Mystic Hearts (33 page)

“The
two cock-fighters we’ve been talking about and some others.”

Jake
cleared his throat, obviously trying to keep his composure, too. “Who’s Kevin
Steele?”

Hulk
groaned. “Man, I can’t give up my crib.”

“You
better or you’ll be finding a whole new bed to sleep in,” Larry said.

Several
minutes went by. Tears watered the guy’s eyes. “Monk.”

Larry
and Jake eyed each other.

One
mystery down, several to go, Larry released a breath. “Why the small metal
sheets nailed to the trees in the field closest to the road?”

“I
don’t know. I’m not aware of the reasons. I’m just told what to do.”

“Uh-huh,”
Jake said, “Did you dig the holes, too?”

“And
cage snakes in them?” Larry asked.

Tears
slid down Hulk’s face. “What? No, man. I didn’t touch no snake. I dug the holes
with the tractor and post-hole digger. Others helped dig the rest by hand. Man,
I didn’t do anything wrong!”

“We’ll
be back,” Jake said, rising. “The cuffs will stay off but the door is locked,
so don’t try anything.”

They
left the room. Jake swiped another packet of donuts and a soda from the snack
area and opened the door to speak to Rona.

Her
hands were cuffed in front of her. Tears mixed with mascara streaked her face.
The hood that had covered her purple and pink hair rested on her back. The
Impalers hat lay on the table. She eyed them through long eyelashes and thick
makeup. “Why am I handcuffed?”

Jake
unlocked her cuffs and gave her the food and drink. “Tell us about your
boyfriend, Allen Mathews.”

Her
eyes shifted from one to the other. “He’s not my boyfriend.”

“Figured
he was since you’re banging him,” Jake said, sitting down beside her.

For
several minutes she stared at the donuts in her hand, then finally, she peeled
off the wrapper and ate one. “We’ve been seeing each other.”

“It’s
like this,” Larry sat in a chair across the table, “either you’re honest with
us or you’ll go down with Mathews.”

“He’s
not involved in anything illegal.”

“That’s
not what you told me yesterday.”

“Well,
yesterday, he scared me. He was talking all crazy and shit. We’re not doing
anything criminal.”

Larry
arched a brow. “Come again? You’re growing marijuana illegally.”

She
stared at her clutched hands. “He’s not like the others.”

“How’s
that?” Jake asked. “He’s competing with Monk to be boss.”

She
played with the wrapper. “I want a lawyer.”

“Do
you think you need one?” Jake asked. “We’re not pressing charges…not at the moment.”

“I
haven’t done anything wrong.” She turned to Larry. “I thought we were working
together.”

“Not
telling me everything is lying by omission,” Larry said. “You wanted my help. I
did what I said I would, then I find out that you and Mouse are an item. Care
to explain why you didn’t tell me?”

“I
couldn’t do the ratting.”

Larry
studied her for a few moments. What she said made sense. She didn’t look the
type to be mixed up with criminal activity, neither did Hulk. “I believe you,”
Larry said. “But the people you consider friends will pull you farther down the
hole to hell. If you want out, level with us, we’ll help.”

She
studied them, the same way Hulk did before he started talking. These kids were
amateurs. Probably came from dysfunctional families and ended up at the wrong
place at the wrong time. The same thing could have happened to him so easily.

“Allen
has a plan to remove Monk as leader. What he said scared me.”

“Which
is?” Jake leaned closer, his eyes narrowed to slits.

“Mathews
is waiting for the big deal to go down and hopes the FBI will show up.”

“What’s
the big deal?” Jake asked.

“I
don’t know.” Her head moved so fast, it vibrated.

“You’re
holding back,” Larry demanded. “Coughing up what you know can only help you.”

She
searched their faces for a few seconds. “Some guys, bad ones, are coming in
today.” Her voice trembled. “Allen said The Impalers needed to beef up their
game. Some rough guys, mean ones, are arriving from Louisiana.”

Larry’s
sixth sense intensified a couple of notches, creating an unusual hollowness in
the pit of his stomach.

“What
guys?” Jake’s shoulders went rigid, his jaw ticked, and the pulse in his neck
jumped with the sudden strain in his voice.

“The
Black Scorpions.”

“Mother-fucker!”
Jake bolted upright, fists clenched as he darted out of the room.

Adrenaline
raced through Larry’s system as he charged out the door after Jake. The Black
Scorpions had played havoc with Jake’s family. Afraid his friend would go off halfcocked,
Larry motioned to Missy to stay alert and headed into his office where Jake
paced.

“Settle
down.” Larry said, closing the door. “You won’t be able to think rationally if
you don’t.”

Jake
whipped around, his eyes red. “Don’t you think I know that?”

“Get
Pamela out of town,” Larry said, his voice deadly calm. “Stay focused.”

“You’re
right.” Jake sucked in a deep breath, released it, and nodded.

Larry
stood by as Jake called his father-in-law then Pamela. The strain in his
friend’s voice when he told Pamela he had confirmation that the Black Scorpions
would arrive in town if they hadn’t already, nailed Larry in the gut and
reminded him he’d best call Charlene. The odds were doubtful that the Scorpions
would mess with her, but figuring out what they’d do was playing the slot
machines. You never knew what you’d get.

****

Last
night, the things they did…What Larry did… Charlene sighed. The wine…his
tongue…she melted and couldn’t put a complete thought together. Her body
tingled. She curled her arms around her pillow, pulling it under her naked
breasts and touched something soft and velvety.

Her
heart skipped a beat. Not one rose, but a handful lay in a bundle on the pillow
Larry had used last night.

In
no time, he managed to melt her resolve to keep her distance. Surprisingly, she
was okay with that.

She
lifted the roses, breathed in the fragrant scent, and wished Larry hadn’t been
called out in the wee hours concerning a case. After he received a phone call,
he’d given her one hell of a kiss that would have knocked her socks off if she
had been wearing any, and left.

Her
cell rang, interrupting her blissful musings. She pushed the talk button.
“Hello.”

“Charlene!”

Hearing
the gruff voice, she flipped and sat straight up. Her muscles went rigid. How’d
Andrew get her number? “What do you want?”

“The
money.”

“This
is bullshit,” Charlene raged back. “I don’t have any.”

“Char,
you know your face twists when you lie. It’s not a becoming look for you.”

Footsteps
sounded in the hall.

Oh, shit!

Panic
tripped her heart into a sprint, pumping an excessive amount of energy to her
feet. She jumped out of bed, raced to the door, hitting it with a thump and
managing to slam it closed on Andrew.

“Give
up, Charlene. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will come through this door one
way or another.” His heavy breathing sounded through the wood.

She
braced the heels of her feet against the bench at the end of her bed and
pressed her hands against the closed door. “Get out!”

Cool
air drifted over her body. She glanced down at her naked form.

Double Shit!

Her
nightie from last night dangled off the corner of her bed. Her phone was who
knows where.

The
door edged inward.

She
pushed harder against it.

“I’m
coming in.”

She
locked her arms.

The
breathing on the other side disappeared.

Where’d
he go? She eased her ear to the door. What he planned lit into her mind—he was
ramming the door. She couldn’t stop him from busting in and raced for the
nightgown.

The
door flew open and Andrew fell into the bench. “Son of a bitch!”

She
eased backwards. “Get out!”

He
righted himself and his gaze slid down her body. “Nice jammies.”

Crap!
She grabbed the see-through nightie she’d worn last night, not the cotton one. Where
the hell was her brain? She yanked her robe off the chair and covered her body.
“How’d you get in?”

Darkness
covered his face and his nostrils flared. “I want the money.”

“Get
out of my house!” she shot back.

“The
money,” he demanded, his fists clenching. “There’s money due me for the sale of
our restaurant.”

The
man was dense. “You dropped the ball. The bank foreclosed. I didn’t get any.”

“You’re
lying. That Jameson fellow bailed you out.”

Who
told Andrew about the stupidest mistake she’d ever made? Randy didn’t even know
everything she did where the restaurant was concerned. “He didn’t bail me out!”

“And
you have the award money.”

“I
bought the house for your son and me. I have no money left.”

His
eyebrows dived into angry slashes. “I’d believe you, if I thought you were
honest.”

“I’m
not the liar,” she panted.

“Really?”
He shifted toward her bathroom. “You’re sleeping with an agent, the agent that
shot Randy.”

She
didn’t want to chat about her personal life.

“Your
silence is confirmation.”

“It’s
none of your business!”

He
stepped inside the bathroom and held up the trashcan.
 

Her
throat stung and her mouth went dry.

“You’ve
turned into a whore!”

The
situation turned from bad to worse. “Get out!” She scanned the room for a
weapon.

He
threw the can on the floor, the contents spilled over. Several condoms fell
out, the ammunition that would send Andrew over the edge.

“You’re
fucking him! You slut!” His pupils grew wide and his face turned red.

She’d
never seen him this angry, but she couldn’t back down. If she did, he’d think
he could control her like he had when they were married. She pressed her lips
together and returned his glare.

“I
ought to kick your ass. If you weren’t the mother of my son, I would.”

He
stormed toward her so fast she backed up without thinking.

He
gripped her shoulders and shook her. His face an inch away, he stormed, “You’re
crazy. The agent is using you to get to me.” His last word came out on a sullen
note.

“Why
would anyone use me to reach you? We’re not married, not living together. I
don’t even like you.”

His
expression pinched.

Andrew’s
questionable behavior turned desperate. Why? “Why would an agent be searching
for you?”

He
stiffened. A flash of tenderness crossed his hard features. “I’ve done some
stuff I’m not proud of. Put you and Henry in a bad situation. I’ll get us out
of it soon, but I need the money.”

What
the hell was he talking about? “There is no us!”

The
jumping pulse in his neck clued her in that he was about to do something really
irrational. Telling her feet to move, get the hell out of the way, and have
them listen was a maneuver her brain and body couldn’t finagle.

Anger
raged in his expression. A vein popped up on his forehead. He grabbed her
throat and squeezed.

She
grasped his wrist, hit at him. “St-o-p,” she huffed out.

“Tomorrow.
I want the money tomorrow.”

“Fu-ck
yo-u!” She spit in his face and jerked her knee upward.

His
grip lessened.

Heart
beating double time, she darted out the door, banging the door closed behind
her, and ran down the steps for the bats.

They
were gone.

Ugh!

She
raced to the kitchen for her mother’s car keys.

Gone.

“Charlene!”
Andrew yelled. His footsteps pounded down the stairs. “I promise I won’t hurt
you.”

His
voice was tender and sweet, but she wasn’t staying around to see if he meant
it.

She
raced for the kitchen door. The doorknob was gone.

Her
heart fell to her stomach. Fear crashed into her gut. For the first time, she
was truly scared of her ex-husband.

Andrew
grabbed her arm. “Please, Char.” He spun around until she faced him. “I
shouldn’t have touched you. I’m in a bad situation. If I don’t get the money,
I’m a dead man.”