On His Honor

by Jean Brashear

  “I’ll walk you over, then.”

  Violet demurred. “Piece of cake. All I have to do is lie down and roll across the grass on this overstuffed belly.”

  “Climbing stairs that way could be a challenge.” Sophie grinned. “Want me to wake you up at a certain time? Cade’s coming home early. Join us for dinner.”

  “That’s very kind of you, but I think I could probably sleep all the way through until morning.” She stepped closer and kissed Sophie’s cheek. “Give Cade my congratulations.”

  “I will.” Sophie hesitated. “Are you sure you have to leave?”

  “Yes, but I’ll miss you. Could we stay in touch?”

  A bright smile in answer. “I insist on it.”

  Violet hugged her hard. “Thank you, my friend.”

  Sophie hugged her back, then escorted her to the door and watched as she made her way across the lawn.

  Once inside her room, Violet tried Avery again, only to get his blasted voice mail. Where are you, Avery?

  She felt grungy and in dire need of a fresh start, so though she wanted to fall face-forward onto the bed, instead she took a long, hot shower. While she was washing her hair, she remembered that Avery had told her that he often went to the club in the afternoon because it was quiet at that time and he could take care of business details.

  She emerged and wrapped herself in one of Sophie’s decadently thick towels, then used her phone to find the club’s number and punched it in.

  For whatever reason Avery wasn’t answering his cell, but maybe he’d answer the club’s phone, or at least someone there could tell her where he was.

  “Danger Zone. Leslie speaking.”

  Leslie? Oh, yes. The manager. “This is Violet James. Is Avery there?”

  “He’s stepped out, Ms. James.” There was a familiar note of eagerness in her voice that made Violet glad for her fame…or should she say her notoriety now? “May I take a message, or would you like to talk to his partner?”

  Sage Holland. Maybe she would know where to find Avery. “I would, thanks.”

  “Just one moment—and, Ms. James?”

  “Yes?”

  “I’m a huge fan.”

  “Thank you.”

  A long pause, also familiar as the other person tried to prolong the encounter.

  Violet wanted to nudge her, but she mustered patience and remained silent.

  “Well, I’ll just…”

  “I appreciate it.”

  The phone was picked up quickly. “Sage Holland here. May I help you, Ms. James?”

  “I hope so, thank you. I’m having difficulty getting in touch with Avery, and I’d like to see him before I leave for L.A. tomorrow. Do you expect him back soon, or can you tell me where he might be?”

  “He has an appointment that will take a little while longer. Would you care to come here to wait for him? We’d love to show you around the club, if you have time. He said you were staying at Hotel Serenity, correct?”

  “That’s right.”

  “We’re perhaps a ten- to fifteen-minute cab ride from you, but let me send someone to pick you up. May I?”

  Funny, in her time in Austin, she’d become so accustomed to being Violet the person and not Violet the star that she’d almost forgotten what it was like to have people fawn over her.

  It wasn’t always a bad thing. “That would be lovely. Shall we say an hour?” She’d have to hustle—she’d gotten out of the glamour habit, as well, and that wasn’t a quick process—but she’d find some viable compromise that would satisfy the starstruck Leslie yet remind Avery of how long they’d known each other.

  “Perfect,” the woman purred. “We’ll look forward to having you. I’ll arrange for a car right now.”

  And probably call a contact or two to be sure there would be pictures of Violet entering and leaving the premises, for publicity purposes.

  Avery had done everything in his power to keep her away from the club for fear of exactly that happening, and she appreciated the thoughtfulness, but…this was her life. Better get used to it again.

  She set down her phone and went to study her closet.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  AVERY’S FLIGHT WAS BOOKED. He’d limited himself to two bags he’d tossed in the backseat. He had funds waiting for him in several offshore accounts. He’d be leaving assets behind, regrettably, but that couldn’t be helped. He had to be alive to spend what he’d accumulated.

  His cell rang.

  Sage, he saw.

  His faked massage wouldn’t have ended yet, so he let it go to voice mail and kept driving toward the airport. Once the phone chirped to indicate a waiting message, he debated whether to listen, but it was better to be armed with information.

  “Avery, darling…” That superficial tone she took on when she was performing for an audience. “I have a friend of yours here who’d very much like to see you. Let me put her on.” He could actually hear the crocodile smile she was no doubt wearing. What friend? Who would—

  His stomach was already sinking before he heard the voice he most feared to hear.

  “Avery? Your place is amazing,” Violet said. “Sage and Leslie have been showing me around, and I’m very impressed. I want to take you to dinner to thank you for everything before I go home to L.A., so I’ll wait here until you call.”

  The phone switched back to Sage. “We’re having a lovely girl chat while we wait.” Malice coated the glee in her tone, and he wondered why Violet couldn’t hear it.

  Except that Violet was a romantic. And she trusted him, so she would trust Sage by extension.

  “See you soon.” Sage clicked off.

  Oh, Christ.

  Sage had Violet. She’d had a man killed only a day ago.

  Violet was famous. Surely Sage wouldn’t…

  He couldn’t be sure. Sage, he’d begun to realize, would do whatever she perceived to be in her best interests, including getting rid of anyone in her way.

  At a minimum, Violet was a hostage, though she clearly didn’t realize it yet.

  Avery didn’t want to go back, wanted badly to be far, far away. He wasn’t the right person to handle something like this. Where the hell was her bodyguard? What on earth had possessed her to contact Sage?

  Think.

  He couldn’t call the cops until he was safely out of reach. He didn’t have his own hired muscle as Sage did… .

  Wait. Violet did. What was that bodyguard’s name? Why hadn’t he paid better attention to what she had said about the man instead of being too preoccupied with his own problems?

  The man was a cop, though. Getting him involved…could he work out a deal? He couldn’t risk going to jail. Damn you, Sage, for triggering all this.

  He had to get out of Austin, but he couldn’t leave Violet with Sage for as long as it would take to be safely away.

  Then the answer occurred to him. He’d call the hotel. The owner had been responsible for hooking Violet up with the cop, he remembered Violet telling him, and he’d been introduced to the owner on one of his visits… Sophie, that was her name.

  Frantically he hit the browser on his phone and looked up the hotel’s main number.

  * * *

  JD STOOD IN THE DOORWAY of Doc’s office, leaning on the jamb.

  “I’ve got dates, places, some physical descriptions to add to what we know, but these guys aren’t sloppy, Doc. They’ve been doing this long enough to have their system down. Most of the women are pliant—they get threatened with deportation if they leave the protection of the cartel, so they don’t take any chances. But these guys don’t let it rest there, they hold the women’s families over them as leverage. They also get rid of the troublemakers quickly, separate them
from the pack.”

  “That what happened to the twin?”

  JD nodded. “She got rebellious early on. She was the younger twin, and this girl Melis’s conviction that she was responsible for her sister rendered her less inclined to stir up trouble and more determined to protect her sister.” He shook his head. “But all that changed when she learned her sister had been killed. She feels more responsible than ever, but she’s ready to come out, guns blazing.”

  “She has a weapon?”

  “Not that I can tell, but she has a powerful thirst for revenge and something even more dangerous: the conviction that she’s got nothing left to lose.”

  “Bad combination.”

  “You’re telling me. On the other hand, she’s eager to help, however we need her to. For now, she’s willing to believe that we’ll get her the justice she craves.”

  Doc leaned back in his chair, pondering the next step.

  JD didn’t feel nearly so patient. He had that itching under his skin he always got when events were coming to a head. “You found somebody to put on Violet, right?”

  Doc jerked his attention back to the present. “Should be in place anytime.”

  JD frowned. He’d hoped surveillance would already be in force. Doc had plenty on his plate, though, and Sophie had promised… .

  Doc’s phone rang. He hesitated. “Anything else I need to know?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Okay. Send out the word. Let’s meet in, say, an hour.”

  “Got it.” JD called Bob and passed along the message.

  But he was still itchy, worse than ever. He had to be sure that Violet was covered. He would call Sophie and be certain.

  Just then, his phone buzzed at his hip. He flipped open the holster and drew it out.

  Sophie.

  JD’s heart took a nosedive. She wouldn’t call him when she knew he was working, not just to share good news.

  “Sophie, is Violet okay?”

  “Oh, JD, I’m so glad I got you. I—I’m so sorry.”

  His heart stopped. “What happened?”

  “She wanted to take a shower, and there was no excuse for me to hang around, but—I was watching her door, I swear, but then a delivery came, and—”

  “She left,” he said flatly. Just as he’d feared she would.

  And apparently their surveillance hadn’t been in place yet. He wanted to tear his hair out by the roots. “Do you know where she went?”

  “Avery just called me. She’s at his club.”

  His breath stalled. “Why did he call?” If he’d threatened Violet…

  “He’s not at his club. He sounds frantic, JD. He didn’t know how to reach you and was worried you might not take his call, so he asked me to do it. He said his partner Sage has Violet, and he wanted me to tell you that Sage is the one who had the man in Houston killed. Oh, JD, what if—” Her voice faltered, but she kept herself together. “Violet was going to go back to L.A. She said she’d probably sleep until morning because she was so exhausted from…”

  From me. From the damage I did to her.

  “She never gave me any indication she’d leave, JD. I had no idea this would happen.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up, Sophie. You’re not to blame.” That was squarely on him. “I should have followed through on my threat to take her into custody. None of that matters now, though. Can you give me Avery’s number?”

  She read it off her phone.

  “Good. Did he say where he was?”

  “It sounded like he was driving. He said that he’s afraid of what Sage might do. He was very upset that he’d been ignoring Violet’s calls. Apparently she called the club when she couldn’t reach him on his cell, and Sage told her she could wait there for him.”

  Friction between partners could be a helpful wedge, but right now it only increased his problems exponentially. “Did he say anything else? Anything at all—every bit counts.”

  “I…nothing I can think of.”

  “What time did he call?” JD glanced at his watch.

  “I hung up with him then called you immediately. I’m so glad you answered.” Once again her voice faltered. “I will never forgive myself if…”

  “You did nothing wrong, Sophie. This is completely my fault.” He kept his tone soothing and calm, but inside, rage crashed against the bars of his control. If anything happened to Violet…

  Don’t go there. Just get plans rolling. “I’ll call you with an update when I can, but I don’t know when that might be. Get in touch if you remember anything else. I’m going to phone Avery now, but if we don’t connect and you hear from him again, give him this number. Tell him I’d talk to the devil himself if it meant protecting Violet.”

  “I will. Is there anything at all I can do?”

  He was already running toward his car. “Not right now, but I’ll let you know if there is.”

  “Please. I’ll do anything.” She was in an impossible position, and he’d put her there.

  “I know you will. You’ve already helped. Thank you.”

  Violet could be a hostage right this minute. Hostage. The word knifed straight to his gut. Fear wouldn’t help her now, though. He needed to be cool and calculating, though every cell of him was primed to charge to her rescue without pause.

  Going in blind wouldn’t help her, though. And a lot more people than him were involved.

  He punched in Lofton’s number as he ran.

  * * *

  IN HER ACTOR'S TOOLKIT, one prime asset was the ability to observe others closely. To put herself in a character’s skin and understand how that person feels, thinks, what forces have formed her, how she would react in any given situation.

  Violet was as good at this as anyone she knew.

  But she couldn’t get a bead on Sage Holland.

  Outwardly, the woman could not be more cooperative. The activity level in the club was clearly building, and Avery wasn’t here to help, so it would be natural for Sage to be a little distracted, even somewhat on edge because Violet was interfering with the normal flow of an evening.

  But the woman seemed to possess an unnatural calm.

  There was something almost…robotic about her. No, that wasn’t it. She was clearly a force to be reckoned with, a statuesque blonde who appeared to be in superb physical condition. Her arms were strong, her legs long and toned. She was an imposing presence, especially in three-inch heels as she was right now, bringing her to what Violet would guess was six feet or taller.

  “Ms. James?” The bartender, who went by the name of Rory, appeared at her side, as much of the staff had been doing since her arrival—cruising by to get a glimpse, maybe an autograph.

  “What is it, Rory?” Sage’s tone was clearly displeasure.

  “I was just wondering if Ms. James would care to taste my latest cocktail invention. Sure wouldn’t hurt business to be able to say she likes it.” He winked at Violet.

  She smiled back.

  “Fine,” Sage responded. “But send Leslie to me when you see her.”

  Violet glanced at the other woman, curious at Sage’s impatience.

  “I’m sorry about him asking for a favor,” Sage said. “That must get so tiresome.”

  “It’s fine. I’d be happy to sample the cocktail. Whatever I can do to help Avery—and you, of course—I want to.”

  Leslie hurried over. “Yes? Something I can get for Ms. James?”

  “Violet, please.”

  A beaming smile. “Violet, then. Thank you.”

  “Yes,” Sage said with little warmth. “You can tell the staff to stop gawking and get to work. We have a club to run.”

  The manager, whom Violet liked a great deal, paled. “O
f course.” She turned to Violet. “I apologize.”

  Violet placed a reassuring hand on her arm. “Don’t worry a bit.”

  Leslie’s relieved smile was quickly extinguished by Sage’s stare. “Um…it won’t happen again.”

  “This way.” Sage gave no acknowledgment to Leslie but simply led Violet away.

  Violet glanced back toward the manager and smiled to ease the sting of Sage’s dismissal.

  The bartender rushed up with the drink. Leslie restrained him.

  “No, please. Bring it here.” Violet gestured him over and took the cocktail. “Now what is this called?”

  “If you like it, it’ll be called the Violet James.” His green eyes gleamed eagerly.

  “Then I’d better like it, right?”

  Impatience rolled off the woman beside her, which only made Violet want to dawdle. She took a slow sip. Closed her eyes to better focus. Her eyelids flew open. “Oh, my…that’s yummy. What’s in it?” She held up her hand. “No, never mind. I don’t want to dissect it, I just want to enjoy it.” She took a second sip, nearly as pleased to have the too-composed Sage fidgeting beside her. “Yes,” she said, meeting the bartender’s gaze. “I would be delighted to have this bear my name.”

  “Awesome—so if I got you a napkin, would you, like, sign it and say something about the drink?”

  “Later,” Sage snapped. When Violet glanced at her, arching one eyebrow, the woman subsided a bit. “We need to finish the tour I promised her first.”

  The bartender looked to Violet for affirmation, and Violet had to swallow a grin at the knowledge that this increasingly unlikable woman would really be out of sorts that he was deferring to Violet. “As soon as we’re done, I’d love to.”

  “Great! Thank you.”

  “Oh, it’s my pleasure,” Violet responded, then turned back to the woman whose icy composure wasn’t quite as solid now.

  For whatever reason, the woman really did not like her. Maybe she had a thing for Avery and saw Violet as competition? Normally, Violet would have hastened to ease her mind, but for the moment she took a perverse pleasure in a little needling. “As I said, whatever I can do to help Avery, I want to do.”