“Did you ever see anything that leads you to believe she was? Has there ever been any prostitution in the salon?”
Paulina dismissed that with a wave of her hand. “We got the occasional creep who wanted a hand job, but no one ever did it that I know of. If they had, Beckett would have fired them. No, she’s above board on that stuff, as much as it pains me to admit it.”
Ryan looked back at the blank folder. “One last thing. Do you know if Beckett McKenzie has a safe or a deposit box or a PO box anywhere she might hide any evidence of illegal activity?”
Paulina pursed her lips and thought back over her years at the salon. “She keeps the money from the till in a safe in her office. It’s behind the god-awful painting of lilies behind her desk. I don’t know the code.”
Ryan nodded and rose. “Thank you for your time, Ms. Curtis. I’ll type up my notes and get them back to the attorney handling your case.”
“What about those allegations?”
Conspiratorially, Ryan leaned in. “Between you and me, I’ve heard your boss is involved with a drug cartel. Cocaine. Very dangerous stuff.”
****
Beckett made her way from one area of the salon to the other, emptying the cash registers, counting out the base for each register to keep, and putting the money in a bank bag for deposit. In a separate bag went the credit card receipts for processing. Aware of the whispered musings of her staff about her black eye, she chose to ignore the talk and worked her way back around to her office, dropping the credit card bag onto the desk and sitting down with the bag of cash to count it.
Counting all the money, subtracting what was left in each drawer and comparing those numbers to the sales reported in the POS system took the better part of two hours. By the time she was done reconciling the receipts in the credit card bag, processing all the tips on cards, and had updated her spreadsheets with the total from the week, half the afternoon was gone.
More than anything, Beckett hated math. Keeping track of the daily, weekly, and monthly tills was something she hoped to hand off to Halle sooner rather than later.
Jenny, the new administrative assistant, poked her head in the door. “Beckett? Do you have a minute?”
Beckett waved the woman in. “Sure. What’s up?”
“I just wanted to let you know there’s a little bit of a problem in massage. One of the technicians just called over and said there’s someone demanding sexual acts from Randi. Joan says Randi’s about ready to beat the man to death.”
A highly inappropriate laugh tickling her throat, Beckett rose. “I’ll handle it.”
Jenny bounced on the balls of her feet. “Can I watch?”
“Sure. You might learn something.”
****
As the two women strode down the hall, Ryan entered the salon’s front door and went immediately to Beckett’s office, pulling the door closed behind him. Working quickly, he removed the picture on the far wall and plugged a small device into the keypad on the safe. Within ten seconds, the lights flashed green and the pistons rolled loose, and the door swung open. Carefully, he placed an envelope in the safe, tucking it under the bags of receipts and cash. Closing the door and replacing the photo, he laid a folded piece of paper on the desk and slipped out as unnoticed as he’d entered.
****
When Beckett returned to the office half an hour later, still laughing over the issues in the massage parlor, she dropped into her desk chair, scooting her butt to avoid the sharp edge poking her where Paulina had hacked at it, and surveyed the wreckage that was her office. Deciding on a whim to take the rest of the day and haul out the remnants before buying replacements, she kicked her heels off under the desk and stood.
Noticing a piece of paper on her desk that hadn’t been there when she’d left the office, she picked it up and unfolded it, her eyes scanning over the contents. Recognizing the handwriting immediately, she pushed the intercom button on her phone and paged Jenny.
“Call Clint Rogers and my brothers-in-law please. Tell them it’s important and they’re needed here immediately.”
“It’s one in the afternoon. Caleb will be in class.”
“Then the other two. And ask Savi to come down here from the café if you would.”
“Yes ma’am.”
Slowly, Beckett read the note, letting the words sink in.
Beckett,
Long time no see. I wish our reunion would be more pleasant, but unfortunately we both find ourselves in untenable positions. In your safe, there is an envelope. Don’t worry, there’s nothing illegal in there. I have, however, given you a couple of tasks. The Malatoa cartel is not going away, and because they now know I’m not dead, they’re after me as well. That is unacceptable. While it would have been unfortunate, I was willing to accept that they might find you. Collateral damage, if you will. I did not anticipate them getting to Robbins first, or him getting to you before I could neutralize the situation. That was an oversight on my part that has led to this situation.
Because I have some fondness for our children, I want to help you out of this mess. In the envelope is the information for some contacts of mine that I have been unable to reach out to given the fact that I am supposed to be dead. If you contact them, they will help you gather enough cocaine to appease the cartel, thereby getting them off both our trails. The irony of the situation for you is that, in order to escape intact, you’re going to have to do what I did. There will be a price for the drugs, but these people are not innately violent and they will allow you to work off your debt to them. I suspect it will involve the salon, your masseuses specifically. Given what you’re currently dealing with—you’re welcome, by the way—I imagine you catch my drift.
This is your way out. It’s your only way out. If you fail to take advantage of this, you will die by the hand of the cartel. The police can’t touch them, and I’m not willing to put myself up on the slaughtering block in your stead. I made the bed, you lie in it.
Your Not-So-Loving Husband
****
“Your not-so-loving husband?” Savi huffed. “What a dick. ‘I made the bed, you lie in it.’ Oh my good Jesus, this man is unbelievable!”
Jax crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame. “If you want to go that route, I’ll contact them. I can offer up the boat to use as a way to transport stuff. I can’t have you risking this place. You’ve got the kids to think about. If this is how it needs to be, I’ll do it.”
Beckett rose and went to Jax, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tightly, resting her head against his neck. He slid his arms around her, resting his cheek on the top of her head.
“I love you, Jackson.” Beckett squeezed him tightly. “But neither of us are going to be risking prison time. I’m not going to do this and neither are you. We’re going to turn the stuff over to the sheriff when he gets here and let him handle it.”
Jax looked down at her when she pulled back. “I’d do it. Hell, Murphy would offer up the shop to take apart cars. We’d both do it. Any one of the three of us would do whatever we needed to help you here. That’s what family does.”
“Family also doesn’t let each other make stupid decisions that could ruin their lives.”
Savi scrubbed her hands over her face before speaking. “I’m with Beck on this one. We don’t know this isn’t a setup. For all we know, Ryan the asshole could have put that stuff in there as a ploy to get Beckett killed. Or to get her arrested and out of his hair. Or any number of things that have nothing to do with helping her out of this. If you can even call it an offer to help in the first place.”
Jax stepped back from Beckett, looking at Savi indignantly. “He wouldn’t do that.”
“How can you say what he would or wouldn’t do?” She questioned him gently. “This is a man who faked his own death, was stealing cocaine from the cartel, has God-only-knows how many identities, and had two wives, three separate families, and untold mistresses. This is not the brother you knew. Yeah, it could be leg
itimate and he wants to help you. Just as easily it could be a setup to get one of you—or all of you—killed. I don’t think any of us take the risk. It’s too dangerous.”
Clint entered the room just as Savi uttered the last sentence. “I’m afraid I’m likely to agree with her about whatever you’re considering.”
Beckett strode to her desk and picked up the envelope and the paper. Handing them both to Clint, she gingerly perched on one of the sliced up chairs. “I found these when I got back from handling a situation in the massage wing.”
Clint read the note twice, then opened the envelope and removed the cell phone inside. “Have any of you turned this on or messed with it in any way?”
“No. I took it out of the envelope, saw what it was, and put it back. I’m afraid I didn’t wear gloves.”
“I’m not sure fingerprints would be helpful anyway. We know this was Ryan. You have security feeds, right?”
“I sent Jenny to make copies of everything from this morning and bring it down. You’ll have it before you leave. We have cameras on both sides of the door and one aimed at the parking lot, so we may be able to see what he was driving.”
Jax ran his hands through his hair. “He won’t be driving it now. You know that. If he drove here, he’s already ditched the car somewhere so we can’t use it to find him. More likely he took a cab.”
“If he took a cab, we’ll get the number and find out where the driver let him off.” Clint slipped both items he’d been handed into a clear plastic bag. “No one is going to be getting into the drug trade in my town. “The Sheriff leveled a glare at Jax, then at Beckett. “I don’t want to hear any nonsense about chop shops, prostitution rings, or drug muling. For that matter, I don’t want any pot brownies being made in the café over there or any files being baked into cakes.”
When Jax didn’t respond, Clint continued to stare at him, his gaze filled with concern and understanding. Sighing, he reached out and laid his hand on Jax’s shoulder before continuing.
“Jackson, I’ve known you and your brothers since you were in diapers, and you can only imagine how much this business with Ryan pains me. I’ll not see any of the three of you go down the same path. I’ll throw you in a cage and keep you there until clearer heads prevail.” Turning to Beckett and Savi, he continued. “The same goes for the two of you. I haven’t known you as long, but you haven’t made any trouble for me, so I assume you’re good, law-abiding citizens. No illegal activity. Am I clear?”
Uncomfortably chastised, Jax spoke for all of them. “Yes, sir. Crystal clear.”
“Good.” He smiled when Jenny came in with a CD in her hand. “Ah, there’s my footage. I’ll get back to the station and start work on some of this stuff.” He looked back at Beckett. “Can’t say I care for the redecorating, dear. Might be time to replace some of these chairs. They’re looking a little worse for wear if I do say so myself.”
Chapter 24
Beckett surveyed the piles of Christmas presents in need of wrapping and fought the urge to cry. When the house was full of people, it was easier to ignore the keen absence of her children. When it was empty and she was alone with their things, it became impossible to set aside the pain of having Rhys and Harlow away from her.
She got letters almost daily with hand-drawn pictures of where they were and the things they were doing. Updates from Cassie and Alan about how the kids were with cell phone photos of them. Beckett had no doubt her kids were safe and loved. Those were the two most important things, but even knowing that didn’t alleviate the pain she felt at having them gone. Never had she felt more incompetent as a parent than when realizing she was incapable of keeping them safe from the dangers upon them.
Brushing tears from her eyes, she focused on the wrapping paper and the piles of boxes. Clint had promised to have Christmas presents delivered if they got them wrapped, so she had set aside Saturday to deal with them. Savi had begged off, citing a dough emergency at the café before surreptitiously placing a stack of gifts for the three kids on the edge of Beckett’s pile. Knowing the three men, she’d made space for them to all deposit their gifts as well. Ultimately, it had ended up that the wrapping process was going to be an all-day affair.
One week until Christmas. One week until the Malatoa cartel would be back to get the money she didn’t have. Without finding Ryan, there was a good chance she wouldn’t live to see the new year. When tears again threatened, she beat them back violently, forcing herself to focus on the task in front of her.
Unrolling some wrapping paper, she placed a box in the center, measured, and cut. Reaching for the tape, she began the process of wrapping what seemed to be a hundred boxes.
Three hours later, the door opened and Murphy came in, his hands greasy from working on cars and his t-shirt smeared with grime. Smiling apologetically, he stooped to kiss her gently before moving into the kitchen to wash up in the sink.
“Pipes froze at the shop. Plumber’s there now working on it. I couldn’t hose off before I came home.”
“You have some clean clothes folded in the laundry room. I haven’t gotten around to putting stuff away yet. It’s much more difficult with the laundry of five adults to do.”
“You shouldn’t have to do the laundry for all of us. That’s not fair.” Murphy moved into the laundry room and stripped off his clothes, exchanging them for clean jeans and a button-down. Emptying the pockets in the dirty ones, he cast them into the basket. “I wish you’d have said something. I’ll start doing it.”
Beckett looked up, a smile flickering on her lips. “I’m used to doing everything myself. Laundry, cooking, cleaning. It’s not normal for me to ask for help.”
“You shouldn’t have to ask. I should have noticed. I’m sorry.” Lowering himself to the floor, Murphy glanced toward the stacks. “What can I do to help? My wrapping skills are suspect, but I’m a great gofer, and I’ve been told I’m good company.”
Beckett rolled her eyes. “This is one thing I don’t mind managing on my own. I like wrapping gifts.”
“Would you mind doing one more for me? I forgot to leave it this morning when I left for the shop.”
Shrugging, she deftly ran the blade of the scissors down a ribbon to make it curl. “Sure. Go get it.”
“It’s right here.” He sat a black box in her hand. “Take a look and tell me what you think.”
Beckett pushed the box she’d been working on out of the way and glanced at the box in her hand, opening the lid. The yellow of the diamonds flashed and gleamed in the light. Her free hand flew to her mouth and she looked up at him with shock in her eyes. Murphy reached for the box and took it in one hand, holding hers in his other.
“I should have had this the first time I asked you. I should’ve done a better job at it, too. When I think about it, there’s a lot I’d like to do differently, or better. You deserve flowers and romance and gentleness, and I haven’t given you much of that. I toppled into this with you so fast and so suddenly that I was in over my head before I knew what was happening. It’s not an excuse for not giving you what you deserve, but it’s all I’ve got.”
Beckett shook her head and laid her free hand at her throat, tears shimmering in her eyes. “All I need is you. I’ve never needed anything else.”
“I love you, Beckett. More than I thought it was possible to love anyone. I look at you and Harlow and Rhys, and I see the future. You’ve been a part of my family for years, but I want more than that. I want to make you my wife. I want to go to sleep with you every night and wake up with you every morning. I want to be with you when you have our babies and not have to correct anyone when they call me ‘dad.’ I want Harlow and Rhys to be mine, too. I want to share everything with you from the laundry and cooking to sending the kids off on their first dates. I know I asked you before and you said yes, but you deserve a real proposal with a real ring. You deserve more than I could ever give you, but I’m hoping you’ll settle for what I can.
“I want to spend every day of the r
est of my life showing you what marriage is supposed to be. I’ll be good to you and the kids. I’ll love you with everything I have. I’ll be there for you no matter what, I’ll never stray, and I’ll always be the one you can lean on. Will you give me the chance to prove it? Will you marry me?”
Tears streaming down her face, Beckett nodded and flung her arms around Murphy, burying her face in his neck and crawling into his lap. Clutching his shirt in both hands, she wrapped herself around him, holding as tightly as she could.
“I didn’t need a ring or a proposal to marry you. I’d marry you because I love you and because I don’t need all the words to know who you are.” Sitting back to look in his face, she wiped the tears off her cheeks. “Yes, Murphy. I’ll marry you. I’ll take everything you offered and give you everything I have in return.”
Slipping the ring from the box, he placed it on her ring finger, smiling when it fit. “I thought I had the right size.”
“It’s perfect. It’s gorgeous and wonderful and the most amazing thing I’ve ever owned. I love it.”
“Caleb helped me pick it out.” Murphy grinned and held her hand in his own, studying the ring on her finger. “I figured something like this needed to be right.”
Beckett ran her hands through his hair and down to cup the back of his neck. “Anything you got me would’ve been right just because it’s from you.” She pressed her mouth to his in a kiss. “I won’t ever regret anything that’s happened because it brought us together. Without all this shit, we might never have realized what we could be.”
Murphy ran his hands over her back. “I’ll send my brother a fruit basket once he’s in jail to thank him.”
Beckett was laughing when he captured her mouth with his own. The kiss was hungrier than the light one she’d brushed over his mouth and she responded immediately, her arms tightening around his neck and sliding her body forward to press their chests together. Murphy’s hands slipped beneath her sweater and up the expanse of skin on her back, sweeping the fabric up and over her head.
“We can’t do this down here. Savi, Jax, or Caleb could come in anytime.” Beckett giggled when he smoothly unclasped her bra. “We need to go upstairs.”
The Soldier's Wife Page 20
