Thirty-Five and a Half Conspiracies (30 page)

It was time to get this show on the road.

“Would you like a drink?” I asked, getting to my feet. I walked to the island and picked up the wine bottle. “This Cabernet is an exceptional treat. The boys found it in the wine cellar.”

Mick jumped to his feet. “That’s my damn wine! It’s worth five hundred dollars!”

J.R. ignored him. “I’d love some.”

I poured him a glass of wine and carried it over to him, purposely leaving the second glass on the counter.

“Where’s mine?” Mick asked, his face red with anger.

I tilted my head. “You, Mr. Gentry, are forgetting your place. You will wait patiently like Jed.” I stared him in the face, which lost some of its effectiveness with the veil, but it was enough to set him off. He moved closer to me, reaching for my neck.

“You touch her and you’re a dead man,” J.R. said calmly as he swirled his wine, then sniffed it.

Gentry stopped a few inches away from me, towering over me. I had no doubt he would strangle me in a heartbeat. The way he clenched and unclenched his fists was a strong clue.

J.R. took a sip, then gave a half-shrug. “Not bad, but I’ve had better.”

He was good. Damn good. But then, what did I expect from a psychopath?

J.R. set his wine down on the table as I headed back to my chair, but he patted Gentry’s vacant seat. “Come join me, Lady. I prefer to keep my friends close.” He lifted his eyebrows slightly.

“And your enemies closer?” I added in a teasing tone. I caught a glimpse of Jed out of the corner of my eye, and he was not happy. I wasn’t sitting with J.R. in any of my visions. While I wasn’t all that excited about being this close to him, I could see it was a test. He knew the room had been strategically rearranged, and he was trying to tip things to his advantage. But would I call him on it?

His grin deepened, his eyes challenging.

I sat at the end of the opposite end of the sofa, tucking my legs to the side.

“What the hell?” Gentry bellowed.

“Gentry, get Lady’s wine,” J.R. said, keeping his eyes on me.

“If you think I’m going to—”

J.R. turned to look at the man, his eyes deadly. “You will do as I say or suffer the consequences.”

Gentry’s nostrils flared with rage. He stomped over to pick up my glass and then strode toward me, pulling his arm back to throw it at me.

In the blink of an eye, J.R. was up to intercept him. They stood chest to chest for several seconds. The glass in Gentry’s hand tipped sideways and dribbled the red wine onto the off-white carpet as surprise filled Gentry’s eyes. He listed to the side and slumped to his knees.

Jed took several steps toward me, but I remained frozen in my seat, confused by what had just happened.

J.R. pushed Gentry backward and he fell to his back. The wine that spilled onto the carpet almost matched the blood soaking his shirt over his heart. J.R. squatted next to Gentry and wiped his blade clean on the dying man’s shirt. Then he lifted his gaze to me, his eyes cold and dark. This man would wipe away an entire town and feel no remorse. He’d probably get off on it.

I was going to die in this room. But I was going to get what I came for first.

J
.R. stood
and turned his attention to me, still holding the knife. “Sorry about that. If you really want to purchase this house, I’ll be more than happy to pay your carpet cleaning bill.”

“No need. I prefer hardwood floors,” I heard myself say.

He grinned. “Let me get you another glass.” He turned around and walked into the kitchen, setting his knife on the counter.

Oh, Lord Almighty. That was another test.

I was so in over my head I wasn’t even sure how to get out. Gentry was gasping for breath, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth.

I cast a sideways glance to Jed, hoping for some direction. I wasn’t Gentry’s biggest fan, but we couldn’t just leave him there. We had to get help.

Jed snuck a glance at J.R., who still had his back to us, then shook his head.

Gentry took one last breath, and his body stilled.

Focus
.

I pushed away the fear. I had the power to take this man down, but I had to keep it together. “It must be handy having your son as the chief deputy sheriff in situations like this one,” I said, gesturing to Gentry’s body. “Easier cleanup. No wonder you want in on Fenton County.”

“That was a lucky coincidence,” he said, bringing my new glass into the living room. He left the knife on the counter, and this time he sat closer to me, in the middle of the couch. “My son has a head of his own and wanted to be a simple deputy. When I realized I could use his position to my advantage, I made sure he had a higher position.”

I took the glass and sipped, nearly gagging on the dry, bitter wine. I wasn’t sure why anyone would pay so much money for something so disgusting. “And lucky for you, the chief deputy position had just opened up after the former assistant district attorney uncovered the previous chief deputy’s alliance with Daniel Crocker.”

There was nowhere to set the glass, so I reached out to hand it to Jed, who still stood in between the chair and the sofa, his back to the glass. If nothing else, the move would get him closer to me.

But J.R. saw my gesture and took the glass from me, setting it on the table beside his own.

“Now that my boy is gone, why don’t you dispose of your own?” J.R. suggested. “If we’re going to talk specifics, I would prefer to have privacy.”

Jed’s face hardened, leaving me no doubt as to how he felt about the suggestion. But J.R. was a psychopath, and I had no doubt that he would kill Jed if I didn’t send him away.

If I were smart, I’d leave with him. But I had come too far to turn back now. “Jed, wait for me outside.”

“
No
.”

I looked up at him in surprise.

“I’m not leaving without you.”

Anger flooded through me, stealing my senses. He was going to ruin everything. I got to my feet and took a step toward him. “You work for me, Jed Carlisle. You will do as I say.” My voice was hard and cold, and it broke my heart to do this to him. Would he hate me later? Better that than risk his life any more than I already had. “Now go wait outside, and I will deal with you later.”

He lowered his face, blocking it from J.R.’s view. I could see the question in his eyes. I reached up and patted his cheek. “If you’re a good boy, I’ll lessen your punishment. Now go.”

He hesitated for several long seconds, then stepped over Gentry’s body. He shot daggers of hate toward J.R. as he stomped toward the front door.

“You’re too soft with him, Lady,” J.R. said, his voice silky as soon as the door shut. “If you let them have too much leeway, they will rise up and bite you on the ankle.” He paused. “Or the jugular.”

I took my seat. “We all have our ways of ensuring our power, J.R. You go your way, and I’ll go mine.”

“But therein lies a problem. If we are to share the county, then we must agree upon how we rule. And my first order of business will be to dispose of your pet.”

“Jed?” I asked, incredulous, as if he’d told me I couldn’t have a cookie. “No, I need Jed. He has information about this territory. He helps me keep the men in order.”

“But you won’t need that with me here,” he said, watching me like a hawk.

I cocked my head and gave him a knowing smile. “I like to keep him around for other things. He’s
quite
good.”

“He can be replaced.” His voice took on a husky tone.

“Maybe in bed, but his knowledge of the county is useful. I refuse to dispose of him until I have a firmer handle on how this county works.”

“You don’t need him for that either.”

I released a short laugh. “Your son’s been chief deputy about three months and you think you’re an expert on the Fenton County underworld? It seems to me he’s on the wrong side of the law to give you accurate information.”

“He’s not my only source.”

“Then perhaps you can let me in on how you’ve been getting your information.”

He watched me again, his gaze darting to the window behind me. Damn it, I was fairly certain I’d fallen right into a trap. At least I knew Skeeter was listening, even if he was probably madder than a wet hornet right now. All I had to do was say the code word and he’d send his men in to get me. Hell, he’d probably lead the charge.

J.R. reached up to finger the edge of my veil. “I prefer to keep a few secrets. You obviously feel the same way.”

“Mr. Simmons,” I said with more force than I felt. “You are much too close for my liking.”

“I thought we were getting to know one another.” His hand slid down my neck.

I pushed his arm away and stood. “I also like to mix business with pleasure—Jed is proof enough of that—but business always comes first. I would have expected you, of all people, to understand that. Perhaps you’re not the man I thought you were.”

He was on his feet in an instant, towering over me. “Did you just insult me?”

I was scared to death, but I was also pissed. “I am a woman in a man’s world, Mr. Simmons. I did not get where I am today by sleeping my way to the top. I’m sure you didn’t either.”

He grinned. “No, but I’ve had my fun.”

I lowered my voice. “I like powerful men, J.R. And you certainly intrigue me. But I mean it—for me, business always comes first, and
pleasure
—” I drawled out the word “—comes as my reward for a job well done.” I tilted my head slightly. “Will you be part of that reward?”

Surprise flickered in his eyes, followed by what looked like respect. He took a step back, but paused for long enough to run his hand down my bare arm. “I would most
certainly
like to be.”

I needed to get him to start confessing. I said the first thing that popped into my head. “I heard how you got the ADA out of office last week. I’m impressed.”

He gave me a wicked look. “I have my ways.”

Mason had told me I needed him to be as specific as possible. That wasn’t nearly specific enough.

“I hear you have sway over many influential people in this county. I heard you used that influence on a judge last summer to get your son’s girlfriend out of jail.” That wasn’t part of Mason’s script, but I was looking for anything to stick to him.

I’d made the wrong choice.

He watched me for a moment, as though evaluating me. “So you like powerful men?” he asked, but something was off in his eyes, and I instinctively backed up. “Is that why you hooked up with Malcolm?”

“Malcolm was purely business.”

“Oh? Then why hook up with Jed?”

Crap. Why indeed? “Jed was a means to an end.”

“So you used him to help you get rid of Malcolm and take over his territory?”

“No. I was willing to bide my time; in fact, I would have preferred it. But you spurred things into motion when you had Gentry kill his two men and set Malcolm up to take the fall. I’d already invested in this county, so I wasn’t about to give it up.”

“Why reach out to me?”

“Because any fool could see you were making a bid for the county too. I had pieces in play, so it made sense to join forces.”

“I don’t play well with others.”

Unfortunately, that was just about the most incriminating thing he’d said.

Crap. Crap. Crap. I was going about this all wrong.

“You’re being dishonest with me, Lady.”

My heart leapt into my throat. “And why would you think that?”

He held his hands out to his side. “I’m honest about who I am. I’m J.R. Simmons, the most powerful man in southern Arkansas—soon to be the entire state. You know who
you
are dealing with, but I have no idea who you are. Why would I align myself with a ghost?”

“You want me to take off my hat?”

“Among other things.”

Under any other circumstances, I would have thought he meant my clothing, but I was fairly certain that he meant my identity.

“Ah …” he murmured after several moments passed. “That’s what I thought.”

I nearly said the code word, but I suddenly thought of another tactic. “You think I’m being dishonest with you. Who exactly do you think I am?”

“I think you’re Malcolm’s whore and he’s sent you in here as a sacrifice to set up his revenge.” His eyes hardened. “He knows I’m coming for him, and that boy’s not smart enough to tuck tail and run. So you’re here to string me along, and Malcolm’s going to come in for the finale.”

I slowly lifted my hand to my head, took my hat off, and tossed it to the floor. “No veil now, J.R. Just me.” I lifted my chin. “And I’m not Skeeter Malcolm’s whore.” My voice hardened. “I’m no one’s whore. The God’s honest truth is that I’m here of my own free will, but you wouldn’t know anything about God, would you? You think you’re a god in your own right.”

Recognition flashed in his eyes. “This
is
a surprise, and those are so rare these days.”

He knew who I was. Well, he was in for a bigger surprise. I wasn’t the timid woman he’d met at his house five months ago. “No, I suppose it’s difficult to be surprised when you’re so busy orchestrating so many people’s lives.”

He laughed. “You’re right. I
am
a god.”

“I guess you are, aren’t you? You hold the power of life and death in your hands. How many people have you killed?”

He grinned. “Countless.” He looked around. “And I’m going to kill her too, Malcolm, so you better get in here before I get to work.”

I shook my head. “I already told you that he didn’t send me. Last I heard, he took off to try and find Pete Mooney so he’d confess to killing that little boy for you.”

“Malcolm’s a wimp. It was an easy job. Anybody could hold a kid’s head underwater.”

My stomach churned. “If it was so easy, why didn’t you do it yourself?”

A slow smile spread across his face. “I did.”

“
What?
”

“I lost two men to that job, so I went and did it myself. I was running out of time.”

“So you brought Mason here to torment Malcolm, but why are you trying to kill him? Why kidnap me last night, then plan to kill me?”

He shook his head. “I didn’t. I had no part in that, but I have to say I do enjoy watching people suffer. Whoever’s orchestrating that scheme is brilliant. If it had been left up to me, I would have sent you to prison. It would have been an effective lesson for my son and Deveraux. There was no way you were going to get out of those trumped-up charges. I paid too many people to make sure that didn’t happen.”

Had Kate orchestrated my kidnapping on her own? Or was it someone else entirely?

But my momentary shock was all the time he needed. Before I realized he was moving, he had reached the island and was grabbing his knife. In a quick move, I pulled the gun out of the elastic band on my leg.

I took several steps back, pointing the gun at him.

He grinned, and his eyes sparkled with excitement. He was loving every minute of this. “You won’t shoot me.”

“You’re wrong. I’ve shot men before.”

In my peripheral vision, I saw movement at the back of the house. I nearly fell over when I saw Joe walk in through back door. He had on jeans and a solid green T-shirt under his winter jacket, and he looked like he was ready to kill someone. Did that mean he was here to help his father, or was he here as the chief deputy sheriff?

But it had distracted me enough to give J.R. time to lunge for me, slashing with his knife. Pain tore through my upper arm, but I remained upright, managing to keep from tripping over Mick Gentry’s body.

“Dad!” Joe shouted, pointing a gun at his father. “Drop it!”

J.R. stepped over the body and grabbed my injured arm, making me cry out in pain. He pulled my back against his chest and held the knife to my throat.

Mason appeared in the back door, shoving one of Skeeter’s men away. Panic filled his face when he saw me, but Joe’s expression was stone cold.

Jed had already come through the front door, his gun raised, Skeeter on his heels.

J.R. began to laugh.

“Dad,” Joe said, taking a step closer. “Just put down the knife and let her go.”

He continued to laugh. “You joined forces with Malcolm, eh? Not so different from your father after all.”

“Dad. Just let her go.” Desperation saturated his words.

“Rose Gardner is worth more to me dead than alive.”

“No!” Mason protested, moving next to Joe. “If we all watch you murder her, you’ll get charged with murder in the first degree. You might even find yourself facing the death penalty. You’ll only have a chance if you let her go.”

J.R. paused. “Malcolm and his lackey will shoot me anyway.”

“No! He won’t,” Mason protested. “Malcolm, tell him!”

Skeeter’s face turned so hard he looked like he was made of granite. “Let her go, Simmons. In fact, everyone get out of the room. This is between the two of us.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Joe said, his voice cold. “He’s going to let her go, and then I’m going to escort him to the sheriff’s station.”

J.R. laughed again.

“If you kill her, I will rip you apart limb by limb,” Skeeter growled, taking several steps toward us.

J.R. jerked me backward, the knife-edge scraping the delicate skin on my neck. I felt a tiny trickle of blood trail down my neck as Mason’s and Joe’s eyes widened with fear. Skeeter looked even more murderous, as though it was possible. Jed’s expression suggested he’d help Skeeter carry out the deed.