Thirty-Two and a Half Complications (37 page)

A low rumble came from Skeeter’s chest and the other men in the room froze. “Fine,” he growled, pushing away from the desk. “The word is they aren’t your normal bidders.”

“What does
that
mean?”

He looked up at me. “It means these guys have watched one too many episodes of
Breaking Bad
. They think they can be king if they have enough money to buy Crocker’s business. They’re nobodies with no experience. These amateurs don’t know shit. Which your information supports. A loan officer and a grocery store manager.” His face contorted in disgust.

“Seems to me they’re more capable than you give them credit for,” I threw back at him. “Or if they’re as dumb as you insinuate, what does that say about
you?
”

Bruce Wayne’s eyes bugged out of his head.

Skeeter’s body tensed and his cold eyes landed on me. “Do you know how many people have talked to me that way and gotten away with it?”

The tension in the room was so thick, if someone lit a match, the entire place would have exploded.

I knew I should back down, grovel even, but I was good and ticked off. I’d had enough. This arrangement wasn’t working out in my favor at all. I was the one supplying all the information and getting nothing in return. “I have no idea, but maybe it’s time someone
did
.”

Skeeter watched me for several long seconds, looking like he was trying to figure out the best way to dispose of my body, then he burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny?” I asked, getting madder.

“You,” he pushed out while catching his breath. “Good God. Where have you been all my life, Rose Gardner, and how did I not know about you before now?” He shook his head while regaining control. “Good thing I’ve claimed you before someone else discovered you. And I feel a hell of a lot better bringin’ you with me to the auction now. Especially after all of this.”

He may have been trying to appease me, but he was just making me madder. “You may have
claimed
me, Mr. Malcolm, but there’s no way on God’s green earth I’m walking into that auction with you. It’s one thing to be marked, but it’s another for me to be seen actively helping you. I’m living with the assistant DA, for heaven’s sake. Even you can’t be arrogant enough to believe someone won’t use this against me. Not to mention the risk to you if someone decides you’re with an informant.”

“You’re the only person who’s seen these guys. I need you to come with me so you can point them out to Jed and Merv. They’ll have your money on them to bid for Crocker’s business. So if we stop them, you’ll get
your
money returned today.”

I groaned. “Damn you.” I was good and stuck.

He laughed and glanced over at his goons. “So she
does
use cuss words.”

“I can’t be seen there, Skeeter. I
can’t
.”

“It’s worth the risk.”

“To you!” I shouted.

“She can wear a hat,” Bruce Wayne said. “You know, one of those old-fashioned kind with a veil. It’ll cover her face and no one will know it’s her.”

Skeeter held out his hands. “Well, there you go. You can wear a hat.”

“I don’t own a hat like that!” Only I knew someone who did. She had a spare bedroom closet full of them. “I have to make a call.”

Skeeter stood, his eyes turning cold. “I don’t think so.”

“Will you calm down?” I asked, not caring that I sounded snotty. “I need to ask my friend to bring me a hat.”

I spun around and stomped out into the hall, not waiting for permission before I dialed Neely Kate on my phone. “I have a bizarre request.”

“Coming from you, that’s sayin’ something.”

“You know that black hat you got last month? The one with the veil?”

“Oh. Yeah! I’m telling you, hats like that will be back in vogue before you know it. That’s why I’m stockpilin’ them. So I’ll be ready.”

“It’s hard to see through that thing, right?”

“Yeah. Remember? I wore it to Bingo night with Granny and nearly broke my neck tripping because I couldn’t see a doggone thing.”

“I need to borrow it.”

“Sure. I’ll bring it to you tomorrow.”

“No. I need it
now
.” When she didn’t answer, I continued. “I have to help Skeeter with this thing and I don’t want people to know it’s me.”

“Where are you, Rose?” she asked, sounding worried. “And what are you doin’ that you need a disguise?”

“I don’t have much time, Neely Kate. Can you bring it to the pool hall like five minutes ago?”

She didn’t even hesitate. “I’ll call you when I’m almost there.”

I hung up and walked back into the room. “Fine. I’ll go, but I’m wearing a disguise.”

Skeeter shot me a cocky grin. “Okay, but we’re leaving in fifteen minutes.”

Neely Kate called me twelve minutes later. “I’m pulling into the parking lot now.”

I was already waiting for her by the door, so I ran outside as her car rolled up. “Are you sure about this, Rose?” she asked as she handed me a brown bag through the open window.

I nodded. There was no point in telling her I didn’t have a choice.

She eyed me up and down. “My hat will
not
go with that outfit. I put my new black dress and a pair of heels in there too. Good thing we wear the same size.”

“Thank you, Neely Kate.”

She grabbed my hand and squeezed. “Just be careful, okay? And call me when you’re done so I know that you’re safe.”

“I will.”

The clock was ticking, so I ran inside and quickly changed, pleased with what I saw in the mirror. The reflection showed a woman in a figure-hugging black dress, a V cutting low in the front to reveal what little cleavage she had. I’d found a handful of bobby pins at the bottom of my purse, so I put my hair up into a French roll that would conceal its length and color. I couldn’t see the lower half of me, but the hat alone would mask my identity. No one I knew would recognize me if they saw me dressed this way.

Skeeter banged on the door. “Come on! Let’s go!”

I swung the door open and his mouth parted in surprise before he quickly recovered and offered me his arm, a grin spreading across his face. “This arrangement keeps getting better and better. I’m beginning to rethink that marriage proposal, but I value the family jewels too much to take the risk.” He chuckled. “And after watching you this afternoon, Rose Gardner, I’m more than sure you’d be a jewel thief.”

I narrowed my eyes, not that he could probably see through the veil. “If I help you and you renege on me, Skeeter Malcolm, you’ll find out how true that statement is.”

He and his men burst into laughter as we headed out the back door. Too bad for him, I hadn’t meant it as a joke.

Chapter Twenty-Five

I mused about the absurdity of it all as I rode in the back of a black sedan on the way to the warehouse. Previously mousy, socially inept Rose Anne Gardner was dressed as a wanton woman and riding in the back of a car with Henryetta’s current criminal mastermind. All while her assistant district attorney boyfriend waited for her to come home and her chief deputy sheriff ex-boyfriend searched for reasons to tie her to a criminal investigation.

This was straight out of a made-for-TV movie.

Skeeter sat next to me while Jed—the guy who’d told me about the Piggly Wiggly robbery—drove and the other guy, Merv, rode shotgun. Bruce Wayne was following us in his car after Skeeter had snarled that there wasn’t room for him in the back. I didn’t understand Skeeter’s insistence until his hand landed on my knee when we were two minutes out of the parking lot.

I shoved his paw aside. “Hands off, Skeeter.”

“Just admiring what I’ve claimed,” he said with a shit-eating grin.

“You may have claimed my
gift
, not that it’s yours to claim in the first place, but you most definitely
cannot
claim
me
. So keep your hands to yourself or the whole deal’s off, chips fall where they may.”

“You have to act like my girlfriend inside.”

“I will do
no
such thing,” I said firmly.

“Rose,” he groaned. “If I bring you in there—”

“For all they know, I’m an investor you’ve brought with you.”

“That makes me look weak.” His voice was harsh.

“It will make you look strong. Like your reach stretches outside of this godforsaken town.”

“Huh,” he said, thinking it over. “That’s actually a good idea.”

“So it’s agreed.
Hands off
. Everyone knows you like the ladies. The fact that you’re not touching me will catch them off guard, which will in turn throw them off their game.” I had no idea if they would or not, but it sounded good and Skeeter looked impressed.

We drove south of town, toward Pickle Junction. They’d been sympathetic to Crocker in this area, so geographically, it made sense. But it also meant I was on Joe’s turf, not the Henryetta PD’s. Whether or not that was a good thing remained to be seen.

Jed stopped the car in front of a large barn, like he was dropping us off at the red carpet at the Academy Awards. Skeeter opened his door and slid out, holding his hand out to me and pretending to be a gentleman. I nearly snorted, but I took his hand anyway, hoping my tight dress wouldn’t slide up and flash my underwear to the world. Granted they were black lace and sexy, but those were for Mason’s eyes only. Not the riff-raff of Fenton County.

When I was out, Skeeter shut the door and Jed drove off to park with the other twenty-some odd cars that were parked behind the barn, blocked from view of the road. Skeeter lifted his bent arm and bowed his head with a playful grin. “Shall we?”

Releasing a sigh, I let him escort me to the entrance. The barn’s double doors were open, but the entrance was sectioned off with folding screens that blocked the view inside. A table with two men sat to the right, just inside the doors. One of the men had a metal box in front to him and the other had a leather ledger; together, they were signing people in and collecting money. Two more guys were patting down the entrants before they were allowed inside. Several men and a few women were in line ahead of us.

“You have to pay up front?” I whispered in surprise. “How do you know how much to pay?”

“It’s a deposit. Five thousand dollars to show you’re an actual contender, plus a thousand-dollar fee to take part. And the winner is expected to pay up the balance once they’ve won.”

“What happens if you win and don’t have the money with you?”

He waggled his eyebrows. “You don’t want to know.”

I swallowed, trying to stave off another fit of nausea. “What’s to keep someone from stealing the money?”

“Them.” He gestured to two men who were standing in the shadows behind the table, both carrying machine guns.

“Oh.”

He chuckled and leaned close to my ear. “You’re very curious. I think I’ve underestimated you again.”

“
Again?
”

He didn’t answer. Instead, the guy with the ledger waved to Skeeter, and we bypassed the ten people in front of us and approached the table. Skeeter handed them a wad of hundred-dollar bills. They counted them and placed them in the metal box, then wrote Skeeter’s name in the ledger. The guy looked up at me. “And your guest’s name?”

“That’s none of your damn business.” Skeeter’s eyes narrowed and the burly man at the table actually looked intimidated.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Malcolm, but they’re Bull’s orders. To make sure no informants show up. Every person who enters has to have someone vouch for them.”

“Do you think I’m stupid enough to bring in someone who would set us up?” His voice rose and his eyes widened. “Do I look like an idiot to you?”

“No, sir. But I still need a name.”

Skeeter looked like he was about to reach over and snap the man’s neck. Literally, not figuratively.

The guy hunched over his ledger. “How about Lady in Black?”

Skeeter’s back straightened. “Good. And I have three more guests coming.”

“Each person who’s bidding is allowed only three guests, Mr. Malcolm. No exceptions,” he said as he handed Skeeter an auction paddle.

Skeeter seemed less concerned with this rule. “Fine. Jed and Merv.” He turned to me. “Your man will have to wait outside.”

I was thankful he didn’t name Bruce Wayne, and the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a good idea. Bruce Wayne was walking across the parking lot toward us, although I didn’t see his car anywhere. Where had he parked? I pulled out my phone and texted him.

You’re waiting outside.

He looked at his phone and then up at me, shaking his head then texting:
Together or nothing

He was throwing my words back at me.

We’re still together, but it’s better if you don’t come in… People might link you to me and Skeeter. And they’re patting people down and making them leave their weapons outside. If there’s trouble it will be outside.

Besides, we don’t have a choice
, I added for good measure.

He watched me for several seconds.

Okay,
he finally wrote.

One of the men started to pat Skeeter down and the other told me to turn around.

Skeeter pointed his finger at the guard next to me. “If you touch her in any way that would be considered inappropriate, I will personally cut off your fingers.”

The man gulped. “Yes, sir.”

I stared at Skeeter, my jaw dropping in shock. What was that all about?

It would have been easy for me to creatively smuggle in a weapon considering the quick appraisal I was given. The guy barely touched me before declaring that I was good to go.

Whether I wanted to be here or not, what I saw fascinated me. I’d mistaken it for a warehouse in my vision, but I realized now it was because the space was larger than a typical barn. There were more people here than I’d expected, but assuming everyone had brought their plus-threes, I estimated there were only about ten bidders. Skeeter moved to the back of the crowd, making it easier for me to see everyone.

“What’s your number?” I asked, wondering how I could have been so stupid.

Skeeter held up his paddle. “Nine.”