Thirty-Five and a Half Conspiracies
Page 92
“I had to,” I said quietly. “He was out of control.”
“That’s because he’s a goddamned psychopath!” His voice was so loud it shook the pictures on the walls.
The front door flew open, and Skeeter stood in the opening. His expression was guarded, but his hands were clenched at his sides. “Good evening, Mr. Prosecutor.”
Rage filled Mason’s eyes. “It’s no longer evening, and I’m no longer the prosecutor. But I guess that’s all part of your repertoire, isn’t? Spinning things to your advantage.”
Skeeter ignored him and turned his attention to me. “Is everything okay in here, Rose?”
Rage exploded from Mason’s body, and he pushed me behind him. “How dare you insinuate that she’s unsafe with me? I’m not the one who put her alone in a room with dangerous criminals.”
Skeeter shrugged, his face empty of emotion. “When I need a job done, I hire the right person. Rose is definitely the right person.”
Mason looked like he was about to launch toward him, so I grabbed his arm and held him back. “Mason. I was never alone. I had Jed.”
Skeeter’s eyes twinkled. “Until you took matters into your own hands with Humphrey. You locked Jed out and spent a good five minutes or so alone with that psychopath.”
I gasped, my fingers digging deeper into Mason’s arm to hold him back. “What on earth are you doin’, Skeeter Malcolm? That’s not helping!”
Mason pulled loose from my grasp. “What is this really about, Malcolm? It must have been quite a feather in your cap to get the ADA’s girlfriend to work for you.”
Skeeter grinned. “You have no idea. Too bad I couldn’t tell a soul.”
Mason’s body tensed again, and my own anger rose up. “Skeeter!” I shouted. “Stop.”
Surprisingly, he did.
I turned to Mason, pleading with him. “It may have started off that way, but by the end, he had my safety in mind at all times. In fact, at the meeting last week he told his men that my protection was more important than his own.”
“Why?” Mason asked suspiciously, his gaze moving from me to Skeeter and back.
“Because she’s a very valuable asset,” Skeeter said. “I take care of the things that matter to me.”
Mason’s hands clenched at his sides. “What the hell are you insinuating?”
“I’m not insinuating a damned thing, but you sure feel guilty as hell about something, don’t you? Maybe because she was snatched out from under your nose and I was the one to save her.”
“Skeeter! Stop it!” I grabbed Mason’s arm, my temper rising. “Mason has done everything in his power to help me.”
A sardonic grin lifted Skeeter’s lips. “But it’s not enough, is it?”
“What the Sam Hill are you doin’? You’re supposed to be getting’ him to help, not turning him away. And if you’re gonna berate him for letting me get kidnapped, you didn’t put a stop to it either! So stuff it!”
He clamped his mouth shut, and Mason’s eyes widened in surprise.
I sighed. “We’re all too tired to have a productive conversation. Maybe we should get some sleep and discuss this in the morning.”
“Good idea,” Mason said, grabbing my hand. “Rose and I will be leaving now. We’ll be sure to contact you in the morning.”
Skeeter stepped in front of the doorway, his eyes cold. “Ahh … that’s not gonna happen, Mr. Former Prosecutor. Rose isn’t going anywhere. Like I already told you, I protect my property.”
“I am not your property, Skeeter Malcolm!” I shouted. “So you get off your high horse!”
He leveled a cold hard gaze on me, and if I hadn’t known he truly had my best interests in mind, I would have been terrified. “You most certainly are my property. You made a deal, and you gave me your word. We are still well within your six-month term.”
“What on earth are you doin’?” He had already freed me from that agreement, but something clicked and I realized what he was up to.
“This is called kidnapping, Malcolm,” Mason said, wrapping an arm around my waist. “And I think my fiancée has been through enough.”
Skeeter snorted. “I’d rather subject her to my insufferable personality than a bullet to the head. Someone wanted her dead, and your measly bodyguard didn’t even realize she’d been snatched until the kidnappers were long gone. So no, Deveraux, she’s not leaving my custody!”
“Mason, it’s okay.”
He turned to me, his eyes blazing. “There is nothing okay about this entire situation.”
“I know, but you have to admit we’re safer here.”
“With Skeeter Malcolm’s men watching us?” he asked, incredulous.
“They saved me tonight, Mason. Jed almost died trying to save me. Skeeter would skin alive anyone who let anything happen to me.”
“You might as well accept it, Deveraux,” Skeeter said with a grin. “You are both my guests until the meeting tomorrow night. We’ll discuss the logistics in the morning, but until then, I suggest you retire for the night.”
I tugged on Mason’s arm, and he swung his gaze to me. I nodded slightly. “We’ll figure this out.”
There was still fire in his eyes, but he snugged me tight against his side, which told me my situation wasn’t totally hopeless. “Rose stays with me.”
“That’s because he’s a goddamned psychopath!” His voice was so loud it shook the pictures on the walls.
The front door flew open, and Skeeter stood in the opening. His expression was guarded, but his hands were clenched at his sides. “Good evening, Mr. Prosecutor.”
Rage filled Mason’s eyes. “It’s no longer evening, and I’m no longer the prosecutor. But I guess that’s all part of your repertoire, isn’t? Spinning things to your advantage.”
Skeeter ignored him and turned his attention to me. “Is everything okay in here, Rose?”
Rage exploded from Mason’s body, and he pushed me behind him. “How dare you insinuate that she’s unsafe with me? I’m not the one who put her alone in a room with dangerous criminals.”
Skeeter shrugged, his face empty of emotion. “When I need a job done, I hire the right person. Rose is definitely the right person.”
Mason looked like he was about to launch toward him, so I grabbed his arm and held him back. “Mason. I was never alone. I had Jed.”
Skeeter’s eyes twinkled. “Until you took matters into your own hands with Humphrey. You locked Jed out and spent a good five minutes or so alone with that psychopath.”
I gasped, my fingers digging deeper into Mason’s arm to hold him back. “What on earth are you doin’, Skeeter Malcolm? That’s not helping!”
Mason pulled loose from my grasp. “What is this really about, Malcolm? It must have been quite a feather in your cap to get the ADA’s girlfriend to work for you.”
Skeeter grinned. “You have no idea. Too bad I couldn’t tell a soul.”
Mason’s body tensed again, and my own anger rose up. “Skeeter!” I shouted. “Stop.”
Surprisingly, he did.
I turned to Mason, pleading with him. “It may have started off that way, but by the end, he had my safety in mind at all times. In fact, at the meeting last week he told his men that my protection was more important than his own.”
“Why?” Mason asked suspiciously, his gaze moving from me to Skeeter and back.
“Because she’s a very valuable asset,” Skeeter said. “I take care of the things that matter to me.”
Mason’s hands clenched at his sides. “What the hell are you insinuating?”
“I’m not insinuating a damned thing, but you sure feel guilty as hell about something, don’t you? Maybe because she was snatched out from under your nose and I was the one to save her.”
“Skeeter! Stop it!” I grabbed Mason’s arm, my temper rising. “Mason has done everything in his power to help me.”
A sardonic grin lifted Skeeter’s lips. “But it’s not enough, is it?”
“What the Sam Hill are you doin’? You’re supposed to be getting’ him to help, not turning him away. And if you’re gonna berate him for letting me get kidnapped, you didn’t put a stop to it either! So stuff it!”
He clamped his mouth shut, and Mason’s eyes widened in surprise.
I sighed. “We’re all too tired to have a productive conversation. Maybe we should get some sleep and discuss this in the morning.”
“Good idea,” Mason said, grabbing my hand. “Rose and I will be leaving now. We’ll be sure to contact you in the morning.”
Skeeter stepped in front of the doorway, his eyes cold. “Ahh … that’s not gonna happen, Mr. Former Prosecutor. Rose isn’t going anywhere. Like I already told you, I protect my property.”
“I am not your property, Skeeter Malcolm!” I shouted. “So you get off your high horse!”
He leveled a cold hard gaze on me, and if I hadn’t known he truly had my best interests in mind, I would have been terrified. “You most certainly are my property. You made a deal, and you gave me your word. We are still well within your six-month term.”
“What on earth are you doin’?” He had already freed me from that agreement, but something clicked and I realized what he was up to.
“This is called kidnapping, Malcolm,” Mason said, wrapping an arm around my waist. “And I think my fiancée has been through enough.”
Skeeter snorted. “I’d rather subject her to my insufferable personality than a bullet to the head. Someone wanted her dead, and your measly bodyguard didn’t even realize she’d been snatched until the kidnappers were long gone. So no, Deveraux, she’s not leaving my custody!”
“Mason, it’s okay.”
He turned to me, his eyes blazing. “There is nothing okay about this entire situation.”
“I know, but you have to admit we’re safer here.”
“With Skeeter Malcolm’s men watching us?” he asked, incredulous.
“They saved me tonight, Mason. Jed almost died trying to save me. Skeeter would skin alive anyone who let anything happen to me.”
“You might as well accept it, Deveraux,” Skeeter said with a grin. “You are both my guests until the meeting tomorrow night. We’ll discuss the logistics in the morning, but until then, I suggest you retire for the night.”
I tugged on Mason’s arm, and he swung his gaze to me. I nodded slightly. “We’ll figure this out.”
There was still fire in his eyes, but he snugged me tight against his side, which told me my situation wasn’t totally hopeless. “Rose stays with me.”
