Thirty-Five and a Half Conspiracies (26 page)

I tried to catch my breath. “He can be a reasonable man, but when he gets something set in his head, it’s hard to dissuade him. He doesn’t suffer disloyalty.”

“And you? How does he treat you? Has he threatened you?”

“He threatened me in the beginning. But I’ve always stood up to him, and he’s not used to that. Bruce Wayne said I was like a new puppy. Skeeter found my disobedience and belligerence cute, but he’d soon get tired of it.” I took a deep breath, my voice shaky. “I worried I went too far last night. I’ve ruined his reputation. I’m afraid he’ll never forgive me for that. But he won’t hurt me.”

He pulled me close.

“But I’m not sorry. I couldn’t just stand back and do nothing.”

“We’ll be okay,” he murmured, stroking my head. “He obviously wants you to go through with the meeting tomorrow night. Even though you think he won’t hurt you, I know you’ll be safe until then. But I can’t believe he’ll agree to a wiretap. He’ll want to hand out his own punishment, and it would be counter-intuitive to involve the police. He’d risk incriminating himself.”

“Skeeter was in hiding when I came up with this plan. But Jed agreed to go along with it. He doesn’t want me to go to prison, and he knows we need to find evidence against J.R to keep that from happening. It took some convincing, but Jed agreed it was a good plan. Honestly, I think they’d both sooner kill him than meet with him. The meeting is purely for my benefit.”

“Why would Jed risk pissing off Malcolm to help you?”

How could I explain this without upsetting him? “Skeeter watched over me in meetings, but he couldn’t be there when I questioned his men. He made Jed my bodyguard and told him to put my safety before his own.”

“And he just did it?” he asked.

“It’s complicated,” I sighed, resting my cheek on his shoulder. “I think Jed grew fond of me—”

“He’s in love with you?” His tone was harsh.

“No, that’s not it. I remind him of his baby sister who drowned when he was a kid. He’s always felt responsible for what happened to her. He said he’s sure it’s why Skeeter assigned him to look after me. Skeeter knows Jed will go above and beyond to keep me safe.” I paused. “Jed is loyal to me. Even more so than he is to Skeeter.”

“And Skeeter tolerates that?” He sounded incredulous.

“After last week, yes. Skeeter had a conniption after he found me questioning Dirk Picklebie at his pool hall. He told me I was to warn him before I questioned anyone on my own. I told him what I did on my own time was my own business and I quit. He flipped out and sent Merv to find me.”

His body tensed. “Carter Hale told me one of Malcolm’s men was loitering outside of your office last week.”

“That was Merv. But Jed had called to warn me, and when I finally talked to Skeeter, he told me he knew that Jed had turned on him. He was going to punish Jed, so I convinced him that it was a good thing. That I had to have someone I trusted completely to make sure I was okay. And Skeeter agreed.”

“That someone was supposed to be
me
, Rose.” The pain in his voice was like a knife in the gut. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this?”

“I was in too deep. Besides, I knew you’d make me stop, and while I didn’t really want to do it in the first place, I knew it was the best way to save you. Even your momma said so.”

“My mother?” He stiffened and leaned away from me. “My mother knows about this?”

I shook my head. “No. But she knows I’m up to something. I snuck out to meet Skeeter while I was staying with her, when you were in protective custody in the hospital.”

“Please God, tell me that she tried to talk some sense into you.”

I cringed.

“She
didn’t
?”

“She loves you, Mason. You’re all she has left. It’s like I told you, she sensed that you were in danger and your future was tied to someone else. She was sure that I was the one who would save you both.”

“So you set up this meeting with Gentry’s backer, whom you think is Simmons.”

“Yes.”

“And Jed? He’s been tailing you?”

“I had no idea he was watching me that closely. But if he hadn’t been, I would be dead. I’m certain of that.”

Mason shuddered and held me closer. “I’m having a hard time buying that Malcolm would give one of his men to protect you. And his right-hand man, at that.”

“You know Jed is Skeeter’s right-hand man?”

“I make it my business to know as much as possible about the criminal elements in the county.”

“Oh.”

“So why would Skeeter make his most trusted man your bodyguard?”

“I think it scared him that Lowry figured it out. After that, he became much more careful.”

“But why? What makes you so valuable to him?”

“My visions. Working for him has helped me fine-tune them. He said he didn’t think I grasped their full potential, and he was right. I’ve been forcing visions a lot more lately, and I’m learning how to use them to find out what I need to know. I think I’ve been having a lot fewer spontaneous ones as a result.”

“It sounds like he came to trust you and has given you plenty of leeway. Why?”

“I told him I was a woman of my word, and he saw me live up to that again and again, as difficult as it was. But I also have a good head for business. He began to trust my intuition about who to question and what to ask. He tried to intimidate me at first, but I convinced him that fear is a terrible motivator. That our partnership had to be based on mutual need, but maybe I was wrong.” I put my hand on his cheek. “Fear is the most powerful motivator in the world.”

I lifted my mouth to his, needing to know he still loved me. That he could find it in his heart to forgive me.

He hesitated, but then it was as if I’d opened and unlocked the door to his emotions. Still kissing me, he tugged me backward onto the bed. He quickly dispatched with his pants as I tugged off my panties, but then he slowed down, his hand caressing my cheek.

I could barely make out his face, but his eyes looked haunted as he stared down at me.

“I keep seeing it over and over in my head. That video. I know you’re okay, but it could have been real. It almost happened.” His voice broke, and he kissed me with a fierceness that stole my breath.

I kissed him back, my hands sliding under his shirt as his reached between my legs. Soon I was whispering his name between pants. “Mason. I need you.”

He was inside me in one deep stroke, and I arched up to meet him, desperate to hold onto to him. My need for him wasn’t just physical. I loved him with everything inside me, and I couldn’t help thinking he was slipping through my fingers, despite the fact that he was here with me now.

I
fell asleep plastered
against Mason’s side, his arm around me, protecting me.

But it was an illusion.

I had been the protector all this time, and now I was scared I would fail. Talking about facing J.R. Simmons was a lot different than actually doing it. J.R. had intimidated me the last time we’d encountered each other. Would this time be any different?

When I awoke, I was lying on my side, Mason’s stomach pressed against my back, his arm still wrapped tight around me.

The sight of the faded blue wall confused me at first, but then it all came crashing back in. A moment of panic washed over me, and I forced myself to calm down.

I had no idea what time it was, but a faint orange glow filled the opaque windowpanes. I slid out of bed, grabbed my panties off the floor, and pulled them on under my dress, then tucked Mason’s under his pants. I had no idea when Skeeter would be back, but I had no desire for him to see our underwear on the floor. It was likely to elicit more antagonistic words toward Mason.

I considered climbing back into bed with Mason, but he’d shifted slightly, and he looked so peaceful that I worried I’d disturb him. Instead, I sat on the floor for a moment and just watched him.

My engagement ring caught my eye. Had that really happened half a day ago? We both had ghosts from our pasts, and I’d always believed we’d overcome them together. But what if we couldn’t? Was it even fair to bring Mason into this crazy mess? In truth, I had expected more anger from him. Of course, he was still in shock, and there was no way of knowing how he’d process my revelation with more time.

I suddenly thought about Joe and how badly he must be hurting. According to Jed, Kate had run after him. Evidence suggested she had arranged my kidnapping and planned my murder. Had she done it on J.R.’s orders? Would she hurt her own brother? I couldn’t let my mind go there.

Assuming he was safe, where would he go? Who would he turn to for comfort? The thought of him mourning alone brought tears to my eyes.

And what about everyone else? I could only imagine how badly they were hurting. Would they feel betrayed when they found out the truth? Neely Kate. Violet. My aunt and uncle. Jonah.
Bruce Wayne
. Would he feel guilty? But then I reminded myself that I’d been taken as Rose rather than as Lady.

In truth, the lines between us were beginning to blur. I wasn’t sure that was a good thing.

Mason stirred, and his arm moved as if to reach for me. Then he bolted upright, panic in his eyes. “Rose!”

“I’m here,” I answered softly.

Relief washed over his face when he saw me on the floor. “What are you doing down there?”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

He lifted the covers. “Come here.”

I got to my feet and climbed in next to him, lying on my side to face him.

He propped up on an elbow and lifted his hand to brush several strands of hair from my cheek. “How are you doing?”

“How can you ask me that after everything I told you last night?”

“Because I love you and you suffered a very traumatic experience. Now that we’ve both rested, I’m hoping we can make some decisions with a clearer head.”

I nodded.

“Rose, you have to see that this is a crazy idea. You have no idea that J.R. Simmons will even show up. And if he does, the likelihood of getting him to admit to anything we can use is slim to none. The man is a criminal genius. Which means he’s intelligent enough not to spill his secrets to strangers.”

“So then how do we stop him?”

He lay down and snugged me against his side, his arm tight around me. “The problem is two-fold. We need to get the charges against you dropped, and we need to figure out who is behind the order to kill me.”

“I can’t help thinking Kate is the person behind my kidnapping. It’s too big of a coincidence that Neely Kate and I found all her paperwork on you right before this happened.”

“You very well might be right.”

“That aside, you’re forgetting Skeeter.”

His arm stiffened. “What
about
Malcolm?”

“He’s tied to this too, Mason.”

“Then let’s talk about Skeeter Malcolm. He hates my guts. In fact, I can’t believe he wants me here. I’m too risky. He has no idea which way I’ll turn.”

“You’re here because of me,” I said, quietly. “I knew you were in danger, and I wanted you here with me. It was selfish. I should have trusted Randy to watch you. I’m sorry.”

“Shh …” His thumb brushed my cheek. “I want to be with you so I can make sure you’re safe. I’d go crazy at home not knowing where you are or if you were okay.” He gave me a soft smile. “But from here on out, you have to tell me everything, okay? We’ll deal with how we got here when this is all over.”

“Okay.”

Men’s voices filtered down the hall, and Mason sat upright. He climbed out of bed and put on his underwear, then sat down next to me as I sat up too. He looked down at the deep V of my neckline and straightened it, trying to cover up my cleavage.

“You don’t have to worry about that,” I whispered. “They don’t treat me that way.”

Surprise flickered in his eyes, but there wasn’t time for either of us to say anything. A knock sounded at the door, and it swung open seconds later. Skeeter filled the doorway … or what little I could see of him. Mason was trying to block my view of him with his body.

“I trust you enjoyed your accommodations?”

“Cut the shit, Malcolm,” Mason said in a controlled voice. “We want to leave. What do you want from us before that happens?”

I leaned sideways and saw an amused look cross Skeeter’s face. “A negotiation before coffee? You picked a real go-getter, Rose.”

“Skeeter,” I said, exhausted already.

“I sent one of the boys for breakfast. If you want to shower or clean up, you have about twenty minutes.”

“I’d rather not wait,” Mason said, climbing to his feet. “Let’s get right to it.”

Skeeter laughed. “That’s not how it’s done here, boy. You’re my guest, so you’ll follow my rules. If you want to use the restroom, then I suggest you get in there now. Otherwise I’m going to lock you back in this room.”

I stood. “Skeeter!”

He paused. “Fine, but you still have twenty minutes, give or take a few.” Then he spun around and stomped down the hall. A door slammed moments later.

Mason turned around to look at me, his eyes guarded. “Do you want to shower?”

“Yeah. I don’t have clean clothes to change into, but I feel dirty after what happened last night.”

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. “You’re not alone now. I’ll come stay in there with you.”

I didn’t argue. He still saw me as their hostage, whereas I was much closer to being their equal. He’d figure it out soon enough. But it only reinforced that I wasn’t in the clear. He thought he accepted what I’d done … only he couldn’t. He didn’t understand the extent of it.

About twenty minutes later, the front door opened, and I could hear male voices in the living room. We had already showered and dressed, so Mason took my hand and started to head down the hall. I stopped him. “Let me take the lead on this. Okay? They’re used to working with me.”

I saw more surprise on his face, but he nodded slightly. “We’ll go that course for now.”

“You have to listen to everything we have to say before you make a decision one way or the other.”

His jaw hardened. “It looks like I have plenty of time at my disposal to do so.”

Not as much as he thought. I led the way, praying Skeeter would behave himself.

Skeeter sat at the kitchen table, unwrapping a breakfast sandwich. A cup of coffee sat in front of him, and there was a paper bag on the table, along with two other hot beverage cups and an assortment of small creamers and sugars. Jed stood by the door, his arm back in a sling. He avoided eye contact, which I took as a very bad sign. No one else was around.

Skeeter grinned. “The boys brought us some breakfast sandwiches and coffee. Sit down, and we’ll talk.”

Mason pulled out my chair and then sat in the one next to it, all while Skeeter watched with an amused grin. I noticed that Mason placed himself with his back to the wall, leaving both Skeeter and Jed in his line of sight.

Skeeter pulled a wrapped sandwich out of a bag and handed it to me, then tossed another to Mason. “Help yourself to the coffee, but don’t be getting any ideas about using it as a weapon.” He gestured behind me. “Jed here is ready to step in if necessary.”

I looked over at Jed, but he still refused to look at me. My anxiety increased.

Mason grabbed two cups and placed one in front of me, then handed me sugar and creamer packages. While he was usually attentive, he was never this attentive. It was easy to see he was trying to show Skeeter that
he
was the man to protect me.

What a mess.

“Skeeter,” I said, doctoring my coffee. “Mason’s agreed to listen, but you have to treat him with more respect if we have any chance of getting him to help us.”

Mason shot me a questioning glance.

“And we need him,” I continued. “You know it.”

Skeeter shook his head and picked up a jelly packet. “I’ve spent the night thinking this over. There’s no reason for you to go at all, Rose. You’ve set up the meeting, we’ll establish a place, and then I’ll go in and take care of the matter on my own.”

I sighed. “That might resolve things for you and Mason, but it wouldn’t take care of my own issue. Not to mention you’re talking about cold-blooded murder.”

Skeeter’s voice hardened. “If there was ever a man who deserved cold-blooded murder, it’s that man. And as far as
your
charges go, I’ll figure out another way to take care of those.” He swung his gaze from me to Mason. “She will
not
be going to prison.”

I could sense Mason’s concern. Why was Skeeter so determined to keep me safe? Why was he going to so much trouble to keep me out of prison? But now I was good and ticked by all of this macho posturing.

I leaned forward. “If that’s your plan of action, you don’t need either one of us. But don’t be stupid. I know you agreed to bring Mason here to keep him safe, but he can help us do this right.”

Skeeter slathered jelly on his biscuit. “I think you were right about that part. Deveraux’s part of this, and he and I can bring down Simmons together. A two-part process.”

Mason had been surprisingly quiet up until now. “If you think I’m participating in a man’s murder, then you’re crazy.”

Skeeter laughed. “I would never expect you to dirty your hands, but if nothing else, I figured you deserve to know why you’re part of this. How you’re tied to me.”

Mason gave him a look of disbelief. “I’m supposed to believe you’re just going to give me information for nothing?”

Skeeter took a bite of his biscuit, then said, “Maybe your girlfriend has rubbed off on me.”

“Okay, then how is Mason tied to this?” I asked, sneaking a glance at him. His face remained expressionless. He hadn’t told me any of this before.

Skeeter shrugged. “Perhaps I should tell you how I’m tied to J.R.”

I decided to move this along. “You were one of The Twelve.”

Skeeter’s eyebrows nearly rose to his hairline, and when he spoke, his voice sounded ominous. “How do you know about The Twelve?”

“I don’t know much.”

His eyes pierced mine as he snarled, “I didn’t ask
what
you knew. I asked
how
.”

Jed shifted his weight behind me, and Mason was just sitting there and taking it all in, ready to pounce into the fray himself.

Crappy doodles.

“Skeeter,” I said, trying to keep my anger in check. “
Calm down
. I have my sources, and I promised this person not to say anything. So if I told you, my word would be worthless, and you’d have no reason to trust me whatsoever. Which means I’d be good as dead.” I pushed out a breath. “Last night was as close to death as I’d like to come for a long time.”

“What else do you know?”

“I told you. Not much. Only that you left Fenton County when you were eighteen and came back when you were twenty-five with enough money to open the pool hall. You told everyone that you made your money in Memphis, but you were probably learning from J.R. You came back as one of The Twelve.”

His eyes narrowed to slits.

I forged on anyway. “After you came back, you would disappear for days at a time, and no one knew where you went. You were doin’ J.R.’s handiwork, but then five years ago it all stopped. You probably quit, but that’s the strange part. You can’t quit being one of The Twelve. It’s a position for life.”

Skeeter released a low growl. “You call that not much? Who the hell told you that?” His gaze swung to Jed, and he jumped to his feet. “Was it you?”

Jed’s face contorted with anger. “Are you calling me a traitor?”

“I know you’re loyal to her over me,” he growled as he stalked toward him. “I’ve tolerated it until now, but if you—”

I jumped up and stepped in between them. “Skeeter, stop! It wasn’t Jed! He didn’t tell me a thing!”

“Then who?” Anger radiated off him, and he looked like he was about to explode.

I put both hands on his chest and pushed him back. “Someone who will keep your secret, if that’s what you’re worried about. Now sit down and let’s discuss this.”

Skeeter stared down at me, and I noticed Mason had risen from his chair and was standing beside the table, ready to jump in if necessary, but I knew it wouldn’t come to that. Skeeter wouldn’t physically hurt me. I would bet my life on it.

I lowered my voice. “Look. I was the one who put together the connection between you and Mason. And we both know J.R.’s the common denominator. You should know me well enough to realize I had to piece it together.” I worried I had been leading him on a path straight to Carter Hale. Maybe the last statement would send him off my lawyer’s trail.

Skeeter rubbed the back of his neck, then headed back to his seat.

I snuck a glance at Jed. His shoulders seemed to relax as I caught his eye. We stared at each other for a long second, and he nodded slightly. He’d proved he would defend me to the death. It went both ways.