*****
Mason forced himself to endure the greetings and the over enthusiastic conversations of people who wanted to get on their good sides. He had to admit that his uncle was handling it a hell of a lot better than he was. If it were up to him, he would be high-tailing it out of the church yard and on his way back to the quiet solitude of the place they now called home and seated behind his desk. He had emails, tons of them to respond to, contracts to go over and a call to their lawyers that would probably take up half hour. He did not have time for shit like this but Manuel had prevailed upon him that it would suit them well to play nice with the locals and here he was, shaking hands and smiling, all the time ignoring the obvious flirtations of the women, some of whom were wearing wedding rings. The crowd finally thinned out drastically and they were able to move towards their truck, with the company name emblazoned on the sides.
“That was not so bad was it?” Manuel asked him mildly as he leaned against the tailgate and watched the departing crowd.
“Speak for yourself.” Mason muttered as he reached for the door handle. “What are you loitering about for?”
“Just taking in the town’s Lothario.” He hitched a chin over to the tall, lean muscled man with bleached blond hair. “And that’s our female doc with him.”
Mason abandoned his attempt to open the door and came to join his uncle. “They look cozy.”
Manuel snorted. “His name is Clive Tyson and he claims to be a farmer.”
Mason looked at his uncle with raised brows. “Claims?”
Manuel snorted again as he watched the man who had a proprietary hand on the doctor’s arm. From where they were standing, beneath the shade of an oak tree, it did not look as if she was against him touching her. “He has hundreds of peach, apples and apricot trees and sells to the local markets as well as to individual people. He also ships to nearby towns but that is just a front for his more lucrative business.”
“Which is?”
“Prescription drugs.”
“He is a drug dealer?” Mason’s eyes swung towards the man who was opening the door for the doctor to get in.
“Yep!” Manuel snorted.
“Are the authorities aware of what he is up to?” Mason saw when he hunkered down and spoke to the woman in the vehicle. “Does she know for that matter?”
“The sheriff department consists of two people – a potbellied guy who should have retired a long time ago and a geek with a gun. Both men are weak willed and easily bought.”
“Meaning he has them in his pocket.”
“They are bought and paid for. My guess he is cozying up to the good doctor to get her on his side.”
“Why would she do that?”
Manuel shrugged broad shoulders, his eyes narrowing, and he watched the man straighten up and stepped back from the doctor’s vehicle. “Money, I guess.”
“I thought you said she was not in need.”
“People always need more money. Hell! He is coming this way.”
“I guess it is time to take our leave.”
“Not yet. Let’s hear what he has to say first.”
The man lengthened his stride and reached them in minutes, an ingratiating smile on his tanned face. “I didn’t get a chance to do the meet and greet, I was busy seeing Jen to her vehicle.” He stretched out a hand to Mason who thought about ignoring it. He disliked the man on principle. “Clive Tyson, at your service.”
Mason shook his hand and released it quickly. “Mason Remington.”
“We all know who you are.” The man said with a laugh as he stretched his hand out to Manuel. “And you are the uncle. Manuel Remington.”
“That would be me.” Manuel told him mildly as he gave his hand a firm shake and released it. “You are the local farmer.”
“The biggest farmlands in Mystic Rivers. I supply fruits to the local markets, and I have to tell you that I am looking forward to the changes that have started to happen because of you. We need more high-rise buildings…. “
“We have no intention of putting up any high-rise buildings.”
“Oh,” he turned to look at Mason. “I thought you were planning to build malls and more banks.”
“Store-front shops. We would not want to take away from the beauty of the mountains. That is what makes this town so amazing and we have no intention of taking away from that.”
“Smart move.” Clive nodded enthusiastically, giving the impression that his approval mattered. “I was surprised that there was not an offer for my property.”
“Is your property for sale?” The question came from Manuel.
“For the right price, anything can be for sale.”
“We will keep that in mind.” Mason told him coolly. “Now if you don’t mind, we have someplace we have to be.”
“Of course,” he said genially. “Don’t let me keep you and if you need anything at all, fruit, advice or information, you are welcome to stop by. I have a feeling that we are going to be very good friends.”
“My ass! Manuel muttered as Mason backed out of the space and drove out of the parking lot. “He is one oily son of a bitch.”
“I agree.” Mason adjusted his mirror as he made his way out. “Much too friendly and too eager to please!!! He is definitely not to be trusted.” He glanced over at his uncle who was tinkering with the vent to give them more air. The heat outside had been stifling. “Where did you get that information on him? Our PI team?”
“I just got the basic from the team, but I dug a little deeper and got the scoop. You know how I like to know exactly who we are up against.”
Mason nodded. “You were right.”
“About what?”
“The doc.”
“What about her?”
“She is very attractive.”
Manuel turned his head to give his nephew a level stare. “What does that mean?”
“I am making an observation.”
“She looks like she is intimate with that bozo.”
“I am just making an observation.”
Manuel harrumphed and did not respond. “Turn here. We need to pick up dinner.”
*****
Jennifer went straight for the shower and stripped off everything she had worn and dropped them to the floor before stepping into the shower stall and adjusting the temperature until the water was tepid. She was still shaking with anger and frustration at the possessive way Clive Tyson had taken hold of her arm the entire time as if to show people that she was taken, and he was the one who had taken her. She had tried to shake him, but he had held on like a damned leech and when she would have marched to her vehicle, he had insisted on helping her into the car. She would have driven away immediately but he had stooped down by her window, determined to have a conversation with her, persuading her to come back to his place to have dinner with him. She had declined his offer many times and he still kept coming back. Apparently the word ‘no’ did not mean anything to him. She scrubbed the area where his hand had clutched her skin and did not stop scrubbing until she could not feel his touch on her. Closing her eyes, she let the water sluice over her heated body, until she had sufficiently cooled down. The heat had been brutal, and she had felt the sweat dripping from her armpits. Turning off the water, she pulled the doors aside and reached for the towel hanging on a hook nearby and wrapped it around her body before heading into the bedroom. The service had lasted for almost three hours and for a time, she had thought about just getting up and leaving. But she had not wanted to offend anyone.