Beautiful Bounty (The Bounty Hunters: The Marino Bros. Book 1) (21 page)

“Jay is thrilled. Me too. Just worried about mom, both of us.”  She didn’t elaborate further.  As they pulled into the parking lot, she enacted the next part of her plan. “I’m so thirsty.  Got anything to drink in your hotel room?” She gave him a smile.

“Um, yeah, I got some juice, and ice tea. Or did you mean liquor?” he wondered.

“I actually could use a real drink tonight.”

“Sounds like it,” he responded.  “I have some vodka, and rum, the little bottles. I could make you a screwdriver.” He was pulling into the parking lot of the hotel.

“Perfect. I love those. I make them great,” she offered.  “How about if we both have one?” she gave him her most mischievous smile.

“Sounds good, and then you can tell me all about this crazy day of yours. Then maybe we can have a little fun,” he winked, trying to lighten the mood.

“Absolutely,” she purred.  When he cut the engines, they both got out of the car quickly. He made his way over to her as they approached the lobby doors, and took her bag from her. It was surprisingly quite heavy. What did she have in there, rocks?

Ronnie noticed him mentally weighing her bag, so to distract him she reached for his hand and entwined her fingers with his.

He looked down at her and smiled. He loved the feel of her small hand in his, and her smile was nice to see.  He quickly gave her a peck on the cheek. Being this close and with the light from the lamp posts in the parking lot, he really noticed her hair for the first time. Her hair was something.  She had gone platinum, the tips astonishing, and it suited her.  He couldn’t wait to get her inside, and see it more clearly. He had liked it before, but this blonde was doing things to him.  And even though, she was acting strangely it just might be due to her concern over her mom, and this new bit of news about a sibling had shocked her.

“I missed you,” he murmured and bent down to capture her lips with his own.

Seeing him look down on her that way, Ronnie had to shake her head.  He was saying all the right things.  He sounded like he meant every word.  It did strange things to her. It was a shame this was just a sham for him, a diversion while he worked. She felt the pang of disappointment anew. As his tongue sought entrance, she couldn’t help but respond. It eased the ache in her heart if only for a moment.

Nikko gently dropped her bag down beside them and drew her closer, holding her close. Her body soon willingly conformed to his.

He held her like he cared. Soon Ronnie found she couldn’t hold back. Her body responded to him immediately. She felt an ache in her loins, and surprisingly an ache in her heart. This would be the last time she ever kissed this man, and as he broke the kiss, and looked down into her eyes, a bit of her melted. He gave her a quick chaste kiss on the cheek, and lifted her bag from the ground. Winking mischievously, the gleam back in his eyes, they resumed their walk to the doors and the lobby.  Ronnie wanted to cry. It was in that moment she realized she had fallen in love with the man.  The fucker! What she was going to do in the next half an hour, well, it would shred her heart.  But, she had to.  Her life was on the line, and she needed this shadow to be gone so her mom and Jay, and new brother or sister could move on with their lives. She’d get over this. She hoped.

And as for Nikko, he had it coming. He couldn’t keep toying with people like this. He couldn’t take advantage of her while she was down on her luck. She wasn’t going to let anyone use her ever again and steeled her heart for what was going to happen in the next thirty minutes. This was something she needed to do she kept repeating to herself as they entered the lobby and walked steadily to the elevators. Yes, something she needed to do, she told herself more resolutely even though she was still having her doubts.

Fifteen minutes later Nikko was snoring on the floor. Ronnie put a pillow under his head even though the cheating bastard didn’t deserve it.  Seeing him there, looking a complete and utter mess made her feel a pang of remorse.  But just a pang. Her instincts told her last year this guy couldn’t keep it in his pants.  But she denied those instincts. It was her own fault. Again. Trusting the wrong guy. She shook her head in disgust. He was going to be pissed.

But she needed to focus now. Time was of the essence. There would be time later for regret. She rifled in his pants pocket until she found the keys to his car. He would be fuming when he woke up and realized she had taken his precious baby, his car.  But she’d be careful with it. She wasn’t that vengeful. She wanted him to know without a doubt not to mess with her feelings again.

She just needed his car for an hour anyway. To get to the airport.  She closed her palm over the keys and looked down one more time at Nikko. It was a shame.

Getting her bag where Nikko set it on the dresser in the bedroom while she fixed the drinks, she opened up the top compartment and reached way down inside, past her clothes and felt for the plastic bottles she stuffed into them at the last minute.  Revenge would be sweet.  Sweet and tangy to be exact. She pulled out the two plastic bottles labeled Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce.  Both brand new. Jay’s favorite.  Another shame, she thought, as she screwed off the caps. Placing the lids on the bedside table, she peeled off the silver safety seals.  Yes, she’d have to buy Jay more.  But, this was worth it.

She put the little white caps back on, and walked quickly back to the living room area before she changed her mind and lost her nerve. Smiling down on Nikko, she put one bottle under her arm, and flipped the cap on the other. He was out cold. “So you like barbecue, you pig?” she said the words softly just in case he woke up. She was sure he wouldn’t, but wanted to be careful just in case. She tipped the first bottle over, and began to squeeze. A shot of syrupy maroon liquid shot out of the bottle splashing all over his immaculately pressed shirt. It looked like blood. She hoped he would wake before the hotel cleaning staff arrived. But it was too late to worry about the consequences of that now.

She walked all around him continuously squirting the fragrant condiment down one leg and up the other until the bottle was empty. She set the bottle down next to Nikko’s half-finished screw driver. She only sipped hers while she talked, knowing she would be driving.  She didn’t want to drink and drive. She needed her wits about her at the airport.

She uncapped the second bottle.  She retraced her steps, squirting until Nikko was fully basted.  “You’ll never want barbecue again. Bastard. I guarantee it,” she whispered over Nikko’s body.

This bottle she kept in her hands though. A thought just occurred to her. Stooping, she placed it between his slippery muscled thighs.  Again, she muttered her thoughts. “What a shame.”  And with one final look back, Ronnie retrieved her much lighter back pack, and walked out the door.  She had places to go, and Gary to see.

***

Ronnie breathed a huge sigh of relief as she buckled her seatbelt. She was nearly ready for the trickiest part of her plan. She said a silent prayer this would work. Her mom and she looked so much alike. Except the hair color. She had taken care of that. She stopped at
The Todd
, a sex shop for couples in Tampa, knowing they were open late and bought a brunette wig. She stopped at a convenience station with an outside restroom, and despite the filth, took the time to put it on and felt it would pass muster. She mussed it up some, to go for the disarrayed look she wanted, and then headed to the airport. She got on a flight to Bangor leaving at one in the morning with a quick layover in Philly. All should be good, she just had to get past security in Tampa. Pinching her nose several times, she made it red and puffy, and rubbed at her eyes to leave some smudges from her mascara.

Her mom looked amazing for her age. She always took great care of her body and drank plenty of water. Her identification showed some fine lines, marks of her age Ronnie didn’t have. But her plan was to be crying softly as she went through security. Going to her dad’s funeral would be her excuse, thus the late flight. With the wig, the comfortable sweats she had on, the sloppy jacket, she figured no one would look too closely. She’d pass. She had before. She’d used her mom’s ID to get into clubs when she was younger. It would work. It had to. Driving would be out of the question. She’d be caught before she got to the state line. She had to take this chance. Her name might not be on security’s radar, but it might. She couldn’t risk using her own.

And as she suspected, she was able to purchase the tickets at the self-serve kiosk using her mom’s ID and credit card. She felt guilty about doing that and planned to pay her back every penny. She had originally planned on paying cash, but had thought it might seem too suspicious. Blowing her nose then wiping at it as she checked through security worked. They passed her through. When she went through the scanning machine, the female guard looked a bit longer than she would have liked. Ronnie mumbled, “Sorry, my dad died,” and then more sympathetically the female guard waved her through. Relief and guilt coursed through her at the same time.

Retrieving her bag, she was allowed to put her ID away, and that was the last time she would need it. She let out a silent sigh of relief. Now she just needed her gate pass which she clutched close to her chest to get on the plane which was departing in less than thirty minutes.  It should already be boarding now, she thought, as she picked up her pace to gate A17. She kept the tissue close, and head down solemnly as she handed her pass to the check in clerk who tore it in two and handed her portion back to her.  She entered the tunnel to the plane and was ignored by the flight attendant as she passed by. Most of the people flying were already seated. She found her seat quickly and hunched down intending to sleep as much as she could for the four and a half hour trip that included the layover.

When the flight attendant announced for the passengers to put on their seatbelts, they would be taking off soon, she was able to relax somewhat and found she could breathe easier. She’d be in Bangor before six AM, out of the airport before anyone woke up, including her mother, an early riser. By six thirty she hoped she’d be in a taxi on her way to her grandparents.  She needed her bike.  It was the only way she could get to Gary, to where she thought he’d be anyway, undetected.

***

Ronnie slept during most of the flight. She was surprised, but glad she did. Exhaustion, emotional and physical, had overtaken her. The flight attendants had woken her to disembark in Philly, but when she informed them she was taking the same plane to her final destination they allowed her to remain. She had to do a lot this morning, then she would crash for the day, and take action tonight. She needed to have her wits about her when she saw Gary for the first time. He would most assuredly be suspicious of her surprising and sudden appearance, and she had to approach him just right.

As soon as the plane landed on the tarmac in Bangor, and began to pull slowly up to the gate, she unsnapped her seatbelt before the light turned off. She heard the travelers around her doing the same thing, and the flight attendant wasn’t complaining. These late flights were never full, and most people slept. She had been lucky enough to have the row to herself, and thus avoided having to make small talk.

When the light finally clicked off, she was out of her seat in a flash and making her way up the aisle passing people who had put their luggage in the overhead compartment. She kept her bag under the seat before her. She hadn’t wanted to waste time checking it. Also, she didn’t know how many taxis would be waiting in arrivals, and she sure as heck didn’t want to have to wait for one.  Then there would be all the people arriving to take a flight. Bangor wasn’t small, but she was sure her face had been plastered all over the news. She wanted to avoid being recognized by the newsmongers. The wig would help, but she didn’t want to take any chances.

She hustled pass the flight attendant and cock pit crew who stood at the front of the plane wishing everyone well, and gave only a brief nod as she passed. Her small purse was already across her shoulder, but she shifted slightly to pull up her hoodie on her jacket before she walked out into the main terminal. She kept her head down, and began to walk around the slower people taking their time in the disembarkation tunnel. She had just a few of the first class passengers ahead of her, and she could see the door to the exit just up ahead.  She would easily get a taxi, she thought, as she maneuvered past another couple.

***

In the terminal, she passed an older couple pulling luggage on wheels, and a younger man with a large ruck sack. She got a bit frustrated when a woman pushing a stroller stopped dead in her tracks in front of her to retrieve a dropped binky, but instead squeezed passed her ignoring the woman when she heard her curse at her retreating back.  She needed to move.  The large open area she emerged into was packed with people awaiting to board the plane she’d just gotten off of.  She tucked in her chin, and again surged forward weaving around people blocking the aisle.  She saw the escalator leading to the downstairs area and ticket counters, and quickly got on, walking down the moving steps until she was trapped by a man standing stock still unaware she was directly behind him. He was huge and carried a very large briefcase.  There was no way she could get around him. Silently cursing, she waited impatiently.  As soon as he stepped off the escalator she moved around him and began to walk by the ticket agents, and then the car rental booths towards the exit.  Three taxis, waited outside. Glancing covertly at the drivers waiting to pick up a fare, she had to choose a driver and she wanted to be sure to choose the one that wouldn’t be too nosy or talkative during the long drive.   One was smoking a cigarette, and one was a woman.  She picked the last one.  He was older, and she hoped the least observant.