by Gina LaManna
“It’s not for no reason.” Todd eased himself into the armchair across the room. “She’s good at what she does! Look at the two of you with the bank heist. You’re running circles around the cops, or so she’s telling me.”
“Yeah, not because of you. Because she’s smart sometimes.”
“I’m here to boost up her confidence. She doesn’t even need a real license if she’s doing a good job!”
“Uh, yeah, she does,” I said, my fingers digging into the fabric of the couch as a wave of something hit me right in the stomach. I hesitated, did a few deep breaths, and then bit through the pain. “If she wants to open up a shop, she’ll need a license. You might not care for legalities, but I do. Once in a while.”
“Once in a while.” Nora patted me on the hand. “You didn’t much care about that red light you flew through on the way over here, now, did you?”
“Not now, grandmother,” I snapped, and that shut her up quickly. “If Meg advertises her PI license and the cops look into her and find out she’s got a fake, she’s going to get in trouble—not you. I assume you’ll be long gone by then, scamming someone else.”
“I believe in Meg. She’s my friend.” Todd appeared surprisingly sincere. “I didn’t do any of this to hurt her.”
“I don’t know why, but I believe you. Which is why I have a deal for you.”
“A deal? What sort of a deal? You know, I don’t typically make deals with any member of the Luzzi family.” Todd steepled his hands together. “As a member of the, ah, underground society, as I’m going to call it, I know your grandfather’s reputation. And your husband’s. I don’t think I’m going to want to deal.”
“You’ll take this one,” I said. “When you messed with Meg, you messed with my—ungh—family.”
The last word was a pained grunt.
“Lace, are you okay?” Nora leaned over. “Are you going into labor? Was that a contraction?”
“Nope. I’m not ready to have this baby.” I gritted my teeth. “Here’s the deal, Todd. I saw that fancy badge you flashed around. I believed it, Meg believed it, my family believed it. I saw Meg’s little badge—you’re good at what you do.”
“Please don’t have your baby on my couch,” Todd said. “I found that one at a garage sale. Do you know how difficult it is to find couches for cheap that aren’t disgusting?”
“Then agree to the deal quick,” Nora chirped, cheerful. “Because I’ve had a baby myself, and it ain’t pretty. Sure, the miracle is all beautiful and whatnot, but whoever waxed poetry about that wasn’t holding the placenta when they did so.”
Todd’s face was green by now. “Yeah, yeah. I made the badges. I have a way with...documents.”
“Perfect. I hoped so,” I said, still gasping for air. “I’m going to need a few things from you. Here’s my list, non-negotiable. I want two invites, passes, whatever it takes to get into the huge charity gala that’s happening at the Blitz hotel tomorrow. I know it’s closed door, and I know it’s exclusive, so find a way to get me and Meg inside.”
He pursed his lips, unsurprised. “Fine.”
“I also want two badges to Bank of the Lakes corporate building.”
“I don’t do ID badges—”
“You do now,” I said. “They’re electronic. They need to get us into the corporate building and have our faces and fake names on them. I’m sure you’ve got friends with the skills you lack, so use them if the electronics are too hard for you.”
Again, my voice turned into an ugly squeak. It was probably a good thing Anthony wasn’t around. He might panic before we even got to the hospital. I knew I was panicked enough for two, and if we both panicked, we’d be in trouble.
“Third, and last, request,” I said. “Once you get me those two items by tomorrow morning, you’re going to return Meg’s money to her—all of it. Tell her you can’t complete the training because you’ve been called off on some super-secret mission for the ambassador to Peru or something, and you wouldn’t go, except you need to save the world.”
“She won’t believe me,” he scoffed. “She...yeah, okay. She’d buy that.”
“Yep,” I said, heaving myself to my feet. “Do we have a deal? Say yes, and I’ll leave before baby makes four.”
Todd couldn’t shake my hand fast enough. “Tomorrow by ten,” he confirmed. “Unmarked package on your doorstep.”
“Nice working with you, Todd,” Nora said, giving him a swift punch to the shoulder as she turned to leave. When he crumpled over in pain, gasping with surprise, Nora gave a wry grin. “Whoops. Forgot about these bad boys.”
When we reached the hallway and Todd had clicked the door locks shut behind us, I raised an eyebrow at Nora. “You didn’t forget about your arsenal.”
Nora laughed. “I couldn’t go home without giving them just a teensy tiny bit of use. But let’s not concentrate on me. How are you feeling?”
She aimed for nonchalant, but I could see the worry etched between her brows.
“I’m fine, the party in here has already calmed down.” I rested a hand on my stomach. “I’m not due for a couple more weeks.”
“The weeks are ticking by since you’ve been saying that,” Nora said. “Do you have a bag packed?”
I thought back to my candy-case. “Yep,” I confirmed. “All the essentials.”
Chapter 16
“YOU’RE MAKING ME WANT to reconsider all my priorities.” Anthony raised his eyebrows from his perch on the bed. “You look incredible, Lacey.”
I ran my hands over my hips, the soft, silky fabric skimming my oversized body in a mostly flattering way. “Oh yeah? What exactly are those priorities?”
He coughed as I spun around to face him. “My number one priority is normally avoiding charity galas at all costs.”
“And you’re reconsidering?”
“I think getting you out of that dress might inch that priority down the list a little.”
I squinted at him. “You’d be willing to come to the charity gala with me just to get me naked?”
“I would,” he hesitated. “But if I play my cards right, I still have a good chance of getting you naked tonight.”
“Aren’t you cocky, Mr. Luzzi?”
He grinned his fine grin. “Do I have anything to be worried about?”
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe I’ll be so tired after the event I’ll just fall into bed and...okay! Okay!” I broke into a fit of giggles as Anthony reached for me and pulled me onto the bed next to him. “I’ll let you undress me tonight. Especially my shoes. I can’t reach my feet anymore; did you know that?”
Anthony situated the pair of us so I laid flat on the bed, my head resting on the pillow as he pulled my feet onto his lap. He dragged off the low heels I’d opted to suffer in for the evening and dug into the bottom of my foot with the most blissful rub on the face of this planet.
“Oh, don’t stop, Anthony. Don’t you dare stop,” I moaned. “You’re amazing. Incredible.” My groans devolved into muted grunts and sounds of pleasure as Anthony continued, looking mildly bothered by the noises coming from my mouth.
“I’m going to have to ask you to stop that, Lacey, or else—”
“Or else what?” I crooked an eyebrow, daring him. “Who says two can’t play at this game?”
“Is that right?” Anthony’s hand slid under my dress, his fingers walking their way up my leg. He reached my knee, stroked softly underneath in a way that sent jolts straight up my spine, and then carried on with his pleasant little march until he felt around my bikini line.
He groaned. “Are you wearing...”
“Yep,” I said with a grin. “I’m wearing those.”
Anthony’s eyes rolled back in his head. “I can’t let you leave the house with those on. Knowing you’re out there, walking around in this gown...” He bit his lip. “That’s it. I’m coming with you.”
“Or,” I said, with a devilish grin. “You could take them off.”
Anthony sat bolt upright. H
e didn’t need asking twice. His mouth was on mine then, hot and demanding as he dragged kisses from my lips. I might have provoked him, but he took complete control as he pulled me against him.
“I have to admit,” he murmured, his fingers dancing lazily at the nape of my neck while he dusted kisses across my collar bone. “You’re starting to scare me a bit, Lace.”
“How so?” My back arched ever-so-slightly at his touch, my breath coming in softer waves.
“I adore you, you know,” he whispered against my ear. “I’d do anything for you.”
“I know.” My hands raked through his hair; my lips savored the taste of his neck. “I would do the same for you.”
“I know it, too,” he mumbled, “but damn, you’re getting good at this business.”
“What business is that?” I raised an eyebrow, thinking it an innuendo. “You’d win sex. If it were a sport, you’d be the champion.”
He gave a hearty laugh. “Well, you’ve always been good at that, but it’s not what I meant. I was talking about work—business. Those tickets you scored for the gala.”
“Tickets?” Anything outside of our bedroom was a distant thought for me, not even a consideration. All I cared about were Anthony’s hands on my skin, his lips on mine, his body next to me.
“To the gala,” he said. “You know I’m sending Toby and Paul with you.”
I groaned against his mouth, nipping him lightly on the lip. “I thought you’d given up on that.”
“With a wife who looks like you in a roomful of rich old men? Hell no.”
I laughed. “I’m nine months pregnant, in case you haven’t noticed. Not that you’d have anything to worry about even if I wasn’t, but I think that speaks volumes. Literally.”
“They’re going with you,” he said again, “but they’ll be waiting outside. It’s the funniest thing, you see, I couldn’t buy my way into this one. Who was your source?”
I saw where he was going with this. “Interesting. Good thing I got a head start on finding my, ah, invitation to the gala.”
“A head start—yesterday?” Anthony’s dark eyes glittered as he studied me. “Don’t even try, honey. I’m impressed. He or she must be good.”
“It was...personal,” I said darkly. “Let’s call it a huge favor that I hadn’t expected.”
“I try not to underestimate you,” Anthony said. “I know better than that. But still, you continue to surprise me.”
“Don’t want you to get bored now that we’re old married folks.”
“Old married folks,” he scoffed. “Do old married folks do this?”
I opened my mouth to ask what exactly he meant, but I didn’t get much farther than a sigh. As it turned out, by the time Meg arrived half an hour later, I definitely didn’t feel like an old married fart, and my hair also didn’t look like it’d been fixed in years.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?” I touched up my lipstick in the mirror as Anthony lay sprawled on the bed behind me. “Maybe we could find an unused coat check and make out in between the silent auction events.”
“You’re insatiable,” he said, flicking on the television and forgoing a change into proper clothes. “Are you sure you don’t want to stick around here?”
I stared at him for a long moment. Really, it was an unfair question. With a husband who looked like Anthony sitting tucked in bed wearing nothing but boxers and holding half a slice of chocolate cake, I was an absolute nut to have agreed to venture out into the cold evening to make boring conversation with strangers and crooked cops.
“Lacey, did you order the Chippendale guys to come with us as dates-for-hire?” Meg singsonged her entrance. “Because they’re here.”
Anthony closed his eyes. “Remind me to give Toby and Paul a bump on their next paycheck.”
I grabbed my purse with a huff. “You wouldn’t have to pay them at all for tonight if you didn’t send them along as babysitters.”
“Hey, darling,” Anthony said, and then leaned over the side of the bed and dangled the underwear that’d started this whole thing from one finger. “You forgot something.”
I flushed, having changed into something more comfortable. “Yeah, keep it. See if I bring you home my leftovers from dinner.”
Anthony raised his slice of chocolate cake. He rarely ate dessert, but apparently sex gave him a sweet tooth.
I stomped over and gave him a chaste kiss on the mouth. Anthony grabbed hold of my hips and traded the chaste kiss for a long, lingering one, and then sent me on my way with a delightful little pat on the rump.
“I’ll keep the bed warm for you,” he called as I stomped toward the front door. “Hurry back, sweetheart.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I called over my shoulder. “By the way, keep an eye on Venus for me. I can’t bring him to the gala since we’re technically not supposed to be there. Don’t want to draw any unwanted attention to us.”
“And Venus is...” He looked skeptical. “A planet?”
“Our plant. The practice baby. No pressure, but he’s holding onto his roots by a thread. Mind him, will you?”
I took Anthony’s exasperated sigh as an agreement and blew him a kiss before closing the bedroom door behind me. I passed through the kitchen, grabbed my jacket and purse and miscellaneous items, and popped open the front door with Meg in toe.
“Hey, boys,” I greeted Anthony’s two men out front. “Any chance you want to sit this one out?”
I’d seen both of them before. Toby was short, squat, and looked like a bouncer. Paul was tall, beefy, and looked like a bouncer. Both of them wore sharp black suits and stern expressions.
“No, Mrs. Luzzi,” Paul said. “Shall we drive you?”
“Sure,” Meg said. “You have access to one of Carlos’s fancy limos? Anthony said we could take it.”
Paul hesitated, then nodded. “If the boss said so, then sure.”
My phone rang. Anthony. I picked it up. “Hello?”
“You’re taking the limo?” Anthony asked sweetly. “When did I give that order?”
“Ugh!”
“One wrong move, one step too close to that crooked cop that puts yourself or our child in danger, and I’ll hear about it.”
“This is very annoying.”
“I’ll make up for it later, sugar. I’m already dreaming about it.”
My body flushed all over, and I gurgled some sort of response as I hung up. “That was Anthony,” I clarified. “He said okay to the limo.”
“Score,” Meg said. “I love when that works. Oh, by the way, Lacey, did you and Anthony just do the naked tango?”
“What? Why?” I straightened, embarrassed, as Toby and Paul’s backs went rigid up ahead. “Is it that obvious?”
“Double score!” Meg said. “I didn’t know; I just figured you’d give it away. Plus, Anthony can’t resist you in a dress.”
“How and why do you know that?”
She shrugged. “Men.”
We slid into the limo. Paul took the wheel and Toby rode shotgun. Conversation was limited from the front, so Meg and I closed the window and gabbed in the back.
“Do you want to marry Clay?” I asked out of the blue. “You guys have been dating for a while now.”
Meg gave a one-shoulder shrug. “I don’t know, we’ll see.”
“What does that mean?” My heart thumped, and I tried for nonchalance. “You guys love each other, right? You live together? Isn’t that what tends to come next?”
“I guess so. I haven’t really thought about it.”
“Don’t most women think about it? Not all, sure,” I admitted. “It’s not for everyone. I’m just curious. I love you both and want to see you happy.”
“Is Clay not happy?”
“No, he is,” I said quickly. “Or, I mean, as much as I can tell. It’s not like we gossip over Cosmos.”
“Yeah, he prefers to gossip over meat.”
“What?”
“You know, a pronto pup. A bratwurst. Cosm
opolitans just don’t do it for the guy.”
I bit back my first response and forced a nod. “So, you haven’t thought about it?”
“Nope, and we’re here,” Meg said. “You got the tickets? How’d you score them, anyway? Clay was annoyed he couldn’t buy an extra one. This gala seems like a hard nut to crack.”
“An interesting nut,” I said. “Did you bring your PI badge, by the way?”
“Yeah! That reminds me. Did you know that I seriously learned from the best? Todd called me this afternoon and said he was going to be dropping all the cash I’d paid him back off in a brown sack tomorrow morning.”
“No way. Why’s that?”
We shuffled toward the entrance, the two big men trailing behind us—our bulky, solid shadows.
“Turns out the dictator of Peru called him down to investigate some crazy drug cartel murders. He’s going to be out of the country for over a year, and he is absolutely not allowed to talk to anyone from home. In fact, if I run into him, I’m supposed to pretend I don’t know him. For my own safety, you know. I’m high risk because of all the knowledge I gathered.”
“Gee, he sounds like a caring guy.”
“I told him he didn’t have to return all the money, but boy did he seem anxious to get rid of it. I mean, what am I supposed to say if he’s forcing it on me?”
“Take it!” I agreed, just a bit too eagerly. We approached the front door, and I withdrew the tickets Todd had scored for us. “So, um, are you bummed?”
“About what? His leaving? No, I’m stoked!”
I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. “You are? But you won’t get your PI badge.”
“Who needs a badge?” Meg grinned and tapped her forehead. “A badge will just give away all the knowledge that I have up here. It’s like signaling to the enemy. That’s also why I don’t use my blinker when I drive.”
“Interesting,” I said. “And also very unsafe.”
“I learned from the best, and now he’s off to save the world.” Meg sighed dreamily. “I feel like I’m in a Marvel movie.”
