Chapter Sixteen
As Finn drove up to the Rest ‘n’ Relax, he noticed a fresh pair of tractor-trailers sitting in the parking lot, their owners likely gone off to eat or visit other areas of Whispering Willows without having to drag a huge, cumbersome rig behind them. Skye’s Jeep sat in the back parking lot, now joined by the Watleys’ brown sedan, one he recognized from his previous visit.
Finn pulled in beside the Jeep and waited.
Skye came out of the door and waved at him.
A fist grabbed his heart, holding it tight as he got out of the truck and headed for the store. Every move she made, every step in those tight jeans, made him want her even more.
She stopped in front of him, rubbing her hands together in a nervous reaction.
Finn wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and kiss her, take her mind away from the here and now. But this wasn’t the time and sure as hell wasn’t the place for it.
Instead, he reached out his hand and smiled. “Long day?”
“Long enough.” She took his hand and led him up to the front door.
“It’s going to be okay,” Finn said.
“I know.” She smiled at him before opening the door. A small bell rang, signaling their entrance.
Edward Watley moved out from behind the counter, a frown on the senior’s face. “Skye. Is everything okay with your car?” His attention went to Finn, and his forehead furrowed even deeper. “You. We’ve met before.”
“Yes, sir.” Finn resisted the urge to snap to attention. “And your wife’s cookies were delicious. We’d like to talk to you.”
Edward took a step back and eyed Skye. “Are you all right? Is this guy giving you trouble?”
Finn suppressed a smile.
“I’m fine.” Skye looked at Finn. “He’s fine, too. We’d like to talk to you and Annie.”
Edward gave her one last searching look before turning and giving Finn the same inspection. A few seconds later he gave a curt nod.
“Annie? Come on out here.”
The older woman stepped out of the back room, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. She wore a light-yellow dress, her long blond hair tucked into a tight bun. “Just getting ready to cut and wrap some apple pie slices.” She studied her husband’s expression. “Edward? Is something wrong?” Her gaze went to Finn first then to Skye. “What’s going on?”
“Please.” Finn pointed at the two chairs behind the counter. “You both need to sit down.” He put as much authority into his voice as he could, mixed with respect for their ages.
Edward studied him for a long second before complying. He nodded to Annie, and she came to his side.
He remained standing while his wife sat.
“Are we in trouble?” He stared at Skye. “Are you in trouble?”
“No.” Skye took the initiative. “This is Finn. He’s here to help me take care of Robby.”
“You’re a doctor?” Annie asked.
“No.” Finn paused. “I’m associated with a group of people who help those in trouble. Those who need help outside of the law.” He remained standing, his hands in his pockets. “People like Skye.”
“I don’t understand,” Edward said. “What trouble?”
“You know Robby was beaten up,” Skye said, taking charge of the conversation. “What you don’t know is that he got beaten up because he was running drugs for the Wolf’s Teeth. The bullies who threatened you into letting them use your parking lot at night.” She spoke slowly and cautiously, as if navigating a minefield. “I went looking for help to push them out of town and found Finn and his friends. They’re going to take them down, put them behind bars. We need your help.”
“Drugs?” Annie went pale. “But…” She turned to her husband. “What’s this all about?”
Edward shook his head. “I didn’t want to put this burden on you.” He slumped on the stool. “They came in and told me to take out the tape, destroy it and not to replace it. They come in every two weeks and take some money.”
Annie put her hand to her mouth.
“It’s never a lot; it’s never enough to break us. They said it’d be much more if we didn’t let them use the parking lot for their games. I never thought it was about bringing in drugs.” Edward took her hand. “I was an idiot.”
“No.” Finn interrupted him before the senior could go down that path. “You did the right thing.”
“The police…” Annie started.
Finn gave a shake of his head. “The police won’t be able to do anything, not without evidence. Without that, there’s only Smith’s word against yours.” He looked at Annie. “It won’t end well. Edward chose the right path for you, and it’s kept you safe so far. Now I want your help to collect enough evidence to put the gang away.”
The blond woman sighed. “I thought something was wrong.” She shook her head. “Every time I came out to visit, you acted odd. Whenever I had to be here alone you’d hurry up with the errands to get back to me.”
“I didn’t want to worry you.” Edward pulled her hand up to his mouth for a light kiss. “I’d do anything to protect you, keep you safe. I couldn’t imagine putting you in danger for a second.”
“That’s why we’re here,” Finn interrupted, speaking softly. “We’re going to make sure you’re safe, along with everyone else in Whispering Willows.”
Annie reached up and touched Edward’s face, the gentle gesture tugging at Finn’s heart. “I do love you. Let’s make this right. Let’s do what it takes to get rid of these monsters.”
Edward nodded. “You’ve got it. What do you need us to do?”
Finn smiled. “We want you to take a vacation.”
Annie and Edward looked at each other, frowning.
“We want both of you to take a lovely vacation in Las Vegas. I have a friend who has arranged for you to have a month’s stay at a good hotel, one of the best on the Strip. Take that second honeymoon and enjoy yourself.”
Annie’s mouth opened and closed, her eyes widening.
Edward spoke first. “And while we’re gone, who will take care of the station?”
“We will,” Skye said.
“I may be an old man, but I’m no fool. If we’re not here the gang is going to get suspicious.” He released his wife’s hand. “I won’t let you do this alone.”
Skye’s smile disappeared. “You know how dangerous this could be? Those men beat Robby up and shot him full of drugs before dumping him in an alleyway. They won’t mind killing you to keep from going to jail.”
“They won’t mind killing you, either.” Edward stood up. “I’m not going.”
“Sir.” Finn moved closer, choosing his words carefully. “As a fellow soldier, you know the importance of keeping civilians out of the field of fire. Noncombatants need to be removed from danger and kept safe.”
Edward stood straighter, as if on parade. “I do.”
“Then you know that you and your wife are too important for us to risk either of you. I appreciate and respect your service. Now let me do what I do best.” He glanced at Annie. “Your husband worked too hard and too long for you to be in this type of danger. Please, go to Las Vegas.”
She pressed her mouth into a tight line, and Finn knew he’d won.
Edward was still frowning. “If you need my help…” He stopped speaking when his wife tugged on his sleeve.
“Honey, we’re not young anymore. Let them carry the weight this time around.” She cleared her throat and nodded to Finn. “We accept your gracious offer.”
Finn held back a smile.
Skye didn’t. She hugged Edward and then Annie. “Thank you. I’ll feel better if you’re both safe and sound, far from here.”
“What’s your usual routine today?” Finn asked.
“We finish here at five. I set up the night deposit and drop it off on the way back to the house,” Edward said.
“Okay.” Finn turned to Annie. “Can you go back to your home and pack whatever you need for your vacation? You can leave from here for Vegas.”
She nodded her agreement.
Edward eyed him with the cool composure of a man who had been under fire and seen death. “I’m holding you responsible for Skye’s safety.” He locked eyes with Skye, his face softening. “Listen to me. We can rebuild the store. But we won’t have you in danger. If it comes down to the business or your survival, let it burn to the ground.” His attention returned to Finn. “We understand each other?”
Finn heard the weight behind the words, the elderly veteran defending what he saw as his after all these years. “Yes, sir. Now please get ready to go. We’ll be back in a few hours.” He stepped around the counter and pulled his cell phone out. “I just need to take a few photographs here.”
Edward watched, one eyebrow raised, as Finn snapped a series of shots detailing the security system—the empty recording bay and the control panel. A tap of his finger sent the photos to Trey for the tech genius to figure out what they needed to transmit the feed to the Playground’s servers.
“All done.” He nodded at Edward. “We’ve got the best people on this. Don’t worry.”
“I’ll worry,” the veteran answered. “But I have faith in you.” He smiled.
“Let’s go.” Finn took Skye’s hand.
Annie escorted them to the door. “I’ll be ready to go in a few minutes, as soon as I get those pies taken care of. Then I’ll go home and pack.” She turned to Skye. “I hope Robby’s going to be okay.”
“Me, too.” She smiled at the older woman. “I’m sure you’ll have a great time in Vegas. Be sure to play a few slot machines for me.”
…
Finn didn’t realize how nervous Skye had been about dealing with the Watleys until she got back to her car and slumped against the driver’s side, her knees wobbling and close to buckling.
“You okay?” His hands went to her waist, steadying her.
“Yeah. I’m just…” She ran her hand over her forehead. “I never thought coming to see you would start all this, involve all these people. People I care about.”
“Hey.” He tipped her head up to gaze into her eyes. “They’re going to have the time of their lives in Vegas. Dylan and Jessie are going to make sure of that.”
She nodded. “What are you going to be doing while I’m running the truck stop?”
“Looking like a desperate man scraping by for cash and willing to consider any offer.” Finn leaned in and kissed her, a hungry kiss that left no mystery about what he wanted. “Right now, we’ve got a few spare hours, and I’d like to make mad, frantic love with you until we’re both too tired to move. If that’s okay with you?”
She exhaled. “Definitely okay with me.”