Homecoming

by Lacey Baker

  As he took the steps he wondered what he was going to find out. The call had come from Preston Cantrell, Nikki’s attorney, who seemed like a nice enough guy. When he’d pulled up he’d seen the motorcycle he’d heard Parker Cantrell driving through town in the last few days. It was likely the other one, Quinn, was in there, too. Even though Jonah was the cop and the one with the gun, these three guys intimidated him a little. He’d worked for years on defeating his shyness; going to the police academy in Easton had helped with that a lot. Still, standing up next to these three was almost as bad as trying to arrest Hoover King for drinking too much and being a public nuisance by urinating in Vera Moog’s rosebushes.

  The door swung open before Jonah could lift his hand to knock.

  “Good evening, Deputy,” Preston—or at least he thought this one was Preston since he was dressed kind of business-like in slacks and a dress shirt—said with a grim look on his face.

  “Evening,” Jonah replied before entering the apartment.

  He saw Nikki first. He could always find her; even in a crowd, she stood out to him. Her pretty brown eyes were red-rimmed, which made him feel like crap. Then she stood from the couch she’d been sitting on and Quinn Cantrell stood with her, dropping a protective arm over her shoulders. That action officially made Jonah feel like whatever was lower than crap.

  “Hi, Jonah,” Nikki said, her voice a little shaky.

  The other twin, Parker, who was wearing jeans and a KISS T-shirt, was standing near the kitchen table, his arms folded over his chest. This was the cop, a big-city cop he would add for clarification. Everything about him said confrontation, in your face, loud and with authority, even without a gun holstered to his side. Still, Jonah was willing to bet his biweekly salary the guy had a gun on him somewhere.

  “Thanks for coming so soon,” Preston began from behind him.

  Quinn had only given him a polite nod, to which Jonah had replied in kind. No need to be rude to the man with his arm around the only woman Jonah thought he could ever love.

  To keep his mind on the business at hand, Jonah turned back to Preston and watched as he moved to stand near the table with his brother.

  “No problem. What’s going on?”

  Parker nodded toward the table, where there was an open box.

  “This was here when Nikki came home, about two hours ago. Her prints are on it because she opened the box, opened the letter,” Parker said, giving him the rundown.

  Jonah took a step closer to the table and heard Nikki add, “I touched some of the money, too. Just because, I don’t know, just because, I guess.”

  Looking over his shoulder, he saw her shrug. He smiled and told her, “It’s okay, just let me have a look.”

  Pulling back the flap Jonah almost gasped himself; luckily he kept his cool. The box was maybe a foot wide, close to two feet deep. Hundred-dollar-bills were lined neatly inside. He’d never been real good with math but figured there might be about fifty thousand in there.

  “Where’d the box come from?” he asked.

  “FedEx tracked it as being received in one of their satellite locations in Easton at nine twenty-seven yesterday morning. Truck number two-eight-one-nine picked it up at five forty-seven on yesterday afternoon. Shipper is listed as R. Davis. Sent overnight directly to Nikki,” Parker told him.

  Jonah gave him a look.

  “Yeah, I checked,” he said like he was daring Jonah to question him further.

  “Appreciate your efforts, but I’d rather you let us do the investigating,” Jonah replied, because the sheriff would have his ass if something went wrong with a case because of him.

  “I’d rather this freak show stop harassing her, even from the grave,” was Parker’s quick retort.

  “Here’s the letter that came with it,” Preston told him. “We’ve all touched it.”

  “Great, more fingerprints.” Johah sighed. “Look guys, next time if you could just leave everything as is and wait until the local police show up that would be better.”

  “That’s not how we work,” Quinn told him from the other side of the room. “If something affects one of us, all of us are involved.”

  Jonah did not like his tone. “Nikki’s not one of you,” was his quick reply.

  Parker was first to interrupt that line of thinking. “As long as she works for us she is. Now, what do you plan to do about this? I’m sure you know how it looks.”

  Sighing again, Jonah put one hand on his utility belt out of habit. His other hand went to the radio that rested over his shoulder. “Yeah, this is nine-oh-two-one, tell Roxy to get her gear and get over to the Brockington place. I’m around back in Nikki’s apartment.”

  “Am I going to be arrested?” Nikki asked tentatively.

  He’d almost forgotten she was in the room, his mind was so focused on the meddling Cantrell men.

  “No,” Jonah replied immediately. “I’m just going to have Roxy come over and take this box. She can dust for fingerprints since there’s no need to do any trace work. We’ll see what comes back, then we’ll send it on to Easton.”

  She nodded and actually looked a little relieved, which made him feel pretty crappy about what he was going to say next.

  “Do you know why he would send you this money, Nik?” he asked and didn’t miss the frown that marred Quinn’s face.

  Nikki shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself as if she were cold. “He never said anything to me about money. I mean, not that kind of money. I’ve been sitting here thinking and thinking, trying to figure out if he ever let on to having money like this. The answer to that would be yes. Randall wanted me to believe he was rich and important, that he could get whatever he wanted whenever he wanted.”

  “He was making about thirty thousand a year as a personal driver. That’s including tips and bonuses. Not a bad salary, but it’s not putting him in the rich bracket,” Preston added. “My assistant did some research on him. And before you say it”—he looked straight at Jonah—“it is my job to find out everything I can that will help vindicate my client.”

  Jonah wasn’t going to keep arguing about the Cantrell family meddling in police business; he figured he had better things to do. Besides, all three of those guys were giving him stubborn-as-a-bull looks that he’d rather not be getting at the moment. Instead, he took out his notepad and started jotting down some of the things Preston and Nikki said. Even though he was feeling really uncomfortable around these guys, he had to respect how much time and effort they were putting into this. They seemed pretty dedicated to Nikki even though they were just back in town for their grandmother’s funeral.

  “I don’t know what this money means,” Nikki said. “I don’t have any idea where he would have gotten it or why he sent it to me.”

  “You sure he never mentioned it in all the times he called you?” Jonah asked. He hadn’t been happy about the ex-boyfriend calling her at all, and it sure would have made this case a lot easier if he didn’t have to do this, but there was no way around it. Those buttheads in Easton would certainly ask if Preston would give them the chance to talk to her. But so far, Jonah was the only cop afforded that privilege. He had to feel good about that at least.

  “Not that I know of,” she said shaking her head.

  “Good,” he couldn’t help but say.

  Ten minutes later Roxy showed up with her flaming red hair and multiple piercings that tended to throw some people off. Roxy had just turned twenty-one and would be heading into her senior year at Salisbury University, where she was studying forensic science, this fall. She worked sort of by contract with the sheriff’s department since they really couldn’t afford a full-time forensic person and rarely had a need for one in Sweetland. Most people pre-judged Roxy because of her piercings and her Gothic style of dressing, but the Cantrells didn’t seem bothered and Parker actually played along as Roxy flirted with him. Quinn seemed so serious, not really all that concerned with Roxy or what she was doing there. He was much more in tune to Ni
kki. Everywhere she went, every word she said, the guy’s eyes were on her like he was in some kind of trance. Jonah knew how that felt. And sadly, after being there for an hour and a half, he left Nikki with the Cantrell men just as he’d found her. He walked away with the knowledge that his prospects were now looking a lot dimmer.

  Chapter 18

  Quinn thought they’d never leave. Nikki was nervous and second-guessing herself left and right. She’d gnawed on her bottom lip so much there might actually be a scar come morning. To say that he didn’t like seeing her this way was a huge understatement.

  He hated it, and if Randall Davis were still living and breathing he’d break the guy’s jaw for the mere fact that he’d upset her. Quinn was not the one prone to physical altercations in his family. That was all Parker. Still, he would do bodily harm to anyone who upset or hurt Nikki. That was a serious revelation.

  “Relax,” he said, touching his hands to her shoulders and massaging. “I can heat up a slice of pizza, pour you a glass of wine.”

  “I can’t eat when I’m upset,” she said, letting her head fall back against his chest.

  She’d been standing by the door after she’d walked Parker and Preston out, thanking them both profusely once more. They were both putting a lot of effort into this for her and she really appreciated it.

  “Then I’ll pour you some wine.”

  “I don’t have wine,” she told him with a bewildered look.

  “You requested it earlier with your extra cheese, pepperoni, and ham pizza,” he told her with a small smile he hoped would soothe her.

  Vinny had stopped by while Jonah, Parker, and Preston were here so Quinn had taken the delivery and paid him as quickly as possible.

  “You go lie on the bed and I’ll bring it to you.”

  He was still massaging her shoulders, and she moaned with what to Quinn sounded like pure pleasure. Hanging on the wall near her refrigerator was the base holding her cordless phone, which began ringing the minute she stepped away from him.

  “It’s my sister. I’ll call her in the morning,” Nikki told him.

  “How do you know?”

  “Vinny Toriana delivered the pizza. Jonah’s police cruiser was parked out front when he pulled up and Jonah was in here with Parker, Preston, and you when he came in. The moment Vinny was back at the pizza parlor he told his father and anybody else who’d been working tonight—namely, Marin Sager, who sometimes babysits for Cordy. The moment Marin heard my name she would have taken out the cell phone that is rarely away from her ear and called to tell Cordy what happened. That”—she pointed to the still-ringing phone—“is Cordy wanting every detail and to find out if I need her to come over or if I want to come spend the night with her.”

  Quinn could only smile after all that. “Family,” he stated simply. “You’ve got to love them.”

  She nodded as she walked away. And after Quinn answered the phone and assured Cordy that Nikki was all right, he’d begun thinking about his own sisters. He thought about Michelle, who was extremely busy and possibly gaining more business with the catering orders coming in, and Raine, who was still kind of quiet, even for her, but hadn’t made any announcements about when she was leaving Sweetland. He always worried about Savannah, like most of his siblings did. She was awfully quiet now, not squawking about getting out of town, even though today was the day she’d supposedly rescheduled her flight. With those three alone, Quinn’s head would throb. The fact that Dr. Stallings had just gotten back to him today about when he could stop by and talk about his grandmother was another issue weighing on him. One that would have to wait until next week, it now appeared.

  In the midst of all the family drama going on, there was Nikki. The silver lining to that gray cloud, his grandmother would say. He’d tried to push her away the other night, felt like it was the best thing to do. But here he was once again, in her apartment, craving her closeness.

  He’d poured two glasses of white wine, walking them back to her bedroom. She’d turned out the other light in the living room and Quinn had turned off the one in the kitchenette. There was a lamp on the table beside her bed. A Tiffany lamp with a jewel-toned design that he didn’t figure out was dragonflies until he was setting the glasses down on the table. It suited her, the whimsical part of her personality that he caught glimpses of usually when she was with Dixi.

  She lay on her stomach, her eyes closed. Her shirt had hiked up because she’d probably flopped down on the bed—that’s just something he could see her doing after the evening she’d had. A good amount of skin around her midriff was visible. The undeniable curve of her buttocks in shorts that fit her sinfully well was alluring. But she was still tense and while there was no doubt Quinn wanted her, he wanted her relaxed, her mind clear of the other man and all the issues he was creating.

  “Thanks,” she said, rolling over and taking one glass from his hand.

  She sipped instantly. Quinn put his own glass to his lips, watching as she took her first drink, then her second. Her pert lips touched the glass lightly, leaving a slight imprint from the gloss she was wearing. A quick peek of her tongue had his pulse tripping, an erection clearly on the horizon.

  “We always end up here,” she told him, and Quinn almost choked on his wine.

  “By here you mean in your bed?” he asked after clearing his throat. He couldn’t tell if she meant that as a good or bad thing.

  She tilted her head, a small smile playing on her lips. “‘Here’ meaning you coming to my rescue.”

  “Oh,” he replied with relief. He put his glass on the end table, then took hers in an attempt to do the same.

  Nikki shook her head, putting her glass back to her lips and emptying its contents. “I needed that.”

  “I see,” he said, moving so that he was closer to her. She backed up a little. “For the record, I’m not rescuing you. I’m just being here for you. That’s what friends do,” he said.

  He’d touched his hands to her shoulders again, massaging them slowly, watching as her eyes glazed slightly with desire. She licked her lips and he wanted to do the same.

  “Is that what we are, friends?” she asked and Quinn knew instinctively he needed to proceed with caution.

  When his reply didn’t come fast enough she reached a hand up to cup his cheek. “Do you believe in love, Quinn?” she asked him quietly.

  “Love can be painful,” was his automatic reply. “It’s a big commitment, one that requires a lot of work to make it last. It’s not easy.”

  “But it’s a necessity,” she said with total honesty clear in her eyes. She’d inched forward so that their bodies were just about touching, blinking at him as if to make sure she could really see him. “For me, it’s a necessity.”

  Quinn nodded, hearing her words but admitting to himself how truly finished he was with talking for now.

  “You want to know what’s a necessity for me right now, Nikki?”

  She nodded just as Quinn slipped a hand behind her neck, holding her firmly and pulling her face closer to his.

  “What?” It was a breathy whisper, one that was as sexy as any porn flick he’d ever watched as a kid and any female he’d ever dated as an adult.

  “Kissing you. I really need to kiss you right now.”

  * * *

  Nikki’s head was moving again although words were a complete loss. The heat between them had been on a slow boil. From the kiss earlier this evening, to the moment everyone cleared out of her apartment, she’d been hyper-aware of Quinn’s presence. No, that wasn’t entirely true. She was always aware of his presence because there was a feeling of safety that came with it coupled with a level of desirability she’d never experienced before. Each time he looked at her it was as if he were making two promises—Nothing will happen to you and I’ll give you everything you need. A part of her struggled to figure out if that everything she needed was wrapped in this cocoon of physical attraction they’d been unable to ignore from the start. While another part prayed it was
much more. Despite what might seem like a quick development between them, for Nikki this had been a long time coming.

  That’s why the touch of his lips against hers was like the first strike of a match, the flickering of flames swiftly sparked inside her. So swift that she didn’t waste a second but lifted a leg and straddled him before he could take the kiss deeper. He made a sound, a deep moaning that sent shivers down her spine. As if he’d anticipated her reaction, his palms ran up and down her back, down again until they cupped her bottom. God, she loved the feel of his hands on her.

  His mouth was hot and hungry on hers and she struggled to catch her breath while keeping up with the deep engagement. Her arms went around his neck as she pulled him closer with a feeling she could only describe as power. She felt like she was more than enough woman for this man who was so worldly and who she’d at one time thought was out of her league entirely. Now he wanted her, couldn’t get enough of her if the way his hands moved impatiently over her body was any indication. When they slipped under her shirt to touch her bare skin, she could only sigh. With a small gasp she let her head fall back as his tongue traced scorching paths up and down her neck. He cupped her breasts then let his fingers rub over one tight nipple. She hissed, arching upward to meet his touch.

  “I just can’t seem to get enough of you,” was his guttural reply.

  The words were thrilling, coursing through her body on a heated path that landed right between her legs. “That’s good because I want to give you so much more. Everything,” she gasped as she shivered all over.