Thirty-Five and a Half Conspiracies
Page 87

Still, I was pushing his promise to the limit.
A little after one, Merv texted Jed that he had the package.
I pounced on him like a cat on catnip. “Did Mason give him any trouble? Was he followed? Was Merv nice to him?”
Skeeter shot me a look of disgust, but Jed tried to be more patient. “He didn’t give me details, Rose. He literally texted: I’ve picked up the package.”
I stood and wrung my hands. I wasn’t sure if it were possible for someone to die of nerves, but if so, I was a goner. “How long will it take them to get here?”
“Merv’s gonna drive him around a bit to throw him off and make sure they aren’t tailed, so maybe twenty-five minutes … a half hour?”
I nodded, trying to catch my breath.
“Rose.” Jed stood and gently cupped my elbow. “Why don’t you lie down and try to get some rest? It’s after one in the morning, and you’ve had a traumatic evening.”
I shook my head. “I’m not laying on any nasty surface in this house.”
“Where the hell do you think you’re gonna sleep?” Skeeter barked.
My mouth dropped open. Stupid me hadn’t even thought that far ahead.
Skeeter got to his feet and rubbed the back of his neck. “We should never have gotten him tonight. We should have picked him up tomorrow morning after getting a good night’s sleep.”
I put my hand on my hip. “It was tonight or not at all. Sure as shoot that they were going to kill him tonight. And besides, you yourself said you thought they’d kill him in the middle of the night!”
He groaned and stomped outside.
Jed sighed as he watched Skeeter walk off, then moved his injured arm and released a low moan.
It was then I remembered he’d lost his sling in the fight, and when I looked more closely, I could see a dark spot on his black long-sleeve T-shirt.
“Jed, you’re bleeding. Let me look at that.”
He sat at the kitchen table and took off his shirt. The sight of his rippling muscles caught me off guard, like suddenly finding out your geeky cousin has become hot. I made myself focus on the white gauze tied around his bicep and the dark spot of blood.
“I expected you to put up some macho fuss.”
He leaned his head back, looking exhausted. “I’m too tired, and I can’t change it myself. I figure I might as well get your help before all hell breaks loose.”
I cringed, but I suspected his assessment of our situation was right.
“There are fresh bandages in the hall closet. Clean sheets too. You’ll sleep in the bedroom at the end of the hall. And Deveraux too … if he wants to sleep with you.”
I sighed. “I know you think this is a mistake.”
“I know it is.” He sounded so sure of himself it almost gave me second thoughts. “People like Deveraux don’t hop over the line of legality so easily. He’s got a very clear picture of right and wrong. Have you considered what’s gonna happen if he gets here and decides he wants to wash his hands of the whole thing? Even worse, what if he demands to leave and tell the whole world about you and your secret identity? Or what if he decides to use this against Skeeter, me, or Merv and run to the sheriff? Do you really think Skeeter’s gonna let that happen?”
I gasped.
He gave me a sympathetic look. “Didn’t think about that part, did you?”
I didn’t say anything. The answer was obvious.
Skeeter walked in as I finished tying the gauze over Jed’s wound. There was a no-nonsense look on his face, which I’d learned to mean he was about to issue an order. “When he gets here, we’re gonna deposit him in the living room without taking his blindfold off. He can remove it after we go outside. You have until tomorrow morning to sway him to our side. If he says no, we’ll take him back to town, blindfold on, but tied up this time. And if he threatens to turn any of us in, he will be dealt with.” His eyes found mine. “That is non-negotiable.”
I nodded.
After I cleaned up the dirty bandages and put away the supplies, I found the clean sheets Jed had mentioned and decided to make the bed. The light in the room didn’t turn on with the switch, and there weren’t any lamps to be found. In fact, I realized there wasn’t anything in the room except for the bed. I used the light in the hall to put on the linens, and I was in the process of smoothing a fresh blanket over them when I heard a scuffle in the living room.
“Rose?” Mason’s voice called out. “Where the hell is she?”
Merv’s voice followed. “Just stay where you are, and she’ll be out in a minute. But keep that blindfold on until she takes it off.”
I’d already hurried out of the bedroom and was standing at the entrance to the hall, my heart in my throat.
Mason’s hands clenched at his sides. “If you hurt her—”
“Mason,” I said, taking the few steps toward him. It felt like I was dragging a fifty-pound weight with each step. “I’m here.”
He reached for his blindfold, but I stopped him, waiting until all three men had left and shut the door behind them.
His hands covered mine as I lifted the handkerchief off his head, and the tenderness of the gesture almost brought me to tears.
Relief washed over his face, and he pulled me into a tight embrace and buried his face into my hair. He broke down. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“I’m fine. I promise.”