by Lynn, JB
“Maybe she means, aye, as in agreement,” Leslie suggested.
“Don’t you just love homophones?” God whispered in my ear.
“Aye,” I muttered.
“I!” Armani yelled. “The letter I.”
“Oh,” Leslie said.
“I!” Armani countered.
“Would anyone else like to buy a vowel?” God asked so that only I could hear.
I hung my head and ground my teeth, trying not to dissolve into the gales of laughter that were making my body shake.
“But first there is the issue of Katie,” Armani declared.
That sobered me up faster than a cold shower with a black coffee chaser.
“What does she want us to do with her?” Darlene asked hopefully.
I held my breath, waiting for Armani’s response. Susan gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.
Armani bumped me with her shoulder. “She says you already know.”
“But we don’t,” Darlene protested.
“Not you,” Armani corrected. “My chica.”
I opened my eyes then and looked right at her. She was staring at me. She nodded reassuringly.
I shook my head. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t say what she wanted me to. I couldn’t do what Teresa wanted. I’d worked too hard. I’d sacrificed so much.
Armani waited and watched as God whispered in my ear. “You’ve always done what’s best for the child. Even the hard things. Especially the hard things.”
“It’s okay,” Armani mouthed.
I closed my eyes and choked out what I knew in my heart to be the truth. “Teresa wants Katie to be with Darlene.”
“Yes,” Armani agreed firmly. “That is what Teresa wants.”
“But—” Susan began to protest.
“But she also wants Maggie to know,” Armani interrupted, “how much she appreciates what she did for her daughter. She knows that this has come at great personal cost to her. She appreciates that Maggie will obey her wishes in this matter.”
I winced at the use of the word obey, like I was a trained dog jumping through Teresa’s hoops.
“I’m really confused about what Maggie giving up Katie has to do with the fifth eye,” Leslie declared.
“As plans go,” Loretta agreed, “this one isn’t making any sense.”
Smoke tickled my nose. Instinctively I knew we wouldn’t be getting any more answers that night.
“She’s gone,” Armani announced, confirming my theory.
Chapter Twenty-eight
Once Armani told us we could open our eyes, the table’s occupants started talking at once.
“I’m not sure I approve of this plan,” Susan began.
“I have written proof this is what she wanted,” Darlene countered, whipping out a folded sheet of paper.
I wondered if that’s what had been in the mysterious box.
“Wait until I tell Doc we talked to a ghost!” Marlene clapped her hands with delight.
“Do you understand the plan?” an utterly befuddled Leslie asked no one in particular.
“My eyelashes are stuck together!” Loretta cried, plucking at the spider-like appendages stuck to her eyelids.
I looked at Armani who looked drained. “Are you okay?”
She nodded weakly.
“Do you want a glass of water?”
She rolled her eyes, signaling she’d prefer something stronger than water, but then she nodded again.
Jumping out of my seat, I rushed out.
“Margaret come back here!” Susan ordered.
Ignoring her, I rushed into the kitchen, almost plowing into Angel and Griswald.
They both immediately began to open and close cabinets as though they were looking for something.
“Help you boys find something?” I asked, knowing full well they’d been in the kitchen to eavesdrop on the séance.
Angel continued his searching charade, but Griswald turned to me with an embarrassed smile. “I thought I should be nearby in case anyone came to blows.”
“I appreciate that.” I surprised us both by giving him a quick hug. “As you can see, no bloodshed yet.”
He hugged me back, before gruffly clearing his throat. “I guess I’m not needed here then.”
“You’re needed more than you know,” I replied softly. “Thank you. Thank you for looking out for Susan. For looking out for all of us.”
“It’s my pleasure,” he replied formally.
“I’m sure she’d like to see you now,” I suggested.
He glanced uncertainly in the direction of the dining room. “I wouldn’t want to intrude.”
“You won’t be.” Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, I handed it to him. “Could you give this to Armani for me?”
Nodding, he straightened his shoulders and marched into the dining room.
Turning back, I found Angel leaning against the counter, arms crossed over his chest, watching me.
“We’ve got to talk,” he said, reaching out and grabbing my wrist. With a tug, he led me through the kitchen door and outside.
“It’s cold,” I protested.
“I’ll keep you warm,” he promised.
My mouth went dry at the implied intimacy of his tone.
“I need to talk to you alone for just a minute,” he wheedled, feeling my resistance.
“About what?”
“Us.”
Again he used that tone that did funny things to my body.
I allowed him to lead me away from the door. “What’s this about?”
“I’m leaving to take care of Dominic,” he said.
I nodded. “We already talked about that.”
“And you’re going to let Darlene take Katie,” he continued.
“On a trial basis,” I interjected quickly. “I’m not ceding all my rights to her or anything.”
“No one thinks you are,” he soothed. “My point is I’ll no longer be her manny, your employee.”
“Right.”
He moved closer. So close that I could feel his body heat. So close that it was very tempting to just lean forward a couple of millimeters to touch him.
“So I’d like to take you on a date.”
“A date?” I squeaked.
“Yes, Maggie,” he mocked. “That’s when two people who are attracted to one another go out to get a chance to know one another better.”
“I know what a date is,” I snapped.
“So what’s the problem?”
“I don’t know.” Well, I knew that it was dangerous for Delveccio’s nephew to get to know me better, but I had the feeling I might open old wounds if I blamed this on his family connections.
“You don’t know whether you’re attracted to me?” He stared into my eyes, daring me to lie to him.
“I…No…I…” I stuttered.
“Let’s test it,” he whispered, closing the tiny distance separating us in a millisecond.
One arm snaked around my waist melding my lower body to his as he cupped the back of my head with his other hand. His lips found me with a certainty that stole my breath and his tongue captured mine with a boldness that was equally startling and exciting.
My fingers felt thick and slow as they struggled to find their way under his shirt as his hands slipped beneath mine, branding me.
He not only kept me warm, he set every nerve ending on fire. I was melting. I pressed closer to him, delighting in the way my skin felt molten against his.
“Sensitive skin,” God squeaked.
The sound startled Angel and I and we jumped apart.
“Sorry,” I murmured breathlessly, even though the logical part of my mind was thanking God for saving me from doing something stupid.
Angel took a moment before asking, “So? It’s a date?”
I nodded, even though I knew it wasn’t the best decision.
With a wink, he turned and went back into the kitchen, leaving me to follow him.
“Out of the frying pan and into the fi
re,” God warned.
I knew he was right.
But there’s a certain appeal to playing with fire.
Chapter Twenty-nine
A couple of days later, Katie and I went to the hospital so that we could be there when Dominic Delveccio was discharged.
While she and the boy played their last couple of games of Go Fish under the watchful eye of Gino, the bodyguard, Tony (or maybe it was Anthony, after all this time I still can’t tell them apart) and I shared our last hospital chocolate pudding.
As usual, we sat in the back of the cafeteria, as far away from everyone else as we could get.
He got the pudding, I got the spoons, and we sat in silence, enjoying the sweet, creamy goodness. I couldn’t help but think about how sharing this chocolate treat had changed my life. Without the deals we’d made sharing this dessert, Katie might have never recovered. Of course I would have never become a contract killer either.
When he was halfway through his bowl, Delveccio cleared his throat and declared gruffly, “I owe you, Maggie. Don’t think I’m forgetting that.”
I shook my head. “I was just thinking how much I owe you.”
Reaching across the table, he patted my arm. “Don’t you sell yourself short. I know the risks you took.”
“Anything for family, right?” I said with a too-bright grin.
He nodded, the corners of his mouth turning down. “I’d like for us to keep in touch.”
I nodded. “Might be a little difficult. We’re going to see how Katie likes living with my sister, Darlene.”
Delveccio raised an eyebrow. “After all you’ve done?”
I shrugged. “It will be best for her. I’m not the mothering type.”
“You could have fooled me.” He stayed silent for a long moment before saying, “Our mutual friend can facilitate our communication.”
I nodded, smiling slightly at the thought of continued contact with Patrick Mulligan.
“You’ve been good for him too,” Delveccio mused.
“Really?” I asked, surprised by his observation.
“He’s in a better place,” the mobster opined. “He was turning angry and bitter.”
I smirked, thinking that angry and bitter were two traits that probably served killers well.
“But now he’s more focused. I don’t know what your relationship is…” he trailed off.
“We’re friends,” I stated firmly.
The mob boss looked disappointed. “Oh. I thought you might be more.”
I shook my head. I’d thought Patrick and I would be more too, but that hadn’t worked out. I wondered what the mobster would think of me going out on a date with his nephew, Angel.
Delveccio shrugged. “You win some, you lose some. Anyway, my point was, if you ever need anything. Anything. All you have to do is ask.”
I nodded. “There is something…”
“Name it.”
“You’ve known my father a long time.”
Delveccio nodded.
What remained unsaid between us was that he too had once been besotted with my mother.
“Do you know his brother?”
The mobster tilted his head to the side and regarded me carefully. “Do you?”
“We’ve met,” I admitted.
“Archie must not be happy about that,” Delveccio guessed.
“He doesn’t know.”
“You’re keeping it a secret?”
“Let’s just say I haven’t gone out of my way to track him down to let him know.”
Delveccio nodded. “So you don’t know where he is?”
“Which one?” I countered.
“You should ask your mother about him,” the mobster suggested.
I frowned. Most of the time asking my mother to answer anything just led to me becoming frustrated.
“How’s she doing?” Delveccio asked gently.
I shrugged. “The last couple of times I saw her she wasn’t doing as well.”
“And you blame your dad for that?”
“He certainly didn’t help matters by taking her on their unapproved...” I trailed off, trying to figure out what to call their unfortunate adventure. “…field trip.”
Delveccio nodded. “He loves her.”
“So I’ve been told.” I didn’t bother to mask the bitterness in my tone.
“She’s the one you should talk to,” he repeated. Then, obviously wanting to change the subject, he added, “It was good of you to come today.”
I blew out a puff of exasperation that once again I was being stymied in my search for answers. “It’s a big day. We wanted to celebrate with you. You must be excited to be bringing him home.”
He fiddled with his pinky ring. “Been waiting a long time for this day.”
“It’ll be an adjustment,” I warned.
Nodding, he waved to someone behind me.
Turning, I saw Angel striding toward us.
He flashed a grin at me and I found myself smiling back.
“Big day,” Delveccio boomed as his nephew joined us.
“It certainly is,” Angel agreed, kissing my cheek and sliding into the seat beside me.
Delveccio’s gaze narrowed when he saw the kiss.
I swallowed hard, worried it had made him angry.
“You two make a cute couple,” the mobster declared, surprising me.
Angel draped an arm over my shoulders, practically scalding me with the combination of his possessiveness and body temperature. “We do, don’t we?”
“We’re not a couple,” I quickly corrected them both, pushing Angel’s arm off me.
Angel leaned across the table toward his uncle and whispered loudly, “But she did agree to go out on a date with me.”
Delveccio nodded approvingly. “Just be careful, Angel. This one might be a femme fatale.”
Angel laughed.
Delveccio and I shared a look.
If only he knew…
Chapter Thirty
After dropping Katie off to play with her cousins, I took Delveccio’s advice and went to talk to my mother.
She was in her room, sitting on her bed, staring out the window when I arrived.
“Hi, Mom,” I called softly.
Turning, she beamed at me. “Maggie! Come sit by me.”
Thrilled that she was lucid, I gladly complied.
“Darlene was here,” she announced as my butt hit the mattress.
“Uh huh,” I replied carefully.
She took my hand and squeezed it tightly. “I made that up, didn’t I?”
“I don’t know,” I responded honestly. “You could have seen her.”
“But she’s dead,” she murmured sadly.
I frowned, realizing how crazy it sounded that her daughter had returned from the dead. “We thought she was,” I said slowly, “but really she was in hiding.”
I saw the confusion in my mother’s gaze and would have given anything to erase it, but knew I couldn’t. She’d have to wrestle with the unsettling truth just like the rest of us.
“She was in hiding,” I explained gently. “To stay safe.”
“Like…” she trailed off and looked at me nervously as though she’d just divulged a big secret.
I desperately wanted to know who she’d been referring to, but I felt her emotional disengagement and knew it was only a millisecond until her mind followed.
“What did Darlene say?” I prompted gently, steering the conversation to a slightly safer topic.
Mom blinked.
I could see her fighting for her grip on her lucidity. “What did Darlene tell you about her life?”
“That she’s back. She showed me pictures of her daughters.”
I nodded encouragingly. “They’re beautiful girls.”
