Chapter 1 #11
All the while, she felt Jack staring at her.
When she looked up, she saw even more worry etched in his expression.
Had she misplayed? No. She quickly looked around the table.
Just as she’d hoped, the Armstrongs were both winning.
She’d folded on her last good hand because it would have taken the large pot.
Wayne had won it. He was counting his take, looking a little too pleased with himself. Several players had gotten up to refresh their drinks. Pete and Ridge had finished making new drinks and were headed back to the table. She met Jack’s gaze with an irritated What? look and a frown.
He stretched, rubbing the back of his neck, before looking at Nels Green.
She followed his gaze to where Nels was standing to one side of the bar and instantly got her answer.
Everyone had taken off their coats at the back door earlier.
Everyone but Nels. As Nels had stepped forward to make himself a drink, he’d knocked the stack of napkins onto the floor.
Now as he bent to retrieve them, his jacket rode up.
Josephine saw the distinct shape of the handgun tucked in the back of his baggy jeans. Straightening, he tugged down his jacket and turned with his drink in hand.
Their gazes met for only a few heartbeats. That’s all the time it took for her to realize why Nels Green looked so familiar. A chill snaked its way up her spine to coil around her neck. Yes, Jack, as it turns out, there was someone from her past she had to fear.
Nels made his way back to the table without looking at her again.
She quickly assessed the situation. She could be wrong, but then again, she never forgot a face.
She didn’t think she’d ever seen this man before.
But the resemblance to a man who’d once made her life a living nightmare couldn’t be denied.
She thought of the newspaper article about her Aunt Clara winning Seaside Vows and leaving it to her niece. Jack said the story had gone viral. Anyone could have seen it.
Not one to panic, she looked around the table as everyone returned to their seats. Like Pete and Ridge, Nels had lost most of his money. What would happen when he lost it all?
She wasn’t going to let that happen if she could prevent it. She shifted her gaze to Jack and smiled a silent message. I see the gun. I’ll take care of it.
No surprise, Jack’s return look was a mixture of What the hell, Josephine? and I hope you know what you’re doing. What he didn’t have to say was that he was even more worried—for her.
For the first time, Josephine thought he might have good reason to worry.
* * * * * * * * * *
CHAPTER 10
It was the eyes, Josephine realized as the game progressed. Of course they would give the man away since they were so much like his father’s. The last name, Green, had thrown her though. But there could be a good reason the son of Ernie Lockwood might change his last name.
Twenty years ago, back when her parents were only headed for divorce, Ernie Lockwood had been her middle school janitor. Back then, Ernie had long dark hair that he pulled back in a low ponytail, and he’d been as round as he was tall.
But it was his dark eyes—eyes exactly like Nels Green’s that she could never forget. She was the one who’d spotted them looking at her through the two small holes he’d bored in the wall of the girls’ middle school bathroom. It had been her testimony that had sent Ernie to prison.
At his trial, she’d seen his wife and son of about ten in the courtroom as Ernie was given twenty years in prison.
Josephine’s testimony had been only the beginning.
When the police searched the janitor’s computer they found child pornography and much worse—photos he’d secretly taken of students—Josephine included.
After he was sentenced, Josephine heard that his wife had divorced him and taken the boy to live with her family in Nebraska.
She hadn’t really noticed the boy who’d been a small version of his father.
Except for his eyes. She remembered him looking right at her as his mother led him away.
What she’d seen in those dark depths had looked so much like his father’s gaze that it had shaken her.
And now here he was, a grown man, at her poker game with those same soulless eyes—and a gun.
Jack began to shuffle the cards and dealt slowly as if waiting for a sign from her as to what they were going to do. Josephine watched Nels out of the corner of her eye. He looked more uncomfortable than he had even earlier. She saw him glance at his watch before he picked up his cards.
The game went more quickly than she’d hoped since she still hadn’t decided what to do. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that time was running out as Wayne took the pot again.
“I’m going to call it a night,” Pete said, picking up what little money he had left. Ridge agreed and pocketed the last of his cash. “This has been fun. Might have to do it again.”
“Your coats are at the back door,” Josephine said. “Let me show you out.” She rose before anyone could argue and followed the two men to the back door, locking and bolting it as she turned back to the poker room.
Hank had handed the deck to Darwin, who seemed to be taking forever to shuffle the cards. Her gaze went to Jack. She could see that he was ready for whatever Nels had planned as she took her seat again. She knew he was waiting for a signal from her to attempt to disarm Nels.
She had expected Nels to make his move when she walked the other men to the door.
Instead, he sat staring at the table and what little money he had left.
Josephine realized this would be his last game—one way or another.
She looked at the Armstrongs. They seemed determined to stay until the bitter end.
Was there a chance they were involved in whatever was going on, and if Jack tried to disarm Nels, they would jump in?
It wasn’t a chance she could take.
Better to wait, she thought as she saw Nels glance at his watch again. If she was right and he was waiting for Ernie, then nothing would happen until the poker party broke up.
Since recognizing him, she’d tried to talk herself down. Why would Nels wait twenty years to settle this old score for his father? Because he’d forgotten all about her until he’d seen that stupid article about her inheriting Seaside Vows? Maybe just hadn’t known where she was until then.
No, she thought with a start.
He’d been waiting for his father to get out of prison.
-#-
Jack had promised that he would follow Josephine’s lead tonight—no matter what happened. Right now, he regretted the hell out of that promise. The man next to him had a gun. Worse, he suspected Josephine had recognized the man and whoever it was, he was trouble.
So why hadn’t she signaled for him to disarm Nels? At first, he’d thought it was to let some of the poker players leave to keep down the body count if the shit hit the fan. Now with Ridge and Pete gone, what was she waiting for?
He couldn’t sit still any longer. “I need a drink.” He rose and went to the bar. As he’d hoped, Josephine joined him. Wayne was loudly recounting some big fish story.
“What are you waiting for?” he whispered to Josephine. She had looked back at the table as if interested in Darin’s fish tale. More than likely, she was watching Nels.
“He’s not alone,” she said and made herself a drink along with him.
Jack frowned. “Hank?”
She shook her head. “He’s waiting for someone else to arrive.” With that, she returned to her chair.
Jack swore. Nels was waiting for someone else? He studied the remaining players. Hank didn’t look ready to tap out. He was a better player than expected, so he’d done well. That just left Nels and the Armstrongs. He couldn’t imagine Josephine worrying about the twins’ safety.
He looked across the table at her and thought of the engagement ring in his pocket. He was a gambler at heart, but he had no idea how to win this woman’s heart. That’s if he could keep her alive long enough to ask her, he thought an instant before he heard a familiar sound that made his heart fall.
-#-
Josephine heard it too—the sound was of a key opening the front door of Seaside Vows. Her already jacked-up pulse leapt into overdrive. How had she missed this? If Nels had worked on remodeling the apartment upstairs, he might have made a copy of the key.
She hadn’t even thought about changing the locks. But she saw now what a mistake that had been. Not even Jack had thought of a deadbolt on the front door. It was large carved wood, thick and strong—unlike the flimsy door to the alley.
Before she could move, the door swung open. The rain, wind, and cold swept in before the door slammed shut. In that instant, the room fell silent as all heads turned to look at the large, bulky figure in a dark hooded parka holding a gun and dripping raindrops on the floor.
* * * * * * * * * *
CHAPTER 11
Momentarily distracted by the bulky man in the doorway and his weapon, Josephine swung her gaze to Jack. To her horror, Nels had pulled his gun. It was now pointed at Jack’s head.
“This is a private matter,” Nels said calmly. “Everyone but Josephine and Jack might want to leave now.”
Hank nodded, collected his money and got to his feet as if he didn’t have to be asked twice. He gave Josephine a nod in thanks and left by the backdoor. She doubted he’d left to call the cops.
Wayne scraped up his money, stuffed it into his pockets and finished his drink as he rose.
He was eyeing Jack’s poker winnings and seemed leery about taking them, but after only a moment’s hesitation, scooped them up.
Darwin didn’t hesitate at all as he took Josephine’s winnings, adding them to his own as he rose.
The twins left in more of a hurry than Hank had. Josephine didn’t think she’d be seeing either of them again, which she thought might turn out to be the high point of the night.
“What’s this about?” Jack asked, his gaze on her.