J Saint - Collateral Damage

The boys still had their race cars, minus the formula Bill had hidden inside.

A couple of hours and they'd be on their way. She hadn't just arbitrarily chosen Wilmington. It was coastal, but it was also less than two hours from Fayetteville. Less than two hours from Jack. Less than two hours from the man she couldn't seem to put from her mind no matter what role he'd played in Bill's death, nor how he'd played his hand with her. He'd made a mistake or two, and she had too. She wasn't willing to leave things the way they were either. Another few days to gather her bearings and she would either call him or get really daring and head to Fort Bragg for a surprise visit as Angie suggested. Angie talked to Rico every day and had flown to Fayetteville to see him in the three weeks since they'd left Peru.

But Lauren hadn't heard from Jack once. Then again she'd been stuffed in a safe house that even she hadn't know the location of. Still, she was talking about Jack. He could have reached her if he had wanted. She shoved the thought away and turned to the task at hand.

"Let's put together everything we need for the beach in the living room and then pack the car."

"Are those men coming with us?" Mitch asked.

"No. They're not. We don't need them anymore, okay?"

Matt smiled. "Didn't like them always there. They aren't like Mr. Jack. Mr. Jack was fun."

Lauren blinked. She hadn't even realized the boys remembered Jack. "Yes, he was."

"Will we see him, Mom?" Mitch asked.

"I hope so." Lauren moved farther into the house. "I really hope so."

Fair Play, South Carolina

"Oh, hell no!" Gardner yelled at the video feed of Lauren entering her house. He'd been glued to the damn camera ever since he installed the system two weeks ago. He pushed aside the dirty dishes and drink boxes and levered up from the chair his ass was literally stuck in.

He hadn't expected that they weren't going to stay when they got home. Damn, he had to get there fast. He grabbed the computer he'd been watching via a nationwide satellite card so he'd know how close she was to leaving before he got there. He could always call her and delay her somehow.

He already had everything set up, hidden in her house, ready. He even had bones in the dog dishes that would drug the beasts. He may have lost the millions but Lauren was worth hundreds of thousands and it was his.

Rushing to his car, Conrad put the metal to the floor, determined to get his hand on Lauren. It was damn shame she was leaving the house. He would have enjoyed watching her naked in the bathroom or sleeping in her bed. He wanted to catch her pleasuring herself. She had to get it one way or another, didn't she? And with the kids in tow, not many guys would go for it.

Damn, it was just like the bitch to mess up his plans.

Lauren let the dogs outside. She had just about everything she could think of in the living room and began packing the car. It had taken her longer than she planned. She carried another load out. Matt and Mitch were still running up and down the stairs, bringing down a favored toy or book. She'd delegated a basket for each of them. Once that basket was full then they were out of room for toys for now.

She heard the phone ring as she walked in the door, but it didn't ring again and she grabbed another load.

Dusk had dropped a damper on the bright day and an urgency to hurry up and leave pressed upon her. Cars passed as neighbors returned from work or dinner or carting their kids to extracurricular activities.

Two more loads and she realized that she hadn't seen Matt or Mitch putting more toys in their basket. What were they up to now?

"Matt? Mitch? Come on. You guys need to hurry with your stuff. I'm almost packed."

She picked up another basket but then set it down when they didn't answer. She called them again as she moved up the stairs. "Come on, guys. No fooling around. It's getting late."

She turned the corner into their bedroom and screamed in horror, her body strangling with shock. Both boys were tied to their beds, tape over their mouths and tears streaming from their eyes. She moved toward them then saw a bomb on the bedside table they shared and froze.

"No fooling around, Lauren? What a disappointment. I'd love to." Conrad Gardner appeared out of the boys' closet.

He held up a remote. "And guess what? I'm the one who gets to decide what we do and for how long we do it." He grinned. "I'm wanting to go to your bedroom. Now."

She could hardly hear him through the pounding blood in her ears. She had to get that remote out of his hands and she would do anything to get it. She slowly backed from the boys' room and back to her room, not willing to take her eyes off Gardner. He followed her smiling.

"Let me see your tits. I want to see you play with them. Get them hard for me. Or the wee ones go boom."

Oh God.

Think.

One thing she knew was Gardner loved himself.

She reached for her shirt buttons. "It was you," she whispered, pausing after the first button. "It was you who killed Thomas."

Conrad shrugged. "It was an accident. He wouldn't let me have Bill's letter to see the clue. I'm the one person who needed the five million dollars and Thomas was going to take his letter to the police."

"You killed Edward."

"He deserved it."

"You faked your own death."

"Ingenious. The perfect crime."

"It was you who shot Jack at your house."

"Not so perfect shot. And you shot me, bitch. Now let me have your tits." He grabbed her shirt and ripped the buttons open.

Lauren backed away as he stared at her lace bra. Think. Think. "Five million. You mean there were clues to five million dollars? The government only found the two Bill left me in the bank."

Conrad frowned and shifted his gaze from her breasts to her face.

"What were the clues?" Lauren asked, praying he would remember them, that she'd diverted him from rape for now.

"There once was a king. He died on a throne. In his land of Grace, did the whole world mourn. Buried like a bone, by the water's spray. He reigns supreme until this day. The jackpot lies as does he, but the real prize will be… That's where Ray's letter ended," Conrad said.

Lauren swallowed hard and her very soul shook. Ray and his girlfriend had been butchered. Bob's wife shot. Lauren knew how it all ended. "the real prize will be won when green world burns and Earnhardt, Jrs win the race with the super formula in their tanks." She'd never forget those words or forgive the danger Bill had put her and her sons in. Dear God.

"I have to write this down," she told Conrad. She moved over to her desk, quietly slid her stiletto letter opener into her pocket as she took out paper and a pen.

Conrad came and looked over her shoulder. His greedy gaze fanatically watched her write every word.

Anyone who knew Bill knew he'd been an avid Elvis collector. She really didn't have to write any of it down, but she had to buy time. King? Throne? Land of Grace. Graceland. And buried like a bone. That had been Bill's comment about how Elvis had been buried in his own backyard. He'd said it wasn't classy. The man needed a memorial. And by the water's spray? There's no way Bill buried his money in Graceland. But what about the fountain in the backyard here? If she could get Conrad outside and digging, he'd set down the remote.

"Kings?" She looked up at Gardner. "We don't have any real kings in America like they do in Europe. But I don't think Bill would bury money over there and it clearly says it is buried like a bone. We've got the King of Pop. That was Michael Jackson. Is there a King of Jazz?"

Gardner's eyes widened and he grabbed the paper. "King…King…King of Rock and Roll. The King. Elvis. Bill often checked out the Elvis impersonators in Vegas. This is talking about Elvis. The Jackpot lies as does he. In Memphis? Do you think Bill buried the money in Memphis? In Graceland?"