One Last Song (A Thomas Family Novel Book 3) Read online

  Squeaky Clean Copyright © 2015-2017 Kristi Cramer.

  All rights reserved.

  www.kristicramerbooks.com

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. No part of this book may be resold, reproduced, or distributed in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, without the express written permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction.

  Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, business establishments, or events is entirely coincidental.

  Edited by Kim Young

  Cover Designed by Christian Bentulan

  One

  Last

  Song

  A Thomas Family Novel

  by

  Kristi Cramer

  One Last Song

  Disclaimer

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Acknowledgments

  If You Enjoyed This Book...

  Watch for the next Thomas Family Novel

  Find and follow Kristi online at:

  All titles by Kristi Cramer

  Disclaimer

  Syracuse, Kansas, is a real town. However, the people and places in this book—and all of the planned Thomas Family Novels—are totally fictitious. I have taken liberties with everything from the history to the agriculture to the businesses and bus stop downtown. I'm sure the real Syracuse has history and drama of its own, and while the tale I spin in these pages could happen there, One Last Song is pure fiction. So enjoy. If you happen to pass through Syracuse, have a look around, stop for a meal, and help support a fine American town. Just don't expect it to resemble my fictional version.

  Prologue

  Three Years Ago - Houston, Texas

  Cody Buford felt the thumping bass of the music deep in his chest until he was certain his heart was beating in time to the frenzied rhythm. He took a drag from his Marlboro in an effort to calm himself as he scanned the room, more interested in the people coming through the door than the bodies writhing on the dance floor.

  Antwon was late, which worried him. In the three years they’d known each other, he had never been late, especially since inviting Cody into his self-styled “inner circle” of friends. Something wasn’t right, and there were too many things that could have gone wrong for him to relax.

  Cody lifted his empty shot glass at the passing bartender to indicate he wanted a refill of Johnny Walker Red, and she nodded.

  When he turned to survey the crowd again, he caught sight of a familiar face—one he hadn’t expected to see here. The woman in the black dress held her phone up and waved it at him, an intent look on her face.

  Confused, he reached into the breast pocket of his jacket and pulled out his phone, immediately noticing the flashing LED telling him he had texts. The fact he hadn’t heard the notification tone in the loud club didn’t surprise him.

  When he unlocked the device, he saw he had missed four texts, each more alarming than the last, from the contact he had listed only as CS.

  Urgent. Contact me ASAP.

  If you are with Antwon, walk away.

  Leave the club NOW.

  The final text was more than five minutes old.

  You have been compromised.

  Cody looked up, searching for Callie—the woman in the black dress—but she’d been swallowed up by the mass of dancers. Instead, he caught sight of Antwon twenty feet away and closing in on him, two burly men in his wake.

  He pushed off the barstool, trying to look nonchalant as he held out his hand for their customary handshake. His mind raced as he tried to remember what he’d been told about stalling for time in the event of a situation like this.

  Keep cool. Don’t cop to having done anything wrong. Wait for extraction. He consoled himself with the knowledge that Callie was here and aware of the situation.

  “Antwon!” he shouted over the music. “How you doing?”

  “You got some nerve, Buford.” Antwon made no effort to raise his voice. Cody read his lips more than he actually heard the words.

  He decided to play up the noisy environment. “Come again?”

  The two burly men stepped around Antwon to grab Cody’s arms, then firmly pulled him toward the back door.

  Startled, he attempted to pull loose from their grip, but they held him fast.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Callie moving toward them and he felt a little better, although nowhere near at ease.

  They left the main bar and entered a comparatively quiet corridor. One man snarled at a pair of women approaching, and they hurried back into the ladies’ room to get out of the way. The other man kicked open a security door and they pushed Cody out into an alley. A very dark alley.

  He tried to maintain his calm as he staggered to stay upright. The goons grabbed his arms again and shoved him around to face Antwon. “What’s up? Why the escort?”

  “Shut up!” Antwon said and, without warning, punched Cody in the gut hard enough to make him double over. “I’m asking the questions tonight. Wait. You know what? I’m not asking any questions. I already know the answers. All you gotta do tonight is bleed a little while I beat you, then die when I put a bullet in your head.”

  Antwon’s knee connected with Cody’s face, and when he jerked upright with the force, a fist crashed into his chest and knocked the air out of him. He retched, and the men holding him let him drop to his knees. Bright spots filled his vision when he took another blow to the head.

  “Antwon?” he gasped. Where on earth is Callie?

  As if summoned by his thoughts, he heard Callie’s strong voice over the pounding of his heart. “FBI. Stop right there. Everybody get your hands in the air.”

  There was a confusing chorus of authoritative voices and scuffling, and by the time Cody’s vision cleared, he saw Antwon and his thugs in cuffs, faces pushed against the brick wall of the club.

  Callie stepped over and extended a hand to help him up. He took it and staggered to his feet, then swiped at the blood trickling from a cut above his eye. Before either of them could say anything, he heard Antwon’s voice rise above the clamor.

  “This ain’t the end, Buford. You’re gonna pay for your part in this.”

  Chapter One

  Present Day

  “Where are we going?”

  Jackson “Jax” Belamy struggled to keep up with Kylie Thomas as she pulled him through the crowded fairgrounds. It was Sunday night, the last night of the Tri-County Fair, and Kylie was just hitting her stride. She worked the swing shift at the Chew Brew & Pit Crew Truck Stop, and 10 p.m. wasn’t even lunchtime for her. Jax had been up with the sun, however, and his energy was lagging.

  “You’ll see!” Kylie said with a laugh, flashing her gorgeous smile over her shoulder.

  It was enough to spur Jax on, and he brought himself even with her as she drew them up to the karaoke tent. Jax smiled. He loved to hear Kylie sing, something she hadn’t had much occasion to do lately.

  “I called in a favor,” she sh
outed as she wove through the people crowding the tent’s entrance, heading toward the stage. Jax was glad she kept hold of his hand; otherwise, he was pretty sure she would have lost him. “April already put my name on the list.”

  Sure enough, the MC stood at the microphone. “Last call for Kylie Thomas. Kylie, get up here, girl!”

  The locals in the crowd whooped and hollered as Kylie threw up her hand. “I’m here!”

  That was enough to cause the crowd to part and let her through, and Jax followed in her wake. Laughing, she only released his hand after he helped her hop up onto the stage. He stood, looking up at her as she walked with purpose and confidence to the microphone. In her white jean jacket and a pink baby-doll dress that showed off her long, lean legs, she looked like a country music star. Her blonde hair, loose and flowing over her shoulders, caught the colors of the stage lights and shone purple, pink, green, and blue.

  The MC stepped back and fiddled with the equipment until the first notes of Katy Perry’s “Firework” rang out. The clamor of the crowd lulled, a signal that people were ready to listen.

  The other ranch hands at the Lazy J gave Jax grief for listening to Katy Perry while he worked in the barn, but this was the reason for it. It had nothing to do with some glittering star in a studio, and everything to do with this country girl who had been the center of his world for as long as he could remember.

  Jax was sure Kylie had star quality. She worked the microphone with an easy level of comfort, and worked the crowd just as well as any video queen. As she sang, he lost himself in her performance.

  Kylie was her own light show, a display of confidence and inner beauty that had everyone in the crowd calling out “Ah, ah, ah,” in time with the song.

  Jax knew he was bouncing up and down like an idiot, staring up at her with bright admiration, but he didn’t care. He lived for moments like these.

  When the song ended, the crowd roared with as much appreciation as Jax had heard coming from the main stage, where some tired band from the ‘80s was thrashing it up, and people started calling for more.

  “Give it up for Kylie Thomas!” the MC said, lifting Kylie’s arm above her head, as if she had just won a prizefight. “I think she gets the popularity award for tonight. What do you say, folks? Do you want to hear one last song from Kylie before we take a break?”

  Jax shouted as loudly as the people behind him. “One more, Kylie!”

  She smiled, her teeth flashing in the bright stage lights, and leaned in close to the MC to say something. Then she bent down and held her hand out to Jax. Without hesitation, he took it and hopped nimbly onto the stage, knowing exactly what was coming next.

  “Hey, y’all,” Kylie said, vamping up her country girl twang. “My friend and I are going to sing our favorite duet for ya. Feel free to join in if you know the words!”

  That was part of the reason the local crowd loved Kylie. She didn’t just mug the microphone and shine in the stage lights. She invited everyone to take part. She had a great voice, but she had an even better stage presence.

  As the simple notes of Sonny and Cher’s “I Got You Babe” sounded in the tent, the crowd laughed. When he slipped his arm around her waist, she let him. It was the only time she let him make such an intimate gesture.

  Jax glanced out at the crowd—it was bigger than he’d ever been in front of before—but as Kylie started to sing, she put her finger under his chin and brought his gaze back to her green eyes. Her smile calmed his nerves enough so he could sing his part, then join in with her for the chorus.

  And they weren’t singing alone. Several people in the crowd had joined in. It became a drunken ensemble ending with shouts of laughter and red Solo cups raised in salute. Kylie took a bow, forcing Jax to do the same. Laughing, they headed for the steps that led down to the side of the tent away from the bar.

  “That was so much fun!” Kylie said. Jax leaned in close—in part so he could hear her better, but mostly as an excuse to be close to her. “Alice says they’re having a popularity contest. I guess that encore means I get to come back,” she continued. “You going to hang around?”

  Jax pulled on her hand and turned her to face him. “I gotta work tomorrow.”

  He thought he saw her smile falter a little bit, but he wasn’t really sure. Kylie was so independent—and blind to the way he felt about her—that he couldn’t quite convince himself she was sad to see him go.

  “You’re such an old man!” she said with a laugh, giving him a punch on the shoulder.

  “Says the girl who didn’t get up until noon!” he said in his defense. “I was up at daybreak, and will be again tomorrow. Besides, I’m only two years older than you.”

  “Old,” she teased again. Before she could go on, Jax caught sight of a woman in a business suit patiently waiting for them to notice her.

  “Sorry, ma’am.” Jax tugged Kylie’s hand to pull her to the side of the tent. “Are we blocking your way?”

  “Not at all,” the woman said. Judging by her accent and the power suit that was just about as out of place as could ever be found in Syracuse, Kansas, she was obviously from the East Coast. “I was hoping for a moment of the young lady’s time.”

  Kylie turned to the woman, gave her a once-over, then stuck out her hand. “Kylie Thomas. What can I do for you, ma’am?”

  The woman shook Kylie’s hand with just the tips of her fingers, as if the gesture was somehow distasteful.

  “Maria Andrews,” she said, unruffled and cool. Jax thought she could be pretty if she let her hair out of the tight bun she’d pulled it into and loosened herself up a couple turns counter-clockwise. “I’d like to have a word with you. You see, I’m with Country Pride, a new reality show we’re putting together for next season, and I’m out here looking for hot new talent. Ms. Thomas, how would you like to share your gift with America?”

  ⋘⋆⋙

  Kylie stared at the woman, not sure she’d heard her right. “I’m sorry. Did you say you’re with a talent show?”

  “That’s right. Country Pride. It’s a new show that will air this winter. I’m scouting talent, and I’ve been looking for someone just like you....”

  Excitement thrummed in her ears, drowning out what the woman was saying. A talent scout? It was as though someone had trotted her most secret dream out into the lights of the midway, waved a magic wand, and granted her wish. She’d always figured she would have to leave town to be discovered, yet there was a talent scout standing in front of her, asking her to....

  “I’m sorry. What?” She brought her attention back to the woman.

  Ms. Andrews smiled. “I was hoping you would join me someplace quiet where I can explain to you about the show, give you some of the literature, and maybe meet your parents and see about getting their permission for you to audition.”

  “Oh, I’m eighteen,” she said. Well, she would be in a couple weeks anyway.

  Jax tugged on her elbow, trying to get her attention. She turned to him, unable to hide her elation. “A talent show, Jax!” she all but crowed.

  “I heard.” He looked skeptical.

  “Well, thanks for the vote of confidence,” Kylie said, thumping him on the shoulder. That got a smile out of him.

  “You know I think you’re awesome, Kylie,” he began, but his gaze was drawn back to the woman.

  “We’d like you to audition, too, young man,” the woman said. “You know how these kinds of shows go. Two good-looking young folks who are obviously in love—”

  Kylie laughed. “Oh, we’re not in love.”

  The woman looked between her and Jax, then gave a knowing smile. “Very well. Two good-looking young folks who have great chemistry. I’m sure you’ll go far on the show. What do you say?”

  “I don’t know,” Jax began, and Kylie resisted the urge to smack him.

  “Let’s just hear her out. Where did you have in mind to meet, ma’am?”

  “How about the parking lot?” she suggested. “It’s quite noisy on t
he fairgrounds.”

  Kylie had to agree. “We can walk to my work,” she suggested. “The truck stop. It’s just across the highway from the entry gate.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Ms. Andrews gestured for the two of them to precede her out of the tent.

  Jax hung back, so Kylie grabbed his arm and pulled him close to whisper in his ear. “It’s just a walk, silly. This could be a big break for me. For us. Haven’t you ever wanted to get out of this town?”

  He looked like he wanted to protest, but just shook his head and walked with her. She smiled to herself. She could always count on Jax to support her every whim. In her excitement, she grabbed his hand, squeezing whenever it became too hard to contain.

  Walking beside them the short distance to the gate, Ms. Andrews picked her way through the crowd and the detritus of several days of fair excesses.

  Jax leaned forward so he could address her across Kylie. “How come you stopped way out here, ma’am?” His tone wasn’t exactly rude, but it did sound more like an interrogation than mere curiosity.

  “We scouts work in teams,” she said, stepping gingerly over a large puddle left from the rain they’d that morning. “This show is different from the older scenarios where they hold huge auditions and people come from all over to try and get on the show. With Country Pride, we each get to pick where we want to look for talent. It’s as much a competition for the scouts as it is for the performers. I’ve always had the best vibes about small, out-of-the-way towns. Carrie Underwood is from Checotah, Oklahoma. Nobody even knew where that was before she showed up on American Idol.

  “Country Pride will do a little backstory on you. My assistant filmed you and several other performers with her cell phone. It’s all very organic. If you agree to do the show, we’ll go back with a proper camera to film a little more before the karaoke tent closes for the night, then we’ll film some interviews with your parents and friends in the morning. By the end of the week, we’ll head out for Nashville, and you two will be on your way to becoming big stars.”