by Ann Simas
“But he wore a name tag, like he worked there,” Sunny said.
“He says he often poses as a sales person when he’s casing places, so he carries a name tag in his pocket. He put it on before he got out of his SUV so it would look like he belonged on the car lot. Once you’d seen him, you had to go, too.” Trey shifted his focus to Luca. “Toady is not the brightest bulb on the tree. He got the rooms mixed up in his mind and hit Sunny first. The stupid dumb shit is really having problems with the fact that Sunny is a single mom with two kids. He says his mother was a single mom with two kids. I guess she worked two, sometimes three jobs to support the family. He has great love and respect for her and he was pretty pissed that Bingo sent him out to kill Sunny.”
“Not to burst Toady’s belated remorse bubble,” Luca said, “but dim bulb or not, he had to be afraid Sunny would ID him at some point, especially since he had on a name badge with his real name on it.”
“Part of his name, anyway. Regardless, the LT and I really laid on the sympathy, playing up Bingo to be the louse. Toady gave up his location and the third guy, too. Jared Singleterry. Sound familiar?”
“When did he get out?” Luca asked, his tone cold.
“Couple months ago. Talked to his PO before we nabbed him. Seems Jared’s been breaking every probation rule known to man since he was released. This will be three strikes for all of them, and on top of that, the double murder for Bingo and Toady.”
“Did Toady give up the fourth guy for that job?”
“Claims they’d never worked with him before. Says he never got his name.”
“I’m sure Bingo will give it up,” Luca said, his tone facetious.
“No doubt,” Trey agreed with equal sarcasm.
While Luca and Trey continued to discuss the cases, past and present, Sunny, Della, and Libby wandered out to the patio.
“This is unfrickin’ believable,” Della said.
“I know,” Libby said. “You and Sunny were both innocent bystanders and look what happened.” She grabbed her sister’s hand. “Thank God Luca scared him off when he tried to dose you with the Rohypnol.”
“No kidding,” Sunny said, her tone grave.
“I’m so thankful you happened along and kept him from finishing me off,” Della said, her voice rough with emotion.
“Everything happens for a reason,” Sunny said. She reached for Della’s hand. “This is why I believe in Fate. We’re destined to be friends forever now.”
“We’re going to have to adopt her as our little sister,” Libby said, taking Della’s free hand.
“I agree.”
Maria found them like that a short time later, silent, somber, and contemplating what might have happened if Sunny hadn’t stopped to help a stranger.
Chapter 17
. . .
Luca wasn’t happy about it, but the following day, Sunny packed up her kids and took them home. Libby went with her. His brothers and cousins went on to other jobs, Maria went back to school, and Della went back to work.
Loneliness aside, he didn’t know why he experienced a niggle of unease. Toady, Bingo, and Singleterry were locked up again and three different judges had denied each of them bail at their arraignments. It was minutely possible that a slicker-than-snot defense attorney might get one or all of them out eventually, but his LT had met with the captain, who met with the police chief, who golfed and socialized with the three judges, so he was pretty sure it would be a cold day in hell before any of them saw daylight again from anywhere except behind bars.
So what was bugging him?
He did a walk-through of his parents’ home to make sure everything had been left in order. Bebe had sent over her weekly housekeeper to help clean up, and between her, Sunny and Libby, and his sisters, the house was spotless.
Luca wandered out to the back yard and found himself staring up at the branches of the maple tree. If he lived to be a hundred and three, he’d never forget Sunny sassing him from that branch. She had a mouth on her, that’s for sure, and not for the first time, he remembered what it was like to kiss those lips of hers.
His trousers got a little tighter just thinking about it.
Angry that his libido had taken momentary charge of him, he spun around and stormed back into the house. He grabbed his overnight bag and went out through the garage, activating the alarm system.
He’d driven more than a mile before he managed to shake the Sunny cobweb from his brain and focus on what fueled his worry.
It was that unknown fourth person who had been part of the fatal bank robbery Bingo and Toady had engineered. Who the hell could it have been? He and Trey had looked at all known scumbags associated with the pair, but any likely candidates had been incarcerated at the time, or had an alibi, which in two cases, meant they were six feet under.
Luca hung a left at the next corner, made a U-turn in the middle of the block, and headed back in the direction from which he’d just come.
Sunny lived less than a mile from his folks.
Something just wasn’t quite right. He felt an urgent need to warn her. About what, he couldn’t say, but he had never ignored a gut feeling before and he wasn’t about to start now.
. . .
Sunny had just settled herself down on her bed with two pillows propped behind her back when Libby opened her bedroom door after a cursory knock.
“I know you’re tired, but your boyfriend is here to talk to you,” her sister said.
“Very funny,” Sunny said, closing her eyes.
“I’m not kidding.”
“Go away.”
“What about me? Should I go away, too?”
Sunny’s eyelids shot up. She threw her sister a glare before her focus swung to Luca. Really? He had to follow Libby to her bedroom? He couldn’t wait at the front door like a normal visitor?
“I’ll leave you two to it,” Libby said, her blue eyes sparkling with mischief. She closed the door behind her.
“Sorry to disturb your nap,” Luca said.
“I hadn’t fallen asleep yet,” Sunny informed him.
“You look…comfy,” he said. “Would you like some company?”
“No, I would not,” she said, though really, she’d like nothing better than to have him join her, but not for a nap. She belatedly remembered she’d changed into a thigh-length knit sleep shirt and nothing else as soon as she’d put the kids down for their nap. She pressed her knees together, hoping she hadn’t been shooting any beavers in his direction. Other than that, she decided to ignore the fact that not much stood between them. “What do you want?” she asked, her tone a little churlish.
His heated gaze slid over her, from her pink toenails to her tousled hair and back down to the swell of her breasts, where two nubs invited his interested perusal.
Belatedly, she realized she’d asked a leading question. “Eyes up!” she said, her voice now a little hoarse.
Though his eyes lingered a second or two longer than they should have below her chin, they eventually reconnected with hers.
Her hand crept across the comforter until her fingers located the light throw she’d tossed on the bed earlier. She tugged on it until it covered her from foot to chin.
“I’ve been thinking,” he began.
“I hope it doesn’t hurt too much.”
He looked startled for a moment, but then he grinned. Sunny had to steel her body not to respond. Good God, he was sexy.
“I want to talk to you about some security measures.”
“The culprits are in jail, right?”
“Culprits? Who even uses words like that anymore?”
“Writers.”
“Hunh.”
She clenched her jaw, then said, “I repeat, they are in jail, right?”
“Yes, but—”
“Then I don’t need security. I have an alarm system in the house and I have a gun. Yes, it’s loaded.”
“Has something happened that you felt the need to defend yourself?”
“Zach got it for me, right after we were married. He didn’t want me living alone without a weapon.”
He opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off.
“I know how to use it. Dad taught Libby and me how to shoot when we were kids.”
“Do you practice? Do you keep the gun clean? Is it within easy access, without being accessible to your kids?”
“Yes and yes and yes. I go to the gun range once a month and I clean my pistol afterward. And for God’s sake, give me a little credit for being smart enough to keep it where my children can’t get to it! It’s in my gun safe, which has a quick-code access.” She tilted her head at him, daring him to ask more questions. “Satisfied?”
He hesitated. “Yes, now will you shut up so I can finish what I’ve been trying to say?”
She narrowed her eyes at him, but did as he asked.
“I’m thinking about the fourth guy who worked with Bingo and Toady on the double-fatality bank heist. I don’t like loose ends, and something about not knowing his identity is bothering me.”
“You think he’s coming after me?”
“Honest to God, I don’t know, but I can’t shake the image of that vision or whatever the hell it was, of your kids being snatched.”
A cold chill snaked down Sunny’s back. “I’m solving that problem by not going to my parents’ house. I didn’t tell them why, because I didn’t want them to freak out.”
He frowned. “Did you explain about the visions of Della?”
“No.” She blew out a frustrated breath. “Look, they’re my parents. They’ll stand by me through anything, even when they think I’m hallucinating. They’d never accuse me of being whacked to my face, but I’m not sure they’d understand about the visions. They’d think your bad-apple cop hit me in the head one time too many.”
“Surely not!”
Sunny inched up in the bed and the throw fell away from her, puddling in her lap. “I need to get something straight. You do believe me about the visions?”
“I never said I didn’t believe you.”
“Yeah, but you never said you did.”
He let out a noise that sounded like a low growl and shoved his hands into his pants pockets. “Kind of hard to dispute when one of the goddamned things held me captive, isn’t it?”
Well, when he put it like that…. “I guess that was a sure-fire way to convince you.”
“No shit, Sherlock.” Looking agitated, he pulled one hand from his pocket and jammed his fingers through his hair. “Look, something’s not copacetic, okay? All I can think is that it involves you or your kids or all three of you. I have no idea in hell if it involves the fourth unknown in the bank heist, but nonetheless, I think you need to take precautions, that’s all. Be cognizant of your surroundings, alter your schedule, take different routes, look over your shoulder, close your window coverings at night, don’t open the door to strangers.”
Sunny couldn’t fault him for his concern, but really, did he think she was an idiot? “I don’t have a problem with any of those stipulations, mainly because I’m already cognizant of them. I know you don’t know me, Luca, but generally, I’m a cautious kind of girl.”
His gaze dropped briefly to her breasts, reminding her that she had on nothing but her birthday suit under the sleep tee. “I’m going to ask the patrol captain for a drive-by past your house at least three times a day, so don’t go ballistic if you see cop cars cruising by.”
“I won’t, but why would the patrol captain authorize that?”
“You may remember you were roughed up by one of his patrol officers.”
Sunny didn’t like to think about it, but her body was still in charge of sending her reminder messages. “I doubt Fremont PD will owe me forever.”
“Probably not, but they’re hoping you won’t sue the crap out of the city and the department over the incident.”
Incident, like she’d been jaywalking or something. “Don’t worry. I’m not sue-happy and the last thing I want is the notoriety.”
“Can you afford to hire private security?”
She could, but it didn’t feel necessary. “Actually—”
“Hear me out. I talked to my dad about the situation, and I’ll give this to you straight from him. He’d like to place Angie with you twenty-four/seven until everything is resolved.” He hesitated a moment and added, “He offered because of his gratitude to you for coming to Della’s aid.”
As far as Sunny was concerned, everything was resolved, and the Amorosis didn’t owe her anything, but she wasn’t a cop who got gut feelings. Was Luca right to be worried? Wouldn’t she be a little less restricted if his cousin Angie was around? For one thing, she’d be able to take the kids to their grandparents’ place, after all, because so far, none of the visions had included her or Angie in any of the kidnapping scenarios. “I can live with that, but I should cover the expense—”
He put up his hand. “Pop knew you would offer and he says the deal is off if you pay.”
Sunny smirked. “He thinks a reverse threat will work on me?”
“No. He said he’ll just put a whole team outside your house, instead.”
“Hey, that’s blackmail!”
“Take it or leave it.”
“Oh, I’ll take.” She paused, considering her next words as she studied her fingers, plucking at the throw. “What about you? Will you be around sometimes?” She raised her gaze to find his hungry stare on her.
“Sure. I’ll check in whenever I can.”
His nonchalant words might have cooled her jets if those damned Italian eyes of his hadn’t been smoldering like a hot furnace.
Before she knew what was happening, Luca was sitting beside her on the bed, his mouth on hers.
Sunny wasn’t inclined to pull away. All she could think about was what an amazing kisser he was…and how incredible it felt to have his hands sneaking up under her sleep tee.
It was probably a good thing Libby chose that moment to knock on her door, otherwise, who knew what might have happened?
They barely had a moment to spring apart before the door flew open.
“We have a problem,” Libby said, eyeing them both with a narrow-eyed, knowing glance.
“Problem?” Sunny asked, her mind still on Luca’s mouth and hands, her body complaining because it hadn’t even known it was horny.
“There’s a TV van parked out front and a reporter at the front door. She wants a comment from you about Boyson.”
That brought Sunny back to reality with a unpleasant jolt. Along with it came the realization that she was practically naked and her sleep shirt was tangled up around her waist.
Luca started to push himself up off the bed, but she grabbed his suit coat in what she hoped was a covert move. A sneak peek at Libby, and the smirk on her sister’s face, told her no amount of subterfuge was going to get her out of this compromising situation. “Don’t let anyone in the house.”
“Really?” Libby retorted, incredulous. “I’m only telling you, so that lover-boy here doesn’t make an appearance before they leave. His bosses might not appreciate him turning up on the evening news.”
“That was thoughtful of you,” Luca said, his tone somewhat facetious, “but I can handle the media.”
Libby snorted. “In this case, maybe it’s better if you don’t try. Apparently Boyson’s claiming you were harassing the victim—that would be Sunny—and she got hurt when he tried to pull you off of her.”
“What?” Sunny squawked. “God, I hate to think what his incident reports look like if that’s the kind of lies he manufactures to cover his ass!”
“I called Trey before I interrupted you two lovebirds. FPD is sending out a patrol unit, so Sally Squawkbox will be off the property shortly.”
Luca laughed. “Sally Squawkbox? I bet she’d love that.”
Libby crossed her arms across her middle and gave Luca a little glare. “Sally informed me she had a thing with you, Detective, so she knows how rough you like it.”
>
Luca laughed even harder. “In her dreams!”
Sunny didn’t think it was funny. In fact, she didn’t think anything about any of what was going on was funny. She shoved Luca, almost pushing him off the bed, and quickly drew the throw up over her to preserve what was left of her modesty.
What was he, some kind of Italian Stallion, flitting from mare to mare when it suited him? God, and to think she’d had a moment of fantasizing that the two of them had sparks that might turn into something lasting. What a brainless twit she was!
Libby’s eyes blazed hot-fire blue, skimming back and forth between Luca and her sister. “What’s the real story, then?”
Sunny almost crawled under the bed.
“There is no real story. Sally Box is well-known for her penchant of bedding every male she comes in contact with, married, single, young, old, fit, or fat. Rumor has it that she has a white board in her house where she keeps track of her conquests with penis-shaped hash marks.
“How clever of her,” Sunny said. “Which number was yours?”
Luca looked at her as if she were nuts. “Are you kidding? That piranha pursued me for six months before she finally got the message that I’m not an easy lay.”
Sunny narrowed her eyes on him. There was no doubt his tone held amusement, but was he also making fun of her? “So you never slept with her?”
“Nope, nor will I ever. I like my women” —he planted his hands on his hips and threw back his head— “How shall I put this? I like my women clean, not rid hard and put away wet.”
Libby burst laughing.
Sunny scowled at him, wanting to believe him in the worst way. “What kind of name is Box, anyway?”
“It’s a euphemism for her vagina,” Luca said candidly.
Libby laughed so hard she almost lost her balance in the doorway. “It’s true,” she managed to get out. “She was in my class in high school, and I remember her telling everyone that when she became a TV reporter, she was changing her name from Sally Lichtenstein to Sally Box…so men everywhere would know what she was all about.”
Sunny practically gaped at her sister. “Sally Squawkbox is the same Sally in your class? She was lucky to fill an A-cup back then.”
