by Kelly Wood
Chapter Seventeen
A bomb could’ve gone off in Wrigley Field, and the mood at the table still wouldn’t change. All of us were rooted in our seats, waiting for Anais to continue. I glanced at the waiter, even he had lost his passive, uninterested look and was openly staring.
“Excuse me, but I—” Ben started to speak as he stood.
“Don’t patronize me. Tell him.” Anais pointed to Liam. My heart went out to Liam. I didn’t know how close he and Ben were, but I did know they were friends. Liam might not have known Anais well, but I did. She wasn’t one to point fingers without cause. Whatever she knew would be the truth. “Liam, you need to question your friend. He is more involved in Anya’s murder than you realize. I’m sorry.” At that, Anais took her seat again. She ran her hands down her dress, straightening the wrinkles.
I didn’t know how she was calm. My heart was racing. My palms were sweaty. I pulled my hand free from Gray’s to rub my hands down my skirt, drying them. The air was thick with tension. I could’ve actually reached out my hand and poked it with my finger. Maybe it was a good thing the weather was nice enough to dine outside. I didn’t think the condo was large enough to contain the tension now and it kept growing.
The silence stretched on as we stared at Ben. His eyes moved from person to person around the table. On his last pass, Ben paused on me, our eyes locking together. He mouthed to me what I think was ‘I’m sorry.’ I crinkled my face in confusion, but Ben reacted quicker than I did. He grabbed the edge of the table and flipped it up into the air. Half-eaten cake, dirty napkins, wine and glasses of water lifted into the air before gravity took over. Every item seemed to move in slow motion as they flew up. The moment snapped, and everything came back down in a flash. Dishes cracked and broke against the decking. Food and wine splashed back down on me. I gasped in shock.
Gray and I took the brunt of the mess since we were sitting across from Ben. Food and wine dripped down my hair and into my eyes. I held my arms up and away from me, trying not to spread any more of the mess. I looked up to ask Ben why, but he was gone. In the chaos, he’d made a run for it. Liam gave chase before slipping on chocolate sauce and sliding into the waiter. The waiter tried to catch him, but Liam was too heavy. Both went down flailing and landed in a heap by the stairs. The front door slamming shook the building. Ben was gone.
Peter helped Liam and the server up. Seth was picking food out of Jax’s hair. Gray and I sat perfectly still, covered in filth. I didn’t know about Gray, but I felt too gross to move. Somehow, Anais had escaped unscathed. The rest of us looked like we’d rolled around in a dumpster, but she didn’t have a drop on her.
“Well, that was an unexpected turn of events,” Peter said, using his napkin to wipe away at the goo on his face.
“Peter, Anais said she wanted drama. Ask, and you shall receive,” I said.
Chapter Eighteen
I didn’t know if I’d ever had a better shower. Since I looked worse than the others, Jax and Gray let me go first in my bathroom. Gray, being a gentleman, let Jax go next. Peter was using his own shower after seeing Anais and Seth into a cab. Peter offered to give Seth a change of clothing, but he declined, saying he would rather see Anais home and use his own bathroom. I didn’t blame him. When you were that gross, it was nice to have your own shower.
"So, you and the hot detective, huh? Tell me all of the dirty details," I said. I was lounging across the bed in a bathing suit and a robe. No need to get dressed. Those of us left were planning on having one last cocktail to unwind in the hot tub.
"No details. Yet. We’ve gone out a few times since meeting the other night. Last night we ended up walking around all night, just talking. Other than a few goodnight kisses, it’s a boring tale.”
"Are you sick? Do you have a fever?" I felt her forehead. Jax slapped my hand away, laughing.
"Ha. Ha."
"Just be careful. What if Liam is using you to get closer to the investigation?" I asked.
"You are ridiculous. I like him. A lot.”
"It is not ridiculous. If you hadn't brought Liam, then he never would've seen Ben freak out like that." Jax turned away from me. I had hit a nerve. We were all still on edge from earlier.
“I brought him because Anais asked me to.”
“Fine. I concede the point.” I heard the shower stop in the other room. Gray would be emerging shortly. I dug some trunks and clothes out of the closet for him. I cracked open the door and squeezed the items through. I didn’t want him walking out without realizing Jax and I were still here.
“Why do you sound like you are defending Ben’s behavior?” Jax asked.
“I’m not defending anything. I’m just pointing out the obvious. Liam wouldn’t be here without you. It’s convenient he starts dating you the day he lands a case at O’Kelly’s. We worked there for years. It’s just weird.” I turned away from her. I wanted to protest more but knew that would make me appear even guiltier. The truth is, I wanted to defend Ben. None of us had a right to judge him for his actions. I couldn’t say for sure how I would’ve acted if I were put on the spot like that. Anais made Ben sound like a liar and a sneak. I probably wouldn’t have thrown a table. I would admit that, but I was not saying I wouldn’t have caused a scene in another way.
“Right back at ya!” Jax yelled.
“What does that mean?” I threw my arms out, challenging her.
“Ben reached out to you. Maybe he was using you?”
“Using me for what?” I scoffed at the ridiculousness of it.
“To get closer to O’Kelly’s. It’s the same thing you are accusing Liam of.”
“That’s absurd.” I knew my argument was weak, but it was all I could come up with in the moment. Jax was poking at a tender spot in me. I didn’t want to admit that she might have a point. History showed I tended to put on blinders when it came to Ben. Not that I would admit it to her, yet.
“You are in denial. Anais accused him of murder tonight. Murder. And you are defending him.”
“What are you two arguing over? I could hear you through the door,” Gray asked as he came into the bedroom. He hadn’t put on his shirt yet. Water droplets glistened on his chest. My mouth went dry. I’d always told Gray to gain ten pounds so he would be softer to cuddle with, but in reality, I loved his physique.
“Regan is defending Ben’s outburst and mocking my relationship all in one breath.”
“I—”
“It wasn’t an outburst,” Gray said. “It was calculated.”
“What?” Jax and I spoke at the same time. Gray’s comment stopped our fight in its tracks.
“I was watching him. His eyes betrayed him. He thought through every possible outcome based on his behavior. He chose to flip the table to make his escape. Sometimes you need to make a bigger mess to clean the kitchen.”
“I don’t know what that means,” I said before rising up on my tippy toes to kiss him quickly.
Jax folded her clothes before tossing them in a plastic bag. The flowers on her skirt looked like they were bleeding to death from the red wine stains. She wore nothing but her swimsuit.
“Maybe Anais’s accusations were correct. Maybe she knows something we don’t know about Ben,” I said.
"Watch what you say, Regan. Don't go accusing someone without proof. Weren’t you just sticking up for his behavior?" Jax pointed out.
"I know. I was just thinking out loud. Whoever killed Anya had been let into the restaurant, someone she knew or trusted. Like her late-night friend that walked her home. I'm just saying." I held my arms up in surrender.
"Think about it, Regan. If he killed her what does that say about you. You lived with him.” Jax grabbed my elbow, leading me from the room. It was a rock and a hard place, I’d admit. Part of me wanted to defend Ben while the other part wanted to convict him.
Liam was in the game room, talking on his phone. His back was to us, looking like it was chiseled out of stone. Like he was the original model for the statue of Davi
d, minus the tattoos, of course. He held one of Peter’s shirts in his hand.
"Double-check his alibi.” When Liam heard us, he hung up the phone without signing off. I’d always found that rude. How hard was it to say a quick “bye?” I didn’t think it was a stretch to figure out he was talking about Ben.
"Always the detective, huh, Liam? Did you come tonight to scrape up some dirt on all of us?" I asked him, but I was looking at Jax.
I told you so! Flashed through my mind but I would never be as callous and rude as to say it out loud. Jax pinched my arm in reply.
"Play nice," she whispered. I guess she heard the I told you so.
"Worried, Regan? Do you have dirt to hide?” Liam grinned at me.
I ignored him and headed for the roof. I was irritable because Jax was right. Ben was not who I thought he was. I could only chalk up my blindness to his selfishness to being young and dumb.
The deck had been swept up and the furniture put back in its place, but stains could still be seen on the wood planking. It would forever be a reminder of the evening. The red wine left dark marks like blood. I moved past it to the hot tub. The flowers were still floating in the water. I stuck my hand in the warm water, playing for a moment before crawling in.
Peter passed out glasses of champagne before joining the four of us in the tub. The night had cooled down, so the warm water was a nice contrast. The Cubs game was winding down. It was the bottom of the ninth inning. The Cubs were down by two runs, bases loaded with no outs. As a long-time Cubs fan, I knew not to get my hopes up. I sat back to listen to the game, closing my eyes and resting my head on the back of the chair.
"Liam, how well do you know Ben?” I asked.
"Not well, actually. We are more work acquaintances than anything. Sometimes we meet for a beer with mutual friends. Like the night we met you.”
“Work acquaintances? Because of his security firm?” Liam and Gray both startled at my comment.
“Is that what he told you he did?” Liam asked.
Movement on the rooftop next to us caught my eye. Buildings in Chicago neighborhoods were packed close together. Usually, there was only enough space to allow for a walkway to the back between them. On the rooftop next to us, someone was walking around in the dark. I heard the flick of a lighter before the smell of a cigarette reached me. I ignored him and turned back to our conversation.
“Kind of. He said he cleaned up messes for rich people.” I explained to them the example Ben used about the kid being expelled for cheating.
“I think that is an oversimplification of what he actually does,” Gray said. Peter and Jax were both following the conversation, but only the three of us were engaged in it.
“Why do you think that?” I asked.
“Just a hunch.” I let it go. For now. But, I made a mental note to question Gray further when we were alone.
“Gray’s right. A cheating kid is probably the smallest type of problem he handles. Did you read about the dead call girl in the governor’s office last year?”
“I don’t read the news. Too depressing,” I said.
“Even if you did, you would’ve missed it. The governor didn’t call the police. He called Ben. Ben comes in, ‘cleans’ the room, gets rid of evidence, buries the story, so it doesn’t go viral, picks up his money and moves on,” Liam said.
“Then why are you friends with him? He seems like the opposite of what you should stand for as a cop.”
“We’re friends because we both use each other. He helps point me in the right direction if I need it. I keep him toeing the line. So, he’s not cleaning up his own mess.”
“How handy.”
“Judge it all you’d like. It works for us. Only a fool thinks everything is solidly black and white.” I didn’t think Jax had been discussing me on her few dates with him, but the point struck close to home. I did view the world as being black and white. Good and evil. God and devil. When faced with two choices, you and only you could choose which path to follow. Right or wrong. My usual problem was what I felt was right others might view as wrong.
The other problem I had lately was emotional. It was easy to say choose correctly with a clear head, but sometimes emotions clouded everything. Like my reaction to Gray. Logically, I should’ve stayed and talked to him. Emotionally, I ran like I was being chased by wolves.
"Do you think he did it?" Peter asked all of us.
"Who did what?" I asked.
"You know what. You should know Ben better than anyone,” Peter said.
“Do you think he did it?” I threw the question right back at him. “I should hope not considering the time you’ve insisted I spend with him lately.”
“Don’t think there won’t be a conversation about that either, Regan,” Gray said, patting my thigh under the water. Oh, I couldn’t wait.
“Do you know what I think?” I asked the question to no one in particular and didn’t wait for a reply. “I think I didn’t really know Ben at all. I think I was young and dumb and blinded by what I thought was love. I also think Liam needs to look closer at his ‘friend.’”
Chapter Nineteen
“He’s being looked into,” Liam said.
“Why aren’t you doing it if you know him? Wouldn’t that be better?” I asked.
“I don’t answer to you. It’s getting done.” Liam’s tone was hard, suggesting I drop the subject, but you didn’t earn a reputation for being stubborn by giving up. Someone kicked me under the water. I assumed it was Jax because I saw her shift to the side and throw her legs over Liam’s lap.
“It is his night off,” Jax pointed out, but I wasn’t done.
“I—”
A splash drew our attention to the middle of the hot tub. Something had fallen into the water. From where? I didn’t know. We stared at the water, waiting to see if the object floated. And it did. Out of the frothy bubbles of the hot tub, a black snake came to the surface.
Peter was out of the tub faster than . . . fast. He slipped on the wooden steps and pulled down a strand of lights. I screamed, throwing my champagne glass at the snake. After I’d released my weapon, I was frozen in fear, standing on the back-corner seat of the tub.
"I'm blocked in. HELP ME HELP ME HELPMEHELPME!" My only way out was over the snake. I may have been raised a country girl, but a snake was a snake. I wanted out, and I wanted out. Now.
Liam stood up so quickly that he pulled Jax's feet with him, in turn pulling her head under the water. Jax emerged a moment later sputtering water.
"What the . . . " Jax was cut off by Liam grabbing her arms and dragging her out of the tub.
"HELPMEHELPMEHELPME!" I wished I were one of those strong Lara Croft types, but I wasn’t. I never would be. I was frozen in terror, standing on my seat, screaming like a six-year-old.
The snake swam in a slow circle coming around to face me. Its head reared back, hissing. Logically, I knew that it was probably just as upset as I was, but emotions were winning out again. The snake was going to bite me. I didn’t want to be bitten, therefore, I needed out. It all made sense to me.
"GET. ME. OUT. OF. HERE. NOW. PLEASE." I didn’t think I had ever been so scared.
“Regan, calm down. I’m here.” Gray’s voice penetrated my terror. I looked down. He was still sitting on the seat next to me like there wasn’t a snake in the tub.
“You didn’t leave me.” I stood shivering in the chilly night air, looking down at Gray. He moved his hand to rest on my calf, locking his grip on it. The touch fortified me. I was no longer scared. Well, as scared. There was still a snake after all.
Liam bent over the tub to look at . . . it. Reaching down, he pinched the head and scooped the body with his other hand. I gave a little shake to expel the cooties, like a dog shedding water after a swim.
"Get me a pillowcase, Peter," Liam said. He casually stood next to the hot tub holding the snake. Its tail swished back and forth occasionally. Peter rushed off. I wished I had an excuse to run away.
Gray left
the tub first and reached back to help me out. Now that the snake had been contained, I crawled over the side of the tub, my legs rubbery excuses for support.
"It’s okay, Regan. It’s just a garter snake," Liam said.
"It hissed at me!" I shook my body again. My skin itched like bugs were crawling over it.
"It's just mad because someone threw it," Jax said. She had a fluffy beach towel wrapped around her like a shield.
Peter returned carrying an old pillowcase held out at arm’s length. Liam carefully dropped our new friend inside. He took the case from Peter, twisted the top and knotted it shut. Liam set the bag down, and let it wiggle on the ground at his feet.
"You saw it?" I asked, taking a towel from her.
"Yes, I looked over right as the snake was thrown. I didn't realize what it was, though, and then chaos broke out," Jax said.
“I saw someone over there, but then smelled a cigarette, so I didn’t think anything of it.” I regarded the pillowcase on the ground and turned to Liam. "Liam, I take everything back. I think you are my hero." I leaned into Gray. He was my hero. He didn’t jump out of the hot tub until I could move again. “Goodnight, everyone. Peter, thank you for a memorable night, I guess.” Gray led me to the stairs and eventually my room. He kicked the door closed with his foot.
“It’s time, Regan.”
“Time?” I hugged my towel closer. I pretended it was a shield. I knew we needed to hash this all out. I wanted to, but I didn’t know if I was ready. I started to sit on the end of the bed but rethought it. No, I needed to be standing. I needed to face him. I knew why he wanted to do it right then. My nerves were shot, and my defenses wouldn’t go up. It was cruel, but I got it. “Go ahead.”
“I want to wring your neck.” Gray ran his hand through his hair. He paced in front of the door. Two steps in each direction before turning back. “I knew, I knew I would be taking a chance proposing, but I had hoped you would listen.”
