Three Weddings and a Murder (39 page)

Nate had a faraway look on his face, and his hold on Bobby loosened. “I didn’t have to admit the truth to you, babe. I could’ve easily convinced you I made Megan’s charm myself, and that I bought Sally’s emerald necklace at Haltom’s. But I was tired of hiding the truth from my wife. When you came home from your snoop-fest at the library, you asked me a question, and I gave you an honest answer, because I wanted you to love me for who I am. You did promise
for better or for worse
.” His voice turned eerily cheerful. “And after all, I killed those girls for you.”

Simone pulled distractedly at her hair. “Please don’t say that.”

“Why not? It’s the truth. Megan was going to tell you a pack of lies about how we had some big thing going on, when all that ever really happened between us was fucking. I couldn’t let her break us up, babe. Not to mention how pissed Drex would’ve been if he found out I was doing his girl.”

Simone reached her arms out for Bobby. “I won’t tell, and I won’t run away. Only please stop talking now.”

But Nate couldn’t stop talking. He kept vomiting the truth like it was a deadly toxin he had to expel or die. “Sally was even worse than Megan. Sally
knew
we had a brand new baby at home, and yet she still tried to steal me away from you. I only went with her because I didn’t want to touch you when you were pregnant. What if loving you had caused a miscarriage?”

“You’re a good husband, Nate.” Simone got down on her knees. “Bobby wants his mommy now.”

Nate chuckled under his breath, and his eyes darted about the room. “I bet I know what you’re thinking, babe. You’re thinking I went with Sally because she looks like Megan. You’re worried I’m still carrying a torch. But you got nothing to be jealous of. I
hate
Megan. In high school, she actually pretended to be pregnant and tried to get money from my father. I could never love a whore like that, and I killed her for you, so you should say thank you.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Nate tilted his head. “Mind you, I’m not saying I’ve done nothing wrong, but I did give you those presents to make amends. Megan and Sally took something away from you when they fucked your man, so I took something from them and gave it back to you. Now everything’s square.”

Anna gritted her teeth to hold back a retch. Lowering her head and her gun at the same time she tried to fend off her queasiness. Her mind was racing even faster than her heart. How the hell was she going to take Nate down with Bobby in the line of fire? And where was Charlie? He was unarmed, and she didn’t want to think about what Nate might have done to him. Just as a dry heave she could no longer suppress roiled up inside her, she felt his hot breath on her neck.

Charlie
.

A vicious pinch to her wrist, and her gun slid to the floor with a plop.

A punch in the back shot excruciating pain down her spine, and a kick knocked her feet out from under her. She landed on her back, and there they were, planted ominously in front of her face.

Hand-tooled black leather shafts. Silver hornback alligator vamps.

Boots
.

Boots bent, grabbed her by the hair, and blew his foul, liquor-soaked breath in her face. “Hello, Anna. Welcome to the party.”

She blinked hard, and a slick-skinned, bloated face came into focus. Nathan Carlisle Senior yanked her to her feet and stuck the cold barrel of her own .45 against her temple.

T
HE CRUMBLING BRICK
of the lake house scraped Charlie’s palms as he hugged the wall and crept toward the voices. He popped his head around the corner, took a split second to memorize the lay of the land and jerked out of sight once again. A sliding glass door on the back patio of the lake house provided both a curse and a blessing. It afforded him the opportunity to observe what was going on inside that back room, but it also afforded those inside that back room the opportunity to observe what was going on outside on the patio, which, quite unfortunately, was lit by a pair of floodlights. And as more rotten luck would have it, a stick was wedged in the door, eliminating his ability to enter that way. In order to launch a rescue, he’d have to travel the perimeter of the house and go in through the front.

He popped his head around the corner again, and this time, he dared press his face against the glass and peer inside the house.

His hands tightened into fists.

Nate and another man had Anna and Simone backed against the far wall. Nate stood with his back to the glass. He had a gun in one hand and Bobby on his hip. At Nate’s side, the other man brandished a Colt. And because the guy had his back to the door, it took Charlie a catch-up minute to recognize him as Nate’s father.

Goddamn it
.

Charlie jerked his face off the glass and ducked out of sight.

He’d left Anna in what he’d believed to be the safest place for her—inside the car with a pistol to defend herself if need be. His intentions, to scout the land and the situation and come up with a plan for rescue, were good. But now he cursed his fool-headedness. Not only was Anna
not
waiting safely in the car, her weapon appeared to have been transferred to Carlisle.

He should’ve known Anna would never hang back and allow him to take all the risks. It was a mistake not to include her in his plans. He should’ve trusted her. But it was way too late now to kick his own ass for being a guy. He’d have to settle for doing right by her once they got out of this mess.

If
they got out of this mess.

Carlisle and Nate had two guns and one infant in hand, and he had—well—he had his wits.

He’d strongly prefer a gun, but sometimes you gotta make do.

Ha!
A realization pulled his chin up.

He didn’t just have his wits, he also had Anna, and Anna was one helluva partner. His heart slowed down a beat or two, and then he smiled, yeah, actually smiled.

C
ARLISLE LED
A
NNA
to Simone’s side and waved his gun at them. “Backs against the wall, girls. I’ll get back to you in a minute.”

The only thing worse than being cornered by two assholes with guns, Anna thought, was being cornered by two assholes with guns who wouldn’t stop bickering.

Carlisle turned to his son—for the third time by her count. “You can’t seriously be thinking of taking your whore of a wife home with you?”

Simone straightened her spine and stared proudly at Carlisle. “You knew about Megan and Sally. What kind of a father are you?”

Carlisle stroked his cheek with his weapon. “The kind who looks out for his family’s good name. Lord knows Nate never has, and if I weren’t around to help him clean up his messes, he’d be sitting in a prison cell right this minute, and I wouldn’t have my blessed little Bobby.”

Carlisle paced a circle around Nate, wagging his pistol the whole time. “I don’t know what the hell kind of bargain you think you’re making with Simone, but she’s no less a whore than the rest of them.”

“Stop calling my wife a whore, Sir.” Nate’s lower lip started to tremble.

“They’re all whores, son. Even your mother tried to leave me back in the day. And you know how I turned that situation around don’t you?”

“No, Sir.”

“Well, I sure as shit didn’t say
sorry
for putting my dick where I wanted. I sure as shit didn’t give her any
apology jewelry,
now did I?”

“No, Sir.”

“I gave her a boot in her face and held a knife to her throat and fucked the fight out of her. It only took the one time to get your mother to fall in line, and I didn’t have to kill a single slut to do it. You, on the other hand, son, have killed two whores and your wife is anything
but
under control.”

Carlisle aimed his gun at Simone. “Could you cover me please, son? Point your pistol at the blond hellcat, while I take care of your wife for you. It’s too late to train Simone now.”

Nate pointed his gun at Anna.

She looked at Nate and stopped breathing. But not from fear. This time it was hope that took her breath away.

Charlie
.

She saw his face pressed to the sliding glass door, and then he was gone.

Nate narrowed his eyes at Anna suspiciously, and she quickly dropped her gaze.

Nate turned his head toward his father, and she took the chance to look back at the glass.

She hadn’t imagined it. Charlie
was
at the patio door, and this time he was miming
rock-the-baby
and pretending to lead a marching band—or something like that. She didn’t know precisely what he was up to, but she nodded her support anyway
.
Her heart grew lighter and stronger at the same time. They’d already beaten Boots at his own game once tonight, surely they could do it again.

Boots went back to bickering with Nate, and Bobby whimpered for his freedom. With a distracted sigh, Nate finally let Bobby down to crawl.

“You never were too bright, son. So let me spell this out for you. Your wife knows you killed two women, and worse—now
two
people,
three
counting you, know I helped you cover that up. Thanks to your pansy-ass need to confess everything for no good reason at all, except your wife
asked
you about the jewelry, you’ve put us both in jeopardy. I risked my hide tailing Anna and Drex to the library.”

“I never asked you to hurt them.”

“I couldn’t take a chance on what they knew, boy. You don’t seem to understand it’s my freedom at stake too. I’m afraid you’ve left me no choice in the matter of what I have to do next.”

“Please don’t hurt my wife, Sir.”

“You really believe she loves you?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“And you really want to take her home and give things another try?”

“Yes, Sir. I do, Sir.”

“Then you’re even dumber than I thought.” Carlisle lifted his arm.

Crack!

A muzzle flashed.

She heard a soft cry from Simone.

Scarlet bloomed onto the front of Nate’s white T-shirt.

“Dad?” Nate folded to the ground.

“You stupid son of a bitch.” Carlisle sidestepped to where his wailing grandson crawled in a pool of Nate’s blood. He bent and patted Bobby on the top of the head. “Let’s hope I do a better job raising you, cowpoke.”

And that’s when the patio chair came crashing through the sliding glass door.

C
HARLIE DID THE DISAPPEARING
head-bob thing again, and this time, luck was with him. Anna noticed him and flared her eyes at him. In his mind, the biggest obstacle to staging a rescue was not the fact that the men had two guns. It was the fact that they had Bobby. He didn’t want to initiate a fight without getting Bobby into some safer place than the crest of Nate’s hip. He was clear on step one, even if he had no clue what would be step two.

Step one—get the baby away from Nate
.

Charlie had never been good at charades, but he was pretty sure rocking his arms meant
baby
. He darted in front of the glass door, made a rock-the-baby motion with his arms and darted back behind the side of the house.