Page 59 of Love Over Time

That night I dressed carefully. Ballet flats and a simple black dress with a flouncy skirt with plenty of room for me to strap a Taser on my right thigh and an emergency pack on the other. The monochrome ensemble made the sapphire stand out against my skin. I rubbed the stone between my fingers. Soon, we’d get the answers we’d been looking for. It would help a great deal, though, if we at least knew why Tessa’s jewelry was so important to Jonathan. Turning the sapphire, I squeezed it tight, and a ragged edge scratched the inside of my nail.

“Fuck.” I sucked on my finger, glaring at the stone in the mirror.

The shape was slightly off as I padded the facet that’d cut me. I rubbed it again between my fingers. As if the entire stone were two pennies stuck together, the top slid off and something fell out of it. When Henry first put the necklace on last night, even though the sapphire had the same oval shape and size, it had definitely been lighter. This was why…a fake stone. The inside was hollow, a perfect place to hide something small.

I sat on my haunches and hovered over the SD chip on the carpet. Tessa must’ve made a replica of her necklace so she could hide something inside it. Was this chip the reason Henry and Tessa were still alive? I took the memory card out and shoved it in the SD slot in my laptop. Bracing for the worst, I clicked on the file and stepped back.

A knock on the door startled me and made me snap the computer shut. “Nikki. We have to go.”

“Yeah, I’ll be right there. Just having some female problems over here.”

“Okay. Two more minutes,” he said.

I stared at my closet and the few clothes I had with me, doing my best to keep my lunch down. I didn’t have time to think this through. Following my gut instincts, I stuffed the chip in my bra, slid closed the stone, and grabbed the bag full of Tessa’s money and jewelry. I pressed my ear to the door and waited until Henry’s steps echoed on the grand staircase to sneak out of my room and into his.

I’m doing the right thing.Henry didn’t have the criminal mind needed to see this thing with his uncle through to the end. If there was something I could do to protect him, I had to at least try. I went through the mail he had on his dresser and found a preapproved credit letter. I turned it over and scribbled a note on the back of it, stuffed it back in its envelope, and wrote his name on it, hoping he’d recognize my writing. I swallowed the lump in my throat and dropped the chip in before placing the envelope back on the dresser. I had no doubt in my mind that Jonathan would act the minute he saw me wearing Tessa’s necklace.

An hour later, with my hand holding Henry’s elbow in a death grip, we walked into the bar and headed straight to the back room where Russ had told us he’d be waiting. The Prohibition Era had been a big deal for this town. Bootlegging was how the town had survived the closing of the mines. Most of the older buildings still had secret back rooms and tunnels that led to Main Street. Russ met us outside the bathrooms.

“You made it.” He beamed at us.

Henry patted him on the shoulder. “Thanks for making room for us.”

“It was nothing.” He shrugged. “It’s always fun to watch you win your uncle’s money.” Chuckling, he gestured for us to follow him.

At the end of the hallway, we were greeted by a double-wide commercial-refrigerator door. The thermometer on it showed the room behind the door was at thirty-two degrees. With a crooked grin, Russ pulled on the lever, and the door squeaked open, slow and heavy. On the other side, a dark corridor lined with shelves stocked with pantry items led the way to another room. Henry took my hand, and we strolled in. As soon as Russ shut the door, the lights came on, shining on the cherrywood floors and dark red paneled walls. The temperature was a comfortable seventy degrees.

Around the corner, Russ showed us into a large room covered in wooden panels, with a poker table in the middle, chairs upholstered in burgundy leather, and a sparkly chandelier casting a glow over the cards.

“Henry,” Mr. Paredes said. “Glad you could make it.” He stood and shook his hand.

Next to him, Jonathan sat frozen, eyes wide, not on Henry but on me. That hadn’t taken long at all. He’d recognized the necklace.

I met his gaze.Your move, asshole.

Jonathan blinked fast several times before he stood to welcome us to the table. “Ms. Swift. Good to see you again. Please.” He pulled out a chair for me.

“I’m not playing, darling. I’m just here as Henry’s good-luck charm.”

Russ took a seat and quickly shuffled the cards, Vegas style, his eyes focused, face blank just like Henry’s. He’d obviously been dealing for a long time. He dealt the cards, and the second game of the night was on. Henry took a split second to look at his cards before he placed his bet in the middle of the table. His expression hard as stone. Jonathan took a long swig of bourbon, his gaze darting from the pile of chips in front of him to his cards.

“Damn. I’m out.” Mr. Paredes pushed his cards in after Russ laid out the flop.

“I’ll bite.” Russ threw his chips in.

Jonathan stared at the table, all color drained. What was he afraid of? He knew that as long as he had Tessa, Henry couldn’t touch him and I couldn’t use what I’d seen on the SD chip. Until Jonathan made a move, our hands were tied. Time to forcehis hand.

“Excuse me, gentlemen.” I stood and tipped my head, the universal sign for this girl is going to the bathroom.

Jonathan’s head snapped up at me. I gave him a half smile and left the room.

I fumbled with the fabric of my fluffy skirt until I found the pouch strapped to my thigh. If I had to guess, Jonathan already had someone waiting for me. I walked out of the Speakeasy room with my hand firmly over the Taser. Whoever came for me, I had a little surprise for him. My plan was simple—Taser the fucker in the crotch until he told me where Tessa was being kept.

As soon as the door closed behind me, a shiver prickled my back at the same time a needle pierced the skin on my neck. I turned and saw Scott, the bartender Jonathan had sent to hurt Henry.

“Hello, beautiful.” His stale beer breath hadn’t improved since the last time Henry beat him up.

My heart drummed so hard I couldn’t swallow. I gripped the front of his shirt to keep awake, to hold on to my fading lucidity. Then everything went black.

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