Nicky winked. “Do that. I’m going to take a quick shower. Hopefully the big dude didn’t take all the hot water.”
“All right.” She took a deep breath as he disappeared into the bathroom.
The phone rang just as she sat down to read the material he’d left for her.
“Holly?” There was no mistaking the smooth, douchebag tones of his voice.
“Scott? You asshole. How dare you call here?” She practically growled into the phone. If she could have reached through it and ripped his throat out, she would have.
He snorted. “Yes, I’m not the one with nerve, sweetheart. Let’s just say it’s a family trait. I want to make sure Nicky got in okay. He left late last night.”
Now he was worried about their son? “You have no right to even ask about him. You kicked him out.”
He chuckled. “Damn, I love that kid. If that’s the way we’re playing it, then fine. I’ve always been the bad guy in your head. All right, I’ll allow that I’m the bad guy. Is he okay?”
“He’s in one piece.” No thanks to Scott.
“Good. I hope he’s getting what he wanted.” There was a long pause. “You tell him to stick to our deal.”
The line went dead, and she was left wondering just what was going on.
Three hours later, Alexei parked Holly’s tiny torture device in the back of Stella’s and began to walk up Main Street. Useless. The whole morning had been useless. He looked up as he heard another car stop.
“Hey, we lost track of you last night. I take it things went well with Ms. Lang?” Jessie asked, getting out of the white SUV they had rented. She’d changed into slightly different colored slacks and a pristine white shirt.
“I tried to tell her that you’re a big boy now,” Mike said, shutting the driver’s side door. His loafers crunched against the gravel. “But she was worried. The appeals court hands down its verdict any day now.”
Yes. He’d forgotten about the appeals. The thought of having to go back into court was not pleasant. “I am fine. Nothing to worry about.”
Jessie looked around. “I don’t know. I’ve heard some crazy stories about this place.”
“It is nice place.”
“Nice enough for a Sommerville. I saw him last night at that bar. What the hell is Caleb Sommerville doing in a place like this?” Jessie asked. She’d been the one to recognize him that day so long before.
Alexei turned to her. “Please to not be telling that around town. He is hiding.”
Jessie sighed. “After what happened to him, I can’t blame him. You know they shot his wife right in front of him. By the time the State Department finally found him, he’d been held captive for months. They said he’d been held in what looked like a box.”
A box. Caleb had been caged in a small space for a long time, his body encased, surrounded. For most men, it would make them claustrophobic. What if it had the opposite effect on Caleb? What if he needed to feel surrounded to be comfortable? An idea started to play in his mind.
Mike shook his head. “Poor bastard. Well, at least he had someone as powerful as Eli Sommerville on his side, or he would have been left there to die. Guess he didn’t deny his family name then, did he?”
“He has a lot of friends,” Alexei said with a frown. “If he wishes to be anonymous, this is his choice. I suggest you to be leaving him alone. I would not take it kindly if his secrets get out when he does not wish them to.”
“You’re close to him?” Jessie’s eyes assessed him.
“He is my partner.”
“I would listen to him if I was you.” A tall, dark-haired man turned the corner. He’d obviously heard a good portion of the conversation. “Caleb here is Alexei’s partner. We take partners real damn seriously here in Bliss.”
Caleb stood with the other man. He stared a hole straight through Alexei. “You aren’t going to extort me, are you?”
He was so stubborn. “I tell you this.”
The dark-haired man held out his hand. “Wolf Meyer. Nice to meet you. And I just spent a good twenty minutes of my life explaining that to Caleb. He’s got a thick head. I tried to explain that if a man like you wanted money out of him, you would just put a gun in his face and demand it.”
It was good to know he had a reputation. “I would not hurt Caleb for the world. He save my life.”
“Yeah, I told him that, too.” Wolf turned to the other two. “Feds?”
Mike looked offended. “US Marshals.”
Wolf rolled his eyes. “Same shit, different uniform. Caleb, you have everything you need?”
Caleb nodded. “I think I can handle it from here.”
Wolf walked away, but Caleb stayed. “Are they your handlers?”
“Not any longer.”
“We’re just in town to make sure he’s okay. There are two men he testified against who are up for an appeal. I’m nervous they might come after him. These are powerful men with long arms, if you know what I mean,” Mike explained.
Caleb turned to him. “Impatient bastard.”
Alexei shrugged. “I wait long time.”
“Dr. Sommerville, will you talk to him? It would really be better if he stayed in one place.”
“My name is Caleb Burke. If you insist on formality, you can call me Dr. Burke. I changed my name a long time ago. It’s legal. Use it. As for Alexei going back into witness protection, that’s not a good idea. He has responsibilities here. Don’t worry, if someone shoots him, I know how to stitch him back up.” Caleb gestured toward the town square. “Enjoy your stay in Bliss. Come on, Alexei. Walk with me.”
Alexei waved good-bye to his handlers. Maybe they would get the idea that he wasn’t going back.
“How did the job hunt go?” Caleb asked gruffly.
Alexei sighed as they passed The Trading Post. It was the one business in town he didn’t have the courage to go into and ask if they were hiring. The neat little storefront was one of the mainstays of the town. They sold everything from groceries to books to sporting goods in the multi-story structure. It was also run by Logan Green’s mothers.
“I will keep searching. I will try other towns this afternoon.”
“Yeah, you just keep right on walking, buddy. Maybe you should try some other states.” Logan leaned against the side of his county-issued Bronco, his eyes narrowed.
“Just keep walking.” Caleb nodded at the deputy, but didn’t speak to him.
Alexei stopped. “Logan, perhaps we could talk.”
He needed to figure out a way to make this right with the deputy.
“I think I’ll pass. I remember what happened the last time we talked.” The deputy’s eyes were rimmed with red. It was obvious he hadn’t been sleeping much.
“I am so very sorry for the pain you went through. I would do anything to make it go away.”
“You didn’t do much when that fucker was trying to kill me, did you? I believe I would have been termed an acceptable loss. Tell me something, asshole, did I play my part? Was I a good distraction? Did me getting my ass tortured buy you the time you needed to save your own sorry self?”
“I did to save Holly and later Jennifer.” It was his reason, but the words felt hollow in the face of his obvious pain. How could he tell the deputy that he still had nightmares? He could still hear the low, animal moans Logan made as his life was altered forever.
“Yeah, I’m sure that helps you sleep at night.” Logan slammed his fist onto the roof of his Bronco.
Caleb took a couple of steps closer to the detective. “Have you been drinking?”
“You know what, Doc? That’s none of your fucking business.” The deputy took a step back.
Caleb wouldn’t let it go. “It certainly is if you’re both on duty and driving around. You carry a gun, Logan. You can’t do this. And what’s wrong with your eye? Is that a contusion? When did it happen?”