his wife in.

She shut and
locked the door behind her, eyeing him hungrily, and then she melted into his
arms and whispered into his ear. “Matt’s napping, the twins went shopping with
my mother and Cameron’s out with friends. I thought...” She ran her hand down
the front of his shirt, and then even lower causing him to take a breath, and
she whispered into his ear once more. “We’re never alone, not even in our bed
at night.”

John took her
hand, led her to his chair and pulled her onto his lap before he proceeded to
explore his wife’s wonderfully pregnant body. For some reason, whenever Cheryl was
pregnant, she became frisky as hell. And John, always a gentleman, would not
disappoint his beautiful wife.

They’d just
finished putting their clothes on when the doorbell rang. John hurried down the
hall toward the front door. After glancing through the sidelight and seeing a
uniformed police officer and his son Cameron, John closed his eyes and breathed
deeply. This couldn’t be good.

He swung open
the door. “Carl.”

“John, we were
called to the woods near the high school because neighbors complained of noise.
We found a group of teenagers drinking and getting high. Your son here was a
little too out of it, I thought I’d bring him to you and let you deal with
him.”

“Thanks Carl, I
owe you one.”John stared at his son, who looked a little green around the gills
and he thought, here we go, the teenage drinking years are upon us. Shit. He
was
so
not ready for this.

Once Carl was gone,
John grabbed Cameron’s arm. “Come on, son.” He dragged his swaying, limp body
up the stairs into the bathroom and flipped the toilet lid just in time for the
poison to come up and out of Cameron’s body. John gagged. Christ, how much did
he drink? John proceeded to strip his son naked, put him in the shower and then
to bed. It wouldn’t do any good to talk to him now. He was too far gone. But
shit, John wanted nothing more than to throttle him for his stupidity. Instead
he tucked him into bed, his heart heavy with the burden of guilt every parent
felt whenever their children screwed-up.

He raked his
hands through his hair and swore at himself for it. He would definitely be bald
within the year. He’d been really tough on Cameron lately, ever since the BlackJack
concert. Hell, maybe he hadn’t been thinking clearly. He owed his son an
apology, which he would give him, and then he would get the talk about drinking
and smoking dope and then the grounding.

As a cop he
knew more than most what teenagers truly did these days, and it frightened him
to the core. And he wasn’t that old that he didn’t remember all the things he
did at Cameron’s age. But times were different now. Drugs were stronger, purer,
dangerous and more addicting. And never mind the consequences for kids these
days. One screw-up could change the whole trajectory of their lives. Gone were
the times when, if you were caught smoking pot on school grounds, you received
a week’s suspension. Now you were expelled from the school completely. Years
ago if an under aged teenager was caught with alcohol, the police would
confiscate it and see him home safely. Cameron was lucky the cop brought him
home instead of the police station. It was a scary time they lived in, and the
pressure on kids nowadays was phenomenal.

John groaned
out loud. What the hell was he thinking by bringing another person into this
world he would be responsible for? He could barely handle the children and the
responsibilities weighing him down now. He wished she weren’t pregnant. “John,”
came Cheryl’s calming voice from the doorway. “Is Cameron okay? What happened?”