by Liliana Hart
Savage sighed and gave me a wink. “Look at you with your gnarled hair and pee stained clothes. How could I resist?”
“Good,” I nodded. “Hold that thought and I’ll be right back. You too, Phebes. I’m going to need your help.”
“I’m not dressing up as a nun again,” Phoebe said. “That turned out to be more trouble than it was worth. You’d think all those people would’ve noticed the beer in my hand while they asked me to pray for them.”
I left Phoebe and Savage in the kitchen and made it to the bathroom on my own. Getting in and out of the shower could’ve been worse. I didn’t fall and no one was videotaping my gracefulness as I hung onto the towel bars and prayed to God one didn’t snap off and smack me in the face.
That had happened to the girl that lived in the apartment across from mine in college. She and her boyfriend were going at it like rabbits in the bathroom, her hands grasping the towel bar for all it was worth. Then all of a sudden it pulled free from the wall and whacked her right across the nose.
It had sure scared the hell out of me. I’d been studying in my room and then screams broke out and bloody naked people were running up and down the hall like it was an episode of The Walking Dead. Blood and sex don’t really go together in the south. At least not in Georgia, but I’ve heard they’ve got one of those weird sex cults in Kentucky, so they might be more partial to the combination.
Anyway, that girl ended up with a broken nose and two black eyes, and no one ever heard from her boyfriend again. If you ask me a man that runs away during any kind of sex is no man at all, but that’s just my personal opinion.
I prayed a little extra for the towel rod to hold as I bear crawled over the edge of the tub because the last thing I wanted was a broken nose. I’d been blessed with a pretty good one and didn’t fell like I needed to add any character to my face.
I somehow managed to soap myself off and wash my hair without killing myself. The trouble was going to be getting out of the shower.
I turned the water off and stifled a scream when Savage said, “Don’t freak out,” from the other side of the curtain.
“Jesus, Savage. Of course I’m going to freak out. Do you know how many times I watched Psycho as a kid?” My heart was racing a hundred miles a minute and I was clutching the shower curtain for all it was worth.
“I figured you might need some help getting out of the shower. Here’s a towel if you want to wrap up first.”
A towel appeared over the top of the curtain and I took it, drying myself carefully. Another towel came down and Savage said, “For your hair.”
“Very thoughtful of you,” I said, taking it and wrapping it like a turban around my head.
“I can be thoughtful at times.”
I wasn’t sure I liked seeing the sweeter side of Savage. As long as I could keep him in the reckless irresponsible box of my brain then I could tell myself he was only good as a friend.
I wrapped up with as much modesty as I could manage and then pulled the shower curtain aside. Savage had changed out of his Speedy Cleaners gear and was dressed in his normal jeans and black t-shirt. He wore Vibram-soled boots in case he needed to kick the crap out of anything and a black waterproof wristwatch that had more bells and whistles than I could keep track of.
“Dude. Your knee looks awful.”
“You’re such a flatterer,” I said.
“Wow, I’m thoughtful and a flatterer. All of these compliments are going to start going to my head. Grab hold and I’ll lift you out. No funny business though. I might drop you if you try to grab my butt.”
I rolled my eyes and grabbed hold of his shoulders, trying not to notice how broad they were or the muscles that bunched beneath my touch. And then he put an arm around my waist and another beneath my knees and lifted me up into his arms. My breath caught in my chest and the heat of desire tingled across my skin. I brought my hand up and thunked myself in the head.
“What was that for?” Savage asked.
“Just me being an idiot.” Some day I would remember what happened to my body every time he put his hands on me and cut it off at the pass. Maybe. I might be an idiot but I wasn’t stupid.
He closed the toilet lid and set me down gently and then handed me the stack of clothes. “I’ll be just outside the door, so call for help if you need it.”
“Thanks, but I’d rather die a slow and painful death than have you come in while I’m half naked and caught in my clothes.”
“I’ll just grab a beer then. Good luck.”
Phoebe had given me yoga pants, a sports bra, and a grey hooded sweatshirt that seemed decidedly too plain for her wardrobe. But then I realized it was one I’d loaned her a couple of years before and all felt right with the world again. I pulled my snarled hair back in a ponytail and decided the bags under my eyes were mostly unnoticeable. And then I made my way back into the living room and fell back on the couch, exhausted.
“I’m going to need your help with Rosemarie,” I said. “I can’t leave her in that jail, and more importantly, I can’t keep her dogs. They ate my backseat and almost ate Nick when he came home this morning.”
“You do have a way with dogs,” Savage said.
I arched a brow and chose to take the high road and ignore the comment. “Can you find out what’s going on with the investigation?” I asked Savage. “Detective Jacoby is in charge, but I don’t get the impression he’s all that concerned with finding out the truth. Rosemarie’s prints are on the murder weapon, and that’s as good as an open and shut case as far as he’s concerned. He’s already charged and booked her.”
“It’s a good thing I’m on vacation,” Savage replied. “I can find out what I can, but you know how tightlipped cops can be toward the Feds. It’d help if I could get copies of his case files.”
“Would they be on the computer?”
“Probably not. At least not this early in the investigation. It might be easier to start our own investigation and go from there.”
“I like that option better. I’m full up on breaking and entering for the day. And I’d like to not do anything that might get Nick fired.”
“Lets hit the road then. It sounds like they’re moving fast with this one.”
“Apparently the death of an ex-porn star reflects badly on the community.”
“I saw her on that Discovery Channel special,” Phoebe said. “She said she liked being a business woman much better than a porn star. Apparently when you have sex all day you have to go home and ice your privates to keep the swelling down. It sounds like selling dildos is much less stressful.”
“Something to keep in mind if I ever decide to change careers.” I took Savage’s offered hand and got to my feet. “I’m ready. And as long as we can make a stop by Dairy Queen on the way then I’ll be good as new. You want to come along?” I asked Phoebe.
“Are you going to the one on Memorial Drive?”
“That’s the closest one.”
“I’ll pass then. Remember when I was dating Roger Jeffries?”
“Vaguely. That was sixty-eight boyfriends ago, so it gets kind of blurry.”
“It turns out he was dating Julie Rafferty at the same time, and I found out about it. By that time I didn’t want him any more, and I told Julie she could have him with my blessing. I think Roger was just relieved I didn’t stab him with a sharpened paintbrush.”
“The weapon choice of artists everywhere,” Savage added straight-faced, but I could see the humor lurking in his eyes. Phoebe was oblivious to subtle humor for the most part, so she just nodded and kept going with her story.
“Anyway, Roger and Julie went on about their relationship like I’d never even been in the picture, and then one day Roger up and had a stroke out of the blue, and now Julie is manager over at the Dairy Queen on Memorial.”
“So what you’re saying is that if people fuck you over then they might have a stroke,” I said.
“All I’m saying is Karma can be a bitch. But I don’t want to wav
e a red flag in front of the bull by showing up at the Dairy Queen with the two of you.”
“Probably a wise decision. I’m not as lithe as I normally am and wouldn’t be much help if you got in a fight.”
“Because you’d always be the person I’d call for backup if I was in a fight, even when you’re in top form.”
“Right. Good point. When are you leaving for New York?”
“Now. I’ll leave the key under the mat. Can you tell mom for me?”
“No, I don’t think so,” I said, shaking my head. “Send her an email. I don’t want to have to listen to how she wishes you’d settle down for the next two hours.”
I gave Phoebe a hug and wished her luck and then followed Savage outside. The wind had picked up and sleet was falling in earnest now, actually collecting on the ground instead of melting. That wasn’t a good sign, because any time Savannah saw any accumulation of ice or snow—it didn’t matter how small—the entire city shut down.
“Where’s the van?” I asked, realizing the driveway was empty except for Phoebe’s Jeep.
“I had someone come pick it up and remove the decals. We’ll take my truck.”
“Good. Don’t forget the ice cream.”
Chapter Thirteen
We drove back to the agency, me with a hot fudge sundae and Savage with a dip cone.
“I’ve got to stop hanging out with you. You’re going to make me fat.”
“Nobody’s forcing it down your throat.”
“That’s the thing about temptation. If you wave it around in front of a person long enough, eventually they give in to it.”
His gaze was hot as it met mine and I felt the heat rush to my cheeks. I broke eye contact and looked down at my ice cream. Maybe enlisting the help of Savage wasn’t the best idea, but I didn’t have any other option until Rosemarie’s name was cleared.
A parking spot magically appeared right in front of the agency and Savage parallel parked like a champ. He helped me hobble up the stairs, and I was starting to get a little impatient with the injury. I didn’t have time for this. I shrugged off Savage’s arm, determined to walk on my own.
“What’s the plan?” I asked.
“Standard background check for starters. Lets see who her next of kin is and what her assets are. Checking out significant others and were the money leads is always the best place to start.”
“Nick said she has a husband and two kids set to inherit millions. And some of her business associates have mob connections.”
“That’s a good place to start. Though the was she was murdered was up close and personal. A crime of passion. That kind of damage to the face was caused by a lot of rage. It was personal, and more likely than not we’ll find it was someone close to her who struck the blows.”
Lucy was away from her desk when we came in, but I saw my name written on a yellow sticky note attached to a file folder, so I grabbed it and tucked it under my arm.
“There you are,” Kate said as we came around the corner. “Agent Savage,” she acknowledged. “Good to see you again.”
She raised her brow at me and I gave her a sheepish smile. Sometimes keeping my mouth shut was the smartest thing I could do.
“I tried calling you yesterday, but you didn’t pick up,” she said. “I wanted to congratulate you on the exams.”
“Thanks. It was an eventful day, so I just went home and crashed after the tests.”
She looked down at me knee. “Quite literally it seems. I need to talk to you for a few minutes in my office.”
I knew that tone in Kate’s voice. She wasn’t upset, but she was curious about something and wanted to get to the bottom of it. I wondered briefly if I had a chance of escaping if I made a run for it, but my stupid knee was going to hold me back. I was easy pickings.
“I’ll meet you down there. I need a minute with Savage.”
“I’ll find you if you try to run,” she warned. Obviously she knew me well.
I smiled and batted my eyelashes. “Why would I try to run? I haven’t done anything wrong.” Except for tampering with a case and a little illegal breaking and entering, but how could she possibly know about that?
“Uh huh,” she said and went back to her office.
I turned to Savage. “My office is just through there. Feel free to use whatever you need while I talk to Kate.”
“10-4, Kemo Sabe.”
I hoofed it as fast as I could down to the far end of the hall where Kate’s office was located, but Jimmy Royal stuck his head out his office door and shouted, “Hey, Holmes. Looks like your streak is over. And you were doing so well too.”
“Up yours, Jimmy. I can’t believe you don’t have something better to do than count down the days until I get injured.”
Jimmy was an ex-cop and second in command at the agency. He was just over six feet tall and as thin as a beanpole. He always wore cowboy boots and his eyes reminded me of a basset hound.
Since I’d started working for Kate he’d taken to hanging a chalkboard outside of his door proclaiming to the world how many days I’d gone without injuring myself. Today the number was at 22. He was right. I’d had a pretty good streak going. I’m not sure I’d ever made it that long before. Which depressed the hell out of me the more I thought about it. Maybe I should buy stock in Tylenol.
Jimmy chuckled. “Darlin,’ you know I live for these days. What’d you do this time? Fall off a roof? A bar brawl? Did you wrestle a grizzly?”
I shot Jimmy the finger and kept moving toward Kate’s office. Cops had a weird sense of humor. I knocked on Kate’s door once out of habit but let myself inside. She was lounged in one of the club chairs in the sitting area instead of behind her desk and I went over to join her. It wasn’t often I saw Kate relaxed anymore.
“When was the last time we went out and did something fun? Just the two of us like we used to. And something that has nothing to do with work.”
“Two weeks ago we went to that movie theater that had the waiters and food service. We drank almost two bottles of wine, ate spaghetti, and had a lot of popcorn. You cried through the whole movie. Loudly.”
“Oh yeah. That night is kind of a blur. Sometimes the animated movies are the most emotional. And don’t play tough with me, Kate McClean. I saw you dabbing your eyes with the hem of your shirt.”
“Hmm,” she said, picking an invisible piece of lint off her slacks. “It’s the old people. Any time a movie has old people and they get all nostalgic it makes me weepy. We’re going to be there one day you know.”
“Not me. I’m going to be an awesome old lady. Balls to the wall. I’m going to wear ridiculous hats and say just what I want to say no matter how controversial. And maybe I’ll get a motorcycle and get a lover twenty years younger than me.”
“So you’re going to turn into your mother?”
I opened my mouth to refute it, but then snapped it closed again. “My mother isn’t old yet. She’s still in her early fifties and has years to mellow into a respectable geriatric. What did you want to see me about?”
“I meant what I said in the hallway. Congratulations on doing so well on the exam. I honestly didn’t think you’d be able to pull it off. Especially the physical fitness portion. I know you struggled with that.”
I pressed my lips together and smiled, deciding it probably wasn’t a good idea to mention that Phoebe had medicated me.
“So I guess I’m officially offering you a job as a full time agent if you still want it. Once your license comes in you can officially hang it in your office and be open for business.”
“Can I have a bigger office?”
“No. But if anyone dies or retires you’ll be the first to get an upgrade.”
“I can live with that. I’ve got to get back to Savage. I suppose you heard about Rosemarie.”
“Yeah, it’s a shame. I can’t imagine she’s handling it well. But I heard she’s getting bonded out this morning. She might already be out.”
I started to push off the c
ouch and make my escape, but Kate said, “So what’s going on between you and Savage? If I’d stood any closer to you two out there I would’ve felt the sparks.”
“Nothing is going on. I’d never cheat on Nick. We are in a committed adult relationship.”
“And Savage is setting your panties on fire every chance he gets.”
I deflated and fell back onto the couch. “Oh yeah. That man is not good for me. But Lord, the temptation. I hope God gives me a medal for abstaining when I get to heaven one day. Because holy cow. I want to do all kinds of sinning with that man.”
“Yes, I’m sure he will. Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr.—and then you at the end of the line accepting your medal for not having sex with a testosterone driven hot guy. I can see the parallels.”
“Well when you put it that way—” Kate laughed and I grinned at her.
“So is there anything you want to tell me about why Standard Insurance called me this morning and told me to drop the case on Leonard Winkle?”
“Oh, really?” I asked innocently. That was just like Kate. Soften you up and then come in for the strike. She was sneaky like that. “Good for Leonard. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy who’d try to cheat the insurance company.”
“Uh, huh. It turns out someone called in an anonymous tip about Judge Kyle. He’s got so many people in this town in his pocket, including a few cops and the mayor, that it took a while for anyone with enough balls to get over there and check things out. I heard through the grapevine that Kyle is out for blood. He’s not a man to mess with. He’ll burn the whole city down just to take down the one person who fucked him over.”
I heard the warning in Kate’s voice and acknowledged it. “Good to know.” I smiled brightly and got to my feet. “I’m wasting daylight. I’d better get back to Savage.” Kate raised her brows and I corrected myself. “I mean back to work.”
“Right. I knew that’s what you meant.”
Chapter Fourteen
My phone rang as I walked back toward my office and I had to dig around in my bag to find it. I hit the connect button and had the phone to my ear to say hello when I noticed Jimmy Royal had changed the 22 on his sign back down to 0. I scowled and then realized someone was trying to talk to me.
