by Beth Rhodes
He stacked his papers on top of his laptop and stood. At the same time, he pulled Andrea into a hug and saw bruising along the side of her arm. “Hey, what happened?”
He gingerly ran his fingers over the fading marks.
“Oh,” she said, waving him off. “The bookshelf in my room almost came down the other day. I caught it with my back. Bumped my head, too.” Rubbing the crown of her head, she wrinkled her nose. “Hurt.”
Tan set his work back down and headed for the garage. It was spic and span, and clean if the smell said anything about it. His mom never used the garage for her car. Instead, it was filled with…crap. Well, he thought it was crap. Junk, collected year after year. He rifled through a hardware drawer and found a nice long screw and an anchor. The drill sat on top of the workbench and he gave it a squeeze to see if it was powered up.
He’d been meaning to anchor her shelf ever since he put it in her room. His mom and Andrea were still standing in the living room, speaking in lowered tones, when he came back through.
“I’m going to secure it. I should have done it right away.”
His mom patted his back as he walked by. “I’m going to shower and get lunch going. You staying?”
“He works, Mom. And he’s got that pretty girl to watch out for this time.”
Tan chuckled as he stepped into his sister’s room. People called her stupid, but she wasn’t. And she’d always gone above the expectations of any of her teachers.
But then Thomas had died. He’d been her biggest fan. Tan had incredibly large shoes to fill. But he tried. It was all he could do. With one last zip of the screw gun, the shelf was secured to the wall. “There.”
“There,” Andrea repeated. “Thank you, Tancredo.” She walked over and pulled a book from the shelf. “Now, I can put hundreds of books on it.”
Her room was spotless as well, and after being in his apartment with Liz, he was starting to wonder how he hadn’t gotten this crazy neat gene. His work space, yes. He liked a clean desk, but at home—never. He liked it lived in, a little messy. The white bedspread was tight over her mattress. Her laundry hamper sat in the corner, lid closed, waiting for wash day. On her dresser sat one lone framed photo of the family.
“Next time I’m at the store, I’ll pick up a book for you,” he said. “And maybe another one of those puzzles you like to do.”
“Okay. I like urban fantasy.”
“Urban what?”
“It’s fantasy. Like otherworldly beings, and women who kick butt.” She smiled. “I like it.”
Tan did too. A woman who kicked butt and could go a round or two against him was always a pleasure. He looked at his watch then kissed his sister on the top of her head. “Time for me to check in with Liz. Be good, okay?”
“I’m always very good.”
As he passed by the kitchen, his mom gave him a narrow-eyed look. “You better be careful out there.”
“I always am.”
“Are you going to see her again?”
“She’s my client.” He explained needlessly.
His mom sighed. “You don’t know anything about her.”
“I know everything about her. I know more about her than any woman I’ve dated in the past ten years, Mom. I’ve done all but a background check on her. And I have done background checks on her father and her brothers. I think I know enough about her…” He grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. “Call if you need anything, okay?”
“See you later, honey.”
He left, confused by everything running through his head, and needing—more than ever—to get to Liz. He didn’t know what was going on with them or if anything would come from what he was feeling.
Malcolm called as he crossed out of city limits.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Did you get the folder?”
Tan turned on a blinker and passed a semi. “I did. I haven’t had a chance to read the report. Can you give me the important parts?”
“Sands is back in Raleigh.”
“What?” Tan came to a screeching halt and pulled over. “Fuck. How long? When? Jesus, why wasn’t I informed?”
“We just found out.”
“Shit.” Tancredo reversed, turned around, and stepped back on the gas. “Get someone on Liz, Mal.”
“On it.”
“I’m way ahead of you.”
Gabriel Sands.
They’d suspected. Hadn’t he wondered? Hadn’t he put those wonderings aside against his gut because of the evidence?
Well, evidence was pointing back, and Tan wasn’t going to sit back and let Sands get his hands on Liz.
***
“It was awful, Janice.” Liz fiddled with her pen where they sat at the dining room table, using it to spread out and put order to their business. “I totally freaked out.”
“But you’re staying at his place and it’s like this secret lair with ultra-security—like the Batcave?” Janice sighed. “Sounds so romantic.”
“Lair, ha. Not exactly. It’s an apartment.” Heat rose on her neck, and so did a little bit of guilt for sharing. “I made such an idiot of myself. But then he was holding me, admitting he wanted me. God, he’s so comfortable.”
Janice moved a stack of papers from the front of the binder to the back. “So, he wants you back, right?”
“I don’t know,” she wailed. “Damn that dream, Janice. It ruins everything. He probably thinks I’m some kind of victim who can’t get close to a guy without having traumatic flashbacks. I won’t be the victim.”
“Well, if he thinks it, then he’s the idiot.”
“He’s such a gentleman. That might be the problem.” Liz pulled last year’s expense report off the top of the pile, and then opened Excel on her laptop.
With a huff, she turned her attention back to the task at hand. The missing money. It seemed impossible. She’d been very careful and even had her dad’s accountant look at her books last year.
“It’s probably a math error.”
She sighed. “Yeah, yeah. Okay. Here,” Liz handed over the first and second quarter reports. “You go through these. I’ll do the third and fourth quarters. We’ll catch it.”
“Hey,” the deep voice, which had toyed with her mind all day, spoke from the doorway. He stood, leaning against the door jamb, hands tucked into his pockets. “How’s it going?”
Her heartbeat sped up. And she smiled as she stood. But it wasn’t like greeting a friend, not after the kiss and the distant cold that had settled in after it. Still, he smiled for her, and some of the anxiety disappeared.
Tan nodded to Janice, still holding himself in reserve. “Nice to see you again, Janice.”
“Right back ‘atcha.” Her friend gave a quick smile before burying her head back into the binder in front of her.
Nerves fluttered in Liz’s stomach. “I didn’t expect you back so soon. Is everything okay?”
Tan looked from her to Janice, back to her. “Can I talk to you out here?”
“She knows what’s going on.”
He frowned as if he didn’t like that piece of information. He looked from Liz to Janice again. “Please.”
She took his arm and led him into the kitchen. Maggie had disappeared, but Bobby sat at the kitchen table, flipping through a newspaper. “Can he hear?” she asked a little exasperatedly.
Tan nodded. “They found the missing woman.”
She immediately went on alert even as she grew wary. “What does that have to do with me?”
“Someone shot her full of insulin, and she died.”
The blood sort of drained out of her head. Her eyes widened as she went lightheaded. “Just like me?” she breathed, whispering because it seemed the only thing her voice would allow her.
“Looks like it, but the police won’t know until they get the blood results back. There are different types of insulin. And we don’t know which kinds were used.”
“How can it matter?” she asked, hysteria coating her words.
/> “Only one of the victims was killed that way.”
“So? Do they think there are two murderers? Or maybe the guy is practicing…or having fun with it? No. It doesn’t make sense. I’ve been watching the news. These other women were all taken from their homes or from secluded places. Not snatched out of the middle of a hockey game at PNC Arena.”
Tan reached for her, pulled her closer, tipping her head back so she could see into his eyes. There was a hard glint in them she hadn’t seen before but recognized. It was the protective spark she saw in her brothers’ eyes, her father’s too.
“For the police, this is a huge lead, Liz. And they’ll start looking for connections between the victims…” he paused, glanced over at Bobby.
She followed his gaze to the other man. “What?”
“Don’t look at me, man.” Bobby held up his hands in a hands-off gesture. “She’s your client. Only yours to disappoint.”
“They’ll be digging into your past as well and looking for a connection there.”
“Mine?” God. She couldn’t get her heart to stop pounding. There’d been no names published in the papers yet. “Do I know them?”
“That’s what the department is going to find out.”
Her heart fell. “How long?”
His amused smile tripped her heartbeat, and she stopped breathing when he leaned in and kissed her forehead…like he didn’t care Bobby was sitting right there. Holy crap! Her heart was pounding now for a completely different reason.
“I don’t know, Liz. But, if you’re interested, I thought to drive up to DC.”
“You want to take a vacation? You want to get out of town.” She stopped. “Okay, that I actually understand, but to DC?”
“Gabriel is up there.”
Her hands gripped his shirt as tension washed through her. “I—” She didn’t know what to say. “Why?”
“To ask him a few questions, get a timeline of what he’s been up to these past months after being released.”
“A woman attacked me, Tan. I can’t—”
“I won’t force you to come,” he said, and merely looking into his eyes had her half believing she could do it.
“Go with him,” Janice spoke softly behind them.
Tan glanced over, a subtle shift in his mannerisms, before he focused back in on her. Had that been dislike?
“Maybe you need this.” Janice had packed her bag and slung it over her shoulder, ready to go. “Sometimes, we can be perfectly fine, but still need closure. And no more nightmares,” she added in a whisper.
Liz glanced over at Tan, and a frown began between her eyes.
Tan stepped between her and Janice and placed a finger at that point between her eyebrows. “I won’t be gone long. And you can stay here, or your brother can come to your place.”
“I would like to go.” she whispered.
His frown was directed at Janice this time, no question he didn’t like how she’d influenced Liz. “You don’t have to.”
“What if Janice is right and I should go find closure?” she asked.
“She’s not.” His firm, familiar protective tone, sounding a lot like her brothers, made her want to do the opposite of what he insisted.
“I would like to go with you.” The urge to go with him was stronger than anything she’d felt in a long time…regarding Gabriel. Curiosity killed the cat. But it had been years, and part of her wanted…she didn’t even know what. To demand an explanation, a reprisal? To demand an apology? “I’ll be safe with you.”
That seemed to turn the tide, softening him to her.
“Okay. But we take backup, and you don’t leave my side.”
“I won’t—”
“Ever.”
“I swear—”
“Not even to use the facilities.”
“She gets it, soldier.” Janice scowled, as if offended by his insinuation. “Phew, you’re intense, man. And you’re wrong. Liz should go, confront the part of her life that still messes with her.”
Even as Janice spoke, his gaze never wavered from hers. The guarded look in his eyes spoke volumes to her. Knowing and understanding him and how doing his job well was a priority for him made her want to reassure him.
“I have arrangements to make for our travels then.”
“Janice and I would like to head over to the shop. I have the costumes for the show I want to set aside. And then I have Stephanie’s costume to pick up as well if I’m not going to be staying there.”
He frowned again. “I would like you with me.”
“You installed an excellent security system.” She pointed out as she debated with herself. She really loved having him around. At the same time, she hated to be a bother and the center of attention and…well, a pain in the rear.
“We’ll be fine.” Janice answered, scowling. The edge of annoyance wasn’t lost on Liz, but she had to appreciate that her friend saw how uncomfortable the entire situation made her. To an outsider, Tan’s overbearing protection might not sit well, but she had seen inside his life these last days, and she was learning to appreciate how much he cared, especially when she knew he preferred isolation.
“Whatever you think is best,” Liz added to soften Janice’s criticism. She didn’t need her bodyguard and her friend at odds with each other or with her.
“I can work from your place while you pack up,” he conceded.
“You know what?” Janice spoke with some exasperation, checking her watch. “I need to run home and let the dog out, and then I have an appointment with your sign guy later this afternoon. I can’t miss it this time or he might cancel the order for the expo. You definitely want to have the display ready to go. So, how about I just…leave you two to it?”
Janice was bowing out and despite how awkward it was, Liz had completely forgotten about the signs. “I don’t know what I did without you, Janice. Don’t worry about the missing money over the weekend, either. We can start back up next week.”
A quick cleanup later, they were all on the driveway heading to Tan’s truck. Liz rubbed her hands together to ward off the chill. This was her home, the grounds her father had tended for over twenty years. Her heart trembled at the thought of someone wanting to destroy any part of her life, to take her from this, from here. “See you later, Janice. Be careful, okay?”
Janice leaned in and hugged her. “You too,” she whispered. “And I want all the details when you get back. Every. Salacious. Yummy. Detail.”
Rolling her eyes and chuckling, Liz gave her an encouraging shove towards her car.
She watched as the small car disappeared down the black top, under the large canopy of trees, before walking to Tan’s truck. He held the door open for her and gave her a hand as she climbed into the front seat.
~ 20 ~
Tan hopped in. “What’s her problem?”
“Nothing.” She scowled, slamming the seatbelt into place. “What’s yours?”
He started the engine, glanced into his rearview mirror, and backed partly around the circle in front of her dad’s house then put the truck into drive. But he paused. “She was snarky and a little rude. And I didn’t like how she talked at you.”
Liz found herself studying his profile, the line of his jaw, the soft, coffee and cream colored skin, and he had a little mole under his ear, on the side of his neck.
“What?” he said, shortly.
Liz shrugged. “That’s Janice. She’s like the saying, all bark, no bite. And besides, I think you were mostly taking it the wrong way.”
“She shouldn’t have been trying to influence you. And what’s this about missing money?”
“You heard, huh?”
He didn’t answer but gave her that look again.
She ran a hand through her hair and sat back. “A clerical error—I hope. My own,” she added, “Just what I need right now, you know?”
“Mmm,” he hummed, pressing his lips together.
“What?”
“We have this thing at Hawk Eli
te. It’s called don’t-be-a-dumb-ass.”
“Hey.” She didn’t like how he made her doubt. “What are you saying? That the missing money is related to the trouble I’m having now? And it’s not a coincidence?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“You don’t trust anyone,” she spoke plainly. “I can’t waste energy on suspecting everyone in my life, including the mailman.”
“I don’t like coincidences.” The tension rolled off him. “All these things piling up against you. And nothing fitting into any standard patterns like we’ve seen before and are typical of being targeted. The money might be small beans to someone like you, Liz—”
“Don’t,” she said, putting bite in her tone. “It pisses me off, Tancredo. I am not a rich snob—a princess. I work my ass off for everything I own, including the business and my work. Yes, what I do—what I put out—is expensive, but it’s worth every penny. Like hell if I’m going to risk all of this—”
He’d pulled up to the curb in front of her shop, and she gestured to it. “Look. This is my shop. Do you think anyone in my family, in my circle of friends thought I could succeed? My dad patted me on the head and offered me fifty grand—a start-up gift, he’d said.”
Her voice rose and it seemed there was no stopping her. “You know what I said?”
Tan shook his head, his guarded eyes watching her…as well as their surroundings.
“No way.”
“Admirable.”
She blew out a breath. “Don’t be patronizing. I work hard, and Janice might be more like you—a cynic—but she means well and she’s protective too, so you also have that in common. I like having her to work with. I’ve been alone too long, afraid to trust anyone. I hurdled the fear, took a chance. Now we’re going to do what some people thought I would never be able to do. Do you know how much money I made on my first design?”
Tan shook his head. Of course he didn’t. He would know how much she made on the most recent, as a result of snooping. “A measly twenty-five dollars.”
“Still good money—isn’t it? It’s a scrap of material that barely covers the important parts and it’s got glittery-stuff all over it.” His voice had turned curious, instead of the amused it had been.
