Relentless Pursuit (7 page)

“That’s a nice way to welcome your girlfriend,” Jasmine tried to tease as she smiled up at him from the bottom of the stairs.

“So, not only are you good at throwing me under the bus to the cameras, you’re also delusional.”

“I’m sorry, Pierce. I always believed in you. I was just so scared of what was going to happen to you and the media just pushed those cameras into my face. I didn’t even know what was happening! That’s why I came here. I want you to know that I will be by you, my boyfriend, every step of the way showing you how much I love you.” Jasmine tried to look reassuring as she put one heeled foot on the bottom stair and gave a little pout of her lower lip.

“Let’s get one thing clear.  You are not my girlfriend. Our relationship ended the second you stepped in front of the cameras and started bad-mouthing me.” Pierce held up his hand as Jasmine opened her mouth to argue. “And as for standing by my side, you wouldn’t even know how to do that. The only woman doing that so far is Tammy. You weren’t by my side as I was arrested. You weren’t by my side when I was at the hospital or when I was being hauled into the police car on television. You weren’t even by my side this morning in court!” Pierce couldn’t believe Jasmine would even show up here. That pout, which before this weekend he loved, only infuriated him now.

“Tammy? You’re comparing me to Tammy? Now that’s a laugh. I’m a woman, she’s just a kid in a boy's body. Maybe it’s true what they say about what goes on in jails if you’re trying to compare a woman like me to that…flat-chested, short, boy-cut girl.”  Jasmine crossed her arms and pushed up her ample chest and let her nails come out as she realized Pierce wasn’t going to welcome her back with open arms.

Pierce strode down the stairs and stopped right above her. “Get out of here before I call Marshall out here to arrest you for trespassing.” Jasmine narrowed her eyes and tossed her long hair over her shoulder as she turned to walk away.

“Oh, and Jas,” Pierce called out as he waited for her to turn back around.

“What?”

“You’ll never be half the woman Tammy is.”

Tammy stood rooted in place at the door. She had snuck out of the dining room to check on Pierce, only to have opened the door in time to hear Jasmine ripping her to shreds. Tammy had finally been pushed to the limits. She wasn't a confrontational person at all. She much preferred to laugh, tease, and be happy. She tended to avoid the more unpleasant parts of life. She figured growing up in the mobile home with a father who drank himself to death was enough unpleasantness to deal with. But, hearing Jasmine set her off.

She had taken just one step onto the porch when Pierce had called out to Jasmine. Tammy froze when she heard the most beautiful words she had ever heard come out of his mouth. He thought she was more of a woman than Jasmine. He had never seen her as a woman before and not only that, but to defend her. Tammy felt the electricity of excitement run through her body. Could it be true, after two years of doing everything she could to get his attention, that Pierce finally saw her for who she was?

Pierce turned and his eyes widened slightly as he saw her standing there. Tammy couldn’t help the smile that came over her face. “Thank you for sticking up for me, Pierce.”

“It was nothing,” Pierce mumbled as he walked up the stairs.

Tammy reached out and placed her hand on his arm. She felt the muscles bunch beneath her touch. ”It was something to me. No one has ever stood up for me before.”

“Don’t do this, Tammy,” Pierced warned.

“Do what?” Tammy asked, confused.

“This. What you want, what you’ve wanted for two years.” Pierce waved his hands about in agitation and Tammy’s hope plummeted. “After all you've done for me over the past couple of days, I have come to realize something. I was stupid and blind. You’re a wonderful woman. More than I deserve.”

“Pierce…” Tammy started to say, but he cut her off.

“I just need to get out of here. Please tell everyone thank you. I just need some time to myself right now.” Pierce bounded down the stairs and hopped into his farm truck he had left at his parents’ house the night of Miles and Morgan’s wedding. Tammy stared after him. What had just happened? She didn’t know for sure, but it sure felt as if her heart had just been broken.

Pierce sat in the beat-up truck and looked out the windshield at his house. Crime tape was hanging from the door, his grass was trampled, and he sat worrying about what he’d find when he got inside. The memory of waking up to Dr. Oldham’s body was all he could think about. The vision just wouldn’t leave him.

Pierce got out of the truck and looked around the farm. He worried about the secret he and Dr. Oldham kept. Heading off into the woods, Pierce decided to make sure it hadn’t been discovered yet before going into his house again.

He pushed through the shrubs and into the clearing. The camouflaged storage unit was still locked and Pierce sighed in relief. He unlocked the door and stood staring at his invention. Satisfied everything was all right, he locked the door back up and headed home. It was time to face whatever demons were inside.

Pierce made the walk back to his house thinking of his close partnership with Dr. Oldham. He had been more than just a mentor. He had been a friend. Pierce stopped at his front door and slowly pushed it open. All evidence of the murder was gone. The carpet where Dr. Oldham had laid was removed, collected as evidence against Pierce. He looked around at the destruction. Fingerprint powder was everywhere. Drawers were emptied, his things tossed about the entire house. “Aw, welcome home. Feed me!” Gus squawked from his cage in the living room.

“How you doing, Gus?” Pierce asked as he opened the cage door. Gus jumped out and climbed up Pierce’s arm.

“Aw, Gus is a good bird.” Gus nuzzled his beak against Pierce’s ear and rode on his shoulder into the kitchen.

Pierce sat Gus down on the kitchen table with a banana as he started the long process of cleaning up his house. As he scrubbed the fingerprint dust from the doorframe, he cursed himself for the way he had treated Tammy—today, yesterday, hell, for the past two years.

When he was in high school, he looked nothing like he did now. Pierce cringed as he remembered how he was all sharp knees and elbows. He was tall, gangly, and had braces. He disappeared into their shadows when he stood next to his brothers. Miles, Marshall, and Cade had all developed early. They played sports, had muscles and girlfriends. He and Cy had taken a little longer to develop. But even Cy had turned into a man sooner than Pierce. Back then, the only reason girls talked to him was to get info on his brothers.

Tammy had been nice, though. She had smiled when they passed each other in the hall and she had never talked to him solely to get the scoop on the other Davies brothers. In fact, she hadn’t ever really talked to anyone. She hadn't been part of the "in crowd" either. The Belles had made sure no one got to know Trailer Park Tammy. Yes, she held her head high and smiled at everyone, but she was never part of the class.

When Pierce went off to college, he grew three more inches and gained almost forty pounds of muscle. His facial hair filled in and he started wearing short stubble just because he could. Girls started noticing him, too. Now it was his roommate who was hounded by girls wanting to know what Pierce liked. Needless to say, college made up for high school.

Though he still worked his parents’ farm, he spent most of his time in Lexington on campus. He chose to hang at the campus bars instead of the Blossom Café. Then a little over two years ago, he had run into Tammy again. She hadn’t changed one bit. She was cute, bubbly, and still very nice, although a bit more forward than she had been in the past. But when she hit on him, it only stroked his ego. He never bothered to actually look past the fact that she still looked like she was sixteen. She didn’t have the womanly curves he had grown used to on others. And so he had been shallow and ignored her.

His indifference toward Tammy lasted until Christmas this past year. That was when Cy had pulled her into a kiss. She had thrown her arms around him and kissed him with such wild abandoned passion that he was instantly enamored. When Cy caressed her bottom, Pierce realized she had a perfectly shaped one. Then he noticed the way her breasts pushed against Cy’s chest and noticed that while they were small, they were perky and he was itching to feel them. However, it hadn't been enough to draw him away from his plaything.

Now when he was at the lowest point of his life, Tammy had been there. She wasn’t hitting on him, she was supporting him. Even more than his so-called girlfriend had done and he realized just how
dumb
he had been. Why did it take such a tragedy to open his eyes only to show him something he couldn’t have? There was no way he was going to get involved with her now as he stood trial for murder. He couldn’t do that to her or her reputation.

Tammy kicked off her shoes and poured herself a glass of wine. She had stayed at the Davies farm for a short while after Pierce left and fielded questions from his family. Then she made her way to the office and spent the afternoon and most of the evening going through case law for Pierce’s lack-of-memory defense. Finally she had thrown in the towel and headed home.

A strong knock at the door had her hurrying to open it. She was woman enough to admit she hoped it was Pierce coming to kiss her and confess his undying love for her. Cliché, yes… but it didn’t mean she wasn’t thinking it.

“I knew you'd come by,” she said with a smile as she opened the door. Years of maintaining a sunny personality even when she didn’t feel like it kept the smile in place.

“You did? Impressive, considering I didn’t even know until a little while ago when I called you for the fifth time and finally gave up. I decided to come here instead.” Demetri’s Greek voice purred with a hint of aggravation.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Demetri. It’s just this case I'm on. My time has not been my own these past couple of days.” Tammy opened the door to her apartment and watched as he strutted in.

“Your client—it’s the guy you told me about, isn’t it? The one who ignored you all those years?” Demetri asked as he poured a second glass of wine.

“Yes, it’s Pierce. Look, Demetri, we need to talk.” Tammy took a sip of her wine and looked up as Demetri set down his glass.

“I figured that when I didn’t hear from you for two days. It was easy enough to figure out that you’re still not over him, are you?”

“No, I’m not,” Tammy confessed.

Demetri set his glass down and looked at her with a mix of anger and pity. “He’ll never love you, you know?”

Tammy shrugged her shoulders in answer. “I’m willing to take that chance.”

CHAPTER SIX

Tammy rolled over onto her back and stared at the ceiling. Demetri was pissed, but was he right? Did she have no chance with Pierce? She slapped her hands on the mattress and pushed herself up. She might not have a chance with him, but Tammy could find out what happened to him.

She jumped out of bed and slid into a royal blue flowing skirt, slipped on a pale pink tank top, slid her feet into worn brown cowboy boots, and grabbed her purse. It was a little after eleven at night—a perfect time to hit the bars!

As Tammy drove to Lexington, she remembered that Pierce’s truck was still at the wedding reception after he left. Lexington, even being called the “big city,” was anything but. It only had two cab companies and only one of those would come to surrounding towns.

Tammy pulled out her cell phone and called Zippy Cab’s dispatch. “Yeah, where can Zippy take you?” The operator barked into the phone as she smacked on what sounded like bubble gum.

“Hi. I was hoping you could help me. On Saturday my boyfriend was picked up from a wedding in Keeneston. He had gotten a little deep into his cups and kinda took off with our wedding gift,” Tammy said sheepishly.

“Uh-huh.” The dispatch operator sounded disbelieving so Tammy figured she needed to make the story complete.

“His damn brother brought pure grain hooch… to a wedding! Who does that? After a couple drinks, my man thought he could do anything. Apparently while I was in the bathroom, he stole a couple presents and hopped in the cab! Anyway, he ended up at home but with such a hangover he didn’t even talk to me for the rest of the day. When I asked where the gravy boat was that we got the bride and groom, he didn’t remember. The whole evening was gone! So I’m trying to track down that gravy boat. It cost me forty-five dollars!” Tammy said outraged.

“Oh, hon, I understand. I got me one of those, too. Let’s see. We only had one pick-up in Keeneston Saturday night. Yup, in the driver’s notes, he mentioned he was drunk as a skunk. Dropped him off at Classics,” the woman said kindly. “My advice, kick his ass to the curb. No matter how great the sex is, they’re never worth the hassle.”

“Thank you and I know what you mean.” Tammy hung up and headed for Classics. It wouldn’t be too busy on a Monday night. Hopefully, the bartender would remember something.

She pulled into the mostly empty parking lot and headed inside. A local band was playing to a group of thirty or so students who were hanging out with beers in their hands. She looked around and found her way to the bar. A hot, young male student was working behind the bar and came up to her the second she sat down.

“What can I do you for?” he asked with a smile, the double entendre not lost on her.

“Hi. Were you working here Saturday?” Tammy asked with a flutter of her lashes.

“Nope, sorry. But I do get off in an hour,” he said leaning against the bar.

“Thanks. But not tonight.” Tammy slid off the bar stool and felt the disappointment weighing on her shoulders.  She stood outside and wondered what to do next when she noticed two frat guys stumbling away from Classics and walking further into downtown. Is this what Pierce did?

Tammy started following them and saw them go into a dive bar a block away. She peeked in the door and was assaulted by the stench of drunk men watching telecast horse racing on old televisions. Across the street, men in suits and women in dresses sat in front of the large glass windows as a man played a piano. Tammy looked back and forth between the two bars and only took a second to realize which one a drunk Pierce would have walked into.