Against The Wall (16 page)

Bryant stood over him, his giant arms crossed over his chest. Considering the guy had spent seven years in prison, he looked damn good. He’d been a skinny kid when he’d been escorted from the courthouse, but he’d filled out. The man was enormous. He’d used his time well. He was strong. But did his strength match his mental health? Maurice doubted it.

“You never gave a second thought to putting me away, did you?”

Maurice rolled his eyes. “You’re kidding me with this shit, right? What, am I supposed to feel guilty for saving my son? Go waste someone else’s time, punk.”

“But you couldn’t save him, could you, Juneau? Alex went ahead and killed himself anyway. Ever think that if I’d stayed his buddy, I’d have kept him clean? Ever wonder about that? Maybe putting away your son’s best friend contributed to his overdose?”

No,,” he said quietly sat Maurice hadn’t thought about it. Anger rumbled to the surface. Nausea swirled in his gut. “You have no idea what you’re saying, Bryant. You’re just a punk like all the other punks my son kept as friends. I told him to stay clear of all of you.”

“Ever consider that your son was the punk and anyone who associated with him landed in trouble? And maybe it was his friends who helped him realize he needed more than the things his dad could buy him? Maybe he needed someone to listen to him instead of throw money at him to keep him quiet?”

Maurice yanked on the flex-cuffs, itched to wrap his hands around Bryant’s neck and squeeze the life out of him. He’d given Alex everything. Yes, he’d worked his ass off and maybe he wasn’t around a ton, but he had to make a living. Had to afford to give his son the best. “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” he growled.

“I know that even while I was in prison, Alex was up to his neck in trouble and drugs. Putting me away didn’t change anything. You fucked up with your own son. You may as well have killed him yourself.”

Maurice thought he might puke. Bryant hadn’t spent near enough time in jail. Maurice couldn’t wait to destroy him personally. “You’re fucking insane, Bryant. You have no clue what you’re talking about. You’re grasping.”

“I don’t think so.”

“No, you just don’t think,” Maurice shot back. Bryant thought he could make him squirm, but Maurice had learned to turn the tables on his opponents. He knew Jess’s weakness, now he wanted to find Bryant’s. “You never did think for yourself. I saw that much with my own eyes. You latched onto Alex because you didn’t have anyone else. My son did you a favor hanging out with you.”

Tanner simply shook his head so Maurice pushed him.

“I know what this is all about. You need someone to fuck with since you don’t have your prison buddies to fuck anymore? Is that it? You’re missing your boyfriends in Leavenworth.”

Aside from the darkening of his already dark eyes, Bryant didn’t budge. “Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility.”

Maurice hadn’t known where Bryant served his time. Hadn’t cared. “You went in there pretty scrawny. Bet you got used to being somebody’s bitch.”

“You’d have liked that, wouldn’t you, Juneau?” Bryant’s gaze didn’t waver as he stepped closer. The urge to check if he’d replaced the carpet burned in Maurice. He fisted the small screwdriver, kept eye contact and made sure Bryant’s gaze didn’t stray as he continued to speak. “I’m thinking I should call a few of the guys that were into that. Let ’em know I have a world class chump just waiting for a little action.”

Bryant was full of shit. Maurice hadn’t paid too much attention to him when he’d hung around Alex all those years ago. Teenagers were usually full of crap, but it was interesting that Bryant thought he could use scare tactics.

“What are you getting – Romantic Times.

“What makes you think I won’t beat the hell out of you right now?” Bryant asked. He spread his legs, got more comfortable in his spot. “Whether she delivers you or the money doesn’t mean you have to look good when it happens. If she does deliver the money, then you’re all mine. Either way, you might want to drop that smile.”

Maurice didn’t. He wanted to stick it to Bryant any way he could. “Yeah, I’

 {atlistened

Chapter Twelve

A sense of accomplishment filled Jess as she jumped out of the car and sprinted into the house. She’d called Tanner after leaving the condo, so he knew she was on her way. “Tanner?” She set the computer on the kitchen counter and checked the den and living room. “Are you in here?”

Silence. Which meant he had to be in the studio. With Maurice. A seed of worry blossomed in her gut, but she fought the feeling before backtracking into the kitchen and rushing outside. Tanner had promised he wouldn’t go back on his word. He’d told her he’d left Maurice alone to stew but planned to check on him before she returned. So why was her stomach turning summersaults?

Jess opened the studio door and the hinge creaked.

Tanner turned as she stepped inside. Behind him, a flash of movement widened Jess’s eyes. Her pulse skyrocketed as Maurice launched himself at Tanner. Jess couldn’t get a warning out. Didn’t have the air in her lungs or words on her tongue. Tanner must have sensed the danger because he tried to dodge Maurice’s body as he reached in his waistband for his gun. Too late. Maurice slammed into him hard. The gun bounced out of Tanner’s reach. Maurice landed on top of him, pinning Tanner’s right arm beneath him as he lifted his fist high in the air, ready to strike. Something flashed, and paralyzed, Jess could only stare, horrified, as Maurice viciously came down with a weapon in his hand. Tanner caught his wrist before the weapon imbedded in his head. A screwdriver? Maurice had a screwdriver in his hand!

Maurice’s face was a mask of determination as he bared his teeth and fought like an animal. She never would’ve given him credit for half the strength she saw, but adrenaline did amazing things for the blood stream.

Jess screamed. She had no idea what came out of her mouth, she was only aware of the pounding in her head, the violence and danger happening in front of her. She searched for something, anything that might help and spotted Tanner’s gun on the floor.

Oh, God, she’d never held a gun. Hated guns with all her heart. But with shaking hands she picked it up and shouted one more time. “Stop!”

Both men continued to struggle. Sweat beaded Maurice’s forehead as he adjusted and delivered several hard punches with his left fist, landing square in Tanner’s face. The movement threw Maurice off balance and Tanner shifted enough to get his arm free. He returned the punch, knocked Maurice off him.

Jess almost breathed a sigh of relief. Until Maurice reached under his pant leg. Tanner lunged, but stopped short as he stared down the barrel of the gun and a satisfied smile on Maurice’s face.

“You’re such a stupid fuck,” Maurice growled. “You were stupid then, and seven years in prison never changed you. You couldn’t even hold me for a fucking day.”

Jess lifted the gun. It was heavier than she expected, cool in her damp palms. She pointed it at her boss. “Maurice, p-put the gun d-down,” she said. Her voice shook, her raw nerves rattled in desperation. streaked down her facein"

Maurice didn’t bother looking at her and Tanner didn’t either. They kept their eyes on each other as Maurice sneered. “You pat me down for a gun, but you’re too stupid to find it.”

When had Maurice ever carried a gun? How come she hadn’t known about this?

Panic rose and made Jess sick to her stomach. She couldn’t shoot him, but she couldn’t let him shoot Tanner. “Maurice, I won’t say it again, put the g-gun d-down.” She put her finger more securely on the trigger.

“What are you going to do, Jess?” Maurice taunted, never letting his gaze move from Tanner’s. “Stutter me to death?” The barb barely registered and he went on. “
I’m
going to do what I should’ve done years ago, Bryant. I’m going to put you out of your misery. How’s that? No prison. No life. Just death. Maybe I’ll make Jess here dig your grave. She seems to like you. Doesn’t seem to faze her that you took it up the ass in prison.” Standing a few feet from Tanner, Maurice wouldn’t miss if he fired.

Tanner’s nostrils flared. His fists clenched with unleashed fury.

Nausea roiled in Jess’s stomach. She adjusted her aim, toward the ceiling. She wanted to scare Maurice, not shoot him. He hadn’t even glanced at her, still had no idea she had a gun. She added a bit more pressure to the trigger.

“Adios, asshole.” Maurice grinned, lifted the gun a fraction and took a step forward.

The gun exploded in Jess’s hand, shocked her. The kick vibrated in her palms. Everyone flinched as a spark flashed overhead

Deadly silence descended over the room. Maurice swayed and the gun fell from his hand. He dropped to his knees then keeled over on his side.

What the… What happened?

Her gut clenched. The possibilities swirled in her head. “No,” she whispered. The room tunneled, until Maurice was the only thing she saw. She waited for him to get up, trained the gun on him in case he tried to shoot Tanner.

Maurice, get up.
But the words wouldn’t come. She didn’t have an ounce of spit in her mouth. The gun felt heavy in her hand, a thousand pounds of steel bogging down her whole soul. She willed him to move anything at all.

“Oh, Jesus,” Tanner muttered. Funny, how she heard his words so clearly when the gun blast still reverberated in her head, in her whole body. He knelt next to Maurice, put two fingers to his throat. A few seconds later he looked at her, his eyes wide, filled with a mixture of panic and surprise. He saw the gun and edged toward her. “Jess, drop it.” Yes, she wanted to. She wanted to give him the gun, but she couldn’t move her fingers. They stayed locked tight around the butt. Tanner put his hand over the muzzle, lowered the weapon as he eased it from her grasp. “I’ve got it. Let go,” he whispered.

She swallowed hard and shook her head. “Maurice?” she asked. She moved toward him. “He took a step,” she blurted. “I wasn’t aiming for him. I,” Tanner muttered. sat purposely raised the gun high.” She knelt next to him, shook his shoulders. “No, no, no. Maurice! Get up! I didn’t even hit you!” She turned back, looked at Tanner as desperation strangled her chest. “Help me,” she wailed. “We need to get him help.”

Tanner just stood there, watching her, his eyes dark, unreadable. But Maurice’s eyes…they were sightless. Open and staring at nothing. How could that be?

The flash from overhead. Jess looked up at the dozen or so sculpted steel guitars hanging down. Blake had been making them for two years. One had a ding in the bottom. A ricochet?

Then she spotted it….the trickle of blood that ran next to Maurice’s ear. She followed it to the neat hole in his head, hardly any blood except that little trail next to his thin sideburn. Her stomach clenched, bile backed up in her throat.

Dead? He was dead?

No, no. This couldn’t be happening. “I told him to drop it,” Jess cried. Maurice was her only hope. Without him, she didn’t get her family back. “I t-told him.”

“I know,” Tanner said, taking her shoulders and helping her to her feet. Her legs barely held her and he picked her up, cradled her in his arms as he stalked out of the room.

“Tanner!” She fought his hold, looked back to Maurice. “What are you doing? We need to do something.” The last word drowned in a sob as Jess’s world crashed in around her.
This
wasn’t an option. She couldn’t lose Maurice. She needed him. Without him, she had no leverage, nothing to bargain with. She buried her head against Tanner’s neck as the full realization set in. “Oh, my God. What did I do? What did I do?” She chanted the words over and over.

She’d sealed her family’s death.

____________

She’d saved his life, but that hadn’t registered with her yet. Tanner wondered if it ever would. All she knew was that Juneau was dead and she’d killed him. Didn’t matter how inadvertent or accidental it was.

It was his fault. Tanner shouldn’t have left him alone. He should’ve watched the scumball like a hawk. But if he’d stayed in that room, he would’ve killed Juneau. Remembering all the vile comments Juneau made about Jess still had Tanner’s blood hot. Pulling the trigger and seeing the fear in Juneau’s eyes had only satisfied him a little. If he’d listened to him another minute, he’d have a put a bullet between the man’s eyes, but he’d given Jess his word so he’d stuck to it. He’d left Maurice alone for the better part of forty minutes. Forty minutes for Tanner to cool off. Forty minutes that had changed everything.

Now it was all over. He’d lost his chance. Sure, he got the result he’d come for, but even if he took the blame, which he planned to, Jess was the one who’d pulled the trigger. She was the one who had to live with it.

Tanner held Jess close against his chest as she fell apart. How the hell were they going to get out of this? He her chest rose and felld lopened the back door and set her in a chair at the kitchen table. He crouched in front of her, held her face in his hands. “Jess, we’ll figure something out.”

She yanked away from him. “How?” she roared. “How am I going to get the money if he’s dead? I can’t even deliver Maurice now.” Her flushed face twisted in horror as she shot out of the chair, forcing it over, nearly toppling Tanner too. “I’ve killed them. I killed Maurice and I may as well have killed my whole family.”

He saw Juneau’s laptop on the counter. “We still have the computer. Maybe we can—”

“Don’t you get it?” she screamed, turning on him, her eyes wide and wild. “I killed him. There’s no negotiating. No way to get my family back.” She dropped her head in her hands. “I didn’t mean to. Oh, God, I didn’t mean to.” She sank to the floor and Tanner’s heart bled as her sobs echoed in the big room. “I just wanted to scare him. He never looked at me! He didn’t see I had a gun.”