Page 43 of Just One More Moment

She immediately saw how this would go. Zach would be in charge because Remy assumed she’d cave faster if he, too, was against her idea. She had a feeling Remy knew exactly what she wanted to do, so she cut to the chase.

“I want to use myself as bait to draw Lance out. Though I hate playing games with a sociopath, and I’m aware it’s a risk, we all know Lance won’t be able to resist if he sees me alone.”

“No!” Remy exploded, in a tone indicating he wouldn’t give in. He pounded his hand on the arm of the chair for emphasis.

“I’m with Remy.” Caleb folded his arms across his chest and shook his head at her, using his disappointed big brother look she’d seen often growing up.

“Tell me more,” Zach said, his gaze on hers.

Remy’s eyes opened wide. “You son of a bitch. If I thought you’d take her side, I wouldn’t have asked you to come.”

“Relax,” Zach said. “I’m here to help you all end this mess. I want to know what Raven has in mind.”

Doing her best not to smirk at Zach’s acknowledgment she might have a valid idea, she spoke. “All we need to do is allow me to go back to living my normal life.” She held up a hand before Remy could argue, which from his opened mouth, he intended to do.

“I’ll still stay here,” she said, doing her best to give him reasons to understand why she’d be safe. “You can watch me at all times. Put cameras up outside the bar, I don’t care. Just let me do everyday things like taking out the trash from the bar, have my coffee break in the back alley, go to poetry slam, and let itseemlike I’m alone. Give Lance the opportunity to come after me.”

“I don’t like it,” Remy muttered.

“What happens when he grabs you?” Caleb asked. “What then?”

She shook her head. “Isn’t anyone paying attention? Remy will be watching me from the bar or you can hire one of the bodyguards you mentioned who can blend in with the crowd. Lance won’t realize I’m being protected.”

“If he lays a hand on you, I’m going to kill him.”

She rose and walked over to where he sat and knelt down, putting her hand over his. “We need him to violate his parole without it seeming like he was set up. But you’ll be there to make sure nothing serious happens. A violation gets him back behind bars for the duration of his sentence. I just wish he could be put away for a lot longer.”

Caleb cleared his throat.

Uncomfortable in her kneeling position, she stood and glanced at her brother. “What is it?”

“What I didn’t mention yet was that after I took Owen to school this morning, I drove to Mom’s to talk to my brother.” Caleb rubbed his hands together in a nervous gesture. “I hate this because he’s my twin. But… I think he’s on drugs.”

Remy leaned forward. “Why do you say that?”

“Because his eyes were like pinpricks, and he was antsy, and unable to remain sitting or standing in one place,” Caleb said.

Silence followed his statement. Raven caught Remy and Zach exchanging glances. “What is it?” she asked. “No silent mental telepathy, you two.” She pointed back and forth between them.

Zach rose to his feet. “It’s just that if Lance is on drugs,andhe’s caught carrying,andif he’s on hard-core drugs like meth or blow… he’ll get himself slammed with a longer sentence. It’s even better if he’s carrying a weapon at the time.”

She winced at the thought of Lance with a gun.

Remy nodded. “With his record, that’s another return-to-jail card. But it’s not like we can set him up to make it happen. He’d need to be playing fast and loose and be totally out of control.”

“It wouldn’t shock me if any of those things were true,” Caleb muttered, head in his hands.

Raven felt sorry for her brother and wished she knew how to help him but she didn’t even know how to help herself.

“I say we take some time to think,” Zach said. “We can regroup soon and see if you can live with Raven’s idea.” He glanced from Caleb to Remy. “Because making her seem available to Lance is the best way to draw him out.”

“I can do this,” she assured them, not wanting them to think she’d cave out of fear.

Even if just the thought of Lance spiraling on drugs and carrying a gun scared her to death, there was no way she’d give up on her plan. She needed to draw him out if she wanted to regain her life.

***

Remy let hisguests out of the apartment, knowing he and Raven needed to talk. He strode back to the family room but she wasn’t there. He found her in the bedroom, sitting on the bed, a lost, dazed look on her face.

---