by Karen Renee
A confused look crossed his face, but I knew it was an act even before he asked, “What do you mean?”
I tilted my head. “Don’t play coy with me, Ramsey. I heard more than you realize when she got here. She said she’d brought donuts, you need to put on pants, and she wanted answers. Maybe not in that order, but that was the general idea.”
He glanced at the TV just before he muted it. “I was working yesterday. Seems Erica’s man, Carlos, frequents the convenience store close to my subject’s employer. He thought I was trailing him.”
“But you weren’t.”
“No. Who’s gonna pay me to follow Carlos? But his accusation makes me think he’s hiding something. Not that Erica would listen to me about it.”
I shook my head. “She was always prone to drama way back when. I’m sorry that hasn’t changed.”
He grunted. “You don’t know the half of it.”
I tried to sit up, but his hold tightened. “What’s that mean?”
“Nothing. We’re not talking about that.”
My eyes widened. “Clint, you can’t say shit like that and expect me to let it go!”
He leaned back, closing his eyes. “If Air is prone to drama, you gobble it up like a kid with candy.”
“So?”
He laughed. “God save me from the women in my life.”
I swatted his shoulder. “You love the women in your life.”
His eyes opened, the heat in them scorching my skin. “I love one woman in particular.”
My heart fluttered as my breath hitched. I didn’t know what to say to that.
Okay, that wasn’t right. I did know what to say, I just wasn’t brave enough to say it yet.
I smiled. “Yeah, you’ve always been fond of your Mamá.”
He arched a brow. “Gonna give you that, but we both know better, mi corazón.”
I loved him calling me ‘his heart’.
My thought was rudely interrupted when Clint yelled, and I saw Boston College had scored.
During the commercials, I asked about Erica. To hear she’d hooked up with a gang member –no matter how briefly– stunned and scared me equally.
“Well, thank God she got out of that.”
His lips pulled to the side for a moment. “Yeah. Though Carlos isn’t much better.”
“What?” I cried. “She could have any man she wanted.”
His smile was rueful. “We tell her that all the time. Still, she finds the assholes.”
“Could be the other way around,” I murmured.
His eyes slid to the side. “I guess.” Then he focused on me again. “That what happened with Garrity?”
I leaned away. This time he let me. “You might say that.”
His phone lit with a text and I noticed the time. “We really should get to Mom. Or, at least, I should.”
He pulled me back to him. “You’re not alone until whoever’s after you is caught, Rae.”
As I got ready to go to Mom’s, I asked, “So, what makes Carlos bad?”
Clint snorted. “Better question, what makes him good?”
“That’s harsh.”
“That’s the truth. He’s not dedicated enough to be in a gang. Also why he has no steady job. Where he gets his money is a mystery and she won’t admit it, but I suspect he mooches off Erica.”
“Good grief.”
“Yeah.”
I looked at him from the corner of my eye. “Even you don’t know how he gets money?”
“Nobody’s paying me to find out and I don’t want to pry into my sister’s money matters.”
I nearly pointed out he had no problem doing that to me, but then I remembered him saying my lawyer should have protected me better.
TO MY SURPRISE, GABE was still at Mom’s. He grinned and squeezed my arm as I walked into the living room, but then he and Clint went to the porch.
I sat down next to Mom on the couch. “How was your day?”
She smiled. “Just fine dear. More importantly, how was your night?”
I shook my head and repeated her words. “‘Just fine,’ Mom.”
“C’mon. Throw an old girl a bone.”
I laughed. “I would do that if you weren’t my mother!”
“When’d you get so uptight? Wynnie would’ve told me every last detail.”
I looked at her askance for a moment and wondered if that were true. She would’ve told me everything, but we were sisters.
I sighed. “It was very nice, Mom. We went to the Kres.”
“Ooh, fancy! But a steak, no matter how rare, isn’t what put that rosy glow on your face.”
I groaned. “I shouldn’t have said anything!”
She gripped my arm. “Were you happy last night? Happier than you’ve been in a long time?”
I pressed my lips together because I was, and I hadn’t thought about any of my problems at all last night. All of which made me feel terribly guilty.
“Don’t look for guilt, Rae. I wanted you to go more than you did, so I’m rejoicing over here that you got a night out.” She squeezed my arm forcing me to look at her. “But next time, tell Clint to send Brock. Gabe thinks I’m a delicate flower, and I never got a chance to hear Brock’s stories from being in the Navy.”
I shook my head. “I’m not so sure there’s going to be a next time like that, but I’ll pass that along.”
“You’ll pass what along, hotshot?” Clint asked from the arm of the couch.
I grinned at him. “She wants Brock to baby-sit her next time.”
Seemed Gabe hadn’t left yet, like I thought, because he stopped in the middle of the hall putting a hand over his heart. “I’m hurt, Miss Penny. Where did I go wrong?”
“I’m sure everything was fine, Gabe,” I said.
He winked at me. “It was, but next time I’ll bring her some Beef Wellington. Anyway, I’m gonna see myself out since I gotta go. You ladies take care of yourselves. Later, Ramsey.”
Clint followed Gabe in order to lock the door behind him. As he came back, he said, “Sorry to tell you this Penny, but there are three huge games going on right now. So, we’re gonna watch some football.”
She hefted her weight out of the couch. “That’s fine, dear. Gabe kept me up late teaching me how to blend a mix and other things I’ll never remember, so I’m due for a nap. If we’re watching more football tonight, you can make up for it by getting some burgers. Raegan hasn’t let me have a decent cheeseburger in three weeks.”
I rolled my eyes. “That wasn’t really me, Mom as much as the fact there are no burgers in the house.”
She pointed a finger at me. “Which is why you have to run through the drive-thru. Wendy’s or Sonic, but I’m not picky.”
I turned a non-plussed look to Clint. “But she’s not picky. Nope. Not at all!”
Clint
BURGERS FOR DINNER sounded great, but I wasn’t going to a drive-thru if I could help it. Wynnie had bought a grill and used it frequently. The last time I swung by before her death, I noticed the grill needed cleaning and a cover for the winter. Since I hadn’t taken care of either of those things, I could clean up the grill in order to make burgers.
When I had the game on the TV, I turned to Raegan. “You ever use Instacart?”
“On occasion,” she said, tentatively.
I handed her my phone with the app pulled up. “Good. Get an order together for us. Buns, burgers, whatever condiments you don’t have on hand, and definitely a twelve-pack of beer unless you’re drinking something else tonight.”
She seemed a little annoyed with me based on the look she gave me. “Again with the bossy,” she muttered.
“Baby, it gets the job done. Besides, that grill hasn’t been cleaned since mid-August if I had to guess, and that will take at least until the groceries get here.”
Her expression turned apologetic. “You’re right, Clint. I’ll set up an order. Do you still put blue cheese on your burgers?”
I chuckled. “No. But a red onion and some sharp ched
dar would be nice.”
Twenty minutes later, I was spraying the grill grate with the hose when Raegan came out.
She stopped a few feet away from me. “You really don’t have to do this, you know.”
I straightened and narrowed my eyes. “We giving this another shot?”
Her chest moved with her deep breath. Then she whispered, “Yeah.”
I widened my eyes. “Then, yeah, I really do have to do this. You and your mother are not a burden. Not sure how to make you see that.”
Her head tilted a touch. “I didn’t say that, Clint. I’m just saying, you could have left us here and gotten take-out or something.”
The hose fell to ground and I strode the three feet between us, so I was in her space. “Did you miss what I said at my place? Until we find whoever’s after you, you’re not alone. That means, I’m not runnin’ off for take-out. Do you understand?”
She shook her head. “You think someone’s watching? Even now, on a Saturday afternoon?”
“Bet your sweet ass I do. For God’s sake, Rae, they took you from a Target parking lot. You think that was coincidence? No. So, yeah, I think someone’s watching.”
She held her hands up in front of her body. “Okay, all right. I’m sorry. I’ll go wait for the Instacart delivery.”
I shook my head. “Nothing to be sorry about, Rae. I just want to be sure you get how serious this is.”
She nodded. “Yeah. I do. It just slipped my mind after last night.”
LATER THAT NIGHT, I had a feeling something was wrong with Raegan. Dinner had been fine, and Penny’s day had been made with a fresh burger. Sometime between eating and her mother hitting the sack, Rae became preoccupied.
I turned off the football game and she looked at me. “What’s on your mind, Rae?”
She aimed an innocent look at me, and I gave her a look that said don’t lie to me. That made her sigh.
“Normally I love that you’re a great investigator, but I have to say, right now I hate it.”
I twirled my hand at her to keep speaking. She rolled her eyes, but I ignored it –though the thought of spanking her later ran through my mind.
“I just don’t understand what happened to Wynnie. And even if the investigation says it was an accident, I don’t believe that. And how am I going to get anyone to believe me?”
“Come over here.”
She sat down, and I arched a brow at her. “That’s not close enough for me, mamita,” I said, before my arms shot out to pull her snug to my side.
When I had us situated, she whispered, “Are you satisfied, now?”
“Maybe. But, Raegan, you need to hear this. I believe you. Hell, I never thought it was an accident either, and you won’t have to convince anyone. I’m going to take care of that.”
She leaned up. “Why would you do that?”
I tried not to glare at her, but it was a lost cause.
“Are you shitting me? Raegan, I’ve loved you almost since the day we met, seeing as you risked your job sticking up for me. That only grew stronger the longer we were together, and believe it or not, I fell in love with your family, too.”
Her brown eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “Clint,” she whispered.
“So, believe me when I tell you, I never bought the accidental death bullshit either. But not being a member of your family, I didn’t want to push that.”
Her brows knit. “What do you mean?”
“Someone insisting it’s not an accident will put Penny through a world of turmoil, and if she had a sense of closure, I didn’t want to be the one stirring that pot.”
She arched a brow at me. “You used to always stir the pot, and I doubt that’s changed.”
I smirked. “Good thing I didn’t leave you alone with Brock. He’s threatened to get me a t-shirt for as much as I stir shit up.”
She laughed, which made me feel good since that had been my aim. I hated seeing her with those tears in her eyes.
“That would make an excellent gag gift,” she muttered to my chest.
I cupped her chin with my hand tilting her face to meet my eyes.
“Don’t think you’re supposed to share that with me, sweetheart.”
A wan smile crossed her face. “I think you’re right.”
“Yeah.” I took in a very deep breath and exhaled. “I hate to say this, Raegan, but I think Wynnie’s death is related to your abduction. That wasn’t random, since they dropped you right at your mother’s door. The problem is that I have no fuckin’ clue who would have it out for both you and Wynnie.”
She looked past me for a moment. “Could it be mistaken identity?”
My head tilted to the side and back again, as I considered it. “I’d agree with that except you two couldn’t look any different from one another.”
She shook her head. “We weren’t twins, but she didn’t look that different from me.”
I shook my head. “Whatever. If someone killed her, it took serious premeditation since it looks like an accident. The only reason I don’t buy it is because not only was Wynnie an excellent swimmer, she taught aqua-aerobics and shit. She was certified to be in that water and knew how to save someone who couldn’t swim.”
“But bathtubs aren’t made for swimming,” she murmured.
I nodded. “Which is why it makes it so diabolical for whoever did it. If she was stressed out from caring for your mother –which she might well have been– then if she wanted to take her life, where else better than in the water, since she loved it so much?”
She leaned away. “Geez, I hadn’t even thought about it that way.”
I rubbed her back. “Nor should you have, Rae. You lost your only sister. That’s gonna take up the bulk of your headspace.”
Her face fell, and I felt like a dick.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to be so blunt.”
She shook her head. “No, that’s all right. You’re right. Which, deep down, is why I didn’t expect anyone to believe me. So, I can’t tell you how grateful I am to have you on our side, Clint.”
Chapter 17
Mr. Debenedetti Wants a Word
Raegan
I WOKE UP IN AN EMPTY bed on Sunday morning. As I propped myself up on an elbow, I heard the faint sound of the shower running from down the hall.
With a sigh, I slouched back into my pillow and tried to go back to sleep. After five minutes I knew it was a lost cause because my brain was off to the races. Rather than lounge in bed, I went to check on Mom. The house was a split floorplan, so I didn’t often hear her when she got up and around before me.
As I wandered into the kitchen, I saw she had just started the coffee. “Good morning, Mom.”
Her eyes met mine. “No shower shenanigans, eh?”
I closed my eyes and hung my head for a moment before I looked at her. “Seriously, Mom? I haven’t even had any coffee. And how can you be so nosy?”
She shrugged. “Vicarious living, dear. And for the record, I don’t recommend it.”
Strong arms slid around my belly before Clint rested his chin on my shoulder. “Good morning, Penny. You up for eating out this morning?”
She grinned. “You bet your bippy, I am.”
I turned my head while leaning back to take in his profile. “We’re eating out?”
He pecked my lips and I smelled his minty breath, making me self-conscious of my morning breath. He grinned. “We are if you can get ready in less than forty-five minutes.” He looked at Mom. “That goes for you too, missy, but if you need help... me or Rae are happy to do it.”
Pride ran in our family, if nothing else did, so Mom squared her shoulders and raised her chin at Clint. “I’ll be ready to go.”
TWO HOURS LATER, WE came back home from breakfast. I felt ten pounds heavier after the huge meal. Clint led the way to the front door. He opened the door and went stiff, with one arm reaching back to his waistband.
“Don’t bother, Ramsey,” a male voice said.
“T
here’s someone in the house,” Mom whispered.
“What in the fuck are you doin’ here?” Clint asked.
“Mr. Debenedetti wants a word.”
“And that required breaking and entering,” Clint demanded, his tone pissed off.
“It did. The sooner you and the Connelly women come inside the sooner this is done,” a different voice said.
“That can’t be,” Mom whispered.
I looked at her. “That can’t be what?”
She shook her head, set her walker to the side, and grabbed my arm –forcing me to go with her– as she started up the steps.
Clint glowered over his shoulder at us.
“Is that Tommy Debenedetti in there?” Mom asked.
Clint sighed. “How in the hell do you know—”
“Let’s go inside, and I’ll tell you how I know him,” Mom said.
I hustled down the steps to grab Mom’s walker, so I was behind everyone walking inside. In the foyer stood a hulking man in a dark suit. He had close-cropped dark hair, beady brown eyes, and a bulbous nose. His focus centered on Clint, and I knew there was bad blood between them.
Mom walked down the hallway with more spring in her step than I’d seen since Wynnie’s death.
An older gentleman in a suit preceded us into the living room and settled into the couch. He had olive skin, dark hair, and brown eyes. He smiled as Mom walked into the room, and a strange feeling hit me. I didn’t know how Mom knew him, but I felt like I should remember him.
“Penelope Connelly, it’s been too long,” he said, standing from the couch and reaching out to grab Mom’s forearms.
She leaned in and air-kissed both his cheeks. “Tommy, it’s good to see you, but Clint’s right. You shouldn’t have broken in.”
A charming smile crossed his face as he shrugged. “What can I say? Bad habits are hard to break.”
Clint stood behind the couch with his arms folded on his chest. “Hate to break up this happy reunion, but I’d much rather know why you’re here at all, seeing as you’re a known criminal.”
He speared Clint with his eyes. “Never been arrested, Ramsey.”
