Page 5 of James (Big Northwest #6)
CHAPTER FIVE
JAMES
N OW WAS NOT the time to get distracted by Phillip’s accusation, but damned if she didn't want to smack him across the front seat. Lucky for him, there was a much more pressing matter to deal with.
And a man much more deserving of her wrath.
The guy in the car behind them—the one responsible for rear-ending her into the middle of an intersection—stepped out from behind the wheel. He might have removed the suit jacket that would have easily identified him as belonging to the same group who showed up at The Secret Garden, but she wasn't fucking born yesterday. And she knew, possibly better than anyone, how manipulative a man could be when he was trying to get something he wanted.
Old dude was about to find out she was way trickier than he could ever hope to be.
"We need to get out of here." Phillip leaned to peer into his side mirror, his eyes tracking the man's movements. "I'm pretty sure that guy is one of the ones I saw outside your apartment."
"Oh, I'm positive he's one of the guys you saw outside of my apartment." She reached for the gearshift, putting the sedan in park. "I'm also positive he's part of the same group that showed up at my job today."
"What are you doing?" Phillip shook his head, panic creeping into his voice. "Don't put the car in park. Why are you putting the car in park? We need to go." The words tumbled out as he looked between the rear window and the gear shift.
"We will go." She continued watching the man as he looked over the front of his car, pretending to be concerned about the damage, before walking their direction. "But there’s something I need to take care of first." She waited until he was about halfway between the two vehicles before snapping the car into reverse and shoving down on the gas, watching his expression change in the rearview as he realized what was happening.
He tried to run but wasn't fast enough. When the back bumper of Phillip’s rental car met the front bumper of the car that ran into them, the man's legs were pinned between, making a sickening sound as bones broke and cartilage collapsed.
She winced. "That was way crunchier than I expected it to be." It could be one of the many things that haunted her at night, as long as it meant she got the fuck away and this man never got close to her sisters and nephew.
Flipping the car back into drive, she peeled out, flying through the intersection even though her light was red. The initial accident had slowed people down enough she was able to dodge the incoming cars, safely reaching the other side and leaving their would-be attacker screaming on the asphalt.
As they flew down the road, headed for a highway, Phillip slowly turned to face her. "You okay?"
She reached back to squeeze her neck, checking for any aches or pains. "I think so. He didn't really hit us that hard."
"I'm not talking about the fucking fender bender." Phillip leaned closer. "You just purposefully hit a man with a car. Vehicular assault bothers most people."
She chewed her lower lip, weighing the ramifications of fully coming clean. Telling the truth was not a pastime she normally partook in. Most people didn't want it anyway. But Phillip helped her escape whatever those men had planned for her, so maybe he deserved a little bit of it. "Technically, that's not the worst thing I've done today."
Phillip stared at her for a few beats. “I’m gonna need to know what the worst thing you’ve done today is.”
“Well…” She focused on the road, not wanting to see his face when she confessed. “Remember when I said some men came into the club?” She continued on, bracing for his reaction. “One of them left a little less alive than he came in.”
Phillip continued staring, his expression unreadable. “And whose fault was that?”
“Technically, it was his.” She peeked Phillip’s direction before putting her eyes back on the road. “But I think we both know who was responsible for the change in his state of breathing.”
“ Okay. ” He said the word slowly, dragging it out as he faced forward. “So the man who hit us also came to the club.”
“Well…” She pursed her lips. “I can’t guarantee he was one of the ones who came to the club, but they wore the exact same suit.”
“You hit a man with a car because he wore the same suit as the guys who showed up at The Secret Garden?” Phillip huffed out a laugh. “Glad mine are custom.”
“That’s not the only reason I hit him.” She wasn’t completely unhinged. Only a little. Growing up in a cult and being groomed to serve as a baby maker for sociopaths did that to a girl. “You recognized him from my apartment. And he had the same tattoo on his hand as the guys from the club.”
Phillip went still. “Oh shit.” His head turned her way. “You’re right. Across their knuckles.”
“See? I don’t just hit men with cars for no reason.” She shot him a smile. “I need at least two of them.”
Phillip rubbed one hand over his face. “As long as no one got the plate number on this car, we should be okay.” His eyes settled back on where she sat. “For a little while at least.”
James shifted in her seat at the way he said it. Like he knew more than she thought. “Only a little while?”
“A little while is all we need.” He pulled his phone from the inner pocket of his jacket, lip curling at the state of the garment as he swiped across the screen. “After we get my bags, we should find a new hotel outside of town, just to be safe. Then we can take the night to figure out where to go next.”
Oh yeah. He for sure knew more information than he was letting on if he knew they couldn’t just go anywhere. “Okay.”
Phillip pulled up the map app and it started offering directions to a well-known hotel. Her stomach tightened a little at having to be so close to the scene of her first crime of the day. “You’re staying on the strip?”
“I always stay in the busiest area I can when I’m on a job. Makes it easier to blend in.” He continued tapping the screen of his phone, his focus on the device. “You don’t like that hotel?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been.” She took the next turn, making sure to check for another tail.
Phillip’s eyes lifted from the screen to her face. “You live in Vegas and you’ve never been to The Venetian?”
“I’ve never been inside any of the hotels.” She shrugged. “Didn’t really have a reason to go. I have an apartment and more important things to do with my money than gamble it away.”
“I’ve heard about that.” Phillip offered up a nugget of what he knew. “You send a pretty hefty amount to your sisters every month.”
“They took care of me. It’s only fair that I take care of them.” Their mother died delivering her, burdening five little girls with the care of an infant, and they’d rallied. Given her the best life they could manage under the circumstances. “Hopefully it’s helped.”
Phillip snorted. “Funny.”
She turned to him. “What’s funny about it?”
His eyes moved over her face. “You really don’t have any idea?”
A hint of fear edged in. Were her sisters okay? Had something terrible happened? She avoided social media for a myriad of reasons, the biggest one was because it was hard enough to stay away from her sisters as it was. If she saw one of them online, the odds she’d convince herself it might be safe to go see them would have gone up exponentially. “Any idea about what?”
“Your sisters don’t need your money, James.” Phillip straightened, his attention all on her. “They’ve built Shadow Pine into a tourist destination. Women come from all over the country to see them. They’re fucking killing it.”
It should have been pride behind the ache in her chest. Her sisters’ success was technically a good thing. She should be thrilled her sisters were well taken care of after doing without for so long. But if she didn’t have to provide for them, what was the point of all this? Of putting herself in a position where she could never go back?
Nothing. It was for nothing.
“What’s wrong?” Phillip’s voice was softer than normal.
She shook her head, lifting her chin. “I’m fine.”
“You’re not.” Phillip reached across the console to push a wayward wave back from her face. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
She sniffed, hiding it behind a deep breath. “Why should I tell you anything? I don’t even know you.”
“Maybe that’s the best reason to tell me.” He curled the loose bit of hair he moved behind her ear. “I’m an uninvolved party.”
She huffed out a bitter laugh. “Sorry to break the news to you, but you’re about as involved as it gets.”
His fingers barely brushed against her neck and then they were gone. “Tell me anyway.”
She’d been on her own for a while now. Sure, she made work friends at every new club and occasionally met a handful of neighbors when she moved, but it was never more than that. Her circle of trust included only herself. Confiding in people put her in danger, which put her sisters in danger.
And the lengths she was willing to go to in order to keep her sisters safe had no limits.
“I think I’m gonna pass.” She took another turn. “If you want to have deep meaningful conversations, get a dog.”
Instead of being offended like she’d intended, Phillip chuckled. “You’ve obviously never met Frankie’s dogs.”
She pressed her lips together, trying like hell to keep them sealed. But the temptation was too great. “Are they assholes?”
“She named them after demons, if that tells you anything.” Phillip shook his head. “They hate everyone and everything.” He paused, looking thoughtful. “Except for JD. But I guess that makes sense, considering.”
Again, she fought like hell not to ask the question burning through her. The need to know how her sisters were kept her up at night. Almost as much as the fear she’d accidentally put them in danger.
“Considering what?”
“Considering Frankie likes him.” Phillip tipped his head. “Well, I assume she likes him. She did marry him.”
James’s head whipped his way. “ Frankie and JD are married ?”
When she left town they hated each other. Fought any time their paths crossed.
“Apparently.” Phillip smirked. “At least that’s what she claimed at Sam’s wedding after Lily spilled the beans about the pregnancy.”
The fuck? “Who’s Lily?” Or more importantly, “Who’s pregnant?” Her throat closed up at the question.
At the thought.
She missed her nephew Jude. To the point thinking of him caused her actual physical pain. Staying away from him was like cutting off a limb. But the thought of leading the mess she’d accidentally cultivated to him was unbearable. She would happily suffer if it kept him safe.
“Sam.” Phillip said her oldest sister's name so softly. As if he knew how much hurt the discovery would cause. “I don’t think she’s very far along.” He continued, his tone staying gentle. “Sam’s husband is Lily’s uncle and guardian.”
Awareness crept over her skin. “So Sam’s basically her mom.”
Phillip offered a small nod. “She calls her Mama Sam.”
The urge to aim the car for Washington and not stop until she saw that Lily—the niece she’d never met—and Jude were safe was nearly overpowering. A bone deep force that took everything she had to ignore.
The easiest way to accomplish it was to focus on anger, and there was only one place to direct it. She faced Phillip, centering on the rage she carried. “You shouldn’t know more about my family than I do.”
Most men panicked when they faced her wrath. Not Phillip. His unimpressed gaze skimmed her face. “You need to calm down before we get to the hotel. I don’t want five hundred people asking where you found contacts that glow.”
She blinked, thrown off both by his nonchalance and his easy explanation for the biggest problem she faced on a regular basis. “Why in the hell haven’t I thought of glowing contacts?”
“Probably because when you would need to think of an excuse, you’re usually a little…” His head tipped. “Worked up.”
A wry smile spread onto her lips. “That’s fair.” James rocked her head from side to side, trying to work out the tension collected in her shoulders as she risked asking him another question. “Does that mean you’ve seen the glowing eye thing before?”
“I have.” Phillip braced his arm on the rest between them, tapping one finger against the console. “But I’m a little hesitant to give you the specifics.” There was a hint of something in his voice.
Was he teasing her?
The smile she still carried lifted a little more. “Understandable.”
Phillip’s phone directed her to take another turn, the last one before they reached the strip. The same strip where she worked.
Used to work, right up until she accidentally-on-purpose killed a guy.
“Umm. I don’t think this is a good idea.” James looked left and right, eyes scanning for any sign of the men who were really fucking up her day. “Those guys were here not that long ago. What if they left some of their buddies behind?”
Phillip stared at her for a beat. “Fuck.” He shifted in his seat. Reaching into the back, he retrieved a bottle of water and a baseball cap. After slapping the hat onto her head, he pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over it, effectively hiding her hair. Next, he twisted the lid off the half-consumed bottle, peeled away the T-shirt he’d just put on, and poured some of the water onto the cotton fabric. “Use this on your face.”
In all the craziness, she’d almost forgotten the swirls of glitter still painted on her skin. “Thanks.” Taking the shirt, she went to work wiping at her eyes, trying to scrub away the waterproof makeup. As expected, it wasn’t a super effective means of removal, but she managed to work up enough friction to exfoliate a decent amount of both the cosmetics and her skin.
“That’s probably good.” Phillip took the shirt and pulled it back over his head, wet spot, glitter, and all. “You’re starting to get red, and that’ll be just as noticeable.” He opened the console and pulled out a pair of sunglasses, passing them over. “Put these on.”
She took them and shoved them into place as the final turn came, directing them around the side of the hotel where Phillip was staying to park in the garage hidden at the back.
“Now we’ve just got to get you up to my room without anyone noticing.” He opened his door and climbed out, leaning down to grin at where she still sat. “But don’t worry, this time I’ve got a plan.”