The Drop was busier than I thought we’d be for the Fourth, and it wasn’t until almost closing that Tish and I had a chance to chat.
“The cops came by my house yesterday,” she said, grabbing a peanut from the snack bowl on the bar.
I frowned. “That’s weird. What for?”
“They were asking about you.”
My eyes went wide. Was this what Blane had meant about the cops looking into every part of my life?
“What did you say?” I asked.
She shrugged, shelling the nut and popping it into her mouth. “There wasn’t a lot to say. They wanted to know if you and Blane were back together, if you were living with him, if I’d ever seen you with some girl named Kandi or heard you talk about her.
“Of course I told them you weren’t back with Blane, that piece of shit,” she continued with a disgusted snort. “And that the last time you mentioned Kandi was months ago when she broke you and Blane up.”
I closed my eyes in dismay.
“What’s wrong?” Tish asked anxiously. “Did I say something I shouldn’t have?”
I shook my head. I couldn’t blame Tish. She’d told the truth, as far as she knew it. “It’s fine,” I said. “I’m sorry they bothered you.”
“Why are the cops asking me about you?” she asked. “What happened?”
I gave her a quick recap of Kandi’s murder and how Blane was a suspect. It had been on the news, but I knew how little attention Tish paid to things like that.
“So they’re asking me because they think maybe you were involved somehow?”
I gave a helpless shrug. “I have no idea. Maybe.” Which was a lovely thought to dwell on the rest of the evening.
Scott and Tish were just as eager to leave as I was once we’d closed. I said good-bye to them, promising to lock up when I left. I had to go back to the storeroom for more liquor to stock. If I’d been the one scheduled to work tomorrow, I wouldn’t have bothered, but I hated to leave the bar in that state for the next person to deal with.
Once I was in the storeroom, I scanned the shelves for what I needed. The air-conditioning couldn’t keep up with the heat out front, so I felt sticky and hot, but it was cooler in there.
I wanted to hurry. If I could get to James’s house, maybe I could help Kade. Not that he likely needed help, especially mine, but that’s what I told myself to justify going over there.
I heard the door open behind me and I spun around in surprise. I should be alone now, no one else was here. When I saw who’d entered the room with me, my heart lodged in my throat.
James. How the hell had he gotten in?
“I’m so glad to have a moment alone with you, Kathleen,” he said.
“What are you doing here?” I asked with more bravado than I felt.
James took a step closer. “I thought I’d stop by your fine new working establishment and check in on you, seeing as how your boyfriend’s going to be arrested for murder.” His fake sympathy was grating. “The cops say you two are back together, though if you ask me, hooking up with a murderer can’t be good for your health.”
“Blane didn’t murder anyone,” I said. James took another step forward and it was all I could do not to back away.
“How sweet, standing by your man,” he sneered. “Or stupid.” He moved closer until he stood right in front of me. “For all you know, you could be next.”
My heart was hammering in my chest and I swallowed hard. Was that a threat? The last time I’d been alone with James, he’d attacked me. I’d gotten away only because of the stun gun I’d borrowed from Alisha. I had no such weapon now.
James reached out to trail a finger from my neck down inside my cleavage. I slapped his hand away and his eyes narrowed in menace.
“You know,” he said softly, “I could maybe be… persuaded… to go easy on your guy. Involuntary manslaughter instead of murder one. Ten years, but he’d be out in five.”
Blane. I could help him. My mind spun. If things progressed far enough for him to be arrested, this would be better than the alternative. On the other hand…
“You forget,” I said, “I still have a rather incriminating recording of you threatening me, remember?”
“You mean this one?” He held up a familiar flash drive. “I was so sorry to hear about your apartment burning, so I went by,” he said. “The restoration people were very cooperative once I told them who I was. They were impressed that the district attorney would take such an interest in one of my… constituents.” He pocketed the drive. “You should find better hiding places, Kathleen. It took me all of ten minutes to find it.”
Okay, well, this was an unfortunate turn of events. I swallowed. How far was I willing to go to help Blane? I loved him and didn’t want to see his life destroyed for a crime he didn’t commit. But the price for what James offered was steep, and I didn’t know if I could pay it.
“How could I… persuade you?” I forced the words out, feeling sick to my stomach.
James’s smile was triumphant. His hand slipped inside my shirt to cup my breast, pinching the nipple hard. I stiffened, wincing, but didn’t move or make a sound of protest.
His other hand circled my throat as he shoved me against the brick wall at my back. His grip tightened and he forced my head to turn. “I thought you’d come around to my way of thinking,” he hissed in my ear. “You’ll do anything for Kirk, won’t you. Stupid cunt.”
I shut my eyes tight, struggling to breathe. His hold was painful but didn’t completely cut off my air.
“Won’t you?” he demanded again, squeezing harder.
I tried to nod, spots starting to appear before my eyes.
His grip loosened and I sucked in a lungful of air.
“That’s a good girl,” James said. “Now you just do as I say, and I won’t hurt you. Much. Understand?”
I nodded again, suddenly all the more glad I hadn’t told Kade or Blane about getting off work early. I didn’t want either of them to see this.
He yanked on my shirt and it bit into my shoulders before the fabric tore. “Take it off,” he said, letting go of me.
My hands shook as I shrugged out of the shirt. James’s gaze dropped to my breasts.
“Kirk may be a killer,” he said with an appreciative sigh, “but he knows how to pick ’em.”
He fished something out of his pocket, and flipped open a pocketknife. My breath caught at the sight of it. I was abruptly reminded of what James had done to Kandi. Was he going to do that to me?
“Hold still now,” James said, his tone too nonchalant for how close the knife was to my skin. “I don’t want this to slip. That would be a real shame.”
James slid the blade under the elastic of my bra, twisting upward, then tugged. The knife cut easily through the fabric. I didn’t breathe as the blade again touched my skin.
“How about a souvenir?” James said. “I don’t want you or Kirk to ever forget this.”
I stood frozen as he sliced a thin cut down between my breasts. “It’s such a treat, to have you finally minding your manners,” he mused.
I could feel the warm trickle of blood trailing down over my stomach. Terror gripped me. I sucked in my breath to scream.
“Don’t even think about it,” James bit out, whipping the knife up to my throat. “I’ll have your throat slit before you can manage a whimper.”
I looked in his eyes—the steady, calm gaze of a sociopath—and knew there was nothing too horrifying for him to do.
“You’re not worth fucking,” he sneered. “But you can suck my dick. Get on your knees, you fucking bitch.”
“If I do this,” I managed to say, “you promise you’ll only charge for manslaughter?”
James’s fist closed around a handful of my hair and yanked me toward him. I gasped in pain.