The much too loud music was giving Lacy a headache. With a worried expression on his face, Dylan squeezed her thigh and asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Molly grabbed Stan’s hand and tugged him toward the dance floor. “The DJ is great. I love this song. Let’s dance.”
Michelle wrapped her arm around Scott’s shoulder. “I want to dance.”
He took her hand and kissed the inside of her palm. “I need to talk to Dylan. Why don’t you go order us some drinks and I’ll dance with you later.”
She poked her bottom lip out in a pretty pout. “But I want to dance.”
“I’ll dance with you, Michelle.” Michael took her hand and pulled her to her feet. They disappeared into the crowd already on the dance floor.
From where she was sitting, she couldn’t hear Dylan and Scott’s conversation. They had their heads together and the crowd and music were much too loud. James sat down beside her and asked, “Would you like to dance?”
“I’m not a very good dancer.”
“Come on, I’ll show you some moves.” She let James lead her to the dance floor.
Dylan watched Lacy and James until they disappeared into the crowd. “What have you found out?”
“You were right about Larry Harris.” He reached into his pocket and removed a photo. He handed the photo to Dylan. “The man’s name is Oliver Talbert and he works for Sebastian Robertson. He paid Larry Harris a visit. He gave him a large manila envelope with something inside, what, I don’t know. In return he received a briefcase. I followed him to Sebastian Robertson’s office building. He took the elevator and disappeared into Robertson’s office. I don’t know what transpired after he went inside.”
Dylan studied the photo. What was Sebastian Robertson up to? Scott asked, “What do you think was in the envelope?”
“I have no idea. I would guess money.” He rubbed his hands over his face. “I fear it might be hit money. Robertson would love to see me dead, but then it could be he put a hit on Lacy. You know the expression, If I can’t have you, no one can.”
“Then what was in the briefcase?”
Dylan picked up the picture and looked at it one more time before he handed it back to Scott. “That’s the million dollar question.” Why would Larry Harris give Oliver Talbert a briefcase to give to Sebastian Robertson? If Robertson had ordered a hit on him or Lacy then there would be no reason to give anything in return. The manila envelope would hold the money and information about who Robertson wanted dead. None of it made any sense.
“I have some connections on the streets. I have kept in touch with some of my old acquaintances. I’ll put the word out and see if I can find out what Larry Harris has been up to. It is paramount we discover Bret Robertson’s next move.”
“I’ll do the same. I’ll have my best man sit on the house, see what he is up to.”
“Do you have a photo of Larry Harris?”
“Yes, I took several shots.”
“Show them to Lacy and Michelle. See if they’ve seen him lurking around. I have a feeling he is a dangerous man. He has a rap sheet, but it’s mostly minor crimes.”
“I’d feel better if Lacy and Michelle moved in with me until your investigation is over. My apartment has round the clock security and they’ll be safe there. Maybe you can be more persuasive and convince the ladies the dangers are real.”
“I agree. I’ll talk to Michelle and see if I can get her to bend. Lacy won’t be a problem. On the other hand Michelle is as stubborn as they come. Are you sure you can handle her?”
“No, but I will enjoy the challenge.”
He offered his hand to Scott. “Thanks.” He gave Scott a firm handshake. “What do I owe you?”
“Nothing. If Lacy is in danger, then Michelle is also in danger. I feel responsible for her. I’ll keep digging and see what I can find out.”
That was a load off Dylan’s shoulders. He had put some money away, but he doubted he could pay Scott’s usual price for his services. Professional investigators were in high demand and were paid well for their expertise.
“How’s the drive-by-shooting investigation going?”
“Slow. All the witnesses are too frightened to talk. Someone had to see something, but they are staying tight-lipped.”
“So you’ve made no progress.”
“We have made some. We know the Bloods are responsible for the drive by shooting, but we don’t have the shooter.” Dylan thought about the mother of ten year old Yulianna Cortez. Anna Cortez wanted the man responsible for her daughter’s death to pay for killing her daughter. He would make sure she got the justice she was seeking.
Dylan rose to his feet. “Now if you will excuse me, I’m going to dance with my girl friend.”
The dance floor was so crowded Dylan had trouble finding Lacy and James. He gave James a slight nod. “Mind if I take over?”
Before James made it off the floor, three girls had grabbed him insisting he dance with them. Even though the tempo was fast, he took Lacy in his arms and held her tight meshing his hips to hers. She wrapped her hands around his neck and peered into his face. “God, I’ve missed you.”
“When are you coming home?”
“I think we’ll finish everything in a couple of days. I feel like we are close.” Of course he was being optimistic for her sake. In reality the case had stalled.
“What did you and Scott talk about?”
Dylan hated to ruin the mood talking about Robertson, but it couldn’t be prevented. “Sebastian Robertson sent a manila envelope to a man named Larry Harris. His brother, Lee Harris is in prison with Bret Robertson. I have the distinct feeling it has something to do with us.” He saw the fear on her face.
“Will we ever be free of Bret?”
“Say the word and we’ll never have to worry about him again.” She struggled to get out of his arms, but he pulled her to his chest. “Hear me out. Think of a life with no worries. For once we can have a good night’s sleep. No more wondering when or how he will strike next.” Whatever he needed to do to keep her safe he would do without hesitation.
She lowered her eyes, was holding her breath. “Killing Bret is out of the question. I will not allow you to commit murder.”
His hand touched her chin, raised her face to look at him. “I love you, Lacy. You are the most important person in my life. I will protect you.”
“I love you too. I can’t imagine my life without you, but you must promise this is the last time you will mention killing Bret.” When he hesitated, she pressured, “Promise me.” Her stare narrowed on him before tears welled in her eyes and he felt terrible for upsetting her.
He kissed her lips. “I promise.”
Dylan burst out laughing. “Look on stage.” The DJ had ten women on the stage, two of them Michelle and Molly. They were competing in a dance off contest. “Look at Michelle shake her ass. She can move just like Shakira.” They had their backs to the crowd and their butts were moving in very provocative positions.
“Yes, she’s very nimble.” Every time Michelle had a little too much to drink she wanted to dance. She had a unique way of grinding, bumping, and jiggling her body. She could mimic any of the greats, Beyonce, Niki Minaj, and her favorite Shakira. At the moment she was moving her whole body just like Shakira did when performing on stage.
The DJ moved through the women raising his hand to see who the club patrons thought the best. The crowd went crazy when the DJ held his hand over Molly’s head. Michelle got the same warm reception. All other women eliminated from the competition, it came down to Molly and Michelle. Scott joined them on the dance floor yelling loudly when the DJ held his hand over Michelle’s head for the last time. It was going to be hard to determine a winner because both women were great dancers. In the end Michelle was deemed the winner. She looked so happy when the DJ placed a huge trophy in her arms, then kissed her on the lips. She held it over her head and squealed in delight. Scott moved to the stage and held out his arms.
Trophy still in hand, she fell into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him soundly on the lips while still gripping the trophy with one hand. Stan helped Molly off the stage and planted a hard kiss on her cheek.
Michael placed his arms around Michelle and Scott. “Congratulations, honey.” He kissed her on the cheek. “That was so much fun to watch. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you dance.”
Dylan and Lacy pushed through the crowd toward Michelle and Scott. She was smiling from ear to ear as people rushed over for hugs and kisses to congratulate her. Michelle wrapped her arms around Lacy giving her a huge hug as the delight burst through her. She yelled over the crowd. “I’ve had fun tonight.”
“Me too.”
****
Everyone waited in the limo as she said good-bye to Dylan. She didn’t want to leave him. Especially not knowing when she would see him again. He kissed her again before he swatted her behind and pushed her toward the car. “It’s late and you need to go home.”
The word home made her feel melancholy. Because of Bret, she wouldn’t be able to stay at the home she shared with Dylan and Michelle. Dylan had convinced her she would be safer staying with Scott. She opened the door, but before she climbed inside, she ran back into Dylan’s arms. “Please be careful.”
Again he gave her a passionate kiss. She turned and hurried to the limo before she burst into tears. He shouted, “Call me when you get home!”
Even though Michelle had a bit too much to drink, she opened her arms for Lacy. She held her and whispered as she stroked her hair, “Everything is going to be okay. He’ll be home in a few days. Oh, sometimes love hurts, honey.”
Embarrassed at her show of emotions, Lacy tried to make light of the situation. Molly handed her a tissue and she dabbed at her eyes. “I know I’m being silly. It’s not like he’s going to be away that long. He thinks he’ll be finished with the case in a couple of days.” But then he didn’t think the case would take as long as it had. Five days had passed and they didn’t know who shot Yulianna.
Michael moved to Lacy’s other side and placed his arm around her shoulders. “Oh, honey, I hate to see you upset.”
“I’m fine, Michael. Stop worrying about me.”
“Thank you, Scott. I had a great night.”
“I had fun too,” Scott replied with a sweet smile directed at Michelle. “It was a pleasure to watch you and Molly in action.”
She forced a smile to her lips. Pointing at Molly and then Michelle, she laughed. “Watching you two on stage was wonderful.” Lacy touched her fingers to Michelle’s trophy sitting in the seat opposite her. “We’ll put your trophy on the bookcase for everyone to see when they visit.” The trophy was inscribed: Best ass shaker “Next to your degree in Biology.”
“I don’t’ think so. You know my parents would be very upset if they knew I was high on wine in some fancy club shaking my ass in front of over one hundred club patrons.”
Stan peered at Molly and replied, “I can’t believe you let a white woman beat you at dancing. That trophy should have been yours. You were robbed.”
Michelle narrowed her eyes on Stan. “I’ve got just as much ass as Molly. I won this trophy fair and square.”
Lacy leaned her head back and listened to her friends banter. On one hand she had fun tonight, but on the other she was still worried. Too many things were on her mind. She was worried about Dylan because investigating gangs was very dangerous. Worse was her fear of Bret Robertson. Not only for her but also she feared what he might do to Dylan. What was Bret up to? She was curious to know what was in the briefcase and the manila envelope. Stiff with dread, she imagined all kinds of scenarios in her mind. She was simply letting her imagination run wild. While Bret was obsessed with her, he hated Dylan. Maybe she should let Dylan end their turmoil. For a moment, she considered his offer to get rid of Bret. Never had she hated someone as much as she did the man that almost raped her. If the unthinkable happened and Bret did something to hurt Dylan, she would always feel guilty. But then Bret’s death would always be on her conscience, his blood on her hands. She had a strong sense of right and wrong and no matter how a person looked at it, murder was a mortal sin. No, allowing Dylan to kill Bret was out of the question. She would have to put that idea out of her mind.
Now that he was confined to his cell, he couldn’t communicate with anyone on the outside. It was possible he was no longer a problem.
Chapter Seventeen
Heads together, Bret talked in low tones to his father. “Everything is in place. In two days I will be leaving this place.” Excitement coursed through him. “Did you get the briefcase from Larry Harris?”
His father looked quite agitated. He kept fidgeting in his chair and looking around the room. “I have it.”
Bret leaned over and removed a piece of paper from his sock. One of the guards stood two tables over watching him. Placing his hand over his father’s, he slipped the paper in his hand. “Put the envelope in this locker at the airport along with one hundred thousand dollars in cash. After I get settled, I will notify you where to send more money.” Sebastian took the piece of paper. “Don’t open it until you get home.”
As Sebastian stuffed the paper into his pocket, he asked, “Are you sure you want to do this? You are putting your life in danger. If the unthinkable should occur, and you get caught trying to escape, your chances of ever being released will be over. Perhaps you should reconsider, take your chances with a judge and jury.”
Bret drew a breath, let it out slowly. “Everything is going to be okay, Father. I have the perfect plan.” In two days, he would take the identity of Cary Newsome, a citizen of the charming city of Basseterre in the Caribbean Islands. His days would be spent on the white sand beaches and his nights in the clubs drinking and picking up women. His future wasn’t guaranteed, but it had to be better than rotting in a prison cell.
For the past two weeks, he had been confined to his cell morning and night. The only reason he was able to have this visit from his father was because of his lawyers. The FBI had not only had him confined to his cell, but had also denied him visitations. It took a court order just to get his father through the prison gates.
From one to two o’clock in the afternoon, he was able to spend some time in the yard, but a guard watched his every move. He had not been able to talk to Lee to let him know everything was in place for his escape. While he had made several calls to Lee’s brother, Larry Harris, he wished he could speak with Lee privately.
His father’s frown increased. “You’re very calm. Aren’t you worried something will go wrong?”
He shook his head at him. “No, Father. I’m so optimistic I’ll be getting out of this hell hole. I’ve been in pure misery since they locked the doors behind me.”
Sebastian’s cheeks flashed with color. “You brought that misery on yourself.”
“I know that, Father. After my crimes, I deserve to be behind bars, but I can’t live this way. I can’t spend my life being told when I can eat, when I can go outside for some fresh air, when I can take a shower.” He leaned in closer. “Besides, I have told you the danger I am subjected to everyday.” Bitterness entered his tone. “There are men that hate me, would kill me if given the chance. What would you rather have? A dead son, or a son living a happy life without restraints.”
Sympathy showed on his father’s face. “I do not want you to die. You are my only son. It would destroy your mother.”
“I have no plan to die. If you are questioned, admit nothing. They have nothing tying you to my escape.” He would probably never see his father and mother again. The thought filled him with sorrow. He did love them. They had been a close family. He stood and opened his arms to his father. They embraced and he felt a tear escape. He whispered in his father’s ear, “I love you and will miss you. Explain to mother I had no other option. Make her understand.”
****
Lacy was still in bed when her phone rang. She answered without looking
to see the number because she knew it was Dylan. “Good morning, Dylan.” His sultry voice caused her pulse rate to accelerate.
“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”
“No, I miss having you next to me.”
He whispered into the phone, “Last night was fun.” She felt hot all over when she thought about their sexual encounter in the limo. James slipped Dylan the keys while everyone was dancing. Even though he considered it a quickie, she enjoyed the whole ten minutes. He didn’t even undress her. There was too much urgency for that. He pushed her dress up over her hips, jerked down her panties and entered her. It was intense and quick. Smiling to herself, she relived the burst of ecstasy she felt last night.
Lying on her back, she twirled a thick lock of hair around her finger. “I enjoyed it too. Do you want to have phone sex?”
“I wish I could. I’m sitting in a room full of agents. We need to change the subject before I embarrass myself.”
Giggling, she sat up and braced against the headboard. “How about you? Did you get any sleep?”
“No, we got a lead in the case and Josh was waiting for me when I got back to the hotel. We pulled an all-nighter.”
“Do you have the suspect in custody?”
“We hope so. A witness finally came forward and gave a description. Just as we suspected, it was a member of the Bloods. We hope we have our man.”
“That’s great. Maybe you can come home tomorrow.”
“That’s my plan.” She could hear papers being moved around and assumed he was at a desk. “Josh and I are going to question the suspect soon. We thought we’d let him stew for a while.” He hesitated. “Did you get settled at Scott’s?”
“Yes, we’ll go get the rest of our things sometime today. You should see this place. It is awesome.”
“You might not want to go back to our apartment after living in all that luxury.”
Lacy laughed at his comment. “Don’t be silly. I love our apartment. It is perfect.” Suddenly, she felt very lonely. “I love you, Dylan.”
Blood of the Falls (Twelve Oaks Farm Book 4) Page 23
