The Secrets of Paradise Bay (28 page)

Clyde was surprised when Trey grabbed the gun instead, doubting his straitlaced brother had ever used one before. But he knew that people found courage under adversity. Still, Clyde was concerned. He didn't even want to think about Trey doing time for firing an unlicensed weapon.

Clyde peered at his brother. “Maybe I should take the gun—”

“I can handle it,” insisted Trey. “I'll only use if I absolutely have to.”

Clyde nodded. He preferred getting physical with Willie if he got the chance, but only if he could keep Ivana uninjured at the same time.

“Whatever happens, I've got your backs,” Raymond told them both.

Clyde eyed his friend and Trey directly. “Let's end this now.”

They went to confront Willie.

Ivana tried to will herself to stay calm. She knew Trey and Clyde were coming, just as Willie had demanded. But what then? She certainly didn't want to see Willie kill Clyde and Trey, like he planned. And probably her too.

She winced from the pain of Willie gripping her arm tightly as they stood amid others who were apparently clueless to the danger while they watched the performance.

Ivana gazed up at Stefani. She was singing beautifully, but seemed tense, as if she knew something was amiss.

If we all survive the night,
Ivana thought,
I hope Stefani and Clyde keep their relationship going, since they both seem right for each other.

As for her marriage, Ivana wanted nothing more than to have the opportunity to try to make it work again once she got herself cleaned up. She and Trey had been through so much. It couldn't end for them. Not this way.

Or could it? She knew there were no guarantees this would end without tragedy. “My feet are starting to hurt standing here,” she told Willie, if only for a reaction.

“That's too damned bad,” he said gruffly. “Guess you shouldn't have worn them high heels. Now be cool. Shouldn't be much longer now.”

That was what Ivana hoped and feared most.

 

 

Willie felt on edge, as if everyone in the club knew exactly who he and his pretty captive were, but were trying to pretend otherwise. Well, soon it wouldn't matter. The moment he laid his eyes on Clyde and his made-of-money brother, the shooting gallery would begin—starting with Ivana Lancaster.

“So something's come up, huh,” the voice said snidely, catching Willie's attention.

He turned to his right and came face-to-face with Roselyn. She wore a venomous scowl and had one hand planted firmly on her hip.

“What the hell are you doing here?” was all Willie could think to say.

“I should be asking you the same thing.” She glared at Ivana. “Who is this?”

Ivana regarded the woman, and was about to speak, when Willie squeezed her arm tighter and gave her a warning look.

“She's nobody,” he spat tersely.

Roselyn narrowed her gaze at him. “Well, if that's true, then why are you holding her like she's your girl—instead of me?”

“It's not what you think,” Willie said, trying to clear his head of the meth, while glad it was there to calm him somewhat.

“Sure looks like it!” she huffed. “If you wanted to cancel our movie date because you were taking
her
to the club, you should've been man enough to admit it, Willie. Then I wouldn't feel like such a damned fool!”

Willie hated that she was at the club to witness this, but would not back down from his master plan. “Look, baby, I can explain—but later . . .” He used his free hand to reach out and touch Roselyn's face, while maintaining a viselike grip on Ivana.

Roselyn backed away from him like he was the devil himself. “Don't touch me, you bastard! I can see that you've got your hands full. I don't need this crap.”

Neither do I.
Willie shot her a wicked look, done with his nice-guy bit. “Get the hell outta here—now!”

Roselyn's nostrils flared defiantly. “Why should I? So you can get it on with her?”

“So you don't end up gettin' hurt,” he told her flatly. “Just go, for your own good.”

Roselyn held his hard stare, then averted her eyes, planting them sharply on Ivana. “You can have him. He ain't worth my time—not anymore!” She stormed off.

“Your girlfriend?” Ivana asked wryly. “Or should I say
ex
-girlfriend?”

“Shut the hell up, you stupid bitch!” Willie rounded on her, suddenly feeling as though the situation were getting away from him.

Not if he could help it.

Stefani was singing “Harlem Nocturne” when she spotted Ivana with a man who was holding her arm. Willie Munroe, no doubt. Clyde's worst nightmare. How did they get into the club without being stopped by security?

She noticed that Willie had one hand in his pocket, as though he were holding a gun. Ivana looked nervous, but seemed to be keeping it together under the circumstances. Stefani doubted she'd be able to keep herself together if she had a bitter, dangerous man at her side.

She'd watched as another woman went up to them and began talking to Willie as if she knew him. Willie seemed to be seeking to pacify her before turning angry. The woman walked away, vexed.

Then Stefani saw Clyde and Trey. They were approaching Willie and Ivana from opposite sides; with Raymond and others from the club behind them, including her Uncle Albert.

Stefani swallowed, wanting to stop singing at that moment, but fearful of tipping Willie off if she did and possibly causing him to go ballistic. So she tried to keep her voice steady while staying on note with Winston at the piano, even as Stefani made eye contact with Clyde, who seemed to tell her that everything would be all right.

Stefani only wished she could be as certain.

“Willie,” Clyde approached him cautiously, softly telling others to back away.

Willie shifted in Clyde's direction and quickly pulled out the gun, putting it to Ivana's head. “What took you so damn long to get here?”

“I got here soon as I could.”

Willie chuckled snidely. “I was startin' to think you'd chickened out, worried about savin' your own sorry ass.”

“I think you know me better than that,” Clyde said unperturbedly. “I'm here now, Willie. Let her go.”

“You think I was born yesterday or somethin'?” he muttered. “It ain't gonna be that simple.”

“It can be,” Clyde insisted. “I'm the one you want pay back against, right?”

Willie kept the gun pinned to Ivana's temple. He damned sure did want payback, but against more than just Clyde. He turned his head and saw Trey—the other object of his revenge—approaching from another angle. “So now the rich big brother has come in on his white horse to save his woman.”

“Yeah, man, all I want is to save my wife,” Trey said somberly. “If you want me, here I am.”

“Please, Willie,” Ivana said tearfully. “You don't have to do this.”

“She's right, Willie,” Clyde echoed. “Lay down the gun and no one gets hurt. You can walk away and it'll be over.”

“It'll never be over, man—not 'til one of us is dead,” Willie sputtered. “Along with a few others thrown in because I say so. ” He rubbed the barrel of the gun against Ivana's cheek.

“Just stop it, Willie,” he heard Roselyn's raised voice. She came out of the gathering. “I don't know why you're doing this, but you can't go around shooting people no matter what the reason is. This isn't you—”

“Think again, baby.” Willie curled his lip. If she only knew what he was capable of outside the bedroom and whispering in her ear. It was probably better she didn't know. Except for the fact that there was no way out of this for him, other than to follow through with his plans.

Clyde had to pay for what he did. And so did his brother. And the wife. Even the singer who Willie believed Clyde was banging, though she had stopped singing while remaining on stage.

They all had to die.

Then he'd kill himself and be done with it once and for all.

Something told Ivana that Willie would actually follow through on his threat to kill her, Trey, and Clyde. As she would likely be the first to go before Trey or Clyde could intervene, it was up to her to at least try and throw Willie off balance. Then hope for the best.

When she felt his gun hand grow unsteady, Ivana knew it was now or never.

She chose now.

Allowing herself only a breath to maintain bravery, Ivana clamped her hands around Willie's wrist and thrust the gun up in the air. Simultaneously she drove the heel of her stiletto into his ankle as hard as she possibly could.

Willie yelled in pain even as the gun discharged. But he managed to recover enough to bring it back down. Ivana swiftly dug her teeth into his wrist, drawing blood and causing him to howl in more discomfort.

His face contorted with fury, Willie backhanded Ivana, sending her sprawling to the floor. He pointed the gun at her and Ivana said her prayers, fearing he would shoot and kill her.

But then she saw a fast-moving Clyde lunge at him. Willie was able to turn the gun toward Clyde and pull the trigger, hitting him.

Trey watched in horror as his brother went down. Willie then fired two more shots indiscriminately, apparently not caring who he hit at this point. Trey felt it was up to him to stop this psychopath before anyone else was hurt. Willie made it easier by pointing his gun directly at Trey. Only he had already aimed the gun in his hand at Willie's chest and pulled the trigger first. Willie crashed to the floor facedown as panic erupted in the club with people screaming and running for cover.

Trey rushed over to Ivana even as Raymond climbed atop Willie, who had been attempting to get to his feet, and held him at bay.

“Are you all right?” Trey asked affectionately.

“Yes,” she sobbed, wiping blood that was trickling from her left nostril. “I am now. But maybe Clyde isn't.”

Trey shifted his eyes to his brother, who was being tended to by Stefani. Clyde looked at him and gave a thumbs-up to indicate he would live.

“He's going to make it,” Trey said. “It's over.”

“Is it really?” Ivana clung to him, as if never wanting to let go. All the anger and self-pity seemed to be gone.

“Yes,” he promised. “Willie Munroe is never going to hurt you again.”

“I'm sorry, Trey,” Ivana said tearfully. “About everything.”

“So am I.” Trey put the blame for most of their troubles squarely on his own shoulders. Now it was up to him to make things right. “We'll work everything out. I love you, baby, and don't ever want to lose you.”

“I love you too,” she said. “ More than ever.”

Trey embraced Ivana and kissed her passionately. He knew how close he'd come to losing her and Clyde in one fell swoop had Willie succeeded in his master plan. It would have prevented Trey from being able to make amends with Ivana and bury the hatchet with Clyde once and for all.

Right now, Trey only wanted to breathe a sigh of relief that Ivana had survived the ordeal to see another day, and they could now try to make their lives count again as something special.

He felt Ivana tense in his arms. “What is it?”

“Someone else was shot,” she said.

Trey had noted that people were scrambling this way and that, trying to come to terms with what had happened. He followed Ivana's gaze to a group huddled around in a circle. They walked toward it and made an opening.

Trey saw a thirty-something woman lying there with blood coming from a head wound. “Does anyone know who she is?” he asked.

“I do,” Ivana responded bleakly. “From what I gathered in a heated conversation she had with Willie, they were dating—”

Stefani rode in the ambulance with Clyde as he was rushed to the emergency room. He had been shot in the shoulder, and was drifting in and out of consciousness. She couldn't stop crying over the thought that Clyde could have been killed, and the sheer joy that he would survive.

“I love you,” she sobbed.

Clyde smiled at her through the oxygen mask on his face. “Is that a promise?”

“Yes, definitely!”

“Good.” He closed his eyes, but still had a grin on his face.

Stefani held his hand throughout, not wanting to leave Clyde's side 'til he had made a full recovery. The entire horror show they had all been forced to witness replayed in her mind like a nightmare.

Thank God, Ivana escaped with only a few bruises during her abduction and confrontation with Willie
.

Trey, who was a hero right alongside Clyde, had been unharmed.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Roselyn Pesquera, the woman said to have been involved with Willie Munroe. She was struck by a single bullet from his gun to her head and had died at the scene. Another innocent bystander was nicked on the arm.

Stefani thought about the man who had brought about this night of terror. Trey had shot him in the stomach in what was clearly a case of self-defense and preventing Willie from killing others. The last she'd heard, Willie Munroe was also being rushed to the emergency room, his fate unknown.

He deserves to die for all the hatred and vindictiveness he carried
, Stefani mused, looking at Clyde's handsome face and realizing how easily he could have been gone from her life forever.

Stefani backed off from her death wish for Willie. She didn't want to see Trey have to carry the burden of killing a man, even one as vile as Willie Munroe. She hoped the man made a full recovery so he could stand trial for murdering his girlfriend and the attempted murder of Clyde, and spend the rest of his miserable life behind bars where people like him belonged.

Stefani lit up when she saw Clyde open his eyes again and smile at her, as if to say,
Everything's going to be okay with us. Just a little bump in the road that we'll step over to continue to build on what we already have
.

She couldn't agree more.

Though Ivana had insisted she was fine—other than being shaken up and scared out of her wits—Trey made her go to the hospital to be checked out anyway. She hated doctors and all their poking and prodding, but in this case wanted to give Trey peace of mind, if not herself as well. She was just happy to be alive after what that awful man put her through. Trey had shot Willie before he could shoot her or himself, risking his own life. That spoke volumes to her, for Trey had selflessly come to her rescue in spite of everything that had gone wrong in their lives.

Ivana felt tears burn her cheeks. She would get off the booze dependency, realizing that alcohol and self-pity had nearly ruined everything and everyone she cared about.

“I've made such a mess of things,” she told Trey in the examination room. “Can you ever forgive me?”

“We both made mistakes,” Trey uttered. “We have to forgive each other and try to put it all behind us now.”

Ivana saw the sincerity in his eyes. “I want that,” she promised. “I never stopped loving you, Trey. I just forgot how much.”

He kissed her. “Then let's build on that, because I never stopped loving you for one moment. We can spend the rest of our lives making up for lost time.”

Ivana liked the sound of a renewed commitment to each other. “It works for me.”

Trey's eyes watered and he grinned. “I'm glad.”

“But right now, I want you to go check on your brother,” she said adamantly, knowing he was just down the hall. “Clyde needs you more than I do at the moment.”

“Thank you,” Trey told her. “For everything.” He kissed her cheek. “I'll be back in no time flat.”

Ivana's lips curved upward faintly. “I won't be going anywhere—at least not 'til the doctor gives me a clean bill of health.”

Ivana watched Trey walk away and thought about Clyde. Like Trey, he had risked his life to save hers, proving there was a lot more substance to the man than she had wanted to believe. She could never thank him enough for what he did for her. But she would try, while hoping that they too would be able to put the past where it belonged and work at being normal in-laws again.

 

 

Clyde was a bit groggy as he opened his eyes to find Trey at his bedside. His shoulder was bandaged and there was some pain, but it wasn't unbearable. He thought briefly about the events that led to this moment and how much his past had shaped the circumstances. Maybe the future could bring about more positive results.

“Guess you can't keep a good man down,” he joked through a dry mouth.

“Not if he happens to be a Lancaster,” Trey said with a weary smile. “It may be a while before I can whip your ass on the basketball court, but other than that, you'll live to see another day. Make that many, many more days.”

“I'm counting on it.” Clyde adjusted his body slightly. “How's Ivana?” He knew she'd been through hell in her ordeal with Willie. But her actions had prevented him from doing more harm to her and others.

“Oh, she's a lot tougher than probably both of us put together once her instincts kick in,” said Trey.

Clyde grinned. “I wouldn't doubt it—not after the way she manhandled Willie.”

Trey laughed. “Yeah, she hit the guy where it hurt, that's for sure.”

“What about you and Ivana?” Clyde asked on a serious note. He'd hate to think that after all they had been though their relationship was still on shaky ground.

“Things are looking up for us, as a matter of fact—thanks to my little brother,” he said confidently.”You took a bullet that could have had either of our names on it, Clyde, and I'll be forever indebted.”

“Wasn't anything you wouldn't have done had the tables been turned.” Clyde cringed at the thought of Willie putting his grubby hands on Stefani, and remembered it was Trey who had shot the son of a bitch. It occurred to Clyde that he had no idea whether his ex-pal was alive or dead. He looked at Trey. “What about Willie?”

Trey frowned. “He's going to pull through. The bullet lodged in a soft spot in his big belly while doing little internal damage, but I bet it still hurts like hell.”

“Good,” Clyde said with satisfaction. “I want Willie to live a long time to see what it's like to spend a good chunk of his miserable life in the pen.”

Trey's face darkened. “Unfortunately, a woman who had made the mistake of dating Willie was shot and killed by him at the club.”

Clyde felt a lump in his throat. “Roselyn—”

Trey nodded sadly. “Yeah.”

Clyde recalled the message she had left on Willie's answering machine. The lady deserved much better than she got. “Sorry to hear that,” he said.

“Just one of those things. Maybe something good can come out of her death, such as getting Willie off the streets so no one else will ever be the victim of his out-of-control rage.”

Clyde agreed, but wished he had been able to get his hands on Willie after Ivana caused the gun to misfire, thereby saving a life. He realized that beating himself up about it wasn't going to bring the lady back. It was Willie's fault alone that he ended up killing someone, which was his plan all along. Except he had gunned down the wrong person—someone who actually gave a damn about the man—and would have to live with it for the rest of his days.

“Well, look who's awake—”

Clyde shifted his gaze to Stefani entering the room. She flashed a brave smile on an otherwise strained face. “You never looked more beautiful than now, baby.”

Stefani's eyes watered while her smile widened. “You'd say anything, just to get a reaction.”

“Guilty as charged, but still true nonetheless.” He looked at Trey for some support. “Trey, back me up, big brother. Tell her. . . .”

Trey smiled broadly. “I couldn't agree more, Stefani. You're hot and there's no getting around it.”

She shook her head playfully. “How sweet to hear from you both. Nice to know you brothers are on the same page for once.”

Clyde liked the sound of that and hoped it was true. He met her pretty eyes. “I never wanted to confront Willie Munroe again . . . not if it meant losing you—”

“You did what you had to do out of love for Trey and Ivana,” she told him approvingly. “And you're never going to lose me, mister, so you might as well get used to having me around for a very, very long time.”

Clyde grinned. He was happy to know Stefani was there for the long run, especially since he was too. No one else had ever made him feel this way before and he counted his blessings.

“Wouldn't have it any other way,” he assured her.

Stefani bent down and kissed him tenderly. Clyde bit his tongue when she leaned into his surgically repaired shoulder, but knew it never hurt as good as her touch.

In the hospital corridor, Trey saw Detective Eric Cordell waiting for him. He had expected to be questioned by the police for his part in shooting Willie.

“How's your brother?” Cordell asked.

Trey regarded the fifty-something detective. “He's on the mend.”

“Good. So is Munroe.”

A flash of sorrow hit. “Too bad the same can't be said for Roselyn Pesquera.”

Cordell scratched his pate. “Yeah, it is. Looks like you and your brother may have prevented a lot more people from dying at the club.”

“We only did what any owners would to protect their property and its patrons.” Trey replied.

“Not to mention save your wife.”

“That too,” Trey admitted. “Ivana was just an innocent pawn in Willie's sick game.”

Cordell sighed. “Why don't you go through it again, Trey, how you came to shoot Willie Munroe—just for the record.”

Trey thought about his words carefully. The last thing he needed was for this to turn into a case of attempted murder or some other ridiculous charges against him.

“After Willie shot Clyde and started shooting wildly, he turned the gun my way. I shot him in self-defense with a pistol that's registered to the club's security, defending my wife and everyone else present.”

Cordell nodded. “Okay, your story seems to be backed up by everyone I've spoken to.”

“Anything else?” Trey held his breath.

Cordell eyed him. “Just one more thing. Next time you and your brother want to play detectives, save that for those of us who earn a living doing it. I wouldn't want to have to take my car business elsewhere because my favorite dealer got himself foolishly killed.”

Trey smiled and shook the detective's hand. “Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Now, if we're done here, I think my wife is waiting for me.”

“Go then.” Cordell paused. “Keep an eye on her.”

“I intend to.” Trey was thoughtful in that regard, wanting only to be there for Ivana from this point on through thick and thin while smoothing out the wrinkles in their marriage.