“That would mean you did it,” Peter said, turning his attention to Mya. “If you’re going into a life of crime, I’d cover your hair. It’s like a beacon for cops.”
“I’m not going into a life of crime,” she said. “I’m here for support.”
“Give me one reason not to haul you both in.”
“I can give you three,” I said.
He raised a brow. “Let’s hear them.”
“One: We only entered; we never broke in. Two: Nothing was taken. Three: Your sister is in the thick of this and we’re trying to help find her. It’d be better if we teamed up.”
“Does Caleb know what you’re doing?”
“No. I haven’t spoken with him.”
“I think it’s time you did,” he said. “Get in the car.”
“Where are you taking us?” I asked, opening the door. I didn’t really have a choice about where he took us, but I didn’t want any surprises either.
“I’m taking you to Caleb’s. We’re going to have a chat.”
Eesh. There was nothing pleasant about the way he said ‘chat,’ and I had a feeling it was going to be another long night.
Chapter 18
“You broke into Adam’s office!” Caleb barked. For a man who never got mad, I was sure bringing out the worst in him.
“I didn’t break into his office,” I said once again. “I merely entered an already unlocked establishment.”
“Says the person wearing all black.”
“It’s the truth,” Mya said, coming to the rescue again. “She never unlocked the office. Rat did.”
“Rat?” Peter cut in. “Don’t tell me you’ve been working with him.”
“You know him?” I asked.
“Everyone knows of him but no one actually knows him. How in the world do you?”
“He fixed a door for me and told me he knows how to get into places undetected. I thought I could find Caleb’s file and see what happened to his money.”
“How much did you pay him to unlock the door?” Peter asked.
“Nothing.”
“No payment of any sort?” he asked in disbelief.
“None. But he left us stranded.”
“Although, he did warn us he would,” Mya added.
Caleb rubbed his temple. “Then why did you go through with it? If Peter hadn’t been the cop who spotted you two, then you’d be sitting in jail right now.”
“I realize that. But it would have been worth the risk if I found something. Unfortunately, I didn’t.”
“I did,” Mya said, pulling out a calendar from her pocket. “I couldn’t read it in the dark, but it must have some information in it.”
“Good job, Mya,” I said, reaching to take the calendar. Peter swooped it up before I had a chance to grab it.
“Not ‘good job,’” he scolded as he leafed through the calendar. “This means you actually did steal something.”
“I see it’s not stopping you from looking at it,” I said, leaning over his shoulder to peek.
“Is she always like this?” Peter asked Caleb.
Caleb’s gaze settled on me. “It’s hard to say. I keep seeing so many different sides.”
I pursed my lips but didn’t say anything.
“I’ll take this with me,” Peter said, heading for the door. “I don’t want to see either of you two ladies running from a crime scene again. Next time I may not be able to look the other way.”
“This was a onetime thing,” I said.
“Make sure it stays that way,” he warned and left without a glance back.
“Mya, can I drop you off at home?” Caleb asked.
“I’m staying with Nadia and Frankie at Sergio’s place.”
“Is that where you’ve been?” Caleb asked me, clearly miffed. “I’ve been trying to reach you ever since I heard about the explosion.”
“I thought you texted him that I was okay,” I whispered to Mya.
“She did,” Caleb answered for Mya. “That doesn’t mean I wasn’t worried about you and didn’t wonder where you were staying.”
“I was told to lie low and so that was what I was doing,” I said.
“Breaking and entering is lying low?”
I remained silent. He had me there and he knew it.
“I don’t want you to look for Jessica or Adam anymore. The money is not worth such big risks.”
I nodded. I really didn’t have any other leads anyway.
“Come on,” Caleb said, grabbing his keys off the end table. “I’ll drive you two jailbirds home.”
I touched his arm, stopping him from walking past. “Caleb, I’m sorry I made you worry. I’m sorry for a lot of things. Can I see you tomorrow? I want to make it up to you.”
His hand covered mine. “Sorry, Nadia. I’m busy tomorrow,” he said, not offering a different day to see me. His hand slipped off, and he walked past me to open the door. We left without another word.
* * *
“Mya?” I pounded on the bathroom door the next morning. “Are you okay?”
I winced as she heaved breakfast, or what was left of it. She had thrown up a few times already. I was sure there couldn’t be anything left in her stomach.
“What the heck did you feed her?” I asked Frankie who was turning white and holding his stomach. “Are you going to be sick too?”
“Only if I have to listen to her lose her cookies again,” he said, putting his hand over his mouth.
I heard the toilet flush and the faucet run. A few moments later, Mya appeared. Her face was pale and her eyes were red. She wilted against the doorframe.
“How do you feel now?” I asked.
“Like I have the flu,” she moaned.
“Get in bed,” I urged. “Frankie, find an emergency bucket. I’ll head to the store for some supplies.”
Mya dropped onto her air mattress and curled into a ball.
“You find a bucket,” Frankie said, running out the door. “I’ll go to the store. We need a case of Lysol, pronto!”
“Mya, did you eat something that may have upset your stomach?” I asked, wondering if I should skip breakfast.
“I ate a blueberry muffin. It tasted fine.”
“It couldn’t have been the muffin. I ate one last night when we got home.”
“I probably just caught a bug,” she moaned miserably.
“I’ll call David to take you home. You’ll feel better in your own bed,” I said.
“No!” she protested weakly. “I’m staying with you until he finds your attacker.”
“But . . .”
“If I give in now, he’ll only treat me like a child again.”
“Would that be so bad right now? Let him take care of you. You can take a stand when you feel better.”
“No,” she muttered into the pillow.
“Okay. I’ll be here if you need me,” I said, giving her space. Sometimes misery doesn’t like company.
I sat down in a limp chair and pulled out my phone, debating whether I should call David. I decided against it and texted Remy.
Did u find my attacker?
He responded quickly. Yes and no. David is a bear to work with. Tell Mya to go home.
I had a feeling David’s feathers might be ruffled. But, really, he had it coming.
I can’t. She’s sick.
Can u get away for a few minutes?
Yes.
Meet me in your parking lot in ten minutes.
OK.
I wondered if he’d found a lead, but I put the thought aside and decided to text Greyson. Hoping I hadn’t managed to upset him like I had with Caleb, I typed and erased several messages before realizing I had no idea what to say. “I’m sorry” didn’t seem to be enough, and yet, what else could I say?
I tipped out of the chair to check on Mya who was still curled in a ball but was otherwise as good as a person could be with the flu. I stepped out of the room and made my way down to the parking lot to wait for Remy.
As soon
as I saw his caddy pull into the lot, I crossed over to him.
“Get in, Jet.”
I jogged to the passenger’s side and slipped into the car. “Well, what did you find out?” I asked.
“Not much. But I did determine that the materials used for the apartment explosion are the same that are commonly used to demolish buildings. Between the explosion and the excavator, our attacker seems to know about construction. Do you know anyone who works in that field?”
“No. I can’t think of anyone. But that definitely rules out Jessica and Adam. I doubt either would care if I was alive or dead, nor would they know anything about construction.”
“That leaves us back at square one.”
“Did you find out anything on Piñata?” I asked.
“I can’t find a trace of Piñata or Muffin,” he said.
“They can’t be far away. After the explosion, Piñata told Muffin to get a paper so they could look for places.”
“I’ll get a copy of the paper and see if she’s rented any of the listings,” he said. “Muffin is recognizable enough that I can hunt her down by her description.”
“That’s true. She does leave an impression.”
“So does another woman I know of,” he said, eyeing me with such intensity I found myself leaning as far away as possible. “Do you know what I heard?”
“No,” I said, trying not to squeak. Now I know why he showed up in person. I thought it was odd that he hadn’t just called. He’s here for information and to give me the evil eye while extracting it.
His eyes never left mine, studying them as he prepared for interrogation. “I heard that an accountant’s office was broken into. Imagine my surprise when I also found out this accountant could have a connection to Caleb’s stolen money.”
“Imagine that.” I swallowed.
“And then I thought, Jet wouldn’t be so stupid as to break into an office,” he said, still watching me. I summoned my poker face, which was not as convincing as I hoped it would be. “Then I remembered who I sent to fix her door,” he continued. “Rat is known for opening doors, and Jet is known for getting into trouble. Amazing that it only took twenty-four hours for them to get into trouble together!” he barked.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said haughtily.
“You know damn well what I’m talking about! What the hell made you do it?”
I hesitantly glanced over at him and then wished I hadn’t. His brow was so furrowed and pinched that he looked like a bulldog ready to attack. I knew it was better if I confessed and let him get his tirade over with. If not, he was like a boiling kettle with no steam vent and was bound to explode.
“It seemed like too good of an opportunity to miss. Like you said, Rat knows how to open doors, and I needed a door opened.”
He clutched the steering wheel, knuckles turning white. I could only assume he was imagining my neck in place of the steering wheel. “Of all the damn, stupid, idiotic . . . you are the biggest pain in the ass I’ve ever met!” he blustered and bellowed.
“I seem to recall you saying that several times already.”
“How can I keep you safe when you’re traipsing all over town with a criminal!” he shouted, letting all that built-up steam escape with vengeance.
“I wouldn’t say traipsing,” I argued.
“Don’t push me,” he said with a growl. After a deep breath, he loosened his grip on the steering wheel.
“I wasn’t pushing. I was lightly poking,” I huffed, watching something shift in his eyes. Oh, crap!
His hands were too quick for me to react. He dragged me close with a single movement and kissed me. Yes, kissed me. Quite soundly, too.
His fingers fisted into my hair, pressing me into a kiss that was confusing and intriguing and . . . confusing. Very confusing. There was nothing I could do. And I wasn’t sure I wanted to. Maybe. I was caught up in the moment. The switch from anger to passion was so astoundingly acute, it wrapped around and yanked me into his very large arms and held me hostage there. And then, as suddenly as it had started, it ended.
“Damn it, Jet,” Remy mumbled as he broke the kiss, leaning his forehead against mine. “That shouldn’t have happened.” His fingers uncurled from my hair. We retreated to our corners.
“That was . . .”
“Don’t say it,” Remy said, cutting me off. “It didn’t happen.”
“But it did. I can honestly say I wasn’t expecting it.”
“This changes nothing. You’re still a pain in the ass. It was a reaction and nothing more,” he said, and I wondered if he was trying to talk himself into believing it. But, in reality, it was probably just as he said. And, thankfully, I was happy to agree.
“You may want to warn that crazy cocktail server that’s been on your tail. If you kiss pain-in-the-ass girls, I can’t imagine what a stalking server would get. Not that she would mind.”
“Jet, get your ass out of the car!” he bellowed.
“Don’t you want to kiss me again?” I taunted.
“Out!”
I laughed and kissed him on the cheek before I dashed out of the car. A string of curses followed me. He gunned the car, escaping as fast as he could.
Poor Remy.
I turned to find Frankie in the parking lot with his mouth hanging open.
“You didn’t see anything,” I said, walking past him.
“I know what I saw,” he said, following me. “You were kissing Remy.”
“No, he was kissing me.”
“I distinctly remember seeing both party’s tongues and hands.”
“Ew! You make it sound slobbery.”
“It wasn’t? Damn, I had a feeling he knew how to give a good kiss. You never know with those big burly types. Give me the details,” he ordered as we stepped into the elevator.
“I couldn’t give you details even if I wanted to. It happened so fast and then it stopped. He was just as confused about it as I was.”
“How did it start?”
“He was yelling at me and then all of a sudden he was kissing me.”
Frankie sighed with a little shiver. “Those are the best kisses.”
It was good, I admitted to myself. But it was a product of reaction, not deliberation. And, again, I was quite thankful for that.
“You have to promise not to tell anyone what you saw,” I said. “My life is a mess already. I don’t need any more complications.”
He pursed his lips.
“Frankie, you have to promise. Nothing is going to happen between Remy and me. Ever.”
“Oh, fine,” he agreed.
“Thank you,” I said, stepping out of the elevator.
“Oh, I completely forgot to tell you,” he said, shaking his head, laughing. “That kiss wiped all thoughts from my head.”
“Frankie,” I warned.
“Yes, yes,” he said, waving off my warning. “I’m heading out with a real-estate agent today. He has several buildings he wants to show me.”
“I thought you would rebuild,” I said.
“I was thinking of it, but I’d like to see what’s out there first. If nothing else, it will give me ideas.”
“I hope you find something.”
“I want you to come with me. You know what I’m looking for and your input will help.”
A hidden compliment from Frankie and an excuse to get out of the apartment was just what I needed.
“I’d love to.”
Chapter 19
As we toured the second building with the real-estate agent, I kept my eye on Mya. She had insisted she was feeling better and wanted to tag along. She did look better. Her cheeks had returned to their rosy color and her eyes weren’t bloodshot, but I’d never heard of a three-hour flu before.
“Are you sure you’re feeling better?” I asked.
“You ask me that every five minutes,” Mya said. “I’m fine. I feel a little tired but otherwise I’m fine.”
I gave a nod and watched as Frankie
fluttered around the building.
“This place has potential,” he said. “But I was hoping for more living space. I don’t want to have to commute to work, and having the extra income from rent really helped during slow months.”
“Then I think we should cross this building off the list and head to the next,” I said. “You have three more buildings to look at.”
“I think you’re right,” he said, heading over to the agent. “Why waste my time?”
The next two buildings we looked at weren’t quite right either, and Frankie was becoming discouraged. As we headed to the fifth building, I prayed that it was closer to what he was expecting, or if nothing else, would spark ideas for a new building.
The agent pulled alongside a building not far from Frankie’s and we all gasped. It was Mark’s fairytale castle minus one turret. The for-sale sign was in the ground and a crew was removing the turret debris.
“As you can see, there was a mishap with the turret and it’s scheduled to be fixed,” the agent said. “Ordinarily, I probably wouldn’t show a building unless it was completely finished, but his price is marked low to sell quickly.”
“How low?” Frankie asked, his eyes never leaving the building.
The agent shuffled through his papers and listed the asking price.
“He’ll lose money,” Frankie whispered in thought. “Why would he do that?”
“I heard he wants to sell so he can move out of state,” the agent said.
Frankie’s eyes widened. “Move? Out of state?” he repeated and then turned toward me. “Did you know about this?”
“Yes, but I didn’t think he was serious.”
“But, why would he move?” Frankie asked as though he didn’t know the answer.
“You don’t know?” I asked, placing the question back in his lap.
Frankie ran his hand along the side of his face. “Damn.”
“Shall we?” the agent asked, oblivious to the revelation.
“I’ll buy it,” Frankie said, lost in his thoughts.
Silence.
“Excellent,” the agent coughed, recovering from surprise. “Would you like to take a peek inside your building?”
“No, I’ve seen it. You can tell him to stop construction and save his money.”
Squeeze Play Page 14
