Tahoe Blues

by Lane, Aubree

  Mrs. Grimes dabbed her eyes with the back of her hand and grinned. “I think I have enough cash on hand to purchase the appropriate amount of fertilizer, if any of us has some bomb making skills.”

  Lisa shot her a conspirator’s smile. “I don’t have all the components lined up yet, but they will fall into place soon enough. It’s time we got down to brass tacks.”

  Mark brought his hand to his face and rested his chin on the heel of his palm. The women in this room were tough as nails. He had no doubt they would prevail. He eyeballed Tanner. “What’s your story? I’m sure you must have some history with the family.”

  Tanner shook his head. “No history, but they are messing with a woman who is very special to me. I’m hoping to spend the rest of my life with Cara Lee, and I would prefer not to have to do it with her behind bars.”

  Mark reached down and popped the top of a fresh bottle of beer. He sat down in a brown leather club chair and motioned for Lisa to sit in the other. When she complied, he glanced in her direction. “What the hell are brass tacks, and how are we going to use them against the family?”

  Two hours and six beers later, Mark had reached his limit. They were getting nowhere. Every plan they came up with had been riddled with flaws and would only serve to piss the family off and alert them to a new enemy breathing down their necks.

  Mark paced the room. He needed some air, a change of scenery, and as unwise as it was, he needed to go see Cara. When he retrieved his jacket off the back of the chair, a small silver picture frame on the end table caught his eye. Mark picked it up and examined the image of Tanner and the beautiful young blonde by his side. “Who is this?”

  A smiled curved on Tanner’s lips and his chest puffed up proudly. “That’s my little sister. She’s a student at UCLA.”

  Mark blinked and sucked in a breath. “I hate to have to tell you this, but she’s been hanging around the casino and has been asking for Duncan the last few days.”

  Tanner almost knocked Mrs. Grimes onto the ground when he jumped up out of his seat. He reached for his cell phone. “You had better be wrong about this, Mark. If Erin is sniffing around Duncan Alexander, I’m going to...” he trailed off, unsure of what it was he’d be able to do. Erin was a grown woman. He had overstepped the bounds as her big brother too many times. She would listen politely to him while he ranted and raved, then she would go out and do exactly as she wanted.

  Mark snatched the phone out of Tanner’s hand. “Slow down, cowboy. She might be asking, but Duncan hasn’t shown any interest. He’s been surprisingly subdued since you decked him and Cara’s arrest. I think he has finally realized what he’s lost and is regretting it.”

  That news did not put Tanner’s mind at ease. If Duncan wasn’t going after his baby sister, then he was going to try and get Cara back. Neither one of those scenarios boded well in his world. He plopped back down on the sofa. “What the hell is that girl thinking?”

  Mrs. Grimes patted Tanner’s knee. “I think it’s possible she’s trying to help her big brother.”

  Tanner reared back in confusion. “How is going after that dog going to help me?”

  “Think about it. The moment Cara gets into trouble Erin comes to town and tries to get Duncan interested in her. I think she’s trying to get Duncan’s mind on something other than Cara.” Mrs. Grimes wrapped her arm across his shoulders. “She’s a good girl, TJ. She’s smart and loyal to a fault. She would never do anything to hurt you.”

  Tanner laid his head on the back of the couch and closed his eyes while he let Mrs. Grimes’ words percolate. When they opened, they focused on Mark. “Do you know where Erin is staying?”

  “Yes, she’s a guest at the resort. Why?”

  “Toss my phone over here.”

  Mark cut Tanner a sideways glare and asked again, “Why?”

  “Because I’m about to guilt her into coming here and staying with me.”

  Mark chuckled and tossed Tanner his phone.

  ~~~**~~~

  Erin rolled her carry-on suitcase into the elevator. Somehow Tanner had caught wind of her visit back to the lake. She wondered if he was aware of the true reason for her return. The doors closed and she pushed the button to the lobby. When they opened again, she came face to face with her prey. All six foot of Duncan Alexander’s gorgeous body stood in front of her.

  He looked at her and smiled.

  She had been trying to connect with the man for three days, and now when her brother had caught onto her scheme, the man was hers for the taking. She couldn’t believe her rotten luck. Erin heaved a great sigh and let go of her plan. As long as Tanner had been blissfully unaware of what she was up to, she had a chance, but now there was nothing for her to do but kiss her scheming ways goodbye.

  “I see you’re checking out. I hope you had a pleasant stay.”

  Duncan’s voice was everything Erin remembered. Every single inch of the man radiated sex and seduction. If she wasn’t careful, Erin knew the tables could turn and she could become the hunted. She shrugged nonchalantly. “It was great for you. I lost so much money in your casino that you’ll be able to fuel your private jet for another jaunt around the world.”

  Duncan chuckled. “You give me too much credit. We don’t own a jet, however, the family has been known to reserve one upon occasion.”

  Erin waved her hand. “It’s the same thing. I fly coach when I can afford it. Otherwise, I’m stuck taking the bus.”

  Duncan bowed low and winked. “Well, I hope you didn’t lose your bus fare.” He cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. Erin knew she had been recognized. “Weren’t you at the gala?”

  “Good memory. You even danced with me, several times.”

  Duncan gave her a reflective nod. “Until your brother cut in.” He rubbed the bruise on his chin and quickly gave Erin the brush off. “Have a good day, Miss Reed. I hope to see you again sometime.”

  He stepped into the elevator and Erin knew what he really meant was, when hell freezes over. Tanner had done something other than cut into their dance at the gala which warned Duncan off.

  Erin scowled. The four hundred bucks she spent on the room at the resort had been for nothing. She tried to let the loss go and write it off as worth the effort, but that money could have been used to purchase at least two books for school. She had been a foolish little girl playing a woman’s game, and that hurt more than Duncan’s quick and final dismissal of her.

  ~~~**~~~

  Mark studied the eyeball staring at him. It was the strangest thing he had ever seen, and it was completely disconcerting. He shivered. There was only one other thing that made him react in this manner. Tentatively, he raised his hand to knock on Cara’s door but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

  Mrs. Grimes shook her head. “Oh for pity sakes.” She raised her hand and pounded on the door.

  The rest of the Triple H Threat stood back and watched, hardly able to comprehend how the big bad Bay bouncer could be so cowardly. Mark couldn’t blame them. He didn’t understand it either. He only hoped Cara didn’t have any clowns inside her apartment. His reputation had been tarnished enough for one day. The last thing he needed was to run off screaming like a little girl.

  No matter what anybody said, he knew the truth, clowns were scary.

  A moment later a grungy mess of a woman stood before him. Anger flared in his eyes. Whoever had reduced Cara to this would pay dearly. She flew into his open arms, and he held her affectionately.

  “I can’t believe you came to see me.” Cara stepped back inside. “Oops, I hope my feet stayed on the other side of that sensor.” She waved them all in. “Get in here everyone before the cops come and haul me off.”

  Mrs. Grimes was the next to be hugged then Tanner. Cara held onto him tight and grinned with pleasure. When Lisa Hill approached, Cara narrowed her eyes. “Barbie,” she acknowledged coldly.

  Lisa gave Cara a wide berth and corrected her. “Lisa.”

  Cara nodded and repeated, “Barbie.”r />
  Mrs. Grimes grabbed Cara’s hand and pulled her deeper inside the room. “Simmer down now. She’s helping us get to the bottom of this mystery.”

  Cara said grudgingly, “That would be great, if I didn’t believe she was responsible for putting this whole thing into play.”

  Mark studied the nice looking, casually dressed, sandy haired man on Cara’s sofa. Then he glanced over at the man still in Cara’s arms. Jealousy flamed behind Tanner’s baby blues, and his lips were pressed so tightly together Mark thought they might bleed from the pressure.

  The stranger astutely caught on to Tanner’s rage and quickly approached. He extended his hand and said, “Mr. Reed, I’m David Crandall. I believe you spoke with my associate, Hunter Henderson, a few days ago. I’m one of the private detectives Martin Langley hired to help prove Ms. Greene’s innocence.”

  Tanner’s body relaxed and he took David Crandall’s hand in his. “Nice to meet you. Do you have any new information?”

  David looked at Cara for permission to speak freely.

  Cara nodded her consent.

  David grinned. “Quite a bit, actually.” He looked around the room. “I know who most of you are, and you’ll be happy to know we no longer believe any of you are suspects.” He turned toward Mark. “I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure.”

  Mark could see the look coming. As soon as he spoke his name, David Crandall would clam up tighter that a rusty faucet. Mark braced himself for the reaction. It was just another one of a million reasons why he wanted out of the family. “Mark Porter.”

  The look didn’t come. David smiled and once again extended his hand. “Cara has spoken highly of you. Come in and sit down. I’d like to see if any of you can confirm who we believe broke in here and planted the evidence against Cara.”

  “What’s this all about?” Tanner asked.

  Cara turned accusingly in the elderly woman’s direction. “Why don’t you explain it to them, Mrs. Grimes.”

  A cringe crossed her guilty face. “I only knew about the camera. I didn’t install it. Beth is a nice lady. She was just making sure things were secure here.” Then she shrugged. “It looks like it came in handy, so I’m glad I kept my mouth shut.”

  Tanner looked back at the damaged door. “Is that why my door has a hole in it?”

  Cara took his arm and guided him further into the room. “Don’t worry about the door. I’ll have it fixed,” she glanced over at Mrs. Grimes with a sly smile on her face, “then I’ll send the bill to Beth Rainey.”

  Tanner grabbed Cara’s hand and pulled her back into his arms. He brushed the back of his hand against her cheek. “I’m not worried about any damn door.”

  Mark watched Cara’s reaction carefully. He needed to know if this was the man for her. Cara nuzzled her forehead into Tanner Reed’s neck and closed her eyes. The look on her face was one of pure bliss. Mark turned away and let the couple have a private moment. You didn’t need to be a detective to see the love brewing between the two, and they appeared to be a much better match than Duncan and Cara ever had.

  Tanner didn’t even seem to mind that the lady in his arms looked like shit warmed over. Duncan would have high tailed it back to the casino if he ever came home and found Cara looking like that.

  For the first time that day, Mark felt the muscles in his face relax. His jaw had been clinched tight for so long, he could almost feel the enamel being worn away from his molars. He longed to have that type of relationship with the woman he loved. Unfortunately, being twins meant Duncan and Drew were cut from the same cloth.

  Mark didn’t believe Drew had ever cheated on him, but life was always stressful. The family was always on. They were all about the appearance, whether it was the sophisticated casino owner or the mobster type Dons of Tahoe.

  The family certainly adhered to their version of the mafia’s code of ethics. They had a code of silence, and they expected complete obedience from their staff.

  They also had revenge down to a science. The family believed with all their coldblooded hearts that any attack must be avenged and that an attack on one was an attack on all.

  If anyone from the family found out about his involvement here today, he knew his days as a family member would be numbered. Mark scratched his chin and realized that was his intent all along.

  Tanner’s cell phone chimed and disrupted Mark’s train of thought.

  “Hi Erin. Where are you?” As Erin talked Tanner move to the door and opened it. “We’re all over at Cara’s. Come on over.” He lifted his arm and waved.

  Erin walked in and once again Mark was struck by her beauty. He didn’t blame Tanner one bit for being overprotective. She was a classic blonde, but young, bubbly, and if he had to guess, Erin was probably a bit on the innocent side. He had seen her type working at the casino often enough. They used their looks to draw in bigger tips from the players, but a few years into the job, their luster would be worn away, their tips would dwindle, and they’d be off to find greener pastures.

  Tanner made the introductions and when Erin looked into Mark’s face, she quickly retracted her hand. “You work for Duncan Alexander.”

  Mark nodded. This was the look he had been expecting from David Crandall, instead he received it from the high school cheerleader.

  Erin looked back at the other people in the room. “You guys are aware that he works for Duncan and you’re okay with it?”

  Mrs. Grimes was the first one to try and calm the young girl down. “He’s on Cara’s side. He wants to see her exonerated as much as the rest of us.”

  Lisa ran her fingers through her luscious red locks. “On second thought, I don’t think I care all that much if Cara goes to jail. I was feeling a little guilty about breaking up her marriage so I gave it a shot, but I think it’s time for me to go.”

  She turned to leave, but was met by the vicious glare of Grimy the Great.

  “We’re all so happy that you feel a little guilty, but it’s high time you owned up to what you have done and make amends.” Mrs. Grimes barked as she wagged her finger in Lisa’s face. “I know you had your reasons for what you did, but now it’s your chance to apologize for it.” She took two steps towards the overly dressed home wrecker. “No one forced you to have an affair with Cara’s husband, and if you want to leave, no one is going to make you stay. Keep in mind, you will then be placed back on the suspect list, and TJ will have no other option but to fire you.”

  Lisa Hill’s eyes flamed with red-hot anger. “You don’t get to decide if TJ fires me. I’ve been doing a good job for him. I had nothing to do with this. I even let you drag me out to those nasty old tunnels and I tried to help, but I’m done. I want to go home and take a shower.”

  “Take a shower?” Mrs. Grimes hollered back. “Or call Duncan and tell him what we’ve been up to?”

  Lisa looked down on the old woman stunted with age and screamed, “Duncan won’t take my calls any longer. I have been shut out completely. Besides, I wouldn’t call that bastard anyway after the way he treated me at the gala.”

  Mark shook his head at the dueling duo and stepped in. “Lisa, why don’t you sit over here and Mrs. Grimes, I would appreciate it if you went and sat way over there on the other side of the room.” The two women needed to be separated. Once they took their perspective corners, he turned back to Lisa. “Mrs. Grimes is correct. If you leave now, we will have no other option except to put you back on the suspect list.”

  Lisa pointed at the detective. “That guy already said I was no longer a suspect, why would my leaving put me back on the list.”

  David interjected. “Ms. Hill, we believe we know who broke in here, but we don’t know if he was working with anyone. If you were to leave, you would have the opportunity to contact our person of interest and warn him.”

  Lisa threw her hands up in the air. “I haven’t even seen the video. I don’t know who you’re talking about. How could I possibly warn him?”

  David gave Lisa an indulgent smile. “If you
already know who we have caught on tape, you wouldn’t need the video to confirm it.”

  Lisa crossed her arms over her chest and heaved a great sigh. “Fine, I’ll stay.”

  David nodded and motioned for everyone to gather around his laptop. “I’ll slow it down as much as possible, but watch closely. It passes by pretty quickly.”

  David and Cara stepped back and let the others watch. David scrutinized the reactions of each of Cara’s guests with an eagle eye, as he tried to gauge how much of a surprise the identity the intruder truly was.

  Tanner pointed at the screen. “Back that up again. Something about him seems familiar.”

  Erin shook her head. “I don’t think I know him.”

  Neither one of those responses were a surprise. Tanner had eaten dinner with the policeman right here in Cara’s apartment. Erin, on the other hand, had not been in town much. It would have been unlikely that she would recognize a local cop.

  Lisa watched the tape, but it was halfhearted at best, opposed to Mrs. Grimes who had her nose in close. Mark stood behind the group, the scowl on his face growing more and more pronounced by the moment.

  David waited for Mark to speak. He was fairly certain he knew who had been traipsing through Cara’s living room.

  Mark turned and headed for the door.

  “Going somewhere?” David asked.

  Mark turned around with eyes the color of coal. “Yes, I am,” he stated sarcastically. “Are you going to try to stop me?”

  David crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged. “No, but I would prefer it if you would tell us who’s on the video.”