her for dinner. “I think you’ll have your hands full keeping yourself alive this week.”
Of course I will , Vance mentally sighed. “What have you heard?”
“That you took off with one of Little Z’s pets. Seems like he loaned her out to work a poker game, and she never came back. Anthony’s telling everybody you bailed the game to leave with the girl.”
Allie’s eyebrows shot up, her head swiveling around to level a glare at Vance. Emmett and Otis exchanged looks.
“Yeah, well, spread the word that I just meant to rough her up and things got out of hand, that you heard she was dead.” Vance’s voice was calm; inside he was beating his head against the brick wall instead of leaning on it.
Susie studied him for a minute. “You didn’t really kill that girl, did you?”
“I need him to believe I did.”
“He’ll kill you, just like he did Johnny.”
“I’m a big boy; I can handle it,” Vance promised. “Hey, who’s Johnny?”
“Some kid that had the bright idea to pretend to be a modeling agency to bring girls in to Little Z. Things got all mucked up, though; a couple of girls died. It cost Little Z a few million in profit and they had to pay a cleanup crew to make the evidence disappear.”
“I don’t suppose the modeling agency was called Beastly, was it?”
Susie’s eyes sparked at the mention. “Yeah, that was it.”
Vance took in what she’d just told him. The man who’d been directly responsible for Nicole’s disappearance was dead. Technically, his work here was done. Still, even if Johnny had been the one to lure Nicole in, it was to feed a pipeline that ran through Little Z. The same Little Z who wanted him dead; so really, his work was just getting started. He was suddenly very eager to deliver Allie safely home so he could follow this new lead.
“Allie, it’s time to say your goodbyes. I’ve got some work to do.”
The look on her face did not bode well for the trip back to the Ozarks.
“It looks like you’d better say goodbyes, too, Vance.” Otis extended his hand to Vance. “If Little Z doesn’t get you, I think Allie’s gonna.”
“The second one is the one that really scares me, sir,” Vance replied with his typical deadpan style. The two men shook hands and clapped each other on the shoulder. Then it was Emmett’s turn to wish him well, followed by Susie. He got the distinct impression they didn’t expect him to live through the night.
The drive back to Dallas County was a long one. The fact that he’d already spent 8 hours in the car would have been bad enough, but Allie’s stony silence made the trip downright miserable.
“You do know I didn’t kill that girl, right?” He finally broke the silence somewhere around the 208 mile marker.
“It bothers me that I had to debate it at first. I really don’t know you at all, do I, Vance?”
“No. I’ve been trying to tell you that.” He could see by the look on her face that wasn’t what she wanted to hear. “You want me to be the boy who left here, to reclaim what we had, but I’m not him anymore. I’ve grown up and had a whole world full of experiences that I can’t undo—that I don’t want to undo.” He realized as he said it that he meant it. For the first time in his life, he embraced his past—sins and all. If it hadn’t been for the sins, he wouldn’t have been in a position to save Valentine last night. And saving her mattered.
“I don’t want you to undo your life,” Allie snapped at him.
“Yes, you do.” He was patient and gentle but firm. “You want me to be part of a life that doesn’t fit me anymore, that really never did.”
Allie blinked fiercely and turned to stare out the window. “I still can’t believe you ditched me like that. It was wrong.”
“But unavoidable. I didn’t mean to be gone all night, but when I had the chance to rescue Valentine, I had to do it.”
“Valentine. So that’s her name.”
Vance didn’t answer. There really wasn’t
Of course I will , Vance mentally sighed. “What have you heard?”
“That you took off with one of Little Z’s pets. Seems like he loaned her out to work a poker game, and she never came back. Anthony’s telling everybody you bailed the game to leave with the girl.”
Allie’s eyebrows shot up, her head swiveling around to level a glare at Vance. Emmett and Otis exchanged looks.
“Yeah, well, spread the word that I just meant to rough her up and things got out of hand, that you heard she was dead.” Vance’s voice was calm; inside he was beating his head against the brick wall instead of leaning on it.
Susie studied him for a minute. “You didn’t really kill that girl, did you?”
“I need him to believe I did.”
“He’ll kill you, just like he did Johnny.”
“I’m a big boy; I can handle it,” Vance promised. “Hey, who’s Johnny?”
“Some kid that had the bright idea to pretend to be a modeling agency to bring girls in to Little Z. Things got all mucked up, though; a couple of girls died. It cost Little Z a few million in profit and they had to pay a cleanup crew to make the evidence disappear.”
“I don’t suppose the modeling agency was called Beastly, was it?”
Susie’s eyes sparked at the mention. “Yeah, that was it.”
Vance took in what she’d just told him. The man who’d been directly responsible for Nicole’s disappearance was dead. Technically, his work here was done. Still, even if Johnny had been the one to lure Nicole in, it was to feed a pipeline that ran through Little Z. The same Little Z who wanted him dead; so really, his work was just getting started. He was suddenly very eager to deliver Allie safely home so he could follow this new lead.
“Allie, it’s time to say your goodbyes. I’ve got some work to do.”
The look on her face did not bode well for the trip back to the Ozarks.
“It looks like you’d better say goodbyes, too, Vance.” Otis extended his hand to Vance. “If Little Z doesn’t get you, I think Allie’s gonna.”
“The second one is the one that really scares me, sir,” Vance replied with his typical deadpan style. The two men shook hands and clapped each other on the shoulder. Then it was Emmett’s turn to wish him well, followed by Susie. He got the distinct impression they didn’t expect him to live through the night.
The drive back to Dallas County was a long one. The fact that he’d already spent 8 hours in the car would have been bad enough, but Allie’s stony silence made the trip downright miserable.
“You do know I didn’t kill that girl, right?” He finally broke the silence somewhere around the 208 mile marker.
“It bothers me that I had to debate it at first. I really don’t know you at all, do I, Vance?”
“No. I’ve been trying to tell you that.” He could see by the look on her face that wasn’t what she wanted to hear. “You want me to be the boy who left here, to reclaim what we had, but I’m not him anymore. I’ve grown up and had a whole world full of experiences that I can’t undo—that I don’t want to undo.” He realized as he said it that he meant it. For the first time in his life, he embraced his past—sins and all. If it hadn’t been for the sins, he wouldn’t have been in a position to save Valentine last night. And saving her mattered.
“I don’t want you to undo your life,” Allie snapped at him.
“Yes, you do.” He was patient and gentle but firm. “You want me to be part of a life that doesn’t fit me anymore, that really never did.”
Allie blinked fiercely and turned to stare out the window. “I still can’t believe you ditched me like that. It was wrong.”
“But unavoidable. I didn’t mean to be gone all night, but when I had the chance to rescue Valentine, I had to do it.”
“Valentine. So that’s her name.”
Vance didn’t answer. There really wasn’t
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