Two Weddings and a Fugitive (The Chanel Series Book 4)

by Donna Joy Usher

  What had I done now? I pushed open the door and peered inside. Ramy was already back behind his table and a man of medium height stood with his back to me. He wore his faded jeans extremely well. I admired the way the shirt stretched across his broad shoulders. He raised an arm and ruffled his dark-blond hair, his biceps flexing delectably.

  Yummy. Was he riot squad? I had fond memories of the riot squad boys from my training days. I hope Ramy wanted me to show him around.

  ‘Ahhh, here she is.’

  The man lowered his arm and started to turn towards me.

  ‘Chanel. I believe you already know Officer Milano from the FBI.’

  I stumbled back as Billy’s chocolate-brown eyes blazed into mine.

  Good grief. He was more handsome than I’d remembered. How was that even possible?

  ‘Indeed I do,’ I said.

  Indeed? Who started a sentence with indeed?

  ‘Hello Chanel.’ His voice melted over me.

  ‘Billy.’ I felt like a large wooden doll as I nodded my head. I didn’t know what to do with my body. Did I shake his hand? Hug him? In the end I walked over to stand next to him.

  Oh yeah, smooth Chanel.

  ‘Officer Milano has requested your help on a case.’ Ramy stopped and pressed his thumb and first finger to either side of his nose. ‘He says he needs your expertise.’ He said the word as if he couldn’t believe it was coming out of his mouth.

  ‘And that would be for?’ I turned to look up at Billy.

  His eyes trailed over my face, stopping on my mouth. ‘You have a little something.’ He indicated his own lip with his finger.

  ‘Oh.’ I rubbed my hand over my mouth and a big glob of glaze stuck to the back of my hand.

  The side of his mouth quirked up as he turned back to Ramy. ‘Yes, I need Constable Smith’s particular help with a protection detail.’

  ‘Protection detail?’ The words squeaked out of my mouth before I could stop them. I didn’t want Ramy to deny Billy’s request. I would do anything to get off that front desk.

  ‘Yes. A minor celebrity is getting married next week. We have reason to believe his life is in danger.’

  I could feel my eyebrows migrating up my forehead. Minor celebrity? Who was he talking about and why were the FBI involved?

  I’m sure that Ramy was thinking the same thing. He drummed his fingers on the table while he stared at Billy, no doubt waiting for more information.

  Billy cleared his throat and said, ‘The Police Commissioner has offered us his full co-operation.’

  ‘Probationary Constable Smith.’ I didn’t know why Ramy had to stress the Probationary part quite so much. ‘Do you have any thoughts on this?’

  ‘Well, Sir,’ I said, ‘if the Commissioner has offered his full support, who am I to deny that?’ I shrugged my shoulders and tried to wipe the triumphant smile off my face.

  Ramy let out a big huff of air. ‘Perhaps I can offer you another of my Constables. Daniel is very good. Graduated the same time as Chanel, but….’ His voice trailed off.

  ‘Does he look any good in a dress?’

  ‘A dress?’

  ‘Yes,’ Billy said. ‘He will be required to wear a bridesmaid’s dress and high heels. And I’m thinking a wig might be in order.’

  I concentrated really hard on not laughing at the thought of Daniel in a bridesmaid’s dress. ‘He might need contacts too, Sir,’ I said. ‘No bridesmaid in their right mind would wear glasses as thick as his.’

  ‘Is he pretty?’ Billy turned towards me.

  I scrunched up my face while I pretended to consider his question. ‘I wouldn’t go as far as pretty. I mean he’s a nice enough looking young man.’

  ‘Enough.’ Ramy slapped his hand down on his desk. ‘A female from another station perhaps?’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Billy said, ‘but the FBI has worked with Constable Smith before and we need her particular skill set.’

  ‘Her skill set?’ His eyes bulged as he looked at me. ‘Oh very well. How long will you need her for?’

  ‘The wedding takes place next Saturday, but the couple will be honeymooning for a further two weeks at our destination. After that we will have to see.’

  Three weeks? I resisted the urge to shriek and throw my arms around Billy’s neck. He was getting me off the front desk for three whole weeks.

  ‘When will you be departing?’

  ‘Briefing will begin immediately.’

  I bounced up and down on my toes.

  ‘Constable Smith,’ Ramy’s voice was like a whip. ‘I trust you will perform your duties to the best of your abilities. Anything less and I will hear about it.’ His voice spoke of ten years on the front desk.

  ‘Yes, Sir.’ I threw him a salute and then turned and marched out of his office. No need to give him time to change his mind.

  I used the few minutes it took Billy to join me to regain control of my tumbling emotions.

  Billy was here. I mean here…now. I hadn’t seen him since that awful morning. He’d sent other FBI agents to finish questioning us, and I had spent every minute of every day since then trying to forget him.

  He was my brother. Bro-ther. I said it to myself as if talking to a slow child.

  ‘What did you ever do to him?’ he said when he finally exited the room.

  I shrugged. ‘I was born.’ Deep breaths and don’t look at the full glory of his face.

  He leaned in too close to make breathing possible and tugged on a piece of hair that had escaped my bun. ‘What happened to the blonde?’

  I shrugged one shoulder. ‘Felt like a change.’

  ‘I like it.’ He smiled his half smile and I tried not to notice his dimple.

  We stayed like that for a few seconds more. Him gently tugging my hair, me trying not to asphyxiate, and then he said, ‘Come on, let’s get out of here.’

  ‘Hang on while I get my bag.’ I stepped back from him, took a deep breath and then darted out the back to the lockers to get my jacket and handbag. The early-autumn air was starting to cool. ‘See you later boys.’ I waved at Bob and Daniel. They were writing up their reports on a shoplifter they had brought in. A trail of donut crumbs ran down Bob’s shirt to the bulge of his stomach.

  ‘Where are you going?’ Daniel pushed his glasses further up his nose.

  ‘Been seconded,’ I said. I waited for Bob to stuff half a donut into his mouth before saying, ‘By the FBI.’

  Bob’s eyes bulged as he choked on his donut. Daniel’s face spoke of a million questions that I didn’t have time for as he leapt up to thump Bob on the back. I took advantage of the distraction to dart back out of the room.

  Billy was leaning against the hallway wall. I tried not to notice how good he looked doing it. I failed.

  ‘One more thing.’ I grabbed the donut box out from behind the paper and then led Billy out of the building and up the stairs. ‘Hungry?’ I said when we had reached street level. I held the Krispy Kreme box towards him.

  ‘Only if they’re glazed,’ he said.

  ‘You’re in luck.’ I flipped up the lid and proffered the box.

  ‘You already ate three?’ He reached into the box and lifted a donut to his lips.

  ‘Trent took two.’

  A look of sympathy flashed over his face. ‘How is he?’

  ‘Not great.’ We walked in silence while we ate our donuts. It was a comfortable silence. Something I hadn’t expected. Perhaps this whole brother-sister thing wouldn’t be so hard. ‘Where are we going?’ I finally asked.

  Billy turned toward me and let out a snort of amusement. ‘You’ve got donut all over you. Here.’

  Before I could brush at my own face, he reached up and rubbed his fingers along my cheek. A shiver ran down my spine at the feel of his touch.

  ‘There,’ he said, smiling at me. ‘That’s better.’

  Brother Schmother. I could feel the heat from hell’s fires already.

  ‘Where are we going?’ I repeated my question because it was
the only sane thought my mind could latch onto.

  ‘Your Mum’s.’

  ‘You mean Harry’s.’

  ‘No. As far as I know the Sydney flat is your Mum’s.’

  I stopped walking and stared at his retreating back. Mum’s? It was a penthouse overlooking the harbour. How could that possibly be Mum’s?

  He stopped beside a hire car and waited for me to catch up. I hopped into the passenger seat, still too dumbfounded to talk.

  There had been a flurry of real estate viewings once we got back from Las Vegas, but I had assumed Mum was shopping on Harry’s behalf. I had thought nothing of it when she had chosen her new home.

  Billy indicated and pulled away from the curb. ‘Well, I guess technically, since they are still married, it’s theirs. But it was her money that bought it.’

  I crossed my arms and let out a huff. I knew it. I knew there were still more secrets where Mum was concerned.

  It only took a couple of minutes to drive to the new digs. She had stayed in the district, moving slightly down the hill to the more prestigious Elizabeth Bay. Close enough to walk to.

  Billy pulled into the apartment building’s parking lot and swiped a card. As the garage door crept upwards in front of us, I pulled my phone from my bag. ‘I’d better ring her first.’

  ‘But you’ll see her in a minute.’

  I pulled a face at him as I dialled her number. ‘They’re like rabbits. Seriously. If I don’t ring her first, chances are we’ll have to wait at the front door for ages.’ I’d learnt that the hard way.

  He let out a snort. ‘That explains a few things.’

  Mum’s phone rang out, so I dialled it again. Billy pulled into a parking bay and we climbed out of the car and headed for the lift.

  ‘Yes?’ Mum’s voice was breathless.

  ‘ETA two minutes,’ I said. ‘Billy and me.’

  ‘Oh,’ she said. ‘Right. Harry,’ her voice turned into a purr, ‘the kids are on their way up. We’d better get dressed.’

  Euuuwwwwww. They were naked. It was going to take a while to scrub that mental image from my head. I hung up on her and stuffed my phone back into my bag.

  The elevator ride was full of unsaid things. It took far too long and not long enough. Finally, the doors sprung open and we headed down the hallway. Mum threw open the door as I was reaching out my hand to knock. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair mussed up.

  ‘Darling. What a surprise.’

  I wasn’t sure which part was the surprise. I had rung her five minutes ago and Billy was obviously staying with them. My bad mood with her intensified. I mean, she could have warned me Billy was in town.

  And what would you have done? Spend extra time on your hair and make-up this morning?

  Sometimes I hated the little voice in my head.

  I kissed her on the cheek and tried to push past her into the apartment, but she held my hand so tight I was forced to stay with her or risk breaking my fingers.

  ‘Dad,’ I heard Billy say as he walked past me. Harry must have been in the kitchen.

  ‘You could try a little of that,’ she hissed, still grasping my hand.

  I ripped away from her and massaged my knuckles. ‘A little of what?’

  ‘Calling your father, Dad.’

  Honestly, the woman was unbelievable. ‘It’s not just a switch I can flip,’ I said.

  She glared at me. ‘Well try.’

  ‘I’ve only known about him for a few weeks.’ I put my hands on my hips and raised my eyebrows as I stared at her. I thought it was pretty restrained of me not to point out exactly why that was.

  ‘It’s been eight.’ It was her turn to put her hands on her hips.

  ‘Geez.’ I smiled sweetly at her. ‘That’s only thirteen hundred weeks that I didn’t know about him.’ I’d worked that out while sitting behind the front desk.

  She snorted. ‘Fine. Have it your way.’

  I hated the way she made it sound like I was only doing it to be difficult. I wasn’t. It didn’t feel right to use the word Dad unless it came from my heart. I liked Harry. A lot. I just wasn’t there yet.

  ‘Pumpkin.’ Harry was still in the kitchen. He threw his arms around me and pulled me into a hug.

  I returned it with vigour. I had twenty-five years of not hugging him to make up for.

  He turned me, hooking one arm around my shoulders as we walked into the lounge. The Opera House greeted us through the floor-to-ceiling glass. I sank into one of the two leather lounges while I admired the view.

  ‘Coffee?’ Mum stood in the kitchen but her eyes were on Harry.

  I sighed. So it was going to be like that.

  ‘Sure,’ I said, more to annoy her than anything. While she was making me coffee, she wasn’t touching Harry.

  ‘Latte or cappuccino?’ Her new coffee machine had turned up the day before.

  ‘Do you have the chocolate sprinkle?’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘Cappuccino.’ As far as I could tell the chocolate was the only difference between the two of them.

  ‘I’ll have a latte thanks.’ Billy sat on the lounge facing me.

  I couldn’t believe he was here. In Sydney. It seemed so surreal.

  ‘What have you two kids been up to?’ Harry said as he walked into the kitchen. He reached into one of the cupboards and handed Mum the coffee mugs. She gave him a smirk as she took them.

  ‘Billy sprung me from work,’ I said.

  ‘Chanel’s going to help us on a case.’ Billy stretched back into the lounge, crossing his ankles and placing his hands behind his head.

  I jerked my eyes away from his abdominals and back to the kitchen.

  Mum paused in the act of pouring milk into a jug and gave Billy a similar look to the one Ramy had given him. Geez, even my own Mum thought I was a joke.

  ‘Can you talk about the details?’ Harry crossed back to the lounge and sat beside me.

  ‘Do you remember Kingy from Las Vegas?’

  ‘Matt King?’ Mum said. ‘The hunky reporter?’

  ‘That’s the one.’ Billy gave me a look as if he thought I was going to say something. For once, I kept my mouth shut. ‘We have reason to believe that his life may be under threat.’

  So Matt was the minor celebrity getting married. I wonder who was after him. I mean from what I knew of him, he was very good at writing expose articles on dangerous criminals. The one in the paper the week before had been the most recent in a long line.

  ‘And you want Chanel to help you do what?’

  ‘She’s going to be a part of the bridal party, help keep an eye on the bride.’

  ‘Lucky me.’ Weddings and I weren’t getting on so well at the moment.

  There was silence while we waited for Billy to say more, but apparently he had shared all the information he was going to.

  Mum swayed from the kitchen and placed our drinks on the coffee table. Then she sat close enough to Harry that she was almost on his lap.

  ‘So where’s the wedding being held?’

  ‘Hamilton Island.’

  ‘Really?’ Had I heard him right? Hamilton Island was way up there on my list of places to go.

  He nodded. ‘We fly out tomorrow.’

  ‘Oh.’ Mum clutched at Harry’s arm. ‘Hamilton Island. We should go too.’

  ‘That’s a great idea Tess.’ Harry turned to her. ‘We could have a real family holiday.’

  ‘Ahhh, hello. Working.’ I waved a hand between Billy and me.

  ‘Oh yes, but surely you’ll have some down time. I mean you can’t work twenty-four hours a day.’ Mum clapped her hands together as if it was a done deal that they were coming.

  ‘Well, when you’re working for the FBI you don’t get any down time.’ I looked over at Billy. ‘I think.’

  His lips pressed together and his eyes creased at the corners. ‘Not much down time,’ he agreed. ‘But you guys should come anyway.’

  ‘What?’ I had been watching Mum and Harry staring gooingly
into each other’s eyes. Now I whipped my head around to stare at Billy. ‘Really?’

  ‘Sure.’ His smile was reassuring. ‘We can spend some quality time with them. As a family.’

  That was the last thing I had expected him to say. ‘Well if you think. I mean, you’re the boss.’

  His smile stretched wider. ‘And don’t you forget it.’

  ***

  I drained the contents of my drink and glanced at my watch.

  ‘It’s five seconds later than the last time you looked.’ Bruce shook a cocktail mixer as if it were a castanet, cracked it on the table and whipped off the lid. He emptied its contents into a fresh glass and slid it over the bar top till it sat in front of me.

  ‘He said he’d meet me here at seven to brief me on the case. That was five minutes ago.’ I picked up my new drink and took a sip.

  ‘Expresso martini,’ Bruce said. ‘And, apart from tonight, what have you ever been on time for…Holy Mother of Batman. Who is that?’

  I didn’t even need to look over my shoulder to know what he was looking at. ‘Five foot ten, ripped like a swimwear model, blond hair ruffled up like James Dean and brown eyes you could drown in?’

  ‘That’s Billy?’

  I swivelled on my bar stool, trying to sound nonchalant as I called out, ‘Oi, Bro.’

  He looked in my direction and I waved a hand in the air. Damn him for looking so good in his tight, black jeans. How was that fair?

  ‘Close your mouth Bruce,’ I said as Billy strode towards us. ‘And wipe your chin.’

  ‘Well hello there,’ Bruce said when Billy arrived at my side. ‘Chanel never told me her brother was so good looking.’

  If I could have reached my leg under the bar I would have kicked him.

  ‘You must be Bruce.’ Billy stretched his hand out to shake Bruce’s. ‘Chanel’s told me so much about you.’

  Bruce clasped Billy’s hands with both of his, holding on for just a little too long. Billy didn’t seem to mind. ‘None of it was flattering I’m sure. She can’t handle competition.’

  Billy laughed and looked over at me. ‘What are you drinking?’

  ‘Expresso martini.’ I held it out towards him.

  He slid onto the bar stool next to me and took a sip. Then he swallowed and said, ‘I’ll have what she’s having.’