Tin Angel (25 page)

He reached into the backseat and popped open one of her suitcases, rifling through her belongings until he found what he was looking for—a thick, gray wool hat that she’d used for one of their scams. “Here, put this on,” he said, tossing it at her.

She raised her brows in surprise, but then understanding registered in her fabulous green eyes. “Good thinking.” She tucked her hair inside the hat, then reached into her purse and took out a silk scarf, which she draped around her neck and décolletage before buttoning up her coat. “Am I okay now?”

“Perfect.” Despite her faults, and she definitely had a few whoppers, he was lucky to have her in his life.

He walked with her to the rest room, then went into a convenience store for a bag of chips. A few minutes later, she was back by his side. “Hungry? Go grab something.”

She glanced over her shoulder at the food aisle. “Okay. Be right back.”

When she walked away, he picked up a bag of barbeque chips and headed over to the cooler to get something to drink. The bell above the store’s door tinkled as a customer entered.

Daryn barely took notice of the tall, stocky man until he heard Cassie say, “What do you think you’re doing? Take your hands off me.”

Instincts took over, and without thinking, he was at her side. A blinding rage consumed him when he saw the man’s hand on her upper arm. “Hey, creep. Don’t touch her.”

The next thing he knew, he curled his fingers into a fist, pulled his arm back, and connected his hand with the man’s chin. What happened after that was a blur. Daryn’s arms were held in a steel grip behind his back, and handcuffs had been slapped around his wrists.

Cassie watched in horror. The blood seemed to have drained from her face, even her lips. She clasped her hands over her mouth, but they couldn’t stifle her cries of dismay.

The man pulled a radio from his pocket and called for backup.

Shit. He’d slugged a cop.

“Hand it over, miss,” said the plainclothes officer.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she protested.

Daryn starred at Cassie in disbelief. “Oh, Cass. What have you done?”

“Nothing,” she sobbed, but she couldn’t lie to him. The awful truth was there in her eyes.

He shook his head sadly. “Give it up, baby. Game’s over.”

She stared at him for a moment, then reached into her handbag and pulled out a package of yogurt-covered pretzels.

Daryn’s shoulders sagged. He was a pro. His mother’s son, after all. Master of deceit. He’d scammed so many people he’d lost count, yet everything had come crashing down around him over something that cost less than five dollars. They’d been so close to living a new life too. By this time tomorrow, they’d have been in Jersey looking for real jobs. But it was too late now. Everything was over. He wondered what was going to happen to them.

Outside, red lights swirled and sirens blared. Seemed like too much activity for such a minor crime. Would he ever see Cass again? No matter what, he’d never forget her. She was the love of his life.

With Ally curled against him, Jack found it difficult to focus on the old Bing Crosby movie they were watching. Especially since every now and then she would move her hand up and down the back of his neck, gently stroking his hair.

He’d spent the last four days with her, making love and getting to know her better. He was beginning to think he might have misjudged her. She was sweet and wonderful—far from the monster Pastor Riley believed her to be.

The squeal of tires and the roar of an engine—a sports car engine—shifted his thoughts away from the woman in his arms to another woman—one he hoped would stay in his past. Bethany! Though he couldn’t fathom why she’d come here. He hadn’t returned her calls about spending the holiday together. Would she be so bold as to come anyway…uninvited? His chest tightened as an uncomfortable thought sprang to mind. He hoped she hadn’t come to resurrect their relationship.

When he rose from the sofa, Ally looked up at him, her gorgeous eyes questioning. “I think Bethany’s here.” The words were like poison on his tongue. He hated to think what his ex-fiancée’s arrival would do to his cozy evening with Ally.

“What?” Her shock was apparent in her voice and the chalky color of her skin. “Did you invite her?”

He was stupefied that she’d think that. “Of course not.”

“Then what’s she doing here?”

“I have no idea, but I’m sure we’re about to find out.” The second he uttered those words, a loud rapping sounded on the door. “I’ll get it. You stay put,” Jack said, heading toward the foyer.

“The heck I will.” Ally sprang off the sofa and was on his heels. “I want to know why she’d drive from Boston, fighting traffic, to see you. I mean, if things are over between you two…”

Jack looked over his shoulder at her. He hated that she doubted him. “I haven’t lied to you. My relationship with Bethany is over.” Relief crossed her beautiful face. He patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry. Everything’s okay. I promise.” He opened the door to a burst of wintry air.

“Surprise and happy New Year, Jack.” Bethany’s smile turned into a frown as she stared past him to Ally.

“I thought your landlady was ninety.” She pushed by him, not bothering to remove the snow packed around the stiletto heels of her black leather boots. Her gaze swept Ally from head to toe. “I might not be the best at guessing someone’s age, but I’m sure this girl can’t be more than twenty-something.” Her usually controlled tone was high-pitched, and her voice quivered slightly when she spoke.

Jack draped an arm across her shoulders, careful not to muss the fox-fur collar on her coat. Bethany hated to have a hair out of place, even if it wasn’t her own. “This is Ally, my landlady’s niece.”

She kept her hands firmly planted on her hips, making no attempt to shake Ally’s outstretched hand. “Under different circumstances I’d say, ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you,’ but seeing as I’ve interrupted your…” She let the words fade, as if finishing the sentence was distasteful.

Ally moved around them to shut the door, but not before a burst of snow blew in. “Bethany, please come inside and have a seat,” she said, shooting Jack a curious gaze. “How about a cup of tea? You must be exhausted from the drive.”

The tightness around Bethany’s mouth started to subside. Flicking a snowflake from her coat as if it were a speck of dirt, she strolled into the parlor. “That would be lovely.”

“Great. Make yourself at home, and I’ll go put the kettle on.”

Jack watched as Ally hurried toward the kitchen before he followed Bethany into the parlor. He admired Ally’s tact in handling what could have been an explosive situation.

Bethany was lounging comfortably on the sofa. She patted the cushion next to her. “Come here and sit with me, love. The girl’s quite charming I have to admit, although a bit old fashioned, don’t you think? I’ve never heard anyone use the word ‘kettle’ before.”

Jack was used to Bethany’s sharp tongue, but he wouldn’t let her belittle Ally. He sent her a warning look and sat beside her.

She smiled seductively and wrapped her fingers around his hand. “She’s lovely, really.”

He knew she only said that to placate him. Anyone who threatened her spotlight became her prey, and with Ally’s classic features, she was sure to be a victim. Bethany’s icy looks were the complete opposite to Ally’s dark smoldering beauty. With champagne hair and pale blue eyes, Bethany turned heads wherever she went, but there was a hardness to her that kept her from being truly beautiful.

“Beth, what’s up? Why are you here?”

She leaned in so that her lips brushed his ear. “I’ve missed you,” she whispered, then with teeth as perfect as a strand of pearls, she began to nibble his lobe.

He pulled back, and she looked up.

“What’s wrong, love, you don’t desire me?”

“What’s wrong with
you
? It’s over between us. I thought that was made perfectly clear when I moved away.”

“Oh, darling, you know the phrase, ‘Distance makes the heart grow fonder.’ Well, that’s certainly been true for me. Hasn’t it been for you?”

Before he could answer, she pressed her lips against his and wrapped her arms around his neck.

The clatter of dishes enabled him to break free from the she-devil who’d held him captive.

Ally stood in the doorway clenching a tea tray. Her face was as white as her knuckles. At her feet lay shards of glass from a broken cup. “I-I’m sorry,’ she stammered, “I didn’t mean to interrupt, but the cup…well, it fell and…oh, never mind. I’ll clean it up later.” She set the tray down on a side table and raced from the room.

“Ally, wait.” Before Jack got up, Bethany grabbed his arm, keeping him firmly seated on the sofa.

“Let her go. Don’t go running after her like you’re her lover who’s just been caught cheating.” She raised one thinly penciled brow at him. “Unless, of course, there’s something I don’t know?”

Jack looked hard at her. “Why are you here, Bethany? What exactly do you want from me?”

“That’s simple. I want you, of course.”

“But why? We were over a long time ago.”

“You don’t really believe that. If that were true, you wouldn’t have kissed me back just now.”

“Kissed you back? Are you insane? I certainly did not!”

She looked at him coyly through a fringe of artificial lashes. “You don’t need to play hard to get. I know what I felt, and that kiss didn’t come from a cold fish. You want me, and I know it.”

Jack simmered. The woman had always been intolerable.

* * *

Bethany was everything Alice wasn’t. Worldly…elegant. She could have stepped off the pages of any fashion magazine. Next to her, Alice felt like a church mouse—drab and boring. How could she ever expect to compete with someone like that? Was it any wonder she’d found Bethany in Jack’s arms?

She leaned against the kitchen counter and blinked back the tears that burned beneath her lids. Despite Jack’s protests, it was evident he wasn’t over Bethany. How could she have been so stupid as to think Jack might fall in love with her? Beneath this young, attractive exterior, she was still the same old Alice—a pitifully shy, self-conscious recluse.

“You’re not giving up, are you?”

“What?” Her startled gaze scanned the kitchen, but the voice seemed to come out of nowhere.

“You don’t have much time left. You should use it wisely.”

She recognized the tin angel’s lilting voice. “Where are you?”

“Over here.”

The sound came from the direction of the pantry. She ran across the room and yanked open the door.

“I must have overshot the kitchen,” the angel said with a chuckle. “Why are you in here when Jack is in the other room with that woman?”

Ally shrugged. “I can’t compete with someone like that.”

The angel floated nearer. “Of course you can.”

She shook her head sadly. “Jack seemed to like me, but now…now that his ex-girlfriend is here…well, it looks like she won’t be his ex much longer.”

“Then what are you waiting for? You’ve been given a second chance. A chance to experience all the things you missed the first time around. Go after what you want. You’ve nothing to lose.”

She paused for a moment. “But how can I compete with Bethany?”

“You don’t have to. Just be yourself.”