Justice for All (13 page)

Van dropped them at the JC Penney’s entrance of the mall in Tyler, and Kay rushed to keep up with Ginny Sue. The woman might be in her sixties, but it seemed clear she could give Kay a run for her money.

“You see, I need to find something new to wear to the luncheon. Matilda Brown had some work done – at fifty-eight if you can imagine! – and she’s been just showing off like she’s the queen of Sheba. Even with her tucks and lifts, I still have a better figure than her, and I haven’t had to pay for it. What do you think of this?” She held a bright purple sequined top against her chest and modeled it.

“Hmm.” Kay bit her lip and considered it. “A bit too flashy I think. You’re right, you’re a very lovely woman, Ginny Sue. I think you need something to just enhance that.”

Ginny Sue blushed and preened with the compliment. Kay browsed racks, following along as Van’s mother searched for just the right ensemble. Her nerves were a little frayed, and she found herself glancing in all directions. The feeling that someone was following her pervaded even Ginny Sue’s bubbly laughter.

Are you parked?
She texted the messaged to Van, for some reason needing to make contact.

Yes, near the food court. Gonna grab a drink and give you ladies some time to shop.

She tapped out a simple “okay” and then worked to force herself to relax.

Are you all right? Is something wrong?

Reading his worried response made her feel silly, but the sensation of being watched wouldn’t seem to shake free. She saw that Ginny Sue had moved several rows away, and Kay practically ran to catch up.

“Are you feeling well, dear? You look peaked.”

Waving her hand in dismissal, Kay smiled, “Oh, I’m good. What do you have there?”

Van’s mother lifted lovely purple top with flowing batwing style sleeves. There were delicate frills along the hem. Her eyes were wide with expectation as she waited for Kay to give her opinion.

“Now
that
is perfect.”

Ginny Sue fingered it a moment and then looked at the tag inside the collar. “It’s a size smaller than I normally wear.”

“Try it on.” She pointed to the dressing room.

Leaning against the outside mirror, Kay waited. She had her phone in hand and pondered what response to give Van. The truth was, she wished he would just come and follow them around, but that wasn’t fair to him. Still, her hackles were raised.

Kay?

Just as she glanced down at that text, a motion caught her attention from the corner of her eye.

“You’re mine now!”

Kay stumbled back towards the wall and gasped in alarm. Her “attacker” was a boy of about seven.

“The dragons will be mine!” he cried, his voice an exaggerated snarl, as he jumped from behind a rack with a toy sword in his chubby hand.

“Holy crap! You scared me to death,” she told the kid just as a woman, presumably his mother, rushed over to grab his arm.

“Johnny, what have I told you?” she fussed, then gazed apologetically at Kay. “Please accept my apology. He has a very overactive imagination.”

He pointed at her red-pebbled Kate Spade purse. “It looks like dragon skin, Mom.”

Mentally kicking herself for overreacting, Kay exchanged pleasantries with the woman, and when she and her little boy were gone, she grabbed her phone.

Enjoy the food court. Nothing wrong. Mom and I will see you soon.

~oOo~

Van grinned when he read Kay’s last text, then set the phone aside and picked up his Styrofoam cup. For some reason his mind put significance in the fact that she said “Mom” and not “your mom.”

What you gonna do, ask her to marry you?
His mind muttered, and he shoved the thoughts away to focus on the mall crowd. Even though it was a weekday, there was still a lot of foot traffic around. For a moment, he wondered if bringing her out was a good idea, but he quickly set that concern aside. Chances were pretty slim that Thomas would find them here.

He grabbed his phone again and dialed Rick’s number. “Hey, any news?”

“Not much. Everything okay there?”

Van moved his head up and down instinctively, “Yep. We’re good here.”

“Well, we talked to his mother. She claims she invited him to a fundraiser in California and that he’s supposed to arrive there this evening. She even said she got confirmation that he booked the airline ticket. Otherwise, I’ve got folks looking for him at all his usual hangouts. No sign of him yet. How long you guys gonna stay there?”

“I don’t know yet. I hoped if you could pick him up that would give us a little buffer, and we could find her a new place to live and get her settled. I assume even if you arrest him, he’ll make bail pretty quick.”

“Yeah. The charges so far are pretty minor especially for a dude with the kind of assets he’s got.”

“I appreciate you going above and beyond on this.”

“Well, you can thank him. What he did to her apartment certainly helped add some gravity to the situation.”

He snorted. “Yeah, well I’m not feeling much like thanking him at the moment.”

Rick was quiet a few seconds. “You really like her, huh? Haven’t seen you take this much interest in one for a while.”

The smile that curled up Van’s lips was tender and probably a little smitten. He rubbed his fingers across his lips to hide it, afraid he looked like a drunken sot. “Yeah, Rick. I like her a lot.”

Kay had her head in one hand propped on her elbow as she watched Van sleep. The soft glow of early morning sunshine was creeping into the room through the blinds, just barely touching his cheek with its warmth. Her free hand reached out, fingers flicking across his black hair, curled and messy.

“Good morning,” he murmured, grinning at her as he stretched and groaned. “How long have you been awake?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Just enjoying the view.”

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and propped himself on his elbow, mimicking her position. “I think my view is better.”

“Hmmm.” She traced his jaw, scratching at his stubble before putting her fingers to his lips. He kissed the tips, then pushed his cheek into her hand and closed his eyes.

“If you’re not careful, I’ll do something I’ve never done before.”

Her blonde eyebrows rose in question, one side of her mouth lifting in a grin. “I’m the willful one, remember? I don’t do careful.”

He quickly grabbed both of her wrists and pinned her onto her back, his body half covering hers. Her nightshirt had worked its way up to her waist in the night so she could feel his erection against her leg. The only thing separating his hot skin and hers was his boxers.

“I’m pretty sure you’ve done this before,” she taunted, lifting her lips so that they were close to his.

“No,” he said, dropping his head to rain kisses onto her neck. “I’ve never done this—” He thrust his hips against her. “—in my mother’s house. Ever…”

Goosebumps rose up on her arms when the hair on his face prickled the tender skin of her neck and shoulder. Van released one of her hands so that his would be free to slip her shirt up higher, exposing her breast to his mouth. He suckled her hard, nipping and pulling on the nipple until it rose in a hard, sensitive peak.

Kay groaned, and he covered her lips tenderly with his palm. “Shh … you’ve spent an entire day with my mother. Do you really want to face her after screaming my name in passion?”

Her cheeks heated, and she bit her lip to keep from making any more noise. As his hand roamed lower, to the place where liquid fire was making her ache, it was all Kay could do to turn her head into the pillow to muffle her cries.

~oOo~

Ginny Sue decided they should all go to the movies that evening. Kay was more than a little excited when she heard about the newly remodeled Liberty Theater downtown.

“You’ll love it,” Van’s mother insisted at breakfast. “It’s so quaint and cute. There are even box seats, so we’ll have to get there early so that we can get one.”

Now she sat in the front seat of Van’s truck, his mother in the back seat chattering amicably as they took the scenic route through Tyler.

“And this is called Bergfeld Park. Most of these homes were built in the thirties,” she said, motioning with her hand between Kay and Van. “Lots of oil money, you know.”

“They’re absolutely lovely,” Kay breathed, her mouth agape in wonder. “Oooh, look at that one!”

The home was only a little worn down but had tall columns on the front porch and “gingerbread trim” at all of the angles. The rumble of the truck as it rolled along the brick streets was hypnotic. Part of her felt she might be traveling through time backwards into the early twentieth century.

“See those bushes on the front?” Ginny Sue asked.

“Yes. Roses?” It was a natural assumption. Van’s mother had already explained to her that Tyler was the “Rose Capitol of America.”

“No, those are azalea bushes. By mid to late March, they’ll be blooming in shades of pink and red and orange and white. They’re absolutely gorgeous! This is all part of the Tyler Azalea and Spring Flower trail. I can’t wait for you to see it.”

Kay smiled and cut her eyes to Van. His mother was of the impression that she was going to be permanently in their lives. She wondered what he was thinking, whether he considered that their relationship might become forever. In truth, the idea of
not
having Van in her life was harder and harder to imagine.

“Oh, hurry, son. We need to head back towards downtown. The movie starts in an hour.”

Van chuckled and slid his hand towards Kay’s, tugging her fingers so that her hand was in his lap, safely ensconced in his. “Yes, ma’am,” he told his mother.

Downtown was every bit as charming as the residential tour. Many of the old stores had been renovated as restaurants and shops. The Liberty Theater stood out with its marquee sign announcing the airing of
Key Largo
.

“This is one of my favorite old movies. I love Bogart,” she told them.

“Isn’t that funny? I love Lauren Bacall.” He winked at her, and she rolled her eyes. He’d told her the night before when they were drifting off to sleep that when he first met her, he’d been reminded of Bacall. She’d brushed off the compliment at the time, but it flattered her to no end.

They found the theater doors locked when they arrived, and Ginny Sue pouted, stomping her foot. “Well, how do you like that? Oh, look. Someone’s inside.” She tapped on the door. “Yoohoo! Hello!”

The teenager frowned when he heard them, then looked appalled as he straightened his red jacket and opened the door for them. “Sorry, ma’am. I thought the manager had opened it.”

“Oh don’t worry, young man. No harm done. Come along, Kay. The right side is the best.” She took her by the elbow to lead her up the stairs to her favorite box seats. One glance across the theater, and Kay could see the other box seats looked pretty much identical. She grinned and took her seat.

“Van, why don’t you get us some snacks?” Ginny Sue said just as Van’s rear end hit his seat.

He had a slightly frustrated look on his face as he stood. “What would you like, Mom? Candy, popcorn?”

“Oh.” She waved her hand, “Just anything you think I might like. I just have to have something to munch on during a movie.”

Kay got up and took Van’s hand. “I’ll come with you.”

They made their way back down the stairs and to the food bar. Kay went all warm inside when Van affectionately combed the hair back off of her shoulder. “What’s your pleasure, darlin’?”

“Uhm, how about a diet Coke and some M&Ms?” She motioned to the young woman behind the counter. “What will Mom like?”

“Another diet Coke, a Sprite and a bag of peanuts. No popcorn, eh?”

The girl smiled, then pushed her glasses back up on her nose. “No, sir. Not tonight.”

“All right, then a second bag of M&Ms.”

They got back to their box, and she cuddled in close to Van just in time for the movie to begin. About the time, Claire Trevor began singing “Moanin’ Low,” Kay leaned in close and kissed his cheek. “Have to go to the ladies room. Be right back.”

No sooner had the door to the bathroom closed behind her than the lights went out. She gasped as the room plunged into darkness. She could only see the faintest glint under the door. She fumbled in her pockets for her cell phone, but it was back at her seat with Van and Ginny Sue.

“Never have it when you need it,” she muttered and put out both hands to feel for the exit. Instead of the wall, her hands came into contact with a person. Before she could even think to scream, her arm was pulled behind her back and the man’s hand was at her neck.

“Remember that episode when he had the guy captive in the basement? He kept talking to him and getting to know him, and he finally decided he was good guy and he was gonna let him go. Remember?”

“Thomas, wh-what are you doing here?”

Something cold and sharp was at her throat, and her legs began to go weak. He rubbed his cheek against hers, then licked her face.

“Do you remember it, Kay? You know the one. At the end, he realized the guy was just gonna try to kill him and so he had to do it first. He had to protect himself. Survival of the fittest.”

Her mind was racing with sporadic thoughts of how to get away. She had no idea what he was talking about, but when he pushed the knife closer to her neck and demanded her to remember, she nodded and murmured, “Yes. Yes, I remember that, Thomas.”

“You shouldn’t have done this to me, Kay. You shouldn’t have made me love you and then gone behind my back with that prick. And don’t worry. I’m gonna take care of him, too.”

“How did you find me?”

“You should never accept gifts from men you’re going to fuck over. That phone I gave you. I’ve been tracking you with it. I knew exactly when you started seeing him by your texts. You bitch…”

He started dragging her back further from the door. She prayed someone would come in. She prayed Van would wonder where she was. She prayed Thomas would just realize this was crazy and put the knife down and let her go.

“I tell you what,” he whispered, mouth reaching for her lips. She wanted to pull away, but the blade was so close she was afraid any movement would make him slip. “Kiss me, Kay. Give me a real kiss, like you mean it, and I’ll do it quick. I mean, I can’t let you go now. You can’t ever be trusted, but it doesn’t have to be painful. Just kiss me.”

Her entire body was trembling now, and she could smell the liquor on his breath as he nipped and licked at her, trying to get her mouth to open for his. She swallowed, gritted her teeth and then opened her lips. As his tongue plunged hard and nasty, it was all she could do not to gag. He somehow worked her into a corner, turning her to face him so that he could kiss her more fully.

When she felt his arm soften a little, she made her move, ramming her knee into his groin and shoving to push him away. Thomas dropped to his knees, groaning. Kay scrambled for the door but tripped over him. She landed hard, her cheek slamming into the tile floor.

Her face hit so hard that stars filled her eyes, and her stomach went woozy, but she managed to put her hands down and push herself up. Her palm had barely touched the door when Thomas slapped his hand over her mouth and pulled her back into the bathroom again so hard that her feet went out from under her.