Miranda walked backwards, bumping into a chair and slamming us into a wall.
My head whacked against the edge of a picture frame. The air got knocked out of me, and I groaned, my grip on her loosening. I slipped off her back onto my feet, but I wobbled, unsteady, and unfocused.
For some reason, instead of turning and strangling, or punching, or whatevering me, she ran to the counter.
I took a deep breath, or tried to, and managed to focus on Aiden.
He walked toward me. "Are you alright?"
Something glinted in his hand. Was he holding the gun?
"I'm fine," I said.
He started to walk out of the room. "I'm calling the cops."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Miranda said.
My hand went for my weapon, but before I could do more than graze it with my fingertips, she wrapped an arm around my throat from behind. And I realized what she'd gone for on the counter. She held a chef's knife at my throat.
"Well, what do we have here?" she asked, and yanked my gun loose.
Well this wasn't how I thought this evening would pan out.
"Hmm, which should I use?" she asked. A rhetorical question as she threw my gun across the room. It hit the floor and slid under Aiden's stove. Of course.
"I think I prefer this one." She pressed the blade against my throat. "It's quieter, won't alert the neighbors. Plus there's an added bonus of watching all the blood drain from your lifeless body."
I figured that wasn't the time to point out that a bullet hole would have the same result.
"Miranda, let her go," Aiden shouted. He held Miranda's gun up, had aimed it at us.
I prayed that he didn't let it go off. I doubted he had the same great aim as Sam.
He walked around us, until he stood squarely in the kitchen, between us and the back door. Smart move, but that didn't mean she wouldn't find another way out.
She backed us out of the kitchen and into a dim hallway. I couldn't tell where it led, but I assumed we'd be in the living room and out the front door soon. Unless one of us stopped her first.
"Miranda, this is insane. You can't get away with this," Aiden said, following us into the hall.
She laughed in a cackling witch kind of way. "You think so? You've been seriously underestimating me since we started working together, Aiden. Is it because I'm a woman, an attractive woman?"
Another step and my hip bumped into a side table. The lamp swayed back and forth but stayed upright.
"No, that's not it," she said, answering her own question. "Your fair-haired darling here is female, and you believe she's capable. Or do you? Does he think you're an idiot too, sweetheart?" she whispered in my ear.
A shudder ran down my back. Then my phone rang from my pocket. I flinched. I'd forgotten it was in there.
It must have caught her off guard too because her hold on me loosened.
That was my chance. I raised my arm and jabbed my elbow into her boob. Now, I knew that had to hurt.
She moaned and not in a good way.
Then I sank my teeth into the fleshy part of her hand and chomped down.
She screamed and opened her hand. The knife fell to the carpet.
I lunged forward, out of her grasp, and fell to my hands and knees.
"Miranda, don't," Aiden shouted, taking a step forward.
I looked back and saw Miranda bend down and grab the knife again. She reached over her head and aimed it at me. Then she lunged.
Before I could scramble out of the way, a shot rang out.
Miranda doubled over and fell to the floor.
I looked back at Aiden.
He stood in the middle of his living room, gun shaking in his hands.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
I paced my silent office back and forth around my desk as the sun rose. I'd spent most of the previous night answering a bajillion questions for the police, giving them my recording of the call between Miranda and Vega, and worrying about Aiden. From the moment he'd shot Miranda's gun until the detectives showed up, he stared off into space. I barely got him to speak, and when I did, all he kept saying was how he was a lawyer, not a killer.
I'd tried to comfort him with a hand on his arm, but he'd pulled away. I knew it was the shock. The first time I shot an actual human being and not a paper silhouette I felt numb for days. And mine didn't result in a death. I hoped things felt different for him in the morning. I wanted to call and talk to him, to know he was okay, and to know he wasn't putting the blame on me…on us.
That thought tugged at my chest. It was the reason for yet another night of tossing and turning. I'd managed a couple hours of sleep before getting up and driving to the agency. I couldn't just sit at home and worry.
I bumped into my desk, which rattled a cup of pens. I grabbed my phone and for the umpteenth time pulled up Aiden's number. I tugged on my top lip with my teeth.
I chickened out though, and instead of calling I texted.
R u free 2nite? Id love 2 decompress over dinner.
Done. I set the phone down and continued pacing.
Suddenly my office door flew open. It smacked against the back wall. In the doorway stood Maya, her legs widespread apart, a look of fear on her face. In her hand was a bottle of pepper spray—her finger on the button, ready to shoot.
I flinched, my heart leaping into my throat. "What are you doing?"
Tension left her body and she let out a sigh. "God you scared me. I thought we had an intruder." She glanced at her hand and lowered her arm.
"I didn't want to sit at home. Didn't you see my car in the parking lot?"
She shook her head. "I had Brandon drop me off. I wasn't exactly looking at anything but his eyes. I didn't think anyone would be here today. Then I heard a noise and…well, you're lucky I didn't reach for my gun first."
"Very sorry to scare you." I fell into one of my chairs, my heart racing.
She took a tentative step forward. "Are you alright?"
I shrugged. "As alright as I can be considering this is my third shooting in the past three months." Perhaps I'd set a world record or something. Was there a category for gun fire in Guinness?
She sat beside me and rubbed my arm. "You should be home resting."
I shook my head. "No, that's the last thing I want. I need to keep busy. Are there any new cases?"
She gave me that look. I hadn't figured out exactly what it meant yet, but it always made me feel like I was a child in need of a hug and a cookie. "No, but you have a couple of appointments on Monday. I can reschedule them."
"Don't you dare. I need the distraction." Especially if Aiden still hadn't called by then. "What are you doing here on a Saturday? Why didn't you stay in bed with Brandon?"
"He had some stuff to do at the office, so I figured I'd come in and get caught up on some paperwork."
I glanced at my desk, wondering how I'd spend the morning. Derek was coming home today. I planned to take him to lunch and make him spill about the bimbo he was cheating with. "Hey, I have a job for you. A quick one, I hope."
"What is it? Should I grab my tablet?"
I smiled. I loved her efficiency. "I think you'll remember this. I need you to find out what's been going on with Derek. He went out of town on some mysterious mission on Monday. He's returning today, but I'd like to know where's he's been."
"You got it. Anything else?"
I backtracked the last twenty-four hours. "Mrs. Vaughn. I need to tell her the good news and give her the tape."
Maya nodded. "I already set up that appointment for Monday morning. She's away this weekend. I guess she didn't think you'd find the dirt so fast. She sounded practically giddy on the phone when I told her you'd like her to come in. I didn't say Ruby was found cheating, but I guess she could tell."
I chuckled. Nothing like a happy client. Poor Michael. And poor Caleigh.
"How's Caleigh dealing?" I asked.
"Not great but telling her father she lied took precedent. He's leaving today too. She plans on spe
nding their last few hours before his flight together."
"How did that go?"
"Surprisingly well. Mr. Presley was more hurt that she lied to him, and felt the need to lie to him, than he was about the actual lie. Turns out he didn't think Danny was a suitable husband for her anyway."
"Ouch. Poor Danny." Though I had to chuckle. I couldn't imagine any father jumping for joy at little-black-book Danny dating his daughter.
Maya nodded. "Mr. Presley said that Danny didn't seem interested in his princess. That he seemed more interested in her boss." There went that look again.
"Me?" I squeaked out, my mind immediately going to the feel of Danny's lips on mine.
Luckily Maya was saved answering that as my phone rang. Danny's number came up. Oh boy. Talk about timing.
I contemplated ignoring it, waiting for my hormones to calm down and the vision of his perfect mouth to dissipate from my thoughts. But I needed to thank him for calling last night and distracting Miranda. I bit my lip, torn.
Maya took her cue to leave. "I'll find out about Derek."
As she shut my door behind her, I gathered up my courage (and hormones) and answered the phone. "Good morning."
"Seriously? That's all I get," Danny shouted in my ear.
I took a deep breath. What had I done now? "So it's not a good morning. What's wrong, sunshine?"
"I have to find out about you almost dying, again, from the L.A. Times?"
Oops.
"You're lucky I'm not allowed to drive or I'd be at your place this minute."
He didn't need to know I wasn't at home in bed resting.
"Sorry. It was a long night, and I crashed." Sorta. "I wasn't keeping you in the dark on purpose."
He sighed. "That's not the worse part, James. I could strangle you for pulling this behind my back."
As if I planned on almost being stabbed to death?
"I don't care what my doctor's orders are. No more physical therapy. From now on…starting Monday I am appointing myself your official bodyguard."
Oh boy.
"I'm not allowing you out of my sight, and there will be no arguments about it."
This time I appreciated his desire to protect me, even if it wasn't necessary. "That may be a little awkward while I'm showering."
"I think I can manage," he answered, a whole new tone in his voice. Deep. Sexy. Dangerous.
My insides went warm. "Uh, Danny, I don't know about—"
"Sorry, no arguments. How about dinner tonight. What time should I pick you up?"
My throat tightened. I glanced at my phone. No text back from Aiden, but maybe he'd answer…warring emotions piled on top of me like a suffocating blanket.
"I have to meet Derek later. We'll see."
* * *
A snooty maître de led Derek and me to a table by the window in an overly-trendy bistro in Studio City. Now this was my idea of eating out. I took the cloth napkin off my bread plate and laid it across my lap.
Derek frowned at the sparkling silverware, the pristine tablecloth, and the small chandelier above our table.
I knew this place would drive him nuts. It was the reason I'd picked it even if I did admit that the food wasn't any better than his taco joint.
A waiter in traditional black pants and white, button-down shirt took our order then walked off with a slight nod.
Derek rolled his eyes and sipped water from his glass goblet. Then he straightened the salt and pepper shaker, rubbed his fingers along the rim of a vase of real daisies, and finally picked up a roll from the basket. After reaching for a pat of butter and lifting his knife he said, "We definitely have different taste, James."
I ignored his comment. "So, how was Palm Springs?"
Derek froze, buttered roll halfway to his mouth. "You knew where I was?"
"Not at first. But after I put Maya on it, she had your whole trip itinerary in minutes. I even know what you had for breakfast yesterday."
Derek grinned. "Damn, I underestimated you, kid."
"Not bad for a bunch of chicks, huh?"
"Not bad, period," he amended.
"So, spill it. What were you doing in Palm Springs? Because I swear to God if you were cheating on Elaine…"
"Jesus, James, I wasn't cheating on her. Where do you get the idea that every guy is a cheat?"
I raised a get-real eyebrow at him.
"Never mind," he said, waving off the obvious answer that growing up in the backseat of his Bonneville on stake-outs might have skewed my idea on relationships just a tad. "All right, you wanna know the truth?" he asked, setting down his roll.
"Please."
"I was…at a doctor."
I froze. "Why? What's wrong?"
"Nothing. It's just a little…procedure I had done."
I felt my throat constrict, fear and visions of hospital beds after his shooting flashing back to me. "What kind of procedure?"
"It was nothing," he said, averting my eyes.
"What. Kind," I pressed, converting my paralyzing fear into anger instead.
Derek sighed. "Surgery. Okay? Prostate surgery."
I blinked at him. "God, Derek, why didn't you tell me? Are you okay? Is it…" I trailed off, not able to say the "C" word out loud.
Luckily, he read my mind. "No, no, nothing like that. Just a little…enlarged," he mumbled, fiddling with his roll. "Look I didn't want you to worry. Dr. Murphy at Palm Medical is the best. He says I'll be back to new in no time."
"Why didn't you tell Elaine?"
"Look, it's embarrassing."
"Seriously? What are you, twelve?"
He bit his lip. "It's…well, an enlarged prostate can sometimes make it hard to get the little soldier into battle…"
"Stop!" I said, putting my hand up. "TMI."
"Anyway, that's why I went into the doc in the first place, and he ran some tests and they wanted to do treatment. But I'm fine. I take it easy for a few days, and I'm good as new."
"You sure?" I pressed, knowing full well I intended to have Maya hack into his medical records later and make sure the old geezer was telling me the truth this time.
"Positive," he reassured me. "Doc says my little soldier should be ready for battle in no time."
I rolled my eyes. "You need to tell Elaine."
He grew silent for a moment, then finally nodded. "How's she doing?"
"Okay. She had a few rough patches, afraid of what you were up to." I didn't need to tell him I felt the same way. "But we talked, bonded. She's a great lady."
He smiled. "I told you."
Now that I knew he wasn't cheating, I couldn't help but wonder what this meant for the two of them. Would I one day refer to Elaine as my step-mom? Was Derek possible of committing to one woman?
"Hey, you got dinner plans tonight?" he asked. "Thought maybe you'd want to spend some time on the boat with your old man?"
I opened my mouth to answer when my phone rang.
I paused. Was it Aiden? Danny? And who did I want it to be?
Instead of checking, I reached down and shut off the phone, mid-ring. Then I smiled up at Derek. "I'm all yours, Dad."
* * * * *
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Gemma Halliday is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the High Heels Mysteries, the Hollywood Headlines Mysteries, the Jamie Bond Mysteries, the Tahoe Tessie Mysteries, as well as several other works. Gemma's books have received numerous awards, including a Golden Heart, two National Reader's Choice awards, and three RITA nominations. She currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her boyfriend, Jackson Stein, who writes vampire thrillers, and their three children, who are adorably distracting on a daily basis.
To learn more about Gemma, visit her online at http://www.gemmahalliday.com
Connect with Gemma on Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/gemmahallidayauthor
Jennifer Fischetto is the National Bestselling Author of the Jamie Bond Mysteries. Unbreakable Bond, her adult debut novel, has received a National Reader's Choice award nomination. She writes dead bodies for ages 13 to six-feet-under. When not writing, she enjoys reading, cooking, singing (off-key), and watching an obscene amount of TV. She also adores trees, thunderstorms, and horror movies—the scarier the better. She lives in Western Mass with her family and is currently working on her next project.
To learn more about Jennifer, visit her online at http://jenniferfischetto.com
Connect with Jennifer on Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/jennfischetto
* * * * *
BOOKS BY GEMMA HALLIDAY
High Heels Mysteries:
Spying in High Heels
Killer in High Heels
Undercover in High Heels
Christmas in High Heels (short story)
Alibi in High Heels
Mayhem in High Heels
Honeymoon in High Heels (novella)
Sweetheart in High Heels (short story)
Fearless in High Heels
Danger in High Heels
Homicide in High Heels
Hollywood Headlines Mysteries:
Hollywood Scandals
Hollywood Secrets
Hollywood Confessions
Twelve’s Drummer Dying
Jamie Bond Mysteries:
Unbreakable Bond
Secret Bond
Bond Bombshell (short story)
Lethal Bond
Tahoe Tessie Mysteries:
Luck Be A Lady
Hey Big Spender (coming soon!)
Young Adult Books:
Deadly Cool
Social Suicide
Wicked Games (coming soon!)
Other Works:
Play Nice
Viva Las Vegas
A High Heels Haunting (novella)
Watching You (short story)
Lethal Bond: Jamie Bond Mysteries Book #3 Page 16
