Bitter Justice (Cowboy Justice Association Book 12)

by Olivia Jaymes

  Gathering up their luggage, they entered the brightly lit lobby, the cool air-conditioning hitting them the moment the door opened. Goosebumps ran up her arm and she shivered slightly. From hot to cold in ten seconds.

  The lobby was all marble and chrome, completely modern in design, although they'd painted the walls a turquoise as a concession to the sparkling water outside the doors. On the far wall were two elevators with a set of double doors to the right. A concierge sat at a desk to the left making sure that no one entered that wasn't supposed to be there, although Maddie and Tanner had already had to go through a security gate at the entrance to the parking lot.

  The young man at the concierge desk was aware of their arrival and had their keys to the unit along with a short list of rules and regulations for pool usage and such.

  "Will you be having any guests here during your stay?" he asked. "If so, they need to check in if they're going to use the pool."

  "No guests," Tanner replied. "Just us."

  Us. It sounded so wonderful and cozy.

  "My name is Brad if you need anything. Restaurant recommendations or tickets to attractions. I'm your guy."

  "Thank you, Brad," Maddie said. "That's very helpful."

  "Brad knows every decent restaurant all up and down the beaches."

  That statement came from an older man, possibly in his late fifties or early sixties. His hair was bleached almost white and his face was dark gold from the sun, making his eyes appear incredibly blue. He was with his wife, a pretty blonde woman that appeared to be at least a few decades younger. They were both dressed for the weather in shorts and t-shirts.

  The man held out his hand to Tanner. "I'm Leo Gordon and this is my wife Bibi. We live on fifteen. I'm guessing you're renting out Bill's unit. He's on four."

  Brad nodded distractedly, the phone on his desk ringing. "They are renting Bill's. Staying the week."

  Leo's already smiling face brightened. "Then you'll have to come for drinks tonight. We can all get to know each other. We won't take no for an answer will we, Bibi?"

  Bibi was far more subdued but she also nodded in agreement, extending her hand to Tanner and Maddie.

  "It's so nice to meet you."

  "It's nice to meet you," Maddie replied. "It's very kind of you to extend an invitation to us."

  A little overwhelming too but she didn't want to be rude. It might be nice to meet a few locals.

  "Bill always rents to the best people. It's like we get new friends every few weeks," Leo boomed, his voice echoing in the airy lobby. "We love meeting new people, don't we, honey?"

  Once again, Bibi nodded. "We do."

  She wasn't chatty, that was for sure.

  Tanner gave Maddie a look, his brows raised, leaving it all up to her. He wasn't the most social animal and she, of course, had moments of awkwardness with new people but she'd mostly grown out of that by necessity. Before Springwood she’d worked as a doctor in a busy Chicago emergency room, and social anxiety would have been a problem.

  Slightly conflicted, Maddie didn't answer immediately. She and Tanner were there for a second honeymoon of sorts and she hadn't expected to socialize much, if at all. However, the couple standing only a few feet away were wearing such expectant and hopeful expressions it would have been terribly rude to say no. It wouldn't hurt to meet a few residents of the building and be friendly. Meeting the neighbors seemed like a good idea. It would probably only be a couple of hours. Tops.

  "We'd love to join you," she replied, giving them a warm smile of her own. "Just let us know what time."

  "Six o'clock," Leo said, patting his wife's arm affectionately. "It's come as you are, so don't dress up or anything. We'll see you then. Just come to the top floor."

  The couple strolled out of the lobby and into the blinding Florida sunshine.

  "Interesting couple," Tanner observed. "Are you sure about having drinks with them? We don't have to if you don't want to."

  "I didn't feel pressured. I'm sure it will be fine. We'll spend an hour with them being good neighbors and then we'll be on our own."

  Tanner waggled his eyebrows playfully, like a villain in an old silent movie. He was such a goof sometimes. "Just the two of us."

  She cast a glance over her shoulder at Brad, who was currently engrossed in a telephone conversation.

  "Almost. How about we go upstairs and then call Amanda?"

  Then she might try to convince her husband to join her in the shower.

  Maddie and Tanner had committed to joining their neighbors for a drink and that was exactly what they were going to do. It was good to be friendly and it wouldn't hurt to spend an hour sipping a cool drink and finding out more about the area.

  Already she was far more relaxed than she'd been in a long time. They'd spoken to Amanda and their daughter was having a ball playing with her best friends, watching movies, and eating ice cream. Sherry had assured Maddie that everything was under control so she could simply have a great vacation and leave her worries behind.

  Tanner had also visibly relaxed since they'd arrived, the tension that he'd been carrying around his shoulders completely gone. Coming here was a great decision. Maddie was looking forward to sleeping in, reading a few books, eating some good food, and maybe romping in the waves on the beach.

  Slathered in sunscreen, of course. She burned easily.

  Patting the pocket on his cargo shorts, Tanner closed the door to their unit behind them.

  "I've got the keys. Now what's the signal?"

  She slipped her hand into his. "Signal?"

  "You know...for when we're ready to leave. Tap your nose? Run your fingers through your hair?"

  He was being silly and she loved it. He hadn't been this laid back since he'd lost his job.

  "How about I just tell you that I'm ready to leave? Is that too straightforward?"

  "That sounds good in theory but what if they're the type that never wants anyone to leave?"

  "Then I'll tap my nose. Ready?"

  "Let's do this."

  They took the elevator to fifteen, which was the top, and stepped out into the hallway. There was only one door so it had to belong to Leo and Bibi. They had the entire floor.

  "Looks like they have the penthouse suite," Tanner observed. "The place must be huge."

  Tanner knocked firmly a few times and they only waited a few seconds before the door swung open and a grinning Leo stood there, cocktail in hand.

  "You made it. Excellent. Come on in. What's your poison?"

  They'd already talked about this. Since Tanner didn't drink - and hadn't for years - it was often simpler if Maddie had a glass of wine and he would explain that he couldn't have alcohol because of some medication he was on. These weren't friends and he didn't feel like explaining his drinking history with people he'd only just met. For some reason, if both he and Maddie didn't drink people seemed a hell of a lot more upset than when only he didn't. He didn't know why but he'd seen it over the years.

  "Water or soda for me," Tanner replied as Maddie perused the bottles Leo had placed on the kitchen counter. They were well-stocked. "Maddie wouldn't mind a glass of white wine."

  Leo grabbed a glass and began playing bartender. "Are you on the wagon?"

  "Sadly, I'm on a medication that doesn't play well with alcohol."

  Chuckling, Leo handed Maddie her wine and then reached for a can of ginger ale. "That's too bad. I make a mean rum runner. I don't suppose I can talk you into it, Maddie?"

  She wasn't sure what a rum runner was but from the name it had to have rum in it. The last time she'd had a rum drink she'd ended up with a king-sized headache the next day. She'd stick to white wine or perhaps vodka.

  "I'm pacing myself tonight. I'll stay with the wine." She took a sip. Fruity. "This is very nice."

  "It's from a vineyard in Williamsburg, Virginia," Bibi said, appearing from a doorway off the living room. "We visited on vacation. The white is especially good."

  "It's wonderful." Maddie took a
nother sip. Now that she had had a chance to look around the apartment, she realized that they weren't the only guests. There were others as well. "Really nice. I don't drink much, actually, but this is good."

  A tall brunette stood from her perch on a kitchen barstool and held out her hand. "It's one of my favorites too whenever Leo and Bibi invite me over. I'm Ashley, by the way. Ashley Monroe. I'm in unit E on eight. Welcome to the neighborhood, even if it's only for a week or so."

  Ashley was gorgeous. The kind of beauty that looked effortless and elegant. Golden skin, luxuriant hair, and a great body. Tonight she was wearing a bright red sundress that would have made Maddie look like a ghost.

  "It's nice to meet you," Tanner said. "And thank you for the welcome. We are staying only one week."

  A large, muscular man with sandy blond hair shot with gray that had been standing near the open sliding glass doors to the balcony joined the group. "Where y'all from?"

  "Springwood, Montana," Tanner replied. "I'm–"

  He broke off and Maddie knew why. He'd been about to say that he was the sheriff there but he couldn't say that anymore.

  Damn that pissant mayor.

  "I'm happy to be in some warmer weather," Tanner finally said, amending his statement.

  "Me too," Maddie said, giving Tanner a smile. "It's already winter back home."

  The man's name turned out to be Randy Knight, ex-football player who now owned a chain of pizza parlors after blowing out his knee catching a winning touchdown pass. He and his wife Carrie - who had shown up a few minutes later - lived in the unit next to Ashley.

  Everyone was quite friendly and the conversation - and drinks - flowed. They all seemed fascinated that Maddie was a real, live, actual doctor. After more than one question about what he did, Tanner admitted that he was a former sheriff in their hometown but didn't give any details. Luckily, the group seemed to assume that he'd retired early. She'd showed them pictures of Amanda and they had produced photos of their own, some of kids, some of dogs, and Randy showed off a picture of his boat which he had named Cute Carrie.

  They shared their opinions about the best beaches and restaurants, but it was when Maddie was alone with Ashley that they began to share their opinions about each other. Maddie had gone out onto the balcony to look at the view and the woman joined her, leaning on the railing and staring out onto the emerald green water.

  "How long have you been married?" Ashley asked. "If you don't mind my saying, you look a little younger than your husband."

  She wasn't the first person to notice but most people didn't remark on it.

  "We've been married almost ten years," Maddie replied. "And yes, Tanner is older but that's never bothered me."

  Ashley glanced over her shoulder where Tanner, Leo, and Randy were talking inside.

  "It wouldn't bother me, either. He's a good-looking son of a gun, isn't he?"

  Maddie wasn't a jealous person by nature but she wasn't sure she liked how Ashley stared at her husband. Sort of...hungry.

  "I think so."

  "Leo and Bibi are good people, and so are Randy and Carrie, for that matter. They're fun and easy to be around. You might want to give Leo a wide berth, though. He likes the ladies and you're very attractive." She glanced over her shoulder again. "Although your husband might beat Leo into the ground if he looked at you wrong. I don't think most men would want to tangle with him. He said he was a cop, right?"

  Not sure what to say, Maddie stalled by taking another sip of her wine that had gone warm. She'd been nursing the glass for over half an hour.

  "He was a sheriff. What is it that you do, Ashley?"

  The woman's smile widened. "I don't really do anything. I'm divorced and my ex had money."

  Oh.

  "Does my candor bother you?" Ashley asked, chuckling. "I married for money and I don't deny it. I'll probably do it again before I lose my looks."

  Okey-dokey.

  "You married for love," Ashley said. "It's okay if you want to judge me. Lots of people do."

  Having been on the wrong side of people's judgments in her youth, Maddie didn't want to be that kind of person. So far Ashley hadn't been anything but up front and honest.

  "I don't want to judge you, and yes, I married for love."

  "I might do that someday. Crazier things have happened." There was a crash in the kitchen and both women turned around. Carrie had dropped a glass on the tile floor and it had shattered into a million little pieces. "Looks like Carrie has had a few too many. Again. She's been drinking more and more since Randy took up with Bibi."

  Maddie and Tanner had been at this cocktail hour less than forty-five minutes and it had become like the story line of a bad soap opera.

  A gold digger. And now the husband of one couple cheating with the wife of another.

  Ashley leaned down closer to Maddie, whispering in her ear. "Don't feel too badly for Leo. He was planning on trading up wives soon, anyway. Bibi's number three and turned thirty-five last year. Leo likes them young, and she would know. She was his assistant fresh out of college when he found her and left number two."

  Yep, bad soap opera all around. All they'd been trying to do was be friendly with the neighbors. That's it. One drink and they were out. Maddie didn't really want to get pulled into the local drama. She'd simply wanted to be sociable. Now she wanted to make as graceful an exit as possible. Preferably soon.

  Catching her husband's eye, she turned slightly away from Ashley, ducked her head down, and then as slyly as possible...

  Tapped her nose.

  "She did not say that," Tanner said, shaking his head. He and Maddie were sitting in a lovely beachside restaurant eating a late dinner as the sky turned purple, orange, and pink. "Why on earth would she tell you that?"

  His wife had just recounted her conversation with Ashley Monroe and he'd been floored by the woman's candor. If she was telling the truth, of course.

  "Maybe she was pulling your leg," Tanner suggested. "Playing a joke on the hicks from a little town in Montana. Hell, for all we know, she does this with everyone that rents that condo. Perhaps it's a game the whole group plays."

  "That would be a strange and sick game. She seemed perfectly serious." Maddie's brow quirked. "And she seemed especially enamored of you."

  Ashley Monroe didn't interest him in the least.

  "I'm a one-woman man, baby. You know that."

  "I do, which is why I'm not worried. About you. But she said that I might want to give Leo a wide berth and I suggest you do the same with her. While I trust you with my life, I don't trust her."

  Tanner felt the same about their host. Leo had also made a remark about how attractive Maddie was and that Tanner was a lucky man. Randy, on the other hand, had been far more discreet. Now Maddie was telling him the guy was having an affair with their host's wife.

  "Did you see anything between Randy and Bibi?" Maddie asked. "You were with them more than I was."

  He didn't remember the two of them even speaking to each other once.

  "Bibi stayed in the background. I mostly talked to Randy and Leo."

  "What about?"

  "Sports, mostly. Randy used to be a pro football player before he messed up his knee. We also talked about boats, which I know nothing about, and decent restaurants within walking distance. That's how we got here."

  Wrinkling her nose, Maddie rolled her eyes. "Sports. The universal language between men."

  "Come on, now. You like sports, too."

  "Yes, but it's not the first thing that I talk about when I meet people."

  "Not for me either, but it made sense since Randy was an athlete." He reached across the table and captured her hand with his. "Listen, we did the polite thing and went to their cocktail party. Now we can go on with the rest of our vacation. If they invite us again, we can just tell them that we already have plans."

  "It wasn't that I hated them or anything. I actually kind of liked Ashley, but we came on vacation to have some time with each other."
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  Maddie didn't hate anyone. Even when she probably should.

  "That's true. Now that we're done with dinner, how about you and me taking a walk on the beach in the moonlight? Just the two of us."

  She gave him a playful smile. "That sounds like an excellent idea."

  Tanner wasn't a twenty-year-old anymore but damned if this woman didn't make him feel that way. He'd never get tired of being with her.

  After paying the check, he took her hand and led her down a wooden staircase to the soft sand below. It was completely dark out now, the sun asleep until morning, but it was far from dark. Along with the sliver of moon over head, the condos were a wall of lights, each window a lamp casting shadows at their feet.

  They'd kicked off their shoes and let the cool waves lap at their toes, dancing around when the water got too close. There were a few other people out and about but for the most part it was quiet and peaceful. A state that Tanner hadn't had nearly enough of lately.

  "We should have done this years ago."

  Maddie laughed, the sound mixing with the waves and the soft wind. "How? You could barely get four days off in a row. And now that you've been let go, the town wants Pete's head on a platter. Sherry sent me a text earlier today that he's begun to hide and won't go out in public. There are rumors he's left town, escaped in the night like a criminal."

  Tanner had received the same messages from Sam, his former deputy. Somehow the thought of Pete cowering in his big house on the hill didn't make him feel any better. Springwood was in chaos and the duly elected mayor was hiding.

  "Pete didn't think it all the way through. He just wanted the budget cuts."

  Maddie paused, turning toward him. Even in the dim light he could see the indecision in her expression, which surprised him. It wasn't like her to wonder whether she should say something.

  "What's on your mind, Maddie?"

  "If Pete offered you your job back, would you take it?"

  Funny, he'd been pondering that very question. With all the texts he'd been receiving since they'd left home, it appeared that the town was in a full-blown mutiny. Hiding might have been the first wise action Pete had ever made.