The Heart of Christmas (25 page)

29

“W
asn’t that quite a party?” Mrs. Higgins asked. They’d both been trying to sleep for the past two hours, but had somehow ended up in the living room together, her with a cup of tea and him just staring at the Christmas lights.

“I’ve always loved Victorian Days. They’ve been a tradition here since I was a child,” she added.

Rex found it difficult to pull himself out of the mire of his thoughts long enough to respond. But he forced himself to do that because he really liked Mrs. Higgins. She was set in her ways, and lonely after the loss of her husband and son, but she was easy to be around, supportive, kind. It almost felt as if he was living with his grandmother.

He stretched out his legs and rested his hands on his abdomen. “Have you lived here your whole life?”

Her cup clinked on its saucer. “I have.”

“You still love it.” That was more of an observation than a question.

“Of course. It’s beautiful, quiet, filled with wonderful people.” She set her tea aside so she could get up and move one of the ornaments she apparently felt was out of place. “Why would I want to go anywhere else?”

“How do you know you couldn’t find something better? There’s a big world out there.” At least that was what he kept telling himself. He had to make venturing out into it seem appealing, since staying put wasn’t an option for him.

“There’s no place like home,” she said with absolute conviction.

How often had he heard that cliché? Somehow it didn’t sound so trite this time. The very concept of home made him feel like a perpetual wanderer.

But could he blame all of that on The Crew? Maybe, as Eve had said, his behavior stemmed from something deeper than a physical threat. Maybe he devoted himself to his work because it was the only source of self-worth he had, and it gave him a sense of confidence he could cultivate and maintain. He was good at what he did, knew he wouldn’t let his clients down. Despite the dangers of his job, there was a strange kind of safety in that.

Mrs. Higgins tightened her robe. With curlers in her hair and pink furry slippers on her feet, she reminded him of the old lady on those funny greeting cards, except that she was shorter and rounder. “I hear you’ve got your eye on that pretty daughter of Adele’s,” she said.

“Who told you that?” he asked.

“In case you haven’t been warned before, nothing much happens in this town that doesn’t get spread around.”

He chuckled. “I guess that’s one reason to go somewhere else.”

“No place is perfect,” she said. “You just have to find the place where you belong.”

And if he didn’t belong anywhere?

She cleared her throat. “My husband proposed a week after he met me.”

He gave her a suspicious look. “And you’re trying to tell me...what?”

“It doesn’t always take months to know when you’ve met someone you want to spend the rest of your life with.”

That didn’t make Rex’s decisions any easier. He couldn’t stay here, and he couldn’t take Eve away from Whiskey Creek. Not even if she’d go. What could he offer her? Who would run the inn? And what if something happened to her—or the baby—despite his best efforts to protect them? How would he live with himself?

He was just trying to figure out a good way to explain why he had to leave when a car came down the street.

He stood the moment he spotted the lights. This was a quiet road that saw very little traffic, especially so late. He grew even more concerned when that same car—a sedan—parked out front.

Was this going to be a repeat of what had happened in San Francisco?

“Were you expecting company?” He couldn’t think of a single way The Crew could have traced him here, but the last thing he wanted was to put Mrs. Higgins or anyone else in Whiskey Creek in danger.

“No,” she said. “I’m not sure who that could be, coming here so late. Good Lord, it’s after one!”

“In the back. Hurry. And stay away from the windows.” He started to go for his gun, which was in the bedroom. But the driver opened his door before Rex could take two steps and, because of the interior light, he recognized the man getting out.

* * *

Eve rubbed sweaty palms on her jeans as she waited at Ted’s place for Ted to return with Rex. When those members of The Crew showed up at her inn, she hadn’t known where else to go, who else to turn to. She couldn’t call the police. The men who were looking for Rex hadn’t done anything wrong—at least that she could prove. Yet. And she’d feared that if she went straight to Rex, he’d leave immediately, to make sure no one got hurt, and she’d never see him again.

Even with what she and her friends had planned, she knew he’d still have to go. But if they could pull it off, he’d finally be able to outdistance the past.

“Would you like a cup?” Sophia called, interrupting her thoughts.

After she and Ted had hung up with Kyle, and Ted had left, Sophia had gone into the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee. But Eve didn’t need any coffee.

She went to the kitchen door so she wouldn’t have to raise her voice. She didn’t want to wake Alexa, who was, presumably, sleeping in the upstairs bedroom they’d added after they were married. “I’m fine, thanks.”

Sophia gave her a sympathetic smile. “Don’t worry, okay? I’m glad you came here. You know Ted. He’ll do all he can to help.”

Eve would’ve gone to Dylan instead. He was another person who could solve just about any problem. But Kellan had been born so recently. Dylan deserved to enjoy his son’s first days unmolested by her and her problems.

Besides, Ted had a different set of skills and resources. She doubted Dylan would have suggested the same solution, and she believed what they’d hit upon could really work—with Kyle’s help.

“I wouldn’t have bothered you this late if it wasn’t so serious,” she said.

“I know.” Sophia got three mugs from the cupboard.

The minutes seemed to drag. Would Rex even get in the car with Ted? Or, after their encounter at Victorian Days, was he already on his way out of town?

When Sophia’s phone buzzed on the counter, Eve held her breath.

“Hello?” Sophia looked at her while she talked and Eve could tell by the tone of her voice that it was her husband. “You did?...Good....I’ve got some coffee ready....See you in a few minutes.”

“What’d he say?”

“Kyle’s on his way over.”

“And does Ted have Rex?”

“Yes. They’re coming, too.”

Eve let her breath out slowly. That meant they would at least have a chance to explain what they’d devised.

But would he go along with it?

He’d be crazy not to, she told herself.

“I hope we won’t disturb Alexa,” she said. “It’s bad enough that
I
barged in on you guys.”

Sophia laughed. “Oh, don’t worry. An earthquake wouldn’t wake Alexa. She sleeps with her iPod on. We can hardly get her out of bed when her alarm’s screaming three feet away. But she’s not home, anyway.”

“Is she at a friend’s?”

“No, her grandparents—Skip’s parents—took her to Disney World.”

“That’s quite a Christmas gift.”

“You know them. Everything has to be big and splashy, even though they no longer have the money. They promised Alexa this trip, then told us they couldn’t afford to take her. So we had to pay for her flight and their entire hotel stay.”

“Does she know that?”

“No. There was no point in sending her if we were only going to upset her first.”

“She won’t miss Christmas?”

“Oh, no. She’ll be home on the twenty-third, which is...what?” She checked the calendar on her phone. “Sunday.”

“I hope she’s having a good time.”

“Seems to be. She texts me quite often.” Sophia wiped off the counter. “Can I get you a glass of water? Or some wine to help you relax? Wait...never mind. I forgot about the baby. That’s going to take some getting used to.”

“No kidding.” Eve shook the tension from her hands. This was such a crazy year. “Anyway, water would be perfect.”

The doorbell rang as Sophia reached for a glass. “I’ll answer it,” Eve said, and hurried across the living room.

Kyle stood on the stoop. “Thanks for coming,” she told him. “I appreciate it.”

His hair was sticking up on one side, proof that she’d hauled him out of bed, too. “If it was anyone else, I wouldn’t do it,” he teased, but she knew that wasn’t the truth. He’d do what he could for any friend.

“So where’s the ex-con?” he asked when she let him in and he saw that the living room was empty.

“Quit it!” she said. “He’ll be here any minute.”

He chucked her under the chin. “You’re so uptight you’re about to shatter. We’ve got this, okay? Relax.”

She nodded and went to get him a cup of coffee.

Ted and Rex walked in shortly after she’d returned with it. Rex’s gaze went to Kyle first, then settled on her. He raised his eyebrows, and Eve knew he was reacting to the fact that she’d pulled Ted, Sophia and Kyle into his business. To him, that created more risk where The Crew was concerned, but Ted hadn’t told him four members of The Crew were in town and staying at Little Mary’s. Ted had agreed he wouldn’t give that away until they’d had a chance to discuss what they’d come up with as a solution.

“What’s going on?” he asked when she didn’t say anything.

“We think we have an answer to your...problem,” Ted said.

Eve motioned to the couch. “Have a seat and we’ll go over it.”

Rex hesitated, but eventually walked over and sat down.

“Eve explained your situation,” Ted said. “And we want to help.”

“There’s nothing you can do,” Rex told him. “It would be foolish to even try.”

Ted rested his elbows on his knees. “What we’re about to propose comes with certain risks, but I think those can be mitigated.”

Rex’s eyes narrowed. “Why would you be willing to do anything? You’ve been warning Eve against getting involved with me from the beginning.”

“Can you blame me?” Ted asked. “What would you have done if she was
your
lifelong friend?”

Rex didn’t answer that question, but his attitude improved by several degrees. “So what do you propose? And why do we have to discuss it in the middle of the night?”

“Your buddies are in town,” Ted said.

“My buddies?”

“Four members of your former gang.”

Rex stiffened. “How do you know?”

Eve spoke up. “They came to the B and B about an hour and a half ago. They showed me a picture of you coming out of an office of some kind. Asked me if I’d ever seen you. I said no, of course, but if they show that around town too much, they’re going to get a yes sooner or later. You’ve had dinner at Just Like Mom’s, purchased gas at the Gas-N-Go, had a few drinks at Sexy Sadie’s. God forbid they ask Noelle. She’ll lead them right to my doorstep.”

“But...how’d they find me?” he asked, obviously stuck on the fact that he’d thought he was safe.

“I have no idea,” Eve said. “I couldn’t ask. I just gave them a room.”

He jumped to his feet. “You
what?
”

“Well, I had only one vacancy, so technically two of the four—Asshole and Dickhead—are sleeping in the car.”

“Asshole and Dickhead,” he repeated in disbelief.

“That’s what the guy called them. The one who told them they wouldn’t get the room.”

“Inside a gang, everyone gets a nickname, but Asshole and Dickhead are obviously insults, so...whoever those two are, they don’t have a lot of clout.”

“I got that impression,” she said. “The other two were definitely in charge. One in particular. The name on his credit card was Eric Gunderson.” That seemed such an innocuous name for a man like that. She wondered what his nickname might be.

“I don’t know that name, but he might not have been part of The Crew when I was.” He reached over and gripped her arm to add emphasis to his words. “You should’ve told them you were full for the night!”

“I considered that but figured it might be smarter to know where they are.”

“And that was good thinking,” Ted said. “It gives us an advantage.”

“You have no advantage,” Rex argued. “They have guns. They shot up my house a few days ago. Eve saw the recording. They’ll shoot
me
if they can find me. And if you get in the way, they’ll shoot you, too.”

“So we should walk away from you. Leave you to fight this battle alone?” Eve said.

“That’s exactly what you should do.” Ted took control of the conversation then. “We’d rather try something else.”

“And that is?” Rex directed his next comment to Eve. “I’m telling you those guys are dangerous. You don’t want any part of them.”

Ted lifted his hands in a placating gesture. “She gets it. We all get it. But after some deliberation, we’ve come to the conclusion that we could provide you with a unique opportunity.”

Rex scowled in irritation that they weren’t listening to him. “I can’t go to the police, so don’t even try to persuade me to—”

“That isn’t what we plan to suggest,” Ted broke in. “Although the police
will
be involved. So will the fire department.”

“The newspaper will play a key role, too,” Kyle pointed out, “unwitting though it may be.”

This seemed to take Rex aback, so much that he sank down on the couch again. “I don’t understand.”

Ted smiled. “There are certain advantages to growing up in such a small town.”

“And those are?”

“You generally know the right people.”

“For
what?
”

“We’re going to need your ID,” Kyle said, and then he explained the whole thing.

Once Kyle had finished, Rex looked from him to Ted and then to Sophia in astonishment. “Why are you doing this?”

Ted stood and held out his hand. “Because that’s what friends are for.”

30

E
ve arrived at the B and B at the crack of dawn.

“You look tired,” Pamela said the moment she saw her. Pam came on at four in the morning to relieve Cecelia.

“It was a short night.” She’d gotten barely three hours’, but not because Rex had gone home with her. He’d given her a brief hug when he left last night but returned to Mrs. Higgins’s to tell her what was happening so he could enlist her help and then wait for her to pack.

Pam gestured at Eve’s eyes. “Look at those dark circles! You should’ve slept a little longer.”

She couldn’t. She wanted to witness the moment when those Crew members came downstairs, and she had no idea when that would be.

Fortunately, she’d seen their battered vehicle in the lot when she parked. She knew it was theirs because Asshole and Dickhead were asleep inside it. That they were still where she thought they should be gave her a measure of peace. “I’m fine. I didn’t help out much for Victorian Days yesterday. So I thought I’d get an early start.”

“Wow, you’re really dedicated.” Pam straightened the items at the front desk. “CeCe said we had a late arrival last night.”

“We did.”

“She didn’t mark down what they want for breakfast.”

“That was my fault. I checked them in but...forgot to ask.” She’d been far too flustered and preoccupied.

“So what should we do?” Pam asked, as if that threw everything off kilter.

She smiled to reassure her that the world wasn’t coming to an end. Considering what she and her friends were doing, there was the possibility that
her
world might sustain real damage, but that wouldn’t affect her employees. “I’ll handle it.”

“Okay.” She shrugged and went back to the kitchen as Eve headed to the office.

Glancing at Cheyenne’s empty desk, Eve put her purse down and rummaged through it for her phone so she could text Ted.
Are Rex and Mrs. Higgins safely out of the house?

They are. I have them comfortably installed in the guesthouse with Mrs. Higgins in the master. I assume they’re sleeping because I haven’t seen them yet.

Good.
They’d stay with Ted until the coast was clear.

What’s going on at the inn? Your “guests” still there?

Yes, thank God, since we need them to stay long enough to learn that Rex is here.

Remember not to change your story about that picture, though. It might seem suspect to them later. We don’t want to do anything that could make them feel this is a setup.

I won’t. I’ll let someone else in town recognize Rex.

Good. The more people who tell those bastards that he’s in town, the more convinced they’ll be they’ve found him. That’s exactly how we want it to play out.

True, but the waiting wasn’t going to be easy.
Do you think they’ll hit Mrs. Higgins’s house?

No. Moving her along with Rex is just a precaution. Very few people even know he was staying there. But no one, except you, me, Sophia and Kyle, know they’re here. That tightens the circle a lot.

His reassurance calmed her fears a little, but she still had some concerns.
If these guys do hear that he was at Mrs. Higgins’s, will they believe he moved out to Kyle’s place?

Her phone rang. It was Ted. Apparently he was tired of typing messages into his phone. “Why wouldn’t they believe he moved out to Kyle’s place if that’s where his remains are found?”

“No one will have connected him to Kyle or Kyle’s property.”

“Doesn’t matter. They’ll think they shot up his place in between him staying with Mrs. Higgins and taking the house on the corner of Kyle’s property.”

“Makes sense.” But it helped her to go through their plans, soothed her nerves. “I just hope it all happens right away. I don’t like having them in town, let alone staying at my B and B.”

“Whiskey Creek isn’t that big. Someone will tell them he’s here. If should happen fast from that point on.”

Then The Crew would really dig in and Kyle would fire the house. “When they come down to breakfast, maybe I’ll suggest they try Sexy Sadie’s tonight,” she said. “If Noelle’s working, she’ll give them the information they want.”

“If you get the chance to talk to them. But don’t push it. Don’t be obvious.”

She paced to the filing cabinet and back. “Do you really think we can make this seem real, Ted? I mean...faking someone’s death only happens in the movies.”

“Skip tried it, didn’t he?”

Ted was referring to Sophia’s late husband. “Do I have to remind you that he died in the attempt?”

“Stop worrying. It’s all under control.”

“Have you talked to Chief Bennett?” That was an essential piece of the plan.

“Yep. Met him at the station fifteen minutes ago. I’m on my way home now.”

“He’s willing to help?” Eve had to admit she was a little surprised. Ted commanded a lot of respect in this town, but the chief would be going out on a very thin ledge.

“He was skeptical at first, but I provided the name off that credit card you took, so he can check out the leader of those gangbangers. And I passed along the name of a guy with WitSec that Rex gave me who can confirm his story. Bennett said if everything checks out, he’ll do what he can to help.”

“It won’t work without him.”

“He’ll be there for us. By the way, Rex figured out how The Crew might’ve found him. Did he tell you?”

They hadn’t talked. Eve wasn’t sure she wanted to say much at this point. She was just hoping to get The Crew out of his life. “No. What does he think?”

“That it’s got to be his assistant.”

“What?”

“She thought he was in Arizona. So she probably told all his bodyguards that he went to Whiskey Creek. Trying
not
to give his secret away.”

“And one of them talked?”

“Not necessarily. Maybe word just got around. Some client or call-in might’ve been told the same thing.”

“Damn. So it was likely just a fluke?”

“Yep. Whiskey Creek might’ve come to mind because she knew he’d been here before—that type of thing.”

Eve made herself sit and try to relax. “I hope we can pull this off.”

“We can.” He was about to hang up, but she stopped him.

“Thanks, Ted. I really appreciate it.”

“If this works out, you have to forgive me for last year,” he said.

She could hear the humor in his voice and laughed. “I already have.”

* * *

Rex called while Eve was sitting in her office, having lunch. “Hey,” he said.

She winced when she remembered how she’d confronted him at Victorian Days. “Wow. Look who’s finally up.”

“I don’t have anything else to do. Might as well sleep. You’ve got me on lockdown for the day, remember?”

“Maybe two or three days,” she said. “You agreed to go along with this, and I expect you to do it.”

“I will.” There was a pause. Then he said, “You okay?”

“I’m fine. What about you?”

“Worried, if you want the truth.”

“About...”

“Your friends. It’s nice of them to get involved, but...what if Kyle does something wrong when he sets fire to that house and ends up getting trapped or something?”

“Kyle knows how to handle himself.”

“And he’s really willing to lose that house?”

“He told you. He was planning to tear it down, anyway, so he can build an extension to his solar manufacturing plant. He would’ve waited until spring—but it won’t hurt to prepare the site a little earlier.”

“No one’s renting it?”

“Not anymore. He had one of his workers in there, a guy who was going through a divorce. He was letting him stay for free, just to help him out. But then the roof started leaking and Kyle didn’t want the liability anymore, especially because the guy would bring his kids over, and Kyle was afraid someone would get hurt.”

“I see.”

“That’s why we called Kyle last night. We go to coffee with him every week, and had heard all about his plans, so it occurred to us that we could use that old place instead of burning down a house that has actual value.”

“You really considered that?”

She would’ve offered her own bungalow if it meant saving him, but she saw no benefit in admitting that. The strength of her feelings would only scare him away. “Until we realized we’d go to jail for insurance fraud if we didn’t pay to rebuild it ourselves.”

“I would have sprung for that part.”

“It’s not cheap to build a house in California, so I’m guessing that wouldn’t leave you much seed money.”

There was a slight pause, then he said, “What do you expect when this is all over, Eve?”

Instinctively, her hand went to her stomach and her pulse sped up. “I don’t expect anything, Rex.”

“You’re doing this...for nothing?”

“I am. I would never want you or any man to stay here out of a sense of obligation. I’m merely hoping this gives you a brighter future. What you do with that future is up to you.”

Pam knocked on the office door. “Eve?”

Eve’s chest felt as though there was a hundred-pound weight sitting on it, which made it difficult to breathe. This wasn’t a good time for an interruption. But she asked Rex to hang on. “Yes?”

Her assistant manager opened the door and made a face. “There’s a guy with a tattoo of a gagged woman getting her clothes torn off, and he’s asking for you.”

Tightening her grip on the phone, Eve covered the mouthpiece. “That’s one of the two gentlemen who rented Room 4 last night.”

“You gave him a room?”

“Is he causing trouble?” Eve asked.

“No, but...but he’s making the other guests uncomfortable. He frightens me, too.”

“I’ll be right out,” she said.

“What’s wrong?” Rex asked. “Is it The Crew?”

“Yes. I guess one of your old friends is asking for me.”

“Be careful.”

“We just have to follow the plan and everything will be fine.”

“What are you doing after Victorian Days tonight?” he asked. “Maybe I could hide out at your place.”

“I hope I’ll finally be getting some sleep,” she said. “You should, too. I might see you tomorrow.”

Eve stared at the phone for several seconds after she hung up. It hadn’t been easy to turn down the opportunity to be with him. But she felt it was necessary, so he’d know she was serious when she said she had no expectations when this was over.

She only wanted him if he could love her as much in return.

* * *

Eve smoothed the oversize top she was wearing with a pair of leggings and took a deep breath before leaving the office. The man who’d booked the room last night was standing at the front desk, waiting for her. The others didn’t seem to be with him.

“You wanted to see me?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“I hope your room was okay.”

His lip curled as he surveyed the lobby area, with all its festive decorations. “I’m not much for these kinds of places.”

“I hope that doesn’t mean you’ll be checking out.”

“That’s what I wanted to see you about. I’m hoping you have another room for my two friends tonight.”

“Actually, Room 3 should be checking out by eleven. Would you like to book that?”

“Isn’t that why I’m standing here?” he asked.

Ignoring his rudeness, she called up the page she needed on the computer. “We’ll get you a reservation, then. I just need to see your credit card again.”

Grudgingly, he dug in his pocket and handed her the credit card and the driver’s license he’d given her earlier, which identified him as Eric Gunderson.

“You’re all set,” she told him when she handed them back. “But you’ll have to pick up the key a little later.”

He didn’t respond. As he turned to go, she said, “By the way, breakfast comes with the room. Do you plan on joining us this morning?”

“No, we’ve got things to do,” he said.

“Well, if you do get hungry, Just Like Mom’s is down the street. I highly recommend the food. And tonight is a big Christmas celebration, right here in the center of town. Everyone will be there.”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” he said with a chuckle, and Eve was sure he intended to show up. What better place to search for Rex?

After he left, she called Ted. “Rex’s old buddies will be at the celebration tonight. I suggest we have all our friends there, too, prepped to tell him they recognize the man in his picture if they get asked. Do you know if Mrs. Higgins is going to attend?”

“She is. She mentioned something about working on a quilt.”

“Good. If she could watch for them and bump into them somehow, I doubt they’d ever suspect such a sweet old lady of being a plant. She might even tell them that Rex was staying with her until he moved out to Kyle’s rental.”

“Great idea!” Ted said. “If she can’t manage that, one of us will have to cross paths with them.”

“Now we just need to be sure Chief Bennett’s going to do his part.”

“He called me a few minutes ago. That name you gave me—Eric Gunderson? He has a rap sheet a mile long. And someone from the LAPD confirmed his gang affiliation. Bennett doesn’t want any gang activity in this town.”

“So we’ll make sure they think Rex is dead, and they’ll leave.”

“Bennett’s confirmed the bad guys, but he still has to hear from Rex’s contact in WitSec before he feels confident.”

“Just pray that guy isn’t on vacation.”

Eve had butterflies in her stomach when she hung up. Tonight would be the night. She called Kyle and Rex, just to give them a heads-up.