Checkered Past (A Laurel London Mystery Book 2) (21 page)

“Poor Trixie and Laurel. Your criminal lover came here to steal your car and killed you both. I got the gun and shot and killed him.” He jabbed me in the back near my ribs with the gun to move me along quicker.

I winced in pain and stepped into the kitchen. Poor Trixie was tied up with her hands and feet tied together like a hog. Her mouth stuffed with one of the dishtowels from the sink.

“Trixie!” I rushed to her side.

“Don’t touch her. Or she sees you die first.” Eric shoved Willie to the ground. “Okay lover boy,” Eric took the rope off the counter and threw it at him. “Tie your little girlfriend up and I mean tight.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll think of something,” Willie Ray whispered and hog-tied me like Trixie.

“I met little Joey.” If I was going to die, I was going to die with him knowing I knew the truth. “And you have another one on the way.”

“You little bitch.” Eric shoved Willie out of the way and back-handed me sending me falling to the right.

Willie jumped up and in mid air, Eric shot the gun, hitting Willie in the shoulder.

Willie fell with a thud and groaned in pain.

“I’ll let you suffer a little.” Eric’s chest heaved up and down, his mouth slightly open. He took pleasure in seeing Willie in pain rolling around in his own blood.

Trixie looked away.

“I’m through with all of this.” Eric pointed the gun at Trixie’s head. “Tell me where the key is or her brains are for dinner.”

Trixie closed her eyes tight.

“I put it in the spine of a book in Eddyville library,” Willie cried out.

“So. . .” Eric slid his gun to my head. “That is why you went to the jail pretending to be a good girl Jesus lover.” He poked my temple with the butt of the gun. “You are good you little whore.” He twisted the butt. My eyes stayed focused on his eyes. I could see the evil deep within them. “You think your little hick act will steal the heart of my buddy, Jax? I’ve already got him thinking you are still a criminal. And he about died when I told him how you were engaged to Willie Ray and all the other stuff sweet, sweet Sally Bent told me before I killed her.”

“Jax knew this entire time?” I questioned.

“Oh yeah. And by the looks of it, I was right.” He glanced over at Willie who was now curled up in a fetal position. Blood was everywhere. “He knew you were helping your little boyfriend and I guess you got smart to the fact we had bugged your phone. But today. . .,” he paused, “you fucked up and showed up at Bethany’s. I sent him out on a goose chase while I kept Trixie safe. Little does he know, he’s out there chasing ghosts while I’m here taking care of business. But to him, me, you and Trixie were blindly attacked by Willie boy here.” He gave a swift kick to Willie’s head.

“Stop!” I screamed. “You have hurt him enough. He never did anything to you!”

“Oh.” He pointed his gun at me again. “You want to go first?”

Trixie shook her head frantically back and forth.

“No, Trixie.” He smiled. “She definitely wants to go first.”

“Aliens!” Charlie Haskel appeared out of nowhere and swung Trixie’s big alien stick straight for Eric’s head, knocking him flat out. “I took care of that one.”

“Charlie!” I sat in shock.

Charlie untied Trixie and me. He took the gun and held it on Eric.

“Now tie him up, Laurel,” Charlie instructed me.

“I told you there were aliens.” Trixie ran her hands down her shirt before she picked up her alien stick. She held it close to Eric’s head.

Derek rushed in with Jax on his heels. Sirens were echoing throughout the house. Jax ran over to me and Derek ran over to Trixie.

“Laurel.” Jax held my head against his chest. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” I settled there for a minute, letting the EMTs come in and get Willie on the gurney.

“Laurel.” Willie’s voice gasped.

Jax’s body turned. Willie’s eyes lowered when he saw me in Jax’s arms. The EMTs whisked him away.

Jax took me outside to the back porch with Trixie while the feds showed up and hauled Eric Riley off.

“I don’t know who, but I got an anonymous tip from someone saying you were in Louisville at Bethany Roth’s house. I went to see her and didn’t take Eric because I knew you were keeping stuff from me about the investigation.” The sounds of doors slamming in the front yard echoed to the back porch. Sirens flipped on and Eric was gone. “She asked if I was there with the money. I played the part like you did and she sang like a bird. I called my buddy at FBI headquarters and he told me he saw you there. I had him come get Bethany and her kids to protect them.”

Derek stepped out onto the back porch and sat down next to Trixie.

“When I couldn’t get you by phone or track your phone, I called Derek. On the way over here, I told him about Bethany and he told me Willie Ray had gotten in touch with you a few days ago.” Jax proceeded to tell me everything I already knew that was going to free Willie Ray Bowman.

Chapter Twenty-Three

The next couple of days flew by.

“Gosh.” I looked at myself in the glittery gown in the full-length mirror at Gia’s house. She and Carmine sat on the sofa with their glasses of wine watching me. “Just think if it weren’t for Charlie Haskel, I might be dead.”

Charlie had told Derek and the good federal agents how he hears a lot of things on the banks when people see him as blending in. He ID’d Eric and the correctional officer as the two who always met on the riverbank discussing what they were going to be doing to Willie Ray.

The FBI had been investigating the bribes and knew there was an agent involved. They thought Willie Ray was the middleman when he walked into the sting unbeknownst to him. Eric was confronted in the vault by the undercover agent and then had no choice but to shoot him. When Willie Ray and the other teller walked in on it, Eric kept the mask on his face and shot the teller, and planted the gun on Willie Ray when he passed out. Bethany had stopped the security camera from taping while it was going down, per instructions from Eric.

Unfortunately, Bethany’s kids went to foster care and she went to Blackburn Correctional Facility in Lexington for women of white-collar crimes. Eric went to the Castle on the Cumberland, Eddyville, along with the correctional officer; I’m sure neither of them will survive. Or they will definitely become someone’s bitch. I sniggered at the thought.

“But you aren’t dead.” Gia snickered. “You are standing here in a gown getting ready for a date with Antonio to the Correctional Ball.”

“It’s a favor date.” I had to admit, I didn’t look bad in her midnight-blue sparkly floor-length gown. She had braided my hair on each side and put the edges in a bun, secured firmly on the back of my head.

“Here.” Gia pulled out her red lipstick and rolled it up. She held her mouth open as though she was putting the lipstick on her, but she glided it over my lips. “The finishing touches.” She stepped back and looked me up and down. “Beautiful.”

“Thanks.” I took another look in the mirror. “You should be a stylist.”

“Yeah, I know.” She shrugged. “But Daddy needs me.”

There was no way I was going to get Gia to leave the family diner. She was loyal as loyal could be.

“Oh! He’s here.” Gia laughed when we heard Antonio honking the horn.

“He couldn’t come to the door and get me?” I rolled my eyes.

“You said it was a favor date.” Gia reminded me.

Antonio was really nice when I got into the car. He continued to tell me I was beautiful, but didn’t like his girls so skinny. I wasn’t skinny by any means. I was average, expect in the boob department.

The casino boat was gorgeous. There were so many lights twirling around the night sky. Limos pulled up twenty deep and we pulled up in Antonio’s junker. Still, it was exciting and there were no pressures for me to do anything other than have fun.

There were waiters along the entire gangplank with trays full of flutes of champagne. I thought Antonio was getting me one, but he didn’t. He was double fisting.

Oh well, what did I expect. It was a favor date.

“Here is a spot.” Antonio pointed to a small round chair at a table. “I’m going to play blackjack.” He took off in the direction of the tables.

Everyone looked so nice and fancy. I was definitely out of my element.

“You look amazing.” Jax Jackson walked up.

My jaw dropped. He looked like James Bond standing there in his black and white tuxedo.

“Can I sit down?” he asked and gestured to the empty seat next to me.

“Yes. Please,” I said a little too eager. My heart was hammering foolishly. Jax was completely out of my league.

“So, why are you with him?” Jax nodded toward the blackjack table where Antonio was doing the Charlie Brown move with his hands in front of him.

“Favor date.” I took a sip of the champagne. “He is the one who sort of helped me get into Eddyville to get the key.”

Jax’s head nodded backward and it looked like a light bulb went off in his head. “I was wondering how you got the down low on how to get in there. I just figured you used your ‘special talents’ to get in.” He laughed. “I can see you now witnessing to those losers.”

I laughed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone waving their hands in the air.

Willie Ray
. He stood in one of the doorways of the casino. He had on one of the employee casino uniforms. He motioned me over.

“I’m going to bathroom.” I put my hand on Jax’s. “Please stay here.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Laurel.” His eyes lowered. I knew he meant those words in more ways than one.

Slowly I got up and walked through the door where Willie Ray had gotten my attention. He wasn’t there so I walked down the hall.

“Shit.” He grabbed me and pulled me into a dark nook when I was walking down the hall and tucked me safely in his arms. The darkness enveloped us. His nose nuzzled in my exposed neck. “I can’t stand you looking so hot.”

For a minute I let myself feel his hot breath, warm arms around me before I pulled away. He reached for my hand and pulled me into a small room with a light on.

“Are you on a date with him?” he asked. His voice cracked. He shook his head. “I don’t want to know.”

Crushing me to him, he pressed his mouth to mine and I let him.

Finally I pushed off.

“I’ve got to go, Willie Ray.”

His eyes were empty as he looked at me. He pulled something out of his pocket and dangled it in front of me.

“I bought this for you since I could never afford one that wasn’t broken in half.” The gold locket hung off the delicate gold chain. He slipped it over my head and clasped it around my neck.

My heart sank. I ran my hand over it and continued to look at him.

“I. . .” I swallowed back the tears. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Tell me you love me,” he whispered. “Tell me you want a life with me.”

My silence stood between us for a bit too long.

“No.” He shook his head. “I’m back in town and I’m going to win you back. You are going to see exactly who I am. I’m going to get a real job. Become a real man to take care of you just like Mr. Fancy Britches.” He opened the door. “You’ll see.” He disappeared.

I took a minute to gather my wits. The door opened again. Only it wasn’t Willie Ray, it was Jax.

“Are you okay?” he asked, stepping in. “I saw Willie Ray walk out of here, not that I was spying on you.”

“You were.” I smiled ear-to-ear. “You were.”

“I’m assuming you aren’t going with him?” A chill black silence surrounded us.

“No. I’m not.”

Jax put his hand out and I took it. We walked down the hall and out of the casino, getting into his old Buick.

Click here to check out Tonya’s entire list of other books.

About The Author

Tonya has written over 15 novels and 4 novellas, all of which have graced numerous bestseller lists including USA Today. Her novels have garnered over ten national awards making her an International Bestseller.

Best known for stories charged with emotion and humor, and filled with flawed characters, her novels have garnered reader praise and glowing critical reviews. She lives with her husband, three teenage boys, two very spoiled schnauzers and one ex-stray cat in Northern Kentucky and grew up in Nicholasville. Now that her boys are teenagers, Tonya writes full time but can be found at all of her guys high school games with a pencil and paper in hand. Come on over and FAN Tonya on Goodreads.

Click here to check out Tonya’s entire list of other books.

Praise for Tonya Kappes

“Full of wit, humor and colorful characters, Tonya Kappes delivers a fun, fast-paced story that will leave you hooked!” Bestselling Author, Jane Porter

“Fun, fresh, and flirty, Carpe Bead ’Em is the perfect read on a hot summer day. Tonya Kappes’ voice shines in her debut novel.” Author Heather Webber

“I loved how Tonya Kappes was able to bring her characters to life.” Coffee Table Reviews

“With laugh out loud scenes and can't put it down suspense A Charming Crime is the perfect read for summer you get a little bit of everything but romance.” Forgetthehousework blog