His Southern Temptation - By Robin Covington Page 0,44
her overtaxed system survived the next few seconds they might have a shot at making this work.
Lucky smiled. “You. Every damn night I dreamed of you in that wedding dress, stealing my car and my heart.”
Chapter Seventeen
“Eddie Wilkes, if you touch Taylor Elliott again I will kill you.”
Lucky barged past the assistant and a startled security man and entered the expensively appointed office of the man who hid his numerous criminal activities behind the facade of a successful financier. Jack was fast on his heels, having insisted on providing backup for this field trip.
Eddie was seated behind a big modern desk in the office overlooking the floor of the largest bank he owned in downtown Roanoke. Eddie didn’t even flinch, calmly putting down his pen and lifting a remote that closed the curtains and gave them privacy. Mr. Clean leaned on a ledge to the right of the desk, his only acknowledgement a nod in their direction. Lucky wasn’t worried about a gunfight—he’d brought a piece—but he doubted Eddie would try to off him at one of his legitimate locations.
“Mr. Landon. Mr. Cantrell. I figured you’d stop by after what happened yesterday.”
“I’m going to make this clear, Eddie.” Lucky spat out the words as he leaned against the desk and into Wilkes’s personal space. He gave the guy mental kudos when he didn’t even flinch. “Taylor’s off-limits. One hair on her head gets knocked out of place by a brisk wind and you’re a dead man.”
“Landon, I have no doubt you can very easily follow through with your threat, but this is business. Sarah Morgan took something that belongs to me and I think your Taylor knows where it is.”
The way he said “your Taylor” made his skin crawl. “She doesn’t. Leave her alone.”
“I wish I could, but this is about money, and I can’t let it go.” Eddie’s eyes were devoid of any warmth. He was so cold-blooded not even the mention of money brightened his demeanor. Lucky filed the observation in the back of his mind. Eddie wouldn’t act rashly or emotionally—anything he did would be calculated and precise to get the results he wanted. And that included using Taylor.
“What kind of money are we talking about?” Jack asked, reminding Lucky and everyone else he was standing by.
“Two hundred thousand dollars,” Eddie said, his tone sour.
Lucky snorted out a laugh. “What happened, Eddie? You yell out your account passwords when you come?”
Eddie chuckled, the humor never quite alleviating the flatness in his eyes. “I don’t, but apparently Bodean Taggert does. Sarah Morgan took my money and I want it back.”
“So you didn’t have anything to do with her disappearance?” Lucky asked.
“No. Although I can’t promise I won’t after I get my money back.” Eddie leaned back in his chair, a cold smile on his face. He was enjoying himself. “When you find her, you could bring her to me and I’ll pay you. Give you a little more cash to help bail out the old family farm.”
Lucky wasn’t surprised. Eddie didn’t get where he was without knowing his opponent, but the implication that he might involve his family in this mess made his palms itch for the familiar weight of his gun. He leaned over a little bit more and saw the tiniest twitch of alarm just below Eddie’s left eye. Good. You should be afraid.
“Tell you what, asshole. You’re going to leave Taylor alone or I’m going to kill you. Not Mr. Clean over there—although I’d love get a piece of him. Not some poor little schmuck you send to my house—you. I’m done looking for Sarah Morgan, so you’re going to have to find her yourself.”
“That’s too bad, Mr. Landon.” Eddie pushed back in his chair, standing to look Lucky in the eye. “I’d hoped we could do some business together. If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”
“If I come looking for you again, I’m pulling my gun. Fair warning,” Lucky said and turned to stalk out the door with Jack. They walked in lockstep, a casual pace calculated to send a message to Eddie, who was no doubt watching them on his security cameras. They weren’t scared and they weren’t running. Lucky wasn’t worried for himself, but Eddie was just crazy enough to go after Taylor. It wasn’t until they cleared the building and pulled away in Lucky’s truck that Jack broke the silence.
“So what’s next?”
“We find Sarah Morgan,” Lucky said. “It’s the only way to make sure Taylor is safe.”
…
“Thanks