Teeth gritted, she offered, “The next time we’re all together, you can say the blessing.”
Josh reached across the table and took her hand. “One can only hope there will be many times we are all together” Beth rolled her eyes and jerked her hand out of his grasp.
Nina stood and dumped her food in the bowl on the counter, then placed her plate in the sink. “I’m going to clean the pool house. We have new guests coming today.”
The moment she disappeared through the door everyone looked at Grant. Beth asked, “Is everything okay?”
Instead of answering, he replied, “Please excuse me.” He stood and went in search of Nina.
He opened the door to the pool house and found her in one of the two bedrooms stripping the sheets off the bed. He took her hand and pulled her into the chaise lounge chair against the wall. “I haven’t made up my mind what I’m going to do, Nina.” Should he tell her he loved her? In the end he decided it wasn’t the wise thing to do. “I have strong feelings for you. You are an incredible young woman. Problem is I won’t marry if I go back to Iraq. It is not the kind of life I want for you, always worrying if I’ll be killed or injured.”
She cupped her hand against his cheek. “I understand, Grant. I’ll be okay.” Lips pressed against his, she hugged his neck. “Let’s just enjoy what time we have left. Whatever decision you make, I just want you to know the past eleven days have been the best of my life. You have showed me passion and happiness.”
“Nina, are you going to walk me out?”
Both glanced up to find Beth standing in the doorway. “Sure.” Nina stood, tucked her arm into Beth’s, and led her outside. Grant watched from the window as they said their goodbyes. A conversation ensued and he wished he could hear what they were saying. Nina hugged Beth then Lacy. They climbed into the compact car and drove away. Minutes passed as Nina stood in one spot staring off into space. Grant felt like shit. He had caused that pain.
****
The next day Grant parked his Camaro at the location his Uncle Tate said to meet him. An FBI agent pulled up in a cream colored SUV, lowered the passenger window, and asked, “Are you Grant Wilson?”
Grant nodded his head. “Get in and I’ll take you to the murder site. You won’t be able to get there in your car.”
Grant opened the door and slid into the seat. The conversation was strained because he wasn’t in a mood for small talk. Too much plagued his mind. After approximately a mile of driving, he understood the need for the four-wheel drive. The road was full of ruts and mudholes. Limbs scratched at the sides of the SUV.
Another mile and a half of driving and they arrived at the crime scene where the Mendez sons and men were murdered. The marijuana crop had been burned to the ground and so had the crime scene. Charred tents and a burned out camper were the only things left. The acrid stench of pot was still strong. Crime scene investigators scoured the ground looking for any shred of evidence to connect Randal Collins to the crime. Several casings were gathered in hopes they would find some fingerprints.
When his uncle saw him, he left the FBI agent he had been having a conversation with and hurried to his side. “We have some evidence.” Obviously excited he had a huge smile plastered on his face. “The bug Josh planted in the pool house gave us what we needed. Clay had a conversation with Randal Collins before he attempted to kill you. The only thing we have is Clay talking, but from his dialog it is obvious Collins put a hit on you. All we need is Clay’s phone. We didn’t find it when we checked the pool house so that means Mel or Callie may have taken it. I’ve got an officer picking them up now.” He placed his hand on Grant’s shoulder and squeezed. “It’s just a matter of time and Collins will be behind bars.”
“Glad to hear it. I don’t guess I have to tell you how worried I’ve been.” Grant watched the many detectives as they scoured the burned out tents and terrain for evidence.
“Next we are going to raid the marijuana site on Miss Reynolds’ land. Would you like to accompany us?’
“I don’t think so.” Reporters would be all over the story so he didn’t want Nina to see his face plastered all over newspapers before he could explain everything to her. It was possible it might even make the evening news. “It’s obvious I can do nothing here. I’m going back to Nina’s until you have apprehended Randal Collins. I worry he might do something to harm her.”
“I’ve posted several men in the woods in case Collins sends another hit man. It’s possible he might hire a professional this time.” A huge smile split Uncle Tate’s face. “We couldn’t have done this without you son.”
Grant took the hand his uncle offered. “No problem. It’s been a great distraction, just what I needed.”
“When I have everything wrapped up here, I would love to talk to you about working for the FBI. You’d make a great agent.”
It wouldn’t hurt to hear what he had to say. Just in case he decided not to go back to the Marines, it was nice to know he had other options. “Sure, call me and we’ll have dinner when you’ve got the time.”
“Agent James!” The agent that drove him to the site hurried over to Uncle Tate. “Please take Grant back to his car.” He slapped Grant on the back. “This whole ugly mess is almost over. A huge part of our success is owed to you.”
As he walked toward the SUV with James, he thought about Nina. Memories of the times he made love with her surfaced and he could hardly breathe. Beautiful, strong Nina. It was cruel beyond measure that he had fallen in love with her. Crueler still was the fact she was in love with him. Guilt and pain enclosed around him and he was powerless to fight his way out of it. He opened the door and slid into the seat. He rested his head on the back of the seat and took several deep breaths. Furious with himself, he worried what came next as they bumped and dipped over the road that wasn’t fit for travel.
He would have to tell Nina the truth. Just the thought of confessing his reason for coming to Twelve Oaks in the first place caused an intense pain around his heart. He raked back his hair and tried to focus on the road. How was he going to make her understand he never meant to hurt her?
****
Nina nervously clutched the towels as she crossed the yard and entered the front room of the barn. An hour ago she watched from the kitchen window as Grant and Josh had a serious conversation. Something was going on and she wished she knew what secrets they were keeping from her. She saw Grant open his trunk and hand Josh a folder then he drove off. Curious, she had to know what was in that folder. For some reason she felt it contained information that pertained to her.
The door to the bedroom was ajar so Nina pushed it open and stepped into the room. Everything was neat and in its place. She placed the clean towels on the bed. She opened the top drawer of the dresser but found nothing but clothes. In the second drawer she found a pistol tucked beneath a neat stack of tee shirts which she presumed belonged to Josh. She opened the bottom drawer to find several folders with the word confidential typed in huge, black bold letters on each one.
Her hands shook as she took out the top folder and placed it on the bed. Should she open it to see what was inside? Seconds ticked by as she stared at the folder. She sat on the edge of the bed and flipped the folder open. Her picture was the first thing she saw. She felt an intense pain as if she had been struck by lightning. Why would Grant have a picture of her in a file? Under the picture was a map. She unfolded it and recognized it as an area map of her land. On the south end an area was circled and labeled marijuana site. She was shocked. Who was growing pot on her land?
****
By the time he drove past the twelve oaks that lined the last leg of the mile long drive, his heart was pounding. He parked by the old blue truck and got out. With slow deliberate steps he made his way to the garden to look for Nina. He didn’t see her anywhere. Hearing the four-wheeler in the distance, he watched Josh clear the rise with several bushel baskets of okra on the trailer. His brother parked the four-wheeler in the shade of the enormous oak beside the barn.
>
“Have you seen Nina?”
“Not since early this morning. She said she’d help me gather the okra and tomatoes but she never showed.” Grant looked at his watch. It was one o’clock and she should be helping with the crops.
Josh got off the four-wheeler and sat the baskets off the trailer. “What’d you find out about the Mendez killings?”
“Uncle Tate has a warrant out for Collins. The bugs you planted in the pool house did the trick. Clay received a phone call from Collins telling him to kill me. Hopefully he’ll be in custody soon.”
“Then why are you so glum? News like that should have you smiling from ear to ear.”
Grant raked his hands through his hair. “I have to tell Nina the truth. Now that Collins will be arrested, the whole story will come out that he has been growing marijuana on her land. It’ll be in the newspapers tomorrow, possibly the evening news at six o’clock.” He pulled his shirt to his nose. He needed to change his clothes because the pungent smell of marijuana clung to his shirt and shorts making him feel a little lightheaded. “I’m going to change before I speak to Nina. Maybe she’s in the house.”
He crossed the yard and entered the front room of the barn. The door to the bedroom was open. He stepped inside to see Nina sitting on the bed surrounded by the folders his Uncle Tate gave him to look over. Now he wished he would have left them in the trunk of his car. A look of confusion on her face, she peered up at him. “What is all this?”
He dropped to his knees and took her hands into his. “I can explain.”
She jerked her hands away from him and balled them into fists. “I’m waiting for an explanation.”
He stood and began to pace the room as he talked. “After I got out of the hospital my Uncle Tate came for a visit. He asked me to come here and help him with a case.” He drew in a deep breath having trouble with the words that he knew would devastate her. He jammed his hands into his pockets and moved to the window. He peered out at the gorgeous farm to help calm his nerves. Squaring his shoulders, he turned and gazed at her gorgeous face. “Marijuana is being grown on your property and my uncle sent me here to find out if you knew.”
The whole time he had been talking she never looked his way. Suddenly her gaze riveted on him. “There is no marijuana being grown on my land. You must be mistaken. Someone is making up lies.”
“I have seen it myself. On the south side of your property there is a huge crop worth millions of dollars.”
She pressed a hand to her temple and began to massage. The pain in her eyes spoke volumes. She took several deep breaths. “You thought I knew? You thought I was involved with drug dealers?” A sickly color of gray, he feared she would faint. Her hands gripped the quilt on the bed. “I swear I did not know.”
He crossed the room and stopped in front of her. “I know that. I told my uncle you knew nothing of the marijuana.” He put his hands out in front of him. “Randal Collins is responsible.”
She looked fragile as she sat there digesting the information. She shook her head from side to side as if she didn’t believe him. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I have pictures of him at the site.” Hands over her face, she began to shake. He leaned over and gripped her arms. “The FBI is about to charge him. He is going to go to jail for a long time.” He decided not to tell her he might be going to jail for murder. She was having enough trouble with the fact the man she once dated was growing marijuana on her land.
With a strength he didn’t know she possessed, she pushed him away. “Don’t touch me.” Her pain had turned to anger. So much rage showed in her eyes, he took a step back. “All this time you have been investigating me?”
His heart thudded as the seconds ticked by. He didn’t know how to answer her question without making himself look like a scoundrel. “No, I knew you were not involved. I have been going out to the site gathering evidence.”
“I want to know the truth. Everything you discovered during your dirty little investigation.” She rummaged through the folders until she found what she was looking for. She gripped the file on Clay Myers in her hand. “Why was he staying in the pool house when he was a criminal? Why do you have a file on him?”
“Randal Collins sent him to kill me. He was Collins’ cousin.”
She pressed her eyes shut and took several deep breaths. Pale as a sheet she opened her eyes and gave him a direct stare. “Was?”
“He’s dead. The day the animals escaped was Clay’s doing. He let them go to get me alone. I shot him.” A hand flew to her heart and she gasped. Before he lost his nerve he spit out the rest of the story. “The six shots you heard were Josh and me defending ourselves. They tried to ambush us. We killed Mark and Clay. Tim was wounded.”
A cold tremor shot through her. “How did you get rid of the bodies?”
“My Uncle Tate sent some agents to pick up the bodies and take Tim to the hospital since he was only wounded.”
The room was deathly quiet as she digested all the information. It was a lot to take in at one time. She looked as if she would faint. “Did you sleep with me to gain information? Did you screw me hoping I would tell you that I was growing pot on my land?” Tears slipped over her cheeks. She wiped them away with the back of her hand. Even though she looked as if she would drop at any minute, she stood and faced him. “Get off my property.”
He took her arms and brought her to his chest. “I never planned to sleep with you. I wanted you more than I thought possible. I was weak and gave in to my needs. I knew it was wrong to make love to you, to take your virginity but I couldn’t stop myself. Then once I had you, I wanted you again.” The pain was excruciating. He had made some huge errors and now he was paying for those mistakes.
She closed her eyes as if she couldn’t look him in the face. “I don’t believe you. You used me. I want you to leave my house this instant.”
With a finger under her chin, he forced her to look at him. “I can’t leave. Collins has not been arrested yet. You could be in danger.”
A strangled sound of distress erupted from her throat. “Take you hands off me.”
The words were said with such malice, he released his hold on her. He fisted his hands and began to prowl the room. “Please trust me, Nina. Collins is a dangerous man. I cannot on good conscience leave you without protection. I’m already torn with guilt.”
“It is you he wants to kill, not me. You brought this danger to my doorstep. If you wouldn’t have come, he would never have had a reason to hurt me. It is you he hates.”
He rounded on her and grasped her shoulders. “I’m sorry you feel this way, but I will not leave you knowing he might do something. The man is sick and feels the law cannot touch him. It is possible his father is also involved.”
Now he felt he had no other choice but to tell her about the murders. It was the only way to make her understand how serious the situation was. “Randal Collins is a suspect in several murders. An undercover FBI agent was killed. My uncle thinks he gave the order to have him murdered. Night before last several men were killed at another marijuana growing operation fifty miles from where Collins is growing pot on your land. My uncle suspects Collins was involved. He may have even helped in the murders.” His throat knotted with emotion. “Let me stay until Collins is behind bars and then I’ll leave.”
Strong fists started hitting his chest. Tears rolled over her cheeks. “No, I want you out of my life now. I’ll never trust you. You came here, gained my trust, made love to me. None of it meant anything to you.” She pushed away from him. “I can’t believe I was so stupid.”
Grant realized nothing he could say would change her mind. She needed time to calm down. He turned, gripped the doorknob, and opened the door. Behind him he could hear her pitiful cries. Before he stepped across the threshold, he offered, “I do have feelings for you, Nina. It did mean something to me.” Without looking back he shut the door.
She fell to the floor the instant the door shut. A cry escaped her lips as her life f
ell apart. She knew when she started the relationship with him there were no promises. Yet, she couldn’t help her feelings. She loved him.
All the years she waited for the perfect man and she fell in love with a heartless bastard. He came to Twelve Oaks with the pretense of needing time to heal after being injured in Iran. In reality he came to spy, to snoop into her life to see if she was a drug dealer. She placed her hand to her chest, to her shattered heart. Last night he made love to her and the memory was so vivid in her mind. The tender touches, the tender words. All of them were lies.
It took some effort but she pushed herself off the floor. On shaky legs she stumbled to the house. Struggling to compose herself, she gripped the phone on the kitchen counter and punched in Beth’s number. The only person who could help her through the pain and grief was her sister.
Chapter Seventeen
Grant grimaced when Beth pulled up in front of the house. For the past three hours he had sat staring out the window waiting for Nina to come out. He felt it would be better to talk to her away from the house. The tomatoes needed picking and he was surprised she wasn’t already in the fields.
Long, angry strides took the gorgeous red head to the door quickly. She opened the door and disappeared inside. “Beth’s here.”
Josh turned the TV off, slipped off the bed, and moved to his brother’s side. “That one has a fiery temper to match her hair. I hope she doesn’t shoot you. I think I’ll go check on the horses.”
Grant grabbed Josh’s arm holding him in place. “Don’t you leave me. You know how close Nina and Beth are.”
Josh struggled to get free. “I don’t want to get wounded in the crossfire. I got a feelin’ Beth would kill to protect Nina and Lacy. I’d rather go a round with you than have an angry woman breathing down my neck.”
About that time Beth slammed the front door of the house and marched toward the barn. Grant stood and wished he could hide. He sure dreaded the confrontation he knew was coming. He pushed Josh toward the door. “Let’s meet her on the porch. That way if we have to run we’ll have a better chance of getting away.” While he was trying to make light of the situation, he was a little scared. Many times he had faced a dangerous enemy while in Iraq and Iran, but he feared Beth even more.
Whispers of the Falls: Book one (Twelve Oaks Farm Series 1) Page 20
