Read Online For Your Love by Beverly Jenkins - Free Book Online Page A

he’d driven to her house to pick up the money he’d been promised for doing the job. After letting him in, she told him the store had been shut down, and how happy and proud of him she was, and would he like some champagne to celebrate? He’d never had champagne before and was feeling pretty good about himself, so he said, “Sure!” She left the room for a few minutes and returned with two of those tall, skinny glasses that rich ­people drank champagne out of on TV. She handed him one. They clinked glasses, she said, “Cheers!” and he drank it down. A few seconds later, he didn’t feel so good. His head had begun to spin. He looked around for a chair to sit in, but fell to the floor instead. The last thing he remembered was the smug smile on her face as she lifted her glass to him in a toast.
    When he came to, he was lying on a dirt floor. Above his head, a low-­watt bulb gave off just enough light for him to make out the confines of the small, shadowy room he was in. He had no idea where he was, or how much time had passed. He struggled to his feet and instantly puked. After a few more rounds, he felt a little better. The memory of the meeting with Mayor Wiggins came back, along with the certainty that she must’ve put something in the champagne. On rubbery legs, he wove his way to the door and pulled on the knob. Locked. He puked again, his head throbbing like he’d been slamming it against the trunk of his mother’s old Buick. Whatever he’d been given also had his mind so muddy he couldn’t think straight, but he knew he needed to get out of there. He reached for his phone, but the pocket of his jeans was empty. Thinking maybe it was on the floor, he looked around. Nothing. His car keys were gone, too. Panic set in. He pounded on the door and frantically yelled for help.
    His voice was raw and his hand ached by the time the door finally opened. The mayor walked in, carrying a big shotgun. The sight of it ­coupled with the cold glitter in her eyes made his heart race. He swallowed hard and took a step back.
    â€œI’m real sorry about this,” she’d said, “but it’ll only be for a few days. The store had cameras, and you and the roaches are on them.” That scared him almost as much as the shotgun.
    â€œOnce the stink dies down, I’ll get you a ticket to anywhere in the county, but you can’t come back here. Ever.”
    He’d swallowed harder.
    â€œBe grateful I’m keeping you out of jail.”
    That said, she left, locking him in again. And that’s when he knew hooking up with her had to be the worst mistake he’d ever made in his life.
    Trent sat at a long table at the front of the Dog as the residents filed in for the meeting. Smooth jazz floated from the sound-­system speakers. He knew his neighbors weren’t going to be happy about Astrid’s news. He also knew they’d rally on behalf of themselves and the town, just as they’d done after last spring’s devastating fire and the destruction the rioters had caused a few weeks before. Her mean-­spirited decision about the GED program and the library in no way equaled those incidents, but it would still be viewed as an attack on Henry Adams and what it stood for. A more serious issue was the dissolution of the fire pact. Lives could be affected if his town no longer had access to Franklin’s fire department—­but that too would be taken care of, hopefully with all due haste.
    The kids trooped in en masse and took their usual seats in the back booths. He noticed that Zoey made a point of not sitting beside Devon, preferring to sit and laugh with Wyatt instead. A reconciliation between her and Devon would go a long way toward getting his youngest son on track again, but apparently Zoey wasn’t having any—­and in truth, Trent couldn’t blame her. Devon had been a pain in the butt to everyone who knew and loved