Burning Bed

by Jen Talty

  “Oh, good Lord. I don’t want to know anymore,” Tabitha said, pointing over her shoulder. “Looks like we got a storm coming in.”

  “You two batten down the hatches. I’ll be in touch.” Hunter took his wife’s hand and helped her off the boat.

  “I bet they fight over who wears the pants in that family,” she mumbled, but not soft enough because Garret laughed.

  Chapter 11

  “The good news is that I don’t think anyone will be coming out here tonight and bothering us.” Garret lay in the big king-size bed with his ankles crossed and his fingers in Tabitha’s hair while her head rested on his chest. He stared at the dark clouds threatening to let the water locked inside pelt the earth through the porthole from the bedroom to the main deck. The boat rocked with the wind, occasionally smashing against the wood planks of the dock. The Intracoastal was well-protected from large waves, but it didn’t stop the wind from tossing even a boat this size around.

  “And you call yourself a horror movie buff. This is exactly when the bad guys come with the machetes to chop up all the bodies and—”

  “Are you trying to give us both nightmares?” He tugged gently at her silky strands. Everything about her was soft and sweet with just a bit of sass to keep a man on his feet.

  “Right. Because either one of us is going to sleep well tonight? I wish that guy Tex could have stayed out here. He’s a big badass dude even with one leg.”

  “It’s best he’s at Ace’s, and they are both right up the street.”

  She rolled to her side, keeping her bad leg on top of her good one. Her long lashes flickered over her sensitive eyes. “Why haven’t we heard from anyone?”

  “Because there is nothing to tell. It’s going to take time for Rusty to find Emily and corroborate Hickey’s information. I bet by morning, with the help of Tex, they will have all the pieces put together.”

  “Are you trying to convince me? Or you?”

  “Perhaps a little of both,” he said. “How’s your leg feeling?”

  “It’s a constant throb, but not as bad as yesterday.”

  He rolled, resting one hand on her hip. His other forearm was where she rested her pretty little head. She’d described herself as fiercely independent, and he had no doubt she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She was the kind of woman that needed no one and was wholly comfortable being on her own. That made Garret’s heart pause. Could she be the kind of woman that would do forever? Did she really believe that there was one person she could let in for the rest of her life, understanding that it wasn’t about taking care of her, but taking care of each other?

  “You look so contemplative.” She tapped her finger on his temple.

  “My boss says this look makes me seem constipated.”

  She chuckled, but her face quickly turned serious. “What’s going on?”

  “What are we doing? I mean. Me and you. What is this? We went from zero to forty to zero to sixty faster than I can pull the hose from the truck.”

  She burst out laughing. “I can’t believe you just said that.” The bed shook as her belly laugh filled the cabin.

  Talk about a bad word choice. “You know what I meant and what I’m asking.”

  “I know. I know.” She waved her hand wildly in the air. Her laughter was cut short by a tap at the door.

  That couldn’t be good.

  “I thought your buddies said they would call first?”

  “They would.” He pulled his phone from his back pocket. “Fuck. I’ve got a text from Rusty.”

  “What does it say?”

  He crawled from the bed, opening the cabin door and moving into the kitchen where he could stand tall. “Jesus. He arrested Officer Riley. Someone came forward and said they saw him put something in the road right before Sandra crashed.”

  “Why come forward now?”

  “I don’t know. But he said that Bellen isn’t answering his phone. No one can find him, and Riley is pointing the finger at Bellen for your brother’s death.”

  “No fucking way.”

  Another tap at the door.

  He pulled up Ace’s contact information, sending him a quick text.

  Garret: We’ve got company. I’m calling. Don’t say anything, but be on the ready.

  He tapped the number. Tossing the phone to Tabitha he mouthed, don’t hang up.

  “Who’s there?” he called, putting his hand on the doorknob.

  “It’s Jeff Bellen. Open up. You’re going to want to hear what I have to say.”

  He reached for Tabitha, who had taken a few steps back. He had to get them at least out on the deck, and not trapped in the cabin.

  “Come on,” he whispered. “Ace is listening. Don’t worry. He’s calling the cavalry.”

  She nodded.

  “Step away from the door.” Garret took the weapon he’d brought and tucked it in the back of his pants. Slowly, he pushed back the door, surprised to not only see Jeff, but his father-in-law, Ivan Moore.

  He held his hands up in the air. “All I want is Steve’s laptop. That’s it. Hand it over and no one gets hurt.”

  “Are you threatening me, because that’s an arrestable offense and doing so in front of the ADA, well that’s not too smart.”

  “Don’t be a wise guy,” Bellen said. He stood near the dock, hands on his hips. “Just give him the computer.”

  “We don’t have it.” Garret kept Tabitha tucked behind his back. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement in the marina.

  Ace, no doubt.

  “Don’t fuck with me.”

  “We’re not. We gave the computer to an IT specialist,” Garret said, eyeing more movement in the parking lot. Perhaps he should now have Tabitha go back in the boat.

  “I’m really sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, that computer was property of my firm. It’s got sensitive information on it and in the wrong hands, well, that wouldn’t be good,” Ivan said with a smile.

  “Honey, why don’t you go inside.” He patted her hip, then gave her a little push. The sound of her bare feet sliding across the deck dialed his pulse down a bit. Now all he had to do was keep these assholes from doing something stupid while he waited for Ace to pull an Ace from his sleeve.

  He inwardly smiled at his own odd humor.

  “I’m going to need that computer.” Moore opened his suit coat, showing off his gun.

  “Jesus Christ, Ivan. What the hell are you doing?” Bellen took a tentative step forward.

  “Nothing. Just trying to get my property back.”

  “You can’t threaten people. It would be criminal and I’d have to—”

  “Oh, stop blustering. Like you’re clean from any wrongdoing.”

  “You can’t kill these people,” Bellen said.

  Garret wondered if he’d walked into a movie a half hour in. There was something in this conversation he was missing, but he hadn’t yet figured it out.

  Ivan laughed. “Me kill someone? Please. I’m a businessman. I’m just trying to get my property back without having to take someone to court.”

  “We don’t have your computer,” Garret said, glancing over his shoulder. Tabitha stood just behind the door with her arms wrapped around her middle. Her eyes wide with fear and filled with tears.

  Garret needed to do something and do something quick. He reached behind his back, curling his fingers around the butt of his weapon.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Jeff said. “I need you to trust me.”

  “Why should he trust you? You’re as corrupt as they come.”

  “That’s funny coming from you,” Jeff said, holding his hands in the air.

  “You’re the idiot that couldn’t keep his dick in his pants.” Moore slid his hand inside his coat, taking out his gun.

  “But I didn’t kill anyone,” Bellen said with a shaky tone. “You did. And for what? I told you I could bury that case, and I did. But no, you had to go running off killing everyone who knew anything. Or you th
ought knew something.”

  “What are you talking about?” Moore took his eyes off Garret and shifted his stance. “You killed them.”

  “No, he didn’t,” a female voice rang out from behind Garret.

  He spun on his heels, yanking out his gun, but he quickly lowered it as he let out a puff of air, staring at Lisa Moore Bellen holding a weapon to Tabitha’s head.

  His heart nearly stopped. A tightness in his chest sucked the breath right out of him. Rage filled his veins.

  No one threatened the woman he loved and got away with it.

  “I killed those women. And I killed this little bitch’s brother.”

  Tabitha’s teeth chattered as if she were as cold as ice when a woman stepped up behind her and grabbed her by the hair. She twisted and gasped when the butt end of a gun came down on the side of her head.

  Garret lurched forward.

  “Back off, asshole, or she dies,” the woman said.

  “You killed them?” Moore asked. His voice prickled Tabitha’s ears, searing fear in her brain like a cattle prod.

  She stared into Garret’s rage-filled eye,. his gaze, and his weapon, shifting between Bellen, Moore, and the crazy woman holding a cold piece of metal to Tabitha’s temple. Her head pounded worse than her aching thigh.

  “I think the real question is why?” Garret asked, noting movement from one dock over. He had no idea how many people Ace could have gathered in ten minutes, but he was thankful for every single one of them.

  “Yes, Lisa. Why don’t you tell us why?”

  “Why I killed those bitches? You really have to ask?” Lisa asked with a sneering laugh. “You mean besides the fact you were balling them?”

  “Actually, I wasn’t. But that’s beside the point,” Bellen said.

  Tabitha tried to shift, taking weight off her bad leg, but Lisa grabbed her around the neck, squeezing her throat.

  She coughed.

  “Let her go,” Garret said behind a clenched jaw.

  “Like hell. If it wasn’t for this bitch and her brother, we wouldn’t even be standing here right now.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far,” Bellen muttered.

  “What the fuck are you doing, Lisa? Come on, sweetie. Your husband can make this go away if you just put down the gun. I’m sure if you killed anyone, it was in self-defense.”

  Lisa laughed. “Oh, come now, Daddy. Wasn’t it you who said that I should take what was mine and never put up with shit from anyone?”

  “Yes, but that doesn’t mean you should kill someone just because they were sleeping with your husband.”

  Lisa laughed. “I did kill Ashley and Kelly because they were fucking my husband. But I killed Sandra and Steve to save your sorry ass.” Lisa pressed her forearm tighter around Tabitha’s neck as she pointed her weapon at her father. “I had hoped I could pin everyone on my cheating husband. And, well, I still can. Unfortunately, Dad, if you don’t help me, you’ll die in the crossfire.”

  “Lisa. You’re talking crazy,” her father said. “We can fix this.” He took his weapon, holding it in the air. “Let’s all just put down our weapons.”

  “It’s too late for that, Dad. You’re either on my side, or against me.”

  “Baby girl, I’m on your side.”

  “Then you take Garret’s gun and shoot my husband. I’ll shoot this bitch and then either one of us can shoot the fireman.” She waggled the gun. “This is registered to my idiot husband. Stupid asshole. I can’t believe my own father talked me into marrying you in the first place. Had you just gone into the family business—”

  “Keep talking, Lisa,” Bellen muttered, ripping open his shirt, showing off a wiretap.

  “Fuck me, I didn’t see that coming,” Garret said.

  Tabitha gasped as the boat rocked. Two officers stormed through the cabin cuddy, screaming for Lisa to put down the weapon.

  Garret lurched forward.

  Bang!

  Tabitha screamed as she fell to the floor. Garret’s body covering hers.

  “Fuck,” someone yelled.

  The sound of boots clomping across the boat echoed through her brain. “Garret!” Panic gripped her soul as she clutched Garret’s shoulders. Her ears rang as men shouted at one another. “Garret?”

  “I’m fine,” he whispered.

  “But the gun shot?”

  “Didn’t hit me. I think it got Moore,” he kissed her temple. “Are you okay?”

  “No. No, I’m not. Not one bit,” she said, biting back the tears.

  “Shhh. It’s going to be okay. It’s all over now.”

  Tabitha buried her face in Garret’s chest and let the tears flow. The sound of voices filled the air, but the only thing she focused on was the man holding her. Protecting her.

  Taking care of her.

  Garret pulled Tabitha to a sitting position, because he needed to see what the hell was going on around him. He held her close, tucking her head against his chest, stroking her soft hair, pressing his lips on her temple.

  “You little bitch,” Moore bellowed as he fell to the deck, clenching his shoulder. “You shot your own father.”

  “Get the fuck off me!” Lisa kicked and thrashed, trying to break free from the cop who had her pinned down. “Don’t you know who I am?”

  “Yeah. A confessed murderer,” the cop said.

  “It’s all him,” Moore said, pointing to Bellen. “You have to arrest him too.” Another cop knelt next to Moore, wrapping his wound, but not until after Moore had been secured with handcuffs. “I’m not going to jail alone.”

  “You’re right. You’re going to prison.”

  “So are you. I’ve got proof of your—”

  “You’ve got nothing, and I’ve got immunity. I’ve been collecting shit on you for the last couple of years,” Bellen said. “Now get my soon-to-be ex-wife and father-in-law out of here so these people can have some peace.”

  Garret nodded at his boss as he stopped just short of the boat. “How long have you been working on this?” he asked Bellen as he stepped aside while his wife spit on him.

  Bellen wiped his face. “Since right before Ashley died. I took what I knew to my boss who took it to the Feds. Ever since then, I’ve barely been able to live with myself. I’ve had to do things I’m not proud of to take them down and for the record, I wasn’t screwing any of those women. They were helping me. My biggest mistake was missing that the woman I thought I loved was a psychopath.”

  “That’s got to suck,” Garret said under his breath, though he regretted the second the words left his lips.

  “You have no idea.”

  Garret helped Tabitha to her feet, checking her over for any other wounds.

  “I didn’t know for sure until Sandra was murdered that my wife had anything to do with it. I honestly thought that Rocco Tias had murdered Ashley. He’d been at the party that night and was pretty pissed at my father-in-law about me becoming an ADA. He didn’t trust that I’d make sure any potential charges would be dropped.”

  “I guess he had reason not to trust you,” Garret said, still eyeing the man. “But you put me, my team, and my girlfriend in danger tonight. You had no right to do that.”

  “No. I didn’t. But the second I walked onto this dock, your captain knew what I was up to, and I did have the place surrounded.”

  Garret looked toward the dock, where Ace, Tex, and Hunter stood.

  “I was about to fill you in, but you called me first, so we had to go with Bellen’s plan.”

  “Can’t say I’m too happy about being left in the dark,” Garret said.

  “Me either.” Tabitha lifted her head. “I really didn’t like have a gun touching my head. But what I really want to know is why my brother? Why did he have to die?”

  Bellen stepped a little too close to Tabitha.

  Garret pushed out his arm.

  Bellen nodded, taking a step back. “I’m truly sorry he got caught up in all of this. I can’t be sure until we do more investigating. But
we believe Lisa killed him too. At least that is what Riley is telling us. And it was Riley who broke into your home. We’ve proven that with the images from your security cameras.”

  “That doesn’t make me feel better.”

  “I know,” Bellen said. “I wish myself, and the FBI, had handled this differently. I tried to warn Steve, but I don’t think he realized what I was saying. Your brother was a good man.”

  “The email,” Tabitha whispered. “But you didn’t warn him. You threatened him.” She took an aggressive step toward Bellen, but Garret quickly pulled her back.

  “I couldn’t show myself. I’ve invested three years of my life trying to get enough on my father-in-law; I couldn’t take the chance he would walk. I wanted Steve to back off so he didn’t get killed because I hadn’t gathered enough information, yet. But now, thanks to the two of you, I have what I need to make sure him, Lisa, Rocco, and all his cronies will rot in prison. I’m just sorry it meant the cost of so many lives.”

  “We helped too,” Ace said, his arm looped over Tex, who stood next to Hunter, who had a big old grin.

  “Hey, we helped too.” Zach and Gunner came into view as they paddled through the water in a raft. “We made sure the cops got on the boat.”

  “All you did was watch.” Garret let out a slight chuckle, holding Tabitha tighter.

  “I can’t thank all of you enough,” Jeff said, stepping from the boat. “I owe you all and hopefully someday, I will be able to repay you.”

  Garret ignored the chatter on the dock between his buddies and Bellen. All Garret cared about was the woman with her arms around his waist.

  “You never answered my question about us,” he said.

  She glanced up at him. “Really? Now? You want an answer now?”

  He nodded, smiling like a little boy going for his first ride in a fire truck.

  “You asked for it.”

  For a brief second, he thought she might tell him to take a hike. But that thought ended when her tongue slipped between his lips.

  He ignored the hooting and hollering of his buddies as he lifted her into his arms, carried her back into the cabin, and closed the door.