An Ex to Grind in Deadwood (Deadwood Humorous Mystery Book 5) Paperback – September 4, 2014 (45 page)

Covering his mouth, he faked shock. “There’s so much violence in you these days, Violet.”

Rex must’ve been trading notes about me with Detective Hawke. “What can I say? You bring out the worst in me.”

He leaned over my desk, leering down at me. “Does that violence cross over into the bedroom as well?”

I thought of sex with Doc—the way I’d bitten his shoulder, clawed his back, marked him as mine. My cheeks warmed. I pretended to focus on something on my computer screen. “My sex life is none of your business.”

Rex’s chuckle made the hairs on the back of my neck get all up in arms with pitchforks and torches. “It appears your sister and you have more in common than I thought. She was quite something in bed. Thinking back, I assumed she was trying to impress me at the time, to lure me away from you. It turns out the wildcat behavior during copulation is genetic.”

Like I wanted to think about my sister copulating with my ex-boyfriend. I clenched my fists, telling myself that physical violence was frowned upon in a civilized society.

“Rex, is there something in particular as a Realtor that I can do for you today?”

“Yes, I need you to act as my wife.”

I stuck my finger in my ear and wiggled it, then pulled it back out. “I’m sorry, I could swear I heard you say you wanted me to be your wife.”

“To
act
as my wife.”

“Oh, only act the part. I see.”

“I’ll need the children, too.”

“The children? Do you mean the two small human beings you donated your sperm to create?”

“Yes, those two children. Quit being facetious, Violet.”

I was being facetious? That was rich. I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms over my chest. “You’ll need MY children for what, Rex?”

“I need a family.”

What? Had he turned over a new leaf? One with a conscience? Was he feeling remorseful for how he’d treated us over the years? “Why do you need a family? Are we going on tour? Is it for a production of
The Sound of Music
? Because if it is, I have to tell you that I’m really bad at staying on key, but I do twirl quite well in a dress. Would you like to see me twirl?”

Now
I was being facetious.

“Are you done having your fun?” he asked.

“That depends on why you need a family?”

“Because my promotion depends on it.”

I clamped my teeth together. It was that, or lean forward and bite his head right off in one chomp. Swallowing a lump of rage, I managed to speak without yelling. “Get out.”

“I told you, I’m not leaving until I get what I want.”

Did he have even an inkling how insulting this was after birthing and raising those two children without a single penny or word from him? There was a reason I’d insisted he sign off all rights of fatherhood after they were born and he’d shown absolutely no interest in them, and that was to protect them from being used rather than loved. Yet here Rex stood, thinking he could show up and borrow what could’ve been
his
family if he hadn’t run away from responsibility a decade ago.

This was so not happening. Not now, not with my kids.

I pushed my chair back and walked over to the door. “Get out of my life, Rex.” I meant that with every cell of my being.

He shook his head. “Not until you play your part and help me get what I want.”

“Why do you need a family to get a promotion?”

“Because the board of directors in my company believes that employees with dependents are reliable and trustworthy. The only way I’ll get the promotion I deserve is if my boss sees in person the family I told him I have.” He pulled out his wallet and flipped it open, flashing a familiar photo of me and the kids.

He’d cut out the family picture I’d used on the marketing postcards I’d posted on bulletin boards this last spring, back when I was trying to drum up business as a new Realtor in town. Criminy, first Wolfgang had found that postcard, now Rex. Who was next?

“So you already lied about us?”

“Officially, you having birthed my children makes me a father, otherwise known as a family man.” He slid his wallet back into his pants. “Now I need to borrow them, along with you, in order to get the promotion.”

“No.”

“I’d be willing to compensate you financially for your time.” His gaze lowered to my chest. “Or reward you physically if your boyfriend isn’t satisfying your needs. I was very good at bringing you to orgasm if you’ll remember.”

I hated him to death with my eyes. “You selfish bastard.”

“Baring our teeth now, I see. Good.” He sauntered toward me. “Are you getting excited?”

“What in the hell is wrong with you?” I gaped at him. “Did you hit your head somewhere in between the time you signed away your rights to those kids and today?”

“We were good together, Violet, and you know it.”

“No, I was good, you were just average. But I was foolishly star struck, and you took advantage of my naivety and left me in one heck of a predicament.” I glared at him. “I can assure you that I have absolutely no desire to take up where we left off physically, nor will I act the part of your wife or allow my children anywhere near you.”

His face tightened, pinching into a cruel expression. “Do the children know my name?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

His vile sneer made my heart pitter-patter in my throat. “Yes,” I whispered.

“We made beautiful children, you and me.” He reached out to touch my cheek, but I stepped back, bumping into the wall.

Goosebumps crawled up my arms at the creepiness in his gaze as he closed the distance between us.

“Our daughter has your eyes.” His voice had lowered to a foreboding level. “Even the little flecks of gold amidst the hazel.”

How did he know that? “Stay away from my children.”

“Our son has my love of science. Based on some of his recent choices from the library, I bet he’d love to see what I do in the neutrino lab.”

The son of a bitch had been playing ant farm again, this time with a magnifying glass. I jabbed him in the chest. “Do not come near my family again.”

“Help me get that promotion and I’ll be transferred out of your life for good.”

“Go get Susan, she’d love to pretend to be your wife.”

“I don’t want Susan.” He shoved me back into the wall, my boot heel hitting the wood baseboard with a loud thud. “It took me too long to remove her from my life last time. I have children, so why not use them as they were intended.”

A red fury hazed my vision. “Go fuck yourself, Rex.” I shoved him back.

He stumbled over Ray’s trashcan, using the desk chair to keep himself from falling. “You like it rough now, Violet?” He rushed me, grabbing me by my blazer lapels and yanking me against him. “I can play rough.”

“Get your hands off of me, you arrogant asshole.” I stomped down on his toe with my boot heel.

He yowled in pain, pushing me back into the wall again. This time both heels hit the baseboard with a loud clunk-clunk, along with my elbow.

“It’s time for you to leave, Rex,” I rubbed my throbbing elbow, stepping away from the wall. “Or I’ll call the cops.”

“If you don’t help me get that promotion, I’ll go public about being the father of your children.”

I hesitated. I needed to shield Addy and Layne. If they found out about Rex, they’d want to know more, and then he’d really have me squeezed in a vise. “You signed a paper giving up the right to that title,” I reminded him.

“Oops.” He covered his lips like he’d done something wrong. “Oh no, I accidentally let the truth slip out. My mistake. I’m so sorry.”

My fists itched to connect with his face.

“Violet, the solution is simple.” He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. “Dump your boyfriend, tell your kids I’m your latest lover, and act out a few scenes in front of the right people. Then I’m on my way and all of this frustration will disappear.”

“First of all,” I held up a finger, “if you come back in this office again, I’ll slap a restraining order on your ass. Second,” I held up another finger, “I don’t know much about these family-loving higher ups, but I wonder how they’ll feel when they learn that you left me pregnant and alone ten years ago. Or what they’ll think when I mention that I spent the last ten years raising my children without a single penny of support from you.” I walked over and stood by the front door. “Do you think they’ll want to give you that promotion then, Rex? Or will it go to some other employee who’s actually invested time, money, and love in a family?”

“You stupid bitch!” His calm demeanor crinkled, replaced by a snarl. His hand snaked out, latching onto my arm, squeezing my wrist hard enough to make me yell out. He tugged me, cussing and struggling, away from the door and dragged me toward the back hallway. “I’m going to teach you a lesson about obedience, Violet.”

I tried to twist free, digging in my boot heels, but his grip clamped on tighter, shooting pain up my arm. “Let go of me!” I swiped the stapler off Ray’s desk as we passed. “If you don’t take your hands off—”

The front door slammed open, banging into the wall behind me. I registered footfalls on the wood floor right before Doc flew past me, smashing into Rex. Suddenly, my wrist was free. I stumbled backwards, bumping into Ray’s desk.

On the other side of the desk, Doc had a handful of Rex’s shirt, pinning the jerk against the wall.

“Don’t touch her again,” Doc said in a quiet but menacing voice.

Rex’s face was blood red, his eyes wide with surprise or shock, I couldn’t tell. He tried to peek around Doc. “Violet, call off your guard dog.”

“He’s not my guard dog.” I crossed my arms.

Rex hit Doc with a sneer. “And if I touch her?”

I bristled at his veiled threat and beat Doc to the punch. “You’ll wake up in a bathtub full of ice water with your kidneys gone.”

Rex looked at me, his mouth catching flies.

Doc lowered his head. His shoulders shook in silent laughter.

“What?” I said to Doc’s back. “That sounded badass, didn’t it?”

Rex struggled in Doc’s hold, but Doc had more upper body strength. Finally he stilled again. “Is that a threat, Violet?” Rex asked. “Because if it is, I bet the cops would like to hear about it.”

Shit. I didn’t want Cooper learning about this, or Detective Hawke. I jutted my chin. “If you want to take this to the police, Doc will be playing poker this week with Deadwood’s only detective along with the Sheriff of Lawrence County.” I wasn’t sure if the sheriff part was true, but Doc had played with him in the past, so what the hell. “He’ll be sure to let them know how you were assaulting and battering a single mother while she was alone at her job. I’m sure it’ll help even more in that promotion pursuit.”

I heard the back door creak open. My pulse fluttered in panic. “Doc,” I whispered. “It’s Mona.”

He let Rex back down on his heels, stepping away from Rex as Mona sailed into the front office.

She stopped so fast when she saw Rex and Doc that Ben ran into her back. Her gaze shifted to me. “What’s going on?”

I considered using the ol’ Jedi mind trick on Mona, but instead fibbed with a big bright smile. “I was introducing Doc to Mr. Conner.”

Rex straightened his wrinkled collar, his face blotchy with red spots. He avoided her scrutiny. “It was interesting conversing with you both.” He headed for the door. “Violet, I’ll be in touch.”

“I wouldn’t advise it,” Doc told him.

“We’ll see what she decides.” With a sniff, Rex walked out under the gray sky and exited stage left.

“Doc? Vi?” Mona said, her forehead arched. “What just happened here?”

“Rex and I had a misunderstanding,” I came clean, sort of. “Doc paid us a visit to help straighten everything out.”

Ben chuckled. “I’ve seen misunderstandings like that before out behind the Blue Moon bar down in Rapid.”

Mona placed her hands on her hips, drilling me. “You knew Mr. Conner before he became your client, didn’t you?”

I nodded.

“One of these days, you and I are going to go to lunch and you’re going to explain to me exactly how you know him.”

“Okay.” I owed her that as my friend. “But only if you promise me that you won’t mention anything about this to Jerry.” I turned to Ben. “Or to Ray.”

“Mention what?” Ben asked, winking. He dropped into his chair and picked up the report he’d printed off earlier.

“My lips are sealed,” Mona said.

“Thank you,” I smiled at both of them.

Doc grabbed my purse from the back of my chair, handing it to me. “I’m taking Violet to lunch. We’ll be back in an hour.”

“Make it two.” Mona waved us goodbye and sat down. “She looks like she could use a long lunch.”

Doc led the way out the back door and across the parking lot to his car. He held open the door for me. While he walked around the back and slid behind the wheel, I sent Aunt Zoe a text message to make sure Addy was still doing okay.

“Where to?” he asked, his attention straight ahead.

“Your place.” My phone dinged. I looked at it. Addy was fine and sleeping. Good.

The Camaro rumbled to life. He backed out and headed toward his house, his focus locked on the road.

I got the feeling he was silent for a reason, contemplating something, probably why he’d ever taken up with a woman who had so many problems. I swallowed a bubble of nervous jabbering and watched the houses go by out the window, trying not to think about what had just happened with Rex.

Doc pulled up in front of his detached garage and hit the automatic door opener. After we rolled into the bay, he closed the door behind us, killing the engine. It ticked as we sat there. I wasn’t sure if I should reach for the door handle or apologize to Doc for messing up his world.

“Violet,” he said, his hand still gripping the wheel. “I owe you an apology.”

Huh? He did? I was the one with the apology, not him. I looked at his stony profile. This better not be the opening line for our breakup scene. “For what?”

“I lost control back there.”

Ohhhh, this was about his control issues again. Whew! “Dear me, Doc,” I said, tongue in cheek. “Your control slipped. It appears you might actually be human after all.”

He turned to me. “You jest.”