by Ann Simas
“God, Andi, you look beautiful.”
His eyes blazed with passion that seared through her, leaving her speechless.
“I can’t wait until we’re alone again. It’s going to be amazing undressing you.”
She flushed with pleasure and turned so she could examine her reflection in the full-length mirror. “You don’t think it’s too revealing?”
“It’s perfect, babe, and it’s not revealing at all.”
“I don’t usually have so much skin showing.”
His eyes slid over every inch of her.
Bare arms. Bare back. Bare neck. Partially bare chest. Andi started to squirm.
“I’d ravish you right now, if I could.”
Despite her reservations about how much the dress revealed, Andi chuckled. “Ravish. That’s an old-fashioned word for a new-fangled guy.”
“Believe me,” he said, his hot gaze sweeping over her again, down to the heels on her feet, and back up to her face, “in this case, ravish is exactly what I’d like to do.”
Chapter 16
The wedding ceremony, though attended by only the bride and groom, their attendants, Jack, Stacy and her husband, and Brent and his wife, was beautiful. Andi, who never cried, cried.
Gerd was gorgeous in an exquisite floor-length white gown of beaded lace. Orion was handsome as all get-out in a black tux. Vaughn also had on a tux, and Andi’s dress and Jack’s tie complemented the flowers in the bride’s bouquet, and Andi’s, perfectly.
Afterward, the wedding party, Father Riley, and all the guests followed the limo carrying the bride and groom to Orion’s home for a catered dinner.
Over hors d’oeuvres, Orion told Brent that, as of the next day, Andi would be his boss, rather than his subordinate.
“Thank goodness!” Brent said, hugging her. “I was beginning to worry that you’d up and leave us because we’re too slow or boring for you.”
“Not likely,” Andi said. “I’m happy as the proverbial clam being at Orion’s Belt.”
“If you like that news,” Orion went on, “you should also like that Vaughn’s coming in as our financial partner.”
“Thank goodness again!” Brent said, his sincerity apparent. “We can certainly use an infusion of cash, not to mention the expertise. Welcome to the Belt, Vaughn.” He extended his hand to the new partner.
“More good news,” Stacy said. “Gerd is joining EPD as our newest detective. She’ll be part of the Violent Crimes unit when she returns from her honeymoon.” She glanced at Jack. “I understand she’ll be a major asset, saving our detectives not only from the criminals, but from themselves, as well.”
Jack rolled his eyes at the LT, even as the others laughed and offered their congratulations.
Gerd, who had changed into a stunning floor-length gown in a deep shade of lavender, clapped her hands. “All this good news is amazing. Everyone here is amazing! Thank you all for making this such a happy day for Orion and me.” She reached for her new husband’s hand. He gave it to her along with a lengthy kiss.
After dinner, Vaughn pulled Andi aside. “I’ve been giving this whole thing with Denise a lot of thought.”
“You and me both,” she said.
“I’m still wondering if the person who responded to your text message is not The Liquidator.”
Andi’s gaze locked with Vaughn’s. “I didn’t consider it possible when you mentioned it before, but I had a change of heart last night.”
“How so?”
“Father Riley suggested I look up a saint, Jerome Emiliani. His light-bulb moment, in a nutshell, was to look beyond the obvious to the not-so-obvious.”
“You ever read Sherlock Homes?” Vaughn asked.
She wondered where he was going with the nonsequitur. “No.”
“I’m a big fan. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle gave old Sherlock fantastic powers of deductive reasoning. Case in point, Holmes opined, ‘Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.’”
“It’s almost the same lesson.”
He nodded.
“But…we haven’t eliminated the impossible or the obvious yet, have we?”
He jammed his hands into his trouser pockets. “I suppose “that remains to be seen.”
“Yes, I suppose it does.” Andi tried to process the implications, but her mind had taken a brief respite from Clem and Denise for the wedding festivities. Her mind was having a tough time making the transition back again.
Vaughn pulled one hand out of his pocket and jammed his fingers through his hair, spiking it. “I’m probably way off base. After all, Holmes is a fictional character and his creator was a physician. What the hell did either of them know about real-life hitmen?”
Andi offered him a weak smile, torn by her desire to just relax and enjoy the rest of the evening and her renewed unease concerning Denise’s fate. “I don’t know, but St. Jerome Emiliani was a real person and he probably didn’t know about real hitmen, either.”
“I guess it’s back to the drawing board.”
“I guess so.” She grinned and leaned toward him, whispering in a conspiratorial manner, “Does Jack know you’re playing sleuth?”
He grinned back. “Who says I am?”
The party broke up by seven so the newlyweds could get on with their wedding night.
If anyone was concerned about the bride and groom’s impetuous decision to marry a week after they’d met, no one mentioned it.
Overall, Andi decided, as she and Jack drove back to his place, the day had been amazing. In fact, the weekend had been amazing. To keep it that way, she forcibly pushed Vaughn’s words into a far corner of her brain for later consideration.
With that accomplished, the night only got better.
. . .
Andi met Orion and Vaughn at the contracts attorney’s office at ten sharp. Preston Kido was meticulous with the contract details and provided a detailed review of every line of text. Any concerns were addressed and all questions were answered. In the end, no changes were made to the verbiage, including the clauses that dealt with buyouts or partner death. Everyone was satisfied.
Orion signed everything he needed to sign then said, “I’m off. We have a two o’clock flight to Chicago. We’ll spend a couple of days there, then head to Dubuque to pack up Gerd’s place and get her house on the market. DPD is also throwing a farewell shindig for her next weekend, then we’re off across the pond.”
“Where are you going?” Kido asked.
“Italy. Neither of us has ever been there.” He grinned sheepishly. “We thought it would be a great place for two romantics to honeymoon.”
Everyone laughed. “God speed,” Andi said, hugging him, “and love to both of you. Have a wonderful trip and don’t forget to send us a postcard.”
He saluted her. “Will do, partner.” He looked at Vaughn. “You two will be in charge. Don’t screw things up while I’m gone.”
Vaughn grinned. “I think Brent can keep us on the straight and narrow, if we stray too badly.” He shook Orion’s hand. “Safe journey.”
As soon as Orion took off, Andi and Vaughn gathered their things.
“A minute?” Kido asked. He motioned for them to retake their seats. “I’m meeting with Denise Naylor this afternoon at two. She wondered if you would mind attending.”
“I can be there,” Vaughn said, looking at Andi. “What about you?”
“Sure. I’m going back to the Belt from here, but I can definitely be at Denise’s by two.”
“Good, good.” A Japanese American who stood as tall as Vaughn, but was much lankier, Kido had played professional basketball in Japan for four years after college, gone to law school after he’d landed on his knee one time too many, and was now specializing in contracts law. He had taken and passed, with flying colors, the Multistate Bar Exam, so he was in high demand in a number of other states.
Andi knew all this from information she’d gleaned from Vaughn and what she’d learned on
the Internet.
“Denise has informed me that I am authorized to discuss all matters pertaining to the partnership contract of Benz Giustina and Naylor with the two of you. Have you both read it?”
They nodded.
“Good.” He stopped his pacing and leaned against the tabletop. “To put it bluntly, they’re trying to screw her over. I don’t like it when bullies go after people they perceive to be weak.” He flexed his jaw and his expression hardened. “I’m going to wipe the floor with these jerks.”
Vaughn stood. “Sounds like a plan to me, Preston. I’ll help get you there any way I can.”
“Count me in,” Andi said, also standing. “Has Denise mentioned anything else about her…current situation?”
“If you mean, did she tell me her husband put a contract out on her life, yes. She said she thought I should know, since there are cops and security people there. She also told me why he’d done it. I admit to having my investigator verify her story.” One side of his mouth quirked up. “He tells me it’s a beautiful portrait. I hope she lives to finish it.”
Andi hadn’t given a thought to actually checking out Denise’s account of her whereabouts. Having Clem give her the straight scoop had pretty much clenched that for her at the beginning, but then Preston Kido didn’t know that part of the story.
Kido straightened and gathered his paperwork, sliding it into his messenger bag. “Just so you know, I’ll be armed when I get there.”
“As will I,” Vaughn said. He glanced at Andi.
“I have a PepperBlaster,” she said. “Shall I bring it?”
Vaughn grinned. “Andi Oakley and her PepperBlaster. Let me know when you want to learn how to shoot a real gun. I’ll give you some instruction.”
“I’m ready any time. You’ve mentioned before that I should get a concealed-carry permit.”
“I have and it’s not a bad idea,” Vaughn said. “Have you discussed it with Jack or Father Riley?”
“No.” Andi was pretty sure Jack would want to be the one to teach her how to shoot.
As for Father Riley, he’d no doubt embark on an immediate search for the patron saint of gun-totin’ game-app writers.
. . .
Jack was sprawled on Andi’s sofa, his head in her lap. She played her fingers through his hair.
“I don’t get why Kido wanted you and Vaughn to sit in on the discussion with Denise,” he said.
“I got there a little early and asked Denise. She said it was because I communicate with her husband. She thought Kido might bring up something that I needed to ask Clem about for clarification.”
“And did he?”
“I’m not sure. It was a pretty intense two hours. I took some notes, which I plan to go over later, but right now, I guess it’s all still percolating in my brain.”
He looked up, meeting her eye-for-eye. “I love your brain.”
“I love you brain, too.” She bent forward and kissed him.
“Umm, you have nice lips, too.”
“Thank you. So do you.”
“I like these, too,” he said brushing a hand over her breasts.
“I’d say I’m partial to yours, but you don’t have any,” Andi said, giggling.
“I have other parts you like, though.”
“True.” She leaned sideways, sliding her hand down toward his zipper.
The sound of her phone vibrating against the kitchen counter interrupted her exploration.
“Geez, who could that be?” She glanced at the clock on the mantel as Jack raised himself to a sitting position so she could stand. She turned the ringer back on before she accepted the call. “Hi, Vaughn.”
“Hi, Andi. Sorry to be calling so late, but I need a favor.”
“Sure, what’s up?”
“You know how Trev wanted stitches because Micah has some?”
“Oh, no! Is he hurt badly?”
“I don’t think so, but he disobeyed me and pulled a Micah, only he hit harder. I need to take him to the ER, but Dotty has gone to see her son for a couple of days before she has her knee surgery, and Eddie and Sally are at a concert, so I can’t reach them. Would you be able to come over and sit with the other kids until I get back from the hospital?”
“Sure. I can….” She had a sudden brainstorm, remembering how long he’d had to wait in the ER before. “I have a better idea, but I’ll tell you about it when I get there.” She disconnected without saying goodbye and speed-dialed her sister, who was a pediatrician. “Nat, it’s me. Can you do a house call on a three-year-old who needs stitches?”
“Hello to you, too,” her sister said. “What’s wrong with the ER?”
“It’s my friend Vaughn. He has three other kids and no available child care at the moment except me.”
“Oh, so you’re afraid of kids now?”
“No, I’m still headed over there, but he’s gone through a lot these past few months and he just took his other son to the ER a few days ago and had to wait hours to be seen. I just thought, if you’re not busy, you might be able to help out.”
“Two visits to the ER in a week. Is there something going on I’d need to report?”
“No! Micah leaped off the stairs and had to have stitches and his twin, Trevor, not to be outdone, wanted some of his own.”
Natalie hesitated, then said, “Vaughn? Isn’t he the husband of your old friend Sherry, who was murdered?”
“Yes.”
Her sister heaved a sigh. “Okay, I’ll do it. I’m always a sucker for a sad story.”
“You’re the best, Nat.” She gave her sister the address and said she’d meet her there in fifteen minutes.
“Guess we’re going on a road trip,” Jack said.
“You don’t have to come, if you have something else to do,” Andi said.
Jack’s eyes lit with amusement. “My other plans suddenly got cancelled.”
Andi grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck. “You’re a good sport, Jack.”
. . .
“Thank God,” Vaughn said as he pulled the door open.
Ashley, Etta, and Micah were huddled around Trevor, crying. Trev, however, wailed louder than any of his siblings.
“I’m saving you a trip to the ER,” Andi said. “My sister Natalie is a pediatrician. She’s pulling up right now.”
“Double thank God,” Vaughn said, looking completely frazzled. “I can deal with Trev’s injury, but the other three crying and carrying on is about to drive me nuts.”
Andi walked down to meet her sister. “He’s a little fried because all four kids are having a sobfest.”
“Sympathy tears,” Natalie said.
At the door, Andi said, “Nat, this is Vaughn. Vaughn, this is my sister, Natalie. Jack and I will herd the noninjuries into the kitchen. Got any ice cream?”
“I hope so,” Vaughn said with such fervency Andi grinned. “Give them whatever they want.”
An hour later, the five-year-old twin girls were tucked into their beds and fell fast asleep. Micah had given up waiting for his brother twenty minutes earlier.
Andi went back downstairs and joined everyone in the kitchen, where Trevor was being treated to the bowl of ice cream he’d missed out on earlier.
“Thank you for making a house call,” Vaughn said, pulling out his wallet. “Here’s my card. You can bill me at this address.”
“I won’t be billing you at all,” Natalie said, slipping into her coat.
“That’s not right,” Vaughn said. “You can’t be doing this without compensation.”
She slid a glance at her sister. “Let’s just say, a friend of Andi’s is a friend of mine, and I don’t charge friends for house calls.”
“She’s not kidding,” Jack said, pointing to his cheek. “She removed my stitches, saving me a trip to my doctor’s office.”
Nat shrugged. “As I said, friends.”
Vaughn frowned, but said, “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“Me, too,” Andi chimed. “If Vaughn�
�d had to take Trev to the ER, we might not have seen them again ’til morning.” She looked at the toddler. “You doing okay, buddy?”
He nodded, his focus mostly on the strawberry ice cream he had left. “Got sewed up just like Micah.”
“And no more jumping off the stairs, right?” his father added.
The little boy looked up, his expression serious. “No moh.”
Andi and Jack pulled on their coats, as well. Vaughn gave Trevor instructions not to budge from the table and walked them to the front door.
“Thanks again, all of you. I really appreciate the quick response.”
“Any time,” Andi said, giving him a hug, and they were on their way.
A short time later, Jack dropped her off at her place. He had a seven o’clock meeting with his LT, so their romantic plans for the evening were put on hold. Andi insisted he didn’t have to walk her upstairs, and though he didn’t look happy about it, he relented.
Had she known what awaited her at the door, she might not have been so insistent that he relinquish his gentlemanly duties.
With some reluctance and more than a little dread, she hurried back downstairs to catch him before he drove away.
Chapter 17
Jack barrelled up the steps two at a time ahead of her. Andi reached the landing seconds later. In the light of the overhead fixture, she could tell that the exertion had cost him with his cracked rib.
“What the hell?” he muttered, staring at her door, trying to catch his breath.
“I didn’t touch it.”
Jack pulled out his phone and dialed EPD dispatch. “Jack Harmon,” he said when the operator answered. He gave his badge number and Andi’s address and apartment number. “Send a patrol car and someone from forensics.”
After a moment of silence while he listened, he said, “Just log it as related to a murder-for-hire case,” and disconnected.
“What do you think?” Andi asked, more rattled than she wanted to admit.
“I think it’s colder than shit out here. Let’s wait inside.” He pulled a latex glove from his pocket and wrapped it around the door knob to open it.
