Thirty-Five and a Half Conspiracies
Page 80
“No.”
I started to cry, fear and shock twining with my worry over Mason. “I have to call him! Please!”
He gave me the silent treatment, and no matter how much I begged, pleaded, and cried, he wasn’t swayed.
After about ten minutes, Skeeter pulled to a stop in front of another cabin tucked into the woods. He opened his door and got out, leaving my phone on the passenger floorboard.
I sucked in a breath as I came up with a quick plan.
The moment he shut the driver’s door, I pounced on the automatic lock and swung my leg over onto the front seat.
“Goddammit, Rose!”
I ignored him and slid the rest of the way over, diving for the floorboard and feeling under the seat for my phone.
A loud gunshot filled my ears. I flinched out of reflex as the window of the back passenger door shattered onto the backseat.
Panicked, I snagged the phone, then reached for the passenger door handle with my left, but my hand slipped off.
That was all the time Skeeter needed to get the back door unlocked and jerk the front door open. He grabbed my legs and pulled me across the seat. He leaned over me and snatched the phone from my hand, tossing it back into the truck, then jerked me out of the cab. I almost fell to the ground, but he hoisted me up and over his shoulder and strode toward the dark cabin.
“Let go of me!” I beat on his back and shoved my knee hard into his abdomen. He grunted, but he held my legs tight as he walked into the dark house.
As soon as he entered the house, it hit me. I’d been here before. A couple of months ago, Jed had driven me here blindfolded so I could force a vision of a mostly unconscious guy.
“Who else is here?” I asked, my voice shaking.
“Not a goddamned soul.”
“I want to go home.”
“No.” He dropped me onto my side on the dilapidated, dirty sofa, then switched on a lamp.
Blinking as my eyes adjusted to the light, I sat up.
Skeeter dragged a chair in front of me and straddled the seat, resting his forearms on the back. His face gave nothing away.
Fury pushed away my fear. “You may own the Lady in Black, Skeeter Malcolm, but you don’t own me.”
He remained silent, his face a blank slate.
“What do you want?”
He shifted slightly. “We’ll wait for Jed. This seems like a conversation I should have with the two of you.”
So he was ticked about us meeting Mick Gentry. I wasn’t about to apologize.
He lifted his index finger toward my hand. “I see you have a new piece of jewelry.”
I looked down at my hand, then glared at him. I didn’t like his tone. “Mason proposed tonight.” I lifted my chin. “And I said yes.”
His eyebrows rose slightly. “Seems to me that you’ve been too busy to spend much time thinkin’ about your love life.” His head tilted to the side. “What with you gallivantin’ around the county lettin’ everyone know you think I’m a goddamned coward!”
“I never once said you were a coward!”
He stood, his eyes blazing. “Well, you sure as hell left that impression!”
“Well, I had to give Mick Gentry a good reason to agree to see me.”
“Why in God’s name would you want to see Mick Gentry?”
His voice was so loud I cringed. “If you’d just calm down, I would be happy to explain.”
He burst out of his chair and towered over me, his hands clenched at his sides. “After everything that’s happened, how the hell am I supposed to calm down?”
“Skeeter.” Jed stood in the open doorway. “I’m the one to blame.”
He turned to look at Jed, his eyes wide. He started to advance toward him, but I jumped up and grabbed his arm.
“Skeeter, we managed to set up a meeting.”
He swung his head down to look at me and said, “Oh, don’t worry. I heard all about your meetin’!”
“Not that one. With J.R. Simmons.”
His eyes widened and his arm tensed. “What the hell are you talkin’ about?”
Jed entered the room and shut the door behind him. “We’re pretty sure Simmons is backin’ Gentry, right?”
“It’s why we went to see him,” I said. “I wanted to set up a meeting with J.R.”
His eyes narrowed to slits. “You’re not goin’ anywhere near J.R. Simmons.”
“I haven’t gone to this much trouble for nothin’!”
A war waged in his eyes, and he shook me off. “We have more immediate issues at hand.” He turned to Jed. “Did you take care of it?”
“It was up in flames when I left.”
I gasped. “What was? The cabin?”
Skeeter looked at me like I was crazy. “No, the bonfire we’re gonna go sing Kumbaya around before we make s’mores. Of course, the cabin!”
“But those men were inside!” I turned to Jed. “You set it on fire with them still in there?”
“Rose, they were dead.”
“What?”
Skeeter released a low growl. “You’re focusing on the wrong thing. They kidnapped you in a very public place. You need to be askin’ why.”
“I don’t know.” I shook my head. “They didn’t say anything.”
“It was a rhetorical question. I know why.”
“What? How?”
“I asked them.”
The blood rushed to my feet. I knew what he’d done, yet knowing it and having the reality of it in front of me were two different things. But he must have seen my shock.
I started to cry, fear and shock twining with my worry over Mason. “I have to call him! Please!”
He gave me the silent treatment, and no matter how much I begged, pleaded, and cried, he wasn’t swayed.
After about ten minutes, Skeeter pulled to a stop in front of another cabin tucked into the woods. He opened his door and got out, leaving my phone on the passenger floorboard.
I sucked in a breath as I came up with a quick plan.
The moment he shut the driver’s door, I pounced on the automatic lock and swung my leg over onto the front seat.
“Goddammit, Rose!”
I ignored him and slid the rest of the way over, diving for the floorboard and feeling under the seat for my phone.
A loud gunshot filled my ears. I flinched out of reflex as the window of the back passenger door shattered onto the backseat.
Panicked, I snagged the phone, then reached for the passenger door handle with my left, but my hand slipped off.
That was all the time Skeeter needed to get the back door unlocked and jerk the front door open. He grabbed my legs and pulled me across the seat. He leaned over me and snatched the phone from my hand, tossing it back into the truck, then jerked me out of the cab. I almost fell to the ground, but he hoisted me up and over his shoulder and strode toward the dark cabin.
“Let go of me!” I beat on his back and shoved my knee hard into his abdomen. He grunted, but he held my legs tight as he walked into the dark house.
As soon as he entered the house, it hit me. I’d been here before. A couple of months ago, Jed had driven me here blindfolded so I could force a vision of a mostly unconscious guy.
“Who else is here?” I asked, my voice shaking.
“Not a goddamned soul.”
“I want to go home.”
“No.” He dropped me onto my side on the dilapidated, dirty sofa, then switched on a lamp.
Blinking as my eyes adjusted to the light, I sat up.
Skeeter dragged a chair in front of me and straddled the seat, resting his forearms on the back. His face gave nothing away.
Fury pushed away my fear. “You may own the Lady in Black, Skeeter Malcolm, but you don’t own me.”
He remained silent, his face a blank slate.
“What do you want?”
He shifted slightly. “We’ll wait for Jed. This seems like a conversation I should have with the two of you.”
So he was ticked about us meeting Mick Gentry. I wasn’t about to apologize.
He lifted his index finger toward my hand. “I see you have a new piece of jewelry.”
I looked down at my hand, then glared at him. I didn’t like his tone. “Mason proposed tonight.” I lifted my chin. “And I said yes.”
His eyebrows rose slightly. “Seems to me that you’ve been too busy to spend much time thinkin’ about your love life.” His head tilted to the side. “What with you gallivantin’ around the county lettin’ everyone know you think I’m a goddamned coward!”
“I never once said you were a coward!”
He stood, his eyes blazing. “Well, you sure as hell left that impression!”
“Well, I had to give Mick Gentry a good reason to agree to see me.”
“Why in God’s name would you want to see Mick Gentry?”
His voice was so loud I cringed. “If you’d just calm down, I would be happy to explain.”
He burst out of his chair and towered over me, his hands clenched at his sides. “After everything that’s happened, how the hell am I supposed to calm down?”
“Skeeter.” Jed stood in the open doorway. “I’m the one to blame.”
He turned to look at Jed, his eyes wide. He started to advance toward him, but I jumped up and grabbed his arm.
“Skeeter, we managed to set up a meeting.”
He swung his head down to look at me and said, “Oh, don’t worry. I heard all about your meetin’!”
“Not that one. With J.R. Simmons.”
His eyes widened and his arm tensed. “What the hell are you talkin’ about?”
Jed entered the room and shut the door behind him. “We’re pretty sure Simmons is backin’ Gentry, right?”
“It’s why we went to see him,” I said. “I wanted to set up a meeting with J.R.”
His eyes narrowed to slits. “You’re not goin’ anywhere near J.R. Simmons.”
“I haven’t gone to this much trouble for nothin’!”
A war waged in his eyes, and he shook me off. “We have more immediate issues at hand.” He turned to Jed. “Did you take care of it?”
“It was up in flames when I left.”
I gasped. “What was? The cabin?”
Skeeter looked at me like I was crazy. “No, the bonfire we’re gonna go sing Kumbaya around before we make s’mores. Of course, the cabin!”
“But those men were inside!” I turned to Jed. “You set it on fire with them still in there?”
“Rose, they were dead.”
“What?”
Skeeter released a low growl. “You’re focusing on the wrong thing. They kidnapped you in a very public place. You need to be askin’ why.”
“I don’t know.” I shook my head. “They didn’t say anything.”
“It was a rhetorical question. I know why.”
“What? How?”
“I asked them.”
The blood rushed to my feet. I knew what he’d done, yet knowing it and having the reality of it in front of me were two different things. But he must have seen my shock.
