Burned to a Crisp (Cookies & Chance Mysteries Book 3)

by Catherine Bruns

  Rufus grunted and nodded at me. "She'll do."

  Yikes. I opened my mouth, but no audible sound came out. I stared helplessly at Josie who gave me an encouraging nod as she went into full bimbo mode. "Ain't he cute, Sal?"

  Adorable. "Um, we have to get back to our bakery. Maybe you could let us know what kind of information you have for us?"

  Sergio placed an arm around Josie's shoulders, and I watched as she tensed slightly. She cut her eyes to me and then smiled at Sergio with fake adoration.

  "I think we got off on the wrong foot the other day," she said coyly. "I didn't realize at first how cute you were even though Gianna told us so. Right, Sal?"

  Well played. "Is my sister inside the warehouse?" What if they had her tied up in there? My stomach quaked with terror at the thought.

  Sergio shook his head. "Haven't seen her since the trial. Look, I know your sister ain't responsible for Bernardo's death. My dad only cares about getting his money back."

  I gave him what I hoped was an incredulous look. "This is why you wanted to see us? To tell us something we already knew? I thought Gianna was here."

  Okay, so perhaps sarcasm had seeped into my speech just a tad too much. Sergio removed his arm from Josie's shoulders and narrowed his eyes at me. "Don't disrespect me, sweetie."

  I shivered in the hot sun as I stared into his enormous, dark eyes. Alarm bells were clanging in my head. "Sorry, but everyone knows my sister is a good person. There's no way Gianna took the money, and she definitely didn't hurt Bernardo."

  "I wouldn't care if she had," Sergio answered. "I just want the dough back. To hell with his dead body." He wrapped his arm around Josie again, and she giggled on cue.

  This was starting to make me nauseous. "We really should be going."

  "I'm gonna make you ladies a deal," Sergio said. He drew Josie closer to him. Nervous, I glanced around. There wasn't another person in sight. Even the diner seemed strangely desolate for this time of the day. "If this little fox goes out with me, I'll talk to my dad and convince him to back off your sister."

  Rufus placed a hand on my shoulder, and I jumped. Okay, I would have tried to jump if his hand had not been weighing my entire body down.

  Sergio nodded toward his buddy. "And you've got to go out with Rufus."

  Rufus smiled down at me. I looked up at him, way up. My five-foot-three-inch stature barely reached his stomach. He opened his mouth, and the stench of his breath almost knocked me over. "I like you."

  Oh my God. What had we gotten ourselves into?

  "Um, that's not good enough," I blurted out to Sergio. "Everyone needs to leave Gianna alone. Tell your sister-in-law to back off too."

  Sergio's eyes widened. "Victoria came to see you?"

  I nodded. "This morning."

  Josie tried to wiggle out of his grasp. "Sorry. I'm a bit claustrophobic, big guy."

  "Hmm." Sergio eyed us suspiciously. "I wouldn't be surprised if that chick has the money and killed Bernardo for it. He wanted out of the marriage, you know."

  "That's what Victoria told us. So you have no idea where the cash is now?" I asked.

  "That wench has probably already ripped their house apart looking for the dough, but I'm guessing he didn't put it there. If it's in a bank account somewhere, she'll get first dibs." Sergio scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Looks like someone might have to take care of her too."

  Rufus removed his hand from me long enough to crack his knuckles. Fear traveled down to the pit of my stomach as I watched him with equal parts of fascination and horror.

  "How did Bernardo even get the money?" Josie asked.

  Sergio snorted. "He's been ripping off my dad's clients for years. It was his job to collect. Then he started skimming off the top, telling people the rates had gone up. By the time we got wind of his scheme, he'd already been arrested. Pop thinks your sister staged the whole thing with that juror just to help get Bernardo off."

  Furious, I stepped forward. "That's a lie. Gianna would never sink that low."

  Sergio's face turned crimson, and he narrowed his eyes at me. "Are you insulting my family?"

  With an uneasy look at me, Josie pulled him back in her arms. "My," she cooed, touching his arms. "You're so strong. I need someone like you to take care of me."

  Good God. This lunacy had to end.

  Josie's bimbo act bit appeared to be working. Sergio gazed into Josie's eyes and didn't bother to give me a second glance. "I can't believe a broad like you hasn't been snapped up already. Most of the chicks around here are married with a litter of kids."

  "Ew," Josie frowned. "I'm never having kids. They'd cramp my style." She giggled again while I struggled to keep from rolling my eyes at her. "I'm afraid Sal can't go out with your handsome friend here, though. She's engaged to someone else."

  I knew that Josie was trying to protect me from the brute, but perhaps that wasn't the way to go.

  Rufus grunted in agitation, obviously not appreciating Josie's response. His enormous hand tightened around my arm again, encircling it in a grip that was both uncomfortable and made movement impossible.

  "Too bad," Sergio shook his head. "Rufus don't like to share."

  Uh-oh. I was no match for this goon. I tried to calm my nerves and focus on why we were really here. "Did Bernardo have any enemies?" Outside his family, that is.

  Sergio and Rufus both laughed at this. It was nice to know that I'd provided some entertainment for them.

  "Sweetheart, when you're in a family of power like ours, there's plenty of enemies," Sergio said. "People always want what you got. Sometimes they didn't like us putting the squeeze on them for money they owed." He gestured at Rufus. "Sometimes Rufus has to get ugly."

  I had news for Sergio—Rufus was already there.

  The goon smiled at me and then bobbed his head up and down. "Gotta do what I gotta do."

  I attempted a laugh, but it came out sounding more like a frightened puppy's whine. "Well guys, it's been fun, but we need to get going. Let's arrange that double date sometime soon, okay?"

  Sergio's eyes glittered in the sun. "Hey, I think we should have it now. No time like the present, right? He grabbed Josie's arm and pulled her toward the front door of the building. "Come on. Let me give you the guided tour, dollface."

  Panic gripped me, almost as tight as Rufus's arm. These two characters were lower than pond scum. I wriggled around, trying to get the ogre to loosen his hold, which he only tightened in response to my struggling.

  "You're cute," Rufus said. His voice sounded like Patrick Star's from SpongeBob SquarePants, and I guessed his mentality was spot-on as well.

  How the heck are we going to get out of this mess?

  "Excuse me." A deep authoritative voice growled from behind us. "Get your hands off her right now, or you're going to lose them."

  I gulped, almost afraid to turn around. But I already knew who the voice belonged to.

  Mike was standing there, arms folded across his broad chest, with that furious, jealous scowl on his face that I hadn't seen since our high school days.

  This was not going to end well.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  "All right." Mike's voice was calm, but his eyes continued to flash angry, blue sparks. "Suppose you two tell me what the hell is going on here?"

  When I'd introduced Mike as my fiancé, Sergio and Rufus had decided to retreat back into the warehouse—in a bit of a haste too. Something told me we hadn't seen the last of them, though.

  As usual, when upset, I started to babble. "I didn't want Josie to go alone. You know I didn't want that goon around me, but they said it was in Gianna's best interest for us to come here. We had to find out what they knew."

  Mike closed his eyes for a moment. I suspected he was counting to ten—or maybe ten thousand. "You've been snooping again."

  "We didn't have a choice. They said—"

  He clutched me tightly by the shoulders. The anger was gone from his eyes and had been replaced with concern. "Listen to me."
He nodded toward Josie. "Both of you. Stay away from that family. They are nothing but bad news. Let the cops handle this mess."

  "Gianna's life could be in danger," I sputtered. "They think she has the money. Bernardo stole it from his stepfather's so-called business."

  He sighed and looked toward the sky, as if praying for help from God and the heavens above to talk some sense into me. "Did you hear what I said? The Napolis are criminals. They're a hazard to your health. And now that loser is interested in Josie?" He stared at her outfit in disbelief. "What the hell would Rob say if he knew about this?"

  Josie's eyes went wide with horror, and she quickly adjusted her shirt. Rob and Mike had become good friends since Mike and I had started dating again. In fact, he was going to be Mike's best man at our wedding.

  "You can't tell him," Josie pleaded. "He'd go nuts."

  "I don't blame him," Mike said. "How do you think I felt when I saw that freak touching Sal?" He traced a finger down the side of my face. "I don't want anything to happen to you. Promise me you'll stay away from those goons—both of you."

  "You're not making this easy for me," I choked out. "She's my little sister. I have to protect her."

  "And I will protect you both," Mike said. "Get her to come home. She can't hide out forever. I know you, Sal. You're afraid everyone will be in danger if she comes back to your parents' house. Gianna can stay with us."

  I thought I might burst into tears. "Really?"

  He wove his fingers through my hair. "Of course, really. She's my family too, or will be in about three weeks. I know how much you love her. Why didn't you just ask me?"

  Suddenly, I felt foolish. To be honest, I thought maybe Mike wouldn't have wanted to share our space with anyone. "I—I didn't know how you'd feel about it."

  He gave me that sexy, lopsided smile of his. "As long as she's not coming on our honeymoon with us, it's fine."

  "I don't think that will be a problem. Say, what are you doing over here anyway?"

  Mike's smile faded. "I ran over to grab a sandwich from the diner. I'm glad I did since my timing turned out to be perfect." He pursed his lips together. "You're like the Pied Piper of Colwestern. Except instead of kids, there's always thugs following you around. Or the occasional murdering psychopath."

  It was hard to argue with that statement. "We'll stay away from them. I promise."

  "Good." He leaned down to kiss me. "At least there was one bright spot to my crazy day. Getting to see you."

  I inhaled the scent of him. The front of his shirt was stained with tar, but the aroma of this morning's aftershave lingered on him, and as I looked into those gorgeous eyes and his handsome face, the need to be alone with him was overwhelming. I sensed he felt it too, but we both had other obligations to fulfill.

  "This is a long way to come for a sandwich. Webster's Restaurant is at least twenty minutes away. Why didn't you eat there?"

  The color rose in his tanned face. "Oh, I was over here talking to a potential customer about another job. Not sure I'm going to take it, though." He tweaked my nose. "How's business at the shop today?"

  "It's going well," I said. "When my parents aren't around, that is."

  "Hang in there. It won't be forever." He cradled my face in his hands and kissed me again. "See you tonight, princess."

  "Try to get home early." I hoped I didn't sound desperate, but I really wanted to spend some time with him.

  "I'll try." He nodded to Josie. "Be good. And stay out of trouble."

  She smiled. "Thanks, Mike."

  I watched him make his way into the diner before we got into Josie's van. She let out a huge sigh of relief. "I'm so glad he showed up when he did. I was getting a little nervous, Sal."

  "You and me both."

  "I'm not as good at the bimbo act as I used to be," Josie admitted. "After four kids, it tends to wear off. Now what do we do?"

  I adjusted the visor against the sunlight. "We'd better get back to the house. After we close up tonight, we'll go back out and get Gianna. Can you come with me?"

  Josie started the engine. "Rob's working the night shift, so that's fine. Hey, do you mind if we stop at Glenn's Jewelers while we're out here? I've been trying to get over and pick up my gold bracelet for the last week. I had them fix the clasp on it for me."

  "Sure, go ahead."

  Josie took a left at the end of the street, turned onto the next one, and found a parking space right in front of the jeweler. As I waited for her, I glanced around. The street, like mine, was zoned both residential and commercial. There were a few storefronts in addition to the jeweler on the left side and a couple of two-story apartment buildings on the right.

  I noticed Mike's truck parked a few spots up from us. I had wondered where his truck was when we spotted him by the diner and was curious as to what type of a job he was considering. I knew we needed the money, but he was cramming too much in before our honeymoon. He wasn't getting any sleep, poor guy. And I, in turn, wasn't getting any romance.

  I noticed a petite woman about my age come out of the house where Mike's truck was parked in front of. She was slim but curvy in all the right spots, with long, blonde hair piled high on her head in a messy knot. She wore a red bikini top with a pair of tight, white jean shorts that enhanced her tanned, slender legs. As I watched, she sauntered over to the mailbox and removed her mail. She continued to stand there, opening envelopes and reading their contents. I knew I'd seen her before, but I couldn't remember where.

  Josie returned to the van. "Cripes. I know Glenn does good work, but forty dollars for a broken clasp? Seems a little high to me."

  I pointed at the woman, who was now climbing the steps back to her house. "She looks familiar. Do you know her?"

  Josie drove by the house, glancing sideways at the woman as she entered the building. "That's Marla Channing. Remember the woman who came into the bakery early one morning before we opened and said she was on her way home after a long night of work and needed something sweet?"

  The words jarred my memory. "The one wearing the sequined cowboy boots and the gold miniskirt." A wardrobe my mother would probably kill for. "What does she do?"

  "She calls it an entertainment venue, but it's actually a strip club over in Colgate."

  My mouth went dry as sawdust. "So why is my fiancé parked in front of her house?"

  "You don't have to worry," Josie said. "If Mike's there, I'm sure it's strictly professional. He has no interest in her anymore. Plus, he's the one who broke it off."

  My mouth fell open. "He dated her? When?"

  Josie paused to consider. "A few months before you came back home. Maybe a year and a half ago? Rob and I saw them at Ralph's one night. They were sitting at the bar together, and she was all over him. He ended it after a couple of dates. It was never anything serious—well, not for him at least. I heard she took it pretty badly."

  It was no secret that Mike had always had more than his fair share of admirers, which included Backseat Brenda in high school. He'd once told me he'd never been able to get seriously involved with anyone else because he still loved me. Of course, that had done wonders for my ego. Still, the seed of doubt was busy planting itself in my head again. Had she lured him here, pretending to need a leaky faucet fixed? "Would she be hiring him for work? Do you think that's why he told me he wasn't sure if he was going to take the job?"

  Josie pulled into my parents' driveway and shut the engine off. "Could be. Maybe he was afraid how you'd react if you knew. And for the record, I don't think you have a reason to worry. There's a reason she's an ex. From what I know, Marla's one of those needy, clingy types who suffocates any man she comes in contact with."

  "Great. So he may be working for a stalker, then."

  She laughed. "Oh, you're acting ridiculous. Besides, he's crazy about you. Please tell me you don't think he's cheating on you."

  I exhaled a long, deep breath and counted to three. "I don't know what the heck is wrong with me." Then I told her about the fortune cookie
message.

  She wagged a finger in my face. "You see? I told you we should get rid of those things. They're playing with your head. Now, listen carefully. They. Don't. Mean. Anything."

  "How can you say that?" I argued. "Think of all the times the messages have come true."

  We opened the screen door and entered the kitchen. Grandma Rosa was waiting on a customer, and Sarah was rolling up fortunes inside the cookies. Great. Perfect timing.

  Josie reached for a piece of waxed paper and grabbed two cookies off the tray. She held one out to me. "I am going to prove to you once and for all that these things are a bunch of crap."

  "What's going on?" Sarah asked.

  "Fortune cookies are controlling Sal's life," Josie grinned.

  Heat flooded my face in embarrassment. "That's not true. But you do have to admit the coincidence is a bit strange at times."

  "It's like reading a horoscope," Josie said. "They're written in such a manner that makes you think it could happen. Your mind does the rest." Josie didn't write the fortunes for the cookies. We bought them from a novelty shop because it was easier. Still, even the one I'd received at the restaurant had been peculiar, not to mention accurate.

  My best friend handed me a cookie and then cracked hers open. She snorted and waved the paper at me. "It says Watch your step."

  I grinned. "Is that the fortune cookie talking or you?"

  "Maybe it means I should learn to keep my big trap shut." She threw the piece of paper on the floor with a mock look of disgust. "And that's my Mrs. Gavelli imitation."

  We all laughed, even Grandma Rosa.

  Josie gestured to the cookie I was holding. "Go ahead—open it."

  Grandma Rosa, Sarah, and Josie were all watching me. Reluctantly, I broke the cookie apart and read the message to myself then cut my eyes to Josie. "They don't mean anything, eh?"

  Josie's mouth opened in surprise. "What's it say?"

  I read aloud. "If you have something good in your life, don't let it go." I shivered inwardly. "Okay, point well taken." I'd once doubted Mike ten years ago, and it had changed my life forever. I wasn't about to let that happen again.