Loose Ends (Magnolia Series Book 1) (17 page)

Chapte
r
Fourtee
n

The next morning Ava
woke to the sound of her phone ringing so loud it could’ve woken all of Mississippi. She rolled over and snatched it off the nightstand.
Brandi
. Before she answered it she chanced a look behind her; nope, no Luke. He must’ve gotten up early to go for a run.

“Good morning,” Ava greeted her friend. 

“I thought you were supposed to call me last night?”

“Damn. I must’ve forgotten. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, well it’s good to know you weren’t hacked into bite-sized chunks. How are things going?”

She heard the sound of Brandi taking a sip of something. Probably coffee which was something Ava had a hankering for,
big
time.

“I’m still in one piece. Although Luke’s cousin showed up last night. He’s quite strange.”

“Oooh, is he hot?”

“Would you stop it? I didn’t realize you were so hard up.”

“Are you kidding? I could rub against every fence post between here and Texas and it still wouldn’t relieve this damn tension,” Brandi complained.

“And I’ll never look at a fence post the same way. Listen, I’ll call you back later. I want to grab some coffee and wake up more.”

“Alright. But if I don’t hear from you, my ass is driving out there with guns-a-blazing.”

“Deal. Bye.” Ava hung up and tossed her phone back on the nightstand. She swung her feet over the side of the bed and quickly made her way downstairs.

Searching the living room and kitchen she didn’t see any sign of Luke or Cole. She shrugged and grabbed a mug down from the cabinet. As the coffee poured into her cup she happened to look out the window above the sink and saw Luke with a shovel. He tossed it down by a tree and bent down to lower something into the hole.
What if he’s really a serial killer and hiding bodies out there?
Ava thought. But that was insane; Luke wasn’t a killer. He was just a sweet southern guy who she’d grown extremely close to in a short period of time. Besides, the hole wasn’t big enough to hide an entire body. Maybe a hand or foot, but not the whole thing. Ava laughed at the thought.

As she filled her cup and took it to the table to enjoy, Luke walked in, brushing soil from the front of his jeans. “Damn it’s a hot one out there,” he commented.

“It’s Mississippi. Comes with the territory.” Ava chuckled.

“Smartass.” He bent down to kiss the top of her head.

“So, what were you putting in that hole? You suddenly decide to have a green thumb?” Ava laughed again.

“Nope. I was burying a body.” Ava’s head shot up and goosebumps covered her body. “Relax, it wasn’t a human body.”

“Oh. Then what was it?”

“Your dead bird.” Luke shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal, but it was a
huge
deal to her. He’d taken the time to dig a hole and make a grave for the unfortunate winged
creature.

Ava laid her hand on his arm. “Luke, that was so sweet. Thank you.” She leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to his warm cheek.

“It was nothing.”

“
You
may think it was nothing but
I
happen to think it was kind and considerate.” She took her empty mug to the sink and leaned her butt against it. “What are we doing today? You don’t want me to open my shop, so what sort of things do you have to keep me busy?”

“I could think of several ways to keep you busy. Most of them would involve screaming orgasms,” he teased.

“Ugh, get a fucking room,” Cole said as he strode in. Ava’s face flamed as he pinned her with a heated stare. Damn she didn’t like him. “Hey, man, I’ve gotta head over to Gulfport for the day. I’ll be back later.” Cole slapped Luke on the back and then left.

“What’s he doing in Gulfport?” Ava asked.

“No clue.” Luke stood and headed through the house.

“I’m gonna take a shower. Get dressed.”

“Where’re we going?”

“Town. Grocery shopping to be exact. Figured you could help me.”

“Okay,” she called as he took the steps two at a time.

How strange that Luke wanted her to do another domestic thing with him. He still didn’t seem like the kind of guy to love any sort of domestic duties. Oh well. Ava wanted to grab a few things anyway. She tromped up the steps and into his bedroom where the steam from the shower was escaping the bathroom through the open door. Riffling through her bags she pulled out a summer dress that would keep her cool for the day. The heat was about to get to her. Of course she was used to the weather now, but it didn’t make her like it. She changed quickly, slid her feet into a comfy pair of flip flops and went back downstairs. She’d just mill around while Luke finished with his shower.

Finding a narrow hallway with a high ceiling, Ava walked down it and ended up at a closed door. Her better judgement told her to turn back but the curious side of her told her to open the door and see what was in there. So she did. She grabbed the antique brass knob, twisted it and pushed the door open. Stale air surrounded her as she stepped into the sparse room. It was a bedroom—half the size of Luke’s, with only a bed and a wooden chair sitting close by. Two of the spindles on the chair were missing but that’s not what caught her attention. The matte black pistol laying there caused her to take a step back. Cole had taken up residence in this room. But why would he have a gun in here? The hairs on the back of her neck stood to attention as she neared the chair and crouched down to get a better look at the menacing firearm. It still had the serial number intact so that meant it wasn’t hot. Well, it
could’ve
been stolen but a
good
criminal would’ve filed the number off to keep heat off themselves. She’d seen plenty of that in her old life back in Chicago. She knew the basics of the trade and this gun didn’t look like it had ‘fallen off the back of a truck’. It looked closer to a police issue weapon. Ava sucked in a sharp breath. Was Cole law enforcement?
Oh shit
. Did he know who she really was? Ava lifted her hand toward the gun and ran a finger over the semi-rough surface. The grooves bit into her finger like shark teeth trying to devour her entire being. Panic began to bubble up in her stomach and bile rose at the thought that Cole might be here to hurt her.

“What are you doing in here?” Luke’s voice cut through the haze in her brain.

She couldn’t help her reaction as her nerves jumped so hard and landed her on her ass. “I was…” she couldn’t even finish her sentence.

“Ava, you need to stop snooping around.” Luke grabbed her under her arms and pulled her upright. She turned around to look at his face. “What’s wrong?” He asked.

She turned around to the chair and pointed at the black menace lying on the wooden chair. “Why does Cole have a gun?”

“A lot of men carry guns. It’s nothing unusual.” He blew it off.

“But that one is law enforcement issue,” she said with a shaky voice.

“How do you know that?” Luke raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

How was she going to explain she knew all about guns? She couldn’t. If she even tried, she’d blow the story she’d so perfectly constructed. That wasn’t happening. “I’ve watched a lot of crime shows.” She hoped he believed her stupid lie.

Luke placed his hands on her shoulders and lowered his face to meet hers. “Cole has a gun, big deal. I have a gun in the basement, right?”

“Yes,” she said nodding.

“So, like I said. It isn’t a big deal. Now, let’s get out of here and grab some supplies. Okay?” he cajoled.

“Okay.” She took one last look at the pistol before following Luke out the door and shutting it firmly behind her.

She still didn’t like Cole. Something was off about him and she intended to figure out what that something was. She needed to get ahold of Brandi to have her do some digging. Ava didn’t own a computer for fear that her online activity could be traced. Her phone was a prepaid one she changed out every month; new number and all. She wasn’t taking any chances. One wrong move and they would be able to pinpoint her location and move in. She’d spent the last two years being cautious and it wasn’t going to stop now. Hopefully Brandi would be willing to do some digging around and find information on Cole.

***

Jesus, if Ava didn’t stop snooping around, Luke’s cover would be blown in no time. Damn Cole Matthews and him leaving his shit out where anyone could see it. The man knew better. But he was a fuck head who had no regard for being caught. Luke made sure his shit was hidden at all times—besides his rifle in the basement. And that was an easy lie to pass off. Ava believed him and he hoped it stayed that way. But currently driving his truck down the two lane highway while watching the beautiful creature stare out her window, he considered telling her everything. But he just couldn’t do that. It would devastate her and make her hate him. He would keep his secrets for a bit longer and hold on to her while he could. He only hoped Cole didn’t open his fucking mouth and let everything hang out.

“I was thinking…since Cole is staying, maybe we could invite Brandi for a barbeque or something,” Ava said sweetly.

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. When were you thinking?” He tightened his hands around the leather of the steering wheel. He didn’t really want her friend there, but if it made her more comfortable he’d concede. Maybe she’d forget about what she’d seen earlier.

“Tonight? I mean, if that’s okay with you?” She peered over at him. How the hell could he say no to an angelic face like that? He couldn’t.

“Sure. Why don’t you give her a call once we get to the grocery store? Maybe she’ll want to bring something. I’ll give Cole a shout and let him know what’s going down, too. I have a couple calls to make anyway.”

“Oh, okay.” She shrugged.

They drove in silence for the remaining ten miles and when they got into town, he found the local grocery store. He parked a couple rows from the front entrance and cut the engine. “Here.” He handed Ava a couple hundred bucks in cash. “Go on in and grab what you need. I’ll be out here making my calls and I’ll come in and meet you.”

She took the bills from his fingers and leaned over to give him a swift kiss. “See ya soon.” She smiled.

Luke watched her walk toward the front of the store—glancing around as she did. Her hands latched onto a shopping cart and soon she was out of sight as she disappeared through the automatic sliding doors. When she was completely out of sight, Luke grabbed his phone and hit the speed dial button for Cole.

“Trouble in paradise already?” Cole answered with a laugh.

“How stupid are you?” Luke bit out.

“Whoa. What the hell did I do
now
?”

“You left your sidearm out where anyone could see it. She fucking found it, Matthews.” Luke wished the other man was right in front of him so he could do a little homemade plastic surgery on Cole’s face with his fist.

“Shit,” Cole cursed.

“Yeah,
shit
.”

“I’m sorry man. It’s my spare. I sure as shit didn’t think she’d go in my room.”

“I didn’t either. But she’s got a curious side to her. You have to be more careful. If she discovers who we are, she’ll run. If she does that, we’re fucked.”

“Roger that. Listen, I’ll be back this evening sometime. I have some info you might find interesting,” Cole offered.

“Be back around six. Ava wants to have a barbecue with you and her friend Brandi.”

“Oh, hell. The domestication gets even better. I never thought I’d see the day when Luke Daughtry played house with one of the women folk,” Cole hooted.

“Man, shut the fuck up. You know damn good and well this is just part of the job. The payday is what I’m after. If I have to play house, then so be it.”

“Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that. I’ll be back before six. Be sure to have on your ‘Kiss the Cook’ apron,” Cole chortled as he hung up.

Fucker
. Sometimes he wanted to punch the guy so hard his head would spin around on his neck. Time to make the other call—the one he dreaded the most. Luke reached inside the center console and pulled up the false bottom. The burner phone was still in there. He grabbed it up and hit the same number he’d dialed for the past couple months.