“What’s going on over there? Are you even listening to me?” Bones asked.
I waved off his question. “Yeah, yeah. Race track, football game, girls, sand, I got it. It’ll be legit, I’m sure.”
“This is about that blonde broad, isn’t it?”
I leveled a stare at him. “You know her name is Markie.”
He shrugged. “Not like I blame you. Great smile, nice rack, sweet girl, but you sure you want to go down that path?”
It was my turn to shrug. “She still hasn’t turned into a psycho bitch.”
My phone buzzed with a yes, so I dialed Markie and asked her what she was up to.
“Ariana and I found this adorable little thrift store with board games still new and in the box.”
“You like board games, huh?” I asked.
She giggled. “I’m buying them for the orphanage.”
“Why are you doing that?” I asked. “The bookshelves in the great room held dozens of games.”
“Donated games. The games most people donate are missing pieces. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to play Monopoly without any get out of jail free cards? I spent half of our last game in the slammer.”
“You read the rules, right?” I asked.
“Rules? Angel the game doesn’t even have a box anymore. We keep the pieces in a plastic baggie.”
I chuckled. “Well, according to the rules you can only spend three turns in jail before you’re required to pay $50 and get out. I’m betting Myles knows this.”
She growled. “That little punk!”
“Indeed.” I thought about her carting a pile of games onto the bus, trying to get them to the orphanage. Then I realized I actually didn’t have anything I needed to do for the rest of the day. It was a perfect opportunity to play the hero and to see her. “Hey, do you want a ride to drop off the games?”
“It wouldn’t be too much trouble?” she asked.
“Nope. Bones and I are just out driving around right now. Where are you?”
Markie gave me the store name and I put it into the GPS. Moments later, Bones idled the Hummer at the curb while I jumped out and helped Markie and Ariana with board games stacked well above their heads.
“Did you buy the place out?” I asked, filling the back of my vehicle.
She laughed. “Apparently this is what happens when a hobby store goes out of business. I can’t wait to see the kids’ faces. They’re going to be so excited. It’ll be good for them to see you and Bones, too. Myles keeps asking about you guys. I think he and his posse are looking for a rematch.”
Even the thought of hitting the court with Myles made my legs ache. But strangely enough, it also made my smile widen. I liked the cheating little punk.
Markie and I climbed into the Hummer, but Ariana stayed on the curb.
“Isn’t she coming?” Bones asked.
Markie closed the door behind her. “She has to head to work. She’s just gonna hop a bus.”
Bones cocked his head to the side and looked at me. I’d seen him break bones, shoot fools, chase down some idiot who tried to rip him off, intimidate the piss out of hardened criminals, but I’d never seen him leave a broad standing on the street. We ended up taking Ariana to work.
Once we were on our way, I turned so I could see all of their faces and asked, “Have you ladies ever been to San Diego?”
Bones cleared his throat, but I ignored the way his eyes bugged out like he knew what I was doing and couldn’t believe it. Hell, I couldn’t believe it either, but it felt right.
Neither Markie nor Ariana had been to the coast, so I asked if they’d like to join me and Bones on our trip. Bones kept driving and didn’t say a word.
“I’d love to, but I have to work this weekend,” Ariana replied.
Markie nudged her sister. “Oh, come on. You could call in and take some time off. It would be so fun. We’ve never seen the ocean. I mean, I flew over it, but I’d kind of like to feel the sand between my toes.”
“I can’t. Not after that little episode with the hospital. I’ve got bills to pay, and if I miss more time at work, they’ll probably fire me.” Ariana sighed. Then she smiled at Markie and added, “But you should go. This could be your only chance.”
“I don’t want to leave you alone all weekend,” Markie said.
“Puh-lease. I am a grown-ass woman. Besides, I could use a little alone time without my big sis all up in my business. Go and have fun. Bring me back a couple of seashells.”
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Markie asked.
Ariana rolled her eyes. “Ohmigod yes. Go, already.”
Markie eyed me and Bones. “I don’t know how I feel about going out of state with two guys I barely know.”
“You didn’t know anyone in Africa, and you lived with them,” Ariana pointed out.
“You’ll have your own room,” I insisted. “And I promise we’ll be perfect gentlemen.”
“See?” Ariana asked. “They’ll be gentlemen. Sounds boring and right up your alley.”
Markie and Ariana argued until we dropped Ariana off. Then Markie caved and promised to come with us. We made plans before we dropped her and the games off at the orphanage. Bones bottled his anger until we were alone again and back on the road. Then he let me have it.
“Do you trust me?” he asked.
I gaped at his ridiculous question. “Bones, you know I do.”
“I know that, huh?” he spat. “My job is to protect you. How the hell can I do that if you’re off making plans and doing shit you don’t even clear with me first?”
“She’s a friend. She’s never seen the ocean before. What’s the harm in bringing her along?”
He tensed. “What’s the harm? Seriously? I like the broad, don’t get me wrong. Seems like a nice girl, and I see what she does to you and it’s good. But we got nuthin’ on her, Angel. It’s like she just appeared one day. Says she’s been in Africa for the past year, but how do we know that for sure? You seen any pictures of her there?”
I shook my head. “We’re not quite to the sharing photo albums stage.”
He scowled at me. “This isn’t funny. You got a screw loose over this girl and you’re gonna get us both killed.”
“What do you want me to do?” I asked.
“I’m running a background check on her tonight,” he replied.
I rested my head in my hands, knowing I wouldn’t win this battle. Bones would check into Markie’s past no matter what I said. Hell, he probably already had. “Fine, but I don’t want to know what you find unless it’s something I need to know.”
Bones rubbed the stubble on his chin. “You should help me. I can’t get everywhere, but you—”
“I’m not helping you invade her privacy.”
Bones’ face turned a dangerous shade of red. Veins popped out of his neck. He punched the dashboard and swore. Several times. Then he took a few deep breaths and nodded. “Okay. I’ll outsource it. It’ll take more time, but I’ve got a guy.”
I held up my hands. “Sounds like you got it all figured out.”
Bones grumbled and opened his door. “Yay, me, now I get to be the third wheel. Great. Thanks for that, buddy.”
The next morning, Bones met me in the kitchen, extending a travel mug of coffee like an olive branch. “She has a bachelor’s in criminal justice.”
I wasn’t expecting that. It gave me pause for a few beats before I asked, “Has she done anything with it?”
“Not that I can find. She went to Africa right after she got her degree. But why would she spend the money for an education and not do anything with it?”
I chuckled. This was a question I could handle. “Ask the one-third of college grads who never work in their degree field.”
“A third? Really?” he asked.
I pulled up the statistic on my phone and showed it to him.
“Well for the record, I still think this is a piss-poor idea,” Bones said, grabbing a second travel mug of coffee.
“Did
n’t find anything else, huh?” I asked.
“Still looking,” he replied as we headed out.
Markie answered the door wearing a knee-length gray skirt, purple blouse, sandals, and a shawl draped over her shoulders. Her long blonde hair spilled over the shawl in loose curls and when she walked past me, she smelled like wildflowers and summer. I breathed her in while I bent to grab her bag. Bones climbed into the backseat, so I opened the passenger door for Markie. She slid in and turned on the radio.
“What are you doing?” I asked, merging out of the parking lot into traffic.
“You said you like oldies, and I want to see what that means, exactly.” She turned up the volume. Music filled the vehicle and she looked at me. “Who is this?”
“Gladys Knight and the Pips,” Bones said, leaning forward. “Angel was born in the wrong era.”
Bones didn’t trust Markie, but he liked her. And he sure as hell wouldn’t be rude to her.
“He’s like some crusty old man trapped in the body of a twenty-three-year-old,” he added.
Markie giggled. Then her head bobbed to the music for a few beats. “I like it. It’s different.”
“Wait, you’ve never heard this song before?” I asked.
Markie waited for a few more bars, and then shook her head. “I don’t think so. Ari and I grew up in the sticks. Our music options were pretty limited.”
“Turn it up, turn it up,” Bones said, tapping Markie’s shoulder. “This is my favorite part.”
Markie cranked up the volume and Bones broke into the verse, shaking his body with the beat. It was good to see him more relaxed; well worth the background check on Markie. The Hummer bounced a little with his weight and Markie laughed.
Bones nudged me. “Come on, Angel. This is our jam, right here. You know you want to join in.”
Another challenge I couldn’t resist. I sang with Bones as we tried—and failed miserably—to meet Gladys Knight’s pitch and tone. Markie laughed, cheered, and then joined us on the chorus. Then the next song came on, and Bones and I harmonized (kind of) with Aretha Franklin. We sang song after song, amusing Markie throughout the drive. By the time we stopped at a small diner to grab brunch, my cheeks hurt from smiling so much.
“You guys are the best traveling companions ever,” Markie crooned as we headed into the restaurant. “I think that’s the most fun I’ve ever had on a car ride. I can’t believe it’s almost noon. Feels like we just left.”
“Yep, we’ll be walking on the beach in no time,” I replied.
“So what else do you like to do?” Markie asked over our waffles and bacon.
“Angel fancies himself quite the dancer,” Bones said for me.
I groaned. “Must you tell all my secrets?”
“And this after you gave me such a hard time about the disco dancing?” Markie asked.
“He took classes and everything,” Bones added, as a big grin spread across his face.
I resisted the urge to punch my best friend. Just barely.
“I see how it is.” Markie grinned. “What type of dancing are we talking here?”
Glaring at Bones, I replied, “Ballroom mostly. Sometimes my family attends events where it’s a necessity. We all had to learn.”
“A computer geek who ballroom dances?” she asked, grinning.
Bones cleared his throat, no doubt ready to give Markie all sorts of incriminating information designed to make me look like a sissy. I glared at him and he threw his hands up in mock innocence.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Angel
IT WAS ALMOST two o’clock p.m. when I rolled the Hummer to a stop in front of where we’d be spending the next two nights. Because I was laying low, I avoided my family’s usual haunt on Coronado Island and booked a couple of rooms in a small hotel blocks away from Seaport Village. The hotel manager was a friend, not connected to my family, and unlikely to scurry off and tell my father I’d brought a date on my business trip.
As soon as we pulled up, Markie made a beeline for the restroom while I checked us into our rooms. Markie’s room was adjacent to the two-room suite I shared with Bones, and we headed there first.
“Omigosh, this is amazing!” Markie squealed, rushing out onto the patio. “The smell! And the sounds! The air feels so different. I have never seen anything so beautiful in my life! Can we go walk on the beach right now?”
Her joy was worth every mile we’d driven, worth risking Father’s anger to see. We had time to kill before our meeting, so Bones and I checked our rooms, dropped off our bags, and grabbed jackets. Markie changed and then waited for us in the hall, bouncing on her toes like some kid on her first Disneyland adventure. We had to hurry to keep up as she led us out the doors and onto the beach. Then she removed her sandals and dug her toes into the sand.
“Feels like the sandbox we had in our backyard as kids.” She glanced around before adding, “Except there’s no cat poop.”
Bones chuckled. “You’re even more awkward than Angel.”
She was, and I loved it.
The temperature was in the low seventies. There weren’t many people walking the beach and even fewer braving the water. Markie walked between me and Bones, her eyes round with wonder. “It’s so beautiful. Do you guys have your swim trunks on under your shorts?” she asked.
Bones and I shared a look. He chuckled and shook his head.
“What?” Markie asked.
“Uh, no. That water’s like sixty-five degrees. I’m not going near it without a wetsuit on,” I said.
“Me either,” Bones added.
“Really? Sixty-five degrees, huh? Back home we had swimming holes that were colder than that in the middle of summer. I think I can handle it. Will you hold my stuff?”
“Yep. Knock yourself out.” I held out my hands expectantly.
“Thanks!” She tugged her blouse over her head and slipped off her skirt. Then she handed everything to me.
I tried not to stare, but Markie was gorgeous. A modest lavender one-piece swimsuit hugged her hourglass figure, perfecting the balance of soft curves and hard lines. She spun around, giving me a view I would never turn away from as her perfectly toned legs sprinted toward the water.
“Damn,” Bones whispered.
Markie ran until the waves crested above her knees, and then she dove under. Bones nudged me. Then he gestured toward my hand—the hand tugging the collar of my shirt away from my neck—and chuckled.
I released my collar and rubbed at my hairline. “Damn, indeed,” I breathed.
Markie surfaced, gasping for air and visibly shivering from the cold while she pushed her hair out of her face. She splashed her way out of the water and ran back toward us.
“No way that’s sixty-five degrees!”
I took off my jacket and held it out to her. She ran straight into it, her lips turning blue.
“Okay, maybe the time in Africa spoiled me, because that water is f-f-freezing.”
I rubbed her shoulders, feeling the cold of her body seep through the fabric of my jacket.
“We tried to tell you,” Bones said.
“Yeah, well I’m going to try out that huge jetted tub in my bathroom while you’re at your meeting.”
I swallowed back the fantasies that visual invoked, took deep breaths, and fought to keep my body from physically reacting. All of which would have been easier if I’d given Markie a trench coat instead of a jacket that barely passed her ass.
Bones and I saw Markie into her room, where she promised to wait until we got back, and then we went to our own room to dress and get ready for our meeting. Before we got into the Hummer, I scanned it for devices, pausing when something unexpected popped up on the screen.
“What is it?” Bones asked, leaning in to study the scanner.
I reached under the back bumper and pulled out a quarter-sized polycarbonate disk, flipped it over in my hand a few times, and handed it to Bones.
“What the hell is this?” Bones asked, examining it.
“Not one of your father’s?” Bones asked.
“Not unless he’s keeping tech secrets.” Father usually brought me in on his new technical toys, but he also liked to test me. I wouldn’t put it past the old man to plant foreign tech on my vehicle and see if I caught it.
Bones leaned back, his mind probably spinning in the same circles as mine. “Did you do a scan before we left the apartment?”
I’d been mentally retracing this morning’s steps since the anomaly beeped on my device finder, but I couldn’t remember. My excitement over picking up Markie and beginning our trip had made me sloppy, and that was dangerous. “I’m not sure.”
Bones stared at me and then looked at the device. “If you scanned it this morning, then someone followed us here. Or…” He looked up at the hotel.
Markie. Was she alone with the Hummer? When would she have put it on? It was barely under the bumper, and she could have popped it on when nobody was looking. Maybe when she went to the restroom at the diner.
“No.” I forced my mind to stop convicting her. “I must not have scanned it.”
Bones slipped the device under the bumper of a nearby minivan, and we climbed into the Hummer.
“I could have used that,” I said.
“For what? If you take it offline they’ll know you found it. This way, maybe they’ll keep tabs on someone else for a while.”
He had a point, so I resisted the urge to steal back the tracking device and make it my next project. “Yeah, but they already know we’re here.”
He shrugged. “Nothing we can do about that now.”
By the time we pulled out of the parking lot and merged onto the street, my stomach was twisting into knots. Anyone tailing us would have seen Markie with us, putting her in danger. I called her cell.
She answered and I realized the flaw in my plan. How could I warn her that she might be in danger without revealing my identity or the fact that I’d found a tracking device under my vehicle?
“Angel? Is everything okay?” she asked.
Anything I said would only confuse her and put her in more danger. I’d been stupid to bring her along on the trip, and even stupider to think I could get away from my life for even one weekend. Now I was on the phone with nothing to say, instead of driving like I had a possible tail to lose. Turning my brain back on, I flipped a u-turn and checked my rearview mirror.
Making Angel (Mariani Crime Family #1) Page 13
