Laced In Lies

by Colleen Helme

  “So… Jodie McAllister, huh? Is that the disaster you didn’t want to tell me about, or is it something else?”

  He huffed out a breath. “That has something to do with it.”

  “Can you tell me about it?”

  He shook his head. “I’d rather not… but I guess it’s kind of late for that.”

  “You bet your sweet… cakes it is.” I smiled at his surprise, and the moment lightened a bit.

  “Fine,” he said, giving in. “But first tell me why Manetto sent you with me on that little errand.”

  “Oh… he wanted to know what was bothering you. Kind of like I did.”

  “What? You told him about that?”

  “No! I didn’t say a word to him, I promise. He picked it up all on his own… from the way you were acting. You know… because you’ve been kind of upset lately? I may have even encouraged him to leave it alone, but I certainly didn’t tell him about it first.”

  Ramos sighed, realizing he’d jumped to the wrong conclusion because he’d let his emotions get in the way. He needed to lock them up tight so he could deal with this.

  “Hey… you should be flattered that we both care.”

  “Yeah… right.”

  That sounded a little sarcastic, and I couldn’t help twisting my lips and raising my brow at his grumpy attitude. It was the look I’d mastered with my kids to tell them to straighten up.

  Ramos shook his head in exasperation. “Hey, I know I’ve been a little preoccupied with this, but Dusty’s not a good person, and I’d rather not get involved with him.”

  “Is he married to Jodie?”

  “No,” he said, thinking that was disgusting. “He’s her brother. In the text I got from him, he just said he wanted to meet up for old time’s sake, but that’s not how he works. There’s always a reason, and it’s never good. If he’s found a connection to me at the club… he’s going to keep pestering me until I agree to meet with him.”

  “I can see why that’s got you upset. So… do you really know Jodie McAllister? I mean… the Jodie McAllister?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Whoa. That’s… nuts. How did you meet?”

  He sighed, thinking I wasn’t going to let it go, but maybe he could put it off a little longer. “We need to go in.” He didn’t like standing there with all that money, and there was also a chance anyone around here could eavesdrop on our conversation.

  “Oh yeah, right. Sure. Then you’ll tell me?”

  A deep growl came out of him, and I wasn’t sure if that was a “yes” or a “no.” Deciding to be positive, I took it for a “yes,” and hurried to point out the advantages before he changed his mind. “Good. I’m sure I can be helpful. If he’s as dangerous as you think, he’ll probably lie… a lot, but with me around you won’t have to worry what’s on his mind.”

  We got onto the elevator, and I pushed the button for the twenty-sixth floor. I held my breath for his response, hoping he’d take it the right way and maybe laugh it off. By the tenth floor, Ramos hadn’t said, or thought, a word, but a simmering energy emanated from him that started to worry me.

  As we passed the twentieth floor, it was still going strong, so I cast a quick glance his way. He leaned back against the elevator with his eyes closed tight, like he was in pain. Guilt that maybe it was my fault tightened my chest.

  I took a breath to ask if he was okay, but the bell chimed and the elevator stopped. The doors slid open and his gaze caught mine. He was thinking that if I knew what was good for me, I’d just stay on the elevator and go home where I belonged.

  My breath caught. Of all the nerve! That was totally uncalled for. He started to pass me, but I stepped in front of him to exit first. Unfortunately, he hadn’t expected that and bumped into me, knocking me right out of the elevator. I tried to take a step, but my legs got tangled, and I started to fall.

  Ramos grabbed my arm, but my forward momentum took him off balance. To avoid stepping on my tangled legs, he lurched sideways but couldn’t get his feet under him before gravity pulled us both down.

  In the split second before we hit the ground, Ramos caught me around the waist. He pulled me against him and twisted to his shoulder and back, taking the brunt of the fall. He continued to roll until I ended up underneath him, but managed to stop rolling just before his weight completely smothered me.

  Panting for breath, our gazes met and desire darkened his eyes. His face was so close to mine that I could feel his warm breath on my cheek. I swallowed, realizing I was pinned under him and totally at his mercy. A wicked smile twisted his lips, and my breath caught. He leaned forward, intending to ravish my mouth and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

  “Are you done rolling around out here?”

  Ramos froze, wanting to kiss me in the worst way. He closed his eyes and let out a breath, then nimbly rolled off me and stood. With a sardonic smile, he held out his hand to help me up, thinking that, once again, I’d been saved by the bell… or Jackie, in this case.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  I scrambled to my feet and let go of Ramos’ hand like it was on fire. With guilt surging through me, I took a breath to explain. “Uh… I tripped coming out of the elevator and Ramos caught me. But then he lost his balance and we both fell.”

  “Uh-huh.” She caught that, but thought there was a lot more to it. Was Ramos putting the moves on me? She shook her head, thinking she needed to have a talk with him. He should know better… and so should I. Chris was a wonderful man, and she didn’t want me to screw that up. And what about my kids?

  Drowning in guilt, I opened my mouth to tell her it would never happen again, but Ramos spoke first. “I need to get this money in the safe.” He turned on his heel and left me to face Jackie alone.

  “Uh… I need to report to Uncle Joey,” I said, turning to follow Ramos.

  “Wait.” Jackie grabbed my arm. She glanced at the door to make sure Ramos was gone before continuing. “What’s going on with you two?”

  My shoulders sagged, and I let out a breath. “Nothing. I swear.” She didn’t believe me, and I knew I had some explaining to do before she thought the worst. “Look… there’s something going on with Ramos and he won’t talk about it. We sort of got into an argument over it, and now he’s mad at me.”

  “Huh.” She thought that kind of made sense, but it wasn’t like him to let his emotions get the best of him. She thought it more likely that I was the one giving him fits, since we had that whole physical-attraction vibe going on between us.

  “Uh… just think about how he’s been acting lately,” I said, knowing I had to convince her it had nothing to do with me, even if it might. “Uncle Joey noticed that something was bothering Ramos. He’s the one who asked me to find out what it was. That’s why he sent me with Ramos in the first place.”

  “Oh.” Jackie nodded, more convinced since it came from Uncle Joey. “Now it makes sense. I wonder what it could be. Did you pick up anything?”

  “Not much. Just that someone from his past has come back into his life and he’s pretty upset about it. But that’s it. Please don’t say anything to him. I don’t want him to know I told you. He’s mad enough as it is.”

  “Sure, sure. I won’t say a thing.” What in the world could ruffle Ramos – the King of Cool? She was thinking that she may not say anything to Ramos, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t ask Uncle Joey.

  “Uh… I’ve got to get going.” She stepped onto the elevator, lost in her thoughts about Ramos and his past, convinced it had to be a woman… probably someone he cared about….

  The door slid shut on that thought, and I sighed with relief. She was right about the woman part, and it made me more curious than ever to find out what had happened between him and Jodie McAllister.

  I hurried inside just as Ramos came down the hall from Uncle Joey’s office. He caught the wary look in my eyes and pursed his lips together, thinking that he should probably apologize. My mouth dropped open in surprise, and he
shook his head. “Not for wanting to kiss you, but for thinking you should go home where you belonged.”

  “Oh… right. Well, I might forgive you, as long as you tell me what’s going on.”

  Exasperated, he shook his head, but his breath came out in a sigh of defeat. “Want a diet soda?”

  “Yes.”

  I followed him to the end of the hall, and he opened the door into the apartment where he spent most of his time. I knew he had a home somewhere, but for his job, this was more convenient. Inside, the stark contrast from the offices seemed a little jarring.

  White plush carpet and a kitchen off to the side, with white cabinets and black granite countertops, along with stainless steel appliances, made the place extremely stylish. In combination with the white leather furniture in the living room with splashes of colored pillows, and bright, abstract paintings, I would have thought this place came right out of a penthouse apartment building.

  Ramos opened the fridge and pulled out a can of diet soda, then filled a glass with ice and brought them to me. While I poured my drink, he grabbed a dark bottle of finely crafted beer and popped the lid, then took a long swig, thinking this was one time he needed a drink.

  “Come and sit down,” he said. “This might take a while.”

  I moved into the living room and sat on the couch, taking a moment to gaze out the huge window at the amazing view of the city. Ramos sat opposite me on the recliner and took another pull from the bottle. It helped settle him down. And since I wouldn’t let it go, he was ready to tell me, just to get it over with.

  I picked up that he hadn’t told another soul about this, mostly because it made it easier to forget. Too bad Dusty had come back into his life and ruined it. He finished the bottle and set it down, then glanced my way and took a deep breath, ready to talk.

  “After I ran from that mess in Orlando, I drifted for a while without any purpose or direction. All I knew was that my life was over, and I could never go back. Not that I wanted to, especially since I thought my brother was dead.

  “I don’t remember how much time passed, but after a few months, I ended up in Nashville, where I managed to land a job at one of the live music bars as part of their security team. I worked there for about eight months, and I enjoyed it for the most part.

  “I didn’t like country music at the beginning, but things changed once Jodie started playing there. She was different from most of the singers I’d heard… more on the soulful side, like she’d been through some hard times of her own. Definitely something I could relate to. Anyway, we started seeing each other. It was good for a while, until her brother showed up.”

  Ramos shook his head and sighed. “That kid knew how to use people, and he had Jodie wrapped around his little finger. She was always trying to help him out of the stupid things he did, even bailing him out of jail when she didn’t have enough money for herself. It drove me crazy.

  “One night I’d had enough, and I told him he was nothing but a loser who mooched off his sister. We got into a fight. Jodie came between us and stopped me from kicking the… crap out of him. Then she took my side, begging him to get a job and make something of himself. He refused to talk to her after that, and she blamed me for pushing him away. She said I’d gone too far.”

  Ramos shrugged. “Maybe I did, I don’t know. Things changed after that. It was like he drove a wedge between us even when he wasn’t around. Then, a week later, Dusty came back, acting like nothing had happened. I warned Jodie not to let him take advantage of her, but she was so glad to see him, she wouldn’t listen. So I cornered him one night and told him I didn’t care if he ruined his life, but he’d better damn well not ruin his sister’s life too. It seemed to do the trick, and he straightened up after that.

  “I thought things were getting better, but I found out the hard way that Dusty wasn’t about to change. One night he came in with some friends, high on something. Jodie was right in the middle of her set, and there were some bigwig producers who were interested in offering her a contract. It was a huge deal.

  “He started making a nuisance of himself, clapping and whistling, then saying that Jodie was his sister, and how awesome she was. He was ruining everything, so I did my job and asked him to leave. He started yelling and threw a punch at me, knocking over the table.

  “I grabbed him and carted him out, with him kicking and screaming the whole way. I got him outside to the parking lot before I realized his friends had followed us. One of them tackled me from behind. Pretty soon, all of them had ganged up on me.

  “I was holding my own just fine, until one of them pulled a gun. He pointed it my way, so I shoved his friend into him.” Ramos shook his head and sighed before continuing. “Somehow the gun went off and shot the kid right in the chest. He died pretty quick. Then Dusty started yelling that it was my fault, and I’d killed his friend. He picked up the gun to shoot me but, by then, another security guard was there and knocked the gun out of his hands.

  “The police showed up. After giving them my statement, I knew I had to get out of there. So I left. I never saw or spoke to Jodie again.”

  “Wow. That’s so sad. Did Dusty go to jail?”

  “Not that I ever heard.”

  “What about Jodie? Did she get the contract?”

  “Not then. She missed her chance with those guys. But about a year and a half later, she came out with her first album. It went platinum, and I’m pretty sure she made it big because of me.” He caught my gaze, and his lips tilted up in a sexy smile.

  “Oh yeah? How’s that?”

  “Her breakout album is called “Letting Go,” and it’s all about me.” At my raised brows, he continued. “Even if you don’t know the album, I’m sure you know the song Devil Rider.”

  “Well, sure. Everyone knows that song.” It was one of the few cross-over country songs that got played everywhere. And it was Jodie’s biggest hit. The words to the chorus came to my mind, and my eyes widened. “The devil rides a motorcycle in that song.”

  He just smiled and nodded.

  “Damn.” The whole song made sense now that I knew it was about Ramos. His lips full of promise… his eyes full of fire… offering me nothing… but hot with desire. His breath on my face, the touch of his hand, lights me on fire like a red hot brand.

  Then the chorus, You love me, then leave me, you Devil Rider… Hold me close, don’t let go, you Devil Rider… Break my heart, take my soul, you Devil Rider. You broke my heart, You took my soul…

  I took a deep breath and shook my head. This was not what I expected. If that album was all about him, he totally broke her heart. “No wonder you’re so full of yourself.”

  A sensual smile played over his lips. “What can I say?”

  I smiled and shook my head, knowing that behind his macho attitude, his heart had been broken a little as well. “So what do you want to do about Dusty?”

  “I’ll meet him at the club tonight and see what he wants.”

  “Okay. I can probably be there someplace where he won’t see me.”

  “No.” Ramos shook his head. “You’re not coming.” He was thinking that he didn’t need me there to figure this out. Talking about it had settled something inside him. He was back in control, and it felt good.

  “Okay,” I said, deciding to agree for now, since he wouldn’t accept my help without a fight. “I’m sure you’re right. I mean… maybe he’s changed, and he just wants to apologize or something.”

  Ramos shrugged, but he didn’t think that’s what Dusty had in mind. It was probably something illegal; otherwise, why meet up with people who knew Ramos? But it didn’t matter. He could take care of it.

  “All right, then.” I took a deep breath and let it out. “Thanks for the soda. I need to talk to Uncle Joey before I leave.” I stood, still a little worried that he wanted to do this by himself, and that nothing I said would change his mind. On the other hand, he was Ramos. He didn’t get where he was by doing anything crazy or stupid.

  “W
hat are you going to tell Manetto?”

  I took my glass into the kitchen, then turned to catch his gaze before replying. “Um… how about that it’s someone from your past, but you’re taking care of it, and if you need anything, you’ll let him know.”

  He nodded. “That should work. Thanks Shelby.” Thinking that also went for listening to his story and being a good friend.

  “Sure.” I patted him on the arm in my most motherly fashion. “Just promise me you won’t kill him.”

  He laughed, startled that I’d said that. But since the thought had crossed his mind, he couldn’t blame me. “Of course not.”

  Was that a lie? I sighed and shook my head. “Okay. See ya.”

  I hurried out the door and down the hall to Uncle Joey’s office, knowing that most of Ramos’ story was another secret that I’d have to keep to myself. Although I was pretty sure I could tell my best friend, Holly, all about the song Devil Rider, and that it had been written about Ramos. She’d totally flip over that.

  I knocked on Uncle Joey’s door and peeked inside. He was on his phone but motioned for me to come in. A second later, he hung up and indicated the chair in front of his desk. “So what’s going on with Ramos?”

  “Someone from his past showed up at the club last night asking for him. Apparently they go way back, before Ramos even met you. This person, Dusty McAllister, wants to meet with him, and Ramos is suspicious about what he wants. It brought back a lot of old memories that Ramos wanted to forget, but I think he’s doing better now. Ramos is planning on meeting Dusty at your club tonight. I offered to go so I could listen to Dusty’s thoughts, but Ramos refused my help.”

  Uncle Joey shook his head, muttering, “Damn pride,” under his breath. “Maybe you should go anyway. What kind of a threat is this guy to my organization?”

  My eyes widened. Uncle Joey was giving me a reason to be there whether Ramos liked it or not. “Uh… there’s a possibility that he wants something from Ramos that could probably include you and the business. So he might be a threat. I picked up from Ramos that Dusty’s not a good person, and definitely not someone you could trust. Ramos even thought he had a hidden agenda.”