Nobody But You

by Julie Kenner

  “I’ve got an plan,” he said, gesturing for Reggie to start the car. Hopefully he was right. Because if he wasn’t, he was fresh out of ideas.

  “This it?” Reggie asked.

  Al nodded as Reggie maneuvered his car into the empty driveway, right up to the detached garage. The house looked empty; hopefully the owner was at work and wouldn’t notice the two men poking around in the backyard.

  Reggie got to the door first, picking the lock easily before pulling it open. “It’s like a grocery store in here.”

  Al had no clue what Reggie meant until he reached the door himself. Sure enough, everything was stacked on shelves in neat little categories. Even at first glance he could see that all the paint was stacked by color. The boxes on the far side were sorted by size. Everything was labeled in printed green Magic Marker. And right there, pushed in the back corner and covered with a clear shower curtain, were two bucket seats, both covered in those cheap seat covers that full-service car washes tended to stock.

  Reggie rushed over, pulling off the plastic, then turned the seats over and slit the bottoms with his knife. He reached in and started pulling out stuffing, first one seat, then the other.

  Al held his breath.

  “Nothing,” Reggie said. He looked up, anger boiling behind his eyes. “There’s not a damn thing here.”

  He stood up, the knife in front of him, and walked toward Al. Al backed away, swallowing, trying to compensate for his suddenly dry mouth.

  “You dirty, double-crossing—”

  “I didn’t do anything,” Al said. “I swear.” He edged toward the seats. “Let me check.”

  But he didn’t really need to check in the seats’ innards. He knew as soon as he got close enough that these weren’t the right seats. Squatting down, he stuck his hand inside the upholstery anyway, wanting to buy time, needing to think.

  He’d hidden the diamonds in vinyl seats and these were cloth. So Jacey must have replaced the original seats sometime after March. Then, after Reggie had slashed the hell out of Lucy, she’d put the original seats back in. She’d brought the slashed seats here, covering them with the ugly seat covers to hide the knife marks. Considering Jacey had rinsed out all the empty hotel shampoo bottles and stacked them neatly to dry, he shouldn’t be surprised.

  And if his theory was right, that meant that the diamonds were now back in Lucy—just where he’d left them.

  The cool blade of Reggie’s knife pressed against the back of Al’s neck. “You better tell me you’ve found some diamonds, you little shit.”

  “They’re not here, Reggie,” Al said. “But I swear, I put them in these seats. I don’t know. I don’t know where they are.”

  Reggie grabbed Al with one meaty paw and jerked him to his feet, then slammed him face forward into the wall. Al felt and heard the sickening crack of cartilage in his nose and he fought the urge to pass out.

  “If you’re lying to me—”

  “I’m not,” Al lied, clamping his hand over his nose. If he could just get away—if he could just get to the old lady’s garage—he could pocket those diamonds and be out of the country by nightfall. “We’re partners, Reggie,” Al said. “I’m not going to screw you.”

  “You better not,” Reggie said, tossing him aside like so much garbage. “Because if I find out otherwise, you’re a dead man.”

  Al swallowed, but kept his face passive. That much, at least, he already knew.

  “So what do we do now?” Reggie asked.

  “Give me a second,” Al said, stalling while he tried to think of a way to escape. “I’m thinking we should go back to San Diego,” he finally said. Maybe the cops would pick up Reggie and Al could be rid of him that way. “I’m thinking you need to take another go at the girl.”

  “Hey!” A voice came from outside the garage and both Al and Reggie turned. An old man was standing beside his car, the door open and the engine still running as it idled in the driveway, blocking their exit. “What are you doing in my garage?”

  Reggie looked at Al and Al looked right back. Then he took off running—not thinking, just grabbing the opportunity and running like the devil himself was chasing. Under the circumstances, Al supposed he was.

  He shoved the old man aside, scrambled into the car, and peeled out of the parking lot. Hopefully, Reggie wouldn’t follow. But even if he did, Al had a plan for that. Yes, the whole thing was coming together—finally gelling. He’d be back in Mexico by morning, this time as a rich man.

  He better be. He was betting his life on it.

  “San Diego was beautiful, even though we didn’t find much new information. Still the fence did say he was supposed to meet a lawyer. We figure that had to be Al,” Jacey said as Millie poured tea into a mug. They’d told Millie about the trip, but not about their talk. That wasn’t a conversation she ever wanted to have. Saying it out loud would make it more real. And right now she was happy to avoid reality.

  “You two are quite a team,” Finn added. “Nick and Nora don’t have anything on you.”

  “Except they actually solve their cases,” David said.

  “A minor point,” Finn said.

  “Except it’s not,” Jacey said. She got up and walked to Millie’s sink, her gaze drifting toward the garage. “We aren’t any closer to the answer and in the meantime, I’m getting mugged and Lucy’s getting trashed.” She’d checked Lucy even before they went inside and the car was fine. But who knew for how long.

  David came up behind her, one hand resting lightly on her shoulder. The gesture was friendly, not intimate, and she blinked back tears. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. We’ll find Reggie. And we’ll figure out what happened.”

  She turned around to face him. “How can you be so sure?”

  “We have to figure it out,” he said with a grin. “I’ve got plans for that advance money.”

  She knew he was joking, but there was a truth there. He did have plans. And the plans didn’t involve her. Or, rather, his plans didn’t mesh with her life. A question of semantics, really. Either way, the result was she didn’t have David.

  So much for happily ever after.

  Finn cleared his throat. “Well, you guys might be Nick and Nora, but I’m sticking with Bond.” He caught Jacey’s eye and smiled and she said a silent thank-you that he’d somehow read her mind and lightened the moment. “Now all I need to do is find a woman in a bikini with a gun and I’ll be all set.”

  “Better start beachcombing,” she said.

  He tapped a finger to his nose, then pointed to her. “Clever girl. I never would have thought of that.”

  “So let’s think about where we are and what we know,” David said, leaving her side to walk to the refrigerator. He pulled out some eggs and Jacey’s mouth started watering, anticipating a warm confection in about an hour.

  “We’re in Millie’s kitchen and we don’t know nearly enough,” Finn said.

  “We know Al was involved in the diamond theft and we know that Reggie’s after our Jacey,” Millie said.

  “The question is where to go next,” David said, pulling out a mixing bowl. “I talked to Cartwright earlier and so far the cops don’t have anything solid.”

  “It’s such a shame we don’t know where Al is,” Millie said. “He could probably tell us everything.”

  Finn and David and Jacey exchanged looks.

  “I don’t think that’s going to be happening,” David said. “I’m betting that right about now Al’s ordering a mai tai from one of Finn’s bikinied babes.”

  “I only said it was a shame,” Millie said. “I didn’t say he was going to knock at the door.”

  Hiding a grin, Jacey turned back to the sink, looking out the window toward the garage. She squinted, her brain trying to process what she was seeing. “A man,” she said. “There’s a man breaking into the garage.”

  “Hold it right there.”

  Al froze, his hands on the garage door, silently cursing. The garage faced a side of the house with only one
tiny window. He’d banked on being able to sneak in and sneak out fast.

  So much for luck. It seemed to be in short supply for him lately.

  He turned around slowly, facing Jacey and David Anderson and the other guy who was living in the old lady’s house. The old lady herself was walking up the drive toward them, carrying a rolling pin.

  “Albert Alcott?” David said.

  “Al.” Jacey said at exactly the same time.

  “What the devil are you doing here?” the other guy said.

  “You want to escort Al into the house, Finn?”

  “Please,” Al said, hoping some of that nonexistent luck would come his way. “You have to help me.”

  Finn clutched his upper arm, aiming him toward the house. “I don’t think we have to do anything.”

  “Shall I whack him?” the old lady said, the rolling pin raised. She squinted at Al’s nose. “Guess he’s already been whacked, huh?”

  “I’m in trouble,” Al said, blurting out the first thing that came into his mind. “Joey Malone’s trying to kill me.”

  Finn and David looked at each other and Al kept going, sure that they’d taken the bait. Now all he had to do was reel them in. They’d get Reggie off his back and Al could exit stage left at the first opportunity. “I, uh, took something from Malone, and now—”

  “The diamonds,” David said. “Where are they?”

  Al licked his lips. He hadn’t realized just how much these folks knew. But like his father had told him, if he was going to tell a lie, use as much truth as possible. He looked at each of them in turn. “I hid them in Jacey’s car.”

  “Of course,” the old lady said. “I should have realized that right away. The Krugerrands were in the car in Lethal Weapon 2.”

  Al had no idea what the biddy was talking about, but he didn’t have time to ponder since Finn was tugging at his arm. “Let’s go have a look at these diamonds.”

  “They’re not there,” Al lied.

  David frowned. “You just said they were.”

  “Reggie has them.”

  Jacey and David exchanged glances. “When Lucy got trashed?” she asked.

  Al nodded. “They were in the dashboard, hidden down behind the glove box.” He had no idea if there was room for diamonds back there or not, but he was betting they didn’t, either.

  Finn shoved him through the door and into the kitchen.

  “That explains why I haven’t had any more trouble since that night,” Jacey said, looking at David.

  Al breathed a sigh of relief. Good. He’d been afraid she’d seen him or Reggie in the hotel.

  The old lady turned the fire on under a kettle, then clapped her hands together. “So,” she said. “Who’s up for tea?”

  Al looked at the other three, who didn’t seem too off-put by the bizarre request.

  After a second, he nodded. Why not? At the moment, he could damn sure use a spot of tea.

  David didn’t trust Al as far as he could throw him, but the only angle he could figure was that Al had lost the diamonds to Reggie and he was hoping that David and Finn and Jacey would somehow help him get them back.

  “So why is Reggie after you?” he asked. He glanced out Millie’s kitchen window. The one part of Al’s story he believed was that Reggie was after him and that meant Reggie might well show up on Millie’s doorstep.

  “Malone wants revenge,” Al said. “Even though he’s got the diamonds back, he wants me dead.” He swallowed. “I want help. I want protection.”

  David crossed his arms over his chest. “So why come here? Why not go straight to the police?” David hadn’t called Cartwright yet; he wanted to talk to Al first. But whether Al wanted it or not, the police were going to soon be in the picture.

  “I, uh, I didn’t know what to say. I wanted to have time to think.”

  “And you thought you’d break into my aunt’s garage to do that?”

  “Yes. I mean, no.” Al frowned. “I mean, the only place I knew for certain Reggie wouldn’t look for me would be with Lucy.” He shrugged. “He doesn’t have any reason to come back here.”

  “Now he does,” David said. “You’re here.” And he wanted to get as much information as possible out of Al before Reggie showed up. He stood up, pulling Al by the arm. “Let’s go have a little chat.”

  Al swallowed, but nodded.

  David looked at Finn. “Stay with Jacey,” he said.

  “Talk to him in my room,” Finn said.

  David nodded and started leading Al out of the room. Millie followed and he raised an eyebrow.

  “What?” she asked. “I’m your gal Friday. You need me to take notes. Besides,” she added, “I have some handcuffs in the chest of drawers. We can use them to detain our perp.”

  David rolled his eyes, but didn’t argue. And he sure as hell wasn’t going to ask Millie what she was doing with handcuffs.

  “Well, I’m staying right here,” Jacey said.

  He nodded, happy to hear that she didn’t want to spend any more time with Al than absolutely necessary. Even after everything they now knew about Al, David still couldn’t help the unreasonable spurt of jealousy. Hell, if he was honest with himself, he was jealous of everyone Jacey had been with before. And he pretty damn near hated everyone she’d be with in the future.

  He shook his head, forcing himself to focus on the current Al situation, not his life with or without Jacey. “Do you want me to stay?” he asked.

  “No.” Her eyes met his. “You need to talk to him for your book. And I’m fine. I just don’t want to see him right now. And I don’t even want to think about the fact that I’ve been driving around with a million dollars in diamonds for four months.”

  Jacey felt a little bit like a wimp, but David seemed to understand. He gave her a quick kiss before leaving her with Finn. She pressed her fingertips to her cheek, wishing she could somehow save the kiss and pull it out whenever she was feeling sad or lonely.

  “He loves you, you know,” Finn said. “I’ve never seen him really in love before.”

  Jacey blinked, an unwelcome tear spilling out. “I love him, too. But we want different things. Different lives.”

  “I know all about that,” Finn said. His eyes met hers. “But I’ve never looked at a woman the way David looks at you.”

  “I hope someday you do,” Jacey said.

  Finn grinned. “Thanks.”

  The sharp crack of breaking glass ripped through the apartment. Finn was immediately on his feet. “That came from the living room,” he said, edging toward the hall. He pointed a finger at her. “Don’t move.”

  Jacey nodded and he slipped around the doorframe.

  She drew in a breath, waiting, hoping it was just neighborhood kids and a stray baseball, but pretty sure that it wasn’t. Her body was on hyperaware, every creak and groan of the old house making her jump.

  The kitchen door burst open and Jacey let out a scream.

  Reggie.

  He rushed in, his scar bulging, and she screamed again, but this time he clamped a hand over her mouth, yanking her to her feet and slamming her back against the refrigerator. “Tell me now, where the fuck are the diamonds?”

  Jacey tried to speak, but couldn’t with his hand over her mouth. The cold steel at her throat wasn’t doing much for her ability to form words, either. Tears traced down her face, tickling a bit since she wasn’t able to wipe them away, and she wondered what the hell she’d done to deserve this. Nothing. Not a thing. Except pick up the wrong guy in a hotel four months ago.

  “You have the diamonds,” she said, which was stupid, since he obviously didn’t.

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Reggie said. “I don’t got shit. But I’m going to get my face smashed in by Joey if I don’t go back with those diamonds.”

  “Al said you have them,” she said, hoping David and Finn had heard her scream and were coming to rescue her. She summoned her courage and met Reggie’s eyes. “That’s all I know. I swear.”

&
nbsp; “You swear?” He pushed the gun in harder, until she was sure she’d have a barrel-size bruise on her neck. “You swear? And I’m supposed to believe that?”

  Something moved near the now-open door and Jacey froze. “I can’t help what you believe,” she said, half trying to convince him and half trying to keep him from looking toward the kitchen door.

  A foot appeared and then a hand with a gun.

  David.

  Her heart twisted. She’d known he wouldn’t let her down. He loved her.

  The thought brought more tears to her eyes. She’d been clinging to an illusion. She didn’t need bricks and mortar. The stability she craved was in David, not in an address. The truth had been right there all along, she just hadn’t wanted to see it.

  “Maybe you and I should take a little walk to your car,” Reggie said. “We’ll take her apart piece by piece and see if we can’t find those diamonds.”

  A slight movement caught her attention and she twisted just slightly, then realized that Finn was lurking in the hallway, his hand dwarfing a tiny little pistol that probably belonged to Millie. Except since Reggie was practically on top of her, neither one could get in a good shot.

  Something needed to give and the only thing she could think of was her.

  Shit.

  David’s eyes met Jacey’s and he saw the fear there, but also the trust. It was the trust that made his gut twist. This asshole had David’s girl, dammit, and David couldn’t do one damn thing. Not until he could get a clear shot.

  They’d already called Cartwright and told him to get the hell over here, but unless Reggie surrendered, they wouldn’t be in any better position. Worse, maybe, if Reggie decided to use Jacey as a hostage. So it was imperative that David rescue Jacey now, before Reggie got any bright ideas.

  His blood boiled and he fought the urge to lunge. What he wanted to do was barrel down on Reggie, then shove his piece into the oaf’s stomach. He wanted to wrestle the guy to the ground and bend his arm backward until he cried uncle.