Love Under Two Private Dicks [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Cara Covington

  “It’s not the computer store I want, it’s you. Tell your hooker friend to leave.”

  Emily Anne didn’t understand what was happening, but her temper spiked. She’d turned to face this stranger, and now she took a step backward, closer to Lucy.

  “I’m not a hooker, and I’m not leaving, unless Lucy wants me to. You’re rude!”

  “Fine, have it your way.” He pulled out a nasty-looking gun and pointed it at them both. “You come with me or I’ll kill you both right here, right now.”

  Chapter 23

  Chloe Diane Rhodes, what in the hell do you think you are doing?

  Chloe’s fingers gripped the steering wheel with renewed intensity as her inner voice continued to give her a good chewing out. The closer she got to her destination, the louder that voice seemed to be.

  Grant and Andrew are going to be heading home from that conference they went to and they’re going to discover you M.I.A. You should be back in Lusty seeing to your clients instead of on the road to Divine, seeing to the past.

  Chloe exhaled and then reached over and turned the car radio on. Maybe Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert and Luke Bryan could drown out the voice of her conscience yammering away at her.

  The truth was, she should be at home seeing to her business. She’d had to feverishly rebook her slate of clients for the day, and she’d begged Carol to take the two that couldn’t reschedule. Yes, she should have resisted the urge to come to Divine, but she hadn’t. She should have left well enough alone and let those two professional, private investigators handle their case. But she wasn’t doing that, either.

  Mel Richardson and Connor Talbot had been keeping her up to date on their progress. They hadn’t told her that they were taking a meeting in Divine today and hoping to put a plan into motion to bring Ralph Baxter, aka Bruce Smith, to justice. But she guessed they’d held back, unwilling to let her get her hopes up, in case things didn’t work out.

  But ever since Emily Anne left her spa earlier this morning, there’d been something inside of her nagging and nagging her to make this trip. In a way she couldn’t understand, every inner instinct she possessed had begun to scream at her, and only shut up the moment she’d pointed her car down the road to the town she used to live in.

  Chloe had never been to The Dancing Pony before, but she knew where it was. She could just saunter in as if she just happened to be in town today—oh, maybe on her way to see Madeleine—and got thirsty, and then, when she saw those detectives there, why she’d just walk over, pretty as you please, and act all surprised to see them. And then she would worm her way in to their conversation. Them being so polite and all, and her being the best friend of the woman they were fixing to marry, she’d bet they would not to tell her to go away. That way, if they were going to be on their way over to arrest the son of a bitch, she’d be there when they did it.

  She just wanted a minute or two alone with the bastard, and she was very much afraid she was never going to get her wish.

  Damn it.

  Pay attention to the road, baby. Remember how I taught you to drive. Always be alert and aware of your surroundings. Focus.

  Chloe shivered as the voice of her father echoed inside her head, as clear as if he’d been sitting right there in the shotgun seat correcting her. Just like he’d done all those years ago when he’d taught her how to drive.

  She was getting married in a few weeks, and he wouldn’t be there to walk her down the aisle.

  Chloe blinked back the stinging in her eyes and tried to swallow around the sudden ache in her throat. She didn’t need a trip through her memories now.

  The strange moment reminded her of another strange, almost supernatural moment. Not long after arriving in Lusty, she had felt her mother so close to her, giving her the words she needed to hear, just when she needed to hear them the most. She’d even imagined that she’d felt her mom’s arms come around her and smelled her perfume.

  Chloe didn’t believe in ghosts at the time, and she still didn’t know if she believed in them now.

  What she did believe in was the power of the human spirit to find answers from within when they were needed, and the ability of the subconscious to put those words into the voice of whomever would make the person doing the remembering pay attention the most.

  Now, baby. Look now.

  Was something about to happen? Chloe focused on the road, her gaze sharp, her attention alert. She crested a small hill and came down the other side to find a flat stretch, and another car, one she didn’t recognize, approaching.

  She slowed her car, wondering if she’d received a supernatural warning of an impending accident, but the shiny red Ford Escape stayed on its own side of the road and passed her.

  With a terrified-looking Emily Anne Bancroft at the wheel.

  They made eye contact for just a second, and Chloe could have sworn that Emily Anne had mouthed the word “help.”

  Her friend wasn’t alone in the car. In the space of time that she had to see as they passed each other, Chloe noticed a dark-haired woman and a man in the car with Emily Anne. They were both in the back seat.

  “What the fuck?”

  Chloe quickly looked in her rearview mirror and memorized the license plate of the car. She also noticed the vehicle’s turn signal come on.

  Emily Anne was turning left at a gated driveway, one Chloe had just passed. She reduced her speed, trying to stretch time, but there was another knoll just ahead, and she knew she was about to lose sight of her friend.

  Emily Anne had looked so scared. As Chloe watched, the red Escape came to a stop and Emily Anne got out of the driver’s seat and opened the gate.

  And then Chloe couldn’t see her because the road had risen, and then dropped again.

  Chloe stopped her car, pulling it to the side of the road. Hands shaking, heart pounding, she grabbed her purse and frantically rummaged through it for a pen and scrap of paper, all the while reciting the license plate of the Escape out loud. She nearly cried in relief when her fingers found what they were looking for. When she had the number down, she reached for her phone. Even though she was on the outskirts of Divine, there was only one person she thought to call—the one person who had made it his business to appoint himself her big brother.

  The phone only rang twice before it was answered.

  “Kendall.”

  “Adam, it’s Chloe. I’m just on the outskirts of Divine. I think something horrible is happening right now to Emily Anne—and I don’t know what to do!”

  Adam’s voice, clear and strong, sounded in her ear. “Okay, little sister, why don’t you tell me all about it?”

  That nickname, “little sister,” reminded her of the special sibling-like bond they shared. Chloe exhaled, because she knew that Adam was going to believe her, but more, he’d get Emily Anne the help she needed.

  “All right. I don’t know exactly where I am. They can’t see me, but—”

  “Don’t you worry about that. Matt’s on the other line right now calling the Houston office of Benedict Oil and Minerals. Their security chief has all the family cell phone GPS stats on file. We’ll know exactly where you are in a few minutes. Now tell me what happened.”

  I forgot about the GPS! Thank God for it.

  Chloe closed her eyes, sighed in relief, and began to fill in the sheriff who was nearly two hours away, never once doubting he would know what to do.

  * * * *

  Emily Anne had never been so frightened in her life. She hadn’t known what to think, what to do when that creepy man had lifted his arm, and pointed his gun at them.

  At first she’d thought it had all been a joke. Until Lucy had demanded to know who the fuck he thought he was to do such a thing, and he’d answered her.

  “You know who I am. You can call me either Bruce Smith, or Ralph Baxter. Take your pick.”

  Lucy had asked if the name was supposed to mean something to her. Emily Anne thought she’d done a hell of a good job, acting as if she’d never he
ard it before. Now, she wished she’d had the time to tell her what else she knew about Ralph Baxter. Her men suspected he’d done something even more heinous than stealing from two orphans.

  They believed he’d committed murder, and at the moment, Emily Anne had no trouble believing that herself.

  Emily Anne pulled herself back to the present moment. She had imagined driving this snappy red Escape down country roads, but this wasn’t exactly the ride she’s had in mind at the time.

  “Turn right at the next FM road. And don’t try to do anything funny. The first sign that you’re speeding up or doing anything you shouldn’t, I’ll put a bullet in your friend’s head. Got it?”

  Emily Anne swallowed convulsively and nodded. Just in case Baxter hadn’t seen her move, she said, “Yes. I’ve got it.”

  She didn’t know the area well, and didn’t really possess a good sense of direction. They’d left Divine behind and were in the Hill Country, but that was about all that Emily Anne knew.

  She tried not to let despair swamp her. She had to believe that somehow, Mel and Connor would find her. She knew they knew where Baxter, or Smith, or whatever the hell his name was lived. If he was taking them to his house, which she thought he might be, then they’d find her. They’d find them.

  She dared a look in the rearview mirror. She thought that Baxter might have his attention on her, his eyes fixed on her the way an eagle eyed a mouse, but he seemed to have an unfocused look about him. He began to babble, talking to himself out loud. Her gaze connected with Lucy’s.

  She didn’t know the woman well enough to say for certain, but she thought maybe that Lucy Carter was more angry than she was frightened.

  Emily Anne wished she was, too. Unfortunately, except for that moment when the odious man holding a gun on them had called her a hooker, she’d mostly been scared.

  Scared? Who the hell am I kidding? I’m terrified out of my mind.

  Not for the first time, Emily Anne wished she was different than she was, only this time her wish list had nothing to do with her physical appearance.

  Oh, how she longed for some ability, some skill in self-defense. She made a promise to herself right then and there that if she got out of this mess alive, she was going to beg Connor to teach her some slick moves.

  The man had been an army ranger and a secret black ops member for the government. She’d bet he had a whole truckload of slick moves.

  “We’re nearly there. One more hill after this one we’re on. It’s on the left just at the top of that hill. There’s a gate. You’ll have to stop, get out, and open it.”

  Baxter had obviously snapped back to the present. Emily Anne looked in the rearview mirror again. He raised his gun, so that she could easily see he had it pointed at Lucy.

  He didn’t need to worry about her forgetting he had the damn thing. She was quite well aware the other woman’s life was in her hands at the moment.

  Emily Anne put her attention back on the road. About a half of a mile ahead, she saw the next hill, though it wasn’t much of one. So far, they hadn’t passed any traffic, but a shiny silver car had just crested that hill, coming toward her.

  The silver glistened in the sun and made her think of Chloe, because just a few weeks before, Grant and Andrew had surprised her with a new Lincoln MKZ, and the car coming toward her looked just like it. Chloe had loved her little Mini and still owned it, keeping it in the garage at home, but the Lincoln was a vehicle that her men could fit into.

  They’d given it to her for that reason, and because they thought the Lincoln with its new inflatable seat belts, was safer.

  She didn’t know why, but Emily Anne began to slow the Escape, just slightly, as the oncoming car approached.

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  “There’s some gravel spilled and I’m trying not to ping the oncoming vehicle with it. The driver might call the cops.”

  “Oh. Okay. Good thinking. Guess you’re pretty scared.” And he sounded pretty damn happy at the prospect.

  “Terrified.”

  She didn’t know why, but she focused on the oncoming vehicle as if it was her salvation. And then, just a few seconds away from passing, she saw the woman behind the wheel. Am I losing my mind? How could it be?

  But the driver was Chloe Rhodes and her eyes widened when she recognized Emily Anne!

  She mouthed the word “help” as they passed and then she began to pray as she’d never prayed before.

  “Turn at this driveway here.”

  She put her turn signal on and then turned. Her eyes flicked to the mirror, and relief flooded her when she saw the brake lights of Chloe’s car come on.

  Don’t stop, friend, just make a note and get help. Emily Anne didn’t believe in telepathic communication, but she sure as hell believed in the power of positive thinking and in prayer.

  “Here.”

  She’d heard a jangling in the back and a key landed beside her. “Use that to open the gate and no funny stuff.”

  “Don’t worry.”

  She opened the door and got out of the car. She did her best not to make it seem as if she was looking back down the road the way they’d come.

  But in her peripheral vision she saw that Chloe’s car crept ever so slowly down the road, and finally over the hill.

  Emily Anne felt tears sting her eyes. Help was on the way. All they had to do, she and Lucy, was stay alive until it came.

  Chapter 24

  “Hey, if you decide to go that route, when the time comes, I’ll put on a wig and mustache and carry a big stick. I’d love to help you scare the shit out of that fucker.” Beck O’Malley’s smile looked a little fierce.

  Mel grinned at his enthusiasm. The man seemed like he’d be good to have in his corner in a fight. “We’ll give you first dibs on the role of hired muscle, then.”

  Someone’s cell phone rang, but that was all right, because for all intents and purposes, they were done here. Mel got to his feet. They’d covered all they could for now. The plan they had was solid, if simple. Prints, distraction, search and then, hopefully, enough to get a warrant.

  It was time now for them to scatter, before the Pony opened its doors for business and Bruce Smith came in for his beer. Because he and Connor were unknown in town and therefore might raise suspicions, they were leaving—or they would as soon as Emily Anne got there. Mel frowned and then looked at his watch. It was well after noon hour, nearly one. She should have been back from Discretion by now.

  He pulled out his phone to call her but something Ace Webster said into his phone made him stop. His attention snapped to the other man.

  “Do we know who else Smith grabbed?”

  Mel wasn’t the only one who went silent and still at those words. Ethan and his two friends, O’Malley and Owen, stopped talking in mid-sentence, turning their attention to Ace Webster.

  “Fuck. Okay. What about Ms. Rhodes, then? Well, that’s something at least. All right, we’ll meet you there. Just wait for us, all right? No, we won’t go off half-cocked, Hank. We’re not amateurs. We won’t do anything until you give the word—not with those two women’s lives in jeopardy. Oh yeah, I believe in my gut they’re in real danger. We believe Bruce Smith has already killed once.”

  Mel’s cop instincts went on full alert. A quick glance at his partner told him Connor was just as ready.

  Ace looked up and met his gaze. “That was Hank Stinson. He just got a call from Adam Kendall. Chloe Rhodes was on her way here when she passed a car she didn’t recognize being driven by someone she did—your Emily Anne. She said Ms. Bancroft looked scared out of her mind, and there were two other people in the vehicle with her, in the backseat. Ms. Rhodes kept her cool, took note of the car license plate number, and called Kendall.” Ace turned his attention to O’Malley and Owen. “The car she was driving belongs to Lucy Carter.”

  “Lucy!” Both men looked at each other and then looked like they were about to charge out the door.

  Ace Webster held up his
hand. “Hold it right there. You’re not going anywhere.” He turned his attention back to Mel and Connor. “Kendall was able to relay GPS coordinates taken through Ms. Rhodes’s phone to Hank. He told her to stay put and wait for help. We know where they are—he took the women to his home. Hank is on his way there now. We need to get moving. Hank has a couple of deputies with him, but you two know the layout of Smith’s place.”

  Mel nodded, then pointed toward O’Malley and Owen. “If Smith has their woman, they have to come, too. They won’t get in the way of whatever it is Hank decides to do.”

  “We won’t,” Owen said. He looked toward Ethan. “I don’t know why this has happened. How could this happen? Why would Bruce Smith take Lucy?”

  Corinna stepped into the room. She looked at the men standing in a circle then turned to her boss. “Damn it, I’m sorry, boss. Did Mr. Smith take something when he was here earlier? Tommy gave him a few bucks to help him off-load the soda. I swear he was in my sight the entire time—well, except when he had to go to the bathroom.”

  “Bruce Smith was here? Today?” Connor asked.

  “What time?” Ethan asked. He placed his hand on the waitress’s shoulder. “You’re not in trouble, Corinna. We just need to know. When was he here?”

  “Gosh, about thirty minutes or so ago. Y’all were in your meeting at the time.”

  Mel ran a hand through his hair. “Fuck. He knows we’re on to him.”

  “Makes sense,” Ace said. He looked at O’Malley and Owen. “You recognized him, he must have recognized you. That’s why he took your woman. He would have remembered where he’d seen you and with whom. He made a move of desperation, likely trying to buy himself some time, while he figures out how to get out of the mess he’s in.”

  Connor had stepped away with his phone to his ear while Ace had been speaking. Now he came back into the circle. “I just spoke to your wife, Webster. She confirms that Emily Anne left Discretion before noon and was planning to stop in to see Lucy Carter before coming here. Apparently the two had met the last time Emily Anne visited her store.” Then he looked at Mel. “I also spoke to Adam. He said he most emphatically told Chloe to stay put but he had a really bad feeling that she was going to defy him. You know how close she and our woman are.”