Ryker’s Justice (4 page)

It had been summer, a hot day
with relentless sunshine baking down over the old house despite the shade trees
around it. His mom had been canning tomatoes so the kitchen rivaled hell for
heat. His older brothers had been gone haying, Jude thought, and his sisters
had spread a blanket on the front porch. From his perch in the tree house, he
had watched as they played with their dolls and pretended to be mommies, not
little girls. Then Jude recalled how he’d stretched out on his back to watch a
few clouds drift through the otherwise clear blue sky. He had decided each one
must be an animal or object in disguise, a game Adam had taught him, and
watched the parade of elephants, pirate ships in full sail, and bears cross the
sky.

Everything had been normal until
Esther stood up and announced she was going in to get some lemonade. Jude
remembered the sharp twang the old screen door made as it swung outward, and
how moments later his sister shrieked. Esther and Abigail both had been prone
to screaming and yelling worse than banshees, but this time there had been
something different in the sound, more alarm or something. His belly twisted
into a knot and by the time Esther burst through the door to fetch Abigail,
he’d known something was really wrong.

Mama, their lovely mother, lay in
the kitchen floor, a paring knife still clutched in one hand. On the stove, a
pan of peaches had begun to burn, and the smell soured him on the fruit
forever. They tried calling her, bathed her face with cold water, chafed her
hands, but Mama didn’t respond. By the time Daddy got home, his brothers in
two, it was over.

An aneurysm, the coroner had
said, something there’d been no way to know existed or prevent. No one’s fault,
he had said, but Jude never quite got past it. He lost his mama and learned that
sometimes fate guts you with the same swift cut used to clean fish.

“Jude?”
Nicole said. Her voice broke into his thoughts and pulled him back. “Are you
all right?”

“I’m
fine,” he said after a moment’s hesitation. “Mary made me think of Mama, that’s
all.”

After
a slice of apple tart, and thank God it wasn’t peach, topped with real whipped
cream, Jude watched Nicole help Mary clear the table. He watched Rick fire up a
thick cigar and exhale a cloud of smoke, but refrained from commenting.
It’s his place, his call, and his lungs,
Jude thought, but he hated the noxious stench so he pushed back from the table.
“I need to head out,” he said. “It’s been a long day and I’m beat.”

No
lie--fatigue dogged his brain and his body ached, but first he needed a few
minutes with Nicole. He headed toward the kitchen and almost collided with her
as she exited. “Hey,” he said. “I’m about to take off. Got a minute to walk me
to the truck?”

“Sure.”
Nicole linked her arm through his.

Neither
said anything until they were outside. Jude turned toward her. “So what time
should I pick you up tomorrow?”

“Anytime will be fine.
I guess it depends on whether
you want the dumplings for lunch or supper.”

“Supper,”
he said, although he hadn’t given it much thought. On impulse, he added, “And
since tomorrow’s Friday, I thought we’d go to the high school football game
afterward. I hear my nephew’s playing and I wouldn’t mind watching. You like
football?”

She
shrugged. “I guess. I’ve never been to a high school game before but I’ve
watched a little on TV.”

Jude
laughed. He couldn’t imagine high school without the excitement of the Friday
night lights, the pep assemblies, and the cheerleaders. “What kind of school
did you go to?” he asked. “Or did you just lack school spirit?”

Nicole
shook her head. “I attended an all girls’ school so no football or coed
activities,” she said. “I’d love to experience a football game. I’ll need some
time to cook so why don’t you pick me up
anytime
after one tomorrow afternoon?”

“I’ll
be here around one, then.”

“Okay,
I’m looking forward to it.”

A
brief, awkward silence stretched between them. Jude hated to part but he needed
to go and as far as he could tell, Nicole would linger if
he
did. Her eyes met his and he knew he needed a kiss before he
left.
One kiss,
he thought,
then I’ll go and maybe I’ll be able to sort
out all this shit I’m feeling.

He
didn’t ask permission. Jude moved forward in a single, powerful stride and
wrapped his arms around Nicole. When she glanced up, he bent to kiss her lips,
his mouth hungry, yet gentle. He had intended to keep it casual, a light kiss
between friends, but when she sighed, his desire ignited. As combustible as gasoline,
as unpredictable as old dynamite, her lips set off a series of explosions that
rocked his body and soul. Jude savored the kiss, as welcome as water when
thirsty and as intoxicating as fine wine. He caught his breath with wonder and
kissed until his need for air outweighed his desire. When he pulled back with
his arms still around her, she smiled and leaned against him.

“Wow,”
Nicole said.

Jude
traced the outline of her lips with one finger. “Yeah, wow’s the word.”

If
he kissed her again, he’d have to stay or take her home with him. Unwilling and
far from ready for such a step, he released her. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

A
smile lit her lips and put a sparkle in her eyes. “I’ll be looking forward to
it. Good night, Jude.”

There
were so many things he’d like to say but didn’t. “Good night, honey.”

Walking away required willpower.
Once behind the wheel he gunned the
old truck out of the parking lot and onto the blacktop with speed and drove
home, his mind full and cock stiff.

Chapter Four

A
steady rain awakened Jude, a habitually early riser, but he lingered in bed for
another half hour to savor the sound. Until he’d returned home, Jude hadn’t
enjoyed such a luxury. After coming back from the inn the night before, he had
tossed out the seasoned flour and changed the water on the squirrel. He’d gone
to sleep thinking about Nicole and wondering where their encounter might lead.

From
the first time he’d noticed her, she attracted and intrigued him. The time
spent with her increased the attraction and he anticipated the day with a zeal
he’d been missing for years. He replayed the kiss and the memory evoked his
desire. Jude stroked his cock with a light hand, enough to titillate without
jacking off, and shivered with pleasure. If things progressed between them, he
would look forward to making love to Nicole, slow and sweet.

He
tossed back the covers and strode naked into the kitchen. Jude plugged in the coffeepot
and showered while the brew perked. He drank two cups,
then
he scrambled two eggs in butter and settled down on the broad front porch with
his laptop. His routine seldom varied. Jude checked the national and local news.
He read three newspapers online and then his email. Because of the showers, he
visited the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) page to get
the current forecast. On a whim, he typed her name into the search bar and
waited for results.

Nicole
McAdoo turned out to be uncommon enough so that he found her within minutes,
especially after his search narrowed to the
Memphis
area. Jude learned McAdoo was her
maiden name, not her married surname. He spent an hour tracking down her former
husband’s name and when he found it, he learned far more than he had expected. Nicole’s
marriage proved simple to confirm since her wedding to Simon Norris remained in
the newspaper archives. She had been twenty-two and the bride beneath the
elaborate veil lacked a smile. Jude frowned at the groom’s smirk and the
possessive way he gripped Nicole’s arm. As owner of a large insurance agency,
Norris made a good living but a little more digging revealed some ugly truths.

Jude
tapped the scarred porch table with one finger and shook his head. He scanned
the articles more than once and sighed. His pretty little acquaintance had lost
both parents in a house fire two years earlier, one her then-husband had set to
claim the insurance money. Arson had been suspected before the ashes were cool,
and Simon Norris had been arrested three days after the fire and taken into
custody during the double funeral.

Nicole
filed for divorce within the month but Norris’ high-powered attorney blocked it
to prevent her testimony. After Simon’s conviction, the divorce proceedings
started and Nicole left town. Dozens of news articles about the crime, the
trial, and the divorce splattered mud in six directions. No damn wonder she
skedaddled to the Ozarks and hid out at the inn, Jude thought, and he
understood why she’d begun using her maiden name before the divorce was final.

All of this explains the pain and
sadness in her eyes.
He vowed to help her forget the ugliness and the loss. Jude decided not to
mention that he knew about her past. She would probably tell him on her own
timetable, and he could wait. Her ex resided in prison--a good thing because if
Jude had easy access, he’d kill the bastard and consider it a public
service.As
he pondered creative methods to use, his cell
phone vibrated in his hip pocket and he reached for it. Jude curled his lip
when he identified his boss as the caller.

“Ryker.
What’s the status of your
investigation?” Mark March asked without a greeting.

“Slow
as molasses in January,” Jude drawled, aware his colloquialisms drove the man
wild. “I haven’t been able to track down the perpetrators or the illegal liquor
operation, but I will.”

“You’ve
been on the case for months now. Are you sure you haven’t gone native?”

Fair question.
And the honest answer would be
that he had, to some extent. But it wasn’t what March wanted to hear, so he
spun his reply. “I haven’t,” he said. “At least no one has any idea why I’m
here. They all believe I’m home because it’s where the heart is.”

“That’s
sentimental bullshit.”

In
May he believed it without question. A few days ago he would’ve agreed, but now
he wasn’t as certain. “Yeah well, it’s where the
duty
is,” he said. “I want justice to be served.”

March
laughed with approval. “That’s right, that’s right. Try to get something
definitive, then, Ryker.”

“Will do.”

Jude
resisted the urge to add “over and out” as he ended the call. He switched from
daydreaming about ways to inflict pain on Nicole’s ex, to pondering how he
could dig up the details on the moonshiners. Each lead he pursued led nowhere, yet
he’d heard enough talk to know the operation existed. Puzzled, he had bided his
time but with March riding his ass, he’d need to step up his investigation or
he might be pulled off the case. Because of Nicole he wanted to stay.

At
ten minutes to one, he rolled his truck to a stop outside the inn. Before he
could step down, Nicole came outside and headed in his direction. Jude leaned
across the seat and opened the door. “Hello, Nicole.”

God damn, she
blushed
a little
.
“Hi, Jude.”

“I
guess you’re ready to go.”

She
nodded. “Can we stop by a supermarket first? I need a few things and I figure
you probably won’t have them on hand.”

“Sure,
that’s no problem.”

He
drove the few miles along the two-line highway into the next town and parked.
She glanced at him with askance. “Aren’t you coming in with me?”

“I
can if you want,” he said. “But you need to understand first what it’ll mean.”

Confusion
clouded her pretty eyes. “What?”

“People
talk, honey, and their tongues seldom stop. If you go in, then it’s a woman, a
stranger, just a gal doing some grocery shopping. No biggie, right? But if
I
go with you, it’s Jude Ryker and a woman buying groceries together. At the very
least, everyone for twenty miles will decide we’re a couple and if they stretch
it as far as they can, it’ll turn out we’re living together, married, or
something. I don’t give a shit but I figured you might.”

An
odd expression flitted across her face,
then
vanished.
“I don’t,” she told him. “Trust me, I’ve had worse said about me in the past. If
you don’t mind, neither do I. So, will you come with?”

“Yeah,”
he said.

“Besides,”
she added, “I expect they’ll say we’re a couple anyway, after we go to your
nephew’s football game tonight.”

Damn,
she had a point. “Well, yeah, probably so.”

“And
if I’m not mistaken, this is kind of a date so maybe we are.
Or
could be.”

She’d
nailed that too. He wanted to explore the possibility of a relationship but as far
as he could tell, they had started one. “Okay, yeah. So let’s go.”

Inside
the small supermarket, they caught curious stares from the butcher, the produce
manager, all of the cashiers, and the bread man delivering products. His now-retired
high school math teacher nodded and grinned at them both as they passed the
soup display. Jude offered a smile in return and hoped luck would hold out
until they finished shopping. He didn’t want to make polite small talk but when
they headed down the baking supply
aisle,
his Aunt
Tillie lifted her blue-tinted head and shrieked. “Jude Ryker, as I live and
breathe, is that you?”