Don't Mess With Texas (28 page)

Dallas studied his brother. “Does Shane know you’re doing this?”

“No… not yet. I’m just eliminating suspects.”

Dallas knew his brother was throwing him a bone. He appreciated it, but he still had to deliver the news. “Shane’s out to get the kid.”

“He’s just doing his job,” Tony defended him. “The reason I’m doing this is—”

“No.” Dallas handed Tony the proof that Austin had brought to the hospital.

“What’s this?”

“Remember a few years back there was a drive-by shooting in Houston, and Shane’s nephew was paralyzed? The main suspect, who they couldn’t get enough evidence on to make the charge stick, was Nance’s older brother. Shane wants to take Nance down for personal reasons. Somebody has to stop him.”

“Whoa. You think Shane purposely went after Nance for this?”

“No, but I think once he realized who Nance was, he was dead set on bringing him down, and he didn’t care
what the evidence said. Someone on the inside needs to call Shane on this. Or we’ll be forced to take it public.”

Tony looked at the paper and his stress lines deepened. “Fuck. I don’t want to deal with this.”

“And Nance doesn’t want to go down for something he didn’t do, either.”

Tony groaned. “Bring the kid in tomorrow. I’ll talk to him myself.”

“And Shane?”

“I’ll deal with that, too. Might as well piss him off really good.”

“Thanks.” Dallas noticed his brother’s tired eyes. “You haven’t been to bed at all, have you?”

“No.”

“Is that why you told Dad you couldn’t do dinner?”

“No, I’m moving tonight.”

“Moving where?”

“Back home.”

Contentment filled Tony’s voice, and Dallas expected there would be more if… “You and LeAnn made up?”

“No.” Tony’s ever-present stress lines deepened. “She served me divorce papers.”

“I don’t understand,” Dallas said.

“What’s not to understand? She wants a divorce and I don’t. So I’m moving back home to prove to her it’s a bad idea.”

Dallas held up his hands. “Maybe you should get some sleep, think about this before—”

“I’m done thinking, it’s time to act.”

Dallas shrugged and started to leave.

“Hey.” Tony’s voice stopped him again.

“Yeah?”

“Since we’re dealing out advice, let me offer this. Don’t fall too hard for Nikki until the smoke clears.”

“Yeah,” Dallas said, but he wondered if the jittery feeling in his gut wasn’t from the free fall he’d already taken.

Leaving his brother’s office, he went to find Nikki, intending to do some serious groveling. He went to the waiting room. She wasn’t there.

He walked outside into the main hall. She wasn’t there. He shot off to the restrooms. A woman was entering the ladies’ room, but Dallas stopped her. “I’ve lost someone. Can you check and see if anyone is in there?”

“Sure.” She walked in and returned seconds later. “It’s empty.”

Getting a bad feeling, Dallas stormed back into Tony’s office. “Do you have Nikki’s cell number?”

“Yes, why?”

“She’s gone.”

N
IKKI’S CELL PHONE
rang again.

“You gonna answer that?” Nana asked, as she stopped her Toyota at a red light. Nikki looked into Nana’s worried eyes. Her grandmother had been worried ever since she’d picked Nikki up at the police station ten minutes ago.

“I didn’t recognize the number,” she told Nana.

“Someone must really want to talk to you to call three times.”

“Probably a sales call.”
Or Dallas
. Not that he had her cell number, but she’d given it to Tony. Nevertheless, she really didn’t want to talk to Dallas.

Distance.

In a day or so, when she’d gotten over the shock of everything, gotten over the fact that he’d wagered on her being guilty, when she realized she didn’t need to depend on a stranger for emotional support, then she’d meet with him.

She picked up her cell and looked at the call log again. “Oh crappers,” she muttered.

“Crappers, what?” Nana asked.

“It’s the Miller Police Department.” Which meant it
could be Dallas or his brother. Ignoring Dallas was one thing. Ignoring the cop who suspected her of murder was another.

“Answer it. Maybe that cop finally pulled his head out of his ass and discovered who killed Jack.”

She doubted that, but who was she not to hope? She hit the button. “Hello?”

“Where are you?” Dallas demanded. No hello.

No apology, either
. She recognized his angry tone. He’d used it on her last night when she’d thrown the eggbeater at him.

“Nana picked me up. I’m borrowing her car.”

“You can’t just disappear like that,” he said.

“I didn’t. I told your bookie…” She paused just so he understood what she meant. “And I asked him to tell you I was leaving.”

He exhaled loudly. “He’s not… He didn’t tell me.”

“And is that my fault?”

“Why did you take off?” His voice boomed out of her phone and she knew Nana could hear every word.

I had to get away from you so I could think straight
. “I didn’t take off. I have things to do.”

“The bet thing, right? You’re still upset about that?”

She pressed the phone to her cheek, hoping to muffle the sound.

“That’s what this is about, right?” he asked.

Yes. No
. God, she didn’t know. She just knew she couldn’t be around him for much longer or she’d start counting on him. Like she’d counted on her parents and like she’d counted on Jack. She’d learned the hard way that counting on people got you hurt. She couldn’t afford to be hurt now.

Nikki felt Nana looking at her, listening, and probably surmising what the conversation was about, too.

“You’ve carted me around all day. And I appreciate it, I do. But I’ve got things to do. We’ll talk in a few days.”

“Have they fixed your door?” he asked.

“I’m sure they have.”

“What happened to your door?” Nana asked.

“But you don’t know for sure?” He paused. “Where are you?”

“I should probably go.”

“Nikki… if you’ll give me a chance to explain—”

“Bye.” She hung up and turned off her phone.

Nana turned into the parking lot of her retirement home condo complex, rolled real slow toward her building, studying Nikki every few seconds. “What’s going on, Nikki?”

“It’s nothing.”

“You’re upset.”

“It’s been a tough few days.”

“What happened to your door?”

“The lock was sticking,” she lied and did so with almost a clean conscience. She didn’t want Nana worrying. “The apartment manager was supposed to fix it.”

“Something happened between you and that PI, didn’t it?”

“Nothing happened. He’s just… I need to be alone.”

“Sometimes a little company is nice.”

“Not now.” Nikki got out of the car and Nana did the same. She met her grandmother on the other side of the vehicle.

Nana reached up and pressed a hand on each of Nikki’s
cheeks. “Come in for a bite to eat. I can whip up a batch of cupcakes.”

The word “cupcakes” took her back to Dallas and their little make-out session on his bedroom floor. Heat immediately rushed to her cheeks. “I’d better head out.”

“Are you okay… no issues with the poison?”

“Fine. I ate a big lunch.”

Nana sighed.

Nikki decided to change the subject. “Are you sure you don’t mind me borrowing your car? Mine should be ready tomorrow.” She blinked away the image of Jack, and her heart raced. When was that going to stop happening?

“Lord, no. We’re doing another dress rehearsal tonight. I’ll ride with Benny and Helen.”

Nikki hugged her grandmother, soaking up the love Nana offered. When she pulled back, Nana said, “You don’t have to go through this alone. Stay here. Go see us practice. Have a few laughs.”

Nikki remembered what Dallas had said about bringing trouble to her grandmother’s door. “I’m fine. Besides…”—she plastered a smile on her lips—“I know Benny comes a calling at night.”

“Nothing wrong with a gentleman caller every now and then.” Nana pointed her finger at Nikki. “You should try it.”

“I will when I find a guy as good as Benny.”

“What about that PI? He seemed nice. Nice to look at, too.”

“He’s not my type,” she lied. For some reason she remembered lunch when he’d swapped her fries for a part of his onion rings. It was stupid, but after spending years married to Jack, there was something refreshing about
enjoying a meal with someone without worrying what fork she used or if the sandwich was too messy to eat with her hands.

Nana frowned. “You know, leaning on someone isn’t a crime, child.”

“I am leaning… leaning on you. I’m borrowing your car.” And it pained Nikki to do it. She wanted to be the one Nana leaned on.

She gave Nana another hug. “Don’t forget to take your blood pressure medicine. If Benny comes over, you’ll need it.” She sent her grandmother another smile and was hit with a wave of emotion. Somehow, Nikki had to get back on her feet—be the strong one in the relationship, and find a way to pay for Nana’s cable.

Nana frowned as if seeing through Nikki’s front. “Call me when you get home, okay?”

Nikki stopped at a stop sign and tried to decide. Go home and curl up on the bed and have that private meltdown she so deserved, or go to the gallery to take care of what had to be taken care of.

Only the weak cry
. Her mother’s voice played in her head. Biting down on her lip, she turned toward the gallery. Her stomach clutched at the thought of cleaning up Ellen’s blood, but Dallas was right. It was easier now that she’d seen Ellen was okay.

She parked outside the gallery, moved to the front door, purposely not looking through the glass door at the blood, and started going through her purse for the keys. They weren’t in the side pocket. They weren’t in the middle, either. She pulled out her wallet. She really needed to clean out her purse. Shaking it, she didn’t hear the keys jingle.

That’s when she remembered she’d given Dallas the keys. “Shit.” She leaned against the door. When she opened her eyes, another realization hit—the lights in the gallery were on. She distinctly remembered cutting them off when they’d left.

Her gaze shot to the tile floor and her stomach muscles knotted as she prepared to feel repulsed.

But… no repulsion.

No blood.

What had… How…?

She reached for the doorknob and when it turned in her hand, she fought the need to run. Instead, she reached back into her purse, pulled out her can of Mace and stepped inside.

The smell of some strong cleaner filled the air. Who had…?

The air conditioner spurted to life. She gripped the Mace. Her gaze shifted to the artwork, making sure none had been taken—though she supposed a thief wouldn’t clean up and then rob her blind.

But then she heard footsteps.

Immediately her thoughts shot to Ellen’s story of hearing someone in the gallery.

Nikki listened to the steps moving down the hall that led from the office at the back.

Her gaze shot to the front door. Without enough time to make it out without being seen, she backed up against the wall, so she wasn’t immediately visible. The footsteps came closer.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Is this how Ellen felt?
Nikki’s heart thumped so loud it echoed in her ears. Images of the blood flashed in her mind.

The steps drew closer—almost right beside her. Panic took over. Finger on the Mace nozzle, Nikki swung around, sprayed, screamed, and bolted for the door.

“Hello.” Dallas walked into his dad’s home. It didn’t smell right. The house hadn’t smelled right since he’d gotten out of prison. It wasn’t that the house contained an odor. It was the lack of certain scents. It no longer smelled like Lemon Pledge or fresh-baked cookies. It no longer smelled like his mom.

When Dallas didn’t see his dad right inside the door, he had the impulse to swing around, get back in his car and go to the Park Knoll apartments to check on Nikki. It had taken everything he had not to go straight there from the police station. What if her landlord hadn’t fixed her lock? What if he was right, and someone was after her?

Dallas had called at least six times. Left five messages, all of which she hadn’t answered. And not because she was in danger, but because she didn’t want to talk to him.

You tried. She doesn’t want you there. Leave her be
. His brother’s words of wisdom echoed in Dallas’s head.

He had almost thrown those same words back at Tony about LeAnn. How crazy was it for his brother to move back home when his wife asked for a divorce? But Tony’s problems with LeAnn were different. And Tony was right—Dallas couldn’t force Nikki to accept his help. But he did have to return her keys. And as soon as he got the gallery key from Austin, he’d do so. Dallas had called Austin twice to see if the cleaning crew had finished, but Austin never answered his phone. So while he waited to hear back from Austin, Dallas felt obligated to have dinner with his dad.