Thirty-Five and a Half Conspiracies
Page 95

I had no idea what time it was, but a faint orange glow filled the opaque windowpanes. I slid out of bed, grabbed my panties off the floor, and pulled them on under my dress, then tucked Mason’s under his pants. I had no idea when Skeeter would be back, but I had no desire for him to see our underwear on the floor. It was likely to elicit more antagonistic words toward Mason.
I considered climbing back into bed with Mason, but he’d shifted slightly, and he looked so peaceful that I worried I’d disturb him. Instead, I sat on the floor for a moment and just watched him.
My engagement ring caught my eye. Had that really happened half a day ago? We both had ghosts from our pasts, and I’d always believed we’d overcome them together. But what if we couldn’t? Was it even fair to bring Mason into this crazy mess? In truth, I had expected more anger from him. Of course, he was still in shock, and there was no way of knowing how he’d process my revelation with more time.
I suddenly thought about Joe and how badly he must be hurting. According to Jed, Kate had run after him. Evidence suggested she had arranged my kidnapping and planned my murder. Had she done it on J.R.’s orders? Would she hurt her own brother? I couldn’t let my mind go there.
Assuming he was safe, where would he go? Who would he turn to for comfort? The thought of him mourning alone brought tears to my eyes.
And what about everyone else? I could only imagine how badly they were hurting. Would they feel betrayed when they found out the truth? Neely Kate. Violet. My aunt and uncle. Jonah. Bruce Wayne. Would he feel guilty? But then I reminded myself that I’d been taken as Rose rather than as Lady.
In truth, the lines between us were beginning to blur. I wasn’t sure that was a good thing.
Mason stirred, and his arm moved as if to reach for me. Then he bolted upright, panic in his eyes. “Rose!”
“I’m here,” I answered softly.
Relief washed over his face when he saw me on the floor. “What are you doing down there?”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
He lifted the covers. “Come here.”
I got to my feet and climbed in next to him, lying on my side to face him.
He propped up on an elbow and lifted his hand to brush several strands of hair from my cheek. “How are you doing?”
“How can you ask me that after everything I told you last night?”
“Because I love you and you suffered a very traumatic experience. Now that we’ve both rested, I’m hoping we can make some decisions with a clearer head.”
I nodded.
“Rose, you have to see that this is a crazy idea. You have no idea that J.R. Simmons will even show up. And if he does, the likelihood of getting him to admit to anything we can use is slim to none. The man is a criminal genius. Which means he’s intelligent enough not to spill his secrets to strangers.”
“So then how do we stop him?”
He lay down and snugged me against his side, his arm tight around me. “The problem is two-fold. We need to get the charges against you dropped, and we need to figure out who is behind the order to kill me.”
“I can’t help thinking Kate is the person behind my kidnapping. It’s too big of a coincidence that Neely Kate and I found all her paperwork on you right before this happened.”
“You very well might be right.”
“That aside, you’re forgetting Skeeter.”
His arm stiffened. “What about Malcolm?”
“He’s tied to this too, Mason.”
“Then let’s talk about Skeeter Malcolm. He hates my guts. In fact, I can’t believe he wants me here. I’m too risky. He has no idea which way I’ll turn.”
“You’re here because of me,” I said, quietly. “I knew you were in danger, and I wanted you here with me. It was selfish. I should have trusted Randy to watch you. I’m sorry.”
“Shh …” His thumb brushed my cheek. “I want to be with you so I can make sure you’re safe. I’d go crazy at home not knowing where you are or if you were okay.” He gave me a soft smile. “But from here on out, you have to tell me everything, okay? We’ll deal with how we got here when this is all over.”
“Okay.”
Men’s voices filtered down the hall, and Mason sat upright. He climbed out of bed and put on his underwear, then sat down next to me as I sat up too. He looked down at the deep V of my neckline and straightened it, trying to cover up my cleavage.
“You don’t have to worry about that,” I whispered. “They don’t treat me that way.”
Surprise flickered in his eyes, but there wasn’t time for either of us to say anything. A knock sounded at the door, and it swung open seconds later. Skeeter filled the doorway … or what little I could see of him. Mason was trying to block my view of him with his body.
“I trust you enjoyed your accommodations?”
“Cut the shit, Malcolm,” Mason said in a controlled voice. “We want to leave. What do you want from us before that happens?”
I leaned sideways and saw an amused look cross Skeeter’s face. “A negotiation before coffee? You picked a real go-getter, Rose.”
“Skeeter,” I said, exhausted already.
“I sent one of the boys for breakfast. If you want to shower or clean up, you have about twenty minutes.”
“I’d rather not wait,” Mason said, climbing to his feet. “Let’s get right to it.”