Joker in the Pack

by Elise Noble

  I understood he was trying to be kind, but those words stabbed me in the heart. I’d offered him my bed, and he’d made his position quite clear.

  But I had to be gracious. “I’m very grateful.”

  “Anything for you, Liv.”

  Nye parked himself in front of his laptop while I started lunch. Nothing fancy, just a few sandwiches seeing as we’d already eaten pastries at Carol’s. But I’d only got the fillings out of the fridge when Tate phoned.

  I saw his name flash up on the display and stifled a groan. It was a conversation I didn’t want to have. Yesterday, once it finally clicked that Tate was basically Edward with more tweed, I’d vowed I wouldn’t go running back to him, especially after the way he’d dismissed me so rudely. Even though Nye didn’t want me either, I’d rather be single than mould myself into a man’s accessory once more.

  I sighed as the phone kept ringing, and I slipped out of the kitchen to take the call. No point in putting off the inevitable.

  “Olivia, I need to apologise for what I said yesterday.”

  “It’s okay. Apology accepted.”

  He couldn’t help it. I realised that now. Tate was one of those men who always had to know best.

  “Thank you, darling. I really shouldn’t have flown off the handle. I’m just worried about you, that’s all.”

  His reasonableness made me feel even worse. “You don’t need to worry, I promise. Nye knows what he’s doing.”

  “Let me take you out for dinner to make it up to you.”

  Yes, Edward all over again. Everything could be fixed by three courses, as long as the restaurant served pretentious food at ridiculous prices.

  “It’s a kind offer, Tate, but I’m not in the right frame of mind for any of this right now.”

  Gah! Why couldn’t I just come out and say what I really felt? That someone else had replaced him in my affections, unrequited or not?

  “I guess I can understand that. A rain check, then?”

  “Okay.”

  “I’ll call you in a day or two; we can slot something in then.”

  Why did he make me sound like a business meeting?

  “Uh…”

  His voice softened. “I’ll be thinking of you, darling. No other woman has affected me in quite the way you do. Until we meet again, I’ll treasure the softness of your lips against mine.”

  Those words didn’t have the effect they once might have done. Old Olivia would have swooned at his feet, but in the past few weeks, I’d learned more about myself and the future I wanted.

  However, I still struggled to put that into words. “I’ll be thinking of you too.”

  Grrr. Olivia, you’re a coward.

  Angry with myself for being so weak, I headed back to the kitchen, where Nye had inhaled a bag of crisps in my absence. I picked up the empty packet and put it in the bin, then carried on with the sandwiches.

  “I’ve got people out looking for Ronnie’s cellmate,” Nye said. “Plus, I’ve got Ronnie’s police files. His name came up in connection with a fair few burglaries, and only the local bobby’s incompetence meant he didn’t get banged up for those too. Fucked up the chain of evidence, according to my source.”

  “You mean Graham?”

  He glanced at his screen. “Yep. Know him?”

  “He came round after the first break-in. Someone had to remind him to fingerprint.”

  “Asshole. Hardly surprising Ronnie and his father got away with what they did for so long.”

  “So, what now?”

  “We wait.”

  “That’s it?”

  “My team are out doing the legwork. I get the best job.”

  “What’s that?”

  He grinned at me. “Looking after you.”

  How could he be so flippant? Didn’t he understand how much he hurt me last night? I couldn’t stay near him, but when I stomped off into the living room, he came right after me.

  “Shit. I said something else wrong, didn’t I?”

  A tear rolled down my cheek, and he wiped it away with his thumb then rested his forehead against mine.

  “I’ve never felt like this before,” I confessed.

  “Babe, you don’t know me. I’m not the man you think.”

  “Then why don’t you show me who you are?”

  “Fuck. I shouldn’t be doing this.”

  He leaned down and kissed me, softly at first, but within seconds his tongue tangled with mine as we grabbed at each other with a fervour that bordered on desperation. Fire burned through my veins, and only one thing could extinguish the heat.

  Okay, make that two things. The piercing wolf whistle that came from outside had the same effect as a bucket of cold water.

  I looked up like a guilty teenager, only to see Spike grinning at us through the window. Nye scowled as his friend gave us a round of applause.

  “Steel toecaps, mate, that’s what you need,” he shouted through the glass, no doubt referring to his earlier comment about treading on toes.

  “Shit, Liv, I lose my mind around you.”

  Guilt clouded Nye’s eyes, and my heart sank. He was going to tell me the kiss was a mistake, wasn’t he? That it shouldn’t have happened. I hastily attempted to build a wall around my fragile heart, but every time I picked up a brick, it crumbled.

  “But I like it when you lose your mind.”

  “Really? If Spike had turned up five minutes later, I’d have had you stripped naked and bent over the couch. I wasn’t thinking.”

  Holy cannoli!

  I cupped his cheek with my hand, and he clutched my wrist, holding me to him.

  “Don’t be angry. Neither of us was thinking.”

  “You’re too good to be on display like some cheap trash.” His face softened. “Liv, your pulse has gone crazy.”

  “I’m waiting for the bit where you tell me you don’t want me again,” I whispered.

  He pressed his lips against my forehead. “It was hard enough the first time. Saying it again would kill me.”

  The fear faded away, and as I melted against him, I felt his heart beating every bit as wildly as mine.

  “So what do we do now?”

  “I have no idea. This is uncharted territory for me,” he said.

  “I’ve always told myself I should explore new things.”

  Nye’s cock twitched against my hip, and he groaned. “Babe, you can’t say that right now.”

  Another twitch. Actually, more of a vibration. “I think your phone’s ringing.”

  “I know. I’m ignoring it.”

  “But it could be important.”

  “Yes, it could.” Still, he didn’t move.

  The caller hung up but tried again a few seconds later, and from the way we were positioned, I’d have been a very happy girl if the buzzing didn’t stop.

  “You need to answer it.”

  “In a minute.”

  “Uh, if you don’t, those vibrations are going to give me a problem.” I could only imagine how red my face must be.

  Nye laughed as he shifted enough to get his phone out of his pocket, but he still didn’t let me go.

  “Nye Holmes,” he barked once he’d answered.

  I could only hear his end of the conversation.

  “You have? That was quick. Where is he?” A pause. “Make sure he stays there… I’m on my way.”

  Had his team found a lead?

  “We’ve got to go,” he said, already shrugging into his leather jacket.

  “We?”

  “I’m not leaving you here without me.”

  I barely had time to grab my coat and bag before he shepherded me out into the BMW.

  “Where are we heading?”

  “I’m going to talk to Ronnie’s ex-cellmate. You’re going to a safe house while I do it.”

  A safe house? Were things really that bad?

  “Will it be dangerous? Your meeting?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “That’s not very comforting.
”

  He cut his gaze to me, then flicked it back to the road. “I care about you too much to lie.”

  CHAPTER 29

  NYE MADE A couple of calls on the way, speaking mostly in code, it seemed, and when we got into London, he drove straight to Belgravia. I’d barely ventured into that part of the world. Even Edward’s income didn’t have enough zeroes at the end of it.

  The underground car park Nye pulled into was filled with expensive cars—a Mercedes SUV, a Porsche, and an Aston Martin to name but a few.

  “This is the safe house?”

  “Like Fort Knox.”

  The owner probably had as much money too.

  We took a lift to the ground floor, where a huge multicoloured chandelier dominated a luxuriously appointed atrium. Nye headed down a hallway to the left, led me past two closed doors, and knocked on a third. A man whose casual attire clashed with the opulent surroundings opened it, and I recognised the Blackwood Security crest on his jacket. A second man looked out the window at the street below.

  “These guys will take care of you till I get back. Behave yourself, yeah?”

  Nye gave my hand a little squeeze and then he was gone.

  Gone for two movies, an episode of EastEnders, and a pizza delivery. Three large pepperonis, but I only ate one slice, and even that felt as if it was going to come up again. Luckily, the taller of the two men seemed to have a metabolism that allowed him to eat for three, because he got through two of the pizzas on his own.

  Where was Nye? What was he doing? And, more importantly, was he okay?

  “Do you know how Nye’s getting on?” I asked Pizza Guy.

  He dragged his eyes away from the television and shrugged. “Don’t worry about him—he knows how to look after himself.”

  All very well for him to say.

  By the time Nye walked through the door, totally unscathed, my mind had cycled through him getting in a fight, to landing up in hospital, to lying dead in a gutter somewhere.

  I ran over and threw my arms around him. “You’re all right! Thank goodness.”

  Nye blushed while the other two men chuckled.

  “That’s quite a welcome, mate,” Pizza Guy said. “Wish my missus gave me that kind of greeting every time I got back from a job.”

  I mumbled an apology. “Sorry. I was just a bit worried.”

  “I think I got that.” Luckily, Nye was smiling.

  “Did you find what you needed?” Pizza Guy asked.

  “Partly. But it raised more questions than I’ve got answers for.”

  “Always the way, ain’t it? Do you need us for anything else?”

  “No, I’ve got it from here. Thanks.”

  The men filed out, leaving us alone, and Nye reached straight for one of the leftover slices of pizza.

  “What happened?”

  I was dying of curiosity. Quite literally, if my mystery assailant had anything to do with it.

  “I had an interesting chat with Ronnie’s ex-cellmate.”

  “He talked to you? Like, voluntarily?”

  Nye burst out laughing. “Don’t look so worried, babe. What did you think I was going to do? Beat it out of him?”

  Well, yes, but I couldn’t exactly admit that. “Er…”

  “We went out for a beer, and I bunged him a few quid. That’s how it normally works.”

  Oh. That sounded almost civilised. Except it meant that Nye had shelled out yet more money on my behalf, which left me feeling guilty once again. I’d pay him back somehow, even if it took me years to earn enough.

  “What did he say?”

  “That Ronnie was a prick. No surprises there. But he did recall a conversation they had soon after they met about the families they’d left behind. The cellmate worried his wife wouldn’t be able to pay the mortgage.”

  “Perhaps he should have considered that before turning to a life of crime?”

  “Probably wouldn’t have stopped him. They all think they’ll never get caught. Anyway, Ronnie didn’t seem bothered by money. He said he only had his mother left, and he’d made sure she had a good retirement plan. My contact got the impression Ronnie wasn’t talking about a pension.”

  “That does make sense. Aunt Ellie bought all manner of things off the internet, and I never did work out where she got the money to do it.”

  “Eleanor only had forty pounds in her bank account when she died. I spoke to your mate, Mickey, and he swears there wasn’t any other cash with the estate.”

  “I don’t think Mickey would lie. So, how did she afford that stuff?”

  “That, babe, is what we’re going to find out. She could have kept funds in an online eWallet. PayPal or similar. I’ve got someone looking into that.”

  “Do we just wait again now?”

  “No, we’ve got another visit to make.”

  “We?”

  “Reckon this one’ll be safe enough for you to come with me. Your presence might even help.”

  “Who are we going to see?”

  “Ronnie’s ex-partner.”

  “Like his girlfriend?”

  “No, his partner in crime. Are you up for a road trip?”

  With Nye? Always, and I trusted he wouldn’t take me anywhere dangerous. “Where does he live?”

  “About an hour north. Straight up the M1.”

  Edward had always insisted that conversation in the car distracted him from driving, but Nye was happy to chat away. Not only that, he held my hand the entire trip, and I snuck surreptitious glances at him while he concentrated on the road. My imagination began to run away with me. Maybe we could take a proper road trip together, driving across France, or even farther into Europe. Beautiful scenery, gourmet food, boutique hotels…

  Olivia, stop it!

  “Uh, was Ronnie’s partner in prison too?”

  “He never got caught. I don’t even know for sure they were partners, but I’ve seen his name pop up a few too many times. Call it a hunch.”

  “But surely he won’t admit to being a criminal if we just turn up and ask?”

  Nye shrugged. “I’ll play it by ear. I’m hoping he’ll decide it’s the right time to confess.”

  Confess? Who in their right mind… Nye pulled up outside a small cottage next to a church in a village that reminded me of Upper Foxford, all twee and a bit of a time warp. I got the chance to ogle his muscles when he swapped his leather jacket for a sports one in the boot.

  “Ready to go?” he asked.

  I took his hand and read the name on the gate as he held it open for me.

  “The vicarage? Are you kidding? Ronnie’s ex-partner’s a priest?”

  “Seems he saw the error of his ways. Either that or he’s pilfering from the collection plate.”

  A man wearing a white collar answered our knock. Clean-shaven, wholesome-looking, in his late thirties at a guess. Not at all how I’d imagined Ronnie’s accomplice would look. Could Nye have got this wrong?

  “Have you come to request a hymn for the service on Sunday?” the vicar asked.

  “Not exactly. Can we come in? It shouldn’t take long.”

  “What’s this about?”

  “Ronnie Rigby.”

  I’d heard the expression “white as a sheet” many times, but this was the first time I’d seen it. The man matched his own collar. Score one for Nye’s intuition. The vicar swung the door open and shuffled along in front of us to his kitchen, a condemned man on his trip to the gallows. He’d aged a decade by the time he took a seat opposite us.

  “I knew this would come back to haunt me one day. I’ve begged God for forgiveness every day since I became a believer. If I had the money, I’d repay everyone, but I live simply now. And I do good work in the community—the church, the youth group, the local scouts.”

  “Relax, would you? We’re not here to cart you off to jail. You answer our questions, we’ll leave, and you’ll never hear from us again,” Nye said.

  The man’s shoulders rose a notch. “Really? That’s it? Just
a few questions?”

  “I don’t care what you did in the past. You’re the one who has to live with yourself.”

  “I understand now that my actions were wrong, but back then… Every day, I pray for the Lord’s forgiveness, but inside, the dirt still clings.” He leaned back and sighed. “What do you want to know?”

  “Olivia here lives in Eleanor Rigby’s old house, and somebody’s looking for something hidden inside it. They keep breaking in and threatening her.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  He did sound genuinely sorry, and his sympathetic eyes confirmed it.

  “We need to find out what Eleanor hid so Olivia can get some peace.”

  “Eleanor died?”

  “Popped her clogs in the middle of an online poker game, apparently,” I told him.

  “I shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, but…” He shook his head. “And poker? The old bag was working to the last, then. There’s dedication for you.”

  “What do you mean, working? She played poker for a living?”

  “Not exactly—the poker was a means to an end. Eleanor and Ronnie were every bit as dirty as each other.”

  “Define dirty,” Nye said.

  “We…we stole the goods, and Eleanor fenced them then laundered the proceeds. There was nobody better.”

  Nye seemed to be following, but I was lost.

  “She used the poker games to clean the money?” he asked.

  “Always did. That and the fixed-odds betting terminals inside the bookies’. She’d catch the bus with a handbag full of dirty money, stick it through those games machines, and come back with ninety-five percent of what she started with. Spotless.”

  “Son of a bitch.”

  “No, that was Ronnie. Eleanor was a cantankerous old biddy. She moaned like hell about having to trek into town to do his dirty work. Said it played havoc with her bunions.”

  “Did you only steal cash?”

  “No, Ronnie wasn’t fussy.”

  “What else did you take?”

  “Anything Eleanor could flog. She auctioned it all off online, but Ronnie had a terrible job to stop her from buying as much as she sold. Still, it made a good cover. I don’t think anyone ever suspected her.”

  “No, they didn’t. So, any ideas what Eleanor might have tucked away in the house?”

  “Sometimes Ronnie pinched expensive jewellery, even though it could be hard to sell. He made off with an engagement ring once, two names and the date engraved inside the band.” The vicar shook his head, and a forelock of grey-brown hair flopped over one eye. “Stupid.”