Page 12 of Lie for a Million

Roper tried to avoid looking directly at her, but he couldn’t help noticing the hands that held the magazine—the long crimson nails, probably fake, and the glittering rings that adorned her fingers.

Something stirred in a shadowed recess of his memory. He could have sworn that he’d never laid eyes on the girl before. But the sense of recognition was as unmistakable as it was mysterious.

He might have opened a conversation with her, maybe asked if they’d met somewhere before, but that would sound like a pickup line. The girl was attractive but not his type, and he wasn’t looking for company.

As if she’d felt his curious gaze, she looked up from the magazine and gave him a melting smile, which made her face appear even prettier. The situation had become awkward. Should he speak? Maybe smile back?

Roper was saved from a response by the previous visitor to the cells—a thin bespectacled stranger who had the look and demeanor of a lawyer. He passed through the waiting area and out through the exit without a word or glance in either direction.

“Miss Carter.” The female officer at the desk spoke. “You’re next. You may go in now.”

The girl put down the magazine, stood, and took a moment to fluff her hair, as if she wanted to make an impression. Maybe she had a boyfriend in there. But he knew that was none of his business. As she strutted down the hall in her high-heeled boots, he settled back to wait his turn.

CHAPTERFOUR

There were just two men in the cells. One was a lanky young cowboy, sitting on his bunk with his face buried in his hands. The other man was Judd Proctor.

Judd was fit and husky with craggy features, shoulder-length sandy hair, and unsettling, golden eyes, like a hawk’s. By now, he’d been in jail for more than two weeks. His hair hung in greasy tangles, and there was a gravy stain on his rumpled orange jumpsuit. Crystal understood that the jail required prisoners to shower, but she could smell his sweat as soon as she stepped through the doorway.

Once upon a time, she’d thought Judd was sexy. She’d ridden behind him on his Harley, clinging to his muscular body and feeling like a queen. But then Frank Culhane had shown her a different kind of life and a different kind of love. After his tragic death, she’d never looked back. She’d moved on, and she was determined to keep moving.

She wasn’t proud of the things she’d done with Judd—especially the drugs she’d tried. She’d never become addicted, and she’d quit after hooking up with Frank. But she couldn’t help worrying that they might have affected her baby.

As Crystal approached the cell, still keeping her distance, he rose, shuffled forward, and leaned against the bars. The young man in the next cell paid them no attention.

“It’s about time you came to see me, baby,” Judd said. “I’ve been wondering what you’ve been up to since your rich boyfriend kicked the bucket.”

“I’m working, mostly, and looking for a job in a classier place. I don’t have to stay in this shithouse town forever. Was that your lawyer who just left?”

“Yeah. My trial’s set for next week. He thinks he might get me off. It was entrapment, he says. That means I was set up. I could walk out of court a free man.”

“That’s great.” Actually, it wasn’t great. Crystal would have preferred him out of the way and unable to interfere with her plans.

His powerful hands gripped the bars, as if he wanted to bend them apart and reach out to her. “I’ve been missing you too long, baby,” he said. “You hurt me bad, taking up with that rich old bastard. I’m not sorry he’s dead. But when I get out, we can forget him and pick up where we left off. I can’t wait to get you in the sack again, girl. I’ve been thinking about the things I want to do to you. It’ll be like before, only better.”

Crystal stifled a groan. Things were going from bad to worse. She had to finish this. She fought the wave of nausea that swept over her. She shouldn’t have bolted down that chili dog after her shift. If Judd figured out she was pregnant, he could ruin everything.

“Oh, baby.” His unearthly golden eyes welled with tears. “It’s driving me crazy, being locked up like this. The only thing keeping me sane is knowing you’re out there, waiting for me.”

Crystal summoned her courage, braced for his reaction, and forced herself to speak. “That’s enough, Judd. I wish you well, but I’m not waiting for you. I came here for one reason tonight—to say goodbye.”

“What the hell—”

“You heard me. I deserve better than a greasy drug dealer who lives over a garage and can’t even get a decent job. I deserve better than a life of waiting for you to get out of jail. We’re done, Judd. This time for good.”

Turning her back on him, she walked away. But the sound of his voice, swearing and yelling, followed her out of the cell area and down the hall.

“You little bitch! Who’s banging you now? Have you found yourself some other old prick with money? Well, you can go straight to hell! Hear me, bitch? Go to hell!”

Wanting to get away, Crystal raced down the hall, through the reception area, and out the door to her car—Judd’s car, she remembered as she started the Hyundai’s engine. With luck, she wouldn’t need the old junker for long. If things worked out, she’d be able to buy any car she wanted.

Maybe even a Porsche like Lila Culhane’s, but red, or maybe black . . .

* * *

As the shouted curses died away, Roper exchanged glances with the woman at the counter. She shrugged. “You get used to that sort of thing in here,” she said. “You can see your brother now, Mr. McKenna. Ten-minute limit on your visit. You’ll hear a bell when time’s up.”

Roper walked back down the hall. Rowdy, still in his jeans and plaid shirt, was huddled on the edge of his bunk. When Roper spoke his name, he raised a tear-ravaged face. Roper was torn between hugging his brother and wanting to shake some sense into the young fool. With iron bars between them, he could do neither.

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