Loose Ends (Magnolia Series Book 1) (5 page)

Chapte
r
Fou
r

This wasn’t how the plan
was supposed to go but for reasons unbeknownst to him, Luke couldn’t help but flirt with Ava when he was around her. She was the kind of woman who shined brighter than any other around her. She was special. Those facts didn’t take away the fact that she was also a paycheck. Money in his pocket if he did this job the way he was supposed to. Time to make another call.

“Daughtry here,” he said as soon as the line cleared on the other end.

“Did you get a location on her?” the other man asked.

“Biloxi, Mississippi.”

“Strange choice.” The man laughed.

“What now?” Luke asked.

“Just keep an eye on things for a bit and check in periodically.”

“Will do.” He hung up.

If this shit got any more complicated he’d need an archeologist to dig through and sort it all out.

***

“I knew you’d give in eventually.” Brandi giggled. 

“Piss off and paint that wall like you’re supposed to be doing.” 

“Hey! Be nice or I’ll leave.” 

“I told you not to come over anyway. So you won’t hurt my feelings,” Ava bit out.

“You’re not getting rid of me. I needed something to do. It was either barge in on you or take Nana to bingo. You’re kind of saving me tonight.”

“Glad I could be of help. Now stop dripping paint on the floor and put it on the walls.”

“Aye, aye, captain.”

Lucky would’ve been an understatement when thinking about finding a friend like Brandi. Sure she was a bit of a pain in the ass, but she was always there to lend a hand. And she’d been the friendliest to Ava when she
was just a stranger in town. In the beginning Brandi was the typical nosy townsfolk. But as time went on she stopped digging. She respected the privacy Ava wanted and they didn’t argue too much about it. It wasn’t like she found pleasure in deceiving Brandi; she had no other
choice. Anyone who knew what’d happened in Chicago would’ve possibly given up her location. She couldn’t risk that. Opening a business in town wasn’t the smartest way to stay anonymous of course, but there were ways around being publicized. The local newspaper constantly wanted to do an interview for their business section but Ava found reasons and excuses to say no. She didn’t do any sort of
advertising for the salon and her business license was under the alias she’d created. To the people here, she was Ava Greenwood. No one knew her real name, and it would stay that way. To her
Avalyn Woods
was long forgotten.

“You look zoned out,” Brandi observed.

“My mind is going crazy lately.”

“Do tell?”

“Not happening.” She snickered and turned back to paint a new wall.

“Always so private. I swear one of these days I’ll crack open that nut of yours.”

“I don’t want you anywhere near my nut.”

“Speaking of nuts…
please
tell me more about Luke.”

“No way! You’re so damn nosy.”

“Come on. Indulge me. I need a fantasy to keep me going. I’ve hit a dry spell that can only be the equivalent of a mouth full of saltine crackers.”

“That’s TMI. And Luke, well, he seems nice enough. He’s kind of private like me I guess.”

“What’s with you people? Don’t you know you’re supposed to post every little detail about your lives on Facebook and tweet out shit on Twitter? Get with it.”

“I like my life the way it is. Hassle-free.”

“You sound like an old person.”

“And you sound like someone who’s going to get choked with that drop cloth if you’re not careful.”

“Point taken. I gotta pee anyway; where’s the bathroom?”

“All the way at the end of the hall. I have to get something out of the garage while you’re in there.”

“Okay.” Brandi nodded and went in search of the bathroom.

Looking over her shoulder to make sure Brandi wasn’t trailing her, Ava slipped through the kitchen and quietly pulled open the solid door that led to the attached garage. She closed it behind her and took a deep breath. Her hands were trembling as she took a few steps forward, leaned down and threw back a corner of the massive grease-laden cloth tarp on the concrete floor. This was one of the main reasons for her interest in this house, the built-in cellar in the garage floor. Cellar wouldn’t really qualify for what it was, though. It was more of a small in-ground storage space or storm shelter. Its concrete ten by six foot walls were perfect for storing smaller items and tools. And of course the things Ava stashed in there.

She bent down to turn the knob on the combination lock that kept her little hiding spot locked up tight. 10-5-13, the month, day and year she began running. That day would be seared into her mind for as long as she lived. Going quiet for a second more, Ava listened to make sure Brandi hadn’t gotten curious and come searching for her. It was still silent on the other side of the wooden door. She pulled the round lock base which set it free from the thick metal prongs. After removing the lock she reached around and lifted the top of the hiding place. It was made like the hood of a car— you could prop it open with the accompanying thick, metal pole. The six steps that led into her hidey-hole were made of concrete and she took two at a time to get to her items. Nervousness always swamped her when she approached the oversized black duffle that sat on a small work bench at the back of the storage space. Not that anyone knew the secret spot was in the floor of the garage—the previous owners weren’t around anymore. They’d moved to Maine, or some other New England state with cooler temperatures and loads of fresh lobster. Once more Ava listened for sounds above her; still nothing. It was always the same when she checked on the black duffle; her fingers didn’t seem to belong to her as she pulled the zipper back and revealed the contents of the bag. How almost $2 million could fit inside a duffle like that was beyond her. But it did. The banded stacks of one hundred dollar bills lay haphazardly in the interior like they were waiting for someone to take them on a shopping spree. That wouldn’t happen. This wasn’t her money to spend. Sure she’d spent some of it to buy her home, but that was all she’d take from the money that had cost someone their life…not just hers.

As Ava began to zip up the bag her eye was caught by the shiny silver object stashed with the money. The overhead light of the garage shone down just right and made the metal come to life in an almost sparkling glint. Her hands moved of their own accord, reaching in to take hold of the object. Money shifted around and brushed her hands as she pulled it free of its confines.
Protection
. That’s the only reason she had this. She didn’t much care for firearms but in case her past came back to find her, she’d at least have a fighting chance. The weight of the 9mm pistol wasn’t as heavy as she remembered last week. It was her ritual to check on her hiding space once a week. It’d become like a religion for her to unlock the space and make sure everything was in
its place.

Pulling herself from a multitude of inner thoughts, Ava gently placed the gun back in with the money and quickly re-zipped the duffle. She jumped up the steps, pulling the metal pole from the lid of the hole and dropped it back in place. She secured the combination lock and twisted the dial to make sure no one would accidentally find their way into her stash.

“Ava?” She could hear Brandi’s muffled voice on the other side of the door leading into the kitchen.

“Shit,” Ava cursed under her breath. She hastily pulled the corner of the tarp back over the floor, concealing her secret. Just as she had it covered, the door to the kitchen was flung open with a curious Brandi standing there.

“Are you covering up bodies out here?” Brandi leveled her with a comical stare.

“Nope. There’s a huge oil stain on the concrete. I was just making sure it was still covered up,” Ava lied.

“You’re so weird. This is the south. Oil stains are like works of art here.”

“You’re the weird one.”

“So I’ve been told several times.”

“Let’s get the rest of the living room painted and then I’ll buy you dinner.” Ava led the way back through the house and away from the things she wanted to keep hidden.

“Just because you buy me dinner, does
not
mean I’m putting out.”

“Oh come on.” Ava joked, happy that Brandi wasn’t asking more questions about the tarp in the garage.

“Fine. Dinner and a movie and you have free reign into the panties.” She held her arms out and offered herself in a dramatic gesture.

“No, thanks. But to boost your ego…if I did bat for the other team, you’d be the first one I’d go for.” She winked at her best friend, thankful she’d found someone who’d give as good as she got.

“But you’re going for Luke, right?”

“I’m going on a date with him Friday,” Ava admitted.

“You should totally fuck him.”

“Jesus. Do you not have a filter?”

“No, I don’t. Besides, if you don’t ride that stallion, some other southern belle will.” Brandi acted like she was holding invisible reins and began whinnying like a horse.

“Can we please not talk about riding him? It’s just a date.”

“You have to seize the moment. Clearly he’s attracted to you and you’re hot for him.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m going to drop my panties on the first date, Brandi. I do have morals you know.”

“I don’t. If that man asked me out, I’d have his man meat in my mouth before we left the damn parking lot.”

“Okay, that’s a visual I didn’t need.”

They dipped their rollers into the paint pans once more and went about the job in comfortable silence. About ten minutes into the session, the
ding
of the doorbell caused both women to jump and shriek, paint flying everywhere.

“Who the hell is that? It’s nine-o-freaking-clock!” Brandi threw her roller down and headed for the door.

“Wait…” Ava froze. This was it, they’d found her. All the planning and preparation she’d done to become invisible and it only took them two fucking years to sniff out her trail. Her heart slammed against her ribcage as her breathing sped up. Tunnel vision swamped her until all she could make out was Brandi’s form heading for the front door.
Oh no
. What if they hurt her friend? What if they did the whole “shoot first, ask questions later” thing? The last thing they’d want was a witness who could identify them. Ava had to think fast before she caused her only friend in this world to become hurt or worse.

“I’ve got it.” She all but pushed Brandi out of the way to get to the door before her.

“Holy shit, spaz. You about knocked me over.” Brandi stood rubbing her arm where Ava had banged into her.

“I’m sorry. It’s my house after all; I’d like to answer the door. Why don’t you go grab me another glass of tea from the fridge?” Ava was trying to think on her feet. She needed Brandi out of the room in case there were some unsavory characters on the other side of the front door.

“Yeah, okay. But next time try not to beat the shit out of me just to answer the door. I like a little slap and tickle every now and then, but that’s only from members of the human race who let me go fishing for trouser trout.” Brandi laughed and disappeared into the kitchen.

Ava put her hand on the door knob and closed her eyes. If this was it, she was prepared to go. She’d been happy the last two years. She’d been able to do what she loved and had a good life during that time. She took one last cleansing breath and pulled the door open swiftly. Might as well get this over with.

Her eyes bugged out of her head when she took in the person waiting on the other side.

“Luke, what are you doing here?” Her voice came out small and breathless.

***

Luke couldn’t help that his eyes scanned Ava’s body from her bare feet to the top of the messy bun piled high on her head. She was beyond gorgeous. She wore a black tank top that’d been splattered with white paint and a pair of ratty cutoff jean shorts that begged him to run a finger just beneath the frayed hem. Would her tanned legs feel as smooth as they looked? Would her breathing accelerate if he touched her so intimately?