Beach Rental(98)

She unzipped the front pocket and when she slipped her hand in, she didn’t find anything unexpected, but she did feel a weight on the other side of the vinyl interior. It wasn’t something she could explain away. She unzipped the small inside pocket and there it was—rather, there they were—a jeweler’s case, a watch and a bunch of cash, rolled up and rubber-banded, and some empty baggies.

So this was what Frankie was after, this and anything else he might be able to bully, snag or scam from her. She rubbed her fingers together. Some sort of residue. Powdery? She wiped her hand on her slacks.

Juli rose to her feet, keeping tight hold of the backpack. She needed air. She slid the door open a foot or so and stood there, breathing deeply. The breeze cooled her face and eased her fear. Fear? Yes, fear, but not of Frankie. She had more to lose now than ever before in her life and she was still alone, after all.

“Welcome home, Jules. Look at you, you’re gonna be a mama.”

He stood in the doorway. His sandy hair was as charmingly tousled as ever and he was grinning. Someday, his skin would wrinkle and that smiling countenance would look freakish, but for now, the ’who me?’ face must still be working for him because he moved with confidence.

Indecision held her immobile. One hand rested on the frame of the sliding glass door, her other hand clutched the backpack close to the side of her belly. The baby kicked and moved her to action.

“What do you want, Frankie? Is this it? In here? You stashed your stolen goods in my backpack. Suppose they’d been checking bags? I could’ve been arrested.”

“Not all of it’s stolen. The cash was earned—a side business for guests who like a little something extra.”

He’d moved a few steps further into the room. There was nowhere for her to go. If Pat had been outside she would’ve been tempted to call for help. That alone might drive him off. But she’d only get one chance. She had to make it count.

Frankie read her face. “Don’t do anything stupid. This isn’t hard. I won’t hurt you.”

Take it and go, she wanted to say. If she let him, would she be an accessory? If he went away, she could go on as if nothing had happened. No one needed to know. Ever. But Maia…where was she? “How did you get in here?”

“Your friend let me in. Not on purpose. She didn’t lock the door when she came in and then she went right on out the front door. How considerate was that? And hey, while we’re chatting, I saw your painting upstairs. Not bad. A wedding portrait. Real sweet.” He moved a few steps closer.

“Her car’s still here. Why would she leave without it?”

“Calm down, Jules. It’s you and me here. No need to do anything that might hurt your baby or get upset over. Give me my stuff. I’m in a hard place. I was gone for a while and I need it now. I’ll take my goods, walk away and no one will know. You’ll never see me again.”

“Maia? Where is she?”

“I’m telling you, she never saw me. She was out the door in a hurry. Let’s get this done quick, before she comes back.”

It was so tempting. These were stolen goods and dirty money, but they weren’t stolen from her. They didn’t really have anything to do with her. Her fingers itched to throw the backpack at him, to yell at him to disappear from her life.

“Darlin’, think about it. It’s not like you’re an innocent. I did stuff from time to time. You knew it and looked the other way and I appreciated it. One more time, that’s all I’m asking, and then I’m gone.” He moved to within six feet. “From your life. Forever. If that’s what you want.”

“You’re wrong, Frankie. I’m not a thief and never was.”

“Don’t get sensitive and righteous on me. I don’t care, do you understand? No one’s going to believe you, anyway. You’ve got a good thing going here. Why screw it up?” He held out his hand.

It was time.

Juli fell back against the sliding door, pushing it wider with her shoulder, but her heel caught on the sill and she lost her balance. As she stumbled backward onto the balcony, she gave up trying to catch herself and hefted the backpack into the air. It brushed Frankie’s fingers before it sailed clear over the railing. She landed heavily to the wooden floor, bumping her head on the rail post.

He reached for her with his fists, his face maroon with anger.

She yelled, “If you want it, it’s down there. Go get it before someone else does.”

His foot drew back. She brought her leg up and her arms down to protect her belly. He kicked her in the hip, then left, running to the hall and down the stairs.