The Devil To Pay (Hennessey.) (57 page)

She tried to keep the pleasure she felt from her voice as she said contritely, ‘you’re absolutely right, it was stupid of me, and I’m very,
very
sorry.’

He continued to look down on her his expression still set and hard then he let out a prolonged sigh and said much more mildly, ‘I shouldn’t have yelled like that, it’s just that I worry about you being here all alone in the middle of nowhere. It’s all very well to have the sheriff as a personal friend but he can’t watch you 24/7. And you can’t rely on the Carters or your other neighbours to hear or see anything. You’re too isolated here; I wish you’d consider staying in the hotel for the rest of your stay.’

She opened her mouth to reply but once again he stopped her from speaking by holding up his hand, ‘I know, I know, you like it here and you only have two more days left anyway.’ He bent down so that he was eye level with her and looked intently into her eyes as he said gently, ‘I’m sorry I frightened you with my anger, it’s…it’s just that I like you and care about you. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you, okay?’

She bit her bottom lip and nodded unable to speak, so overcome with emotion was she at his heartfelt words a
nd the soft tones of his voice. He took the shoe from her hand and slipped it onto her foot then said, ‘ah, it fits.’ She giggled. He looked up at her then down at her foot which he still held in his hands. ‘Besides,’ he added, ‘I have a wedding to get to. I don’t want to have to explain to my cousin that I missed his nuptials because I was helping the police with their inquiries into the murder of an English tourist.’

Her jaw dropped and leaned back trying to pull her foot from his grasp, but he held onto it by the ankle, when he looked up he was grinning from ear to ear. She narrowed her eyes at him and said, ‘it’s a good thing for you that you put my shoe on before you said that or it would now be embedded in your hand.’

He laughed, ‘so violent. Well come on, Cinders, we’ll be late for our dinner and I’m starving.’

It was her turn to laugh. He stood up and he saw her properly for the first time, she looked lovely, her dress was simple yet sexy and alluring in its simplicity. It was emerald green which suited her colouring to at T, it was calf length and was cut in a V shape to just above her breasts but had delicate netting sewn in to cover her chest. He wondered if she had deliberately worn a long dress because he had complimented her legs and she didn’t want him to think she was showing them off again.

She wore a gold necklace with an emerald hanging from it, matching earrings and the same dainty gold wristwatch she had worn the evening before off set by the same enormous ring. The shoes he had helped her to put on were white with a gold bow on the top and four inch heels which made her look taller of course, but no where near his own height since he was six feet four.

But the most noticeable thing about her was her hair, it was not tied back in the usual plait or pony tail but neither was it down as it had been the previous evening. This time it was piled up on top of her head in a beautifully executed chignon secured with two gold combs. She must have very quick hands not to mention ambidextrous to have created that lovely style in such a short time, but then it must have taken her years to grow her hair that long and maybe she was used to it. Well, whatever it was, it the style suited her long elegant neck perfectly. He said, ‘you look lovely.’ Indeed she looked more than lovely, terrific in fact.

He expected the blush and he got it. She said, ‘so you said, although I might be forgiven for not noticing since it was yelled at me the first time.’

He looked sharply at her but she was smiling, ‘but thank you for
both
times.’

He shrugged, ‘just being truthful is all.’

She felt a little quiver in her stomach when he said that. He had a southern accent obviously, but he was not as broad as some people she had heard, the Sheriff and Bob in the bar and Jonas Lando back in Alabama to name but a few. But sometimes he said things that were so typically southern that it caught her by surprise and gave her that funny little feeling she had just experienced.

He said, ‘what are you smiling at?’

She didn’t tell him of course but said, ‘just that I am being truthful is all, when I say that you look very nice too.’

He looked more than very nice, he looked terrific in a black suit with gold buttons and a black shirt and dark blue tie.

He gave her a wry look and said, ‘well, I was meeting a lady who knows how to dress for the occasion, I was just trying to keep up.’

‘I’m not sure I know how to dress for any occasion, I just wear what I think looks right.’

What you have on is more than right.’

‘Thanks again.’

‘You’re welcome.’

He took the key out of the lock and opened the door, she preceded him out. He locked the door and handed her the key which she put in the same bag she had had with her the previous night, only this time there was a very small, very pretty, shell shaped mirror attached to the strap.

In the car she asked, ‘are we going into Gulfport again?’

‘No,
Biloxi.’

‘Really? Oh that’s nice, I liked it there.’

‘You saw it during the day of course, so I’m going to introduce you to the Biloxi night life.’

‘I hope the place we’re going to is not full of truckers; I don’t think I’m dressed for a scrap.’

He chuckled, ‘don’t worry, where we’re going that trucker would never be allowed in.’

‘Oh, is it so exclusive then?’

‘Yes, for the elite of Mississippi only.’

‘Well since it’s for the elite only and
I’m
not a Mississippian how will we get in?’

He cast her a disparaging glance but she went on, ‘are we picking up Dean Maxwell on the way?’

‘Don’t push it, lady.’

She laughed, ‘at least you still consider me a lady anyway.’

He put out his hand and turned it from side to side. She chuckled and he made a “huh” sound turning her chuckle into a laugh.

‘O
h I almost forgot,’ he leaned over and reached for something on the back seat, ‘these are for you.’ he handed her a very large box of chocolates. Her eyes opened wide as she took them and said, ‘for me?’

He smiled as her amazement, ‘yes, for you.’

‘All of them?’

‘Well, unless you want to share them with the Carters, or we can stop off at the bar on the way to
Biloxi.’

‘Oh gosh no, I never liked those people anyway.’

He laughed out loud now and she said, ‘it’s the one thing I’m selfish about, chocolates they’re much too good to give away.’

‘Good for you, everyone should have one thing they refuse to share.’

She laughed then the laughter turned to a soft smile, ‘but I can always make an exception for someone special.’

He looked over both shoulders and said, ‘do you mean me by any chance.’

Her cheeks heated as she suddenly realised what she had said, she hoped he wouldn’t take it the wrong way. He said, ‘oh and this is for you too.’ He held a small corsage in his hands of orange and white flowers. He leaned towards her and pinned the corsage onto her dress. She closed her eyes as his fingers brushed against her breast and the breath caught in her throat and she almost gasped. Her voice came out throaty and hoarse, ‘it’s beautiful, it goes perfectly with my dress.’ She laughed, ‘you must be psychic. ‘Thank you, Sterling, they’re beautiful, and thank you for the chocolates.’

He stopped smiling and his eyes were gentle as he looked into hers and said softly, ‘I hope you
did
mean me.’

Her face went from pink to red as she looked down at the flowers.

They chatted non stop the seven miles to Biloxi. It amazed Adela anew that she could feel so at ease with this very attractive beautifully dressed man sitting next to her. She who had never been at ease in any man’s company, maybe she was changing, maybe she was gaining that confidence she had so craved and that had always eluded her. Well whatever it was she felt comfortable with him.

As for Hennessey he was delighted with the start of this evening’s entertainment. He couldn’t have planned it better had he written the script, chosen the actors and directed the scene himself. He had taken advantage of her foolishness, because foolishness it was to leave her door open for just anyone to enter. He had been genuinely angry with her because he wanted her to take no risks with her safety. He didn’t want some opportunist thief to take her unawares, or some guy in town who knew she lived alone to take advantage of that…and her. He didn’t want some two bit punk to rob him of his prize.

He had been extremely gratified at the look of awe on her face when he had ripped into her. But more, oh much more than that, he would have had to have been sightless not to see the pleasure and satisfaction she had gotten from his concern. He wondered if he had gone too far when she had looked so shocked by his tirade, but that had very soon given way to a delight she had tried to hide, but as usual her expressive eyes had given her away.

What was even more satisfying to him was the unexpected reaction to his talking about the danger she faced here. He really had meant the panther, but she had misunderstood and the way her face paled convinced him that she thought he meant her involvement with Desi and Glissando’s goons. He had almost laughed and said “Gotcha!”

But if someone had asked Hennessey if he had not felt just the slightest spark of concern at her stupidity in leaving the door unlocked. If he had not been just the teensiest bit delighted that she had looked at him with those grateful eyes. Or if his heart had not been the tinniest bit gratified at her happiness over his concern, he would have taken out his gun and shot them between they eyes for their stupidity.

They arrived in Biloxi and Hennessey had parked the car and once again got to her door and opened it before she could, making her giggle causing him to feel that now familiar fluttering in his chest that was beginning to irritate him, not the giggle, but the feeling it gave him when she did it.

They walked along the pavement that was bustling with people and the sights and sounds were pretty much those that she had heard the day she had visited Biloxi, the sound of jazz music. She began to feel awkward, what if he intended to take her to a jazz club, how would she tell him that she hated jazz,
should
she tell him? After all, he had thought this night’s entertainment might please her, she couldn’t tell him that all that la, di, bup, bup, de, dup, de, deeeee, really got on her nerves. No, she wouldn’t tell him, she would just endure because that’s what people did when they liked someone, they didn’t hurt their feelings.

But to her surprise they turned down a side street into a much quieter part of town, they could still hear jazz music but in the distance. They walked a hundred yards or so before he stopped outside an old building that looked as if it had seen better days. The walls had once been white but were now a horrible shade of grey, some of the plaster had fallen off leaving big patches where the bricks could be seen. The door was flaking and desperately needed a decent paint job and the windows were streaked with dirt.  She stopped and looked at him in amazement. This was it? The posh, exclusive, elitist establishment he had talked about?

He noticed her expression of disbelief of course and grinned, ‘never judge a book by its cover, Miss. Faraday,
you
of all people should know that.’

She looked unconvinced as he knocked on the door. A shutter that was fitted into the middle of the door at about shoulder height, Hennessey’s shoulder height anyway, was thrust open and a pair of eyes appeared in the gap, a deep gruff voice said, ‘what you want?’

‘To come in of course.’

‘Members only.’

Adela was getting really concerned now, what kind of place was this. A strip joint? A pole dancing club? She recalled Olivia telling her about Glissando’s clubs and could not suppress the shudder that went through her. She was about to take Hennessey’s arm and tell him that they should leave when he said, ‘tell Carson I’ll give him six or a half dozen of the catch, whichever is the greater.’

The man frowned then the shutter was closed with a bang and they were left standing on the pavement. Adela unsure whether the man would come back or not, she said, ‘are you sure this is the right place? It may have changed hands since you were here last.’

‘No, this is the right place, just wait a second.’

‘But it looks so…so…

‘Crappy?’

‘Well, yes.’

He grinned, ‘wait until you see inside. Trust me.’

She didn’t look too certain but she said nothing more. Just then the door opened with a creak that made it sound as though it would fall from its hinges any second.

Hennessey stepped forward but Adela hesitated until he took her hand firmly in his and drew her forward. The man who had opened the door was very tall, taller than Hennessey and absolutely huge. He sported a goatee beard which was black as was his hair and was almost as long as Adela’s; his eyebrows were black and very thick. He said, ‘welcome, sir, welcome to you too, madam.’

As stunned as Adela was she couldn’t help but smile at the “madam.” She said, ‘thank you.’