The Bourbon Thief(42)

Andre and Gloria weren’t in the living room. He heard voices from the kitchen. Tamara clung to his hand with a viselike grip, and he almost teased her to lay off if she wanted him to use that hand on her later. Then he remembered he wasn’t using that hand on her later. Although he wanted to. But he didn’t want to. But he did want to. Goddammit, why did he do these things to himself?

They stepped into the kitchen and came up short in surprise.

Levi found Andre in the kitchen, and Gloria, too. But they weren’t alone.

“Heard you had a busy day, son,” Andre said.

“Mr. Shelby,” said one of the two police officers standing in the kitchen, guns strapped prominently to their sides. “You’re going to need to come with us.”

Levi sighed.

Apparently Virginia Maddox had indeed gotten a headache today.





14

“Levi!” His aunt Gloria rasped his name like a curse of her own. “What on earth have you done?”

“I got married,” Levi said. He looked at the cops. “Married by Judge Headley, district court judge. Call him if you don’t believe me,” Levi said.

“You can’t arrest him.” Tamara hadn’t let go of Levi’s hand, but she took a step forward before he could pull her back. “He’s my husband. We’re married.”

“That’s not for me to decide,” the officer said. He was tall and broad with a military-looking buzz cut and the officer next to him could have been his twin. “I have to bring him in. Let’s go.”

“We’re not going anywhere,” Levi said. “Except outside to discuss this.”

Levi wasn’t about to let Andre and Gloria get caught in this mess.

“Tamara, you stay with Gloria. Officers.”

Before they could escort him out, Levi pushed open the back door. The cops had parked right behind the house in the one spot Levi couldn’t see the car from the drive. Did they really think he’d have run for it, leaving Andre and Gloria alone to account for him?

The rain had stopped finally, but the earth was soft with water under his feet. He leaned back against the porch.

“You gentlemen have a warrant for my arrest?” Levi asked.

“This isn’t about that,” Officer #1 said. His tag said J. Miller and the other officer’s tag read J. Spears. Levi made a note of the names in case things got very ugly. “You gotta come with us, though.”

“For what reason, might I ask?”

“You might ask. We might not answer,” Spears said. “Come on.”

“I’m not going with you unless you have a warrant for my arrest. If you don’t, go get one. If you do, show it to me.”

“That girl’s mother seems to think you kidnapped her. That’s something we need to talk about.”

“I know my rights. You can’t bring me in without arresting me. Are you arresting me? Did you see me commit a crime?”

“You married an underage girl.”

“Legally married. She’s seventeen, and if our marriage is illegal, then go arrest Judge Daniel Headley, too.”

Levi heard the back porch screen door open and shut and Officer Miller looked up.

“You all right, son?” Andre asked from the porch. He stood tall and proud with his hands behind his back like a soldier at attention.

“I’m fine. I stopped by to let you meet my new wife. These officers are delaying the honeymoon,” Levi said.

“Maybe all of us should go down to the station and talk this out,” Andre said. “You and me and your new bride and a lawyer. Miss Tamara says she knows lots of lawyers. Lots and lots and lots of lawyers.”

“I’m not leaving with them until they arrest me for a crime,” Levi said.

“If you don’t come with us to the station, you could come with us to the hospital.” Officer Spears took a step forward.

“What’s at the hospital?” Levi asked. “Other than good-looking nurses.”

Officer Spears grinned. It was the opposite of a pretty sight.

“The morgue.”

Levi saw the punch coming but didn’t have time to block it or deflect it. He took it right to the face. Red light exploded behind his eyes and everything hurt, even the parts the cop hadn’t hit. He inhaled and tasted blood in the back of his mouth.

The second punch came on the heels of the first and got him in the ribs. He cried out, hunched over. If he fought back, he was a dead man.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Officer Miller striding toward him, baton in hand. Levi knew the lights were about to go out, and he only hoped they’d come on again someday.

He heard a struggle and voices and thought Andre had done something foolish. When his vision cleared, he saw white lace before his eyes and thought they might be angel wings. If heaven was real, he was going to feel like a real ass when he got there.

“You touch him again and I’ll have your badges,” Tamara was saying before Levi could shut her up.

“Tamara, get back in the house.” Levi coughed hard between words.

“I’m not going anywhere.” She stood in front of him, between him and the officers, her hands on her hips with her chin high and her eyes on fire.

“Miss,” Officer Miller said. “You need to get—”