Double Secrets: Warfield's Landing, #3

By Adeara Allyne

Although Will is his twin, he couldn't be more different than Jason, Olivia's nemesis.

Honest, dependable, reliable AND... Did I mention he cooks?

But Jason disappears... and his enemies come after Will and Liv.
 

A good read for fans of Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot.

This is a complete novel. In the series, books can be read out of order with only minor spoilers.

Also by Adeara 

The Warfield's Landing Series

Silent Caller - Book 1
Hidden Peril - Book 2
Double Secrets - Book 3
Covert Reprisal - Book 4

The Det. Lonnie Mae Moberly Mysteries
In quiet Maybe, bad things happen...

Close Deception - Book 1
Obscure Deception - Book 2
Cryptic Deception - Book 3
Grim Deception - Book 4
Maybe Alone - Book 5
Maybe Forgotten - Book6
Maybe Betrayal - Book 7

A Slice of Life in Maybe, Kentucky

Driving Miss Reba

 
Previously published as Liv for Love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Adeara Allyne
• Release date: Oct 29, 2013
• ISBN: 9781939612809

Book preview

1

Warfield's Landing, MD

Liv heard the unmistakable sound of the Jag's horn and swore under her breath. She set down the wrench and headed out the open bay door, calling to the four old men on the porch. I'll get this.

As she walked, she pulled out a bandana and started to wipe her hands. Abruptly, she stopped and stuffed the greasy rag back into the back pocket of her overalls. If she got grease on Jason's immaculate Jaguar, all the better.

She marched across the gravel, and around to the driver's side. The window was down. Her arms crossed, she looked, making no effort to change her expression. Jason was an asshat and she didn't care if he knew how she felt. If he never bought gas from her again, she'd be one damn happy camper.

Olivia! Beautiful... I need a fill-up. He presented his credit card, extended between his index and middle finger. His beautiful face smiled and charm oozed.

Without saying a word, she took the card, walked around the car and swiped it for payment. She started the fill-up. Walking back to the driver window, she returned the card. As she handed it over, she noticed several grease smudges on it. Good.

Still without saying a word, she returned to stand by the nozzle. As the fill-up finished, an old mini-van pulled up. Two women in front watched as she unhooked the nozzle and thumped, hard, on the Jag's flank.

To her intense satisfaction, Jason peeled out angrily, tossing gravel as Liv leapt out of the way.

The van pulled up to the pump and the passenger rolled down the window. An attractive brunette in her late thirties asked with concern, Are you alright?

Without thinking, Liv muttered Asshat, under her breath.

To her surprise the woman smiled and said, Asshole.

Do you need help?

The driver got out. No. We've got this covered. Thanks.

With Jason taken care of and the minivan not needing anything, Liv went back to work. She made a detour into the convenience store to grab a cold soda. Right behind her, one of the minivan passengers entered and asked directions to the restroom. Charles was outside, so Liv stuck her head out and said, I'll take care of this.

The Fab Four had seen the altercation with Jason Asshat Jackson and she wanted to delay the inevitable discussion with Charles.

Behind the counter, she waited for the van passenger to reappear, not sure whether the woman would want to buy something.

The woman went to one of the glass and stainless coolers, selecting a cold drink. As Liv rang up the purchase, the woman -- this one a redhead -- leaned forward and asked quietly, Do they actively recruit assholes to buy Jags?

That prompted a guffaw from Liv. When she stopped laughing, she said So it seems.

The woman accepted the change, grabbed her drink, and called over her shoulder, Take care! See you later.

Taking a slug of her drink, Liv headed back to the garage, using the side door so she didn't have to walk past the Fab Four...

She disliked Jaguar Jason intensely, but the Fab Four hated him... with a capital H. She did her best to keep him from interacting with any of the old men, making it a point to stop whatever she was doing and pump his gas.

Jason Jackson was trouble. Dangerous trouble. She knew someone would get hurt but, more important, she refused to let any of her Fab Four get into trouble with the authorities.

Picking up the discarded wrench, she got back to work. If they were lucky, Jaguar Jason was on his way back to DC and they wouldn't see him again for weeks.

After a few minutes, she heard Charles's shuffle on the gravel outside the open bay door. She ignored his approach. Time enough when he started talking. The big question... which one of them would break first? Today, Liv was determined to win. She kept her head under the car hood and worked, or pretended to.

After a few moments, she heard him moving again, first on the gravel, then clumping on the concrete.

You gonna ignore me, missy?

Will you let me, old man?

Harrrummmphhhh.

Cordial greetings over, Charles pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Smelling the acrid burn, while still working under the hood, Liv said, Put it out or go outside. No smoking in the garage.

She heard a long pull, the expected cough, and then the grind of his sole on the cement. Liv pulled her head out and stood up, placing her hands at the small of her back and stretching out the kinks. Go on... say it and let's get this over with.

I don't like it when you have to pump gas for him, missy.

She softened her voice. I know that, Charles. But the fact of the matter is, even if Jason is an ass... His eyes narrowed and she continued, correcting herself. Even if Jason is a jerk, he isn't going to try anything with me. He flirts because he always flirts. It's better for him to flirt with me then it is for you or one of the guys to pump his gas and maybe start an altercation.

Charles started to object and it was Liv's turn to narrow her eyes. Charles. I know you're upset, but this is my call. Remember? When I bought you out, we agreed that there was room for only one boss. Me. I make the decisions about how to handle Jaguar Jason, AND I pump his gas. She gave him a steady look and then ducked back under the hood.

There was silence, then Charles started again. Ferdie saw him meeting with Chief Barlowe.

Liv slowly pulled her head out from under the hood. Ferdie saw him meeting with Barlowe?

Charles nodded, soberly. Yeah. In that turnaround... You know the one off of Azalea Lane?

Azalea Lane was one of those roads to nowhere. Somebody had bought up the land and tried to start a small subdivision, but nothing had happened once the road was paved. Liv was hazy on the history of the place, but if Barlowe and Jackson wanted to meet secretly, that was the place to do it.

She and Charles stared at each other. Finally she said, That's not good. That's not good at all. Did you tell Julia?

Charles nodded. I told Julia, and we've installed some surveillance cameras. There's not much else we can do at the moment.

I know the theory is... better the devil we know, but Barlowe is starting to worry me.

Yeah. Me, too. Charles shook his head. I'm thinking that Barlowe might need to go...

Liv raised an eyebrow in question. With Charles and company you never quite knew what would happen. Was Barlowe just going to disappear? Or would they simply arrange for a new Chief Of Police?

It was obvious that Charles could tell exactly what she was thinking, because he laughed. No. But if we had to... No, somebody might just have to tell the State Police or the FBI about Barlowe and his extracurricular activities. He nodded slowly. We're considering our options.

Liv nodded, trying not to let her relief show. It sounded like they were going to use the system and not go outside of the law. This time.

2

Mid October, Richmond, VA

Will was steadfastly ignoring Ringo's long suffering sighs. Like most devoted dog owners, he appreciated his canine companion's need for self-expression. And, undeniably, the dog was right. This studio was cheap... Because it was tiny.

He'd made the difficult decision to spend as little money as possible, which meant that Ringo -- a large 60 pound dog -- and he -- a broad shouldered six footer -- filled the 8' by 9' space. Add his easel and paint table, along with paintings stacked along the walls and there wasn't room to breathe. He'd finally started leaving the door open and propped flat against the wall while he worked, just to avoid annoying Ringo.

Like many recent art school grads, he was finding it tough to balance out earning enough to live on while doing his art. He and Ringo lived a simple life by design. He wanted to focus on his painting. Working construction during the week meant regular hours with decent pay but he was also exhausted at the end of the day.

It was Saturday and he desperately wanted to paint. It had been a long and trying week. His art was his escape. He and Ringo were already running late. It was almost lunch and he was just getting started, so when there was a knock at the door, he wasn't happy. He doubted that it was going to be a patron dropping from the sky to say Let me meet all you financial needs so you can just paint.

In an admittedly passive aggressive move, he took his time placing the brush on the table and turning around.

Standing in the door was a small dark haired woman. Her close cropped hair set off her incredible bone structure. Behind her was a tall, dark man looking possessive.

May I help you with something? Will was aware that he sounded gruff, but dammit, he needed to be painting.

Will Jackson? As he nodded yes to her question, she stepped forward, offering her hand. I'm Nic Bannerman and this is Daniel Sterling.

Her name rang a bell. She was another alumnus from the Virginia Commonwealth University Masters of Fine Arts program. She'd graduated before he started, but he'd heard that she was making a name for herself. Shit. Why was she here, talking to him?

She glanced around the tiny studio, sympathetically. I know that this is painting time for you, but I have a proposition you may be interested in... will you allow us to take you to lunch?

He looked at Ringo. I'd need to take Ringo home first since it's too hot to leave him in the car. Unspoken was the fact that this would take too much time.

She grinned at him. I talked to Jack Nelson and he warned us, so... we brought lunch and I thought we'd go eat in a nearby park. That way, Ringo can go with us.

Behind her, Daniel raised his hands, displaying bags of food he could now smell. Thai! His favorite. Maybe she had talked to Jack.

Daniel smiled and said over Nic's head. Just give in. It will be easier over the long run and believe me, you want to hear what the lady has to say. The last words ended with a grimace as she elbowed him in the chest.

Ten minutes later, he, Nic, Daniel and Ringo were under the trees in a nearby park.

Daniel efficiently distributed white cardboard takeout cartons while Nic produced a bowl, water, and dog treats for Ringo... to Will's shock. His head was starting to spin.

As he forked another mouthful of Thai -- they had provided his favorite dishes -- he caught Daniel looking at him sympathetically. She can be relentless, but trust me, you're going to be eternally grateful after you hear this proposition.

Nic laughed and said, I hope he will be. That's the whole idea.

Will's head was still spinning and now it was ready to launch itself off his shoulders. Before that happened though, he was determined to finish his lunch. He shoveled in another mouthful of Thai, which hadn't been in the budget for months. Art supplies were expensive.

Finally, Nic put her take-out carton to the side. With a grin she started. "You may be wondering