Lone Star Burn: Lone Star Escape (Kindle Worlds Novella) (6 page)

Mara and Jennie spent the day in the garden with Bear standing guard. Beau took himself home to shower and change. He puttered around his green house a bit, checking on his plants. His phone rang and he answered it without looking at the caller id.
“Belmont,” he said.
“Mr. Belmont. Have you found anything out since you met my guy yesterday?” The voice on his phone had a thick Italian accent and he wondered if this was Mr. Ciminelli. He rushed into the house to get his laptop.
“I contacted a hacker friend of mine about getting into the FBI files. I won’t hear back for a few days though.” He quickly typed a message to Agent Parker’s email.

Possible Ciminelli on my phone. Will keep talking, can you trace?

Within a minute, he had his response.

On it.

The man sighed.
“We need this to wrap up quickly Mr. Belmont. You come highly recommended for finding the impossible. I have great faith in you. How long do you think this will take if your friend can get into the files?”
“That depends on how deep they are buried. Then I have to recon wherever they stashed her and make sure she’s really there. Occasionally they have decoy locations. I’d like to make sure she’s really where they say.”
“I appreciate your thoroughness Mr. Belmont. But if you get an address, that’s all we need. We can do the rest. You just find me an address.” The line went dead, the man hanging up.

Being a PI, Beau had an app that recorded every conversation on his phone. It came in handy in case things went wrong or a client tried to not pay him. He quickly plugged it into his laptop, pulling the MP3 to send to Agent Parker. His phone rang again, this time, it was Travis.
“Agent Parker, did you get anything?”
“It was too short. We just latched to your call as it ended.”
“Well, check your email,” Beau said as he clicked send. He could hear the agent clicking and then the file playing. When it ended, he heard Agent Parker sigh.
“That’s Ciminelli alright. Damn, I can’t believe he called you himself. Ok, do you mind if our guys poke around your phone remotely? Maybe they can hack something and trace the number.”
“I’m a PI, privacy is important. How about I just send you the number?” Beau wanted to help Mara, but he couldn’t risk his business.
“Beau,” Agent Parker started to rebut. “You know what, I get it. Ok, email it over and I”ll see what I can do.” Beau sent the number and hung up. He agreed to let Parker put a tap on the line for now, so they would know right away if another call came in. That much he could do. There were no other open cases on his agenda. So any calls would be okay for them to listen to.

He rubbed his eyes, frustrated with the situation. If this guy was calling less than a day after he met with the money guy, then they were serious and in a rush. They wouldn’t wait just for him. Crap. They needed to do something and quick. Beau shoved up, heading out the door to Mara’s. As he crossed the yard, he could see the women relaxing on her porch swing, sipping something cold. All of the plants were now in the ground, and he had to admit, it looked wonderful. When guests finally began to come in, they would love it. The peacefulness of it all.
“Howdy boy,” Jennie called out. Bear lifted his head lazily, putting it back down to snooze at the women’s feet.
“You ladies did great,” he said, sticking his thumbs in his belt loops and rocking on his feet.
“And, I have my first guests booked! They check in tomorrow morning. A Mr. Thomas and Mr. Jones.” Mara’s excitement bubbled over like a child showing off a new toy. Beau had a tinge of something, tapping at his brain. He dismissed it and couldn’t help but enjoy her excitement.
“That’s great darling, you’ll be overbooked sooner than you think,” he said. “I’m gonna head to town. Why don’t you clean up and we’ll get dinner and hit the salon before they close. You wanted your hair done, right?” She nodded, jumping up from the swing.
“Jennie, thank you so much, for everything.” Mara hugged her then quickly disappeared inside.
“Come sit with me Beau.” He moved next to the older woman, pushing the swing with his longer legs. “I’ve known you awhile now. I can tell you got it bad for this young lady. But like I said earlier, I know when someone’s running. Is she in danger?” Jennie continued staring out at the garden, not even looking at Beau as she asked. He sighed.
“It’s not my story to tell Jennie. I will say, that as long as I’m around, she’s going to be safe.” The older woman nodded.
“Ok, if you need me, let me know. For anything. I been on my own a lot of years now. I can shoot better than any of my brothers and if necessary she could always hide out. You let me know.”

“I appreciate that. Just, keep an ear out. I know you don’t gossip, but if you hear about anyone asking around for someone new, see any suspicious men in town, let me know?” he asked her. She nodded.
“So it’s bad?” Jennie took his silence as an affirmation. “I’m here, you know. No matter what.”
“Thank you. I’m here too,” he chuckled but it lacked humor. They silently swung, staring off at nothing. Beau had known Jennie awhile. But they were never close.
“I was attacked by an ex boyfriend who didn’t understand that being married, meant he wasn’t the one for me. Even after he got out of jail, he followed us. My husband moved us all over, running. I was always looking over my shoulder. I get it, she’s scared. I recognize the look of fear.” Beau obviously had never known this about her, but was surprised that she shared. He grabbed her hand, squeezing it and nothing more was said. Finally, she set her ice tea on the table and looked at him.
“Let me know, I’m here if you need anything.” She patted his leg, getting up and shouting goodbye to Mara. Per Mara’s request, he wouldn’t tell Jennie and put her in danger, but it was good to know that if they needed, he could secret Mara away with her. Beau continued rocking as he watched her walk around the side of the house and disappear. He continued swinging, wondering how else he could keep Mara safe, but help Agent Parker find his guy. They had to get Ciminelli behind bars. That was the only way to protect her. Once he was behind bars, someone else would take his place in the family and hopefully forget about her.
Hell, who was he kidding? Someone would always be after her. There was never going to be safety unless she either didn’t testify, or the whole family went down. Or he made a deal.
Beau pulled out his phone, emailing Agent Parker quickly.

Can we try to draw out Ciminelli by getting Paulie in a position where he thinks we have her? Can we find out who takes over if they both go down and make a deal? They get the family business and leave her alone?

He pressed send and anxiously hoped to get a quick response. The sooner this was resolved, the better.

He kept rocking, with Bear sleeping at his feet, until Mara reemerged from the bedroom. Her skin was sun kissed and glowing, her damp hair hung around her shoulders. Her white sundress made her look like she belonged here. Like she had grown up in small town living, a good southern woman. She slid onto his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. He could smell the citrus from her wash.
“So, hair first, then dinner?”
“What made you change your mind about the hair?” he asked her.
“If you’re willing to put yourself at risk to save me, the least I can do is follow your advice. To an extent. I’m not ready to marry you though.” He nodded, biting his tongue to keep from laughing. He had only been half serious when he had mentioned it to her before. Beau leaned in to nuzzle Mara’s neck. As he placed a kiss on her nape, her stomach rumbled loudly. They looked at each other laughing.
“Maybe dinner first,” he joked.
“Sally will be open late today, it’s the beginning of the month and all the senior ladies come in, Jennie told me all about it.”
“Let’s do the hair first,” he shook his head. “This way, when I introduce you to the people in the town, they see a beautiful woman with short black hair, not long blonde hair.”
“You think Ciminelli will get this close to me?” Her gaze raked over Beau’s face. His serious expression caused fear to creep up her spine.
“I don’t want to risk it.” He stood, letting her body slide down from his lap. Taking her hand, he led her to the truck, ready to get the night on with.

“It looks amazing. You’re like a completely different woman.” Beau couldn’t believe his eyes when the chair spun around and Mara looked at him. Gone were the long locks, and in their place was a shorter, shoulder length, jet black style. She went from a free spirit looking young woman, to a mature, grown one. She was a whole new person. Mara reached up, nervously twirling her shorter locks around her finger. It fell in waves around her face.
“You think so?” Beau wanted nothing more than to ease her self-consciousness.
“You look beautiful. Gorgeous.” He wrapped his fingers around her hand, helping her from the chair. Sally swept up the long locks that covered the tiled floor of the salon.
“Thank you so much, it was great to meet you Sally.” Mara pulled her wallet out to pay. Sally waved her off, winking at Beau. When he had called ahead, he arranged to pay.
“And Sally,” he said to her, “Remember what we talked about. You cannot mention to anyone that Mara was a blonde. Got it?”
“I told you Beau, I get it. I won’t say nothing. Why is everyone always so worried about me keeping secrets? It’s almost as bad as the time Carey didn’t want me to let anyone know she was doing the deed with Nathaniel from over there on Mr. Carlton’s ranch, because she kept sneaking onto his land.” Instantly, the woman clasped a hand over her mouth. “Damn, double damn. I guess it’s part of being a hairdresser. But I swear, Beau. I won’t tell anyone.” Mara watched the interaction between the two, wondering when she had missed this conversation. Beau took her hand, pulling her to the door.
“Good night Sally.”

The couple walked out, ambling slowly down the block towards the diner. Mavis Meals was the only small dining place in town. There were a few chains and bigger restaurants that had opened up on the outskirts of town, more towards Dallas, but Mavis Meals was a staple. That’s where the locals all ate. Beau held the door open for Mara and they were surrounded by sounds of chatter, dishes clanging, and laughter. As Mara slowly stepped in, all sound stopped. She twitched slightly, realizing that everyone was staring at her. Fear stiffened her spine. Beau slid up behind her, placing his hand on her lower back, steering her towards an empty booth. Along the way, he waved at people he knew, smiled at old friends. Mara moved into the seat, Beau sitting next to her, instead of across. Slowly, the noise picked back up, townfolks losing their interest in her quickly. A woman in a blue waitress uniform stepped up to the table. Her red hair was piled on top of her head, curls cascading down. Mara felt a twinge of jealousy at the way the woman batted her eyes at Beau.
“Betty Mae, this is Mara. She just bought Ms. Mariner’s house. It’s going to be a bed and breakfast.” Betty Mae looked at Mara questioningly.
“Oh,” she said slowly. “That’s nice. So y’all are neighbors?” Mara felt bad, seeing the hope in her eyes that Beau and her were just out for a friendly dinner. Beau eased the tension by taking Mara’s hand in his. He smiled at Betty Mae.
“Sure are,” he looked at Mara, his eyes sparkling with humor. It was as if he could read her mind. “Betty Mae, we’ll take two of today’s specials and two glasses of sweet tea.” Their waitress didn’t even respond, she just turned on her toes and stalked away.
“She doesn’t seem happy that Fort Mavis’s sexy bachelor isn’t eating alone tonight,” he said to Mara jokingly. She just grinned.

Throughout their meal, people stopped by, hoping for an introduction or some gossip. Beau held her hand the whole time, trying to make her feel more comfortable. George, who owned the grocery store, stopped by to say hello, as did the Hardware store owner who offered help with fixing up a sign for her at a discount if she would place his ads with her morning newspapers. The library and post office employees she met told her to drop off pamphlets when she had them, and they would send them out to neighboring libraries and post offices. Mara couldn’t believe how nice everyone was. As they finished their meal, Jennie came rushing in, shoving herself into the other side of their booth.
“Jennie, we were just leaving,” Beau said, narrowing his eyes at her.
“I’m sorry, I just, Mara, I think I’d love to take you up on your offer. How about I move in tomorrow, and Beau here can help me? I don’t have furniture, so I don’t have to bring much other than my clothes and personal items. I never was one for much belongings. I’ll box it all up tonight. Can you be moved into Beau’s house by tomorrow morning?” Jennie stared at Mara, and Beau looked at her with suspicion. She was acting odd for such a cool and collected woman. Mara grew excited next to him.
“Oh Jennie, that’s wonderful, thank you. Yes, I don’t have much either, since I just moved. Beau, do you hear that? I have my first employee.” She shook his arm, bubbling with happiness. Beau didn’t want to ruin it, but he gave Jennie a look that said they needed to talk, and soon. Mara all but shoved him out of the booth as she stood to hug Jennie. The women embraced and Jennie frowned over Mara’s shoulder. Beau handed her the bill and money.
“Mara hon, could you please run this over to pay and I’ll work out with Jennie what time she needs me to help her.” Mara was oblivious and stepped away, no longer nervous about being the new person in town. People stopped staring at her and she finally had a small feeling of belonging.

“What is going on Jennie? She can’t see it, but I can tell something spooked you.” He moved closer to her so that he could lower his voice. He glanced over his shoulder, smiling at Mara who stared at him.
“I was just at the grocery store and there was this guy in front of me. Cheap suit, greasy slicked back hair, and too much cologne. So, I’m putting my food on the conveyor belt and he’s buying beer, and he asks if anyone knows where to find you. You know we protect our own. He says he wanted to hire you, so I hand him a business card of yours, that one you gave me back when we met? He then pulls out a picture and asks Jimmy, George’s teenage son, who works the register, if he’s seen this woman. When Jimmy says no, he turns to me. He’s looking for Mara.” Beau cursed under his breath. As he tried to warn Jennie, Mara returned and she just shook her head at him. Mara wrapped her hands around his arm, grinning ear to ear. He didn’t have it in him to ruin that happiness. She had already been through so much, run so much, he couldn’t do it to her anymore.
“Let’s head home then sweetheart. You can pack up your things and I’ll do some arranging at my house.” Jennie waved as she exited ahead of them, calling over her shoulder.
“See you two tomorrow.”
“Things are coming together so well. My new guests show up in the morning. After I get them checked in, we can get my things over to your house and then you can help Jennie move in. Oh, and I have to wash the sheets, you know, new bedding for her. Maybe these two guys will bring me more business by spreading the good word around after staying at my place!” Beau immediately remembered the men that Mara said were checking in and the odd feeling he got when she told him their names.
 

“What were your guests’ names?” He asked her.
“Mr. Thomas and Mr. Jones.” That’s what it was, they sounded fake. Two Mr’s, with the most common last names out there.
“How about while you finish packing up and getting Jennie’s room ready, I check them in, and you can make a grand entrance at dinner? Considering everything that’s going on, maybe you checking in two men alone isn’t so safe yet?” She looked at him pensively. He could tell it bothered her that he was stepping in on her business, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that somehow, Ciminielli was too close to finding her.
“Sure, I guess. I do have a lot to get done in the morning, thank you,” she acquiesced as he helped her up into the truck. He still couldn’t get over the way her darker hair made her look. Against the pale skin of her neck, it made such a contrast that his cock ached and longed to feel the warmth of her body again. As she pulled herself into the passenger seat, he leaned in, capturing her bottom lip between his teeth, nibbling lightly. He crushed his mouth against hers, his tongue pressing into her. Pulling back, he loved the red swollen look on her mouth.
“You’ve been a good boy today, I think I promised you something.” Her voice was raspy with lust as he smiled, quickly shutting the truck door and running around to the other side. Worry could wait until tomorrow. Tonight, he was going to show Mara again, how he could worship her body.