Awakening Her Racy Passion [Racy Nights 9] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (25 page)

She finally decided that she had to do something because whoever was working on this house would come back eventually, and she didn’t want them to catch her either. She walked slowly past the homes, her eyes glued to the back of Pearl’s shop. Her pulse raced and her legs shook, but she kept moving.

She was almost past Pearl’s shop, and kept resisting the urge to run so she didn’t slip on the ice which still covered parts of the gravel, when she heard Pearl’s name mentioned. Ria scooted around the corner and listened. She could be seen from Tye Me Up, but the only windows in the shop that faced this side were upstairs. No one could see her from the street, and there was nothing beyond the alley except what was left of Skeeter McCree’s farm, and the water treatment plant in the distance. She was in the perfect spot to eavesdrop.

There were four voices, and each one was distinct. She took out her cell phone and opened the Note feature, then typed two or three words that described each voice, and tried to keep up with what they were saying. She briefly considered trying to record their conversation, but if she was too far away for the tiny microphone to adequately pick up their voices, her efforts would be for nothing.

“She hasn’t signed the second contract. She won’t return my calls or texts anymore. I say it’s time to pull out of here. That idiot Meyers got himself sent to prison because he wouldn’t let you take care of Gerry Homer.” That was the voice she labeled “gravel.”

“Yeah, but Homer is dead, and Meyers is in prison for three years.” This voice she called “whiny.”

“Doesn’t mean he won’t talk.”

“He would have done so by now to get out of a prison term.”

“What about Goodman?” This third voice she called “deep.”

“What about her?” And the fourth voice she called “like Claude” because it reminded her of Claude Busler, who owned Busler’s Department Store.

“She could still talk.”

“She’s too scared, plus she had her chance already as well. Ted and I are watching these people. They’re hicks.”

Now she knew one of the men that Gina had described was named Ted, but which one?

“How do you know they haven’t done more behind the scenes?”

As soon as “like Claude” asked that question, Ria heard sirens in the distance. Wyatt had called the cops, of course. She put her phone away and ran toward the parking lot behind Tye Me Up, praying none of the men noticed her doing so. Once she was inside the shop, she leaned against the nearest wall to catch her breath, grateful now that Kari and Alexa had so many customers today.

She had to tell someone what she’d heard in Pearl’s shop, but if she did, she’d also have to tell Trent and Wyatt that she’d been inside one of the shops under construction, and had hidden next to Pearl’s shop to listen to the four men.

Those men had a lot of balls to simply walk behind the homes during the day, and then go into the one still marked off by police tape. But then, she’d been in the alley for close to half an hour, and no one had spotted her, either. They must have known it wouldn’t be busy this time of day, which meant they were watching Racy and its residents more closely than any of them had realized.

When Chad and Harrison came into Tye Me Up, they talked to Kari and Alexa for a few minutes, but then they turned to leave. Had the men gotten away before the cops arrived? More than likely they had. Why had they come with their damn sirens blazing? Ria wanted to kick herself. She should have hidden somewhere to watch them leave the house so she could describe the other two, or see where they went. But at least she could tell Harrison and Chad what she’d heard.

She waited until they went outside then followed them. “I know I’ll have to tell Trent and Wyatt about this, but I have to let someone know.” She explained where she’d been, what she’d seen, and then showed them her notes. “The other two men were construction workers. So maybe Emma knows all their names by now, and can tell you which two weren’t in Nan’s Place for lunch today?”

Chad smiled and nodded. “Good reasoning. Maybe you should become a cop?” He then asked her to e-mail him a copy of her notes, and she did. They both told her that they’d give her time today to tell Wyatt and Trent about this herself, but that she also needed to come to the station and type out a formal statement.

“I’ll be happy to do that. And thank you. Both of you.”

“Thank you for this,” said Harrison. “It helps a lot. But don’t do that again. Seriously. We don’t know what these men might do. You could have been hurt.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

Feeling like a petulant child, Ria decided not to do the rest of her errands and instead went home. She was paranoid now, and she hated that. This was her home. She kept glancing in her rearview mirror, watching for a maroon Jeep SUV or a white Chevy. What she’d done was totally foolish and dangerous. What the hell was wrong with her? She only wanted to be with Trent and Wyatt at that moment and confess the entire afternoon to them.

When she got home she called them both, but their phones went to voice mail. She texted each, telling them that she had something important to tell them. It was time to come clean to her Doms and accept the consequences. She wanted everyone to treat her like a grown-up, but she hadn’t acted like one. Not last night, nor this afternoon. She had to make some changes now, or she’d lose Wyatt and Trent. She’d lose the best thing that had ever happened to her.

Wyatt and Trent had both texted back earlier and told her they’d meet her in Luke’s Bar just before her shift. She waited in the kitchen for them, and was so relieved to see them both that she kissed them like she might never do so again.

“Are you okay?” asked Trent. “You’re trembling.”

“Just happy to see you both.”

Wyatt narrowed his eyes at her. “Were you still in Tye Me Up when the cops got there?”

She nodded. “But I have something else to tell you. Please don’t be upset with me.”

“Just tell us.”

Ria outlined what she’d done and heard, and then showed them the notes she’d emailed to Chad. “He and Harrison said they’d let me tell you both first. They weren’t trying to keep anything from you.”

“I’m just glad you’re okay, but I wish you hadn’t done this.” Wyatt looked so sad that Ria almost started to cry. “And you lied to me on the phone.”

“I know. I’m sorry, Sir. I didn’t want you to worry.”

“Ria, don’t lie to me. Not for any reason. Not ever.” His voice was soft but commanding, and full of just enough disappointment that now she did cry.

“I’m sorry, Sir,” she whispered. “You’re right. I was thinking about this on the way home from Tye Me Up. I want everyone to treat me differently, but then I go and do something like this. It’s hypocritical.
”

Wyatt nodded. “All right then. We’ll consider this particular matter closed, but you’re right. We do need to figure out a new plan for you. It’s not just the gossip. You seem to have a knack for placing yourself in danger.” He cut his gaze toward Trent. “What do you think?”

He cupped Ria’s face gently. “I think you’re very brave, and I also wish you hadn’t lied to Wyatt. But if he considers that over and done with, so do I. We won’t mention it again. If you want to change, it has to be more than simply not gossiping for a certain length of time. And, the trust we placed in you has to work both ways. You get that, right?”

She swiped at the last of her tears and nodded. “I do, Sir. I understand. I will never lie to either of you again. I swear it. Please forgive me.”

“It’s forgiven,” said Trent, releasing her face. “Over and done with. Right now, I’m more concerned with you hiding and eavesdropping. You placed yourself in danger.”

“I know. May I say something about last night? I’ve been waiting all day to do so. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

Wyatt brushed a finger along her face, cutting off her words. “Don’t worry about that right now.”

“But I have to know whether you two are upset with me about that. About my gossiping so much. It was like I had no control. A few drinks and my big mouth just goes off.”

The corners of Wyatt’s mouth turned up. “We’re not upset with you.”

“Why not? I don’t understand.”

“Because we didn’t expect you to be able to make it through the entire evening with no gossip. That’s why we changed the rules for one night.”

“We can talk more about it on Friday,” said Trent. “We’ll make a new plan for you.”

“You two would do that for me?”

“Of course. We want you to succeed at this, and at all your goals. Don’t you know that?”

“I do now. Thank you, Sir.”

Alexa came into the kitchen. “Sorry, but Luke needs you out there now.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll be right out.”

Alexa left, and then Wyatt and Trent stood up. Each of them hugged her and kissed her again.

“Stop worrying, okay?” asked Wyatt. “Everything is fine. We’ll talk about all of this on Friday. I promise.”

“Oh, I almost forgot to tell you this. Luke gave me the whole weekend off.”

“Excellent,” said Trent. “Then plan to spend it with us.”

Ria couldn’t help but smile at the look of obvious delight on his face. “Yes, Sir.”

They each kissed her again, and then they left. For the rest of her shift, Ria concentrated only on the positive things both men had said. It would be okay. Friday night was going to be intense, but she would love it, because her Doms cared about her, and wanted her to succeed. They were the only two people in her life who had pushed her to be better and work toward goals, and she wasn’t about to blow that.

* * * *

Trent drove down Lawnview Drive more times Wednesday and Thursday than he had in all the time he’d lived in Racy. He was looking for the men that Ria had told Chad and Harrison about. Apparently, most of the residents in Racy had also noticed these two strangers, but no one knew who they were.

That’s what he both hated and loved about small towns. If the people who lived there didn’t know you, they told everyone else about you, but no one approached you and asked who the hell you were, or why you were roaming their streets. Harrison had told Trent to leave it alone, but he wasn’t going to do that. Ria had done a really foolish thing, but it had also been very brave of her, and he wasn’t going to let anyone forget that piece of it. She’d given Chad and Harrison very detailed and useful information. That was the second time Ria had helped the cops by paying attention to distinct voices and little details.

At her suggestion, both detectives had talked to Emma and found out the names of the two construction workers who weren’t at Nan’s Place for lunch on Tuesday. If Ria hadn’t been in that alley and spotted the two workers, the cops wouldn’t know who else was working with this gang from Philadelphia. Both workers didn’t know how closely they were now being watched. They weren’t from Racy, either, and that pissed Trent off even further.

Trent had asked Zach, Chase, and Ellis why they hadn’t made sure more workers from Racy were in on this project, but all three had told him that they’d done their best to make sure that had happened. Trent hoped that was true. So for now, he concentrated on the vehicles he’d seen for the past two days, and on the faces. When he found those two, he was going to have a little talk with them, and he didn’t give a shit if Sean, Chad, and Harrison were all pissed off at him for doing so.

He never should have left Racy in the first place. He knew that now. But he was home again, and he intended to stay and make a life with Wyatt and Ria. And no one was going to come into his town and act like an asshole, simply because they were from a larger city. He wouldn’t tolerate strangers calling the residents “hicks,” and then trying to turn the most upscale shops they’d built in decades into fronts for organized crime. Fuck that shit. If Trent had anything to do with it, that crap would not go down in Racy. Not ever.

Those thoughts led him back to Ria. Tomorrow was Friday, and he and Wyatt had the entire weekend alone with her. He didn’t know how he was going to get through his shift tonight without having a raging hard-on the entire night, and right now, he didn’t care. She’d be worth it.

* * * *

Thursday morning, Ria stared at her phone for ten minutes before deciding that she owed her brother an apology in person, not over the phone. And, she knew where to find him. She first texted Wyatt and asked if it was all right that she show up at the warehouse and seek out Rafe, and why. Her phone rang within seconds of the text going through.

“I am so proud of you.”

“Thank you, Sir. It’s long overdue. But do you think it’s all right if I do it in person? I hate using the phone for stuff like that.”

“I’ll walk over there now and make sure he’s not in a meeting.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much. Should I wait to hear from you?”

“No. Drive over here.”

Ria’s hands were shaking by the time she parked in the lot and walked inside. She had to sign in, and once that was taken care of and she’d walked through the metal detector, she made her way to the maze of cubicles that housed the offices for the city. She knew her way around because Bonnie and Leela both worked in this building, so she easily found Rafe’s office.

The door was open and Wyatt was inside, perched on the edge of Rafe’s desk, talking to him as if they’d been lifelong friends. It was then that Ria remembered they had been. And yet, Wyatt still wanted to be with her. Once again, she was struck by how deeply she’d hurt everyone, but how Wyatt and Trent had overlooked all that and were helping her change.

“Come on in,” said Rafe.

Wyatt stood. “And that’s my cue. I have to get to court.” He gave Ria a meaningful look. “I’ll talk to you later.”

She nodded then faced Rafe. “May I close the door?”

“Sure, but the walls here are really thin, so keep your voice low unless you want everyone to hear what you have to say.”

She closed the door and took a seat. “I’m sorry, Rafe. For everything. For what I did last summer, and for waiting so long to come here and talk to you in person.”

“Thanks. I really do appreciate that. And I appreciate the way you reached out to Marisol. She’s been much happier since then. She’s really missed you. I don’t know if you realize that, but it’s true.”