A Matter of Trust
Page 6
Victoria sat still for a few moments, thinking about his words. “James,” Victoria said softly. When he didn’t respond she said his name louder. “James.”
“What?”
“I was lucky to get away from him, I know that. But, in many ways, I didn’t escape. At first, I didn’t know how to face what had happened. I wasn’t sure I could accept it. Sometimes, I still wake up in the middle of the night screaming, covered in sweat, terrified from the nightmares.” Victoria endured a cold shiver that ran through her veins. She wondered which was worse, the nightmare, or waking up from it knowing that it was based on a skewed version of reality. She continued, “I sleep with at least one light on. I check and double check the locks at night. I have an intense fear of being somewhere I can’t get out of. Of being trapped.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “Mostly, I find it very difficult to trust anyone that I haven’t known all my life. I don’t mean to take it out on anyone. On you. I’m sorry. But I don’t know how to get past it. You’re the first person I’ve ever told about it.”
Victoria watched James’ tension ease and his shoulders relax a little. He sat down next to her again and asked, “Why haven’t you told anyone, before me?”
“I was afraid to, I guess. Afraid of what people might think, mostly of what Eric and the sheriff might do if they found out I said anything.”
“It’s not right that he got away with attempted rape, Victoria.”
“I know. The only peace I have about it is that God knows what Eric did. I trust he’ll take care of it in His own way.”
James said, “I’d like to have a few minutes alone with Eric.”
Victoria smiled and said, “It’s nice to know you care.”
“I’m sorry you got hurt Victoria. The man’s a moron to have someone like you and hurt you. He doesn’t deserve another moment of your thoughts, Vic.” James paused looking out to the lake. “There are things you don’t know about me. Things you wouldn’t like. But listen to me when I tell you,” James turned toward her and cupped each side of her face in his hands. “If you were mine, I wouldn’t hurt you. If you were mine, I wouldn’t be stupid enough to ever let you go.” He lowered his head as his eyes trailed down over her face to rest on her lips. He paused for a fraction of a second before his lips met hers with a quiet urgency.
Victoria melted. She leaned into him and felt his strength envelop her. For the first time in a long time, she felt safe and wanted. He took his time, pressing lingering kisses along her jaw line and up to her temples before quietly pulling away. Victoria was still reeling from his tender touches when she glanced down at the grill.
“The steak’s on fire!” Victoria shouted.
James scrambled to the grill and flipped the two steaks over. They were both charred on the one side. James laughed but looked sheepish. “Sorry, I was a bit distracted.”
“It’s fine.” Victoria grinned. “It’s the thought that counts most anyway.”
****
They enjoyed the steaks, even though slightly burnt. The corn on the cob turned out perfect and they ate in comfortable silence.
“I would’ve brought ice cream for dessert but it would have melted.”
Victoria laughed and stretched out like a cat on the blanket. She yawned and said, “I’m too full anyway. Mmm, now I’m sleepy.”
James cleaned up the mess from lunch, refusing her offers of help. With the blanket cleared, he had plenty of room to stretch out next to her. He offered his arm as a pillow, and Victoria accepted. The sun warmed her and she drifted off to sleep. James lay still, watching her sleep peacefully, unguarded.
James finally knew what caused her mistrust of strangers. The unexpected breakthrough pleased him. Soon, she would completely trust him. It wouldn’t be long before he could find out what she knew about her grandfather’s illegal activities.
He thought about Eric, and how he would like to get a hold of the creep. He didn’t like the fact that Eric had shown up at the dock. If he had known what Eric had done to Victoria, he wouldn’t have let the man ride away unscathed.
James drew his arm around Victoria tighter, his protective instincts on full alert. He kissed her forehead, brushed a finger along her skin, tracing her nose, her lips. He traced a faded scar he found above her right eye. He wondered if Eric had left it there, or if it was from some mishap she had had as a child. She looked so innocent, so young. He relaxed and closed his own eyes, but he didn’t sleep.
James thought about the man Victoria saw in the woods. He knew it was pertinent he find out who it was. He would have Victoria show him where she had seen him. Then he would go back later and search the area for evidence. He knew from the fear in her voice when she told him about the man, that she really didn’t know who he was, or why he was there. James had a good idea, but kept his mind open to other possibilities. He continued to lie next to her quietly, listening to her steady, even breathing.
Victoria woke as the sun lowered over the line of pine trees in the distance. She had snuggled close to James and her hand lay sprawled out on his powerful chest as her head rested in the crook of his shoulder. James felt her tense as she woke. She sat up suddenly, as if caught doing something she shouldn’t be.
“You’re so beautiful,” James said as he turned to look at her. He skimmed his fingers down her arm.
She flushed as she said sleepily, “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
“It’s okay,” James said sitting up. “I like watching you sleep.” He tried to remain outwardly calm but his pulse intensified just from watching her as she woke up.
“We’d better get back, it’s getting late.” Victoria cast a glance over her shoulder at the setting sun.
James’ casual voice turned serious as he said, “Okay, but first show me where you saw the man.”
Hours later, in the cover of darkness, James went back to the area where Victoria had shown him that she’d seen the trespasser. In the daylight, he took note of what he needed to come back and investigate. An out of place pile of rocks had caught his attention. His trained eyes noticed the curious arrangement from afar, even though Victoria didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.
Now in the darkness, he used his night vision equipment to scan the area. He quickly found the pile of rocks. He carefully moved the top layer off, peeling them back one by one. He found a small piece of square wood underneath. He removed the scrap of wood and found an empty hole, the size of his fist. It was too small for a bottle of liquor, but not too small for cash. James quickly restored the area. He would be sure to tell Tyler to add this to his routine surveillance areas.
James found Tyler waiting for him when he entered the rental house that night. Half of a pepperoni pizza remained in a take out box resting on the kitchen counter. James grabbed a piece and ate it in seconds.
“This is cold,” James scoffed, reaching for another slice. He opened up a can of soda before plopping down on the designer sofa. A piece of pepperoni slid off the pizza and he quickly grabbed it before it could land on and mar the expensive fabric.
“It’s two o’clock in the morning. Of course it’s cold.” Ty lounged opposite him in a recliner, his red rimmed eyes indicative of a long, hard day of work.
“What do you have?” James inquired between bites of the chewy dough.
Tyler grinned like a wolf bearing down on his prey. “More evidence. I’ve got three more new purchase locations. He went all the way to Abbeville this evening. That’s the farthest he’s traveled on record.”
“What stores did he use this time?”
“A wholesale club, a minute market and a small grocery store. He’s being careful, not buying too much in one place to avoid suspicion.”
“Did he buy anything but the sugar?”
“Yes, but nothing else that could be used for the distillation of moonshine.”
“What did he do with it?”
“He moved it all to his basement. He’s gutsy, storing it in his own house.”
They had sent several gallons of suspected moonshine bought by undercover drug task force agents to the National Laboratory Center for analysis. The agents had acquired the illicit alcohol from several sources within Henson County, which indicated a complex operation.
“I got word today. The NLC confirmed the liquid in each of the containers to be moonshine.”
“What about the level of toxins in them?”
“They found dangerously high traces of lead, indicative of the crude way they make the stuff. They probably use old car radiators for condensers. Varying levels of glycol and methanol were also found, which makes it extremely risky for anyone purchasing the alcohol.”
“Okay.” James thought for a moment. “This makes the third confirmation about what’s coming out of this county. Connor is in over his head. I doubt he knows how much trouble he’s in, and not only from us.”
“How about Victoria? How’s it coming with her?”
“It’s coming along. She’s starting to trust me. I haven’t found any evidence to support her involvement. She’s not in the clear yet though.” James finished his last bite of pizza and guzzled the rest of the soda down. “I’ll be watching her closely to see if she gives anything away. Even if she’s not directly involved in it, I need to find out if she knows anything about it.”
“Okay.” Tyler rubbed his whiskered jaw. “What’s next?”
“I’ll find something to fix inside the farmhouse. I’ll take a look around. We know the sugar is there, but what else has he been storing away? He may have other equipment and supplies. We also need to find out if he has any of the moonshine. I’ll find out. Then we’ll decide from there what to do next. The way things are going, it won’t take long to bust the whole operation wide open.”
“Are you prepared for the fallout?”
“It’s my job, Ty.”
“No matter who gets hurt?”
James thought briefly of Victoria’s gentle nature, her beguiling smile and possible innocence in the whole matter. He didn’t want to hurt her, but his job came first. It had to, for Danny. He said, “I’ll try to minimize the damages.”
The following night, the beams of light from the compact flashlight sliced through the surrounding darkness in the old, musty basement. Hundreds of tiny dust particles danced before the narrow rays of light as James steadily descended the faded gray steps. He was careful to keep to the side, as the steps held traces of smudged, muddy footprints. James studied the large boot prints, searching for any sign of a smaller sized shoe, one a woman would wear. He searched the dirty, scuffed basement floor, unable to determine if there were smaller prints among the larger ones.
He looked up while sweeping the dark interior with the flashlight. Old, rusty tools hung from pegs on the walls. Worn farm equipment lined the floor, pushed over to the left side of the garage. Empty crates were strewn about. James quickly scanned these items, determining them of no value to him. As the light traveled to the right of the room, he was somewhat surprised to learn that Connor hadn’t even attempted to disguise the contents sitting near the large, chained double doors leading outside. He saw bags of sugar brazenly stacked into piles on large pallets. Fifty-five gallon barrels stood side by side behind the rows of sugar. Empty glass bottles sat in boxes, stacked on top of sacks of hog feed.
James walked closer, inspecting the items in more detail. He moved aside some of the empty bottles and found several bottles full of liquid. The evidence was as concrete as the floor. Now all they needed was the actual moonshine still location, and other key players.
Anger rode in on waves as he scanned the basement in more detail. Connor was an intelligent man, one with deep rooted morals and convictions. He wondered how such a man would get involved in an illegal operation and why. He snapped pictures and took count of everything in the room, forming a detailed inventory of evidence.
James slipped out of the basement as quietly as he had come. He switched off the flashlight once he reached the top of the stairs and left the house in darkness. He knew he would have to be patient. This fact grated on his nerves almost as much as Connor’s brazenness in leaving the items so much in the open. If Victoria was innocent and stumbled upon this incriminating stash, what would Connor do? Tell her what he has been doing and expect her to stay quiet? Or was she already fully aware of what lurked beneath the floorboards? He would keep track of Connor, find out where the stash was heading and find out how deep Victoria Connor was in all this business before making his move. His gut clenched with the thoughts of what must happen, and the look on Victoria’s face when it did.
A Matter Of Trust
A Matter Of Trust
Chapter Five
This could not be happening. Victoria blinked her eyes. Oh, but it was happening. A smile sprang to her face instantly. James sat, not ten feet away from her, with his face stuck in an apple pie. The annual pie eating contest at the festival was underway with a record number of contestants this year, including one stunningly handsome handyman. She watched, mesmerized as he scarfed down an apple pie in mere seconds.
Victoria scanned the crowd of people watching the contest. She saw smiling faces everywhere as they shouted and hollered for the contestants of their choice. James ended up coming in second place, winning a coupon for a free pie at Mary Anne’s Bakery, a local favorite known for their excellent pies. The winner, Earl Cane, also known as Big Earl had won the contest for eight years in a row. As usual, he took home the grand prize, a pie a month for a year from the same bakery.
“Maybe next year ole pal.” Big Earl clapped James good-naturedly on his shoulder.
James returned with a smile, “Maybe, but not likely.”
Victoria wondered if that meant he didn’t plan on being around next year. A little pang of loneliness hit her as she realized she would miss him. She reminded herself to keep in mind he was only around for the summer and she had no right to think or want otherwise.
He looked up with his mirthful eyes and caught her staring. Victoria couldn’t help but laugh at the slippery mess that covered his face. A piece of apple slid down his cheek to plop on the table. His smile melted the last of her resolve. That one scene before her was all it took for the last of her mistrust to slip away. At that moment, she decided she had nothing to fear from this man. At that moment, she started to fall for him. That realization struck her and she quickly turned away as if he could read her thoughts on her forehead.
Victoria slowly walked away trying to maintain her cool, when she really wanted to run. He was a heartbreak waiting to happen. She tried to calm her racing pulse. How could he affect her so easily? After a few moments she heard his voice as he eased up beside her.
“Hey, did you come here alone?”
Victoria kept walking, trying to be nonchalant. She looked over at James. “So what if I did?” A piece of apple was still stuck in his hair. “You missed a spot,” she said, grinning as she picked it out.
“Thanks. Spend the day with me,” he said as he held out his arm for her to take. “I’ll buy you lunch.”
“Trying to bribe me with food?”
“Will it work?”
“Maybe,” she admitted.
“In that case, I’ve heard where to go for the best pork barbecue. The funnel cakes are over there,” he said as he pointed across the field, “and the cotton candy…”
“You just ate an entire apple pie.” Victoria laughed.
“It’ll wear off soon enough,” he said rubbing his abs and grinning.
“Okay Romeo. I’ll spend the day with you as long as you promise not to make me eat all of that stuff. At least not all at once.”
“Deal,”
he said.
Victoria put her hand in the crook of his arm and her heart began to race even faster as she wondered what she was getting herself into.
****
James saw the moment she let her guard down around him. Her features relaxed and her radiant smile drew his attention. He enjoyed experiencing this side of her. He reminded himself quickly that this was a part of his mission. So, why did guilt tug at his conscience so heavily? He should be glad one of the goals had been accomplished, but as they walked along together his thoughts kept wondering to the impossible. He wondered what it would be like to be able to keep her as his own. His woman. These thoughts led to ideas and dreams of an impossible future. He knew better than to entertain such thoughts. They could only lead to disaster.
“Let’s ride the Ferris wheel,” Victoria broke through his thoughts with her enthusiastic statement.
“Do I get to kiss you at the top?” He asked with a flirtatious wink. He saw color rush to her cheeks as she turned away. Suddenly, James veered her off to the side, out of the crowd. He turned her gently to face him, lifting her chin with his thumb while his fingers caressed her cheek.
“Do you trust me, Vic?” he asked in a soft, soothing voice.
“Yes,” Victoria answered. “Yes I do, James.”
“Then let’s go for a ride,” he said as his mouth came down on hers. He wrapped his arms around her to hold her close and she surprised him by eagerly returning his kiss. The sounds of the carnival faded, he could only see her. Feel her.
James broke off the kiss slowly, placing a few smaller kisses on her lips as he let her out of his grasp. He had gained her trust and was in a good position. It hadn’t taken him long, just as he had suspected. So why did he feel like such a heel? Why did he feel the need to take her in his arms again and keep her there? He wondered just how far he could take this without losing his heart to this intriguing woman. With a drop in his stomach, he wondered if he already had.