by Lynn, JB
“Get in,” Patrick Mulligan invited. “You look like you’re freezing.”
I didn’t need to be told twice. I opened the rear door and the Doberman jumped right in. A second later I was beside the driver, firmly ensconced in the warmth of the vehicle.
When he was done answering DeeDee’s excited greeting, the redhead turned his attention to me. “How are you, Mags?”
I shrugged and looked away, trying to clamp down on my wayward emotions. Seeing my murder mentor and one-time lover stirred up a mixed bag of feelings. I missed his company and support, but logically I knew we weren’t right together, even though being with him in the moment felt so right. I had to remind myself he was with someone else now. Someone who meant more to him than I did.
He waited in silence, as though he knew that I needed a moment to process his unexpected arrival. He’d always been able to do that, know what I needed. It was one of the things I missed most about him.
Finally I choked out, “Just happened to be in the neighborhood?”
Even though I wasn’t looking at him, I heard the slight smile in his voice as he replied, “I’ve been driving around in a circle for almost an hour hoping to see you.”
My heart did that traitorous fluttering thing it did whenever he said something nice like that.
Instead of letting him know the effect he had on me, I asked suspiciously, “Did Delveccio send you?”
“No. Why?”
The sharpness in his tone at the mention of our common employer made me look over at him. As usual his expression was unreadable.
“Why?” he asked again with deceptive calmness.
I raised a shoulder. “Angel said he wants to see me.”
Patrick’s features tightened slightly at the mention of the manny. He wasn’t a fan of Angel Delveccio, but I didn’t know whether it was because he didn’t trust him or just because he was jealous of the relationship we shared.
“I wanted to see you because of the Concord thing,” Patrick said finally.
“Brian Griswald already talked to me about it.”
“What did he want?” It was Patrick’s turn to sound suspicious.
“Just to tell me that I should be careful.”
“And what makes me think you’re not listening to him?”
I eyed him curiously. “You know?”
“Know what?” he countered.
I paused a moment, trying to figure out what he was doing. I may not be the world’s best poker player, but even I knew that sometimes it was best not to tip my hand. I pressed my lips together, signaling he’d get no answer from me.
“I know that you agreed to watch the kid at the fundraiser,” he finally admitted. “Is there something else I don’t know about?”
I shook my head. “How do you know that?”
“I’m working the party too.”
I frowned. “As a cop?”
“In another capacity.”
I stopped breathing. Sure, I knew that Patrick Mulligan killed people for money, but I’d always believed that, like me, he had a code about whom he would and would not kill. Maybe he wasn’t the man I thought he was. The thought sent a chill racing down my spine.
I shivered.
In response, he reached over and turned up the car’s heater.
He’s thoughtful that way.
When he’s not killing people.
“You can’t hurt a kid,” I blurted out.
He reared back in his seat like I’d hit him with a dose of pepper spray. “What?”
“You can’t hurt the kid,” I repeated. “I won’t let you.”
“Geez, Mags. What kind of monster do you think I am?” The pain in his voice hit me like a slap across the face while he stared at me in horror. “I’d never hurt a kid.”
His reaction socked me in the gut. Guilt swamped me for even thinking such a thing about him. I knew better. I knew him better.
“I’m sorry,” I soothed weakly. “I wasn’t thinking.”
“You sure as hell weren’t,” he muttered, turning away so that he was looking out his window.
“Fight?” DeeDee panted worriedly.
I patted her head, trying to reassure her.
“I’m really sorry,” I repeated, feeling like a louse for even thinking such a terrible thing about him.
Patrick didn’t budge.
Fearing I’d irrevocably damaged our relationship, I reached out and put my hand on his shoulder. “Please forgive me,” I begged.
He turned slowly back to face me. His green gaze was stormy as it met mine, his tone strained. “I thought we knew each other better than that.”
I felt even worse as I remembered how much this man had done for me. Even though we hadn’t ended up together, he’d “gotten” me more than anyone else I’d ever known. “We do,” I choked out. “I don’t know what I was thinking. It’s just been a long day.”
I held my breath waiting to see if he’d accept my apology.
He tilted his head to the side and studied me intensely. I didn’t know what he was searching for and I forced myself not to blink, for fear he’d think it was an act of deception.
When he finally spoke again, his tone was back to normal. “Looks like we both had a strange day. You saved the Concord kid’s life and I was hired to keep him alive.”
I finally blinked. “What?”
“I was hired by the Concord family as private security,” he explained, the corners of his eyes crinkling with amusement at my shocked expression. “Imagine my surprise when I saw your name on the list of the security team members.”
“And you’re here to tell me that I shouldn’t do it?” I guessed.
He shook his head. “I’m here to tell you to be careful. I suspect there’s a lot more going on than meets the eye and that whoever is pulling the strings is really powerful.”
“But you’re not going to tell me that I shouldn’t do it?” I asked incredulously.
He leaned so close that I could smell the wintergreen candies he was so fond of on his breath. Brushing the hair away from my face, a move that made my heartbeat speed up, he teased, “Would you listen to me if I did?”
“Probably not,” I admitted with a self-deprecating smile.
“I’ve missed that,” he murmured.
“Missed what?”
“Seeing you smile.” He held my gaze steadily, giving me nowhere to escape to.
I couldn’t tell whether he was being seductive or just stating a fact. Regardless, my insides melted a bit despite it being so cold outside. Clearing my throat, I tried to steer the conversation to a safer topic. “So will we be officially working together?”
Taking the hint, he leaned back a little. The man always could read my mind. “Not officially, but we will run into each other.”
“Well,” I said slowly, “do you think that will be a problem? After all, Brian knows we know each other.”
“I don’t think Griswald will be a problem, but that doesn’t mean we won’t run into trouble,” Patrick predicted.
That was an understatement.
Chapter Thirteen
I had weird dreams that night. The only one I could remember was about riding in a convertible down an open highway with God dressed in a hula skirt swaying on the dashboard and DeeDee, wearing sunglasses, riding shotgun.
Apparently Armani’s suggestion about a road trip had taken root in my psyche. I had to admit it held a certain appeal, especially when I rolled out of bed and stepped in cat vomit.
“You could have warned me, Piss,” I muttered, hopping around trying not to put my soiled foot back on the ground.
“I tried, sugar,” she purred from beneath the couch, “but you were sleeping the sleep of the dead.”
“Dead?” DeeDee whined worriedly. “Dead Maggie?”
“Obviously she’s not dead,” God groused from his perch on a piece of driftwood in his terrarium. “She’s hopping around like some kind of demented rabbit.”
“Rabbit?” DeeDe
e yipped, racing around the room in search of a non-existent bunny.
“You cannot leave me with her,” God begged. “I’m afraid her stupidity is becoming contagious.”
“And he’s becoming more and more of a drama queen,” Piss complained from her hiding spot, “so please take him.”
“Gotta! Gotta!” DeeDee barked.
Grabbing a paper towel I wiped off my foot and carefully made my way to the basement’s storm doors to let the dog outside before she exploded.
“Promise you’ll take me away from it all,” the lizard implored, waving his tail for emphasis.
“I’ll take you with me if you’ll just shut up about it,” I countered.
Mercifully, he fell silent.
“Where are you out and about to today, sugar?” Piss asked as I cleaned up the gag-worthy deposit she’d left by the bed overnight.
“That depends on whether Darlene has returned. If she’s back, I’ve got to have a talk with her about how she’s upsetting things here. If she’s still gone, I guess I should go looking for her.”
“Why?” God asked.
I shot him a dirty look. “I thought you were going to be quiet?”
“About getting out of this hellhole,” he agreed with a superior smugness that set my teeth on edge. “This need of yours to fix your sister’s messes is a totally different subject.”
“I’m not—” I started to deny.
“Yes, you are,” the lizard and cat argued simultaneously.
“I can’t just ignore the fact she may be in trouble.”
“Yes, you can,” Piss countered.
“And you should,” God added. “Or have you forgotten that Darlene survived for years without your interference?”
“I’m not interfering.”
“Stay out of it,” God ordered.
I sighed, knowing that he wasn’t wrong. “I still have to go see Delveccio.”
“Why?” the cat asked, sticking her nose out from beneath the couch.
“Because he asked.”
“And you just jump when he says to?” my feline friend asked.
“Yes.”
She made a disapproving hissing sound.
“I’m all for Maggie asserting her independence,” God interjected, “but I don’t think that offending a mob boss is the way to do it.”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
“Besides,” the lizard added, “I haven’t seen Dominic in a while. I want to check on his progress.”
“So you’re agreeing because it fits with your personal agenda?” Piss mocked.
Rather than reply, the lizard turned around on his lounging spot so that his back was to us.
Already exhausted, even though I’d just woken up, I shook my head, opened the door to let the waiting dog inside, fed her and the cat, and climbed the stairs to the kitchen. The still-dripping coffee pot let out its siren call, but I managed to avoid the temptation on my way to check on Katie.
Pushing open the door to her room, I found my niece sound asleep. I stood there for a long moment, just watching her innocent face on her pillow.
My heart squeezed at the sight.
Sure my life was a series of barely survivable chaotic moments, but I didn’t regret the choices I’d made to protect and care for her. I did however have doubts that I was the right person for the job, especially after learning that her mother would have preferred for Darlene to raise her. Not that I could blame Teresa, I’m not what anyone would call motherly.
Still, I was doing the best I could. But was that enough?
The power of those doubts knocked the wind out of me and I sagged weakly against the doorframe.
I’m not sure how long I stood there like that, watching Katie’s even breathing, unable to muster the strength to straighten up and move away. Eventually, when the aroma of coffee wafted toward me, I realized someone was watching me.
I stirred slowly, as though I’d been in that position for months instead of minutes, or perhaps just moments. Slowly I closed the door to Katie’s room and turned to find Angel standing there.
He held up a cup of coffee and whispered, “You look like you need this more than me.”
I shuffled toward him and took the cup. “Thanks.”
“Can I get you anything else?”
I almost blurted out that what I really needed was a hug. The idea of being enveloped in those big strong arms of his made me sway toward him.
He grabbed my elbow to steady me. “Are you okay?”
Feeling like I’d left “okay” behind eons before, hysterical laughter bubbled up in my throat. I pressed my lips together to keep it from escaping and nodded curtly before sipping my coffee.
“I thought you’d want to know that Zeke is skulking around in the backyard.” Angel didn’t bother to hide the dislike in his voice.
I choked on the drink. “Skulking?” I spluttered.
“Creeping around in a suspicious manner,” Angel confirmed. “Want me to go chase him off?” He flexed his impressive biceps, illustrating that he was up to the task.
I shook my head, but couldn’t resist the opportunity to pat his muscular chest. “That’s okay, big guy. I’ll go see what he wants.”
His eyes widened at the physical contact and I knew I’d surprised him.
That made me smile and toss him a saucy wink before walking away with a little sashay in my step.
My smile disappeared the moment I stepped outside. Shivering against the cold, I spotted Zeke toward the back of the property staring at a tree.
Gulping down my coffee, I marched toward him. Once I was within earshot, I called softly, “What the hell are you doing?”
He jumped higher than a cat dancing on an electrified mat.
And my stomach plummeted.
Chapter Fourteen
Zeke glanced over at me guiltily. “Now don’t be pissed…”
My blood pressure jumped up. Nothing makes me madder faster than being told not to get angry.
“…but Darlene wanted me to find something for her,” Zeke finished quickly.
“So she’s returned?” I mocked.
He nodded, distracted as he searched the tree.
I considered throwing my coffee cup at his head. “If she’s right next door, why isn’t she looking for it herself?”
“She thought it might make Susan suspicious.”
I remembered that Angel had accused him of skulking. “So you just volunteered to do her dirty work for her?”
“That’s it, sweetheart,” a different voice cawed from above.
Glancing up, I found Mike, the crow, sitting on a branch watching the exchange like he had box seats at a sporting event.
“Give ‘im hell,” the bird croaked.
“Shhh!” I admonished.
Zeke turned, giving me his full attention. “Something wrong?”
I quickly looked back down at him. “Besides the fact that she breezed in here and blew everything apart?”
He fell silent for a long moment before saying gently, “She’s trying.”
“Not hard enough,” I muttered.
“Don’t take that,” Mike yelled. “Put him in his place.”
Ignoring the crow, I struggled to keep my attention on the man in front of me who was watching me strangely.
“Do you want to talk about what’s really bothering you?” Zeke asked.
“Everything.” I turned on my heel and marched away. I had enough problems of my own. God was right, I didn’t need to solve Darlene’s. She got herself into whatever mess she found herself in. She could get herself out.
I had to get into my own mess with the mob boss, Delveccio.
I didn’t glance back at Zeke. I didn’t make eye contact with Angel, who’d apparently been watching the exchange through the kitchen window. I just stalked down to the basement, pulled on some clean clothes, scooped up the lizard, and headed to the hospital.
Gino, Delveccio’s bodyguard, sat outside the hospital room of the mobster’s
grandson. He immediately got to his feet.
I wasn’t sure if he was being polite, or if he was a little afraid of me, since he’d once seen me beat up another bodyguard.
