by Liliana Hart
“Hello,” I answered.
“So how’d it go?” Nick asked.
“Pretty well despite the fact that Phoebe gave me a glass of wine and a Xanax for lunch.”
There was silence on the end for a few seconds and then Nick said, “I’d ask you if you’re kidding, but I know you’re not. I just wanted to call and tell you congratulations and let you know you placed fourth overall.”
“Yeah, I know. Isn’t it great? I’m employed!”
“How do you know? Results aren’t released until Friday.”
“Umm—” My gaze cut to Savage and I saw his lips twitch in amusement. Nothing much got by him. “Savage told me.”
There was more silence on Nick’s end of the line. “I didn’t realize he was back from task force.”
“Yep,” I said, since I hadn’t realized Savage had been gone on a task force job to begin with.
I decided the best thing to do was to change the subject before things spiraled downhill. Nick was not a fan of Savage. Mostly because he knew Savage had been trying to get me naked for the past few months. Savage was mostly ambivalent toward Nick, but I think it was because he knew it irritated Nick. Sometimes I thought there was a little too much Alpha male in my life.
“So will you be home for dinner?”
Nick sighed, recognizing the tactic for what it was. “Doesn’t look like it. Try to stay out of trouble. And don’t take any more drugs from Phoebe.”
“Now you tell me,” I said and disconnected.
Savage drove through Dairy Queen and I got a hot fudge sundae with extra fudge—because I believed in celebrating the right way—and Savage got a strawberry shortcake sundae, which brought down his Alpha status only slightly in my estimation. But I wasn’t going to judge. At least not out loud.
“You’re judging me,” he said as soon as I had the thought.
“It doesn’t count if it’s silent. Everybody knows that. Besides, you have to expect it after ordering strawberry shortcake. Fruit will always be inferior to chocolate.”
“Maybe if you ate more fruit instead of chocolate you’d be able to walk down stairs without whimpering right now.”
“Hmmph,” I said and scooped up a glop of hot fudge in my spoon. “Nick said you’d been on a task force.”
“Just got back yesterday. We had a series of murders across multiple states. Ended up all the way in Virginia. I’m glad to be back in my own bed.”
“Phoebe didn’t tell me you were gone.” There. I’d done it. I’d brought up the elephant in the room. And was pretty damn subtle about it if I said so myself.
“I’m not sure I mentioned it to her. I let Spock know so they could keep an eye on the house.”
“Oh.” I chewed on my bottom lip and wondered what to say next. “I just thought the two of you might have—you know—communicated.”
“Not after our initial hellos and an occasional nod as neighbors. She wasn’t you, babe. She was never even in the running.”
“Oh, man.” That was not what I had been expecting him to say. No one had the ability to complicate my life more than Savage. “I have cramps,” I said, just for good measure.
The corners of his mouth twitched but he kept his gaze straight ahead. “I’ll keep it in mind. It’s always good to know one’s obstacles when going into a battle.”
“Are we having a battle?”
Nerves skittered down my spine and I got a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach. I loved Nick. I knew in the bottom of my heart that he was the right choice. But that didn’t mean the temptation wasn’t there when Savage was in the picture. And the harder he pressed, the more I struggled with the temptation.
“Love is a battlefield, sweetheart.”
“Seriously? A Pat Benatar reference and strawberry shortcake.”
“I’m comfortable with my masculinity.”
“I’m in a relationship with Nick.”
“I’ve heard the rumors. That doesn’t mean we can’t be friends though, right?”
I narrowed my eyes and stared at him intently, trying to figure out what his game was. “You want to be friends? Just friends?”
His grin was slow and deliberate—I was a sucker for smiles—and my nipples hardened like pebbles and my lady bits started humming.
“Just friends is always a good start. Don’t you think?”
“Listen, Savage—”
“I’ve got two weeks of vacation since I’ve been working overtime the last two months,” he interrupted. “I hate vacation. I like working. Why do they make you sit at home and pretend like it’s fun?”
“Maybe you should go to the beach or something?”
“Want to come with me?” He waggled his eyebrows then added, “Just as friends, of course.”
“No, thank you,” I said primly. “I’m overloaded with cases at the moment.”
Lord, I was such an idiot. Why couldn’t I be a vixen and always know exactly what to say when men flirted with me? Bat my eyelashes and play coy. Give them a saucy wink and a half smile that held no promises. Instead my face was like a TV screen, broadcasting every thought that flitted through my brain so all the men in my life could see I was a giant boob when it came to having any kind of game whatsoever. I’d convinced myself over the years it was an endearing trait instead of pathetic.
“Perfect. I can help you with your cases and not die of boredom the next couple of weeks. What do you have?”
“Umm—” I hadn’t seen that one coming. Savage was excellent at throwing the occasional curveball, and Nick was going to commit murder if the two of us worked together again. Savage and I in close quarters was never good, mostly because his tongue almost always ended up knocking my tonsils around and sometimes my hands strayed into dangerous territory. “I’m sure there’s nothing that would interest you. It’s petty stuff really. Routine.”
“If it keeps me from hosting the neighborhood watch meeting at my house this week then sign me up. What can I help you with?”
I thought about it for a second and realized I probably could use Savage’s help. Nick wasn’t exactly forthcoming when it came to gathering information, and Savage didn’t mind breaking the occasional rule. I had a feeling when it came to Khan I was going to need someone who didn’t mind getting their hands a little dirty.
“What do you know about Dexter Kyle?” I asked.
And just like that the playful grin that had been on Savage’s face turned into a hard line and his expression closed down. “I can help you with anything but that,” he said. “Toss that case in the trash and run far away. What else do you have on your plate?”
“Wait a minute? Are you serious? I can’t just toss it away. People are counting on me.”
“I can’t believe Kate would take on a case involving Dexter Kyle. She knows better. Where’s the paperwork?”
I chewed on my bottom lip, trying to figure out what I was missing. I’d known Dexter Kyle my entire childhood, and to this day I still wanted to call him Uncle Dex. My dad had never had anything but a good word to say about the man, and now all of a sudden everyone gets weird whenever his name is mentioned. Granted, it had been fifteen years since I’d really seen the man, and I’d obviously had no idea he had such a hard on for Star Trek paraphernalia, which just goes to show you don’t really know what goes on in anyone’s private lives. Now I had to decide just how much to tell Savage about the favor I was doing for Leonard Winkle to get his Enterprise back.
“Silence from you is never a good thing. Tell me what’s up, Jessica Fletcher, and what kind of trouble you’ve gotten yourself into.”
“You know, a little faith would be nice every now and again. I don’t know why you’d assume automatically that I’m in trouble.” I turned in the seat to give him what for and the muscles in my legs seized up so it looked like I had baseballs under my skin. I whimpered in pain and rubbed at the knotted muscles.
“This is all your fault.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s your lack of water intake and
need for salty foods that’s at fault, but I’m willing to shoulder part of the blame.”
If I’d had the ability to do bodily harm at that moment I’d have taken the opportunity, but I couldn’t spare the energy to do anything more than bare my teeth at him. We were stopped at a traffic light and he leaned over the seat and started massaging the aching muscles, and I whimpered in relief as they unknotted bit by bit. And then once I could think again I realized that Savage had his hands on me and no good could possibly come of that.
“The light’s green,” I said, glancing over to find his dark eyes watching me closely.
“I know.”
His mouth was entirely too close to mine—close enough that the warmth of his breath fanned across my lips. Heat sizzled between us and my pulse went wild at the memory of what a kiss from Savage felt like.
“I’m with Nick. And you’re poaching.”
“I know that too.” He gave my leg one last squeeze and then put the car in gear and started to drive. “I understand why you picked Nick. I’m not the safe choice. And as chaotic and wheels off as your life is, you crave that safety. It’s one spot in your life where things are normal and how they’re supposed to be. But I’ve got news for you, babe. You’re never going to be satisfied with normal.”
“Your psych minor is showing.” My back was stiff with indignation and a little hurt that he thought I’d never have a normal life. Or be normal for that matter. “And for your information I love Nick very much.”
He smiled that infuriating grin but stayed silent. I didn’t know what any of it meant, but I had a feeling I might be in trouble.
Chapter Nine
“Don’t think I’ve forgotten how this all started,” Savage said. “How are you involved with Dexter Kyle?”
I sighed and decided the best thing to do was table anything that involved hormones for the foreseeable future. Maybe God really was looking out for me after my earlier conversation with Him. Maybe He’d sent the cramps to save me from myself. It was as good of an explanation as any.
“It doesn’t really have anything to do with me. It has to do with Spock. Apparently his house was broken in to a few weeks back and someone took the Enterprise.”
“Ahh,” Savage said, nodding. “Now I get the connection.”
“Really? That’s all the information you needed to get it?”
“It makes sense Khan would want the Enterprise for himself. Either that or destroy it altogether. It fits the pattern.”
“For crying out loud,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s like a secret club or something. I had no idea the scope of the Trekkie.”
Savage arched an incredulous brow. “Did you grow up in a cardboard box or something? How was your childhood so lacking?”
I held out my hands in surrender. “My apologies. I grew up on Blossom and Growing Pains. I was learning about the important stuff that happens in the teenage years. It’s no wonder Spock is still a virgin.”
“No worries, sweetheart. I’m not. Just in case that’s what’s holding you back.”
He turned his gaze in my direction and his eyes went soft and black with desire. I felt the rush from the top of my head all the way to the tips of my toes, and I realized it was probably a good thing I’d never ended up doing the horizontal mambo with Savage. I probably would’ve blacked out from the endorphin rush before I got the chance to see if the area below his waist was as exceptional as the rest of him.
“Maybe you should drop me off at the corner,” I said, my hand feeling for the door handle. I was ready to jump out and roll into the street if need be. I had not been prepared to see Savage or to have these feelings come back. I’d spent the past two months adjusting to the thought that he was sleeping with my sister. And now that I knew that wasn’t true my brain and emotions didn’t know how to adapt.
“Chicken.”
“Oh, yeah. I can only handle so much excitement in one day and my ovaries are winning that race.”
“That’s a lovely mental image. I knew there was a reason I missed you. So what’s your involvement in Spock’s break in?” he asked, shifting the topic back around to his original question.
I explained about how the insurance company had hired the agency to prove that Spock was committing fraud and how I’d somehow gotten talked into proving Khan was guilty of the theft.
Savage let out a low whistle and said, “Kate is going to flip her shit if she finds out you’re working for the accused party.”
“I figured this might be one of those “need to know” kind of cases. And since you offered I could use the help.”
“I actually didn’t offer. I believe I told you to stay away from Dexter Kyle.”
“Oh. That’s disappointing. My plate is kind of full with Rosemarie being accused of murder.”
“Hello,” he said, brows raised almost to his hairline. “You forgot to mention that one.”
“You should’ve stayed with the task force and your serial killer. Things are pretty crazy around here.”
He pulled the car into the parking lot to the side of the police academy. My SUV sat alone in the back of the lot.”
“Okay, I’ve got a plan,” he said.
Just hearing him say that made me feel about a million times better. I could almost be competent when I worked with Savage. Though every time I worked with Savage I usually ended up in more trouble than I started. He was a magnet for trouble.
“I could get in serious trouble for this because the information is classified, but I want you to be aware. God knows you won’t listen if I tell you to stay away from him.”
“Hey! I listen,” I said indignantly. “Sometimes.”
“Uh huh. Kyle has been under investigation for almost five years for ethics violations. He’s a smart guy, and it’s been hell to pin him down. We’ve had undercover agents who’ve been in place on his staff for the past couple of years, and it’s not going to be long before major shit goes down. You don’t want to be caught in those crosshairs. Believe me.”
I felt like I was having an out of body experience. “Are you sure? I’ve known this man since I was born. He was one of my dad’s oldest friends. He brought me a porcelain doll back from Austria for cripes sake.”
“Oh, well then, I’ll tell them to call off the investigation.”
I rolled my eyes at his sarcasm. I don’t know why I always found that trait so attractive in men—unless they were using it on me—then it wasn’t so attractive anymore.
“Very funny. I just can’t see the man I know as someone who could be guilty of those things.”
“People do bad shit for a lot of reasons,” Savage said, shrugging. “And there’s a big difference as to the perception you got of him as a child versus how you’d see him now. You said so yourself that you haven’t seen him in years. People change.”
Something in his voice had me looking at him a little closer. His expression was guarded and his focus intent on the road. And then he grinned and the moment was over.
“Let me do some digging around tonight. I’ll pick you up at the office in the morning and fill you in.”
I felt like something had shifted during our time in the car together, but I wasn’t sure what or how it would affect us in the future. I gave my sundae a sad glance and wished I’d thought to get a second, and then I hefted my bag and got out of the truck.
Savage waited until I got in my car before he drove away, and I started it up and put it in reverse. My phone rang and I put the car back in park, wondering what else could possibly happen today. I wasn’t sure how much more I could fit in before I decided to go back to Phoebe’s and ask for more drugs.
One day I’m going to learn to stop asking what else can happen. I didn’t recognize the number on the caller ID, but it was a local area code so I answered.
“Hello?”
I could barely hear the person on the other end of the line and I had to ask them to repeat themselves.
“Addison, it’s me. Rosemarie.”
“Because I don’t want Detective Jacoby to overhear our conversation. He took my emergency pack of M&Ms out of my purse. Can you believe the gall of that man? Just snatched em’ right out and now he’s eating them out in the hallway. I was saving them for the zombie apocalypse. I saw the tip on Doomsday Preppers. It’s always important to keep a snack on you at all times in case the zombies invade and you’re nowhere near your go pack. It’ll sustain you until you make it to your stash.”
“Rosemarie, I’m confused. Is Savannah being invaded by zombies?” My head was starting to pound and I rubbed the spot between my eyes.
“Not that I’ve heard, but they don’t have a T.V. at the jail, so I’m not up on my current events.”
My stomach flipped and I banged my head against the steering wheel once before resting it there. Nick’s words came back to me from that morning, and I wondered how I could be such a selfish friend. All I’d been worrying about all day was my P.I. exams, my sister’s bad judgment, cramps, and Savage’s irresistible pull. I’d forgotten all about Rosemarie.
“Addison—” her voice was weak and tear-filled. “I’m a convict! They put me in handcuffs right in front of my neighbors and everyone.” Her voice hitched. “I’ll never be able to show my face in Whiskey Bayou again. You know how it is. I’ll lose my job. I’m like the second reincarnation of you. I’ll be an outcast.”
“Hey, it’s not that bad. You’ll still be able to show your face in Whiskey Bayou. You’ll just have to get used to everyone whispering about you once you decide to show it.”
“Who’s going to take care of my dogs while I’m in the hoosegow? They’ll become a ward of the state.”
“I will take care of your dogs. Don’t worry about that. What we need to worry about is getting you out of jail as quickly as possible. Have they set bail?”
