“My mom’s feelings? You should have thought of that before your little outburst!”
“I’m not the one who broke the house rules,” she said and flounced out the door, her urgent personal needs long forgotten.
Brett’s hands curled into fists before he let out a breath and slowly released them. “I’m sorry about that. I should have known better.”
I shook my head. “I know there are reasons for your mom to have rules. It’s her house. Let’s just stay one more day. It’s not like we can’t go to your place later.”
“You should be staying with me. Not here. This whole situation is frustrating.”
“Your mom needs family near her. The trial is tomorrow.”
“And I need you,” he stated, though his words were softening, almost giving in to the inevitable. “I want to be able to kiss you, hug you, feel you next to me.”
“Maybe you and your mom can compromise,” I said, happy at his sweet confession.
He arched a brow. “Compromise? With Lil Thompson?”
I nodded. “When we go downstairs, let her speak first.”
He sighed and reached for the towel he had been wearing only moments before. “Finish your shower. I’ll be outside the door when you’re done.”
Rinsing my hair, I heard the door click closed. This should be an interesting conversation, I thought, grimacing as I imagined Brett’s parents stewing downstairs while Emily stirred the pot. While it was nice that both Lil and Brett wanted me to stay with them, I knew I should have reserved a hotel room. It would have saved this awkwardness. Although, the room would be paid on my credit card. The same one that Brett had just paid off. I didn’t even know how he had the money for it. It had been maxed out. Same with the other three.
Turning off the water, I toweled off and quickly changed into fresh clothes. I bundled up the dirty clothes and carried them out. Brett was leaning against the wall, a crease marring the space between his chocolate eyes.
“I’ll just put these in my suitcase,” I said.
Brett reached out as if to take the clothes. “It’s right here.”
“What?” As soon as I asked, I spotted my suitcase sitting behind him. “I thought we were going to speak with your parents first.”
“And when we’re done talking, we’re leaving.”
I wanted to say something, but I wasn’t sure if any words would be helpful. This was between Brett and his parents.
I shoved the clothes into the top of the suitcase and zipped it closed. “Ready when you are.”
I trailed behind Brett as he carried the bag down the stairs, setting it next to the front door.
“Let’s get this over with,” he said, heading to the kitchen.
Lil, Mike, Emily, and Rand all sat around the table, their conversation cut short.
Brett’s gaze narrowed as he looked around the room.
“Heard you got caught in the shower,” Rand said, breaking the silence, a smirk raising the corner of his lips.
“I will not have this conversation with them here,” Brett said.
“Well, we’re not leaving.” Emily sniffed.
“Emily,” Mike lightly warned.
“I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“No, you just burst into the room knowing Brett was in there,” Rand said, his smirk gone. “Weren’t expecting Mars, though, were you?”
She lifted her nose and turned in her chair, giving Rand her back. His clenched jaw twitched.
I leaned over to Brett to whisper, “I have to call Kym.” I didn’t have time for this veering conversation. As it was, the phone in my pocket was about to vibrate my pants clear off.
“You didn’t call her yet?”
“I texted her and then fell asleep. She’s in full panic mode now. I’ll just step into the living room.”
His hand clasped around mine before I could leave. “We have to go,” Brett announced to the room in general. “We’ll see you all tomorrow.”
“Wait!” Lil scooted from her chair. “You haven’t had breakfast.”
“We’ll grab breakfast on the way.”
“To where?”
“Home. My home.”
“You know your home is here too.”
With a brief tilt to his head, he said, “Then let’s call it a day before that’s no longer the case.”
“You don’t have to be such a baby.” Emily sniffed. “Maybe that’s why I picked Rand over you.”
Both men visibly bristled. Mike glanced warily between them.
“That’s enough, Emily,” Lil scolded.
“No, she’s right,” Brett said. “For once, I want my way. And my way is getting far away from her.” His eyes targeted Rand. “I’m almost sorry you got stuck with her. At least you had the good sense to divorce her.”
“I divorced him,” Emily declared.
Brett shrugged. “Then I take back what I said. You should have run, Rand.”
* * *
“Mars, are you listening to me?” Kym’s demanding voice snapped me from wandering thoughts.
“Yes, I’m still here. You were talking about the boxes.”
She huffed. “I was, but you weren’t responding.”
“I’m sorry,” I said.
I wasn’t sorry. Not really. I felt bad for making her worry, but anyone would fade out after two hours of the same conversation. She was spinning in circles, wondering the same that I had been. No amount of talking was going to fix the problems at hand.
“No,” she said. “I’m sorry. I’ve been talking your ear off, and it hasn’t helped either of us. I don’t know how to help.”
“You can help by calling Mrs. Janowski. She left a message last night saying the biker brigade is ready to move out. I’m a bit concerned.”
There was another message too that caused me even more concern. But I hadn’t been able to speak with Brett about it yet, not while glued to the phone with Kym.
Did you read the contract? Tick tock, your time is running out. Brett’s going to kill you.
After reading the message, it was as if my soul had frozen. I couldn’t bring myself to click on the link that accompanied it.
“Biker brigade?” Kym questioned, snapping me back to the conversation.
“She thought it up when the Comets helped at Fenwig’s. But the Comets are on a road trip with my dad, so I’m not sure who she rounded up.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.”
“Neither do I,” I admitted. “Brandy was supposed to keep an eye on Mrs. J. but . . . well, she’s a biker. I think she’d be more likely to help Mrs. J. rather than try to stop her.”
“Can anyone stop her?”
“Probably not, but do your best.”
Kym snorted. “Just don’t hold me accountable.”
“I’d never.”
“All right, I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thank you. And keep me in the loop.”
As I ended the call with Kym, Brett stepped into the living room with keys in his hand.
“Are we going somewhere?” I asked.
“Yes, back to my parents’ house.”
His parents’ house? “I thought we were staying here.”
“Change of plans,” he said.
I watched as he moved through the room, his stride quick and purposeful, guarded. He was back in cop mode. Something had happened.
“What’s going on?” I asked, following him to his car. “Is it about the boxes?”
“I have to head out of town. But I’ll be back for the trial.”
“The trial is tomorrow. Where are you going?”
“There are some things I need to check out.”
“Things?”
“I’ll tell you everything when I get back,” he said.
“Why not now?”
“I have to catch a plane.”
With him switching gears, I knew there wasn’t a whole lot I could say or do to pry information from him. I was very curious and concerned as to his pla
ns. I knew his flip to cop had to do with the boxes. While I was on the phone with Kym, he must have discovered something. And since he was in the apartment the entire time, it must have been over the phone. His recent calls had been to the lawyer and T. Maybe to that Carver guy as well.
Hazarding a guess, I said, “Say hello to T for me.”
The barest flash of his eyes confirmed my suspicions. Brett and T were up to something. And whenever they were up to something, it was life threatening.
Chapter 7
Emily sighed for the twentieth time that hour. My fingers dug into the decorative couch pillow, ready to launch it across the room at her silver-blonde annoying head. She was doing it on purpose. Those dramatic sighs and the forlorn cast of her eyes out the window were an act. Who did she think she was fooling?
“What’s wrong, Emily?” Lil asked, patting Emily’s shoulder.
“I’m just worried about Brett,” she said, her voice sickly sweet.
Lil’s lips turned down. The worry on her face was evident. But she still patted Emily’s shoulder as if Emily had more right to worry than anyone.
“Brett knows how to take care of himself,” Lil said. “He’ll be just fine.”
“But what about the trial?” Emily insisted. “Will he be back for that? I can’t go to the courtroom with that evil woman if Brett’s not there.”
The daggered look Emily shot me when she referred to the “evil woman” made me wonder if she had been talking about me and not Annie. The killer.
“Annie will be in restraints,” Lil said. “And Brett promised to be back before the trial begins. You know he never breaks his promises.”
She nodded. “But where is he going?”
Lil glanced questioningly at me.
Shrugging, I let the pillow fall free from my death grip. “If I had to guess, T found information about the boxes. Maybe their origin or maybe about the victim. Brett was in cop mode when he dumped me on your doorstep.”
“He never dumped me,” Emily muttered snidely under her breath.
“No, you ran off with his uncle,” I clipped.
I shouldn’t have allowed her to get under my skin, but everything she did annoyed me, provoked me. If I didn’t get away from her soon, I’d be the one standing trial for murder.
Lil cleared her throat. “I think I’ll make some lemonade. It’ll be nice with this afternoon’s heat.”
As soon as Lil left for the kitchen, Emily turned to me, a mysterious smile brewing on her face, putting me immediately on edge. Quickly standing, I exited the room, leaving her behind. Whatever that smile meant, I wanted it to remain a mystery.
Jogging up the stairs, I darted into Brett’s room to hide. I had been hoping to get some fresh air on the patio but was too afraid I’d run into Rand. Scary, but I’d rather speak with him than his ex-wife. Still, Brett’s room was by far safer.
Or was it? The second text from the five-digit number had shaken me far more than I’d admit. Was it some sort of sick game?
I took out my phone, rereading the messages.
Did you read the contract? Tick tock, your time is running out. Brett’s going to kill you.
Resisting the urge to tap the link, I pocked the phone.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I looked around the room again, the objects now familiar to me. Surrounded by Brett’s things, in his old room, it was impossible not to think of him and wonder what he was up to. I hated it.
Every time he went into cop mode, he thought only of the case and the criminal. And, yes, he did think of protecting those who needed it, whether they wanted his help or not.
I didn’t want his protection, not when it meant having to be kept in the dark. And especially not if it meant I had to keep company with Emily.
No, I wasn’t going to be kept in the dark any longer. If he wanted an insipid woman to hang on him, he was welcome to Emily.
Mind made up, I placed my first call to Mrs. Janowski. If there was anyone dogged enough who could find out information, it would be her. As the phone rang, I realized that it was a bad idea to involve her. In fact, I had Kym trying to stop any plans in progress. But this was just an investigatory call. She did receive one of the boxes, after all.
“Mars, did you put Kym up to spying on me?” Mrs. Janowski accused before I could say hello.
“Did she call you?”
“No, she’s parked in front of my house.”
“What’s she doing out there?”
“Spying.”
“I only told her to check on you. I wanted to see what had happened with the box.”
“The police took it.”
“Did they open it?”
“I assume so, but I wasn’t allowed in until they were done and the tape was cleared.”
“Don’t tell me you let them drive off without getting information out of them. I know you better than that.”
“I’ve been sworn to secrecy,” she said stoically.
“By who?”
“T.”
“Brett left to meet up with T. I want to know what’s happened and what they’re up to. What did T tell you?”
“He said I had to keep my trap shut until the police investigated, otherwise the criminal would get away.”
“The police might be investigating, but it’s T and Brett who are on the move. T didn’t swear you to secrecy because of the killer; they just didn’t want you to tell me.”
“That would make more sense. It’s not like I’ll run into the criminal and have a chat over coffee with him. Or her. Do you think it’s Annie?”
“I have a bad feeling Annie’s behind it. I just don’t know how. Tell me everything you know.”
“Well, I watched as the police removed the box from the house. It was in a big, clear bag. I did see a red stain on the side.”
“Was T still there?”
“Yes, he was standing with a cop off to the side. Biggest nose I ever saw. Sylvia was quite taken with him. You know, big nose, big—”
“Sylvia was there?”
“Oh, yes, all the girls stopped by to get in on the action.”
I wanted to groan, but really, there was no use. I should be used to their shenanigans by now. “Go back to T. Tell me what he said.”
“Just to keep my lips zipped.”
“About what?”
“That I saw him pass money to the cop he was standing with.”
“He paid him for information?”
“It was the smoothest handoff I ever saw. Do you think T was a drug dealer once? A handoff like that could only come from practice. I barely caught it.”
“I don’t know what landed T in prison before, but it’s possible.”
“Well, at least he’s clean now,” Mrs. Janowski said.
“So, all we know is that T paid an officer for information, possibly. But what information could he have gained before the boxes were hauled away?”
“Whatever it was, the cop sent it by phone. I’m guessing pictures.”
“By phone?”
“As soon as he shoved the money into his pocket, he took out his phone. T took out his phone a moment later, nodded, and walked away.”
I bit my lip in thought. “Are you going to see T anytime soon?”
“No, haven’t seen him since then.”
“I bet he’s at the airport waiting for Brett. I need to get those pictures.”
“We’ll hack his phone.”
“How?” I should have said no.
“Aaron, of course. Good thing his mom is sitting outside my door. I’ll be in touch.”
“Wait!” It was too late. Mrs. Janowski had already hung up.
Oh, Kym was going to be livid. She had been working hard with Aaron, trying to curb some of his earlier-obtained talents. I wouldn’t even be able to warn Kym in time now that Mrs. Janowski was bearing down on her. Thankfully, I was out of Kym’s reach at the moment.
There was a soft knock on the open door. Lil stood with a glass of lemonade in her hand.
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“I thought you could use this,” she said, stepping inside to offer the glass.
“Thank you,” I said, taking it from her.
“You’ll have to excuse Emily. She’s . . .”
I waited for Lil to find the words she seemed to be searching for.
“Well, she’s Emily,” she finally said.
I eyed Lil. That was like saying “a piranha was a piranha.”
“I just mean . . .” Lil flustered.
“You don’t have to make excuses for her,” I said.
“But I feel like I do.”
“Why?”
“She’s been almost like a daughter to me. Her family wasn’t the greatest, to put it mildly, and so she was here nearly every day. I just feel as though you are unfairly seeing a side of her that has a tendency to rub people the wrong way. It’s just her way of coping.”
“We all have our way of coping,” I said. But just because I agreed didn’t mean Emily was going to become my bosom buddy. This was no coping mechanism that she was using. Her silky smile when Lil had left the room told me exactly the type of person she was.
“And I think I’ve figured out your way of coping,” Lil said, a small smile tilting her lips. At my confused expression, she continued, “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I heard a little of your conversation. You’re planning something, aren’t you?”
“I wouldn’t say ‘planning.’ At this point, I’m just trying to find out what Brett is up to.”
“I heard something about pictures.”
I nodded, wondering how much I should tell Lil. It’s not like I knew too much to begin with, but knowing Mrs. Janowski was “helping,” any plans would eventually spiral out of control. Brett would be furious if Lil was involved in anything that might cause her harm. And I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if something happened to her.
“I want to know,” she insisted. “If only to think about something else for a while.”
Understanding her feelings, I said, “We think T bribed an officer for crime-scene photos. Brett and T must have found a clue in those pictures.”
“So, they’re following up on a lead?”
I shrugged. “It’s my best guess at the moment.”
Biker Brigade Page 7
