Deadly Intentions (14 page)

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Authors: Candice Poarch

BOOK: Deadly Intentions
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21
Lisa actually said a prayer when she went into Personally Yours, Cornell's restaurant, Saturday morning. She was feeling halfway decent again. Brian was sticking to her like glue and there hadn't been any incidents since the rear-end collision.
Gabrielle had called the night before to tell her the B and B was packed with guests eager for the crab fry, which only added to Lisa's worry. What if the crabs weren't as good as her grandmother's?
There you go again, Lisa, second-guessing yourself. Just get the job done, already. You've fried crabs before. Even for the crab fry.
Cornell and Kelly were at the restaurant when she and Brian arrived.
The men had already cleaned the crabs and stored them in Cornell's industrial fridge.
“I need a couple of guys to load in the supplies from my car.” She'd already mixed together the dry ingredients and the wet separately.
“I deserve your grandmother's recipe this time, Lisa,” Cornell said. “Even when she comes here to fry crabs I never get her recipe. I want to serve it in the restaurant.”
“You're going to have to get it from her. I don't care if you have it, but Grandma is particular about who has her recipes.”
“But I've been in the family for almost a year now,” he joked. “And yet you treat me like a stepchild.”
“I'm not getting on Grandma's bad side,” Lisa told him. “She'd treat both of us like stepchildren if I did.” The truth was her grandmother liked Cornell. He'd sweet-talk that recipe out of her eventually.
Lisa knew how to make the batter from watching Naomi mix ingredients together since she was old enough to stand in a chair and stir. The recipe wasn't written anywhere. Naomi added various ingredients until it was the right texture with the correct blend of spices. And that was how Lisa prepared it, too.
She'd watched her grandmother do this for twenty-some years. Lisa glanced around as she waited for the grease in the fryer to heat to the correct temperature. The advantage of working in a professional kitchen was the industrial fryer that would cook several times the amount Grandma could do with her cast-iron frying pan.
The grease was almost hot enough to immerse the crabs. But Lisa was missing her grandmother so much she needed to hear her voice. She retrieved her cell phone from her pocket and dialed the number.
“Hey, Grandma,” Lisa said. “Hope I didn't wake you.”
“Hey, baby. I've been up for hours. How are things?”
“Just fine. I'm almost ready to fry the crabs.”
“Oh, I can almost taste them. You're a great cook.”
“No,
you're
the great cook. I learned my cooking skills from you.”
“It's ready,” Cornell said. “Want me to put them in?”
“I'll do it,” Lisa said. This was her job. “Got to go, Grandma. I just wanted to say hi.”
“I'm glad to hear from you, baby.”
Lisa hung up and dipped the first batch of crabs in the batter and immersed them into the grease one by one. Kids had dragged chairs up around the table in anticipation.
The crabs fried up quickly. The scent of the cooking seafood swiftly permeated the room and the mouth-watering aroma had the kids begging to eat the first batch. The bell rang and Cornell lifted out the basket and poured the crabs on a wire rack.
One little kid ran to the table, but Lisa caught him before he could touch the hot crabs. “Wait until they cool some, sweetie,” she said, just like her grandmother always told them.
He ran back to his seat and stood on the chair. Lisa tore a piece in half for Cornell and her to try.
He tasted and smacked his lips. “Just like your grandma's,” he said. “I've got to tell her she's got competition.”
Lisa smiled. It
was
as good as her grandmother's. She battered the next batch and put them in the fryer. It didn't take long for the crabs to cool. She took a couple off and set the rest in the center of the table for the kids.
She placed the two she saved on a plate and handed them to Brian.
His eyes lit up at the first bite. “And I thought I'd eaten fried crabs before. They were nothing like this.”
Greg had attended the crab fry with his brother and his brother's wife the year before. They'd stayed at the B and B, but he'd stayed at one of the nicer hotels on Virginia Beach. To Deana's distaste, he'd spent the day on the island with them.
Deana enjoyed taking off-the-beaten-path excursions with his brother, but she hated it when Greg tagged along. Most of the time, Greg stayed home or did his own thing. He didn't like her any more than she liked him, but he'd wanted to meet the family who owned the bowl.
It was nearly three when he strolled in. The restaurant was packed and the patrons all seemed to be eating the crabs. He sat at a table near a window. It was a sunny day and the water was clear.
A perky teenager approached him. “Do you need a menu?” she asked.
“I just want an order of crabs,” he told her.
“What sides would you like with them?”
Greg ordered the same thing he ordered the year before. Cole slaw and potato salad.
When she left to get his order, he watched the people around him. A buzz of conversation hummed in the air; often laughter crackled. Those Claxtons thought they were big shots on the island, Greg thought. Parading that bowl up, talking about how long their family had been there. How brave they were. How rich in family they were if not in money.
It occurred to him he didn't see Lisa. She was usually one of the first ones there.
He smiled. They were never going to see that precious bowl again.
Alyssa Claxton came in dressed in jeans and a blazer. For a moment she stood in the door watching as if she owned the entire world.
Greg sneered. Just like a Claxton.
Suddenly, Lisa came in from the kitchen with an apron tied around her and a chef's hat on her head. If she was a chef, he'd eat the shell on his crab.
Her eyes settled on Greg and she approached him, and uninvited, took the seat across from him.
“Well, well, well. Gregory Doyle. What are you doing in my neck of the woods?”
“You raved about those crabs so much when we were in college, I thought I'd check them out. I'm vacationing in Virginia Beach.”
She nodded. “What have you been up to?”
“The same thing. I heard you all have quite the artist community here. Thought I'd check that out. I came last year, but I didn't see you.”
“I'm usually around somewhere.”
Greg nodded. “I might be back for Founder's Day. Will you serve the crabs then?”
“They boil them there, but never fry them. There's plenty of good food. Cornell usually has a booth with his staff.”
“Are the boiled ones as good as the fried?”
“If you love crabs. They're just different.” Lisa stood. “I'm the cook today. Enjoy your dinner. I have to get back to work.”
Lisa walked with Alyssa to the kitchen, stopping several times to speak to friends, family, and guests.
“Brian better watch out,” Alyssa said. “Looks like he has some competition.”
“That little snot?” Lisa snorted.
Alyssa glanced over her shoulder. “Who is he?”
“We went to college together. He was a weirdo. You don't want the details. And the quicker he gets off the island, the better I'd feel.”
Lisa peeped out at him. One of the servers placed a platter of crabs in front of him. He offered her a cold smile before she left to help another customer.
Lisa shivered. She didn't know why, but a chill went straight through her. His eyes were cold. He tore into the crab and his eyes veered toward the kitchen. Then she realized what disturbed her. He had a baby face but his eyes were predatory.
Alyssa grabbed a plate of crabs and ate in the kitchen. Twenty minutes later, she approached Lisa. “You outdid yourself, cous. At least someone was listening when Grandma tried to drill how to make fried crabs into our brains. She'd be proud.”
Lisa smiled as she placed another batch in the fryer basket. She'd been getting praises all day.
From his table Ben Storey watched the byplay with Lisa and some dude. He also watched the dude eye her as she went back to the kitchen. Ben had stopped by with just enough time to eat an order of crabs on his way to work. He'd hoped to eat them with Lisa, but she hadn't even seen him.
He saw the guy she brought to her birthday party. If there was nothing between them, why was he hanging around? Lisa usually told the truth, but Ben wasn't so certain in this case.
His order finally arrived and he began to eat. Those crabs were damn good. Everybody was saying Lisa was cooking them since her grandmother was laid up. She sure could cook. How nice it would be to have a woman who actually cooked. Most of them didn't anymore.
Ben had to figure out a way to reel Lisa in. He'd made plans for his life. And she was definitely part of them.
The crab fry was finally over. With two take-out containers of crabs—one for her grandparents and one for Brian and her later—Lisa and Brian headed to her grandmother's.
“Brought some crabs for you and Grandpa,” Lisa called out as she let herself in. She kissed her grandmother and said, “I know you can only taste one.”
“Don't you start that. As much as I love the first crabs of the season, I'm not limiting myself.”
“Not this time. You're on a restricted diet. I want you to get better.”
“She's right, honey,” her grandfather said. Hoyt had refused to leave his wife—even for the crab fry. That was saying something. Especially when they had been going through their share of problems lately.
“I'm going to fix Granddad a plate and then we can talk,” Lisa said.
When Lisa left, Brian approached Mrs. Claxton. “How are you, ma'am?”
“I'm great. I can see Lisa is, too.”
He smiled. “I have to tell you those crabs were the best I've tasted.”
“Have a seat,” she said.
They were in the den. Two rockers faced the TV. She occupied one. Her husband had been in the other before Brian and Lisa arrived.
The elder Claxtons probably watched TV together and fell asleep side by side.
Now, that was the life,
Brian thought. To reach the senior years together and still share affection. If his mother made it through three years of marriage, it was monumental.
“It was my mother's recipe,” Mrs. Claxton was saying. “Is your home in Virginia Beach?”
“No. My dad was career Navy. We moved a lot until he and my mother split. My father was just leaving Seattle for San Diego. She stayed behind. So I spent most of my youth in Seattle.”
“Where does she live now?”
“She recently moved to Chicago.” He left out “to be with her latest husband.” It would be a miracle if that marriage lasted two years.
He rarely talked about his family, but he found himself comfortable with Mrs. Claxton. He and Lisa stayed an hour before they left.
“You're stronger than you think, Lisa,” Brian said as he drove her home.
“What makes you say that?”
“You're making decisions you never would have made before. Refusing to hire Jackie for one. You handled the crab fry just fine.”
“That did go well, didn't it? I'm happy about that. But I'm sad about Jackie. I wanted to hire her.”
“When she's ready to work, you will. That's the best you can do.”
22
Jackie got a free meal at the restaurant but hadn't stuck around to help out. Lisa and Cornell had fried the crabs. The only thing left was helping to serve—and that duty was filled by cousins and high school students—and washing dishes. She wasn't doing the dishes.
Jackie eyed the gas gauge. She had just enough to get to the mainland and back. And just enough money in her pocket to pay Magdelena.
Jackie was desperate. She needed money. Lisa had paid her the day before, but half a day's work wasn't enough to buy groceries for the week. Her mom and dad were getting on her last nerve. And she didn't have Lisa to hang out and vent with any longer.
Jackie sighed. They weren't really friends anymore, no matter how much Lisa tried to deny it. And she wasn't going to hire her to clean houses. All she did was bitch about her not cleaning well enough.
You missed the corners, Jackie. The bathroom isn't clean. I can see dirt.
Lisa had turned into a royal bitch, just like the other cousins.
Jackie hissed between her teeth. Lisa could have given her a supervisory job. She didn't have to make her clean. Jackie hadn't even wanted a job cleaning anyway. She was desperate, was all. That's the only reason she took the job in the first place. She could do better than that.
Her cell beeped. Jackie checked out the number. It was her mom. Jackie ignored it. Then the phone beeped with a message. Her mother was bitching that Jackie hadn't cleaned her room and bathroom that morning like she'd promised.
God, she had to play the numbers. She needed a job that would get her out of her parents' house and on her own. With a rich sister like Vanetta, Lisa had it made. Why couldn't someone give her a break like that? Why couldn't Vanetta?
Lisa should've asked Vanetta to help me out,
Jackie thought with a twinge of jealousy. Vanetta was rolling in dough.
One thing she knew. People rolling in money were as cheap as hell.
She was going to try with Magdelena one more time. Jackie had a set of good numbers. She was desperate. She couldn't wait any longer for her windfall.
“All I want is a hot shower and sleep,” Lisa said, falling on the bed. “It's been a hell of a day.”
Brian kneaded her shoulders. “Why don't I run the tub? You can relax there.”
Lisa tossed him a mischievous gleam. “You're going to bathe me all over, too?”
Silence. Then, “Anything to please.”
Lisa chuckled.
Brian headed to the bathroom. “Be right back.”
A minute later, she heard water running in the tub. Lisa called out, “Don't forget the bubbles.”
“Already done.” He stood in the door. “Want me to undress you, too?”
Lisa turned her head and smiled tiredly at him. “Yeah.”
“With pleasure.”
He started with removing her shoes and footies. She ran her foot down his good thigh.
“Baby, you keep that up and we might not make it to the tub.”
“I'm not very sexy smelling like fried crabs.” The crab smell was even in her hair.
“You're sexy all the time.”
Lisa chuckled. “You're good for my ego, you know that?”
He kissed her. The slow movement of lips against skin was sweet and delicate—enticing even. Oh, so enticing.
Lisa sighed and gave herself up to the delicious feel of his hands and lips on her body.
She'd settled well into their foreplay with him pulling clothes off her and kissing her, driving her wild with need. He hovered beside her when he spoke, his lips close to hers. “Water's ready. Now, at any other time, I'd sweep you up in my arms and take you to the tub.”
Lisa moaned. “I'm going to hold you to that, mister. And I've got a long memory.”
“Looking forward to it,” he said, pulling the last article of clothing off her.
They walked to the tub together. She settled deep into the clawfoot. With his wounds he couldn't take tub baths yet, so with longing, Lisa watched him leave the room.
In minutes he was back handing her a glass of wine.
“You're spoiling me. I could get used to this very quickly,” Lisa said.
“Good.”
She watched his gorgeous body as he undressed and climbed into the shower. He definitely had an exceptional physique, Lisa thought. Even with the injuries, the hard-packed swimmer's muscles were sleek and well defined. A pleasure to look at and feel against her body. She stifled a moan around a sip of wine.
Setting the glass aside, she picked up the washcloth and began to wash.
By the time Brian got out of the shower, she'd drunk half her wine.
“I hope you're ready, babe, because I can't wait much longer.”
Lisa rinsed off. “I'm ready,” she said, climbing out.
Minutes later, they were in bed. Brian kissed her heated body, driving her insane with need.
“Are you still tired?”
“I'm well rested,” she whispered, running her hands across his back.
“Sure?”
In lieu of an answer, Lisa dragged his lips down to hers.
This was not the frenzied pace of the first encounter. They took their time, explored each other's pleasure points. But when they came together it was as intense, as pleasurable as the first meeting of bodies. They rocked to a tune that was as old as time until they both screamed out in pleasure.
Afterward Lisa sighed and settled comfortably in Brian's arms.
This feels good,
she thought, but she knew better than to get too used to it. For now she was going to enjoy this. She turned to face him and traced the back of her hand across his face.
He captured her finger in his mouth and slid his tongue seductively over it. “You're quite a woman, Lisa Claxton,” Brian whispered in her ear.
She turned over and within two minutes Brian heard and felt her even breathing. She was asleep. He snuggled her close to him. This was the closest to heaven he'd ever been.
He heard the soothing sound of the tide outside. The lapping waves slowly relaxed him. He had almost dozed off, too, when he heard a faint noise that was out of sync with the steady surf washing against the shore. He lay quietly for a moment. Several seconds ticked by before he heard the noise again—closer this time.
Quickly, Brian shook Lisa, with his hand over her mouth.
She jerked awake.
“Get under the bed,” he whispered close to her ear.
“What's going on?”
Brian got up, made his way to the window and peeked outside. The moon was up, and he saw a boat bobbing at the shore. Three guys, all dressed in black, skulked toward the house. They had guns.
“We've got visitors.”
“What?”
“Someone's coming to the house with weapons. Call the police and hide.”
Brian rooted around for his jeans and quickly stepped into them.
Lisa had pulled on a shirt.
The guys were gearing up to break into the house at two different angles. More than likely the leader was in front. He was headed to the deck. The other one had gone around the front of the house.
Lisa was scared speechless, but she couldn't hover under the bed like a frightened rabbit while Brian took all the risks. This was her home. He wasn't completely healed and she had to help him.
Remembering the bat she kept in her closet, she retrieved it after she called 9-1-1. The dispatcher was on the phone, but Lisa couldn't talk after she reported what was happening. One of the intruders might hear her.
Brian was beside the door to the deck when the guy picked the lock and eased inside. It took only seconds for Brian to incapacitate him with one quick chop. Brian caught him as he fell. He eased the guy to the floor without a sound.
Someone was coming in the front door. Brian quickly made his way there, realizing he'd have to deal with two of them. He hoped Lisa was well hidden and help was on the way. If he were in top form, he could handle them easily.
When he neared the door, he nearly bumped into someone. He'd nearly taken Lisa out before he realized who it was. He grabbed her by the shoulders.
She jumped before she realized it was Brian. He shoved her toward the bedroom as the front door burst open.
Too late.
He shoved her behind him, telling her to run when the first shot rang out.
In one swift movement, Brian hunkered down and returned fire with his own gun at the same time he said, “Get out of here, Lisa,” hating to give away his position.
A thud hit the floor. Two down but there was still another one out there.
He heard running footsteps.
“Stay put, Lisa,” he said, and sprinted after the guy. But his bum leg wouldn't let him catch up to him. The man had disappeared into the dark by the time Brian rounded the corner of the house. The boat was quickly pulling away from shore when Brian heard sirens in the distance.
Cursing, Brian went back to the house. The light was on and the man by the front door was dead. The other one was coming to and Lisa stood over him with her bat ready to knock him out again.

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