Hill Country Hero (11 page)

CiCi couldn’t believe she was sitting in Sheriff Johnson’s office, waiting to post bail for a bunch of juvenile delinquents. Thank goodness Jake and Greg were with her.

“You seem so calm. I’m a nervous wreck.” She couldn’t stop wringing her hands. The anxiety had to be hormonal. That was it, her estrogen was overstimulated.

Jake’s hands were folded across his stomach. “Looks can be deceiving.”

“How long do you think it will take to process the little idiots?”

“I hope it’s long enough to give them a scare. I suspect the good sheriff’s sick of seeing us. So—” He leaned forward as if he had something important to say but when the lawman returned he sat back.

“Ms. Hurst, Mr. Culpepper. I’m sorry to keep you waiting. I talked to our District Attorney. We decided to give the kids a warning.” He dropped a manila folder on his desk. “Lots of paperwork, you know. And I’m missing my soft bed. So you’re free to take them home. A word of caution, though. I don’t want to see them again. Ya’ hear?”

CiCi was willing to guarantee he wouldn’t. If Rondelle so much as sneezed in the next week and a half, he’d be on his way back to Houston. She was at her wits’ end with that boy.

“You won’t have any more trouble from us, I promise.” She sent a couple of prayers heavenward. One, that she wasn’t the biggest fool in central Texas. And two, that the little twit and his buddies would keep their noses clean and not make a liar out of her.

“Well, that’s about it. You can retrieve the boys from the desk sergeant.”

CiCi stood and extended her hand. “Thank you. I’ll keep an eye on them, I promise.”

Jake didn’t say a word. He didn’t have to. His frown said it all.

J
AKE DIDN’T WANT
to worry about sealed juvenile records, or hanging around a cop shop, waiting to bail anyone out. He’d extricated himself from that hole once and he didn’t intend to go for a repeat. His family was enough to deal with. Other people’s kids were
not
his problem.

And furthermore, Texas Bob could take his contract and cram it up his flabby white butt. If he didn’t realize how valuable Jake was to the team that was his loss.

The ride back to camp took forever. CiCi was trying to keep up the conversation but Jake wasn’t interested in talking. He was fed up with all the garbage.

All he wanted to do was pack his things and get back to his real life. And the first item on his new agenda was to cut Dwayne and Darrell loose. It was time for those boys to sink or swim.

Dwayne and Darrell had moved in with Jake and his mother in elementary school because their own mother was an on-again, off-again drug addict. She wasn’t capable of raising two rambunctious little kids so Jake’s mom had taken over the task, parenting the boys as though they were her own. Good old Darrell and Dwayne proved the adage that no good deed went unpunished.

Jake was out of the truck almost before it came to a stop. Reaming out Rondelle and crew would be his last act at Camp Touchdown.

“Get out. I have something to say.” He didn’t yell or curse or even act mad, but the teens got the message. All five boys jumped from the truck without a word. CiCi might be more inclined to hold hands and hum, but frankly he didn’t care what she’d learned in that fancy university. He was pissed off and tired of the whole mess.

“I’m only going to say this once, so I hope you get it,” Jake said, pacing up and down in front of the kids. “The path you’re following is going to get you killed. If you’re lucky, you’ll just get thrown in jail.” He put his hands on his hips. “We’re not talking juvenile detention. We’re talkin’ hard time. You may think it’s cool to be a wise guy, but believe me, it isn’t.”

Rondelle’s expression was stony. The other boys looked like they were about to hurl.

“Ms. Hurst and her family have given you a golden opportunity with this camp and you—” he pointed at each of the boys “—have thrown it in her face. The fact is you’re too stupid to be here. It’s not my decision to make, but if it was, I’d send you home right now. That way, someone who deserves it could take your place. That’s all I have to say.”

He turned to CiCi. “They’re all yours. I think I’ll call it a night. If they give you any trouble, just give me a yell. I wouldn’t mind having another little chat.” He shot the teens a fiendish smile. “Do you guys understand?”

The band of scoundrels nodded in unison.

“Good. I don’t appreciate anyone messin’ with a friend of mine. And I consider Ms. Hurst a friend. Got it?”

They responded with another round of nods.

Jake hadn’t even made it to his cabin before his cell chirped. When he checked the caller ID and saw that it was his agent,
his stomach clenched. Larry Quinn wouldn’t be calling him this late unless something bad had happened.

“What’s wrong?” Jake skipped the preambles.

“You’re not going to like this.”

“What I don’t like is when you start a conversation that way.” Jake rubbed the bridge of his nose. This day was giving him a major headache.

“Dwayne couldn’t get you, so he called me.” Larry didn’t bother to disguise his exasperation.

Jake’s first reaction was panic. Had something happened to his mom?

“I have his number blocked. What’s the problem?”

Larry paused. That was another bad omen. “Darrell’s in the Bexar County jail in San Antonio. It’s his third DUI.”

“Crap!” Jake exclaimed. He’d bailed the idiot out twice in the past year.

“Dwayne wants you to post a bond for him.”

Jake thought for a moment. It was time that his cousin discovered that breaking the law had consequences. “Do me a favor?”

“Name it and you’ve got it.”

“Would you call a criminal defense attorney and make an appointment for me? In the morning will be fine. I think I’m going to let Darrell stew in jail for a while. It’ll do him good.”

Larry chuckled. “I suspect you’re right. From what I hear, the county jail is a gnarly place.” His agent wasn’t fond of Jake’s ne’er-do-well relatives. He’d spent almost as much time getting them out of trouble as Jake had.

“And would you make me a reservation at La Mansion? Make it for a couple of days.” The five-star hotel on the Riverwalk was awash in the ambiance of old San Antonio and would be just the escape Jake needed. “I’ll leave bright and early tomorrow. I can meet with the lawyer after nine.”

“You got it. I’ll call you back with the time and place. Let me know if you need anything else.”

“Right. Do you think a jury would convict me if I killed Darrell?”

“Don’t do it. Your fifteen percent is one of the reasons I live so well.”

“Screw you,” Jake replied, his standard response to his agent’s well-worn joke.

There was one last item on his agenda. He had to tell CiCi he needed a couple of days off, but certainly not why. She’d al ready met Dwayne; she didn’t need to know about Darrell, too.

The next morning Jake pulled into the lot of the Broadway Diner on San Antonio’s north side. He parked between a brand-new Mercedes and a beater pickup. With what lawyers charged per hour, the German number probably belonged to the cum laude Stanford graduate.

The aroma of comfort food greeted Jake like an old friend. Just thinking about breakfast made his stomach growl. Two customers were already seated at the old-fashioned counter—one in a suit, the other in a pair of faded jeans with a battered Stetson on the table. Not giving it a second thought, Jake headed toward the Marlboro man—this was Texas, after all.

“You must be Cedric Thompson.” Jake hoped his intuition wasn’t on the fritz.

“Nope, can’t say that I am.”

“I’m your guy.” The man wearing the thousand-dollar suit and a gold Rolex stood and extended his hand. “Cedric Thompson, Esquire, at your service. Sit down and tell me what I can do for you.”

“I’m sure Larry filled you in on the situation with my cousin.”

“He certainly did, but I’d like to hear your thoughts,” Cedric said. “As I understand it, he’s in jail on his third DUI.
Bad boy. Your agent said you don’t want to bail him out this time.”

Before Jake could answer, the waitress appeared. He didn’t bother consulting the menu before ordering. “Coffee, scrambled eggs, crisp bacon and grits, and double it all.”

“Is that it?” she asked, scribbling down his order.

“Yes, ma’am.”

She turned Jake’s cup over and poured him a generous serving. “Here’s your coffee. You order will be right up.”

Jake waited until she moved on to the next customer before he continued. “It’s not about the money. I want him to learn a lesson. His last few encounters with the law obviously haven’t made an impression, and I’m afraid that’s partially my fault. I’ve enabled him,” Jake said with a sigh. “He’s never had to suffer the consequences, and that has to stop now. Next time he might kill someone.” He took a sip of coffee. “I can’t have that on my conscience.”

Cedric stared at him for a few seconds. “Good for you. If more family members thought the same way, we might have fewer repeat offenders. Most people are willing to refinance the house to get their relatives out of the clink.”

“Are you sure you’re a defense attorney? Most of you guys want to get your clients out of jail and to heck with guilt or innocence.”

“That’s what we’re paid for. I have somewhat of a different viewpoint. If you’re guilty there’s a price to pay. I guarantee my clients a good defense but not a miracle.” The lawyer pulled out his wallet. “But just so you know you’re not getting a pig in a poke, here’s my ‘you’re a smart boy and passed the bar’ card. Just want you to be assured that I’m a bar-certified attorney.”

Jake threw up his hands. “Hey, guy. I believe you.”

“Good. Do you want to go see your cousin or do you want me to?”

“I think you should do it.” Jake didn’t know if he could visit Darrell without beating the snot out of him.

“I hate to seem avaricious, but I want to make sure that you’re paying my bill, not your cousin.”

“I’m paying.”

“Good. You’re my first football-player client. I’m a big Road Runner fan. So, what’s the next season going to be like?”

If Jake knew that, he’d hire out as a soothsayer. “I’m a bit prejudiced, but I think our offense is pretty hot.” Jake didn’t bother to say that Texas Bob might not even pick up his option. If that happened, God only knew where he’d be playing.

Cedric leaned back. “I read about the team in the sports page.” And then in a lightning-fast conversation change, he resumed his lawyer persona.

“How long are you willing to let Darrell stay in jail? Once his case goes to the judge, it’s out of our hands. Right now we have two choices. We can bail him out or we can make sure he stays where he is, at least for the time being.”

“I don’t want him in there too long.”

“In a couple of days there’ll be an arraignment. That’s when he can get out on his own recognizance. At least, that’s what I’ll argue for. If that doesn’t work, do you think he can come up with a couple of hundred, or maybe even a thousand for the bail bondsman?”

If all else failed, Dwayne could get a job. If either of the cousins asked Mom for money, Jake would kill ’em. “I think so.”

“Good. That’s our game plan. When he comes up for trial, I’ll try to get him probation. But in this state, a third DUI can land a guy in jail for six months.”

“I guess that’s a chance Darrell will have to take,” Jake said, attacking his breakfast the waitress had just delivered. “Not to be trite, but if you do the crime, you’d better be willing to do the time.”

Cedric smirked at Jake’s use of the cliché. “That’s what keeps me in business.” He stood. “I’ll call you after the arraignment.”

“Sounds good to me. I’ll talk to you soon.”

Jake wasn’t ready to return to Camp Touchdown, so he decided to spend the night in San Antonio, relaxing and soaking up the ambience. Now that he’d decided to cut his cousins loose, he had to come up with an implementation strategy, because Darrell and Dwayne were nothing if not persistent.

And then there was the problem of his attraction to CiCi Hurst. He could tell his head that she was out of his league, but his heart and other areas had a different idea. But when had he ever followed a safe course?

It was a beautiful evening, so he was out on the balcony with a frosty margarita in one hand and a nacho in the other, watching the gondolas float down the river and the tourists enjoy their stroll down the narrow sidewalks. If he could get CiCi to join him for a romantic weekend, that would be his idea of heaven.

A soft bed, spicy food, a little bubbly and a silky female—just thinking about it turned him on. Until he envisioned Texas Bob’s ugly mug and he deflated like a three-day-old helium balloon. Plus, he could only imagine what CiCi would think if she saw where he grew up. And he wouldn’t find out unless he went back to Camp Touchdown. So his escape plans had to take a backseat to a more important goal.

Jake was almost back to the camp the next morning when his cell rang. He checked the caller ID and thought about ignoring it, but a smart guy never blew off his mother.

“Hey, Mom, what’s up?” He knew exactly what she wanted but it couldn’t hurt to play dumb.

Bonnie Sue Culpepper was an expert at going straight for the jugular.

“Why aren’t you bailing out your cousin?”

Dwayne must have spread the bull on nice and thick.

“If Darrell doesn’t get his act together, he’ll kill someone and I refuse to be responsible for that.”

“Oh, dear. Did he have another DUI? Dwayne didn’t tell me that.”

Jake could almost see her hand pressed against her chest.

“Dwayne told me that he got in a little bar tiff and you refused to help.”

Thank you, cousin.
“Let’s be blunt—Dwayne and Darrell are pathological liars. And this is the
third
time this year that Darrell’s been picked up for drunk driving.”

“Oh, no,” she said with a sigh.

“Oh, yes. I got a lawyer, but Darrell’s going to have to sit in jail for a couple of days. Then he and Dwayne can figure out how to make the bail money.”

“I’m sure you know best,” his mother said, although she didn’t sound convinced.

“Mom, please don’t give them any money.”

“Are you sure that’s the right thing to do?”

“No, but nothing else has worked. Darrell and Dwayne have to grow up.”

“Are you coming home anytime soon?” Bonnie Sue asked, changing the subject.

“I’ll be at Camp Touchdown for another week and a half. Then I have summer training camp. I promise I’ll come by to see you soon.” He wasn’t sure when that would be, but he never broke a promise to his mom.