Protective Custody

by Wynter Daniels

  Megan gripped the phone tighter. “Gram, Mama’s gone. It’s me, Megan.”

  “Well, of course it is. Don’t sass me like I’m an imbecile, you hear?”

  She bit her tongue to keep from saying something she’d regret. “I was hoping you would give Will a chance. He’s nothing like my father, and I’m not my mother.”

  Silence.

  “Gram?”

  “I’m here.”

  Oh God. No, please. “Are you crying, Gram?”

  She sniffled. “I just don’t understand how you can hurt me like this.”

  How many times had Gram spoken those words? Every time Megan had bent any rule, not scored a perfect grade on a test or forgotten to complete some chore, her grandmother turned on the tears and fed her a heaping spoonful of guilt. But she was a grown woman now, one who had to make her own decisions.

  I refuse to buy in.

  “Couldn’t you at least wait until I die before you break my heart?”

  That one stung more than the others, but if she didn’t stand up to her now, she never would. “Please don’t say things like that to me, Gram. I love Will, and I want to be with him. He’s so good to me. I wish you could be happy for me.”

  “Well, that ain’t never gonna happen. You’re breaking this old woman’s heart.”

  She swallowed the hurt. “I’m sorry you feel that way. I love you, and I hope you can get past this, Gram. I’ll come see you soon.” She disconnected. She might be battered and bruised, but she was stronger for it. She sucked in a deep breath. Next she had to come clean with Will about his mother’s ugly rant. After dropping her phone into her purse, she started out of the room, but the sight in the hallway froze her in her tracks.

  A snake with red, black and yellow stripes stretched from the bathroom doorway to the bedroom, at least four feet. Having lived in Florida her whole life, she’d seen coral snakes before, but only from a safe distance. She held perfectly still, afraid to utter a sound for fear the deadly vermin would slither toward her. It lifted its black head and turned in her direction.

  Panic seized her throat, but she managed one word. “Will!” Only, her voice came out hoarse and weak. The wooden swing on the porch creaked, and her hope disintegrated. The snake was inches from her, and she didn’t dare back away. Its black eyes stared right at her. She reached inside her mind to remember what she’d learned about coral snakes in junior high.

  “Red on yellow, kill a fellow. Red on black, venom lack.”

  She stifled her gasp when she observed the red-on-yellow pattern of the snake’s stripes.

  Without warning, it slid down the hall toward the living room. She carefully grasped the doorjamb for support as relief took root. She inched back into the room and eased the door shut, then grabbed a pillow off the bed and shoved it between the bottom of the door and the floor.

  I have to tell Will.

  But before she could get out her cell, a deafening blast filled the air.

  A gunshot!

  ***

  Ed hung up after talking to Will and pounded his fist on the steering wheel. That bastard Jarity had promised he wasn’t going to hurt Megan. It was only sheer luck that Will had managed to get her out of the cottage before the place went up in flames. Jarity had meant to kill her, all right. Maybe both of them.

  “Bastard!” he shouted in the silent car. Jarity was nothing but a double-crossing thug and a murderer.

  Will was a good investigator, and it was only a matter of time before he figured out Jarity had strangled that girl. God only knew if he was involved with the other murdered girl. Could be a coincidence, but his gut told him the killer might be one of Jarity’s slimy cronies or even his brother.

  If Jarity was arrested and questioned, he had no doubt the bastard would drag everyone he could down with him.

  Including me.

  He gritted his teeth. Why had he ever agreed to help him?

  He turned into one of the warehouse complexes south of downtown and backed in next to a trash bin. The spot gave him a perfect view of the rear door of the storage building one of his clients owned. If he was lucky, he wouldn’t have to wait too long to catch a glimpse of whoever had been stealing inventory from his client. Then again, the longer it took, the more money he made.

  He reached across the seat and dug inside the fast-food bag for the burger and fries. But after his first greasy bite, his stomach lurched. Disgusted, he shoved the food back into the bag. Between Jarity’s shit and his wife’s lies, he’d have another ulcer by the end of the week.

  Veronica probably wouldn’t speak to him for days, but she’d get over it. She’d given him the silent treatment before on the rare occasions he’d denied her something.

  He’d never forced her to finish screwing him before. Bad enough she was stashing away money and lying to him. He wouldn’t have her torturing him sexually anymore.

  With any luck, he’d have her under control in a month, maybe two. She’d have to understand this was for her own good. Last thing he wanted was to live his retirement in the poorhouse.

  Christ, he’d probably be ninety before he could get his head above water enough to stop working. If Jarity didn’t give him a fucking heart attack in the meantime.

  Jarity. Too bad the asshole hadn’t managed to set himself on fire instead of that cottage.

  The back door of the warehouse opened, and a young woman stepped outside. Ed picked up his camera and zoomed in as she glanced both ways, then nodded to someone inside.

  This one would be easy.

  The woman held open the door as a gray-haired man, his arms loaded with a large box, struggled through. Then she helped him stash the goods inside a minivan. Ed shot a dozen pictures as the couple filled the vehicle with stolen property.

  As he swallowed the last of his now-cold dinner and packed up his camera, his cell rang. He stiffened at the sight of Jarity’s name on the caller ID and steeled himself. “I don’t like being lied to, Jarity.”

  “Well, hello to you too, Ed.”

  Smug bastard. He rolled his shoulders to relieve the aching muscles in his neck. “You said you only wanted to frighten her.”

  “Have you heard something?”

  How could the fucker be so calm after what he’d done? “Yeah, I heard something. Will told me someone set fire to the cottage. You could have killed them both.”

  Jarity groaned. “Sorry to hear they’re both still with us.”

  He shook with rage. “You promised me. You said you only wanted to frighten her. Well, she’s frightened all right. Now you can leave her the hell alone.”

  “Where are you now?”

  He knit his brow. “Why?”

  “We need to talk. In person.”

  Much as he hated to go anywhere near the bastard, he wasn’t a hundred percent comfortable having this discussion over the phone. He’d spent too much of his law enforcement career listening in on other people’s conversations to trust unsecured phone lines. “I’m in the warehouse district off Old Springs Road.”

  “Good. I’m not far from there myself. Meet me at the corner of Old Springs and High Avenue. I’m driving my wife’s white Caddy today. I’ll be parked behind the abandoned gas station.”

  “Fine. Give me ten minutes.” He disconnected, then reached into the glove box for a bottle of antacid. The chalky liquid quieted the burning in his gut. If Jarity reneged on their deal, he’d kill him. For the first time in his life, he meant that. Without Jarity’s hundred grand, he was sunk.

  Minutes later he steered into the abandoned gas station. He got out and stretched his legs, shook off some of the stiffness and tension as he waited.

  Jarity pulled in, then lowered the passenger window. “Get in.” He pushed open the door.

  Bolstered by the cold steel of the gun under his jacket, he climbed into the vehicle. The scent of a floral air freshener nearly bowled him over.

  Jarity had a toothpick between his lips and was wearing dark sunglasses that completely obscured
his eyes. “Thanks for meeting me, Ed. I’m going to need you to do something else for me.”

  This bastard was unbelievable. “I told you I wasn’t going to help you kill anyone. You promised me you wouldn’t hurt anybody.”

  He chuckled. “And unfortunately I didn’t. I gather the lovely lady and her boyfriend will need new accommodations, right?”

  Ed’s mouth went dry. How could he give away their new location when he was now positive Jarity planned to kill Megan?

  I won’t do it.

  He’d known Will for nearly ten years, he was like a son to him. Sure, the kid was getting too involved with Megan, but that didn’t mean Ed wanted to see her dead. His stomach churned with fear and disgust. “Megan hasn’t pointed a finger at you up to this point. What makes you think she will? You’ve gotten away with murder, why chance it again?” Maybe he’d even killed that kid up in Gainesville, or at least had something to do with her death.

  Jarity pulled the toothpick from his mouth and turned toward Ed. “It’s only a matter of time before someone connects me to the property where Megan saw me. She might not know who I am, but I’m willing to bet she’ll be able to identify me. I’m not about to take that chance.”

  “Well, you’re out of luck. Will didn’t divulge where he was taking her this time. Said he wasn’t sharing that information with anybody.”

  Jarity leaned toward him, an evil grin on his lips. “Never shit a shitter, Ed. I’m paying you a lot of money, and I’m not asking much.”

  Ed’s heart thudded. “Way I recall things, you’re paying me to keep my mouth shut about finding you dressed like a ninja trying to break into Megan’s house.”

  Jarity grabbed Ed’s collar and twisted it until Ed could hardly breathe. “You’re asking an awful lot of me, Dawkins. You want me to keep my business with your company at that steep rate hike, give you a big chunk of change and keep tabs on your whore of a wife.”

  Son of a bitch. He shoved Jarity off.

  Shit. What choice did he have? If his business went under, he’d lose everything, including Veronica. “They’re going to a cabin near the Ocala National Forest.”

  “I’m glad you came to your senses.” Jarity smoothed a hand over his hair. “And something else. I mean, a hundred grand is a lot of money, right?”

  “What the fuck else, Jarity?” Bile bubbled up and burned Ed’s throat.

  “I’m going to want you to get the boyfriend out of there when I say so. Or incapacitate him.”

  “So you can kill her? No way, Jarity. No fucking way. I won’t be an accessory to murder.”

  “Ed, Ed, do you have any other choice? Let’s be realistic.”

  The air grew stifling. He straightened his tie. “Actually I do. Who do you think the cops would believe? A guy who owns a bunch of shady businesses or one of their own?”

  Jarity pointed at him and laughed. “Good one. But we both know you’d never implicate yourself.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny microphone. “Technology is amazing these days, don’t you think? This is the Ultramini 2000. It’s battery powered and records from a remote location.” He shook his head. “Incredible.”

  All the blood drained from Ed’s face.

  “Check this out.” He opened a console between the seats and fished out a yellow envelope no bigger than a lottery ticket. “Pharmacist friend of mine in Pensacola gave me this. It’s a brand-new sleeping medication. Ten times stronger than anything else on the market. Gets into the bloodstream fast, but it only stays in the body a short time, so there’s no trace of it after a few hours. It’s some powerful shit.” He handed the packet to Ed. “Great, huh? There are three doses in powder form. Easier to swallow in say, a drink.” He shrugged. “Sometimes I have trouble sleeping. Thought it might come in handy if your buddy gives you a hard time about leaving his girl alone.”

  How had his life boiled down to this? In all his years as a cop he’d been so committed to doing the right thing. He’d bent the rules, but only in the name of putting away a bad guy or two.

  Thanks to his addiction to a beautiful woman, he was in debt up to his eyeballs and he’d committed about a dozen crimes to protect her. He had no choice but to do whatever Jarity asked.

  He was a hundred percent fucked.

  Chapter Eleven

  A split second after he fired his weapon, Will realized Megan would be terrified. He started inside, but she charged out the door, and they collided.

  Her eyes were wide and her mouth agape. “The snake? Are you all right?” Her gaze quickly tracked down his body, then back to his face.

  He holstered his forty-five, then grasped her shoulders. “I’m fine. Everything’s okay.” He tipped his chin at what was left of the poisonous creature.

  She cringed. “It was in the hallway, and I couldn’t do anything. I swear, I thought it was going to get me.”

  “Damn thing slithered right out the front door,” he said. “I wonder how the hell it got inside.” He settled his arm around her shoulder. “I’m sorry. If I’d known…”

  “How could you?” She leaned into him. “Did you make your call?”

  “Sure did. This guy crawled along the porch, probably to say hi, but he got too friendly. I heard him before I saw him, and he was inches from my feet.” He lifted her chin and kissed her lips. “It’s okay, baby. I’m sure I scared away all the rest of the snakes within a mile.” Probably not, but she didn’t need to hear that. “I heard you speaking to your grandmother. How is she?”

  “Can we go inside? I don’t want to run into any more snakes.”

  He threaded his fingers through hers and went into the cabin with her. Gingerly she helped him peel away the covers from the sofa and chairs, afraid she’d find another snake. They sat on the couch facing the dark fireplace.

  Her complexion had paled, and a web of fine lines had formed around her eyes. “How’s your grandmother?”

  “She’s all right. But I have to tell you something.” She chewed at the corner of her mouth.

  His chest tightened. “What’s wrong?”

  “I should have told you this a long time ago, but I…I never wanted you to get hurt, Will.”

  He took her hand. “Whatever it is, it’ll be okay.” But his gut churned.

  She drew a deep breath, then broke contact and slid away from him. “You remember the night I broke up with you?”

  The air grew cooler at the memory, but he schooled his expression. “Of course.”

  As if I could ever forget.

  “I hadn’t planned to end things that night, hadn’t planned to end them at all.”

  “Then why did you? I thought everything was going fine. Then we went back to your place, and you gave me the boot.”

  “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, Will.” She swiped away a fat tear from under her eye. “After dessert your mother asked me to go with her to the ladies’ room.”

  “And?”

  “And she told me she’d never welcome me to your family. That I was totally unsuitable for you. That she’d cut you out of your trust fund if you married me.”

  “No. No goddamn way.” He had to be hearing her wrong. His mother had a controlling nature, but she’d never deliberately sabotage his happiness.

  Would she?

  He flew off the couch to pace the floor, a storm of emotions swirling inside him.

  “I’m sorry, Will. I should have told you. But I didn’t want to be responsible for you losing your family. And your fortune.”

  He barely heard a word. How dare his mother fuck with his life? “Son of a bitch!”

  His cell rang. Trying to contain his anger, he took out his phone. “It’s Ed. I have to take this.” He drew a deep breath. “Hey. What’s up?”

  “I’m working a new angle on the case.”

  “Yeah?” He glanced at Megan and winced at the tearstains on her cheeks.

  “I need to speak to you. In person.”

  “I’m two hours from home, buddy. How do you pro
pose to do that?”

  “I’m aware. I had a deposition in Gainesville this morning. I was less than an hour away from you guys, so I took a detour on my way back.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Bet your ass I am.”

  “You know I can’t leave Megan alone.”

  “Just for a few minutes. I’m not far from your folks’ place. She’ll be fine for a few minutes. Nobody knows your location.”

  He paced the floor, torn. Megan’s safety had to come first. He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Sorry, Ed. I can’t.”

  “You know me, kid. I wouldn’t ask unless it was important.”

  “I understand, but can’t you tell me over the phone? This guy just made a play for her this morning. I’m not letting her out of my sight.”

  A long sigh. “Look, I’m right up the road. I’ll be there in about two minutes.”

  “You’re that close?”

  “Holy cow. Sweet cabin.”

  Will opened the door as Ed parked his sedan.

  Talk about lousy timing.

  He disconnected and turned to tell Megan, but she was a blur as she ran out of the room.

  Shit.

  He trod toward Ed.

  Ed emerged from his car, carrying a four-pack of iced tea.

  “I love a man who comes bearing gifts.”

  Ed grinned. “I figured you kids didn’t have a lot of supplies. It’s the least I could do.”

  They shook hands, and Will offered to take the bottles. “No way. I get to meet your lady first.”

  Would Megan even come out to say hello? His head started aching.

  Passing the remnants of the snake, Ed winced. “Jesus. You just kill that thing?”

  “A few minutes ago. Come on inside.” His gut constricted as he led his friend into the cabin. He desperately wanted to continue his conversation with Megan, but it would have to wait until Ed left.

  “Okay if we sit here?” Ed asked, gesturing at the small dining table.

  “Yeah, sure.” He glanced toward the hallway. “Megan, Ed’s here.” When he got no response, he shrugged. “Let me go get her. I’ll be right back.”