Ghostly Serenade

by Colleen Helme

  “Oh… that makes sense now.” I felt bad that I’d messed up their plans. But why didn’t they tell me what was going on in the first place? Since it wouldn’t help to know at this point, I decided to let it go. It wasn’t worth it. Besides, I knew Uncle Joey wasn’t happy I was working with the police, and keeping me in the dark was probably his way of protecting me and him at the same time.

  “So what happened after Milo had you kidnapped?” Ramos asked. “I know he was setting a trap. Do you know what that was about?”

  I shook my head. “Not exactly. After I spoke with Uncle Joey on the phone, Milo wanted Enzo to kill me. Enzo figured it would be better to shoot me in front of Uncle Joey, so he didn’t go through with it. Then, next thing I know, Zio… he’s the assassin… and Enzo were taking me to the yacht. He told me their drug dealers were furious that they’d paid for worthless powder. That’s when Milo decided to use me to bargain with you for the drugs.”

  Just thinking about how close I came to dying caught my breath. “But how did Hawk know about my kidnapping?”

  Uncle Joey shook his head. “When Milo found out the drugs were fake, he called to make a deal with me. You for the drugs. That’s when we realized we needed Hawk on our side. Since he’d met Ramos, Ramos called Hawk and told him you’d been kidnapped for the drugs that we didn’t have. He asked him for his help, and he readily agreed.

  “Then we had Lucas call Hawk with the information that Tony had taken the drugs and they were in his apartment. Hawk went to the apartment, found the drugs, and worked with us to figure out a plan to exchange them for you and get Milo at the same time. So really… it’s Hawk who came to your rescue.”

  I chuckled. “Holy cow. That’s nuts. And Hawk doesn’t suspect a thing?”

  Uncle Joey shrugged. “I don’t know… he might, but I guess that’s something for you to find out. I’m just glad he was willing to help us out. I gather you told him about us, because he seemed to know more about us than we thought.”

  “Uh… yeah. I did mention that Milo had threatened you. I didn’t say you were in the business back home. But… on the bright side, it was a good thing I did, right?”

  Uncle Joey nodded, thinking he never would have wanted me to do that, but, in this case, it had worked in our favor. Who would have thought? “I guess it’s true that people on opposing sides can work together when they have a common enemy.”

  He was thinking that now he didn’t have to worry about Miguel living here, and that Maggie, along with Frank and Sylvie and their family, were finally safe. All in all, it had worked out pretty well. Except for me nearly getting killed. That had shaved a good ten years off his life.

  “Ready to go?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  We got back in the car, and I noticed the sky getting lighter in the east. Was it almost morning? I reached for my purse to check my phone and realized it wasn’t there. “Do we have time to get my purse?”

  “I’ll send someone for it in a few hours,” Uncle Joey said.

  I closed my eyes and sighed. “Okay. Thanks.”

  Ramos slipped his arm around me and pulled me close. I gave in and snuggled against him, grateful he’d come to my rescue. Once again, he’d helped save me, but, at least this time, he didn’t get hurt. I rested my head on his shoulder and breathed in his scent, relishing this small moment in time with him. Before I was ready, the car pulled to the curb, stopping in front of the hotel.

  “We’re here,” Ramos said, sorry to let me go.

  I smiled and tilted my face toward his, only to find his lips tantalizingly close. My breath caught and I froze. The doorman opened our car door, breaking the spell, and I pulled away. Ramos let out a sigh, and scooted out of the car behind Uncle Joey.

  He took my hand and helped me out, then snaked his arm around my waist to walk me inside the hotel. Grateful to make it back in one piece, I breathed in the wonderful hotel scent. What a night.

  Uncle Joey stopped in front of the main desk and turned toward me. “Get some rest. I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”

  “Okay. Uh… thanks for coming. Both of you.”

  Ramos sent me a rueful smile, thinking that I shouldn’t be thanking him, since it was a no-brainer, but it was nice to hear it just the same. He walked me to the elevator and pushed the button, thinking he probably shouldn’t tease me right now, but it looked like I owed him again… and he looked forward to collecting.

  The elevator opened. With a twist of my lips, I stepped inside.

  “Can you make it from here?” he asked, more than willing to take me all the way… to my door.

  “Uh… yes. I’m good.” Heat flooded my face, and I jabbed the elevator button for my floor. As the door slid shut, I sent him a big grin and shook my head.

  I stepped out on my floor and shambled to my door. Once there, I realized I didn’t have a key to get in. With a frustrated sigh, I lightly rapped on the door. I waited, but nothing happened, so I knocked again, only louder.

  “Josh? Can you open the door? It’s me.” Still nothing. Now what? I turned to head down to the front desk for a key and heard the lock click.

  The door opened, but, instead of Josh, Chris stood there, rubbing his eyes. “Shelby? What time is it?”

  I stepped inside before answering. “Late.” I fell into his arms, and he held me close.

  “Where have you been?” he asked. Josh stirred on the couch, so he led me into our room and shut the door.

  Fully awake, Chris checked the time. “It’s six-thirty in the morning. What happened? Manetto told me you were helping him, but I’ve been so worried that I’ve hardly slept.”

  All I wanted to do was climb into bed and hold him close, but Chris needed to know what had happened and it couldn’t wait. I sat on the bed and kicked off my shoes. With a sigh, I fell back on the pillows and shut my eyes. “Come here, and I’ll tell you.”

  He lay down beside me, and I snuggled into his chest. I started my explanation right after my phone call to him, and told him all about the drug sting, and how we’d found Tony in the small boat with the money. I got to the part where Tony died in the hospital before my words began to slur, and I fell asleep.

  I woke a few hours later to find filtered sunlight spilling through the curtains. I heard Chris taking a shower and checked the clock. It was eight-thirty. I’d slept for about two hours. Still exhausted, I debated whether I should get up or go back to sleep.

  This was our last day here, and I’d missed most of this vacation with my family, so I should probably get up. But I just couldn’t get my legs to move. The shower turned off and, a minute later, Chris came in from the bathroom, wearing nothing but a towel.

  I admired his toned arms and chest. He’d even lost a little weight, and his workouts had paid off with a flat stomach and semi-defined abs. He caught me staring and sent me a sexy smile.

  I smiled back. “Oh baby, oh baby.”

  He came back to bed, dropping the towel before climbing in beside me. “I’ve missed you.”

  “Mmm… I’ve missed you too.” He caught my lips in a searing kiss, and I savored the feel of his warm body against mine. This was a good sign that he wasn’t too upset with me, and I relaxed against him.

  “You never finished telling me what happened last night,” he said, pulling away to kiss my shoulder.

  “I didn’t?”

  “No, you feel asleep right after the part where Tony died.”

  “Dang. So you don’t know about the kidnapping or the drug exchange?”

  Chris froze. “What kidnapping?” I didn’t answer right away, so he leveraged onto his elbows to look me in the eyes. “You? You got kidnapped? Holy hell.”

  “Uh… yeah… but it all worked out. You don’t have to be upset.”

  Chris let out a breath and flopped back down beside me. I snuggled next to him and finished the story. It took a long time to explain everything, but he only interrupted me a couple of times to clarify a few details. When I got done, he cou
ld hardly believe that Uncle Joey had pulled it off.

  “So the Bilottis are in jail?”

  “Yeah… well, I think Milo’s still in the hospital, but he’ll be going to jail once he’s better.”

  “No wonder you were gone all night. You must be exhausted.”

  “Yeah… but it feels so good to be here with you. It was horrible. Zio kept grabbing my arm and squeezing. I thought for sure my stitches would tear out again.”

  “Zio? So he’s the assassin? He’s dead, right?”

  “Yeah. Ramos killed him.”

  “Good.” Chris thought there were times it was nice to have a hitman for a friend, even if he seemed a little too friendly at times.

  I reached up to kiss him, wanting him to know how much I loved him. He pulled me close, and my heart quickened. I rubbed my hands along his back, feeling his smooth skin and taut muscles.

  A knock sounded at the door. “Mom? Dad?” Savannah called. “Are you guys ready yet? It’s time for breakfast.”

  Chris let out an exasperated breath, thinking about sending the kids on to breakfast without us. That sounded nice, but probably not a good idea on our last morning here.

  “I just have to take a quick shower,” I answered. “Is Josh up?”

  “Yeah… he’s in the bathroom. Just hurry, okay?”

  “Sure.” With regret, I disentangled myself from Chris and got out of bed. “Tonight,” I whispered, giving him a tender kiss. He nodded, full of hope, but not convinced it would really happen. I sent him a smile and hurried into the bathroom.

  After my shower, Chris helped me put a new bandage on my arm, shocked at how bruised and swollen it was. It angered him that I’d been hurt so badly. He took a couple of deep breaths to calm down.

  “Hey,” I said, kissing him. “It will heal, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  I dressed in my last clean shirt and jeans, grateful for something I hadn’t worn yet for our last day. We made it to breakfast later than normal, but we still found Uncle Joey there with Jackie, Miguel and Maggie.

  Uncle Joey didn’t look too worse for the wear, and he greeted us with a warm smile. “Miguel has the day off,” he announced. “So we’ve got more time together.”

  “That’s great,” Savannah said, her enthusiasm mirrored in her shining eyes. “But what about Mom? Is it safe for her? Can we go where we want?”

  “Yes,” Uncle Joey said. “That matter has been dealt with. You don’t have to worry.”

  “Oh good.” She smiled, glad she could make the most of her last day here, and happy nothing was going to ruin it… like me. Her trust in Uncle Joey shouldn’t have surprised me. After all, he was practically invincible.

  I picked up that he’d told Jackie and Miguel that Milo and Enzo Bilotti were in custody and would both be facing criminal charges. He hadn’t told them all the details, like I’d told Chris, but he’d told them enough that they understood the Bilottis weren’t going to be a problem… now or ever.

  Realization that it was finally over hit me like a ton of bricks, and I slumped into my seat. My head swam for a moment, probably due to the fear and exhaustion of the last day and a half. Once my vision cleared, I found it hard to believe that everything was really back to normal.

  Or was it? I waited for the other shoe to drop. When nothing happened, I let out a breath. What can I say? After everything I’d been through, it never seemed like trouble was far away. But at least for now, the worst of it was over, right?

  I relaxed enough to eat my breakfast, deciding to enjoy one last day of being waited on, and not cooking. Even better, we didn’t have to pay for any of it. I should probably feel guilty for taking advantage of Uncle Joey. But, after all I’d done for Uncle Joey, I figured it was a fair trade.

  I took a bite of toast and watched Flint as he came toward our table. My stomach filled with apprehension. What did he want? Had something bad happened? He came straight to my side and handed me my purse. “Oh. Thanks.”

  He nodded and quickly left. I glanced at Uncle Joey who smiled and gave me a nod. I smiled back and mouthed ‘thanks’ before looking through my purse. Everything was intact. Even my stun flashlight was still there. I pulled out my phone to find I’d missed several calls, a couple from Chris and more from Hawk, all from last night.

  As I slipped it back into my purse, it began to ring, and Hawk’s name flashed on the caller ID. “Excuse me,” I said, standing from the table. Now what? As dread pooled in my stomach, I walked toward the lobby. “Hello?”

  “Shelby. I didn’t know if you had your phone.”

  “Yeah. I just got it a few minutes ago.”

  “Good. I’m calling to see how you’re doing, and to apologize. Do you have a minute to talk?”

  “So everything’s okay?” I asked.

  “Uh… yeah,” he answered. “I’m just outside the hotel in my car. Can you come out?”

  “Oh… you’re here. Sure. I’ll be right out. Or… do you want to come in? The lobby’s beautiful, and there are couches we can sit on.”

  “Uh… is Manetto there? I’d rather not run into him, if that’s okay.”

  “Oh… got it. Sure, I’ll be right out.”

  I walked out to the street and found Hawk in his car. He opened the passenger door from the inside, and I slid in. “Thanks for coming.”

  I nodded, but picked up that Hawk had some troubling news. “Wait. So there’s something wrong? What is it?”

  He let out a breath. “First, I wanted to apologize. I shouldn’t have let you out of my sight last night. It’s my fault they took you, and I’m sorry it happened.”

  I shook my head. “Well, to be honest, I wouldn’t say it was totally your fault. Besides, Uncle Joey told me it was because of you that he was able to negotiate with the Bilottis, so, in a sense, you saved my life.”

  He shook his head. “No I didn’t. You and I both know that your uncle was the mastermind behind all of that.” At my raised brows, he shook his head. “But that’s not important. We got the Bilottis and all the evidence we need to put them away. It’s a big deal, and Chief Wallace is really happy about that.”

  “Then what’s wrong?”

  “Milo Bilotti came through surgery just fine, but… he died early this morning. They’ve decided that his death was due to complications of his wounds and the surgery, but I think he was murdered.”

  My breath caught, and I shook my head. “Are you implying something?”

  He was thinking that my uncle certainly had motive, and he wouldn’t put it past him to arrange it. “Look, I know Milo was a bad guy. He deserved to die, and I’m not going to investigate any further into his death. I just wanted you to know. Your uncle… and the people who work for him… I just wanted you to know who you’re dealing with.”

  He was pretty sure Ramos had killed the hitman, and it probably wasn’t in self-defense. So it followed that he could have killed Milo, too.

  “Thanks Hawk. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”

  He nodded, but his eyes were sad. He felt like he’d let me down. I was a good person, and, after all I’d been through, he worried that I might end up dead, just like Milo, and who knew how many others. It would be a sad day if working for the Manettos got me killed. He hoped I knew what I was doing.

  “Hey. Stop that. I’m not dead yet, and I’m not planning on dying anytime soon, okay?”

  His eyes widened. I’d done it again. “Hmm… you have a point. I keep forgetting about your super psychic powers. They help you out a lot, right?”

  I chuckled. “Yes. You can say that. And… just between you and me, it wasn’t Ramos or even Uncle Joey who killed Milo.”

  “How do you know?”

  I pointed at my head. “I just know.”

  He blew out a breath. “Okay… if you say so. Thanks Shelby. It was nice to work with you. If you’re ever back here in New York—”

  “Nope. If I come back, it will be for a vacation and nothing else.”

  He laug
hed. “I was just going to tell you to stop by and say hello, that’s all.”

  “Right.” He was mostly telling the truth, but he didn’t rule out asking for my help if he needed it. Since I was such a nice person, that meant he could probably talk me into it.

  I shook my head. “Bye Hawk. Take care of yourself, okay?”

  “Sure… you too.” I got out of the car and turned to wave before he pulled into the street.

  I made it back to our table just as Syd, along with Frank and Sylvie, stopped by. Sylvie wanted us to know they had plans for a big dinner with the whole Manetto family that night.

  She pinned Uncle Joey with a stern gaze. “And I don’t want any interruptions. This is family time: no working, or work-related distractions.” Whoa, she didn’t hold back, and it kind of surprised everyone.

  Uncle Joey’s brows rose, but he shrugged. “Sure. That’s fine by me.”

  “Good.”

  As we planned out the day’s activities, I pulled Uncle Joey aside and told him about Hawk’s visit and Milo’s death. His brows rose with surprise, and I picked up that he had no idea Milo was dead, and he wasn’t involved. Still, it troubled him. Was there someone else who’d wanted him dead? “That’s interesting. Did he think I had something to do with it?”

  “Yeah, but I told him you didn’t.”

  He snorted. “Why would he believe you?”

  I shrugged. “I told him I knew because of my premonitions. He believed me. Why wouldn’t he? It’s the truth.”

  “Thanks Shelby,” he said. “I might have to look into it, just to be on the safe side. In the meantime, we’d better get back to the family if we want a say in what we do today.”

  “True, but I’m hoping for a nap.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, me too.”

  As we joined them, I picked up a sense of camaraderie that wasn’t there when we first arrived. Gone was the awkwardness of pretending to be related. We were like a real family with all the familiarity that went with it.

  Maggie wanted us to visit her church before we left for home, so that was our first stop. After that, we’d go to Rockefeller Center and see the many things offered there. Hopefully, sometime before dinner, I’d get my chance for that nap I wanted.