by WL Knightly
“Yeah, I guess this can’t last forever, unless you want to run away with me and never look back?” He liked the sound of that.
“Maybe after we solve this case.”
A sudden sick feeling hit his stomach, knowing if they solved it, there would be no future for them. When they go back to work, the dream would be over, and he’d be back to walking that tightrope, the one that was only going to lead to heartbreak. Hers and his.
14
Finn
Sunday wasn’t any better than the rest of Finn’s trip. He’d left Bay’s penthouse in the early morning, but the man had never made a move to try and give him what he wanted. He should have known better than to ever think he would. But when his phone rang while he was leaving to meet with an artist for the movie, he was happy to see that is was Bay.
“What’s up, Bay?”
“Just thought I’d call and warn you that our favorite detective just called and said that your head is on the chopping block.”
“Very funny. If you’re fucking with me, Bay, it’s not cool.” He didn’t think it was funny at all, and to kid about it was to make a mockery of what had happened to their friends.
“I’m not kidding. I’m serious. I don’t know where he’s getting the information, he wouldn’t tell me, but if he says so, you better believe it. If you don’t, call him.”
Finn’s belief that Bay was fooling around faded, and panic slowly set in. “I’ve got places to be today, Bay. I can’t be worried about this shit.” He knew it was silly since his life was on the line, but so was his career. And if this bullshit ended up being just a shallow threat, he was going to be giving up a whole lot because of it. “Dammit. Should I go to this fucking meeting?”
“If it’s about where I’m putting my goddamned money, you bet your sweet ass you should. Although, now I’m starting to reconsider the loan again. I don’t want to hand you a wad of cash, and you get killed before I can recoup it.”
“That’s bullshit. I’m making the fucking movie, even if I have to go into hiding to do it. I’m going to get back home, and then I won’t have to fucking worry about it.”
“God, I knew you’d flip out and run home. Look, you have work to do. Not only do I want that fucking file of you and Seth edited, but I need you to get a good start on this project before I regret promising you the money.”
“It’s not like I don’t want to, dammit, but for fuck’s sake, Bay. Someone is out there gunning for me.”
“I’ll have my men tail you. They’ll let me know if someone is after you or not, and maybe this way, we’ll be able to find out who this motherfucker is.”
“I’m a sitting duck here,” Finn said.
“Fine, you can come stay here at the penthouse for a few days.”
He couldn’t believe the invitation and decided to take him up on it. “I’ll pack my things, and when I’m done with my next meeting, I’ll head over.”
“Fine, I’ll be here for a while. I have Mia coming over again.”
Finn hated knowing that Bay was having his girlfriend around. Finn thought he and Bay would have more fun with Bay’s wife than her younger sister. Still, he wouldn’t pass up the chance to spend some more time around the man he was infatuated with, and to be fair, he would be a lot safer there than anywhere else in the city.
Finn packed up a few of his things to take along, and he called for help with the sculpture he’d bought from Logan and had it brought down to his car. Thankfully, it wasn’t that big a deal, and the same men who helped him get it up to his room took it back and loaded it. He was going to have to take it into Bay’s penthouse and hoped that he didn’t mind.
Once he had his stuff situated, he checked out of the room and tipped the men handsomely for their help. He made it across town to his meeting and hoped this time he’d found a winner.
“Come in, come in,” said Wes Finkle, the artist whom he hoped would take Logan’s place. “Thanks for coming on a Sunday, my friend. You don’t know what a lifesaver you are.”
“Well, it helped me out, too,” Finn said. “I’m afraid that I’ll be leaving town soon, and I appreciate you arranging this so I could see your work in person.”
“I’m always happy to show my work off.” The man was flamboyant, and Finn didn’t have to wonder if he were gay. The half-naked men depicted in the art around his studio told him that much, if his mannerisms and effeminate voice didn’t. “I’m such a shameless bitch. You have to watch me.”
Finn laughed along with the man, and when he walked into the back room where the man worked on his metal masterpieces, he knew this was his guy. The works weren’t quite as intricate as the ones he’d ordered from Logan, but the man’s style was close enough that he knew he could handle Finn’s vision.
“Now I see why you want to show it off,” Finn said. “You do amazing work.”
“Thank you. My father wanted me to be an engineer, but I couldn’t be the son he wanted. I had to spread my wings, and that’s when I picked up a torch and turned our old lawn furniture into something amazing for my mother. Gave my father the red ass, but I didn’t care.” He spoke lively with his hands and patted Finn on the shoulder. “Sorry, I’m a bit hands-on. Hard not to be with a handsome fella like yourself. Are you married?”
“No, I’m seeing a woman in California where I’m from.” Finn wanted to send a clear message to the man that he wasn’t in the market, or even on the same playing field.
“Good for you. That’s wonderful.” The man seemed genuinely happy for him, and Finn felt like that was just what he needed, someone genuine to be involved with him. Someone passionate and confident. The man fit that description perfectly.
“Thanks,” Finn said. “So, how would you like to take on a special project for my movie?”
“Really? You mean, you think it’s what you’re looking for?”
“I do. I really think your work is special, and I hope you’re willing to put your flare on the specs when I send them. I’ll have to call my investor, of course. He likes to see where his money is going, and then I’ll call you and let you know the deadline if that’s going to work for you.”
Wes held his hands together as if it was all he could do to contain his excitement. “It more than works. I’ve been hoping for a special project.”
“You’ve got one,” Finn said. “I’ll go make some calls, and then I’ll come back here tonight with a check for the deposit if that’s okay? I have another meeting with a special effects makeup artist, and of course, as you know, I’ll be leaving town in a day or two, if not sooner. Life’s crazy when you’re making a movie.”
“That’s fine, and I understand. Thank you for the opportunity.” Wes shook his hand and showed him out, and as Finn walked down, he thought it safer to be on the phone. He called Edie, who answered on the first ring.
“Please tell me you’re coming home soon. I miss you terribly.” Edie was using her baby voice again, talking to him like he was her pet golden retriever or worse, a two-month-old baby.
He suppressed his irritation. “I miss you, too. I just wanted to share the good news with you.” She’d been working so hard for him, he knew she’d appreciate something happy for a change.
“Good news? Oh, what is it?” He could imagine her bouncing up and down in her seat as she did anytime he gave her good news, and he hoped she was, because she was due some happiness, too.
“I found an artist,” he said. “He’s just as good as the last one, and although his style is unique, it’s similar to the one who fell through, so I think we’re good to go. I’ve got to go talk to the investor, and then I will bring him his deposit and the specs tonight. I can’t wait.”
“Oh, honey, that’s spectacular. I can’t believe your luck has turned.” She was always going on and on about his luck, but he had always made his own instead of depending on charms or prayers.
“If it’s luck, then I’ll take it. I like to think of it as hard work, and when that pays off, it’s much more grati
fying.” He wasn’t about to give luck all the credit.
“Did you find a makeup artist yet?”
“I have a person I’m meeting within an hour, but I’m going to have to find the designer closer to home, I think.” He hadn’t ever intended to fill all the positions he’d needed in a single trip, and now with these things situated, he at least felt confident enough to take Bay’s money.
“I can’t wait until you are home, baby. I have a surprise for you. You’re going to love it.” She had stopped using her baby voice and started using her more serious, sultry voice.
“Is that so?” he asked, thinking of how it would compare to all of the crazy kinks he’d been tied up with on the trip. He hadn’t intended on hooking up with so many, but he and Raven had been having a wonderful time at the club.
“Yes, that’s so.” She said with an alluring tone. He had no idea what it could be and didn’t care to know or to press.
“I love surprises, Edie. Miss you, darling.” He got into his car and shut the door and locked it. “I should get to my next meeting. I’ll call when I’m done.”
“Oh, okay.” She sounded a bit deflated, but he hadn’t entirely burst her bubble. “I can’t wait.” She giggled, and the call ended on a chipper note, at least on Edie’s end.
He rolled his eyes and tossed the phone into the seat. He cared about her, he really did, but she was so fucking pleasant that it became exhausting at times, especially when she played her games. He figured he’d go home to find she’d bought him a set of golf clubs or maybe something random like a pair of gloves. She was always doing small things for him, and while he appreciated it, it wasn’t necessary.
He drove to his next meeting feeling lucky and hoping that the meeting with Wes Finkle had set a tone for the rest of the day. But when he heard the steampunk heart shift on the back floorboard, he remembered that no matter how nice and sunny the day was, he had a dark cloud looming over his head.
At the next stoplight, he looked back to make sure the sculpture wasn’t messed up and stood it upright, hoping the damned thing hadn’t ruined his seats. Everything looked okay.
When the light changed, he continued on, feeling a sense of paranoia creep in. What if one of his meetings was a setup? What if when he got to the location, the killer got him? No one would know what happened to him until his body turned up in a sewer somewhere, or perhaps a dump or a ditch. Being a writer, he could think of all sorts of scenarios, and not one of them had a happy ending.
15
Darek
Darek was at the coffee pot when Max came in.
“Damn, Darek. You go away with McNamara for the weekend and come back with a rash. I’m not so sure that’s a good thing.” His partner was always busting his chops about Lizzy, and he made up for the weekend away from the office by doubling up on insults every Monday morning. “If that’s what your neck looks like, I’d hate to see your dick.”
Darek finished filing his cup. “You keep on talking, man. I bet you wouldn’t say that shit if she walked in.” He knew he wouldn’t. Lizzy would hand him his ass, and he wouldn’t do a damned thing about it.
“No, I wouldn’t, and that’s why I’m taking advantage of it now.” He grinned wickedly. “So, tell me. Did you two get busy? I know how much you like her, and if I was going away with my hot partner for the weekend, I’d make sure I got laid.”
Darek curled his lip. “Seeing that I’m your only hot partner, I’m not going anywhere with you for a weekend.”
“You know what I mean, and you’re avoiding the question.” Max followed Darek back to his desk. When Darek sat down, Max took the opportunity to lean over his shoulder. “Well, blink twice if you boned her. I won’t tell a soul.”
Darek turned and blinked like a hundred times at him. “Happy?”
“Seriously?” He narrowed his eyes. “I didn’t think you had. I was just kidding around.”
“Does it matter? Look, I’m trying to get my shit done so I can duck out. I have to go see my dermatologist. She called me last night and asked me to come at ten.”
“She? Is she hot?” Max nudged his arm.
“She’s attractive.”
“Who’s attractive?” Lizzy’s voice straightened his back, and when Darek turned around, the sight of her straightened another part of him. She had been dressed so casually through the weekend that he had almost forgotten how hot she looked dressed up for work. Her hair was up, a few tendrils framing her face, and her blouse and skirt made her look more like a naughty librarian than a special agent.
“His dermatologist,” Max said. “What are you doing? Having that rash looked at? He told me you gave it to him Lizzy.” Max gave a playful smirk, and Lizzy played along.
“Yeah, I pushed his ass down into some poison ivy.” She gave Darek a wink and then turned to Max. “You want to know why?”
“Why is that?” Max was an idiot for playing along.
“Because he kept making stupid jokes too early in the fucking morning.” She lifted her chin and dared him to say something else.
“Noted.” Max turned around and faced his own desk.
When Lizzy walked away, he turned to look at Darek. “What’s her fucking problem?”
Darek opened his desk drawer and got out one of his report sheets. “I’d guess it’s your fucking mouth.” He laughed as Max shot him the finger.
“I was just playing around.” He cleared his throat. “Did you find anything while you were there, aside from a piece of ass?”
“You’re really asking for it, aren’t you? And for your information, no, we didn’t find anything. Everything has changed down there. The landscape is way different from the reports. There are new buildings. There have been fires. You name it.”
“Damn, no wonder she’s in a bad mood.”
“Yeah, so cut her a break.” Darek was going to try and be a little more understanding about the Virginia investigation and hoped that from then on, she’d cool it a bit with the theories and focus on the new murders, which would be easier for him to control.
“Yeah, I hear you, man. I’ll lay off.” Max turned back to his desk, and Darek worked on finishing his report.
He got out of the office with just enough time to make it to his appointment. When Marie saw him, she had a big smile for him. She had gained a little weight since the last time he’d seen her, but it was much healthier than what she had looked like before. Darek would never forget how stressed and run down she’d looked, the fear in her eyes for her husband, and that nasty busted lip. The first time he’d seen her since high school, he’d gone on a domestic call, and there she was in her house, her lip busted from her husband, blood-stained clothes, and looking like she’d just seen the devil.
Darek hauled her husband to jail and then went back to check on her. He’d always hoped that she’d grown up and followed her dreams, and at the time, her future didn’t look too bright. She’d tried to go to college, but the abuse had interrupted her education. Darek had learned that when she had invited him inside and told him all about their problems, and even though she said she wasn’t ever letting him back into her life, Darek had been called out again, and that time, the beating had been even worse.
After that, he’d come around for a while, just until she was on her feet. They’d had a little romance, nothing to make the stars align, but he wasn’t looking for drama in his life, which her ex had provided. By the time Darek met Megan, Marie was busy focusing on her career, which she could do once she wasn’t being abused.
“You look incredible,” Darek said as he walked into her office.
“Thank you; you’re not so bad yourself.” She waved him into the room and up onto her exam table. “Yeah, it’s amazing what a little weight will do for a person, huh? I’m not a walking pile of nerves these days.”
“I take it Eddie didn’t come back around.” He had often wondered if she’d let the man back into her life.
“Hell, no. He took off to Colorado where he hit the wrong w
oman. He’s dead now.” She gave a little laugh, and it wasn’t the reaction he expected her to have.
Darek couldn’t blame her, though. “Well, I’m sure that’s horrible news for someone, but I can’t say it’s me.”
“So, let’s see this rash.” She pulled on a pair of gloves and waited while he undid the buttons on his shirt and showed her his neck. “Oh yeah, it got you good. It looks like poison ivy. You must have come into direct contact with it when you fell. I’m surprised it didn’t spread, but you might only have a mild reaction. I’ll get you some stronger cream if you want, but it’s already going away.”
“Thanks.”
“I see you still have that horrible brand.” She’d never liked his mark and had only seen it a couple of times when they’d gotten more intimate years ago.
“Yeah, I wish I didn’t. The things we do when we’re in college, you know? It’s a spring break I’ll never forget because of this shit.” He had always told everyone who asked the same spring break story.
“I could get rid of it for you, but then you’d just be left with another scar.” She shrugged like no one would ever want that.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, it wouldn’t take a lot, actually. No more than if I had to remove a cyst, but I usually don’t do unnecessary procedures.” She took off her gloves and tossed them in the trash.
Darek knew he had to convince her. “Would you do it for me? If I really wanted it?”
“If you could explain to me why you want it removed, then I’d consider it.”
Darek nodded. “It’s simple. I’m being considered for a job at the FBI, and I feel like it’s unprofessional. I see so many others who did the same crazy shit, and it’s embarrassing.”
“I can understand that.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out her prescription pad and pen. Then she drew a football shape and put an arrow inside it. “This is how I’d cut you, taking out the unwanted flesh, and then I’d pull these two cut edges together, giving you a straight scar. You’d have a wound to tend to, but if anyone asks, you just got a cyst removed.” She shrugged as she put the pad and pen away.
