Bananas Foster and a Dead Mobster

by A. Gardner

  "I can't believe we're finally playing there tomorrow night." Mickey sounded awestruck. "I used to dream about selling out a show at Castle Rock as kid. And now you freaking own the place!"

  "Co-own," I corrected him. Kat had inherited Castle Rock from its previous owner under sudden, tragic circumstances. While I still served as Castle Rock's general manager and booking agent, Kat had graciously asked me to be her business partner. Having dreamed about owning a concert venue since high school, I'd happily accepted.

  Mickey and I rode in companionable silence for several more minutes until we reached the Georgian Terrace Hotel on the corner of Peachtree and Ponce de Leon. "Are you and Kat joining us for dinner?" Mickey asked, lingering in the passenger seat as I pulled up behind Kat's rental Escalade.

  I smiled apologetically. "Can't. We've got a show starting in…" I checked my watch, "…twenty minutes. How about we grab coffee tomorrow morning instead?" I'd blurted the invitation without even thinking—wanting to spend more time with Mickey just felt natural. Regret rushed in as soon as I caught the eager look on his face. Did he think it was a date?

  Mickey's lips quirked. "Sure. I can't wait." He started to lean toward me, his eyes half-closed. When I pulled back slightly, he hesitated, and his face flushed an embarrassed red. "Sorry," Mickey said sheepishly. "Old habits die hard, ya know?" Without another word, he ducked out of the car and moved to unload the luggage from my trunk.

  When Mickey was gone, I smacked my forehead with my palm. He wanted to kiss me, I thought, remembering with bittersweet clarity how it felt to press my lips against his, to close my eyes as he wound his hands in my hair. I exhaled a shaky breath. I would've kissed him back. That realization was dangerous—I had a boyfriend, for crying out loud! A sweet, sexy, hard-working boyfriend who, at this very moment, was hunting down a lunatic so he could keep me safe. Yet, like an idiot, I'd just asked a man who was technically my ex-fiancé out for coffee. Just the two of us. What had I been thinking?

  That it feels good to see him again, chimed a voice in my head, a bit wistfully. I'd missed Mickey a lot more than I realized. Our banter in the car had only been a watered-down version of the deep connection we once shared, but it was enough to stir something inside me. It's a good thing Mickey's leaving town on Sunday, I thought guiltily as Emmett's face flashed through my mind. Or I'd be in big trouble.

  CHAPTER TWO

  "How'd it go with Mickey?" Kat asked, leaning against my car. It was ten minutes later, and we had just pulled into Castle Rock's employee parking lot.

  "Fine," I said quickly. I was reluctant to spill the details of our awkward good-bye at the hotel.

  "Just fine? No earth-shattering confession about how he's still madly in love with you?" she asked. I looked up to find her smirking.

  "Hey, don't mock me!" I laughed and playfully pushed Kat's hand off my car. In a more serious tone, I added, "We're okay now, I think. He said he misses me, but we're both better off."

  "Good." Kat grinned. "For a minute there I was worried we'd all get caught up in the drama between you two this weekend."

  "Us? Drama?" I deadpanned. "Never." I climbed out of the car and stood on shaky feet. Kat waited patiently while I leaned down to stretch. I'd been stabbed in the leg back in the fall, and the blade had practically torn my left calf muscle to shreds. Thankfully, the damage wasn't permanent, but it had been a rough recovery. In typical clumsy Amelia fashion, I'd also sprained my left ankle just a few weeks ago. Now that I was finally back on two feet again, I was being extra careful.

  Kat's happy mood deflated as she stepped into the corridor that led to our offices. She stopped halfway down the hall, her eyes fixed on the wall to her left. I watched her gently run her hand across the small, black frame that housed the first ticket stub and dollar collected by the venue's previous owner, Parker Deering.

  It had been less than a year since Parker's murder. The months following his death weren't easy for any of us, but his death was especially hard on Kat. She put on a brave face most of the time, but there were still moments when her grief bubbled to the surface.

  Kat's hand hovered over the frame, and her slender fingers trembled. I stood beside her, catching her misty-eyed reflection in the glass. A sad little sigh escaped her lips. "Seven months and it still feels like it was just yesterday." She turned to face me, a glint of pain in her blue eyes. "Will it ever get better?"

  "I wish I could say that it will, but I honestly don't know." I'd never lost someone as close to me as Parker was to Kat—splitting up with Mickey was rough, but it couldn't compare to something as final and dreadful as dying. I squeezed Kat's shoulder. "But I do know he'd want you to keep moving forward, and I'm here to help you do that. We all are."

  She nodded. Her hand dropped from the frame and fell to her side. Kat took a deep breath to regain her composure then blew it out. "The show must go on, right?" she asked, a ghost of a smile forming on her lips.

  "You betcha." I grabbed her arm and tugged gently, guiding her down the hall toward the Dungeon. "Speaking of, Silent Echo should be on stage right about now. Let's check 'em out."

  * * *

  "Soooo, what do you think?" Bronwyn Sinclair asked, eying us both expectantly.

  My gaze swept around the downstairs showroom. "Um," I stammered, not sure what to say. The Dungeon holds roughly the same capacity as our upstairs room, High Court, but the similarities end there. Where High Court has a vaulted ceiling with a colorful mural and a large ornate chandelier, its downstairs counterpart is dark and gritty, with a low ceiling and no overhead lighting—just a few lamps bolted to the walls.

  Tonight those lamps were lit with black light bulbs, thanks to Bronwyn's handiwork. We'd recently promoted Bron from intern to marketing and booking assistant. She'd proven herself when she and our assistant manager, Reese Martin, ran Castle Rock by themselves for a weekend while I recovered from my sprained ankle. Kat and I decided to let her schedule tonight's band and handle all of the details on her own—which, for Bronwyn, meant redecorating the Dungeon for the occasion. She'd booked Silent Echo, who was the antithesis of dark, angry rock, to perform in the gothic dungeon-styled showroom. The indie brother-sister duo from California mesmerized the crowd with their ethereal pop vocals and sunny melodies, and the black lights made the colors of their outfits pop like something out of a Katy Perry music video on acid. The entire scene was quirky and a bit off-kilter—just like Bronwyn.

  Kat looked around the room. "Maybe we should've ordered those glow-in-the-dark toilet seats from SkyMall after all."

  "I'm going to assume that means you like what I've done with the place." Bronwyn beamed at her and then turned her green eyes my way. "How did it go with Royal Flush? I still can't believe you used to date Mickey Freakin' Ward." She clasped her hands together. "He's a drumming god—like, better than Travis Barker, even."

  "Believe it, chick," Kat said. With a teasing grin, she reached out and pulled the hood of Bronwyn's sweatshirt over the young girl's hot pink hair. "Back in the day, Ame and ol' Mick were hotter than Brad and Angelina, or whoever the current it couple is. I can't keep track."

  Bronwyn scowled. She yanked off the hood and fussed with her hair until it was back the way she liked it, though it didn't look any less messy. She turned her attention back to me. "If you guys were so into each other, why'd you break up?"

  Because he wanted me to put my entire life on hold to be with him, and it scared me shitless. I grimaced. Time for a change of subject. "Any chance you and Reese finished filing that stack of show contracts I left on his desk this afternoon?" I asked, figuring that any mention of our hot assistant manager would get her off my case. After all, Bron's new boyfriend was her favorite topic of discussion.

  Bronwyn's face flamed. "Yep!" she chirped, visibly struggling to keep from grinning. I had a feeling that filing paperwork hadn't been all they'd done. After pining after him for nearly a year, Bron had finally landed her man. They were quite the odd couple—twenty-four-year-old Reese
had the body of a linebacker and the face of a California surfer, with olive skin, dirty blond curls, and gentle blue-green eyes. Bronwyn, on the other hand, was twenty years old and a petite five-foot-three, with bright pink hair styled in a short pixie cut, and an emerald stud piercing her left nostril. Despite their differences, Reese and Bronwyn were great together, and they both seemed happier than I'd ever seen them. I guess opposites really do attract.

  Tonight, Bronwyn was dressed in dark denim jeans and a neon green hoodie with black polka dots. In the black lights, her outfit, along with her pink Vans sneakers and bubblegum hair, made her look like a slice of radioactive watermelon. "Isn't Reese amazing?" She sighed dreamily.

  "He's lucky to have you," Kat said with a sad little smile. "I wish I were ready to get back in the dating game myself."

  "What about Chad?" I asked. "You two had a pretty cozy reunion. Seems to me that little crush you were harboring back in college never quite went away."

  Bronwyn cocked her head to one side. "Chad Egan? From Royal Flush?" Her green eyes grew wide. "Ohmigod, I could totally see you with him! He's the red-head guitarist with the gauged ears, right?" She nodded, as if answering her own question. "Super hot! You should go for it."

  Kat snorted. "Please. It's Chad Egan. The guy's a total goofball."

  "You like goofballs," I reminded her. "They make you laugh."

  "Yeah, well…" Kat blew out a breath and turned away to watch Silent Echo's performance as she collected her thoughts. She turned back to Bron and me a moment later, her face pinched. "We were always just too good of friends. Plus the guys are only here for a few days. And then there's the tiny little obstacle of me not being ready to jump into another relationship just yet."

  I held my hands up in mock surrender. "Okay, okay—no pressure. I'm just saying that it's all right to let yourself have fun. And Chad is definitely fun. Remember the time he pulled the fire alarm at Patton Hall?" Bronwyn gave me a curious look, so I explained. "When everyone got outside, he was sitting in the parking lot with five huge buckets full of water balloons."

  I chuckled, remembering Chad's feigned innocence about the gag. "What? I just happened to be filling these up for a kid's charity balloon fight tomorrow morning. But since we're all out here now…" He'd started a huge water fight that lasted nearly an hour. It was a miracle he didn't get expelled for the fire alarm prank, but no one could actually prove that he had pulled it.

  "Fun? Yes," Kat agreed. "But also kind of insane."

  Bronwyn shrugged. "He'd keep life interesting."

  We watched the show in silence and then worked together to herd the crowd out of the building at closing time. When the band packed up and left, Kat and I sent the staff home. The incident in the car with Mickey had been eating at me all night, and I finally couldn't hold it in anymore. I had to tell someone. "So, remember how I said nothing happened on the ride to the hotel?" I began, my tone sheepish.

  Kat arched one thin eyebrow. "Yeah?"

  I swallowed. "Well, that's not entirely true. Mickey sorta…tried to kiss me."

  Kat's blue eyes grew large. "He what?"

  I shook my head. "I didn't let him—and I don't think I was giving him signals or anything. He just sort of leaned in as he was getting out of the car, like nothing had changed between us and he was kissing me goodnight, like always."

  Kat turned to lock the back door behind us. "Old habits die hard, I guess."

  "That's what he said." I grimaced. "Maybe it was kinda my fault." I chewed my lip. "Before he tried to kiss me, I invited him to get coffee with me tomorrow morning."

  "Just the two of you?"

  "Uh-huh."

  "Oh boy," Kat muttered. "Here we go."

  "What's that supposed to mean?"

  She crossed her arms over her chest. "You were practically ready to marry the guy five years ago. If he'd stayed in town, you'd probably be sporting that ring on your finger and balancing Mickey Jr. on your hip." Kat paused, a thoughtful look on her face. "Ya know, maybe letting him back into your life isn't a bad thing."

  "Kat, it's just coffee." My words took a slightly defensive tone. "I told you, I gave Mickey plenty of closure on the ride to the hotel. Bucket loads. If we're going to repair our friendship though, we've got to start somewhere. And I don't start anything without a grande iced black coffee." I blew out a sigh. "And besides, I'm already in a relationship," I reminded her—and myself. "What about Emmett?"

  "What about him?" Kat shrugged. "You barely even know the guy, Ame. You've been dating for seven months, and I can count on one hand the number of times he's come to town to see you."

  "He's got a pretty damn good excuse," I snapped, feeling my face grow hot.

  Kat reared her head back as if I'd just slapped her. She exhaled a shaky breath and pulled her leather purse strap across her shoulder as she turned away from me, heading for the parking lot.

  Oh, boy. Me and my big mouth. I shouldn't have over-reacted like that. "Kat, wait!" I called, feeling like Jerk of the Year as I trotted after her. I caught up with her and placed my hand on her arm. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

  "No, it's okay. You're right." She didn't turn around, and her voice was trembling. "Emmett's a good man. I hope he finds that bastard, Shawn, and makes him pay for all the pain he's caused." Kat pivoted slowly, meeting my gaze with tired eyes. "I just meant that LDR's aren't easy."

  My lips quirked at one corner. "It's not necessarily a long distance relationship—he could only be a few miles away right now, for all I know."

  Kat gave me a wry look. "You know what I mean."

  "Yeah, I do. I'm just feeling very confused," I admitted. "I thought I was prepared to face Mickey, and then I saw him at the airport…" I exhaled. "But nothing is going to happen. We'll grab a platonic cup of joe, and that'll be the end of it."

  "Need me to come along and be a buffer?"

  "Nah." I smiled. "It'll be fine. I should be in my office around ten. I'd like to get here in time to post info for the new shows we've booked on the website before things get too hectic." The day of a sold-out show was always super busy.

  "Okay," Kat said, slipping behind the wheel of the Escalade. "Night, chick."

  "See ya." I waved good-bye and climbed into my own car. A sigh slipped from me. Being so worked up over my MIA boyfriend and pining ex was no excuse to snap at my bestie. Though she'd instantly forgiven me, I still felt like the scum of the earth. Kat had a point, though—Emmett and I hadn't spent much time together, and I really didn't know him all that well. Plus I didn't have the best track record with relationships—the last guy I'd gone on a date with before Emmett had tried to murder me. Welcome to the reality show that is my life.

  I clicked on the backlight of my phone screen. No new calls or texts. My heart sank. I hadn't heard a peep from Emmett in several days. Maybe there's a break in the search for Stone. The thought made my belly do somersaults.

  I was often plagued by nightmares about the evil mobster. Sometimes I dreamed I was coming home from a late night at Castle Rock, and he was waiting for me inside my apartment. Other times, my subconscious conjured up the image of him crouching low in the backseat of my car, ready to pounce. I shuddered, casting a nervous glance into the darkness behind my driver's seat. I was alone in the car. Locking the doors to my Jetta, I dialed Emmett's cell before pulling out of the parking lot. Just hearing his voice would go a long way to ease the major case of the creeps I just gave myself—and hopefully help me forget about Mickey, too.

  "Hey there, babe," Emmett Larson's deep baritone crooned from the other end of the line. "It's after one in the morning—meaning you're either just getting off work, or you're feeling frisky." He chuckled.

  "Maybe both," I said coyly. "How's work?"

  Emmett blew out a breath. When he spoke again, he sounded tired. "I wish I had good news for you, but we're still not making much headway. One source claims Stone's in Europe; another says he's holed up at a buddy's place somewhere deep in the woods of Montana.
If we get one lead, we get a dozen—and they're always far-spread." He was silent for a moment, no doubt trying to quell some of the frustration that was building in his tone. "We're going to get him, Ame," he said finally. "I promise."

  "I know," I replied, but my voice was glum. I turned off of Piedmont Road, pulling into the parking deck for my apartment. "I just wish this whole thing was behind us. I want to see you."

  "I wanna see you too, babe."

  I parked on the tenth level of the deck and trudged up three flights of stairs to my floor, not wanting to risk dropping the call in the elevator. "Maybe you can sneak away for the weekend," I said breathlessly when I reached the top step. "If y'all haven't found him in the past seven months, what kind of difference would a few days make?"

  "I still have a job to do," Emmett reminded me. "But that does sound tempting."

  My lips curved upward. "I could make it worth your while," I purred as I unlocked my door and pushed it open. I closed it behind me and turned around, stopping dead in my tracks when I saw the man inside my apartment.

  DECEPTION AT CASTLE ROCK

  available now!

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN