Laced In Lies

  laced in lies

  A SHELBY NICHOLS ADVENTURE

  Colleen Helme

  Copyright © 2017 by Colleen Helme.

  Original Score and lyrics to Devil Rider Copyright © 2017 by Colleen Helme

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  www.colleenhelme.com

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Book Cover by Damonza.com © 2017 by Colleen Helme.

  Book Layout ©2017 BookDesignTemplates.com

  Laced In Lies/ Colleen Helme. -- 1st ed.

  ISBN-13: 978-1545410028

  ISBN-10: 154541002X

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Dedication

  To Dave Murphy and the Wasatch Music Coaching Academy bands:

  Creatures of Habit

  Kenzie, Lexie, Alexis, Emilie, Gigi, Izzy, Layla

  &

  Sound Chase

  Ella, Sarah, Callum, Miles, Cedar, Roman, Will, Amelia, Nick

  for bringing the song, Devil Rider to life! You guys rock!

  And to the real Jodie McAllister ~ thanks for letting me use your name!

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I would like to thank so many of my fans who let me know how much you love this series. All of you keep me writing! I’m grateful for my fantastic editor, Kristin Monson for finding my mistakes and making this a better book. I need to thank my daughter, Melissa Gamble for offering such great feedback and suggestions. Thanks to my whole family for your love, encouragement, and support. I couldn’t do it without you!

  To the kids at Wasatch Music Coaching Academy to whom I’ve dedicated this book, thanks for all of your hard work with your rendition of the song, Devil Rider, and for bringing it to life in your bands, Sound Chase & Creatures of Habit. I loved them both so much. You are amazing! Also, thanks to Barry Mork for doing such a great job on the music recording and production.

  I’d also like to acknowledge the city of New York and the Algonquin Hotel where the New York scenes are based. I had such an amazing time there. And to the cast of Aladdin ~ thanks for such a great performance at the New Amsterdam Theatre. I loved it!

  I’d also like to thank my audible producer, Wendy Tremont King. You are so talented and such an amazing voice for Shelby. It was so much fun to meet you in New York City and share some great times together! I will always remember them with fondness.

  Last but not least, all my thanks and love to Tom for everything you do for me!

  Shelby Nichols Adventures

  Carrots

  Fast Money

  Lie Or Die

  Secrets That Kill

  Trapped By Revenge

  Deep In Death

  Crossing Danger

  Devious Minds

  Hidden Deception

  Laced In Lies

  Chapter 1

  I stopped across the street from the shabby looking bar and turned off my car. The neon sign across the front read “Tiki Tabu,” and it flickered on and off like a warning. In the silence, the heavy weight of impending disaster tightened my chest. What was I supposed to do now? None of my options looked good, but I’d promised my friend I’d find out what was going on with her husband. Too bad I didn’t know how complicated that would be.

  The man I’d been following had pulled into the parking lot behind the bar, and I watched him come around the building to enter through the front door. He looked nothing like Kyle, the handsome Pacific Islander I’d met a few days ago.

  Instead of the usual expensive slacks and button-down shirt, he wore torn jeans and a worn leather jacket. With his rough, unshaven face, and strands of dark, wavy hair dancing over his eyes, he looked like a drug dealer, or some other kind of shady character.

  So what was he doing here at four in the afternoon? This was such a break from his real life as a guidance counselor at a high school for troubled kids that I could totally understand why my friend had asked for my help. Only, how was I supposed to know if this was part of his job or something worse?

  The only way to find out was inside that bar. But, for some reason, I had a hard time getting out of my car. I waited a good five minutes to bolster my courage. Then, with everything screaming at me to stay put, I took a deep breath and opened the door.

  Luckily, I’d worn a grey t-shirt with my black jeans and black boots, so I reached into the back seat and grabbed my black leather motorcycle jacket and slipped it on. It was near the end of April, so not too warm to wear it. And from what I’d seen, it would help me blend in with the crowd.

  Next, I slung my purse over my shoulder and felt for my trusty stun-flashlight. In my other hand, I kept a tight grip on the small canister of pepper spray attached to my car keys. Knowing I couldn’t put it off any longer, I took a deep breath for courage and hurried across the street.

  I hesitated at the door. Then, with my heart pounding, I swallowed my fear and stepped inside. The loud music assaulted my senses, and I squinted in the dark, needing a minute for my eyes to adjust before I could see well enough to find my way.

  Taking it all in, my brows rose with surprise to find the place packed with people. At four in the afternoon. Didn’t anyone work around here?

  Spotting a couple of empty stools at the bar, I quickly took a seat, wanting to go unnoticed for as long as possible. With the bartender busy, I glanced around the place, hoping to spot my quarry before he spotted me. I couldn’t see Kyle in any of the booths, but there were about four pool tables in the back. Maybe that’s where he was?

  “What can I get you?” the bartender asked. He was a big, brawny guy, and the white t-shirt he wore stretched tight across his chest and biceps. Along with his earrings and the tattoos all over his arms, his unfriendly scowl brought a spike of unease to my chest.

  “Uh… could I get a Diet Coke with lemon?” His gaze narrowed at my non-alcoholic order, and he took in my fresh face and wondered what I was doing there. I didn’t fit in with the usual clientele… at all. I smiled and continued, “Or lime… whatever one’s easier will work, since I like them both.”

  His lips drew into a thin line before he shook his head and left to get my drink. From his thoughts, I picked up that he’d noticed me the moment I’d come in and correctly determined that I had no idea what I was doing there. I had to be meeting someone. But who was it, and what did I want with them?

  He knew I wasn’t a cop, since a cop would know better than to come in here alone. And even though I tried to pull off the bad-ass look with a motorcycle jacket and boots, I should have at least tried to cover my blond hair to fit in better. Then he hoped I didn’t cause any trouble, because he had a feeling I was in way over my head.

  With his instincts on high alert, he glanced over at Big Kahuna’s booth, and his lips twisted with dismay. It was too late. Now I was in for it.

  Alarmed, I followed his gaze to
a huge man who straightened from a slouch in his booth across from the bar. He observed me with narrowed eyes like a wild tiger scenting its prey. I swallowed and noticed several more guys like him throughout the place, all of Polynesian descent. What had I stumbled into now?

  Of course, not everyone looked that way, but it made me stand out more than I liked. So what was Kyle’s connection to these guys? I knew he used to play football at the university, and these guys looked like football players. Maybe he was just catching up with old friends? But if that was the case, why all the sneaking around?

  In desperation, I glanced toward the back of the room, hoping to spot him. Just then, a man moved his head, leaving me with a clear view of Kyle in earnest conversation with someone in the far-corner booth.

  With growing unease, I tried to block out the noise and listen to his thoughts so I could get out of there, but I had a hard time getting through. Then the bartender set my drink down in front of me, breaking my concentration.

  “That’ll be eight dollars,” he said, asking for a higher price than the five he normally charged.

  I glanced at the small glass. It was mostly ice and wasn’t even filled to the top. Worse, it didn’t include a lime or a lemon. I pursed my lips before catching his gaze. The mocking challenge in his eyes got my dander up, especially since he was thinking that I should take the hint that I wasn’t welcome and leave before something bad happened to me.

  In response, I took a five-dollar bill out of my purse and set it on the counter. His brows rose at my boldness, and he thought I might be tougher than I looked, but not quite tough enough for this crowd.

  He was probably right, but it still hurt my feelings. Before I lost my nerve, I grabbed my drink and hurried toward Kyle’s table. I knew this might be my only chance to find out what he was up to, even if it gave me away.

  As I walked the length of the bar, everyone turned to stare at me, sending my blood pressure to a new high. It took a lot of self-control to keep focused and not react to the thoughts and stares following my every move.

  I let out a relieved breath to reach Kyle’s booth physically unscathed. But mentally I’d been through a gauntlet of assault-by-thoughts, and I might have sent a few well-deserved glares at some of the men along the way that probably didn’t help me any.

  Just then, Kyle glanced up. As he recognized me, his eyes widened with shock and distress. “Shelby!? What are you doing here?”

  “Hi Kyle. Mind if I join you?” Before he could answer, I slipped into the bench beside him, making him move out of my way before I sat on him. He moved over at the last minute, still in disbelief that I was there. I took that opportunity to glance at the person sitting across from him and found a young man, probably close to sixteen or seventeen years of age, staring at me with dark eyes of distrust.

  I smiled at him. “Hi. I’m a friend of Kyle’s.”

  His suspicious gaze flew to Kyle, and he leaned over the table. “Did you bring her here? Is she a cop?”

  “Hell no,” Kyle answered, doing his best to keep his voice low. The boy began to slide out of the booth, but Kyle grabbed his arm. “Wait. She has nothing to do with this. Just give me a minute to figure it out.” The boy slowed his movements but sat on the edge of his seat, ready to bolt.

  “You owe me,” Kyle hissed, clenching his jaw.

  The boy let out a breath and slid back into the booth, willing to listen to what Kyle had to say. He did owe him. And so far, Kyle had held up his end of the bargain. Still, he had to play it cool so Kyle didn’t suspect the truth or voice his concerns to Big Kahuna. That would ruin everything.

  Kyle turned to me, swallowing the anger that caught in his throat. My presence here was destroying weeks of hard work that he could never get back. “I don’t know what you’re doing here, but you need to leave.” When I didn’t respond, he continued. “Did my wife put you up to this?”

  At my nod, he let out a frustrated growl and swore a blue streak in his mind. Then he began cursing his wife, me, and all women in general. My eyes widened. Sheesh! Even though it was all in his mind, it still struck a nerve, and whatever sympathy I had for his situation flew right out the window.

  Finally, under control, he spoke. “This is what you’re going to do. You’re going to stand up and walk straight out the door. Then you’re going to tell my wife absolutely nothing. I don’t care what she’s paid you, she can’t know about this. I’ll even pay you more, but you have to leave now.”

  I couldn’t believe he had the gall to order me around like that, especially since his wife and I had been friends since grade school. Then I picked up that his work to get back into the Polynesian gangs was shot if I didn’t get the hell out of there.

  Hearing that helped curb my anger, but my opinion of him fell off the lowest end of the charts. Even if he was a spy, or working undercover, talking to me that way wasn’t going to earn him any points. Of course, I also picked up an underlying sense of anxiety that things could get dicey for both of us if I stayed any longer.

  Hearing that was enough to cool my jets, and I swallowed my indignation. “Fine. I’ll go. But I’m not through with you.”

  I thought it best not to tell him that I had every intention of telling his wife, mostly because of his unkind thoughts toward both of us. With a glare at him I stood, then glanced at the teenager, hoping to pick up something more about what he was hiding, but all I got was admiration for Kyle because he’d put me in my place.

  Hot with anger at Kyle’s terrible example, I shook my head and started down the aisle. At that moment, Big Kahuna moved out of his booth to stand in front of me. “Leaving so soon?”

  Alarm tightened my stomach, and I stopped in my tracks. “Uh… yes.”

  Big Kahuna lumbered toward me, and I backed up until we both stood right next to Kyle’s table. Stopping, Big Kahuna glanced at Kyle, then turned his attention to the kid, knowing he was more devoted. “Keola, you know this haole?”

  “No,” the kid said, thinking that he needed to sound completely loyal.

  Big Kahuna turned his gaze to Kyle, who shook his head in disgust. “She’s harmless,” Kyle explained, shrugging with indifference. “My sister’s friend. I think my sister dared her to come in here.”

  Big Kahuna turned his questioning gaze at me. “Is that right?”

  It was easy to pick up Kyle’s distressed thoughts that I’d better back him up or we were both in deep trouble.

  “Uh… yeah,” I agreed. Thinking fast, I blurted the first thing that came to my mind. “She said this was a happening place, so I just wanted to come inside and maybe play a game, but he wouldn’t play with me.” I motioned toward Kyle with narrowed eyes and a frown of disgust that I didn’t need to fake.

  Big Kahuna smiled, noticing my underlying nervousness and smelling the lie. “A game?”

  “Yeah… you know… pool?” I motioned toward the tables. “Isn’t that a thing here? I mean… I’ve never been here before… obviously, but I’ve heard about this place. It’s pretty cool, except your bartender didn’t put a lemon in my drink like I asked, but other than that, it’s not bad.”

  Holy hell! What was I saying?

  I caught that Kyle needed me gone before Big Kahuna got his hands on me and ruined everything. So he stood to loom over me with intimidation, deciding to take matters into his own hands. “You should go. You don’t fit in here.”

  “Hey now,” Big Kahuna said, pushing him back. “That’s no way to talk. Let’s show this haole some hospitality.” He turned to me with a challenging smile. “You want to play? We’ll play.”

  “Great.” I glanced at the pool tables and let out a relieved breath to find them all in use. “Uh… it looks we’ll have to take a raincheck. But I can come back later. How about tomorrow?”

  He grinned widely, showing straight, white teeth, and knew he’d caught me in his snare. He asked one of the guys at the nearest table if he would let us play, and the guy gladly stepped away, willing to do whatever Big Kahuna ask
ed.

  “There,” he said, turning back to me. “Problem solved.” He arched a brow in challenge and waited for me to get my butt over to the table.

  “Uh… great!” I started that way, hoping he didn’t follow too closely, since he’d notice my trembling legs. On the other hand he’d already picked up that I was a bundle of nerves, and enjoyed calling my bluff. So, maybe if I got on his good side, I could leave in one piece.

  One of the players handed me his cue stick while Big Kahuna racked up the balls. Once they were ready, he motioned toward the table. “Want to break?” he asked, thinking that if I didn’t start playing, he’d take me in the back room for a little talk and find out the real reason for my visit. He already suspected that there was an ulterior motive for Kyle’s recent return. Maybe I could shed some light on that.

  “Sure. Uh… I need to put this somewhere.” I pulled my purse from around my neck and ducked down to place it on the floor by my feet. While I was out of sight, I slipped my phone out of my purse and turned it on. Pushing the message icon, I quickly swiped in ‘help’ and sent it off.

  “What are you doing down there?” Big Kahuna asked.

  “Just getting my phone,” I answered, standing and holding it up for him to see. “I’d like to get a picture of us playing together.”

  His eyes narrowed. “No pictures. Put it away.” He was thinking that if I didn’t do it right now, he’d be happy to take it and forget about the game.

  “Fine.” I shrugged and slipped it back into my purse, then glanced at the table, knowing I’d better start playing. “Okay… let’s see.” I grabbed the chalk and dusted the top of my cue stick before moving the cue ball into position.

  It had been a while since I’d played, but we had a pool table at home in the basement, so at least I knew how. Still, I was terrible at breaking, and I hoped to get at least one ball into a pocket. I moved the cue stick back and forth between my fingers, knowing I needed to hit it pretty hard, but hesitated since I was a little shaky.