Chapter 11

Pen and I were in Bree's room with Marshall. His friend Barry was also there. The room was a standard size for a queen bed, so there wasn't much room for all of us. I chose one of the two chairs by the window. Pen sat in the other. Bree and Marshall sat side by side on the bed facing us, and Barry propped up the wall in the background.

My stomach clenched with nervousness at the scene, for I sensed that there was much more going on here than a mere 'future' death. I had gotten that impression before, but not as much as I did now. "Who wants to start?" I decided that someone had to get them talking, and that someone would be me.

"I started working for Maxwell Devereux about fourteen months ago. He's Crystal's father." He paused and Bree slipped her hand into his. "The job went well, and the big man liked me. He kept giving me more and more responsibility, which I handled well. He promoted me." He winced. "I hadn't realized that with the promotion came his daughter. He had hinted about her, but I hadn't taken him up on it because I had fallen in love with Bree."

He shrugged and continued, "I know I seem like a flirt and a manwhore, but I'm not. I've always been a one-woman guy. Things got complicated when I panicked at a function and told Maxwell that Bree was my sister." He ran a hand through his hair. "Not my finest moment. Things basically went downhill from there."

"Why didn't you quit?" Pen asked.

"Good question." I frowned.

"I had no idea what I was getting into when I took the job. Anyway, once I got there, I became friends with a guy who'd been there a few months, Roger." He paused and looked at Barry before meeting my gaze. "Roger was Barry's older brother. He told me that things weren't what they seemed and that no one was allowed to leave. I thought he was being paranoid. It turned out he was quitting. Two days later he was killed in a car accident."

"Oh, Barry! I am so sorry for your loss."

Barry nodded but remained silent.

"May I ask what kind of business the Devereux's run?" I asked.

"An import-export company." Marshall glanced at Bree, then added, "I'm sure you can imagine what they transport between countries."

"Drugs," Pen suggested.

"Sometimes," Marshall said, leaving that unsaid.

"So let me get this straight. You signed up for a position in a company you thought was legitimate, but it ended up being a cover for illegal activity, and now you can't get out?"

"Alive," Bree said, her voice shaking. "Crystal doesn't want to be married to Marshall either, but she always does what her father wants. Devereux knows I'm not Marshall's sister. He keeps Marshall on a leash by threatening my life and his father's." Tears streamed down her pale cheeks. "Marshall's father," she said. She looked at Marshall, who nodded. Her watery eyes flicked between Pen and me. "He's in law enforcement, and he took some bribes to look the other way, and someone got killed. Devereux has Marshall's family firmly under his control."

I reached out and grabbed one of her hands. "It has to stop," I said. "What's going on is huge, and I don't know how to solve your problem alone. But I do know someone who can advise us on how to sort this mess out."

Pen looked at me with a raised eyebrow and a frown on her tired face. "I hate to say this, but I don't think we're equipped to handle this situation. You need to go to the police or the FBI or someone who knows what they're doing."

"I agree." I suck on my lip before smoothing it with my tongue. "It wouldn't hurt to look around though."

"Talla-"

"There's this building a few miles north of town. It belongs to Devereux. I remember seeing the sign, now that I think about it." I shrugged and looked around the room. "We could check it out." I raised my eyebrows, waiting for an answer.

Pen cleared her throat. "Before we do anything, there is one pressing matter."

I met her gaze and watched as she flicked her eyes pointedly at Marshall.

Of course!

"I have a plan!" I stood up. "The five of us need to go to Hallen's Roadhouse, right now."

"I support the plan," Pen said.

"I've been gone too long." Marshall stood, took Bree's face in his hands and kissed her senseless. "I want you to stay with them, Bree."

As they looked into each other's eyes, I decided. I had to touch Marshall again to see if anything had changed.

He moved away and I grabbed his hands. "We'll take care of her. Don't worry." The man frowned at our hands. I let them go quickly, my stomach in knots.

All I had to do was look at Pen and she knew. Nothing had changed for Marshall.

"I think you need to give up on this farce of a wedding and come with us." I looked at Barry. "You too. You'll be safer together than apart." There was no way I was going to fail this time. Marshall would live to see another day, even if I had to kidnap him myself. "We have to go before we're missed."

"I think," Barry said, "we need to continue as usual. If we leave together, it will arouse suspicion, especially on Marshall's wedding day. Until we can figure something out, we don't have a choice."

I knew that what Barry was suggesting was the best course of action, but knowing what I was doing about Marshall's impending demise, I did not want to agree. I turned my panicked gaze to Pen.

My best friend did not look well. Her complexion was pale, and she looked tired. Guilt gripped me as I reached out and took her hand. "You need to rest."

"I can't leave you," she said softly.

"I'll be fine." I turned to find three sets of eyes on us with a mixture of expressions. "Pen hasn't been feeling well," I said, explaining. "If you insist on continuing as usual, there is nothing I can do to stop you. All I ask is that you all stay in the same room."

"That won't be difficult for a few hours," Barry said. "After that, it will be uncomfortable."

Marshall rubbed his hand over his face and winced. The happy-go-lucky guy I'd met earlier had been long gone since we'd been in the room. I felt sorry for him. His tired frame slumped as he said, "There won't be a traditional wedding night. I can't go through with this. I hope Crystal feels the same way. It will make things easier if she does."

I took Pen's hand and said, "So it's decided. You will all stay together. Please don't go anywhere alone and I'll be back soon."

"No, Talla. I'm not going to leave you here."

"Pen, I'm going to ask Tate to come with me."

She snorted. "Tate is not made of the same stuff as you, Tallulah James, and you know it."

I winced.

"I know who I'd call." She wiggled her eyebrows.

"Not going to happen."

"Excuse me," Barry cleared his throat, "if you two are finished, can we go? I need a drink after this."

He was right. "Let's go."

"I wish you hadn't called Jessop," Pen groaned.

"He cares, Pen. I don't want to throw you at him, but you need him right now. Aidan wouldn't dare confront the man."

"They've already had a confrontation."

"Jessop went after Aiden as soon as he knew what he'd done to you. That was different." I sighed. "I need to know you're okay. Tate's on his way to stay with me at your insistence, so I couldn't ask him to take you back to the house. He'll take care of you, Pen."

"I know he will. It's just that I'm afraid to act on my feelings for him. He's always been there, waiting in the wings. Now that my marriage to Aiden is over, I can no longer hide behind it where Jessop is concerned."

"Oh, Pen, Jessop may have strong feelings for you, but he won't act on them right now. I know he's a scoundrel, but he's also kind and caring." I smiled. "I don't think you need to worry."

"You're right." She inhaled and winced. "Damn my ribs. The painkillers wore off."

"I should have known. If only I hadn't been so wrapped up in what was going on at the wedding." I spotted Jessop's truck as it pulled into the circular driveway.

"None of this is your fault, Tallulah." She kissed my cheek. "Don't go back inside until Tate gets here."

"I won't." I smiled. "He just pulled up behind Jessop."

Jessop climbed out of his vehicle and walked toward us. His eyes swept over Pen as if to make sure she was all right. He met my gaze. "Thanks for calling, Talla. Do you need a ride?"

"No. I'm not ready to leave just yet. Tate's here to keep me company."

He frowned and I sensed he was going to say more, but he took Pen's elbow and helped her into his truck. He glanced in my direction before walking closer. "Tallulah, please tell me you are not involved in anything with Devereux?"

"I, um, well, not exactly."

Jessop took my arm and pulled me around his truck so we couldn't be seen from the doors into The Iris. "Devereux is not someone you need to know. You need to stay away from him."

"What do you know about him?"

His mouth tightened. "Too much."

"Jessop," I hissed, "tell me!"

He shook his head. "Carlisle would kill me if I told you about this man. Leave it alone. Whatever you know, ignore it. I'm begging you. Pen would never look at me if I let anything happen to you."

I grinned. "I knew it!"

He flushed. "Out of everything I said, this is what you want to focus on? Seriously, Tallulah, Devereux is very bad news. Stay away." With that, he hurried to his truck and drove quickly down the driveway.

Tate came running up to me, looking disheveled. I raised an eyebrow. "What have you been up to?"

"It's 11:30 Talla, I was in bed. Alone."

I grinned. "Poor you."

"So, what's going on?"

"We have to prevent a murder," I'd blurted out the words before thinking better of them. My brother's face went white with shock. "It's complicated, Tate." I slipped my arm through his and pulled him into The Iris. "The groom," I whispered, "is going to be killed tonight. I think he might be hanged, but that doesn't really make sense. I can't see anywhere in his room where that could happen. Maybe someone strangled him."

"Sis, do you have any idea how crazy that sounds?" He took my arm. "Maybe we should go home. It's getting late."

"Tate," I cried quietly, "it's true." I rubbed my temples, knowing I had no choice but to tell him the truth. "Can I trust you, Tate?"

My brother frowned as he met my serious gaze. "Lately, I've come to realize that we may have a mother and a father, but in reality, Tallulah, you're the only one I can count on. I've been trying to make it up to you ever since Donna attacked you in the café. That opened my eyes. So, yes, you can trust me."

His admission floored me. I cleared my throat to clear it of emotion as I offered him a gentle smile. "I love you too, brother." I leaned over and kissed his cheek. I stayed close. "You remember when I was struck by lightning?"

"Damn, how could I forget. It was my fault."

"It was no one's fault. A freak accident of nature." I paused. "The thing is, I started having these visions. If I touch someone, if they're about to die, I see it. I know it doesn't make sense how and why I can do that, but it's there. The only one who knows is Penelope."

"You are serious?" he commented.

"Yes. I failed George, Tate. I knew he was going to be killed, and Pen and I rushed to find out what was going on, but it wasn't enough to save him. I'm not going to let that happen to Marshall."

"That's the craziest thing I've ever heard, even for you. But it's so crazy that I believe it." Even though my brother said the words, his face told me he wasn't quite there yet.