Tell Me Lies, page 30
Reaching inside, she focused on her breathing, bringing it back under control and slowing the world down. She pushed to her feet, stumbled a time or two and ran. She expected Vinnie to stay with her, but her guardian went in the opposite direction, toward the house and Benjamin. Her feet slowed as she glanced over her shoulder, coming to a complete stop in shock. Vinnie waited in a defensive three-point stance.
Mesmerized, Lexie stood watching Benjamin advance on both her and the ghost. No more than five feet in front of Vinnie, he stopped running and raised his gun, chuckling.
“I told you, Lexie, you are mine and always will be. Since you can do nothing but spew lies from that pretty mouth of yours, we’ll have to end our affair. After all, I can’t take a liar home to Mom and Dad.”
Vinnie sprang forward, moving with an inhuman speed moments before Benjamin pulled the trigger. The shot rang through the night as Benjamin flew backward. Shock rendered Lexie speechless and motionless. But thanks to Vinnie, the bullet didn’t find its mark.
When did he learn to do that? Wonder what other neat tricks he has up his sleeve because now would be a good time to spill.
Groans from Benjamin as he righted himself lit the fire under Lexie’s feet and she took off running. Lights from the parking lot called out to her, offering sanctuary, yet Lexie avoided the beacon like a ghost with unfinished business. Heading toward the water, Lexie wasn’t sure what her plan involved. Swim across the sound to Long Island? With legs feeling like they weighed a hundred pounds each, her injured arm aching, she doubted she’d get much farther by land or sea.
“Lexie.” Ben’s soft voice brought her head around to come face-to-face with his freaking gun pointed at her, again.
“Really, Ben, meeting like this, it’s a bad habit we should stop.”
“Shut up, bitch.”
Rafe crept around the side of the house, blood pounding in his ears and worry for Lexie pushing him faster. He’d arrived at her place to find Bear locked in the bedroom, the living room disheveled, and blood trailing out the deck. The sound of a gun firing ripped his heart out. Unfortunately, the bastard had got to Lexie before Rafe could get to him. Now, he watched as the man held a gun on her.
Only air and sand stood between Rafe and the man with the gun. Not great odds in his favor. If she could keep the madman focused on her, he had a shot.
One shot, that’s all he needed because he hadn’t come this far to lose her now, not after getting a second chance. It didn’t matter what it took. Finding the blood at her place, not knowing if he’d already lost her, he’d almost gone insane right there. There would be no other love for him. Lexie was it. His other half, probably the better half as all the jokes went. Everything he needed in life stood thirty feet away from him with a gun pointed at her heart.
Rafe dropped to his belly to crawl across the sand. He had to stop a couple of times. Bacon kept looking around, the gun shaking in his hand. Was the dude tweaking on something or did he hear him? Lexie glanced his way, briefly making eye contact before focusing her attention on the gunman. Bits and pieces of the conversation floated across the quiet night sky to him. If he wasn’t a cop, he’d shoot to kill.
He’d managed to crawl to within ten feet of his target, coming up at an angle. The position didn’t allow him to gauge the gunman’s face, which was another point against him. The eyes always gave them away.
Coming up on one knee, Rafe ordered, “Camden Police. Drop the gun, Bacon.”
“Come any closer and I’ll shoot her.” Bacon whipped his gaze in Rafe’s direction but kept the gun trained on Lexie.
“Last warning, Bacon, drop your gun, hands on your head.”
Seconds ticked by, feeling like days, while he watched for any sign of compliance or rebellion. The cop side of him wished for compliance, to end the standoff with no one getting hurt. The dark side of him silently incited for a riot. Slowly, Rafe rose and sidestepped until he came face-to-face with the man. Bacon’s eyes darted back and forth, opened a little too wide and glossy. A smile spread, going from a grin to a full-tooth poster boy greeting. Fingers leisurely played with the trigger as the smile grew and stopped.
Lexie dove to the side.
Rafe fired.
Bacon dropped the gun, blood spreading across his right shoulder. He fell to his knees, laughing.
Lexie, unharmed, crawled to Rafe’s side and held on while the madman laughed and laughed. Rafe handed over his cell and told her to call for an ambulance. He retrieved the gun and cuffed Bacon, not caring about the damage it caused to his injured shoulder.
“Keep laughing, Bacon. You won’t find life so funny in prison. Although a pretty boy like you ought to make a lot of friends.” Rafe hauled him to his feet.
“You two don’t get it. You think you have this all figured out, have all the puzzle pieces in place and know the full story. Well, if I’m going down so is the bitch. You think I’m working for that pussy, Alan? Give me a fucking break. He wouldn’t know when to pee if Bolds or his wife didn’t tell him too.”
Lexie stood toe to toe with Bacon now. Rafe pulled the guy back even though he was unarmed and cuffed.
“Ben, what are you saying? Are you working for Bolds?”
The maniacal laugh rang out with a chorus of sirens in the background.
“You fucking wish, Lexie. I’m going to blow your whole precious world to hell and back. Holly Irwin blackmailed me into breaking into the house that night.”
Chapter 27
Thursday morning Lexie stood before her friend, prepared to grovel. “Think you can forgive me for blowing you off yesterday at the hospital?” She handed her a fat slice of chocolate cream pie topped with a mile of whipped cream straight from Elsie herself.
Kat eyed the plate, stroking her chin in mock consideration. Lexie lifted the fork to take a bite and the plate was ripped from her fingers.
Kat gave Lexie the hand-it-over sign. “Eating my pie is how you get on my bad side, give me the fork.” Kat dug in, moaned in ecstasy over the creamy goodness, and gestured to the side of the bed. “How’s the arm and your face? I can’t believe you got shot and by that jerk, Bacon Boy.”
“He certainly fooled me about who he really is. Besides the B&E charges, the ones dealing with our accident, the attempt on my place, our office, and trying to kill me—twice—he’s facing charges for sex with a minor, solicitation, and who knows what else. And he gave up his accomplice. Some dirtbag he met at the strip bar who jumped at the chance of easy money.”
“You’re not the only one he fooled. And sadly, he’s not the only one who hid a darker side.” Kat offered up a forkful of pie and Lexie gratefully took it. Some things just called for chocolate.
“I hear Paul is under an audit at the bank.” Lexie cocked her head, watching as Kat licked the chocolate cream off the fork like a cat with a bowl of cream. “You doing okay? You haven’t said much about the whole breakup and stuff.”
“Doing great. Better I found out now, before the wedding instead of after. And as for the audit, it serves the LCRB right.”
Lexie gasped at the smug look on Kat’s face. “You didn’t?”
“Sadly, no, I didn’t turn him in, but I think I have a certain ghost to thank for it. Speaking of, where is Vinnie?”
“I don’t know and I’m worried. Who knew he could tackle a person?”
“Not me.”
“Me either, but I haven’t seen or heard from him since. Do you think that used up all of his energy? Or maybe saving me was his redemption and he crossed over?”
Kat shook her head. “Nope, no way would Vinnie leave without saying goodbye. He’s probably celebrating at the strip club and lost track of time. He does that.”
“I hope you’re right. And if he did get the investigation started on Paul, I’d like to know how, but mostly I’d like to thank him,” Lexie swiped her finger through a bit of cream on the side of the plate as she wondered again about Vinnie’s newfound skills.
“Seriously, it serves him right. If he’s going to cheat on his fiancée, who’s to say what else he’ll do? Obviously, he has the morals of a skunk.” Kat scooped up the last of her pie, cleaning every bit of chocolate and cream off the plate and fork. “Okay, now you’re forgiven. Any word on Holly yet?”
Not trusting her words, Lexie shook her head. Rubbing her hand on her chest, she tried to ease the pressure there. Out of all the betrayals, Holly’s cut the deepest. During Lexie’s darkest times with her parents while growing up, Holly had been her light, the one to listen to her, the one whose advice she’d listened to. Never suspecting her godmother could ever hurt her.
“How are things with you and Rafe?” Kat’s voice broke into her thoughts, pulling her away from one pity party only to find another lurked, ready to invite her in.
Lexie shifted on the bed, turning around to face Kat. “I don’t know. Last night with the gun pressed against my throat, other than surviving, he was my first and last thought. When he showed up and saved me, it wasn’t a surprise, I knew deep down he’d come for me. The questionable part was whether he’d be too late or not.”
“So why is there still a problem? You can’t hold him responsible for Loose Lips. She’s like a two-legged man-eating piranha.”
“I know and it’s stupid and childish.” Her voice rose with the frustration bubbling out of her. How do you explain a feeling you don’t even understand yourself?
“Lexie, listen to me. I love you, you’re my best friend, the sister of my heart, and I only want what makes you happy. I’m not on Team Rafe here, I’m on Team Lexie, always have been, always will, girlfriend.”
“I know. I’m listening.”
“Now that the craziness of this case is over, give him a chance, a real chance. Go out on real dates—you know, the movies, dinner, that hiking thing you like to do . . .”
Kat rolled her eyes, face scrunched as she mentioned hiking. It was so her, Lexie laughed and the pressure on her chest eased.
“Give the two of you time to get to know each other again and just see what happens. You never know, he might decide you’re too high maintenance or your disgusting eating habits are more than he can stand and he’ll dump you.” She said this last bit, the insult, with the casualness and love only a true friend could get away with. Still Lexie pelted her softly across the head with the pillow.
Lexie parked the black Dodge Charger in the driveway, letting the new-car smell wrap itself around her, and stared at her home. Originally a summer rental owned by her parents, she’d bought it from them a few years ago with her trust fund when she’d moved back from Hartford. Nine months out of the year this little stretch of beach was hers alone, the houses on both sides all summer rentals. Up until last night, her private sanctuary.
Bear barked in her ear, bringing her back to the here and now. After Benjamin’s arrest, she’d rescued her faithful friend and headed to her parents for the night. Having been cooped up for the day, he was ready to run and obviously didn’t understand her hesitation.
Another bark got her moving. “Okay already, give me a second.” She’d barely cleared the door when the dog made his escape, running around to the grassy side yard.
Steeling her nerves, Lexie stepped through the front door. A faint smell of lemons and flowers greeted her. The broken television was gone, and in its place sat a brand-new high-tech screen. She’d expected to see furniture askew, blood on the floor, and shattered glass. Instead she walked into a spotless room with sparkling clean, glass-intact French doors.
Her dad certainly had been busy today, first the car and now finding a crew on short notice to clean and repair her house. For once gratitude filled her instead of annoyance at his meddling.
She stepped out onto the deck. Salty, cool air kissed her skin, welcoming her home. The musical push and pull of the waves filled her soul with serenity. This was home and no one, not even a madman, could take it away from her.
A car door slammed, followed by heavy footsteps on the slate path. Muscles tensed. Lexie stood ready, a small part of her brain acknowledging the urge to run, to hide, to lock herself inside where she was safe, yet she held her ground. This was her home and she would not run ever again.
Men’s boots stepped onto the deck, kicking her nerves into overdrive. Rafe stopped and stared, taking a long appraisal of her. What did he see, she wondered: a spoiled princess, an incompetent PI, or a woman who could take care of herself? She highly doubted it was the last option.
“I like the new ride. Is it another rental?”
“Nope, it’s mine.”
“Sweet.”
His steps ate up the deck as he made his way to her, gently running the pads of his fingers across her forehead where she sported an ostrich-size goose egg. “How’s the head?”
“I’ll live, thanks to you.”
“Holly’s been arrested.” He dropped his gaze, his tone flat. “They caught her in Boston trying to board a plane to London. My buddy with the FBI showed up at the station and she spilled her guts, hoping to get a plea bargain. Seems Alan owes Bolds quite a bit of money for their land deals, which she assured us they thought were legit. In an attempt to come up with the money they owed him, Alan tried winning it at poker, but lost everything they had.”
Lexie sat down on the wicker chair before her legs gave out.
“Did they arrest Bolds?”
“Nope, but they’re working on it.”
“How did Benjamin play into all of this?”
“Seems Holly spotted him out one night with one of his friends, put two and two together and knew she had him by the balls.”
“So, she blackmailed Benjamin into stealing the ring, figuring the insurance money would cover their debts?”
“It doesn’t even begin to cover what they owe—millions—but it might have bought them some time, except the ring wasn’t insured because it was a fake. Alan planned to sell to a private buyer, but Holly saw the ring first and thought it was for her. Alan has been swapping fakes for the real thing for years and selling them, thought he’d try it the other way around this time.”
His words swam around in her brain until the world started to spin with them. Dropping her head between her legs, Lexie took big gulps of air.
“Why? It doesn’t make any sense. They have a successful business, a great home, a life of luxury.”
“Typical story, living beyond their means, trying to keep up with the Joneses—and the Smiths.”
“That’s just stupid. Money isn’t everything and it doesn’t bring you true happiness.” Lexie stood, staring at the ocean, trying to make sense of this jumbled mess.
Rafe stood next to her, searching the horizon, looking for the words he needed. He should go home and let her be, give her time to take the information he’d dumped on her and process it. If he waited, he feared he’d lose his nerve.
“Lexie, I know the past week’s been an emotional roller coaster and this latest turn sent it flying off the tracks, but it also put some things . . . feelings into perspective for me.”
“Rafe, I can’t—”
“Just hear me out, please.”
“I’m listening.”
“Last night, I got here and saw the blood on the floor leading to the deck and then I heard the gunshot. I thought I’d lost you forever. And, I’ve got to tell you, I went a little crazy. I didn’t care about my job or going to prison or anything, I wanted to get my hands on Bacon and rip his heart out.”
A smiled played at the corners of her mouth. Most likely she wanted to do the same thing to the bastard.
“I don’t deserve you. I can’t give you the lavish lifestyle you’ve grown up with. I don’t belong in your world, not now, not twelve years ago.”
The smile faded, and fear rippled across her face.
“Rafe, what do you mean, my world?”
“Country clubs, oceanfront property, mansions, maids, trips around the world—that’s your world. Mine is a cramped Cape Cod, working sixty-hour weeks and getting paid for forty, saving for trips and cars and college funds for your kids. Going without when the money isn’t there. It’s why I ended things years ago, I couldn’t ask you to give everything up for me when I had nothing in return to give you.”
As her father had graciously pointed out to him all those years ago. He was a nothing, a fisherman’s son who was going nowhere. And back then, Bill Smith had been right. He was just a dumb kid, with more thoughts of getting into Lexie’s pants than where his future went. He’d never tell her about the conversation with her dad. What was the point? It wouldn’t erase the lost years and, truth be told, he’d needed some time to grow up. But the real reason he wouldn’t tell Lexie was simple: she loved her dad, and he would never do anything to destroy a family.
“And what about now? You said you don’t belong in my world now either. Does that mean you’re walking away, ending it again?”
He snagged her hands, pulling them to his heart, bringing her in full contact with his body. He flashed a mischievous grin. “No. I’m not going anywhere, unless you kick my ass to the curb.”
She glanced down to their joined hands pressed against his heart beating a tattoo under her palms.
“Is that so?”
Meeting her eyes, he shoved the playful side away. In its place stood a very serious man. The troubled, insecure teen was gone—he still had his doubts, a part of him saying he wasn’t enough, would never be good enough for Alexa Smith. Yet, the man he’d become was ready to risk it all for her.
“If I give up everything, my so-called lavish lifestyle, what are you offering me in return?” she asked.
“Nothing and everything.” Rafe crushed her mouth with his in a demanding kiss. His tongue dove in, plundering, exploring, claiming her. When they came up for air, he said, “I’ve nothing of material value to give you, Lexie. Without you, I’m just an empty space. I know the odds are against me, but I do have my heart, my soul, and they’re yours for the taking. I love you, have since we were ten years old, and I always will.”
