[B.S. #1] Tied Up in Knotts (16 page)

White on white.
Well whoever decorated this place had to be color blind
. Avery almost thought she should have sunglasses on. Walking to an open door attached to the bedroom, Avery found a big bathroom. What a surprise to find this was done in a mixture of blues. She had to admit it was a relief after all the white. Avery put her glass down on the sink and looked in the mirror.

She was horrified to see her face smudged with soot and mascara running down from her eyes. No wonder Brad didn’t want to talk to her, or even look at her, she was a mess. She needed a shower in the worst way. In the mirror she spotted a large glass shower behind her. Starting to take her dress off, Avery realized she had nothing to change into. Making her way back into the bedroom she found the closet and opened it. Rows upon rows of suits, dress shirts, and ties lined the closet. Well this was not what she was looking for. Taking another look around she noticed a large dresser against the far wall. Going to it she opened the drawer and finally found some T-shirts.

Avery grabbed the top one and, untying her dress, left it lying on the floor of the bedroom as she walked back into the bathroom. Stepping into the shower, Avery found the water was hot and heavenly as it pelted her body. She wanted to cry again she was so confused.
How could this apartment, if you could call it that, be James’s? He doesn’t wear the most expensive clothes, his car is certainly not a new model by any means.
Avery washed her hair with the shampoo she found on the shelf. It smelled like James. It must be his. Avery tried to think of everything James had said to her that would straighten out the mess in her head. Drying off, it finally came to her. James had told her that his brother was some investment genius, he must be paying for all of this for James.

James didn’t look like he would accept charity from anyone. But that’s all it could be. She now knew in her heart that James and the others were honorable men that would have nothing to do with the drug trade. There was no way he would be able to afford an apartment in this area of town, let alone one like this. Yes, his brother must be helping him. Avery put on the borrowed T-shirt, finished her orange juice, and walked back into the bedroom. She noticed right away that her dress was now lying over the covers of the bed. Had Brad been in here when she was in the shower? James said to trust him, but this was a bit much. Avery marched out of the bedroom, ready to get Brad a piece of her mind.

Skidding to a halt the words on the tip of her tongue, ready to blast Brad, Avery took in all the men sitting in the living room. All were soot covered and smelled of smoke. Avery pulled down at the hem of the T-shirt she had found. Even though it covered her to her knees, she felt exposed. James and Clay stopped in midsentence, like they were hiding something when they caught sight of her. James rose from his chair and walked over to Avery, reaching out to hug her, but he stopped when he saw the state his hands were in.

“Are you OK, baby? I’m glad you made yourself at home.” James kept his hand at his side, just giving her a peck on the cheek and a sigh filled with relief at seeing her safe and sound.

“And whose home is this, James? I want to know and no lies. You are all sitting around like you’re very comfortable in this place with your sooty clothes and dirty boots all over the white carpet and sofa. So cough it up.” Standing her ground, doubts again filling her mind, Avery couldn’t let it go, she had to know for sure. She was feeling so very unsure of herself, she felt dizzy her head was spinning so fast filled with questions.

She wasn’t stupid, looking at this place and the men lounging around she knew now that they had to be more than investment brokers. Investment brokers now that the economy had tanked did not make the money needed to maintain this lifestyle. Avery felt the tears start again. She didn’t want to believe they were working with the Feds or Carlos. The whole reception job and what she thought as friendship between her and James, maybe more, was all a lie. She didn’t know how much more deception she could take.

Looking at all their faces turned her way, Avery sunk to her knees and covered her head with her hands, as the tears poured from her.

James knelt down beside her on the carpet. “It’s not all lies, Avery, we were only trying to help you.” James felt helpless watching Avery cry her heart out.

Staring down at his blacken hands again, James said “fuck it” and wrapped his arms around her. Her whole body trembled with the force of her sobs. James looked over her head at his friends and nodded toward the door. He was silently asking them to leave him and Avery alone.

Clay stood up first and made his way to the door with the others following. “We’ll be down in the office. If you, either of you, need anything., just call.” Clay closed the door quietly behind them and left them in peace.

The only noise in the apartment was Avery’s sobs. James sat on the floor, holding her a long time. He patiently waited and stayed silent, just petting her hair until she was more under control. James would sit there all night if that’s what it took. He couldn’t believe how fast she had gotten under his skin. James knew she would realize that most of what he and Clay had told her had been lies. He hoped that she would let them explain and realize that it had been necessary. Tonight had told him that Carlos had upped the stakes and would be more dangerous. Why would he want to get rid of Avery? James couldn’t think of any reason. He needed her if he was to ever find and get the drugs back. It didn’t make sense. Hopefully the guys would put their heads together and come up with some ideas. All he could think of was Avery at the moment.

James knew the moment Avery realized what was going on, she struggled to get James to release his arms. James held on a little tighter and shook her gently.

“Avery, stop it now, you are safe here, no one can get to you.” Lifting her chin, he held on and didn’t let her squirm away.

Avery pulled her head side to side trying to escape James’s grip on her chin. She didn’t want to look at him. Finally Avery gave up when his grip didn’t lessen. Looking up at James blackened face she stared up at the deep blue eyes staring down at her.

“OK, James, I’m calm, tell me the whole sordid mess, then let me get out of here.”

James got to his feet, pulling Avery up with him, and led her to the couch. Making sure she sat down, James took a seat on the coffee table in front of her. His hand still held her arms as if he was afraid, she would bolt as soon as he let her go. James smoothed his hand down her arms until he was holding her hands in both of his. He looked up from her hands and took in her tear-stained face. He knew the next couple of minutes would be the most important ones of his life. How could he explain to her what his mission had been and also convince her that she was the most precious thing to him? He tried to think of how to tell her without it sounding like a bunch of lies—it mostly was, but not how he felt about her.

“Just spit it out James—no more bullshit.” Avery’s eyes had turned frosty and her mouth was set in a straight line. “I can take it, I’ve been lied to most of my life, so I’m not going to fall to pieces.” Avery snatched her hands from James and crossed them over her chest.

“Well first of all it wasn’t all ‘bullshit’ as you put it. We do not work for Carlos and are not running drugs.”

Avery made a move to leave the sofa and James grabbed her hands again. “Avery, listen, I know you’re hurt, but please give me a minute to explain. That all I ask and if you want to leave after, I will make sure that you have a safe place to go to.” James’s blue eyes pleaded with her to give him a chance.

Avery settled back down. “We also don’t work for the Feds, we are independent covert investigators. We are looking into the missing drugs. People have asked us to look into the situation and see what we could find. Now this is the hard part. We moved into the area because we wanted to get close to you and also keep you safe at the same time. We thought this was the best way. Your job at the diner was dangerous. You were on your own in a bad part of town, your apartment was full of street people. We knew it was just a matter of time until Carlos came after you. We had to get you away from the diner and your apartment. Look how easy it was for Danny and his gang to overtake you. We were just trying to keep you safe while finding out what happened. Please believe me, baby, if we could have thought of any other way…but you seem to be the key to it all.” James’s voice begged her to believe him. He was putting his all into it, hoping that she would understand.

“Stop calling me baby. I’m not your baby, right now I don’t even think I like you. You didn’t have to romance me to ask questions. It was all lies, you’re just like the rest. It’s always about the drugs. Can’t you all believe me, when I say I don’t know anything? I didn’t see anything, I don’t know where the drugs are and I don’t care if they ever find them. My father was the criminal, not me, but everyone is still treating me like one. Maybe your methods were nicer, but it still was a gilded cage, that you built. I was to stay in it until you got what you wanted. Well it ends now.”

Avery pushed him back after twisting her hand out of his grasp. “I’m leaving, let me up. I just want to dress and get out of her. What an idiot I was, now I can see straight. New business, job handed to me on a plate, a guy wining and dining me. Looking around, I can now see that you can afford it. God I was so concerned that you were spending all your money on me. You weren’t trying to impress me, you were just trying to soften me up. Make the stupid girl think you’re interested and she will take you into her confidence.

“Well it almost worked, but the joke’s on you and the guys. All the work was for nothing. I couldn’t tell you something I don’t know myself. My father never let on he was a drug runner. I don’t know why? Maybe it was frowned upon in our neighborhood. My parents to me were loving parents like everyone else’s. Now let me go.” Avery batted James’s hands away when he tried to take hers again.

Pulling his hands back, James stood and let Avery move away from the sofa. She stood in the middle of the living room, both hands across her stomach, as if the hurt she felt couldn’t be handled. Avery’s eyes, when they looked at him, were shadowed, as if the light in her had been extinguished, he knew he had to take the blame for the hurt that she felt.

“I can’t let you go, Avery. Can you really ask that of me, after what we went through tonight? You’re not safe. No way are you leaving here.” James stood with his hand on his hips and a stern look on his face that booked no arguments. “Please be reasonable. If you help us we can probably sort this whole mess out and then you will be able to leave. Until then—you stay.”

“So in other word, until you have what you want, I am a prisoner. You say you’re not the Feds or Carlos, but you sure act the same way. Your way is the only one that counts, right? No difference,” Avery said in defiance.

James face took on a hard expression, he didn’t like this any more than she did. She was right, but it had to be this way. He would give anything not to have to do this to her. Maybe she didn’t agree with his methods, but James was determined to keep her safe. Even at the expense of her freedom.

Avery let her hand fall to her side, defeated. She knew she didn’t have any choice but to accept James terms. Until he believed her and found nothing out, she was stuck here.

“OK, we’ll play it your way, but at least let me have a say as to who my jailer is. Right now I really don’t want to see you. If you care for me even a little bit, let Clay look after me. I’ll talk to him. Not that I have anything new to add to the questions the Feds already asked that I’m sure you know about.”

“You really hate me that much?” James asked, his chest feeling tight.

“Yes, James, right now I do. Clay did not try to get me in bed, to get me to talk. He didn’t try to wine and dine me. He didn’t try to charm me with lies. I know the investment job was a lie, but Clay and I seemed to find a friendship of sorts, that I don’t think he was putting on. So If I have to stay here, at least let me have Clay as my jailer.” Avery looked at the floor.

James nails were biting into his palms as he listened to Avery. He stood stock still and couldn’t believe the hurt he felt at her words. Turning on his heel, he strove to the front door. Taking one last looking back at her, James quickly slipped through the door. He couldn’t stay a minute longer. His chest hurt. She wanted Clay. James let his hands unclench and walked to the elevator and pushed the button for the office below. He knew Avery would be safe in the apartment. No one could get up into the building, the elevator only worked when known index fingerprints were scanned into its system. Not something that anyone knew about, only his and the guys’ fingerprints worked. Avery was not going anyplace.

James stood in the elevator after the doors opened on the office floor. He had to take a minute and get himself together. This was a business, he couldn’t take it personally until the job was done. He would let her have her way until she was out of danger, and then all bets were off. He wasn’t letting her go. No, he had already staked his claim and she would just have to get used to it.

Stepping out of the elevator, James straightened his shoulders and bristly walked to the office front door. He hoped the guys had found something. Opening the door, James walked past the front desk into the small meeting room that he could hear their voices coming from.

Clay watched James enter the room. He could tell that James was hurting, they had been together too long and in too many situation for James to completely cover it from him. He knew James was in deep, but this looked even more serious than what he had thought. Clay took a look at the other guys around the table, only Angel seemed to have picked up on James’s mood. Angel always seem more in touch that the rest of them.

“Well did we find anything?” James asked, taking his seat at the top of the table his face revealing none of the emotions churning inside him.

“Don’t you think we should talk about what went on upstairs first?” Clay didn’t want to butt in on James’s personal agenda, but Avery was the key to this whole job.