by Taylor Anne
After clearing the bar of most of the broken glass, a glimmer of something caught his eye. He walked toward an area of the bar where a group of bottles sat untouched. Draped around a bottle of rum was a silver necklace. Attached to the chain was a tiny locket with a handwritten note taped to it. Graeme reached out and took the locket into his hands. Something didn’t feel right. His gut tightened as he pulled the pink paper off the outside of the jewelry. ‘Hope you enjoyed my present. Make sure you keep her out of this.’ Present? Confused, he looked around for a package, but all he could see was turmoil and destruction. His heart dropped. The hair on the nape of his neck tingled. His throat closed with dread. Graeme opened the locket, sucked in a deep breath. The pictures inside were of him and a woman. A woman from another time in his life. What was she up to? Could she be trying to come back into his life after all this time? His head told him no. He knew what kind of woman she was. Vengeful and ruthless. Graeme took another look around the bar. He knew the truth. Without a doubt, that fire was set intentionally. It was personal.
The fire and the note were a warning. Abby needed to back off and keep her mouth shut. And Graeme was to make sure that happened. The fire, the destruction to his bar was directly related to what Abby witnessed in New Orleans. And someone wanted to make sure she didn’t interfere. He turned the necklace over, the silver metal like fire in his hands. His gut told him much more than the evidence he held in his hands.
He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and punched in Laci’s number.
“Graeme, what’s up?”
“Too damn much. I don’t have time to go into detail, but I wanted to check on things over there. Is everything okay with Abby?”
Laci hesitated for a few seconds. “She’s doing okay. She knows something’s up though. She point blank asked me what we were talking about. I don’t know how long I can keep that from her.”
“I understand. I will call her when we hang up. I don’t want her to know until I can tell her in person though.”
“All right. I’ll do my best to avoid her questions.”
“Thanks. Laci, the reason I’m calling is I thought you should know that my bar was set on fire. I have a bad feeling about all of this. Let’s hope I’m wrong.”
After filling Laci in on the details of the fire, leaving out the necklace incident, Graeme hung up and called Abby. She answered on the second ring.
“Hello.”
“Abby, is everything okay?”
Her sigh drifted over the phone loud and clear. “Everything is good here. What about with you? Why did you leave without a word?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I am sorry about that. I had to leave and couldn’t stay around to explain.” He didn’t know how much to tell her right now. He certainly didn’t want to alarm her. “I had to come back home. Someone set fire to the bar.” He wanted to keep even that from her, but he knew that between Colby and Laci, she would find out soon enough. Better for her to hear it from him than from them.
“Wow. What happened? How bad is it?”
The concern in her voice gripped his heart. “It’s pretty bad. The outside patio is totaled and most of the liquor is trashed. But the seating area is pretty much okay. Still, it’s going to take some time for things to get back to normal.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do?”
“Thanks, but no. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“I’m fine now.” She hesitated. “Is that what you and Laci were talking about earlier?”
He sighed. “No, it was a different matter. Nothing for you to worry about though. Everything is okay.”
Her voice was distant. “I will be so glad when this trial is over. It’s nerve wracking. And I feel like it’s draining the life out of me.”
“Yes, it takes its toll on a person after a while. But you are strong, Abby. Don’t let it suck you down. Are you through with your testimony?”
“I am. Tomorrow I will be at the court house, but not in the trial. I’m trying to psyche myself up for a long, boring day.”
“Waiting is sometimes worse than the actual testifying. You will get through it. Just be patient.”
“I will. Laci is picking me up at seven in the morning, so I plan on turning in early tonight.”
“All right. You be careful. Watch your back. Even though they have LJ and his partner in custody, their boss is still out there.” Graeme inhaled deeply. Abby could very well be in danger. If anything happened to Abby, he didn’t think he could deal with it. It was a little comforting knowing she was with Laci. But he wished she were here so he could keep an eye on her and protect her. But could he protect her? Could he keep her safe?
“Thanks. I’ll be fine.” He heard the smile in her voice.
Graeme ended the call with Abby and hung up the phone. The locket was wrapped around his fingers. He clenched it tightly in his hand. What was going on? Why was he being threatened to keep Abby out of this? What was this, and how was it connected to the drug deal and murder in New Orleans? His head spun with questions that had no answers. One kept nagging at him, he couldn’t push it far enough away not to think about it. What did any of this have to do with his previous life?
****
The next several days were the slowest days Abby had ever encountered. She sat in a room with only two other people—an elderly man and his daughter. After trying several times to make small talk, and getting the cold shoulder from them, Abby gave up. She didn’t even know why they were there. As far as she knew, they were not part of her trial, she had never seen those people before. Whatever trial they were there for, they certainly were not saying. So, she sat there in silence, wondering what was going on inside the courtroom. On the third morning, Laci popped in just to see how she was holding up.
“I’m good.”
“You don’t look so good. Your eyes are glazed and puffy. And that frown has become permanent. I want my old friend back.” Laci sat next to Abby and rubbed her hands up and down her back.
“You’ll get her back once this mess is over.”
“Well hopefully it won’t be much longer. The jury is getting ready to go into deliberations.”
Abby breathed a sigh of relief. “So it’s almost over?”
“Hopefully. It’s in their hands right now. Could be today, could be tomorrow. Don’t know. Let’s go grab a bite to eat before you blow away. The way your clothes are hanging, you must’ve lost ten pounds in the last week.”
They went down to the cafeteria. Abby ordered a ham and cheese po-boy with fries. Just knowing the nightmare was almost over had refueled her appetite. While eating, she dialed Graeme, but he didn’t answer.
“How’s things on his end?” Laci dug into her food like it was her last meal.
“Hard to say. I haven’t talked to him a whole lot these past several days. He’s been so busy trying to get the bar back in order.”
“I hope they find who set it on fire.”
“Yeah, me too,” Abby said. Graeme told her the fire had been declared possible arson and was under a full investigation. The conversation with Graeme kept running through her head. Why would someone set fire to his bar? She knew he was focused on that, but there was something else in his voice. Distraction? Anger? Fear? All of those for sure, but something else. Some emotion Abby couldn’t put her finger on.
She was still confused about what happened the other day. Graeme explained that he walked out of the courtroom leaving her alone because he received news that his bar had been set on fire. That was fine, but he was leaving something out. Abby could sense it. He refused to give her any details, and told her to be careful and get home soon. The man sent off conflicting signals.
After eating, Abby and Laci waited, hoping the jury came back with a decision before the end of the day. No such luck. They went home late that night. At seven the next morning, Laci picked her up. Another long day of waiting. Why would it take so long to come back with a decision? Abby’s n
erves were shot once again. Her stomach knotted up while her mind raced with thoughts of what was going on with the jury.
Finally, at a few minutes after three, the bailiff called them into the courtroom.
Once the judge entered, he didn’t waste any time. He turned to the jury and asked if they had made a decision.
Abby clenched her hands in her lap. She was sweating, although it was not hot in there. All she could do was hold her breath while she waited. She wished Graeme was there beside her. His presence alone would do wonders in calming her nerves. She couldn’t help but wonder where things would stand between them once the trial was over. Would she leave Orange Beach, and Graeme? He kept saying when all the commotion was over they would explore ‘them’. Did that mean he wanted her to stay a little longer before moving back to her life in New Orleans? Abby pushed those thoughts out of her mind for now.
The foreman stood. “Your Honor, we were unable to make a unanimous decision. We are deadlocked.”
Deadlocked. Abby’s heart dropped to her feet. Her mouth fell open, but she couldn’t stop it. She could not believe what she just heard. Deadlocked.
The judge’s round face was beet red, his voice rose when he spoke. His face was a mixture of total shock and disbelief. “Are you certain you cannot come to a unanimous decision?”
“We are, Your Honor.”
Laci glimpsed over her shoulder at Abby, her expression unreadable. If Abby’s nerves weren’t shot before, they most certainly were then. She couldn’t help herself. She looked directly at the defendant. His relieved expression turned her stomach. LJ was eyeing the prosecutor’s table. His head moved up and down in affirmation. Abby turned to see who he was nodding at. No one from the prosecutor’s side was watching LJ. Laci and her partner were staring toward the front of the room. LJ was a gloating, self-confident son-of-a-bitch.
Abby’s heart was stuck in her throat. She wanted to crawl out of the courtroom and hide. How could this happen? And what would happen next? Would they let LJ go free? Would there be another trial? Too many questions. She needed to talk to Laci and see what she could tell her. Abby wanted to call Graeme and pour it all out to him. What was she to do next? Now, she really did want to run away from all of this.
The hustle and bustle of court dismissing breezed by. She spent the rest of the day packing some more things to bring back to the beach with her. She was so frustrated and aggravated with the way things turned out, she didn’t even call Graeme. She let his calls go to voicemail. She didn’t want to talk to anyone.
After a restless night, Laci drove Abby back to Orange Beach. The detective confirmed Abby’s fears. There would be another trial. Both sides would work on gathering new evidence to present. Until the trial, the defendants were free to go about their daily business, but they were still required to stay in the state of Louisiana.
When the women pulled into the driveway of the beach house, Abby let out a sigh of relief. This place felt like home to her. She and Laci unpacked their things before making the short walk down to the bar.
Although the door was propped open, allowing the ocean breeze to aid in airing out the building, the smell of smoke lingered in the air. It was strange to see the bar without customers. They walked across the empty room to the bar where Graeme and Cooper stood. The wall behind the bar was nearly empty, only about one-third of the number of liquor bottles remained.
Graeme was facing away from Abby. The muscles in his back were so tense, she could see them bunched up beneath his shirt. His head shook back and forth. While he was talking to Cooper, he absently rubbed at his injured thigh. With all of the turmoil going on, it was probably bothering him a lot right now. As Abby approached, she glanced into the mirror behind the bar. Her breath caught in her throat. He was staring at her through the glass. Her body warmed at the sensual heat in his eyes. It’s a wonder she didn’t trip over her own feet because she couldn’t actually feel them.
“Hey.” She wrapped her arms around Graeme. He hugged her back. His embrace was warm and comforting, but Abby could feel the tension in him.
Graeme’s chin touched her head as he spoke to Laci. “Detective, thanks for bringing Abby back.”
“I was happy to do it.”
Cooper sized up Laci out of the corner of his eye. Abby made the introductions. “Cooper, this is my friend, Laci Ramsey.”
Cooper and Laci shook hands. “Nice to meet you, Detective Ramsey. Wish it were under different circumstances.”
“Yeah, I agree.” Laci pulled her hand away from Cooper’s. “Call me Laci. I understand you were one of the first responders to the fire.”
“I got here right before the fire truck. Luckily we were able to put the fire out before the inside went up.”
Standing next to Graeme, Abby could see his brow knot. Heat radiated from his entire body. “The outside is a total fucking loss. And they did a damn good job smashing the liquor.”
“Yeah, but boss, it could’ve been a lot worse.”
Graeme sighed. “It’s going to take a lot of money and weeks to get this place back where it needs to be. Weeks with no customers.”
Abby extended her hand and laid it on his arm. “We will work day and night until we get it ready for business again.”
Graeme grumbled low in his throat. It was barely audible, but it was laced with anger.
“Laci, Chief Colby wants me to bring you by the station to meet him before you go back to New Orleans. Want to run over there real quick then we can come back and help the guys clean up?”
Cooper interrupted. “I have to go there myself and meet with Colby and Mike. She can ride with me if you want to stay here Abby.”
Cooper smiled at Laci. During her visits to the bar, Abby had seen his flirtatious side with women more than once. Never had she witnessed that particular smile on his face. Could he be genuinely interested in Laci? Abby turned to her friend, whose expression was guarded, but her right eyebrow quirked up. Abby wanted to get Graeme’s attention, but he was oblivious to what was going on between his bartender and the detective. His jaw clenched tight and he scrutinized the bar. This was really hitting him hard.
“I think that’s a good idea, if you don’t mind, Laci.”
“That’s fine by me. Come on, Cooper. We’ll be back to help as soon as possible.”
Laci and Cooper walked out of the bar leaving Abby and Graeme alone. He was busy wiping down the bar and the shelves under it. She walked to the outside patio to assess the damage. It was just as they said. Totaled. The tables and chairs were either burned to the ground or charred beyond repair. Someone had pulled the awning off the building. It lay in the sand, unrecognizable except for the metal poles and a few pieces of blackened fabric. There was minimal damage to the outside wall. But it would still need to be replaced. The only positive was that the fire had been contained to the outside only. The inside of the bar wasn’t damaged by fire, only smoke.
Abby turned to go back inside. Standing in the doorway, she watched Graeme for a few minutes. He pulled what remained of the alcohol bottles off the wall and wiped down that section. His movements were quick and jerky. His brow was knotted in frustration. He stopped to rinse the rag, propped his left leg up on a barstool, and rubbed the muscle.
She walked over to him. She lifted his hand from his leg, and she massaged the muscle. His body was rigid and tense. He put his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. He sighed heavily as his body relaxed slightly.
“Graeme, we will get this place back up and running in no time. A little cleaning and some touch up paint and the inside will be fine. Sure, the outside will take a little longer, but once the inside is fixed you can open up for business again.”
He placed a finger under her chin, tilting her head up. “You make it sound so easy. I don’t even know where to start.”
Abby leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. He was desolate and at a loss as to what to do. The fire affected him more than Abby realized. Sure it was a disaster,
but not irreparable. She had to make him see that. Until he got his fire back, she would have to take charge. “It will be work, but it can be done. Call Cooper and tell him to pick up some paint for the inside. I’ll start wiping the walls down to get the smoke smell out of here. You keep cleaning the bar area. Get some window cleaner for the mirror before you put the bottles back. Once Cooper and Laci get back, it won’t take nearly as long as you think.”
“You’ve been painting at your uncle’s beach house since you got here. You don’t need to do that here. I’ll get it done.”
She shook her head in refusal. “Nope. We are doing this together.”
Graeme pulled her in close to him. His head came down, his lips claimed hers. No hesitation. His kiss was full of emotion. She tasted his fear and uncertainty. Desperation was in every flick of his tongue. She tangled her fingers through his brown hair, tousling it more than it already was.
He broke the kiss only long enough to whisper in her ear. “God Abby. You feel so good. So right.” Then he demanded her lips once again. His tongue toyed with hers. Teasing. The kiss lingered. Just when she thought she was going to lose her mind, the kiss ended.
Graeme put his hands on her waist, he turned their bodies so his back was against the bar and hers was against his chest. He pulled her closer to him. His body pressed against hers. She let out a soft moan, and leaned her head back. It felt good to be held in his arms. His warm breath tickled her ears. His heart beat increased to match hers. “Open your eyes, Abby.”
Abby inhaled deeply then opened her eyes. They were facing the mirror opposite the bar. She was nestled between Graeme’s thighs. His hands wrapped around her mid-section. Their gazes locked together in the mirror. For a few intense seconds, they stared at each other before he broke eye contact. She continued to watch in the mirror. He took one of her hands in his and brought it up over her head. His lips were soft as he kissed her palm. When he released her hand, she let it drop to rest on his thigh. Her other hand settled on his other thigh.
