Page 51 of Love Me Carefully
Chapter Eleven
“So let me get this straight.” Agent Jeffery Tobias sat on the edge of the couch in Donald’s living room. “You and Ms. Graham, who’s the wedding planner for Donald Douglas and Rosetta Pierce’s wedding, were tailing Donald. You saw him and another man go into a strip club, then come out and go into an alley with five other men. You followed them into the alley, where you heard several gunshots before running back to your car.
“When you got back to your car and would have pulled off to return home, Donald and his friend almost crashed into your vehicle, at which time he spotted you and pulled you and Ms. Graham out of the car. Then they took you both to Leakin Park, where they drugged you and brought you here to lock you in his basement?”
Terrell nodded. “That’s correct.” The agent’s recitation of the events sounded so unreal he wouldn’t have believed it had it not happened to him.
“So why didn’t they kill you too?” Agent Blum asked.
“I suspect because Donald’s about to marry my mother.” Terrell glared at the shorter detective, the obviously less experienced one, he surmised. “That would put a major glitch in the wedding plans, don’t you think? ‘Ah, I’m sorry, honey, but I had to kill your son.’”
Holding up his hand, Jeffery stifled Marty’s next comment. He was in no mood to watch two grown men bicker. “Mr. Pierce, please, we’re trying to conduct an investigation here. Okay, so you woke up here. Do you know where Donald is now?”
“I heard them say something about a boat leaving from here,” Terrell said. Leah sat on the chair beside him, her hand firmly held in his. She hadn’t spoken much since they’d been rescued from the basement. He planned to talk to her as soon as they were alone. Things had changed between them, and he wanted to make sure they both had a good understanding of just how much.
Leah listened to the men talking around her. She’d heard enough to know that the FBI was looking for Donald and had obtained a search warrant to get into his house. That wasn’t good. She wondered, for the billionth time, how she’d gotten involved in this whole mess. How could planning a wedding lead to witnessing a murder and subsequently being abducted?
Still, none of that rivaled the embarrassment she now harbored. Memories of what she’d allowed Terrell to do to her last night were still vividly fresh in her mind. So much so that she was having a hard time focusing on what the two agents were saying. Terrell held her hand firmly in his, a gesture of comfort, no doubt. But what must he think of her now?How could I have let him go that far?She took a deep breath.Oh, please,like I really could’ve stopped him once he got started.
Terrell probably thought that the FBI and the millions of questions made her nervous, which in a way they did. She’d never had any run-ins with the authorities. That was totally her brothers’ territory. So sitting here—in Donald Douglas’ living room of all places—being interrogated, was a bit disconcerting. Meanwhile, Terrell was his usual calm self, answering their questions and even giving one of the agents attitude. She wasn’t sure what that was about, but at this point didn’t really care. What she wanted more than anything else at this moment was to be allowed to go home, take a long bath, climb into bed, pull the covers over her head and hide for a while. That’s what one did when they’d thoroughly embarrassed themselves in front of a man.
“Okay, we’re going to take you two home to get some rest. But I’ll have to advise you not to leave town or anything like that. I want to meet with you again tomorrow to go over some of your story one more time.” Agent Tobias stood, tucking his notepad into his jacket pocket.
“That’s fine. Whatever you need, I’ll be glad to help,” Terrell was saying. “I’ll be staying with my mother.” He had to talk to Rosie, so he planned to make her house his first stop once he made sure Leah was settled into her place. “If you’re investigating Donald, that means he’s dangerous and I don’t want her left alone until he’s caught.”
Terrell stood to shake Agent Tobias’s outstretched hand and Leah seized the opportunity to move away from him. Distance was better at this point.
“Your mother is Rosetta Pierce, right?” Agent Blum asked Terrell.
“Yeah, I told you that already.” Terrell really didn’t like Marty. He wasn’t sure why—hell, he was sure. The guy had been looking at Leah like she was a five-star dessert since the moment he’d entered the basement. Aside from that being unprofessional as hell, Terrell just didn’t like it.
“Your mother hasn’t been seen at the shop, so she may be with Mr. Douglas.” Agent Blum seemed to take pleasure in giving Terrell that bit of information.
“What?” Terrell instantly began pacing and cursing fluently.
At the agent’s words, Leah immediately returned to Terrell’s side, grabbing his arm to still him. She turned to both agents. “Are you saying that Donald has taken Ms. Rosie with him?”
“We can’t really say she was taken. We don’t have any proof of that. And if they’re engaged, it’s safe to assume she consented to the trip.”
Terrell pushed his glasses up further on his nose. “My mother would’ve told me if she was going away. She wouldn’t leave without telling someone,” he said more to Leah than to the agents.
Leah rubbed a hand up and down his arm. “It might’ve been a last-minute thing. Don’t think the worst. If Donald didn’t hurt us, he won’t hurt Ms. Rosie.” She kept her eyes on his, wanting so badly to ease the fear she clearly saw etched in them.
When he didn’t respond, she extended her arms, waited for him to react and when he did, she simply held him. A moment ago she’d concluded that distance was best, until she’d had time to figure out last night. But in an instant none of that seemed to matter. All that mattered now was the man in her arms. His mother was in danger, of that they were certain. He needed someone to help him get through this.
He needed her.
“He loves her, Terrell. No matter his other faults, I’m sure of that. He won’t hurt her. Trust me,” she whispered as her hands rubbed his back. Leah was startled to find that she believed her own words. She’d seen Donald and Rosie together. He clearly adored the woman.
Terrell couldn’t speak. He’d needed somebody, he’d needed her, and she was right there. Last night he’d asked her to trust him and she had. Now she was asking him to do the same. He didn’t like the idea that his mother was possibly with Donald, but he’d put enough drama into Leah’s life and he wouldn’t add anymore. “You’re probably right,” he whispered, then pulled slightly back from her. “Again.” He gave her a wry grin.
Inside, he knew he had to find them. He had to make sure his mother was safe, and then he had to warn her about Donald.
* * *
Donald’s excuses about what had happened to him last night on the ship were insufficient, but after two hours of arguing, Rosie decided to give it up. He wasn’t going to tell her anything more than he already had, so she’d have to keep her suspicions to herself. If something wrong were really going on, she’d find out soon enough. Besides, what else could she do? She was in a foreign place with no one to turn to but Donald. No, she’d keep her mouth shut for the time being—and her eyes open.
Her decision, however, was short-lived. As soon as they docked, the man Donald had been with on the stairwell appeared. She recalled his name was Cable. He was a tall and broad-shouldered man with a shifty demeanor. She noted it briefly yesterday when he’d stumbled over the lie he was telling her about meeting Donald and then made a quick getaway.
