Read Online Alpha Billionaire Taboo Prison Break: A Contemporary Romance by Veronica Vaughn - Free Book Online
Authors: Veronica Vaughn
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said. “Soon we’ll
see how tough you really are, macho man. In the meantime, do try and stay on
the road.”
9.
We ditched the big rig at a truck stop on the
edge of town, then borrowed another car and drove the only place we knew to go. Back to Maurice’s. I was dreading the moment when we
admitted we had lost the best vehicle he ever owned. He could hold a grudge,
that one, and he wasn’t always as nice as he let on. But he was the only friend
we had left.
The front door was ajar.
“Maurice?” Eli called.
No answer. A yellow taxi cab pulled up in front of the house and honked. Not wanting the driver to see our
faces we hastily ducked through the open door.
“Maurice?” Eli called again as we made our way
down the little hall toward the bedroom.
There was some kind of commotion coming from
Maurice’s room. We ran down the hall and threw open the door. Luggage was
scattered on the floor around Maurice’s bed. Maurice was kneeling on the bed,
trying to close an overstuffed suitcase.
“Where you going, Maurice?” Eli asked.
It was like he noticed us for the first time.
“Oh!” Maurice gasped. “Mr. Rutherford? Avery? But how … the lake house …”
Maurice lost his grip on the overstuffed
suitcase and it came unclasped. Green wads of money spilled out, falling on the
bed. Eli opened the suitcase all the way and saw that it was completely filled
with stacks of cash.
“Maurice, where did you get all this money?” Eli
asked. “It’s mine, isn’t it?” Eli grabbed Maurice by the shirt collar, lifting
him to the tips of his toes. “Tell me, Maurice. Tell me, goddamn it!”
“Put me down, sir,” Maurice said.
Eli lowered him so his feet were flat on the
floor, but he didn’t loosen his grip on Maurice’s collar. The two men were
standing nose to nose, though Eli was several inches taller.
“Sure, it’s your money,” Maurice said. “I took
it. You murdered your wife and I figured you were going away for a long, long
time. You wouldn’t be needing cash where you were headed.”
Eli looked crestfallen. “But I could have hired
a lawyer,” he said. “I would have beaten the charges. How could you do that to
me, Maurice? You practically raised me.”
“Yeah, I raised you,” he said. “And my mama
raised your daddy. Hell, she spent more time with him than she did with me. My
grandma? Let’s talk about my grandma. She raised your grandpa.
“Your grandpa was the second Eli Rutherford,
right? Because you’re the fourth, and your daddy was the third. Well, old Eli
the Second, he loved my grandma. He loved her a little too much. We called her
Mama Lovie . He called her whatever he wanted. When he
was fifteen years old, he put a baby inside her. She tried to report him and
got a beating for her troubles.
“Well, nine months later, Mama Lovie had a little mixed baby. Half black, half white, one
hundred percent Rutherford. I’m told he had your grandpa’s eyes. That baby was
the rightful heir to the Rutherford fortune. All the lands, the homes and
second homes and third homes, the fortune built on the backs of my ancestors
who toiled in your tobacco fields—at least some of it should have gone to
that little baby. My uncle. That would never do, of course. The Rutherfords are prim and proper folks. One night some white
men took that baby from Mama Lovie , stuffed him in a
tote sack with a big rock and tossed him in the river.
“That took care of that. From then on, your
grandpa was sure to use a condom when he had his way with the womenfolk in my
family.”
Eli staggered backward. “It’s a lie,” he said.
“I don’t believe you.”
“Believe what you want, motherfucker,” Maurice
said. “It doesn’t matter now. Just think about it, though. Think about the way
my mama shuddered when your grandpa lay his hand on
her. The way his hand lingered on the small of her back a little too long.”
“I do remember,” Eli said. “My god, it’s all
true, isn’t
see how tough you really are, macho man. In the meantime, do try and stay on
the road.”
9.
We ditched the big rig at a truck stop on the
edge of town, then borrowed another car and drove the only place we knew to go. Back to Maurice’s. I was dreading the moment when we
admitted we had lost the best vehicle he ever owned. He could hold a grudge,
that one, and he wasn’t always as nice as he let on. But he was the only friend
we had left.
The front door was ajar.
“Maurice?” Eli called.
No answer. A yellow taxi cab pulled up in front of the house and honked. Not wanting the driver to see our
faces we hastily ducked through the open door.
“Maurice?” Eli called again as we made our way
down the little hall toward the bedroom.
There was some kind of commotion coming from
Maurice’s room. We ran down the hall and threw open the door. Luggage was
scattered on the floor around Maurice’s bed. Maurice was kneeling on the bed,
trying to close an overstuffed suitcase.
“Where you going, Maurice?” Eli asked.
It was like he noticed us for the first time.
“Oh!” Maurice gasped. “Mr. Rutherford? Avery? But how … the lake house …”
Maurice lost his grip on the overstuffed
suitcase and it came unclasped. Green wads of money spilled out, falling on the
bed. Eli opened the suitcase all the way and saw that it was completely filled
with stacks of cash.
“Maurice, where did you get all this money?” Eli
asked. “It’s mine, isn’t it?” Eli grabbed Maurice by the shirt collar, lifting
him to the tips of his toes. “Tell me, Maurice. Tell me, goddamn it!”
“Put me down, sir,” Maurice said.
Eli lowered him so his feet were flat on the
floor, but he didn’t loosen his grip on Maurice’s collar. The two men were
standing nose to nose, though Eli was several inches taller.
“Sure, it’s your money,” Maurice said. “I took
it. You murdered your wife and I figured you were going away for a long, long
time. You wouldn’t be needing cash where you were headed.”
Eli looked crestfallen. “But I could have hired
a lawyer,” he said. “I would have beaten the charges. How could you do that to
me, Maurice? You practically raised me.”
“Yeah, I raised you,” he said. “And my mama
raised your daddy. Hell, she spent more time with him than she did with me. My
grandma? Let’s talk about my grandma. She raised your grandpa.
“Your grandpa was the second Eli Rutherford,
right? Because you’re the fourth, and your daddy was the third. Well, old Eli
the Second, he loved my grandma. He loved her a little too much. We called her
Mama Lovie . He called her whatever he wanted. When he
was fifteen years old, he put a baby inside her. She tried to report him and
got a beating for her troubles.
“Well, nine months later, Mama Lovie had a little mixed baby. Half black, half white, one
hundred percent Rutherford. I’m told he had your grandpa’s eyes. That baby was
the rightful heir to the Rutherford fortune. All the lands, the homes and
second homes and third homes, the fortune built on the backs of my ancestors
who toiled in your tobacco fields—at least some of it should have gone to
that little baby. My uncle. That would never do, of course. The Rutherfords are prim and proper folks. One night some white
men took that baby from Mama Lovie , stuffed him in a
tote sack with a big rock and tossed him in the river.
“That took care of that. From then on, your
grandpa was sure to use a condom when he had his way with the womenfolk in my
family.”
Eli staggered backward. “It’s a lie,” he said.
“I don’t believe you.”
“Believe what you want, motherfucker,” Maurice
said. “It doesn’t matter now. Just think about it, though. Think about the way
my mama shuddered when your grandpa lay his hand on
her. The way his hand lingered on the small of her back a little too long.”
“I do remember,” Eli said. “My god, it’s all
true, isn’t
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