by Lori Foster
Jude looked down at May, appalled to realize the words had come from her. All color had leeched from her face. Her lips were pale and trembling, her eyes glassy behind her glasses. Deep breaths had her chest heaving.
Oh God. Intent on shielding her, Jude tried to block her with his body. “May—”
Lips barely moving, eyes glued to her father, she held him aside. “It’s all right, Jude.” To her parents, she said, “Both of you should be thanking him, not insulting him.”
“Thank him for trying to steal the car lot?”
“You can’t really be that stupid.”
Her mother choked. “How dare you—”
“Jude could buy ten car lots more lucrative than ours.”
“Not ours, missy. You have no part of the lot.” Her mother delivered that reminder with grotesque glee.
“You think I should care?”
May didn’t raise her voice. She spoke so calmly that it scared Jude, and he took her hand, only to find her fingers cold.
“I haven’t lost much, not with the way Tim’s run it into the ground. Instead of coming here with laughable accusations, you should be checking on him, supervising what he does.”
Her father shouted, “At least he tries!”
“If you actually cared about him at all, you’d help him to grow up. Denny and Jude have shown more genuine, constructive concern for him in two days than either of you have in his lifetime.”
Her mother’s face, ravaged by alcohol and nicotine abuse, turned florid. “You little bitch. This is how you treat your family?”
Jude’s fragile tether on his temper snapped. “Now, wait just a minute.”
May jerked her head around to look him in the eyes. “Stay. Out. Of. This.”
Taken aback by her desperate vehemence, unsure if she reacted to a sense of family loyalty or to a need to deal with the situation on her own, he clamped his mouth shut.
May nodded, then again faced her parents. She separated herself from Jude by taking a small step forward.
“Someone attacked Tim because of money he accepted while gambling. Not a little money. Fifty thousand dollars.”
“That’s absurd,” her father blustered.
“Yes, it is. Tim didn’t borrow from a reputable bank. He borrowed from someone willing to kill to get the money back. Jude not only covered his debt, but took him into his home to protect him until the mess could be sorted out.”
“And conveniently ended up with signed loan papers.”
“So? He owes Tim nothing. He certainly doesn’t owe you. Would you give away fifty thousand dollars? If it wasn’t for Jude’s generosity, Tim might’ve been murdered for his stupidity.”
“We’d have handled it somehow,” her father claimed.
“I’m glad to hear that.” May still stood like a soldier, her arms rigid at her sides, her feet together, her shoulders back. “Then handle it now. Dredge up fifty grand, pay Jude back, and he can tear up the loan papers.”
Her mother’s eyes narrowed. “Just like that, huh? You tell him to tear them up and he does? Just what the hell are you doing with him to have so much influence?”
Jude couldn’t believe Olympia’s inference. She wasn’t a natural woman, definitely not a natural mother. Sensing his rage, May reached back, took his hand, and gave him a squeeze.
“Jude would tear up the papers because the debt would be paid and he’s an honorable man.”
“He’s a murderer!”
May squeezed his fingers so tight, Jude winced.
“Get off his property.”
Again, Jude murmured, “May…”
“Right now. Leave. If you don’t, I’ll call the cops.”
“Call them,” her mother taunted. “They probably know him by name.” She pointed at Jude. “They’ll know who’s causing the problems.”
“Of course they know his name. He’s a movie star. He’s the most respected fighter in the SBC.” She glanced at Denny. “Call the cops.”
Denny said, “Uh…”
Jude said, “Not yet, Denny.”
“I’ll tell them about Tim,” May offered. “I’ll tell them that he was gambling and lost money to someone who beat him black and blue. The same people who said he’d be dead if he went to the cops.”
Her mother wanted to strike her; Jude could tell.
Had she struck May in the past? It didn’t seem implausible. The woman’s certifiable demeanor made Tim’s behavior, and May’s protectiveness toward Tim, more understandable. It also justified his desire to shield her from such ugliness.
If Olympia made so much as a single move toward May, he’d stop her and deal with the consequences later.
“Let’s go, Olympia.” Stuart took his wife’s elbow. “If he robs us blind and leaves us poor, maybe then May will be happy.”
“I’d be happy,” May whispered, a break in her voice, “if you’d even once asked how Tim is faring.”
Jude’s heart completely broke in two. He looked at the tears in May’s eyes, the difficulty she had swallowing, and hoped he’d never go through such an awful thing again for the rest of his life.
Yet these were her parents. No wonder she didn’t date. She probably figured no man would tolerate her relatives long enough to fall in love with her.
“You’ve only shown concern for the car lot,” May pointed out. “And you know what? I’m glad Jude is going to hold Tim accountable. For Tim’s sake, because I love him. Maybe with some good influence in his life, he’ll finally grow up a little. Maybe he’ll learn enough to keep himself alive. Maybe, just maybe, he’ll become a man half as wonderful as Jude.”
“You’re dead to me,” her mother said, wringing a tiny sob from May.
Jude wanted to hold her, but she walked off the porch and stepped onto the entryway to watch as her father revved the Jaguar and peeled away, leaving ugly black tire marks on the otherwise pristine drive.
“Dear God,” Denny whispered.
“Yeah.” Wanting so many things, all of them centered on May, Jude walked up behind her. He wrapped his arms tight around her, holding her close and rocking her side to side. “I’m so sorry, honey.”
“Don’t be.” The gates opened, and the Jaguar disappeared from sight. “I’ve always been dead to them. This is nothing new.”
Jude hesitated, wishing he had the right words, a solution to offer. “Want me to tear up the loan papers?”
Shock rippled through May. She twisted to stare at him.
“I would, you know.” He framed her face in his hands, devastated to see her ravaged expression, the hurt that clouded her eyes. “Whatever you want, May, tell me. It’s yours.”
The tears spilled over, ripping him apart, and then she gave a shaky laugh. She flung herself into his arms and squeezed him. Against his chest, she said, “Keep the loan. Make Tim pay. And most of all—please, please don’t ever change.”
Damn it. Much more of that and he’d be weeping like a woman, too. He returned her hug, tight enough to make her gasp. Emotion overwhelmed him, distorting his sense of caution. He thrust her an arm’s length away, ready to make promises of profound portions. “May, I—”
His cell phone rang, giving him a moment of sanity. He narrowed his eyes, debated with himself, then cursed. “Shit. I have to take this.”
May wiped her eyes and smiled. “It’s okay. I’m okay. Don’t worry.”
Very deflated, but also a little relieved by the interruption, Jude dug the phone from his pocket and connected the call. “Hello?”
“We’ve got some trouble.”
Hearing from Lyle Elliott, the private detective he’d hired to keep an eye on Tim, was something Jude didn’t need. “What’s going on?”
As Lyle explained the situation, May watched Jude and reacted to his darkening scowl. “Jude?”
Jude asked, “Where’s he at?” and “How long?” and then, “Son of a bitch. Hang on.” With no time to waste, he turned and started for the house in a trot. “Denny!”
&nb
sp; Denny, who’d been lounging against the column, smiling toward them, straightened. “What’s wrong?”
“Bring a car around.” Taking the front steps two at a time, Jude bounded up and onto the porch. “Tim’s under the old trestle bridge on that stretch of road that heads north.”
“Jesus,” Denny said, and as usual, he caught on without further detail. “Is anyone else there yet?”
May didn’t understand. “What are you two talking about? Why is Tim under the bridge? There’s nothing out there except some abandoned trailers and a dry creek.”
“He’s alone right now.” Deciding he’d have to trust in May’s strength, regardless of all she’d just been through, Jude spelled it out. “Tim’s out there waiting—probably for Elton and his men to meet him there.”
“What?” She shook her head. “No, even Tim couldn’t be that stupid.”
“Of course he’s that stupid. That’s why I’ve had Lyle Elliott discreetly watching the house with instructions to stay with Tim if he tried to leave. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have let him storm off today after signing the loan papers. It’s still too risky.”
“But Tim didn’t seem to think so.” She covered her mouth with a hand. “Oh God. He’s… He’s probably trying to make a deal with Elton.”
“He’s not alone, May. Lyle’s keeping an eye on things.” Jude cupped the back of her head and pressed a kiss to her brow. “Tim will be okay,” he promised her. And as he put the phone back to his ear, he prayed he was right.
Chapter 19
May collapsed back against a wall, shaken to the core of her being. She was already off balance after the blowup with her parents, and now every awful, deadly scenario imaginable crashed through her brain.
In less than thirty seconds, Denny pulled the Porsche up front.
“Come on.” Jude grabbed her hand and pulled her out the door with him.
“I’m going?” May asked, flabbergasted by the possibility when he’d been so adamant in leaving her behind last night.
“Yeah. But you damn well better do exactly as I tell you.” He opened the back door for her, practically stuffing her inside in his haste. “Denny, you drive.”
“I can have us there in ten minutes.”
May clicked on her seat belt, relieved that she wouldn’t be left alone, waiting and wondering about what happened. At least this way she didn’t feel quite so helpless.
Secured in the seat next to her, Jude put the phone to his ear again. “You still there, Lyle? Great. What do you see?” He listened, nodded, and relayed the details to May. “Lyle’s out of sight but able to see Tim and the surrounding area. Right now Tim’s just pacing around the tracks.”
“The fool,” Denny said.
“I can’t believe this.”
Jude put his hand on her thigh and gave her a reassuring squeeze. “Keep him in sight, Lyle, but don’t intervene unless you have to. I’m going to set the phone down for a minute.” Jude lifted one hip to retrieve his wallet. He dug out a business card and handed it over the seat to Denny. “Call Burton. He should be there for this.”
Trying to grasp the turn of events, May asked, “Who’s Burton?”
“Ed Burton,” Jude explained, “the photographer.”
“Oh.” Of course she knew that. She blamed her faulty memory on the recent and distressing chaos.
While Denny called Ed, Jude took May’s hand. “This might be our best chance to nail the bastard. We don’t want to blow it.”
May’s brain finally kicked into gear. “You want to get there in time to get some incriminating evidence on Elton Pascal.”
“Damn right. Tim thought he’d be going behind our backs with this, making some shady deal with Elton. But it’s going to work to our advantage. With Burton covertly snapping pictures and recording what’s said, we might be able to end this once and for all.”
Denny clicked his phone shut. “Burton had a shoot in the area, so he was already halfway here. He’s going to blow that off to join us. He says fifteen minutes, tops. Less if he doesn’t hit any lights.”
May couldn’t help but worry. Tim might have unwittingly orchestrated his own peril.
Jude took one look at her face and rested the phone against his thigh, shielding his words. “You’ve had one hell of a day. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Tim’s the one who made the decision, not you.” She told herself what she’d told Jude earlier. “You’ve done everything you could to help him. More than enough. We’re not responsible for what he does. If he hadn’t rushed off after signing the papers…” Another lightbulb went off, and she groaned. “He didn’t care about the legalities because he plans to blow that off the same way he does everything else. Plus, he probably figured any deal with Elton cancelled a deal with you. If Elton lets him off the hook, then he doesn’t owe money, and the loan is null and void.”
“I knew he was up to something,” Jude told her. “But I thought he wanted to slip off for a drink or to gamble.”
“Do you think Elton or one of his men called again when we weren’t around and that’s when Tim set up a meeting?”
“Probably. I wish I’d taken his phone away from him. If I had, none of this would’ve happened.”
“At least now you have a chance to catch Elton in the act. That’s worth something, isn’t it?”
“It’s worth a lot.” Jude lifted the phone back to his ear. “We’re almost there, Lyle. Where are you exactly?” Following instructions through the phone, they turned down a narrow dirt road that circled up behind the old bridge. Denny drove slowly, careful not to stir up dust or make too much noise. All the while, he watched for other cars or people.
Jude spotted the PI’s car. “There. The gray Jeep.” He closed his phone, and they pulled up close.
An aging man with a kind face pushed himself away from his perch on the front bumper. Dressed in baggy brown pants and an open-collared shirt, his head bald, his eyebrows grizzled, he appeared rickety and ineffectual—until May looked into his eyes. They were keen with intelligence, alert and shrewd.
Jude, Denny, and May all got out. One eye squinted against the sun, Lyle sized them up, then shook hands with each of them.
“He’s right over here.” He led them to where an open patch in a thick line of trees allowed for clear viewing of the field beyond. “Keeps checking his watch.”
“He’s impatient,” Denny noted. “Damn him for being a fool.”
Because Denny sounded more worried and disappointed than anything else, May didn’t take exception to his continued insults against her brother.
“Over there, “Jude said, indicating a car that approached from the side, driving over the forgotten, fallow field now overrun with weeds. He didn’t seem to recognize the vehicle, but that meant little. Elton surely had the means to utilize any number of cars.
“Who is it?” Adrenaline, shock, and fear mixed like acid in May’s stomach. The car stopped, and four men got out. “Is it Elton?”
Jude shook his head. “No, it’s not even the same men who were with him at the restaurant. But I’m willing to bet they work for him. Elton has a small army of goons to do his dirty work. I should have realized he’d be too cowardly to show up himself.” He turned to Denny. “What do you want to do, stay here with May and Lyle, or—”
Denny huffed. “Just try and stop me from coming along.”
“That’s what I thought.” Jude turned and lifted May’s chin. “I know you’re going to worry, but stay put. No matter what, don’t shout out, or think to help, or—”
“I’m not an idiot.” She turned her head and kissed his palm. “I trust you, Jude, I really do. But please, please be careful.”
“I’m not an idiot either.” He turned to the PI. “Lyle?”
Lyle grinned and held up a nine-millimeter pistol. “I always come prepared. Don’t worry. I’ll see that things work out.”
A gun! May stared from Jude to Lyle and back again. They seemed to take it in stride.
J
ude even winked at her. “Now, we’re going to sneak down and see if we can hear anything. If Ed gets here, tell him to catch as much as he can.”
Full of misgivings, May nodded, then watched as Jude and Denny crept closer to where Tim waited. They inched up behind a stand of trees at about the same time that Tim noticed the other men.
Calling out, Tim said, “There you are! I was getting nervous.”
“Is that right?” The fellow in the lead grinned from ear to ear, stopping Tim in his tracks.
Even from a distance, that grin made May’s skin crawl. She wished Lyle had two guns. She wished he had an Uzi.
She wished her stupid brother hadn’t embroiled Jude in this awful mess. If anything happened to either of them, she wouldn’t be able to bear it.
———
Tim took a step back. “Elton Pascal?”
“Not likely.”
“But…” Everything felt wrong, and fear began worming around in Tim’s guts. The man addressing him seemed somehow familiar. Not by look, but by… attitude. “Who are you?”
“You can call me Vic.”
That voice. Something about it dredged up a bone-deep panic. Looking from one behemoth to the other, Tim said, “I don’t understand. I thought—”
“You and I have a lot to discuss, Tim. But first, did you tell anyone you were coming here?”
Maybe Elton just wanted to be cautious. Maybe he needed to know it was safe before he’d present himself to discuss their business. “No.”
“You’re sure about that? Because if I find out otherwise, you won’t like the consequences.”
Surely that was it. A man in Elton Pascal’s position would have to be very cautious. But if he played his cards right, this could still work out. Tim tamped down on the rising fear. “I’m sure. I even watched to see if I was followed. But no one else left the house behind me.”
“Excellent. Now, Tim, I want you to answer some questions for me.” He stepped closer.
Even the smell of him wrought a memory. Tim started breathing too fast. “Questions?”
“You can start by telling me how to get into Jamison’s place.”
