Thirty-Five and a Half Conspiracies
Page 51
“Rose, do you want to have another vision?” Jed asked quietly.
He was nervous. I’d never once seen him nervous—cautious, yes, but not nervous—and it spooked me.
“Yeah.” I put my hand on his shoulder one more time and thought about what would happen at the meeting.
The vision started as soon as I closed my eyes. We were in the car, pulling away from the warehouse.
“That went better than I expected,” I said in Jed’s deep voice.
“You’re kidding me,” Neely Kate said in disbelief.
I turned to her, finally letting myself relax as we drove away. “At least we got what we wanted.”
The vision ended, and I said, “We got what we wanted.” I took a deep breath and repeated what I had seen.
“Okay,” Jed said, his hand on the door handle. “It sounds like it might not go smoothly, but we’ll get what we’re after in the end. Stay on your toes.”
“Deal.”
Jed and Neely Kate both got out of the car, and Jed opened my door, offering me his hand. Neely Kate stood next to the front of the car, her gaze fixed on the doors of the warehouse. She looked more serious and focused than I had ever seen her.
I grabbed Jed’s hand and climbed out, the gun between my thighs making me feel awkward and a little off balance. Jed grabbed a small bag off the floor of the backseat. He handed it to Neely Kate, and she hung the long strap on her shoulder without question.
What did Jed have in that bag?
My stomach was tied up in a heavy ball that slowed my steps. Jed was leading the way, and Neely Kate was following behind me.
A kid met us at the entrance. He was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, and he looked to be in his late teens. He was medium height and lanky, so his shirt swam on him. His eyes were wide with fear.
“Carlisle?” the kid asked.
It took me a second to realize he was talking to Jed.
“Yeah.” Jed’s answer was gruff, and he pushed back his jacket to show the kid the gun in his holster. “Where’s Gentry?”
The boy swallowed. “I’ll take you to him.”
Jed slowed until I was about a foot behind him, and Neely Kate moved closer to my back. My skin was prickly, and I was beginning to have major second thoughts about this whole scheme.
The boy led us through a maze of shelves stacked with boxes toward a door with a glowing rectangular window. Neely Kate’s and my heels clicked against the concrete floor, echoing in the large space, and I wondered if I should get quieter shoes. But my Lady in Black persona was all smoke and mirrors, and it needed to stay that way to distract the dangerous people I was meeting from the fact that I was nobody Rose Anne Gardner, not some rich and powerful woman from Louisiana. Rose wore boots to dig in the dirt. Lady wore fancy high heels to poke out someone’s eye should it come to that.
The heels would remain.
The kid opened the door, and Jed stopped in the doorway, his broad chest blocking my view.
“Carlisle,” a familiar voice called out. “I see you made it. Did you bring the guest of honor?”
Jed stepped to one side, and I walked through the doorway, surveying the room. It was a lot like my vision. Mick sat at the head of the table while two men sat on either side of him. One of them was Bull.
I’d stood in front of both of these men once before, only they’d been in total control last time, and I’d been desperate to save Mason’s life. While my motivations were not so different this evening, neither man knew it. A feeling of hopelessness washed through me, but I shoved it down. This man thought I had something he wanted. I would do well to act that way.
He stood and his eyes lit up, though with evil, not with glee. “The infamous Lady in Black. I’m honored to be in your presence.” He made a slight bow.
His condescension pissed me off. “Did you try to have us killed?”
I felt ridiculous repeating what I’d seen in my vision, but altering anything could change the vision of us driving away safely. Vision Neely Kate had already suggested things would get a little hairy.
Mick sat down and leaned back in his seat. “Your own men were more than willing to take care of that one for me.”
“Not my men,” I spat out. “But you can see why I’m here.”
Gentry’s eyes twinkled as he waved to a chair. “Now we have something to talk about. Let’s get down to business.”
Jed pulled out a chair for me, and I sat directly across from Gentry. Jed and Neely Kate took the chairs on either side of me.
Gentry turned his attention to Neely Kate, his gaze immediately dropping to her cleavage. A slow grin spread across his face as his eyes rose to meet hers. “Who do we have here?”
“None of your business,” I said in a harsh tone. “She’s with me.”
He smirked, then slowly shifted his attention to Jed. “And you? You turned on your man?”
Jed’s steely gaze bored into the other man. “Let’s just say a man needs to serve his own interests.”
“I never saw you as a turncoat.”
To his credit, Jed didn’t flinch. “Malcolm took off, and I’m not about to lose everything.”
“And her?” He pointed toward me.
“She’s an investor with a sharp business sense. I see no reason to let her loose, even if Malcolm’s no longer in the picture. I’ve pledged my loyalty to her.”
Mick tilted his head, staring at Jed. “Why should I trust you? How do I know she’s not his whore?”
He was nervous. I’d never once seen him nervous—cautious, yes, but not nervous—and it spooked me.
“Yeah.” I put my hand on his shoulder one more time and thought about what would happen at the meeting.
The vision started as soon as I closed my eyes. We were in the car, pulling away from the warehouse.
“That went better than I expected,” I said in Jed’s deep voice.
“You’re kidding me,” Neely Kate said in disbelief.
I turned to her, finally letting myself relax as we drove away. “At least we got what we wanted.”
The vision ended, and I said, “We got what we wanted.” I took a deep breath and repeated what I had seen.
“Okay,” Jed said, his hand on the door handle. “It sounds like it might not go smoothly, but we’ll get what we’re after in the end. Stay on your toes.”
“Deal.”
Jed and Neely Kate both got out of the car, and Jed opened my door, offering me his hand. Neely Kate stood next to the front of the car, her gaze fixed on the doors of the warehouse. She looked more serious and focused than I had ever seen her.
I grabbed Jed’s hand and climbed out, the gun between my thighs making me feel awkward and a little off balance. Jed grabbed a small bag off the floor of the backseat. He handed it to Neely Kate, and she hung the long strap on her shoulder without question.
What did Jed have in that bag?
My stomach was tied up in a heavy ball that slowed my steps. Jed was leading the way, and Neely Kate was following behind me.
A kid met us at the entrance. He was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, and he looked to be in his late teens. He was medium height and lanky, so his shirt swam on him. His eyes were wide with fear.
“Carlisle?” the kid asked.
It took me a second to realize he was talking to Jed.
“Yeah.” Jed’s answer was gruff, and he pushed back his jacket to show the kid the gun in his holster. “Where’s Gentry?”
The boy swallowed. “I’ll take you to him.”
Jed slowed until I was about a foot behind him, and Neely Kate moved closer to my back. My skin was prickly, and I was beginning to have major second thoughts about this whole scheme.
The boy led us through a maze of shelves stacked with boxes toward a door with a glowing rectangular window. Neely Kate’s and my heels clicked against the concrete floor, echoing in the large space, and I wondered if I should get quieter shoes. But my Lady in Black persona was all smoke and mirrors, and it needed to stay that way to distract the dangerous people I was meeting from the fact that I was nobody Rose Anne Gardner, not some rich and powerful woman from Louisiana. Rose wore boots to dig in the dirt. Lady wore fancy high heels to poke out someone’s eye should it come to that.
The heels would remain.
The kid opened the door, and Jed stopped in the doorway, his broad chest blocking my view.
“Carlisle,” a familiar voice called out. “I see you made it. Did you bring the guest of honor?”
Jed stepped to one side, and I walked through the doorway, surveying the room. It was a lot like my vision. Mick sat at the head of the table while two men sat on either side of him. One of them was Bull.
I’d stood in front of both of these men once before, only they’d been in total control last time, and I’d been desperate to save Mason’s life. While my motivations were not so different this evening, neither man knew it. A feeling of hopelessness washed through me, but I shoved it down. This man thought I had something he wanted. I would do well to act that way.
He stood and his eyes lit up, though with evil, not with glee. “The infamous Lady in Black. I’m honored to be in your presence.” He made a slight bow.
His condescension pissed me off. “Did you try to have us killed?”
I felt ridiculous repeating what I’d seen in my vision, but altering anything could change the vision of us driving away safely. Vision Neely Kate had already suggested things would get a little hairy.
Mick sat down and leaned back in his seat. “Your own men were more than willing to take care of that one for me.”
“Not my men,” I spat out. “But you can see why I’m here.”
Gentry’s eyes twinkled as he waved to a chair. “Now we have something to talk about. Let’s get down to business.”
Jed pulled out a chair for me, and I sat directly across from Gentry. Jed and Neely Kate took the chairs on either side of me.
Gentry turned his attention to Neely Kate, his gaze immediately dropping to her cleavage. A slow grin spread across his face as his eyes rose to meet hers. “Who do we have here?”
“None of your business,” I said in a harsh tone. “She’s with me.”
He smirked, then slowly shifted his attention to Jed. “And you? You turned on your man?”
Jed’s steely gaze bored into the other man. “Let’s just say a man needs to serve his own interests.”
“I never saw you as a turncoat.”
To his credit, Jed didn’t flinch. “Malcolm took off, and I’m not about to lose everything.”
“And her?” He pointed toward me.
“She’s an investor with a sharp business sense. I see no reason to let her loose, even if Malcolm’s no longer in the picture. I’ve pledged my loyalty to her.”
Mick tilted his head, staring at Jed. “Why should I trust you? How do I know she’s not his whore?”
