Acres, Natalie - Bang the Blower [Country Roads 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (11 page)

“I guess we’ll see you later, Frank,” Duke said, keeping his distance. He then addressed the others. “Get the car back in the shop. Fix those brakes and make sure we have several mechanics present whenever you’re working. And I want two men watching every vehicle here, and I want that done around the clock. Am I understood?”

Positive responses resounded.

“I’m not driving again,” Julie stated firmly.

“We’ll see about that,” Duke said, dragging her along behind him. He ignored her protests until they reached the house.

As soon as they were inside and the door slammed behind them, she said, “You hurt Frank’s feelings, and seeing him upset doesn’t sit well with me.”

“I don’t give a damn,” he bit out, pacing the foyer.

“What is wrong with you?”

“Hank is missing.”

“What?” she screeched.

He grabbed her and kissed her hard on the mouth. It wasn’t a tender kiss. It wasn’t a sweet smooch. It was an outright lusty lip-lock he needed in order to assure himself she was right there in front of him. And kissing her at that moment didn’t make a lick of sense.

“What the hell was that for? You tell me Hank is missing and then you kiss me?”

“I was just making sure…never mind,” he muttered, running his fingers through his hair. “We’ve gotta get you out of here.”

“Why?”

“Julie, someone tried to kill you today.”

“Ya think?”

“Save the smartass comments for another man and a different week, if you don’t mind. Yes, someone tried to kill you. Hank is missing. And I think Frank is somehow responsible.”

“Frank?” she asked, sadness creeping into her eyes. “Are you serious, Duke? Do you know what you’re saying?”

“Believe me, I’ve had a hard time processing this, too.”

“You must be ill,” she said, her arm rising and falling against her thigh.

“Julie, I have proof.”

She shook her head and backed away from him like he was a new disease, the next deadly plague. “I don’t believe you.”

Duke retrieved the bill of sale from his pocket and handed it to her. “Read the notes.”

She scanned the document so quickly, he wasn’t sure she took the time to review the paperwork he provided. Julie had a nasty habit of being loyal to a fault. If someone close to her wanted to harm her, they wouldn’t be short on opportunities.

“So what? You know how Frank and I operate. We always buy the nutty horses. They’re a challenge. Why do you think he used to bring in those wild mustangs? I can promise you this mare is no match for those mustangs we used to break. I don’t care if this horse has kicked several cowboys’ asses, she’s no match for me and Frank.”

“You don’t think this is unusual?”

“No,” Julie replied.

“Did he tell you that he gave you a gift horse destined to kill you?”

“Of course not,” Julie retorted. “Duke, you have to understand how Frank and I are when it comes to horses. He’s always bought more horse than either of us could handle, and then we’ve dealt with them. I don’t ask him if the horse has a few loose screws, I just accept that if Frank bought a horse at all, the damn thing has the potential to be dangerous.”

Duke shook his head rapidly. “Then how do you explain the fact that someone tampered with the brakes on your car?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. But I can tell you this right now. Frank didn’t cut the wires. He couldn’t hurt me, Duke. You know that.”

Duke scratched his head. “We’ve gotta find Hank. After Hank gets home, he can worry about Frank and Sam.”

“I’m not worried about Frank,” she insisted. “He’s been my rock since I was a little girl. He’s been my caretaker and truest friend. He’d die first trying to save me before he would let someone hurt me.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that if I were you.”

“I am, and I’m deeply saddened by this conversation. Truth is, Frank would protect you at any cost, too. I’m sorry you aren’t as loyal.”

Chapter Eleven

“You got the fifty thousand!” Hank yelled through the metal bars. “What else do you want?”

A tall figure emerged from the dark hallway. Two men followed behind him. “Who are you?”

“Agent Duane Dickerson,” the man said, taking a seat at a small wooden table right outside the cell.

“Am I in jail?”

“County,” Dickerson replied. “You’re in solitary confinement.”

“For what?” Hank asked, wondering if he were in Columbia, Tennessee, or Bogota, Colombia, after that remark. Since when did Columbia have solitary confinement in their small facility?

“We’re keeping you here until we have a chance to see what’s going to happen out at your place.”

“What do you mean by that?” Hank asked, gripping the bars, staring at the man who offered his name and title, but didn’t flash a badge or show credentials.

“I don’t have time to explain.”

“You can’t hold a man against his will,” Hank told him, noting the man didn’t act like he was in any particular hurry. He crossed his arms, leaned back and studied him like he planned to sum him up for a bit.

“I’m asking for your cooperation.”

“I’d be more cooperative if you guys weren’t holding me behind bars for no apparent reason!”

“You haven’t listened to a word I’ve said.”

“Am I under arrest?”

“No.”

“Then let me go!” Hank demanded.

“I can’t do that.”

“Why the hell not?”

“Because you’re a target someone wants dead. Your brother doesn’t have a price on his head, and I’m not sure why. Someone wants you and the girl dead. Until we know who, we’re protecting you, and assuming your brother will protect your woman.”

“Julie?”

“Yes.”

Hank gulped. “You’re using her for bait, aren’t you?”

Dickerson pulled out his cell phone and started texting. He frowned at the facing on his phone as he typed out a long message.

“Answer me! You’re using her to set a trap, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” the agent replied without looking up. “And you’re gonna sit right here until she helps us hook a criminal responsible for killing a few race car drivers.”

“I don’t know of any drivers dying suspicious deaths.”

A man standing behind Dickerson slapped a folder over his shoulder. Dickerson took a few steps, pulled free a stack of pictures, and handed the contents to Hank. When Hank flipped through the glossy images, he nearly choked on the bile rising in his throat.

“One suspicious death on the circuit is speculative. In our field, we can draw all sorts of conclusions. However, four deaths in one night raises brows when the victims all share one common thread.”

“They’re race car drivers,” Hank said softly, acknowledging a friend’s face when he flipped to the fourth photograph. He swallowed hard and slowly lifted his gaze to meet the federal agent’s eyes. “I need to be with Julie.”

“I can’t let you mess this up, Hank. We think the only reason Julie hasn’t been killed yet is because you and your brother took her in.”

“I can protect her.”

“You’ll die guarding her! Is that what you want?”

“I want to be at home with my family right now!” he yelled, realizing his outburst might raise suspicions. To the world, Julie wasn’t legally his family. He’d never laid legal claims to the woman he loved. He’d never promised to love her in front of an audience. He’d never proposed, yet he felt as if she’d always been his. Maybe when this was all over, he’d do the right thing and ask her to become his wife.

Agent Dickerson watched him, his eyes narrowing and then widening as he looked on, focusing on the path Hank paced as he walked the length of the cell. Finally he said, “Hank, people with money and power can buy plenty of strings to pull. These drivers and team owners can always find someone to do their dirty work. You should know how this works. Julie’s own father lost his life to foul play.”

Hank arched a brow.

“That’s off the record. I thought you knew.”

Hank didn’t pump. He’d heard the rumors about Julie’s father. He wasn’t interested in the past. Besides, Julie’s dad was crooked, according to what he’d heard. He pissed off the wrong people and paid the price with his life. Julie couldn’t kill a fly, much less harm a snake. The world of racing, like most careers with big paychecks at stake, saw its share of reptiles waiting to strike.

So what if folks didn’t like her. She was tough. She’d made a few enemies, but she wasn’t like her father, and no one had reason enough to kill her.

“I need to go home and protect the ones I love. If you were in my shoes, maybe you’d understand.”

“We’ve got undercover agents in place on your team. They’re there to do a job, and they’ll be able to do it if we don’t have to worry about your renegade tactics.”

Hank snarled, thinking this whole thing was a planned ambush. If the cops wanted to ensure cooperation, they picked up the wrong brother. Rather than inform them of the fact, he said, “If you think Duke will help you, think again. He’ll protect Julie with his life, and if you get him killed while I’m sitting here in this cell, you’ll answer to me and my attorneys.”

Agent Dickerson said, “We know Duke has a few loose screws when it comes to Julie. The three of you have some history. I know all about that.

“Duke may very well cause us a few problems, too, but as far as we can tell, you’re the only Hinman in danger. If we’re trying to protect you while you’re doing your best to save Julie, we have too many targets to watch. I’m sorry, Hank. Really, I am. Once we figure out who to charge with these suspicious murders, we’ll let you go.”

“If I go home to two funerals, there will be hell to pay.”

Agent Dickerson took a deep breath. “We’ll try our best not to detain you longer than necessary.”

“You’ve already held me longer than I meant to stay.”

* * * *

Duke hung up the phone. “I spoke to Agent Duane Dickerson. He assured me. Hank is fine.”

“And you believe him, right?”

“He said he’s being held for questioning, and once they’re satisfied with the interrogation, they’ll let him go.”

“What did he do?” Julie asked, feeling like Duke knew the truth but refused to tell her.

“I don’t know, Julie, but so help me I’m gonna kill him when he gets home. I hate it when he worries you like this.”

“Worries me?” She laughed at
that.
“I’m not a bit concerned now.”

“You’re not?” he asked, stalking her.

“Nope,” she replied, swiping his hand away when he tried to loop his arm around her and bring her against him. “You called the police station from your phone. There’s not any great mystery to solve here, Duke. What happened is pretty self-explanatory. Hank got in trouble, most likely because he was willing to pay for information. If I had to guess, he’s being charged with extortion.”

“What kind of penalty will he receive for that?”

“I don’t know,” she replied thoughtfully. “He could spend some jail time if that’s the charge. If that’s what happened, the judge will set a court date and he’ll be tried. If he’s convicted, then he may have to face his punishment like everyone else.”

“I’ll call back and ask,” Duke said, pulling out his phone again.

Julie put her hand over his wrist. “No, you won’t.”

“Like hell I won’t,” he said, eyeing his recently dialed numbers.

Julie backed away and sat down on the couch. “Go ahead, then. Call. That way, when they’re done with Hank, maybe they’ll pick you up, too. If you call them up and ask a lot of questions, they’ll have a good enough reason to suspect you of aiding and abetting your brother. Is that what you want?”

“I won’t hang Hank out to dry,” Duke informed her.

“I never suggested that you might, but I would hate to see both of you behind bars tonight,” she said, rolling her tongue over her lips and staring at his cock.

“There you go again. Making me hard.”

She bit down on her lip and suggestively said, “If you give a man something special to think about, he’ll usually see things through a woman’s eyes by the time the night is over.”

“Are you making promises, Julie?” he asked, tossing the phone aside and easing down to the couch where he immediately tucked his arm behind her head.

“Depends,” she drawled. “Are you spending the night with me or sleeping down at the county jail?”

“Since I have a choice? There’s nothing wrong with being greedy every once in a while.” He stared at her lips. “I won’t have to share you tonight, will I?”

“Nope,” she replied, swinging her leg over his hips so she could sit atop him and grind out a quick temptation.

“Will you let me do anything I want?”

“I don’t want to be tied up tonight,” she told him. “For obvious reasons.”

“I can do you dirty without making you crazy first,” he promised.

“How dirty?” she crooned, her lips a breath away from his.

“You’re a very bad girl, Julie Jenkins.”