Breaking Even (4 page)
Authors: Lily Bishop
“I’m sorry—it’s just been crazy. Tell Rudy
I'll take him to practice his hitting soon,” he offered. He didn't like the
direction the conversation had taken. He had offered her the promotion because
she was good at her job, not for any other reason.
“No problem. Any time.” She piled the
ruined paperwork and paper towels in the trash can. She took one look at him
and kept going. Ric hoped Jacquetta wasn’t expecting more from him than
friendship. From his perspective, they had never been more than friends who
worked together. A few times he had gone to eat with her and her son, but only
because he liked Rudy, and she had asked.
He couldn’t worry about that now. He
thought back to Lindsey’s news about Laura. Lloyd Baker. The name was coming
back to him. He called Xavier.
“Who was that man in Miami that Miguel was
funneling money to?”
He heard Xavier fumbling through paperwork
in his office. “That’s out of the blue. Lloyd Baker. Why?”
“The FBI arrested him. Miguel’s empire
begins to crumble. Are you still in the office?”
“I’m making out the schedule for next
week, and then I’m done.”
“Finish up and meet me for dinner at
Driftwood in fifteen. We need to talk strategy.”
The net continued to tighten around
Miguel. Ric's plan to target his cousin's generals appeared to be working.
Sooner or later, one of them would provide the FBI with the hard evidence for
an arrest. With Miguel out of the picture, Ric could pursue Lindsey with a
clear conscience.
The less that Lindsey knew about that
unsavory business, the better. In her world, women were free to pursue
doctorate degrees. They weren’t targeted by men who saw them as a possession.
Lindsey hadn't believed Ric's offhand
comment about sex trafficking. She didn't know Vaughn Bruce's true intentions
on Calliope, and he hoped she never found out.
#
Now he, Salzana, and his henchman Javier
sat down for the evening meal. So far, the three of them had stared out at the
waves crashing onto the black sand below.
Not that Santa Katerina was a bad place to
be. The tropical island was part of the Islas de Las Cruces archipelago north
of Venezuela. With little else to do, Vaughn had explored the small fishing
village on the other side of the island.
The men fished and the women painted
homemade pottery, but there had to be more to the local economy than that.
Small houses painted in bright colors lined cobblestone streets. Shops carried
the basics, but also modern luxuries like cell phones and tablet computers. Something
brought money to this town, but he had no idea what.
Salzana had told him he could help the
fishermen. After a few days of following their gestures, Vaughn picked up
enough Spanish to be useful. He learned to mend the nets and learned which fish
they threw back.
Most nights, he dined with Salzana and
Javier. Sometimes, Javier’s woman Giada joined them, but usually she served
dinner and left. She was young, petite with a heart-shaped face and black hair
down to her waist.
Tonight she brought a plate of beef cooked
in sauce and the little flat corn cakes that were part of every meal. She left
that on the table and then came back out with large bowls of rice and wilted
greens.
"What kind of meat is this?"
Vaughn asked, studying the overcooked meat with skepticism.
"Azada negro, one of my
favorites," Salzana said. "Try it."
Vaughn took one bite of the meat and
pushed it away. The sweet glaze was too much for him. Why couldn't he just have
a grilled steak and baked potato? He forced down the rice and greens, wishing
he had something else to go with it.
Salzana scowled at him and ate more of the
meat dish.
“I found the beach this morning, after
spending most of my time in the village. What makes the sand black?” Vaughn
asked.
“The blood of my ancestors ran dark on
this beach…” Miguel started.
“The volcano makes black sand,” Javier
interrupted, smirking.
“Javi, don’t steal my thunder,” Miguel
said, laughing. “Sí, the sand is from the dormant volcano that formed this
island thousands of years ago. The blood makes a better story. What did you do
today, Señor Bruce?”
“I went out with one of the fishermen. I
think his name was Chapa. He said to tell you that he had a good haul
today."
“Chapa is a good man. He has cast for fish
on this island as long as I’ve been living here. The fishermen all seem eager
for your help.”
Vaughn suppressed the sigh that rose up on
its own. He had to be careful to avoid offending Salzana, but he did not want
to spend months on this island. “Fishing wouldn’t be the best use of my time. I
was wondering what else I can do to assist you.”
“You need to do more than assist me. By my
count, you owe me over thirty thousand American dollars.”
Vaughn gaped at the two men, shocked by
the number. He didn’t have that kind of money.
“Javi, fetch Vaughn some of our new wine,”
Salzana ordered. When his man had departed, he appraised Vaughn as if he were a
piece of property.
“I thought you would help me kidnap the
American woman, but you proved useless. So far, you are nothing but a liability.”
“Kidnap who? You never said anything about
a kidnapping. You said you wanted me to take her to the island to play
blackjack…”
“Yes, and my men would have taken her
while she was there. When you overplayed your hand and got arrested, that put
her under suspicion. Once Ricardo took her, we had no way to snatch her onto
our boat.”
“That’s not my fault. If you had told me
the entire plan, I may have been of more help. Why did you want her, anyway?
She’s just a kid.”
“She’s not ready yet, but I plan to marry
her. For now, I need to switch tactics. When the time comes, you will help me.”
In a moment, Javier returned with a bottle
of red wine and three goblets. “I had to go down to the cellar,” he explained.
“Try this pinot noir. It’s one of our
finest from the Lara region.”
Vaughn swirled the liquid around in the
large goblet and then took a sip. “This is good.”
“We don’t export much yet, but the market
may come to us. Sommeliers are always looking for something different for their
clients.”
Vaughn took another sip and followed it
with a piece of the corn cake from the hand-woven basket. At least the bread
was good.
“I may have some use for you yet, Mr.
Bruce,” Salzana said in front of Javier. “Did you hear the news out of Miami?”
“What news? The only newspapers are in
Spanish, and I don’t have any way to get on the Internet.”
“About your friend, Lloyd Baker.”
Vaughn looked from Salzana to Javier. “No,
what about Lloyd? Other than the fact that he’s a jackass?”
“Well, the jackass, as you call him, is
now in Federal custody. They arrested him."
“For what?”
Salzana shrugged. “He helped me with
certain things. The FBI came to make an arrest. I don’t have all the details,
but he took a shot in the leg and ended up in the hospital.” He took another
bite of his roast and poured more wine. “I love this azada negro. Are you not
eating?”
Vaughn pushed his plate to Miguel. “You
can have my share.”
Lloyd had fired Vaughn to make it look
like he embezzled. He had never hated Lloyd Baker as much as he did right then.
Miguel shrugged. “Baker spent my money and
had to replace it with his. Once he goes to prison, I’ll get him a lawyer, and
we will go forward from that. But I need to know what kind of leverage I have
against him.”
It all came down to this. Vaughn started
adding what little funds he had left in Miami, anything to buy his way out of
this. He couldn’t think of a way. “He’s married, but his wife is sick.”
“No, she died last week. The cancer moved
to her liver. “
“Did you have something to do with that?”
“No, her cancer moved to her liver. Do you
know of anyone else?”
“He has a sister, but it would take me a
while to figure out her name. It’s not like we exchanged Christmas cards or
anything.”
“Chloe Baker in Miami. I’m worried she’s
not enough. What else can we use?”
“As far as I know, he didn’t have anyone
else. He was dating Amanda—”
“She died in the gunfire. She tried to
shoot him and an FBI agent took her out.”
“Amanda? Dead?” She had driven Vaughn
crazy with her eccentric demands, but he hadn’t wished her dead.
“So, in the next few weeks, find out more
about this Chloe. We’ll need to know her routine, where she lives, where she
works, that sort of thing.”
“What’s the point?”
“If Lloyd betrays me in prison, we’ll take
his sister. There’s always a market for women, if you know where to sell them.”
“How do you know Lloyd is the one who
betrayed you?”
“I don’t, but at this point he’s
collateral damage. All he can do is make things worse. I’ve already pulled my
money out of the accounts he set up, and he’s the only one who can tie them
back to me.”
“If you have the money, and you’re safe
here, why do you care?”
“That was only one piece of my business.
The FBI can’t arrest me for sex trafficking because they have no proof. I may
have ordered hits on many men, but they won’t get me for murder. Something
tells me they would take an arrest for money laundering or tax evasion and call
it a day. I enjoy my occasional visits to Miami and Vegas, and I don’t intend
to rot away in some filthy stateside jail.”
Miguel stared at him so long, Vaughn heard
at least three different wave cycles hit the beach. When Miguel broke eye
contact, he got up, claiming he had to make a phone call. Vaughn breathed a
sigh of relief.
“We don’t need you. I still don’t know why
you are here.” Javier spoke so low, Vaughn almost couldn’t hear him over the
roar of the surf below. He knew Miguel couldn’t have heard him.
“I can do things for him in the U.S. that
you can’t.”
“Maybe. Just know this. If you betray him,
I will kill you myself.”
Vaughn sat there, waiting when Javier
stood up to leave. “I finally figured it out. You look just like the man who
had me arrested in Calliope.”
“Xavier is my twin brother.”
“Now that sounds like a story. Cousin
versus cousin. Brother versus brother.”
“You would be wise to not ask Miguel about
Ricardo. You may find the blade of his sword in your throat. Consider yourself
warned.”
Vaughn nodded. “As soon as I can get back
to Miami, I’m gone.”
“Believe me, I’d like nothing more. The
more you ask to leave, the longer Miguel will wait. Help the fishermen, offer
to help on the construction downstairs. If he thinks you like it here, he will
send you back sooner. That’s the kind of man he is.”
Giada came back to clear the table, and
Javi followed her out, leaving Vaughn alone on the terrace. He sat and listened
to the waves until the sun went down before he finally went inside.
CHAPTER
FOUR
Long Voyage
She picked up her phone from beside the
bed and saw two texts and a missed call from Ric. You must have already gone to
bed followed by Miss you. Call me when you get on the road tomorrow.
She had stayed up late packing—what time
had he sent the text? She looked again. After two. She sighed, wondering what
else she could do to reassure him that she was not making a move on Ben. Ric
had sounded hurt when she told him about her roommate, almost as if he were mad
at her.
The house around her didn't make a sound.
Laura must have already left for her early flight to Las Vegas for the job
interview. The truth finally hit home that she was on her own. She had wanted
Laura to recognize her independence, but it still hurt. She rambled around the
rooms crowded with her boxes, restless. She felt empty.
She took a quick shower, got dressed, and
packed her toiletries. She looked around at the stacks of boxes, focusing on
the beginning of a new chapter, not the end of the last.
Although Laura had irritated her some this
summer, Lindsey would miss her. Since their mother had died four years ago of
breast cancer, Laura had often acted more like a second mother. Since Lindsey
was getting her own apartment, this would be her last summer with Laura. It was
becoming more difficult to ride out Laura's motherly impulses.
Once Lindsey moved, Laura would quit
asking about what had happened in Calliope. Technically, nothing had happened,
yet everything had changed.
Laura had ranted the whole plane ride back
from Calliope about “that horrid man firing stun guns.” Lindsey's attempts to
defend Ric’s actions only made Laura angrier. Lindsey had leaned back and
closed her eyes, refusing to argue about it. She didn’t want to fight that
battle until she had to. Since she and Ric were taking things slow, it might
not matter. She didn’t need to upset Laura by flaunting a relationship. At
least not yet.
In contrast, just mentioning a roommate
named Ben had triggered more questions. Lindsey explained several times that
they weren't dating, but her didn't sister believed her.
She and Ben might have dated in a
different time. They met in a philosophy class her junior year and became quick
friends. He had started hanging out with her other friends from the dorm and
joined their close little circle. His sister, Kayla, came out with them some,
but she was in a sorority and that took up a great deal of her time.
Lindsey made friends with boys more
readily than girls because they treated her as one of them. Girls thought she
was a creature from another planet. Meanwhile, most boys didn’t want to date
her; they just wanted her to do their homework. Unfortunately, suspicious
girlfriends didn’t buy it.
She had hoped Ben would be different.
After all, he didn’t need her help to get good grades. One night after studying
together, he leaned across and kissed her on the cheek.
She had wanted the kiss, wanted to believe
that she had gotten over her aversion to being touched. Unfortunately, she felt
nothing. Ben didn't make any other moves. In his defense, she didn't encourage
him, and nothing had progressed. She had landed solidly in the friend zone.
Again.
When Ric had kissed her, something had
opened up inside her like a dam breaking. Passion had cracked her shell, and
need had rushed through her every fiber. How could she convince Ric that Ben
wasn’t any competition anymore? Either Ric will deal with it or he won’t.
She wondered how long Ben had known about
his uncle’s bar. He hadn’t told Lindsey until after she returned from Calliope.
Now she thought it odd that he hadn’t mentioned the bar when she first said she
was moving to Clemson. Maybe at that point everything wasn't finalized.
She had invited him out with a group of
her friends from the dorm one night the week before finals. His sister couldn’t
make it that night, so he came out alone.
When she had mentioned she was moving to
Clemson, he had suggested they share an apartment. Lindsey didn’t believe him
at first, but the more they talked, she realized he was serious. He needed a
break from school and didn’t want to start graduate school right away. Now,
with all this talk about a bar, she thought that must have been in the works
already. Otherwise, it seemed too random.
Speaking of random, Lindsey had way too
many boxes. She would have to cut some of the books and leave them in Laura’s
closet. She took the two boxes of paperbacks and left those. She could get the
rest in her SUV. She finished stacking boxes by the door just in time.
She heard a quick knock and opened the
door for Ben. He was wearing jean cut-offs and a Seminoles T-shirt. When he
lifted his sunglasses, his eyes looked bloodshot.
“Morning. You look rough,” she said.
He walked past her into the living room.
“I’m fine. Stayed up later than I should have.”
“With Brittany?” she asked, smirking.
“No, fighting with Kayla. She’s still mad
at me.”
Lindsey would never understand the
dynamics of his family. “She’ll get over it.”
Ben looked away, not meeting her eyes.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked. “I’d like to get some miles behind us before
lunch.”
“Just a few more things to load.”
When they loaded everything into the back
of her car, Lindsey took one more look at her bedroom. With the bed stripped
and the personal effects gone, it looked more like a hotel room. She had stored
her remaining items in the closet so Laura could use the room for guests. Since
they had sold the townhouse where she grew up, nothing felt like home anymore.
She didn’t feel the need to preserve anything.
They hadn’t been on the road long when
Lindsey’s phone rang. She glanced down to see Ric’s picture from the beach
flash up on her screen. She answered, smiling. “Hey, big guy.”
“I miss you already,” Ric said. “What are
you doing? Packing?”
“No, we left Miami about thirty minutes
ago.”
“We?”
“My new roommate Ben, remember? I’m following
him up in my car.” Lindsey thought her response sounded reasonable, but Ric did
not.
“You’re driving? Why aren’t you flying?
That’s way too far for you to drive.”
He had lost his mind. “I can’t leave my
car in Miami. I’ll need it.”
“You could have paid someone to drive it
for you…”
Lindsey thought he had lost his mind. “I
don’t live in the kind of world where you would pay someone to drive your car.”
“I know, but I would have—”
Lindsey cut him off. She didn’t need him
thinking he had to take care of her. “Ric, it’s fine. It’s easier for me to
drive. We’ll make it in two days without even pushing.”
“If you say so.” He didn’t sound happy,
but she knew he was just worried.
“What have you got going on today?” she
asked to change the subject.
“I’m meeting with a couple to discuss some
special catering requests for their wedding. Chef doesn’t want to make their
changes.”
“Poor Chef Etienne. Let me guess. They
want something American.”
Ric laughed. “Yes, they asked him to make
chicken tenders and macaroni and cheese for a kid’s entree.”
“Oh, no! Bless his heart. No one ever
listens to him.”
After a brief pause, Ric continued. “My
meeting is about to start. I’d better go. Stay safe.”
Right after she ended the call, Ben’s
number flashed across her screen. She clicked the button to answer. “Hey.”
“What are you doing?” Ben asked, his voice
sharp.
“I’m driving. What are you doing?” She
didn’t even bother to hide her irritation.
“You’ve dropped back so far I can't even
see you. I didn’t know what was going on. I thought maybe your car had thrown a
gasket.”
“No, I’m fine. I was talking on the phone.
You don’t have to worry you lost me. We’ll be on this stretch of interstate for
hours.”
“Who were you talking to?” he asked,
suspicion in his voice.
He was sounding way too clingy, especially
considering he had an “arrangement” with Brittany. “A friend. Don’t worry about
it. I will catch up.”
“All right. The point of the caravan is to
stay together, remember?”
“Got it.” She ended the call and turned up
the radio. Ric and Ben had both managed to irritate her. Ben was way over the
line, and Ric was on the edge, even if the two of them were practically dating.
Nothing else happened on their long drive,
despite Ric’s warnings. She and Ben rented separate hotel rooms and walked to
dinner. Lindsey was back in her room by the time the sun set.
She had learned her lesson after sharing a
suite with Vaughn Bruce in Calliope. She was better off with her own private
space. She had propped up all the pillows on the bed and turned on the television
when Ric’s number popped up on her phone.
“I'm just checking that you’ve stopped for
the evening.” His voice sounded like brushed velvet.
“We did. We’re in Jacksonville.”
“Separate rooms, I hope,” he said dryly.
“Yes, separate hotel rooms. Get a grip,”
she said, irritated. “Ben and I went to dinner, came back, and parted company.
I won’t see him again until in the morning. Promise.”
“If you say so.”
“Either trust me or don’t.” Lindsey wasn’t
used to navigating the waters with a jealous boyfriend, if that’s what he was.
She hadn’t dated much, but in her limited experience, the guys hadn’t cared
what she did. He paused as if he were trying to determine if he should change
the subject or continue down that path.
“So, what are you doing now?” he asked. Lindsey
felt relieved that he had decided to cut his losses on that one.
“Watching a movie. Once it finishes, I’m
going to bed.”
“Alone,” he reminded her with a gravelly
voice.
She laughed. “Good Lord. Yes, alone. What
are you up to this weekend? I’m sure I’ve kept you from your regular duties all
week.”
“True, but I don’t have any regrets. I
don’t have much here. A few weddings. My cousin may come to the island to
discuss a business venture, but I’m still undecided. He wants me to go to Las
Vegas with him Labor Day weekend. Why don’t you come with me?”
“Oh, I would love that, but I think we
have classes on Labor Day. As much as I like to play blackjack, I’ve still
never been to Vegas. Maybe I can go with you next time. For me, this weekend
will be crazy. I’ve got to buy furniture and start unpacking. I don’t want to
start out the year with everything in boxes. I looked at the schedule, and we
have fall break in mid-October this year.”
“I hope I’ll see you before then,” he
said. His smile came through the phone.
“We can make better plans once I know my
teaching schedule."
“Call me tomorrow and tell me about your
new house. I’ll worry until I hear from you.”
“I will, I promise.”
“And I understand that you’re not
interested in Ben, but don’t forget. Not everyone is as honest and
straightforward as you are. He may have his own agenda.”
“Message received. I will keep an eye on
him, I promise.”
“Goodnight.”
#
French doors opened onto a patio with a
built-in grill. She would definitely have to find some patio furniture. She
could imagine sitting out there with her laptop doing her coursework. She told
Ben they should go furniture shopping the next day. She was just too tired to
think about it that evening.
She tried to call Laura to find out about
her job interview, but got her voice-mail. She finally heard from her right
before bed.
“Where have you been? I called a few hours
ago.” Lindsey eased down on the air mattress that she was using as a bed for a
few days. She would definitely need furniture sooner rather than later.
“It’s only seven o’clock here. I’ve been
walking around the resorts, enjoying the sites.”
“You’re still in Las Vegas? I thought you
were coming straight back.”
“I was, but … well, I have some news.”
That did not sound good. “You took the
job?”
“No, not quite ... Well, Fox knows Mark,
the person I interviewed with, and he found out about the interview.” Lindsey
could hear background noise. “Correction—Mark called Fox for a reference.”
