Loose Ends (Magnolia Series Book 1) (22 page)

“I guess it is what it is.” Ava continued to gaze out the window, watching the Mississippi scenery pass her by.

“For what it’s worth, I really thought you two had a shot.”

“At least that makes two out of three. But apparently the odds were stacked against this deck.” Damn she hated being so negative.

“Maybe it’ll work out in the end?” Cole said it as a question.

The cynical laugh that bubbled up was something she couldn’t help. “Yeah, and pigs will fly and hell will freeze over.”

“Did you love him?” Cole asked softly.

“I don’t even know.” Ava sighed.

“I don’t want to take his side here, but maybe he had his reasons.”

“Really? There’re reasons for telling someone you love them and taking it back? What kinds of reasons could someone possibly have to do something like that?”

“I have no clue.”

“Exactly. There aren’t any reasons to rip someone’s heart out and trample it like it never meant anything to you, Cole.”

Cole didn’t respond and she couldn’t blame him. He was caught between a rock and a hard place. Luke was his cousin and he owed him some sort of loyalty. He was only trying to be nice to her, which in reality, he didn’t have to. She had to give him credit though, at least he wasn’t acting like a total ass hat.

“Can I ask you something?” She turned in her seat and looked at Cole’s profile. Something had been bugging her and she thought maybe he could give her some answers now that they were away from Luke.

“Go for it.”

“Was Luke in the military?” she blurted out.

Cole answered instantly, “Nope.”

“Damn it,” she bit out.

“Shit,” Cole cursed and smacked the palm of his hand on the top of the steering wheel.

“What?”

“Nothing. I just thought of something I forgot to grab before we left.” He turned his head and smiled. But it was one that held secrets. What wasn’t he telling her? Just like Luke, Cole was hiding something.

“Um, can you do me a favor? I need to be dropped off at Brandi’s work.”

A partially panicked expression covered his face briefly before he said, “Luke asked me to take you to your house.”

“I don’t belong to Luke. And after this morning, I don’t give a damn what he says. So take me to her work or I won’t hesitate to jump out of this truck and walk there.” Her anger was bubbling to the surface.

“Fine.” He drove a few more miles and took the turn that led into the heart of town. More silence filled the cab of the truck while he went down Main Street and parked in front of her best friend’s work. When he reached for the handle to get out, Ava stopped him.

“Thanks for the lift. I can handle it from here.” She hurriedly removed herself from the vehicle and grabbed her bags. She didn’t bother waving goodbye or say anything else as she quickly entered Brandi’s work.

Once Ava was in the small building that housed the local newspaper’s headquarters, she darted back to the office at the end of the hall. The door was closed so she knocked twice until she heard Brandi’s voice say “Come in!” on the other side.

Pushing the door open she tossed her bags down in the corner by the fake potted tree and looked at her friend who gazed at her curiously. “This is a nice surprise,” Brandi’s face raised with a smile but soon fell as she noticed the look of despair on Ava’s face.

“I need your help,” Ava said, while plopping down in the plastic retro chair across from Brandi’s small desk.

“Okay. But aren’t you supposed to be at Luke’s house? What the hell are you doing here?” Brandi slammed her laptop shut and propped her hands on her fists.

“Luke and I are no more.”

“What? How is that possible? You guys were like watching a fucking Nicholas Sparks movie.”

“And sort of like those movies, bad shit happened.” Ava told her closest confidant about the events from the night before and this morning.

“Jesus Christ. Are you alright?” She jumped from her seat and came around the desk, throwing her arms around Ava in a tight hug.

Ava promised herself she wouldn’t cry a river over this thing but the way Brandi was so caring when she wanted to be had Ava about to shed every tear she’d been holding back. “I’ll be okay,” she squeaked out.

“How are you going to be okay after something like that, Ava? And how the hell could he go from telling you he loved you to telling you he was only with you to get a piece of ass? That doesn’t make any sense!” Brandi raised her voice.

“I just don’t know. I thought everything was perfect but as usual…the other shoe dropped. Heck, it dropped so hard I think it fell apart.” Ava sighed and sat back further in her chair. “Brandi, there’s some things I need to tell you. After I tell you them, I need your help.”

“Okay.”

“You might want to sit down for this,” Ava said motioning to the chair behind the desk.

“Wow, this must be some heavy shit. You’ve never told me to take a seat,” she chuckled.

Ava steadied herself for what she was going to reveal.

In the two years she’d been in Biloxi, she’d never breathed a word to anyone. It was how she’d survived all this time. She only hoped her friend would stay tight-lipped once she knew the entire story.

“I’ve not been entirely truthful about where I used to live. I’m not from California, I’m from Chicago,” she began.

“That’s not so bad. I thought you were gonna tell me you killed someone.”

“I’m not finished.” She took another breath and continued her story. “In Chicago I used to date this guy named Frankie. His nickname was Frank the Tank. Frankie, at first, was great. He was what I’d want in a boyfriend. But then things changed. I found out what he really did for a living.”

“Okay, you’re scaring me.” Brandi rose and closed the door to the office to give them more privacy.

“You’ve heard of the mob, right?” Ava asked.

“Of course.”

“Frankie’s dad was the head of one of the biggest money laundering organizations on the East Coast. His dad is in New York and Frankie took care of things in Chicago. They’d funnel the money to Chicago to take some of the heat off the operation in New York.”

“Jesus,” Brandi breathed.

“It wasn’t like I agreed with the things they were doing, but in a way, I was scared to leave. I didn’t want them to hurt me. They knew full well that I knew everything about what they were doing, so I stayed. It wasn’t until the day I left that things changed.”

“Ava, I’m not sure you should be telling me this.”

“Please, just listen. I need your help.”

“I don’t know how I can help you.”

“Let me finish.” Ava waited until Brandi quieted and then continued: “That morning I went to the building where they conducted their business. I was supposed to drop off lunch for Frankie because he couldn’t get away. I parked my car behind the building like I always did and took the back door. I went into the office area they had set up and put the food down on the desk. There was a black duffle bag sitting there and I peeked in. It was a shit ton of money. I didn’t really think anything of it until I heard shouting coming from the area next to the office. I peeked around the corner and was horrified at what I saw.”

Ava could still remember what’d unfolded like it was taking place right now. “They had a guy tied to a chair and Frankie was beating the shit out of him. He and two other guys kept asking where the rest of their money was. But the guy couldn’t say anything; he was gagged. I stayed there watching them and when Frankie pulled out a gun I almost screamed but stopped myself. It was like watching a movie, Brandi. He lifted the gun to the man’s head and pulled the trigger.”

“Holy fuck.” Brandi’s eyes were wide and filled with fear.

“I didn’t know what to do so I darted back inside the office and for some reason, grabbed the duffle bag full of cash. I got the hell out of there as fast as I could.”

“But if they didn’t see you, how’d they know you were there?”

“They have security cameras on every inch of that place, inside and out. I drove to my apartment and started packing as fast as I could. Frankie left several voicemails saying he knew I was there and knew I had the money. He threatened to kill me when he found me. So I ran. I didn’t take my car or my phone, I just left. I took a bus here and have been hiding here for two years.”

“Why didn’t you go to the police?”

“They had so many cops in their back pockets I knew if I’d accidentally told the wrong one, I’d be at the bottom of Lake Michigan.”

“Why are you telling me this now? Why wait until two years later to tell me?” Brandi had a look of hurt on her face.

“Because I think Luke and Cole are somehow involved in this.” Ava didn’t want to think that, but so many things were causing her suspicion.

“No way. They’re just good ole southern boys. There’s no way they could be even remotely involved with the mob.”

“Luke has a sniper rifle in his basement. Cole had a handgun in his room. Why the hell would they have those things if they weren’t involved?”

“I don’t know, maybe because they’re men and men like guns.”

“These aren’t normal guns, Brandi. The one Cole had, it looked like some sort of police issue firearm.”

“So you think Cole is a dirty cop, and what’s Luke? A fucking hitman out to get you?” A laugh bubbled out of Brandi’s mouth. “I’m sorry, but that sounds insane.”

“I know it does. But what about the person who knocked me in the head in Luke’s basement? What about the creepy guy staring at me in the grocery store? There’re too many things happening to play it off as coincidence.”

“Okay well if Luke
is
some mob-hired hitman, why hasn’t he taken you out yet?” Brandi asked.

Ava thought for a second and the only reason she could come up with was, “The money. There’s $2 million there. They’d want their money back before taking care of me. Frankie is an idiot but he’s not stupid enough to let $2 mil go missing indefinitely.”

“You think they have him watching you? To figure out where the money is?”

“I think so. I think as soon as they figure it out…I’m dead.” Ava’s stomach sank at the thought.

“Where is the money?” Brandi asked.

“I’m not telling you. If they somehow get to you and you tell them, they’ll have you taken care of, too. I can’t risk you getting hurt over this thing.”

“Ava, this sounds like some crazy movie plot. Hitmen, the mob, stolen money, it’s all so ridiculous.”

“I wouldn’t believe it either if I weren’t living it.”

“Okay, but what do you need me to do?”

Ava reached into her purse and pulled out the item she’d taken and tossed it on the desk. “Luke’s wallet was sitting on the nightstand. I took his driver’s license. Don’t you have a friend at the DMV?”

“Yeah, Eddie Perkins.”

“Can you have him run that? I want to know if it’s real. If it’s not, I have to get the hell out of here.”

“So you’re going to keep running?”

“I have to. If they’ve found me, then I’m as good as dead.”

“I’ll take it to Eddie on my lunch break.
You
need to go home and watch your back, Ava. Lock your doors and don’t let anyone in. I’ll call you when I hear from Eddie.” Brandi plucked a tissue from a box nearby and carefully wrapped the plastic card in it without touching it with her own fingers. “I also know someone at the sheriff’s department. I’ll have them run the prints on here; it might tell us who we’re dealing with.”

“Thank you. Please don’t tell anyone why you need this info. I need to keep as few people involved in this as humanly possible.” Ava breathed a sigh of relief.

“Go home and be safe.” Brandi stood and walked around the desk once more. She hugged Ava.

Ava grabbed her bags from the corner and headed out the door. The next stop was her hair salon so she could pick up her car. After that, she was going home, packing her things and getting ready to run once more. It wasn’t what she wanted to do, especially after having her heart freshly crushed. But if Luke was what she’d suspected, it was a good thing things didn’t work out with them.

Chapte
r
Twent
y

“Did you have to be
so harsh?” Cole asked Luke as they made their way to the basement.

“What other choice did I have?”

“I don’t know, maybe you could’ve told her you needed some space. Telling her that you love her and then saying you used it to get in her pants? Even
I
know better than that, and
I’m
an asshole.”

“Look, it was the best I could come up with at the time. Was it the right thing to do? Hell no. I wish I could’ve come up with something that didn’t crush her like that. But what’s done is done.” Luke started tossing equipment into a backpack.

“What happens when this is all over with?” Cole grabbed the binoculars and tossed them in the bag.

“Fuck if I know. She’ll never talk to me again, that’s for damn sure.” Luke hated
that
fact. If he’d have just thought things through a bit more, he wouldn’t have had to see Ava leave with that look on her face. The one that made his heart stop beating.

“Did you mean it, though?”

“Mean what?” Luke pinned Cole with a stare and braced his hands on the workbench.

“Do you love her?” Cole mirrored his stance on the opposite side of the table. Luke stood up straight and folded his muscled arms over his chest. One hand reached up and scrubbed across the beard that was
way
out of control at this point. “Just answer the question, man,” Cole prodded.

“Yes, goddamn it! I love her!” His voice rose and had Cole stepping back a foot or so. “And I fucked it up.” He hated to admit it aloud; it made it more real when he heard those words come from his own mouth.

“What are your plans? Are you gonna walk away when this is all over?”

“Why the hell are you asking me so many questions?”

“I don’t know, maybe because I had to sit in a vehicle with a woman and could hear her damn heart breaking over the road noise.” Cole looked pissed.

“What would you know about relationships anyway? You’re only good for one night stands and booty calls. You’ve no right to judge me.”

Cole held up his hands in surrender. “You know what, you’re right. I know nothing about any of this. But I do know that even though she never got the chance to tell you, that woman loves the hell out of you. So you can finish your job here and walk away, or you can try to make it right. It’s up to you.”

“How about we shut the hell up about this subject and focus on the task at hand. You need to get your ass down to that beach and start surveillance.”

“You’re the boss,” Cole said as he snatched up the pack with the supplies in it.

Luke watched him tromp up the steps and out of the house. Damn it he felt like total shit for what he’d done to Ava. Why did he have to go and be a complete bastard? He wasn’t sure what the hell he was gonna do when this was all over, but for now, the main priority was keeping her safe. If he could pull that off and get his job done, he’d figure the rest out later.

***

“Are you home now?” Ava didn’t even have time to say ‘hello’ when she picked up Brandi’s call.

“Not yet, I’m still at the salon.” Ava looked around trying to figure out if there was anything she needed to take with her.

“Ava, you need to get home. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be out gallivanting around,” Brandi scolded.

“I’m just grabbing a few things from the shop. I won’t be long, I promise.”

“Okay. Be sure to call me when you get home safe though.”

“I will,” Ava assured her friend.

Once they hung up, Ava still stood in the middle of her shop wondering what she needed to take with her. She’d come in here for something but her brain wasn’t working properly with all the stress mounting around her. She spun around, hoping something would give her a reminder. When she faced her styling chair, it finally hit her, “My shears,” Ava breathed. “Definitely not leaving without these.”

She picked up the glittering steel and slipped her ring finger and thumb into the finger holes. There was zero certainty as to when she’d be able to do her job again, so for old time sake, Ava moved her fingers and listened to the smooth glide of the blades as they opened and closed. What a beautiful sound. The
whooshing
of the steel coming together was like listening to a slight breeze blowing across the ocean’s surface. It was in a word…
perfect
. But perfection never lasted long. So Ava tossed the shears into their leather pouch and dropped it into her purse.

She took one last look around the shop that’d been her home for the past two years and said her goodbyes. There would be no coming back to this place once she took that final step out the door. The only thing that was in her future was more running. A life that had no guarantees and no emotion once more. It saddened her to think that it took Luke to make her feel something for life again. He’d brought out the best and worst in her but she loved him all the same for it. As much as it hurt to think about him, she was thankful for the time she’d had with him. He’d showed her that being happy was possible, even if it was only for a brief moment in time.

***

“Do you see her?” Luke talked in a hushed voice into his walkie-talkie.

“That’s a negative,” Cole responded instantly.

“Where the hell is she?”

“No clue. Want me to take a closer look?”

“No. Hold back. If she happens to come home, I don’t want you discovered.”

“Rodger that.”

The sun was setting over the ocean and Luke was holed up in the house next to Ava’s. Everything was quiet so far, almost
too
quiet. Something seemed off but Luke couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He’d been peering out the scope of his rifle for what seemed like hours now and he’d seen nothing but seagulls and a scraggly stray cat. Not to mention, Ava wasn’t even home yet. It was going to be tough catching a shark when the chum wasn’t even in the water.

Minutes ticked by and finally Luke caught the glow of a set of headlight approaching Ava’s house. He made sure his gun was set firmly on its bi-pod and picked up his night-vision binoculars to take a look. It wasn’t quite dark yet but the handy tool helped him secure a clear vision of whom or what was coming. Scanning the area, Luke radioed Cole, “She’s home,” he said through the crackle of the receiver.

“Yup, just got a visual.” Cole’s voice came out of the speaker with minimal static.

“Don’t get too close, she has a watchful eye.”

“I can’t imagine why,” Cole chuckled into the device.

“How about you lay off the smartass comments and keep your eye on the bait,” Luke bit out.

“Rodger dodger,” Cole laughed again causing Luke to roll his eyes. If Cole wasn’t such a good partner, he’d have kicked him to the curb a long time ago. But as fate would have it, they were stuck like glue after Cole managed to save his ass in Bogotá.

“We’ve got company,” his partner relayed. “Get behind your scope, I think this’s him.” There was an urgency in Cole’s voice that Luke recognized immediately.

He tossed the binoculars down and grabbed the butt of the gun, fitting it in the perfect crevice between his shoulder and chest. Once more he scanned the vicinity and then landed on a shadowy figure that seemed to be sneaking around the property. “I’ve got a bogie near the side of the garage. Do you copy?”

“Copy that. I’m going in for a closer look.”

Luke brushed the barrel back and forth until his sites landed on Cole. Sneaking around just as the other guy was, he came up behind the man—and in one fluid motion, reached up and snapped his neck. Cole held onto the body until it softly hit the ground. Suddenly Cole’s head jerked up and he took off running.

“Got another one. Can’t see him but he’s firing on me.” Cole’s voice came out breathless as he darted around the now dark property.

“Get to cover. I’m trying to find him.” Luke searched frantically through his scope and finally spotted a glint of something about fifty yards away. “I got you, you son-of-a-bitch.” He adjusted the wind gauge slightly, lined up his shot and squeezed the trigger with maximum precision. The only sound was the slight ‘ping’ as the bullet left the suppressor on the way to its target. “Bogie number 2 is down,” Luke said confidentially through the walkie-talkie.

“I’m hit,” Cole bit out.

“Fuck.” Luke took one more pass of the area and determined they’d taken out the threat for now. “How bad?” he asked as he quickly broke down his weapon and shoved the pieces into the black carrying case nearby.

“Just my lower leg. No major arteries but it stings like a motherfucker,” Cole chortled.

Luke relaxed a bit, but this was far from over. “I think you’re the only person on the planet who laughs at getting shot.”

“The ladies love scars. The more scars, the more ass you get.” Cole cracked up laughing.

“If you say so. Meet me on the beach past Ava’s house when you’re finished mentally scheduling booty calls for the next five years.”

“I think I can milk this injury for at least six years, maybe even six and a half,” Cole threw back.

Luke couldn’t help but chuckle a little at Cole’s positive outlook on the situation. The poor guy had been grazed too many times to count. Getting a hunk of metal slashed through your skin was just another day in paradise for his partner.

***

Ava hurried around her house packing essentials into a few bags. Just like Chicago, she’d have to leave most of it behind. She wondered for half a second why she’d even attempted to gather things and build any sort of life in Mississippi; it wasn’t like it was going to be permanent or anything. There was always a timestamp on this part of her life. She’d come to terms with that fact when she’d boarded the bus in Chicago two years ago. But this was the way things had to be. If she wanted to continue breathing for any length of time, she had to get the hell out of here.

Once a few bags were packed and placed by the front door, Ava hustled into the garage to grab her
other
stash. Just as she did before, she spun the combination until the lock popped free and then she tossed the hunk of metal to the side. There was no putting it back in place
this
time; this was the very last time she’d go into this hiding place.

Sliding back the metal door she took two steps at a time until she was standing in front of the black duffle. The thought of protecting herself crossed her mind as she unzipped the bag and dug around for the gun stashed underneath the stacks of money. The solid chill of the firearm touched her fingers and Ava grasped it while trying to calm her overwrought nerves.

“I can do this,” the chant fell from her lips several times while she pulled the gun free. It wasn’t like the words could calm her in any way, but being alone while knowing people were after you was one thing that made her want to lock herself in the hiding place and never come out. But she’d gained so much strength over the past couple years. She’d learned to trust people and had some happy memories to get her through the rough times she was headed for. Even the terrible things Luke had said to her didn’t dampen the way she felt about him. But knowing there was a good chance he was the one after her didn’t sit well at all. It was time to go.

Ava grabbed the handles of the heavy bag and hoisted them over her small shoulder. The weight caused her body to lean to the left a bit but she wanted to keep her right arm free in case she needed to use the gun. She hoped against hope that wouldn’t happen, but if it did, she’d be ready. Her body was trembling as she padded through the garage and into the kitchen. Hiking the bag further up on her shoulder she turned the corner and froze. The bag slipped off her arm and landed with a thud on the hardwood floor. Adrenaline racked her body as she raised her other arm and pointed the gun at the person standing in her living room.

“Ava, put the gun down,” Luke held a similar weapon in his hand.

“No.” Her heart began to beat loud in her ears as it pumped the adrenaline through her veins.

Luke raised his gun and pointed it at her. “Ava, please lower your weapon.”

She shook her head and moved her finger closer to the trigger. “I said no!” she shouted, hoping he would hear the seriousness in her voice.