She Belongs to Me (43 page)

His final call was to John. Somehow, John managed to answer the phone on the first ring.
“Hey, Lorraine.”

“John, it’s—”

“Jordan, I’m sorry, man, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it.”

Why was John apologizing?
Had he gotten it wrong? It couldn’t be—not John.
Jordan waited without saying anything, not wanting to tip his hand. The person who talked first always lost. He knew this with a business deal or a confession. He utilized the same techniques to close a sale as he did to elicit a confession.

“Ronny called you, didn’t he?” John blurted the question. “You have to know, Jordan, I would have never acted on anything. I just wanted to talk to Jaynee while she was unconscious. I thought if I could get it off my chest it would help somehow.”

Jordan squeezed the phone in his hand. “Talk to her? You almost murdered her!” He couldn’t contain himself and was suddenly ashamed for assuming it was Ronny. How could he have been so wrong, how could John? He had known him practically his entire life. He had been more of a brother to him than Ronny ever was. “Where are you, you no good—
”

“Whoa…wait…wh
at? I would never—I love Jaynee.
I could never hurt her.”

“But you just said you would have never acted and you were trying to get it off your chest while she was unconscious.”

“What exactly did Ronny tell you?”

“Ronny didn’t tell me anything. You did. You were there the night Jaynee was shot, weren’t you? And then—did Ronny stop you from finishing the job today, John?” His voice seethed with emotion. It was a good thing he wasn’t in front of John. He didn’t know if he could keep himself from killing him.

“So Ronny hasn’t spoken with you?”

“No he hasn’t.” Jordan couldn’t believe he was having this conversation when he only wanted to slaughter him.

“Crap! If I’m not the largest moron, I don’t know who is.” He could hear John exhale through the phone. “Ronny walked in on me talking to Jaynee. Admitting to her why I am always so cold to her. I might as well tell you, because Ronny will anyway. I love her, Jordan. I know you don’t want to hear this, but I’ve loved her from the first moment I saw her. I’m sorry, and I swear, man, I would never have come on to her. I just wanted to talk to her. And I would never try to murder her.”

As ridiculous as it sounded, Jordan was relieved. He always knew how John was, he knew he would step over his dead body to get to Jaynee, he’d even told her once. He also knew John didn’t love Jaynee; he only wanted whatever Jordan had. Just like when they were kids.

A chuckle actually slipped out over the thought of his friend’s libido. “You
are
a moron, but not a murderer. I knew better. You and I will deal with this later. Right now there are other more important issues.” Jordan wondered how many more men he would have to battle for his wife. She seemed to bring out the worst in men. He thought about Brian’s defeated look and a smile washed over his face. Jaynee didn’t want any of them; she loved him.

Jordan explained to John what happened with Ronny.

“Wow,” John said, understanding the confusion. “I’m sure thankful I wasn’t standing in front of you when I made my stupid confession. You would have certainly killed me.”

Jordan sighed. No doubt there.
Later
, he thought to himself. There was more important business to discuss now. “John, I need a favor.”

“Anything.
Name it.”

“I need you to go stay with Lorraine. She’s at the hospital in Concord. Ronny may end up there trying to finish what he started. He knows I won’t let Jaynee out of my sight. I tipped my hat earlier when I had Brian throw him out of Jaynee’s room.”

“Brian? Who’s Brian?”

“Long story…get to Lorraine now.” Jordan paused before hanging up. “Oh, and, John…I’m
gonna
kick the everlasting crap out of you when I see you again.”

“I know…I deserve it,” he said, hanging up.

Of course, it couldn’t have worked out that both women would be at the same hospital. Lorraine was in
Concord whereas Jaynee was in Pineville, and it wasn’t very convenient at the moment. Jordan had done everything he could. Now, he just had to wait for Len and his computer. Anxious for every minute now, he rushed back to Jaynee’s room.

When he walked back inside the room, Jaynee was still asleep. His mother stood up, offering him the seat beside his wife.

“Mom, why don’t you go home? I’m not going anywhere else today.”

“Are you sure, honey? What has been going on, and why did Brian leave? He looked devastated. I thought maybe something had happened to Jaynee when I saw his face, but then I heard your announcement.”

“It’s a long story, Mom.” He rested his hands on her shoulders. “There is just one thing you need to know, and I know it’s going to sound strange, but you have to trust me.”

Her face was serious, worried at once, but she
reined
it in. “Of course.”

It went without saying; he knew she trusted him completely. “Do not let Ronny anywhere near your house or speak to him. If he shows up, get your gun, and then call 911.”

Her eyes revealed that she clearly didn’t understand, but she would trust him he knew. “Okay, Jordan. Please call me if anything changes with Jaynee. I’ll be back tomorrow morning.” She kissed him goodbye and left the room.

Jordan sat down and took Jaynee’s free hand in both his. As much as he wanted to talk to her, he knew she
needed to sleep, especially if she might be pregnant. He wondered how long it would be before they would know. He hoped the fact she’d been medicated wouldn’t have any effect on a baby that was days old.

He chastised himself. How could he feel so much joy at a time when there was so much pain? But then he remembered
,
Lorraine was going to be okay. Jaynee had been awake several times, each time stronger than the last. He was going to be a father, if not now, someday. But more than anything, Jaynee’s love had him wanting to jump for joy. His life had felt over when he thought for even a moment that she could have wanted Brian.

Brian. He felt bad for him. He probably saved her life. Who knows what Ronny would have talked his mother into if she had come alone? He would have to find a way to thank him.
But not today.
He wasn’t ready to leave Jaynee’s side again. The hospital walls would have to be falling down first, and even then, he wouldn’t leave without her. He wouldn’t leave until he could talk to her again, thank her and apologize for his assumption. He felt like a schmuck.

Thinking back over the last two months with renewed eyes, he realized she hadn’t been cold. She just did everything she could to keep them from having sex. But not one time had she ever uttered a cruel word. She smiled at him constantly, made his favorite meals and socialized with the family. How could he have misjudged this? Even when she said, ‘This is almost over’. He should have known she had meant school or something else. He would never doubt her again. It wasn’t fair for him to have jumped to a conclusion when
she had never done anything to deserve it. Of course, it wasn’t as if he didn’t trust her. He had never once before this time thought she would have ever been up to anything. Even when he was jealous, he never blamed her. It wasn’t her fault she looked so darned good. She didn’t even dress to elicit attention. Rachael dressed like a teenager, always wearing clothes that were low-cut and too short, another thing Ronny used to complain about but didn’t even bother mentioning anymore.

The phone in his pocket buzzed, bringing him out of his thoughts. He pulled it out and looked at the number, John again. He hesitated, not sure if he wanted to answer it. It wasn’t long enough that he could have even got out of the house, let alone retrieved anything new about Lorraine. He must be trying to apologize again. Jordan vacillated, then decided what the heck he’d let him beg for mercy a little—not that it was going to change anything—he was
gonna
kick the everlasting crap out of him when this was over. The grief must be eating him up. He clicked the green button and waited for the pleading to begin.

***

John had been pulling on his shoes and jacket when he heard the rap on the front door.

He didn’t b
other looking to see who it was;
he was in a hurry to get to Lorraine, frantic in his need to see her and make certain she was safe. Opening the door, he saw Ronny standing there, a strange look on his face.

He concealed his shock and opened the door wider. “Hey, what’s up?”
He made a conscious effort to smile.

“Business,” Ronny said solemnly, stepping into John’s house.

John closed the door, shoved his hands in his jacket pocket and curled his hand around his cell phone. Nothing good could come of Ronny showing up here. His fingers deftly found the recall button. He knew where it was, had practiced many times. He hit the send button knowing it would call the last number called or received—which would be Jordan.

He raised his chin at Ronny, who just stood in his foyer, his hands also in his jacket pockets. “Did something go wrong today?”

“Everything,” Ronny muttered in an irritated voice.

Ronny’s one word answers were starting to unnerve John. He wished he’d already grabbed his gun. It was resting behind him on the credenza. He wondered if he should make an advance for it.

“But, I think I can make it right,” Ronny continued.

“What are you talking about, Ronny? I was just leaving. Can we talk about this later?” John’s voice elevated an octave, exposing his frustration.

“No!” The one word was menacing and sounded foreign coming out of Ronny’s mouth.

John stepped back within inches of his gun; unfortunately
,
a second too late
,
Ronny already had his pistol drawn.

Ronny sneered. “Don’t bother, John. Step away or I’ll shoot you standing right there. I may not be a
cop
, they
never accepted me at the academy, but you know I’m a crack shot.”

John did know this; they had gone to the range and hunted together many times over the years. He also now understood why the academy didn’t accept him into law enforcement. His psyche profile must have indicated instability. “Why are you doing this, Ronny?”

A mocking smile lifted his face. “Whatever do you mean, John? I’m not doing anything…this is you and Lorraine. Lorraine has been pining over Jordan for years, and you are in love with Jaynee. You both recognize they will never leave each other, and you have a gambling problem.” With the gun, Ronny motioned for John to sit at the table. “While consoling each other, you have fallen in love and concocted the perfect scheme to get rid of them, Jaynee by suicide and Jordan by an accidental police shooting. But everything went awry, and your treachery revealed itself. So Lorraine committed suicide and now so will you—just like Romeo and Juliet, how romantic.”

John watched as Ronny’s face transformed into a fierce scowl. He pulled out a prescription bottle with his gloved hand; the label was missing. A wild smirk crossed his face at the look of confusion in John’s eyes.

“Rachael’s sleeping pills. I’ve been heisting a few out of the bottle for months. Of course, they call them sleeping pills, but they’re actually numb pills. You won’t feel a thing…heck you’ll probably even pull the trigger yourself.
Amazing stuff really.
M
y wife
,” he spat the words, “will even have sex with me when she’s on them. Obviously, she never remembers and thinks she’s still
holding out. Her power trip over me, as if breaking me financially wasn’t enough. She had to take everything. It’s not
as if
I can’t get sex elsewhere, but it’s sort of fun taking advantage of her when she doesn’t know—a little payback for all the misery.”

John shook his head in disbelief. “You’re sick, Ronny, but it’s not too late.” He questioned whether he should tell him Lorraine was still alive. He figured it was the only way. He hoped Jordan was listening and hadn’t just let the call go to voicemail. “Listen, Ronny, it’s not too late. No one is dead; you can still get out of this with minimal jail time. Jaynee’s awake, and Lorraine has pulled through. They’ll both know it was you. You won’t be able to get to them before Jordan takes you down.”

A half-laugh half-huff burst out of Ronny’s mouth. “They won’t consider me a suspect. Everyone knows it’s you, John. Don’t you remember Jaynee’s face as you confessed your feelings?”

John winced at the memory, but he knew Jordan knew differently.

Ronny’s lips were in a straight
line as he shook his head. “And
you call me sick? You’re supposed to be his best friend, and yet, you coveted his wife and tried to get him drunk and make him believe she was cheating on him. If that didn’t beat all…calling Lorraine and letting her know he was drunk a
nd telling her to call him. And
you say I’m sick?”

J
ohn’s chin dropped to his chest;
he was sick. What had he been thinking? How could he have done that to Jordan? Now he wondered if he did want him to be
listening. Jordan hadn’t realized he was the one
who
told Lorraine to call after he’d got him drunk.