Dirty Money

by Denise Grover Swank

  While she likely had a point, her sudden mood swings were freaking me out. They were an unpleasant, although perhaps necessary, reminder that I was dealing with someone unhinged. “I’m not feeling like burgers,” I said. “Pizza sounds good.” Especially since there was a display of premade pizzas under heat lamps about twenty feet away. In and out.

  Kate flicked her gaze to the departing mother and then back to me. “Okay,” she said, a smile spreading across her face. “Whatever you want, NK.”

  We each grabbed a mini pizza and headed for the cashier. When we got into the car, Kate grabbed our two empty bottles of water out of the cup holders and said, “We forgot to get drinks. I’ll be right back.”

  She went back into the convenience store, and a minute later she emerged with another bag. When she climbed inside, she pulled out a bottle of tea and unscrewed the top. She started to take a drink, then stopped. “You like peach tea more than mango tea, right?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “How did you know that?” I hated mango tea.

  “You’re seriously asking me that question?” She laughed, handing me the bottle, then pulled a bottle of mango tea out of the bag. “Time to hit the road.”

  We were quiet for a few minutes, eating and drinking as we mulled over our own thoughts, then Kate finally said, “Did you tell brother dearest where we’re going?”

  I wasn’t going to lie. “Yes.”

  “And is he running off to save you?”

  “Oklahoma’s a pretty big state,” I said as I took another drink. “I know he’s a detective and all, but he’s not that good.”

  “Surely you have some idea where we’re going.”

  “How could I tell him if I don’t know myself?”

  She gave me a grin. “But I gave you a clue. Did you share it with them?”

  I turned to study her, the hair standing up on the back of my neck. She’d orchestrated surprise meetings before, and they’d always ended with bodies. This wasn’t good. “Is that what you want, Kate? Do you want Joe and Jed to run to Ardmore?”

  She grinned. “Why would I want them to find you?”

  “I don’t know, Kate. Why would you?”

  “Why are you so suspicious, sister mine?”

  “Do I have good reason to be?”

  “I don’t know, do you?”

  I pushed out a heavy sigh. “For once can we stop playing the stupid games?”

  Her expression turned serious. “Yeah. We’re about to.”

  A wave of fear washed through me. “Do you plan to hurt me, Kate?”

  “No,” she said, all pretense gone. She turned to face me for a long second—long enough to make me uneasy about her driving. “I’m protecting you, NK. Just like a big sister should.” Then she grinned, her massive ego firmly in place. “Just relax and eat your pizza. Drink your tea.”

  Understanding struck, and I wanted to bang my head against the dashboard in frustration. We’d all been played. “We’re not going to Oklahoma, are we?” I asked.

  “We’ll get there eventually,” she said, keeping her eyes on the road.

  “Where are we goin’?” My eyes started getting drowsy, even as panic crawled down my spine, and I realized I’d been stupid to take that drink from her. “You drugged me.”

  “I can’t have our brother and Mr. Sexy show up and ruin everything.” She reached over and squeezed my forearm. “There’s no need for you to worry about a thing. You just take a nap, and when you wake up, we’ll be there.”

  To my horror, my eyes sank closed and everything went black.

  I woke in a dark room, my pulse pounding in my temples. It took me a few seconds to realize that I wasn’t home in my own bed.

  And then I remembered why.

  I tried to sit upright, but whatever drugs were in my system made me sluggish and slow to react.

  I felt a hand on my shoulder, pulling me down to the bed. “Just settle down,” Kate said softly from beside me.

  I turned to look at her, her face illuminated by a soft light coming from underneath the bathroom door. “What did you do?” I asked, feeling like my mouth had been stuffed with cotton.

  She continued to put pressure on my shoulder. “I didn’t hurt you, so calm down.”

  “You drugged me.” I tried to sit up again, but it didn’t take much effort for her to keep me in place. “Why?”

  “I don’t plan to do it again,” she said in a serious tone. “But it was necessary for now.”

  I reached for my pocket, realizing my phone was gone. “You took my phone.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I let you talk to Jed and Joe so you could let them know you were okay, but I can’t risk being followed. We need to do this on our own.”

  I felt like an idiot. I knew what she was capable of, but I’d fallen for one of her tricks anyway. As I racked my brain for why she would have drugged me, a new fear hit me like a Mack truck. “Are you handin’ me and the money over to Hardshaw?”

  Anger flashed in her eyes. “Do you truly believe I’d do that? After everything I’ve done for you?”

  My muscles were beginning to cooperate, so I pushed her hand away and sat up, turning to face her. I switched on the bedside lamp, needing to look her in the eye. “I don’t know, Kate. Let’s look at all the things you’ve done since I’ve met you. You tried to kill me, my best friend, our brother, Mason, and a whole slew of other people. You went to Ardmore and upended my life, puttin’ me in danger, then dangled what you’d learned over my head for months, making me an anxious wreck. You kidnapped Stella and Branson in the name of helpin’ me, then killed them both. You killed another man and put him in my basement, incriminatin’ me. And last, but not least by a long shot, you drugged me after I gave you my full cooperation.” I got off the bed and stood, turning to look at her. “Why would I trust you?”

  She got up too, and I prepared myself to fight her, should it come to that, regardless of my slow reflexes.

  “I told you I’d help you,” she said, “and I meant it.”

  “Kate,” I said. “Druggin’ people isn’t normal.”

  Her back stiffened. “Who said I was normal?”

  She had a point, and arguing with her wasn’t going to get me anywhere. “Look,” I said, feeling exhausted despite the fact the digital clock on the nightstand read 5:37, meaning I’d been asleep for hours. “I’ve learned that what you say doesn’t always mean what I think it does.”

  She grinned. “Okay, I’ll give you that. But let me make this clear.” Her jaw tightened. “I will not hurt you. I will not let those bastards touch you. I will do everything in my power to get them to lay off, but I need you to trust me. Will you do that?”

  “It depends.” I propped a shaky hand on my hip. “Are you gonna drug me again?”

  Her eyes flashed with anger. “I already told you I wouldn’t,” she said in a tight voice.

  “No, you said you didn’t plan to. Which means you might if you decide it’s necessary,” I said with a shake of my head. “Which means I can’t completely trust you. I’ll be constantly on the lookout to see if you’re druggin’ me again.”

  “I need you to cooperate, Neely Kate.”

  “Then ask me to cooperate,” I countered. “I’m here of my own free will, aren’t I?”

  “No, you’re here because I threatened the people you love.”

  I blew out a breath, then cringed at the stink. I had a serious case of morning breath. “I would still be here, Kate, whether you threatened them or not. You’re givin’ me the chance to be part of clearin’ this up, instead of sittin’ back and waitin’ for other people to do it for me. I want to put this mess behind me once and for all.”

  She tilted her head, studying me. “Okay,” she said with a grin. “I actually believe that.”

  “Good,” I said. “If you can help me do that, I’m one hundred percent on board. So see? No need to drug me.”

  “We have to do this on our own and we need stealth,” she said. “Which means w
e can’t let anyone know where we are or what we’re doing.” Her brow lifted. “Which means no callin’ anyone back in Podunk, Arkansas.”

  Which meant I had to leave Jed and Joe in the dark as they embarked on a wild goose chase. But they knew I was relatively safe, and they trusted my judgment. It could be worse. “If I agree to your terms, does that mean you’ll give me back my phone?”

  “We’ll see,” she said, then headed for the bathroom door. “Your bags are on the dresser if you want to brush your teeth and change. We’re up so we might as well get breakfast.”

  “Where are we, Kate?” I asked as she started to shut the door.

  She paused and glanced over her shoulder. “Waco, Texas.”

  What in Hades were we doing there?

  Chapter 16

  Both of my bags were on the dresser. I unzipped the bag of money and did a quick visual assessment. It all seemed to be there, so I closed it up and dug into my personal bag.

  The toilet and shower were in their own room, but the sink and mirror were against the back wall. I carried my toiletry bag to the counter and was horrified by my reflection. I looked like a wreck—my mascara was smeared under my eyes, my skin was pale, and I had a serious case of bed head. After I brushed my teeth and washed my face, I brushed my hair and pulled it into a long ponytail on top of my head.

  When Kate came out of the bathroom, I took a quick shower, then changed into a pair of leggings, a long tunic dress, and a pair of brown boots. Kate was applying a layer of light makeup when I emerged. She’d changed into a long blond wig, jeans, a cute pink shirt, and a pair of shiny black stiletto heels. After giving one last swipe of mascara, she tossed the tube into her own cosmetics bag, which she then stowed in her leather duffel bag on the bed. She gave me a questioning look. “What?”

  “What’s up with the Texas girl look?” I asked.

  She grinned. “Maybe I am a Texas girl.”

  “And I’m the Queen of Sheba.”

  She made a production of curtseying. “Good morning, your majesty.”

  I shook my head, wondering what she was up to now. “I’m ready to go when you are.”

  Her brow shot up. “No makeup?”

  “What’s the point?” I asked, slipping the strap of my bag over my shoulder.

  “Girl-next-door look,” Kate said with a laugh as she headed for the door. “I like it.”

  “We’re not coming back here, so be sure not to leave anything behind,” she added as she walked out, leaving me to follow and carry both of my bags.

  “How’d you get me inside the hotel room?” I asked as we walked outside. The sun hadn’t risen and half the overhead lights in the parking lot didn’t work. Her blond wig and girly-girl outfit were throwing me for a loop. She looked like a completely different person.

  “I roofied you,” she said. “Which means you were mobile with a lot of coaxing. You just don’t remember it.”

  “No wonder I’m exhausted.” Then a new thought hit me. “Did you take photos of me in compromising positions?”

  She rolled her eyes as she opened the trunk of her car. “You woke up fully clothed. What do you think?”

  While she hadn’t answered the question, I didn’t actually think she’d do something like that. It was too much like what Branson had done to me, and she’d made him pay for his crimes.

  When I opened the front passenger door, the bottle of tea sat in the cup holder, mocking me. I dumped the contents onto the parking lot before tossing the bottle in a trash can.

  When I got inside, Kate was grinning like a fool.

  “You better wipe that smirk right off your face, Kate Simmons,” I grumbled, in no mood to put up with her smart-ass bull crap.

  “I love your spunk. That’s your Simmons blood, through and through.”

  I wasn’t about to argue with her, especially since I suspected she was right. “I need a bottle of water that I buy for myself.”

  “I’ll do you one better. I’m buyin’ you breakfast, remember?”

  I shot her a dark look but remained silent.

  She drove across town, passing Baylor University’s dark campus, which seemed to be out of our way. I was sure this outing had a purpose, but I was in too bad of a mood to ask. The café she parked next to looked pretty unremarkable, not the kind of place you’d go out of your way to visit.

  “I suspect we’re at this particular restaurant for a reason,” I said over the top of the car as we both got out.

  “You’re a perceptive one,” she said with a grin, then headed inside, leaving me to follow.

  She beelined for a booth and, once we sat, slid a laminated menu out from between the two napkin dispensers and handed it to me. I noticed she didn’t take one for herself.

  An older waitress with a cheery smile walked over. “Hey, how’ve you been?”

  My eyes widened and Kate shot me a wink.

  “I had to bring Mindy to try your pancakes,” Kate said with a full-on Texas accent and a sweet smile. “Best in the whole doggone state.”

  The waitress beamed and I couldn’t help staring at Kate in disbelief. Who was this woman? What was she up to?

  “So two bear specials?” the waitress asked.

  “Yep,” Kate said good-naturedly. “Both with bacon. One with scrambled eggs, the other sunny side over.”

  Scrambled eggs were my favorite, but I was so used to her being in my head, it was starting to lose its startling effect.

  The waitress patted Kate’s shoulder. “Just like your sunny personality. Coffee?”

  “Gallons of it,” I said. “And water.”

  The waitress’s smile faded at my bluntness, but she quickly recovered and headed to the back to turn in our orders.

  “Are we in a Black Mirror episode?” I asked, glancing around for signs that I was in an alternate universe. “Or am I hallucinating from the drugs you gave me?”

  Kate snorted. “Rohypnol won’t make you hallucinate,” she said nonchalantly as she returned the menu she hadn’t let me use to its spot. Then she added, “Not this long after taking it.”

  “Well, that makes me feel all sorts of better.”

  Her dark gaze held mine. “Do you want answers or not?”

  “You know I do. It’s the games I don’t like.”

  “It’s a story, sister, and it’s my story to tell, so you’ll follow along like a good girl or you can go back home and make babies with that sexy man who won’t give me the time of day.” She tilted her head, her smile mocking again. “Oh, that’s right. You can’t have babies. So you might as well stick around.”

  Anger burned in my gut, but I truly believed she had information to share. She just wanted to make a production of it.

  I put my elbow on the table and stared out the window, the first hints of pink on the horizon, and waited. Kate would tell me in her own sweet time.

  We were silent when the waitress brought our waters and a carafe of coffee, along with half and half, which she claimed to know that Kate liked.

  Kate turned over her coffee cup, filled it, and turned mine over too. She held the carafe over it, as if to pour, then stopped herself. “Oh, silly me. Is this against our new rules?”

  Shooting daggers at her, I jerked the carafe from her and poured my own coffee.

  “I’m not going to drug you, Neely Kate,” she said, then added “again” with an amused laugh.

  I narrowed my gaze on her. “Nevertheless…”

  She chuckled as she poured half and half into her coffee. “Smart girl. Wonderin’ why we’re here?”

  “It’s your story,” I said, doctoring my coffee with several small containers of flavored creamer from a bowl next to the napkin dispenser. “I’m just waitin’ for you to tell it.”

  The look in her eyes told me my answer pleased her. She took another sip, then said, “Once upon a time, several young men went to college near here.”

  “Imagine that,” I snarked, my bad mood flaring. “Young men attending a large university.”<
br />
  Her eyes flashed with anger. “Watch your tone, Neely Kate.”

  I started to offer a retort, but the waitress was carrying our food over from the kitchen. Hunger won out and I decided challenging her could wait. The waitress set our plates in front of us, then came back with ketchup for our hash browns and maple syrup for our pancakes.

  “Thanks, Mary,” Kate said in her fake accent again. “Looks delish.”

  “You enjoy, Andrea.” She gave me an appraising look, seemed to find me wanting, then headed to a table of newly arrived customers.

  “Andrea?” I asked in disbelief.

  She shrugged.

  Kate had obviously been here before in her Texas blonde persona, the question was why. Did she plan to tell me?

  Five minutes later, Kate finally said, “As I mentioned before I was rudely interrupted, several specific young men went to school here around thirty-five years ago. Anthony Roberts and Arthur Manchester were fast friends who joined one of those good ol’ boys’ fraternities.”

  Arthur Manchester. Jed had looked into him. although he hadn’t found out much more than could be learned by looking the man up on Wikipedia. Whoever they paid to keep things quiet deserved to keep their job. My stomach clenched at the mention of the father of the man I’d killed. “At a Christian school?”

  She grinned. “You’re so cute when you act sweet and innocent.”

  I frowned as I took a bite of my bacon.

  “Tony and Art, they were ready to take on the world, but just because they went to a Christian university doesn’t mean they planned to do it the Christian way.” She shrugged and picked up her coffee cup. “Or maybe they did if you take the Crusades into consideration.”

  No longer hungry, I rested my fork on the edge of my plate and reached for my water.

  She grinned, enjoying my reaction. “Those youngsters had grand plans. Arthur Manchester took over his own father’s petroleum business, and Tony launched a career as a venture capitalist. After a rough start, they both found their way. The mid-eighties were booming, and the nineties were even better, but then the early aughts hit, and Tony was nailed hard. He got caught up in the dot.com collapse and lost a shit ton of money,” she said as she sawed into her pancake stack with gusto. “Cocaine was still big, and he wanted to make some quick cash to fund a new startup he thought was a sure bet. He figured he’d kill two birds with one stone—have his hands in two pies, and all those other clichés. He’d have his new venture capitalist company and a slice of the shady drug underworld.” She took a sip of her coffee and grinned. “Although the two aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive.”