by Lisa Olsen
“You look like a reporter. No reporters.”
“Well, we tried,” Nick said, touching her elbow. Annaliese shook him off, leaning up on her tip toes to get closer to the guy.
“Tell him…” The last few words were lost in a whisper even though Nick found himself leaning forward too, straining to hear. The bouncer’s brows both came up in doubt.
“You want me to say what?”
“Just tell him, he’ll want to see me. I guarantee it.”
The burly man let out a long breath and trundled back to the door, knocking respectfully before disappearing inside.
“What did you say to him?” Veronica hissed as soon as he was gone, but Annaliese would only wink in reply. Nick was starting to think they were out of luck when the door opened again, but instead of the brawny guard, the man himself emerged, his face split with a wide smile.
“Anna, is that really you?” he grinned, ignoring the clamor of fans that hopped to their feet at his appearance. Jax May only had eyes for one woman, whose face lit up with a delighted smile in return. Annaliese bounced on the balls of her feet as he started toward her and enveloped her in a huge bear hug, their laughter mingling as the pair of security guards kept the rest of the rabble at bay. Unfortunately, that included both Nick and Veronica.
“And here I thought you wouldn’t remember me,” she grinned when he finally let go of her long enough to get a good look at her.
“No chance of that,” he beamed. “Come on inside, let’s catch up.” May was already tugging her toward his room when Annaliese turned back.
“Oh… wait. I’d like to introduce Nick and Veronica.” She held her ground, gesturing to the pair who were allowed to pass through. Promptly, she drew Veronica to her side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to bring her closer.
Jax stared at Nick in dismay. “Holy shit, husband and…” His face crinkled when he got a closer look at Veronica before turning back to Anna. “There’s no way you’re old enough to be her mom.”
“No, Nick’s just a friend.” Annaliese shook her head.
Just a friend? Nick bristled, disgruntled over the designation. Maybe boyfriend was a juvenile term, but they were definitely closer than friends. “And Veronica is my daughter,” he supplied.
“Oh, that I can believe,” Jax replied with a touch of asshattery to Nick’s way of thinking. “Nice to meet you,” he smiled at Veronica, who blushed three shades of red.
“Nice to meet me too, I mean you. I mean…” she stumbled over her words, but Jax was already looking back at Annaliese again.
“Come in, come in…” He herded them inside the room as he noticed the fans in the hallway snapping away on their phones. “You know you’re going to end up on the front page of the Oregonian tomorrow as my secret lover, right?” he quipped after the door was firmly shut.
“I’ve been called worse things before,” Annaliese smiled, leading them deeper into the room.
The hotel suite was easily the nicest Nick had ever been in before. On a cop’s salary, his hotel stays usually involved a lumpy bed and a clunky old TV bolted to the dresser. This place was bigger than his first apartment, with a swanky living room set gathered before a gas fireplace and high end dining for six at the adjoining table. Industrial track lighting highlighted the works of art on the wall, which were bizarre enough to probably be very expensive. An enormous bowl of bright green apples sat on the coffee table and Nick picked one up, polishing it on his sleeve. After all, his dinner had been mostly vegetables and they’d never gotten to the tiramisu.
“Why are you dressed like the lady on a box of oranges?”
Nick could see she’d forgotten she was dressed like a gypsy. “It was a… never mind, it’s not important,” Annaliese waved it away. “You… look fantastic.”
Dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that said I’m not dead yet, Jax May looked less like a rock star and more like a regular guy – albeit not the kind of guy that Nick would normally hang out with. There was something about him… he could see why it joggled the creep-meter for Natalie too. But was he a killer?
“God, I can’t get over the fact that you’re here,” Jax said, plopping down on the couch and patting the seat beside him. Annaliese took it, with Veronica on her other side, leaving Nick the odd man out on the neighboring chair.
“I know, it’s been a long time since you came back to town. Or… maybe you did and I missed it.” There was a hint of censure to her voice, as if Annaliese was disappointed he didn’t call.
“No, I’ve been holed up in L.A. most of the time.”
“We used to live in L.A.,” Veronica piped up, though Jax didn’t take his eyes off of Anna.
“What brings you back up to Portland?” Nick asked, unable to keep from questioning him. “Isn’t the music scene bigger down in California?”
“It is, but we tour all over.”
“Funny, this trip seems like more of a last minute decision to me. Veronica, didn’t you say the tickets go on sale tomorrow? Aren’t they usually sold out weeks before the event?” Veronica gave him a blank look, not quite sure where he was going with the question, but Jax took it in stride.
“Ah, it was sort of a last minute decision. Ruby and I wanted a change of pace.”
“I’ll bet your L.A. fans were disappointed,” Nick continued with a genial smile. “I heard you had to cancel your show down at the Greek.” One of the things his Google searches had turned up during his slow afternoon at work.
“It’s the nature of the business, change happens. Everyone who bought a ticket will get a refund and I’m sure we’ll be back down there before too long.”
“After your business up here is finished?”
“Maybe. We’re sort of playing things by ear right now while Gideon’s cooking up some new deals.”
“That’s Gideon Strong, your manager?”
“Yes.”
“So he’s the one who decides your itinerary, is that correct?”
“That’s right.” Jax’s brows twitched closer together and he looked to Annaliese. “What’s with the third degree?”
“You’ll have to excuse Nick, he’s never quite gotten the hang of polite conversation,” Annaliese said with a pointed smile.
“He should remember what happened to the cat,” Jax muttered, shifting in his seat to turn more completely toward Annaliese, shutting Nick out of the conversation. Nick bristled at the almost threat, but kept his tongue trapped firmly inside his mouth, switching to observatory mode before he popped the guy.
“What have you been up to lately?” Jax continued as if he and Anna were alone. “Did you end up getting your degree in psychology? Are you Dr. Apples now?”
“Apples?” Nick prompted, and maybe it was the lighting, but he could’ve sworn a blush crept into Anna’s cheeks.
“That’s what he used to call me.”
“Because she always has apples in her cheeks and she’s sweet to boot,” Jax grinned.
“Cute.” Nick tossed the green fruit back in the bowl, suddenly losing his appetite.
Annaliese returned his smile. “I did, but no doctorate. Actually, I have my own business. It’s a metaphysical gift shop. You know, charms and spell components, books on magic and spiritual growth.”
“No shit, really?”
Nick could see she wasn’t sure how to take Jax’s remark. “Yes, really. There’s a fairly active pagan community here, and I’m happy to have found my niche.”
“No, that’s good, I’m glad you found something that makes you happy,” Jax backpedalled quickly. “I just never expected you to be into that stuff.”
“It’s super cool,” Veronica agreed, no less adoring of her rock idol even though he’d barely looked at her twice. “They have all the best jewelry and the people are super nice.”
“My customers are pretty nice too,” Annaliese smiled, giving her shoulder a friendly pat.
“What have you been up to lately?” Nick pressed, turning the conversat
ion back to May. “Besides performing?”
“There hasn’t been that much for me lately besides the music. I mean you think that crowd out there is bad, we get twice that at the property gates every day down in Los Angeles. That’s part of why we wanted to come up here, to relax a while, away from the game. I’m hoping we’re here long enough for us to fall out of the local newscast.”
Fat chance of that if the murders followed them, Nick considered. “Then you intend to be here for a while?”
“Like I said, it’s up in the air right now. What are you a reporter or something?” Jax shot Anna an uneasy look. “’Cause that wouldn’t be too cool.”
“No, he’s not a reporter, Jax. Nick’s a…”
“I’m just nosy is all,” Nick cut her off, not wanting her to spill the beans about him being a cop yet. “Sorry about that.” He made a motion of zipping his lips closed and locking them shut.
Jax stared at him long and hard before turning back to Anna again. “We should definitely spend some time together while we’re here,” he pressed. “We can go out for drinks, dancing… you name it, Apples.”
“Actually, I thought I’d invite you guys over for a home cooked meal if you’re not too busy,” Annaliese suggested and Nick wondered if that invitation included him.
Jax’s eyes widened. “Lasagna?”
“You got it.”
“Then I’ll definitely be there. How about tomorrow night?”
“I’m free,” Veronica muttered, not that anyone noticed, and Nick traded a commiserating smile with her.
“Oh, but Ruby stopped eating meat,” Jax added with a roll of the eyes.
“I’ll make a special pan for her and Veronica then.”
So they were invited. “Sounds like a plan,” Nick smiled, even more so when the guy stood. The night couldn’t be over too quickly in his estimation.
Instead, Jax went to the door to the adjoining suite. “I’ll see if Ruby’s free. Half the time I can’t even get her to eat more than a smoothie, she says regular food goes right to her ass. But I’m betting she’ll want to see you.”
Chapter Four
After a brief rap on the door he opened it, giving Nick a straight view of Ruby in the middle of a transaction with a short man dressed in jeans and a leather jacket.
The guy was reed thin with patchy hair on his head, as though he’d lost a bet with a pair of clippers, and a wispy beard. Transaction immediately came to mind as Nick saw an exchange of money, though he couldn’t see for what. One look at the guy and his instincts screamed drugs, he would’ve bet money on it.
Jax gave a couple of low commands and the guy split, leaving him in a hushed conversation with his sister that she looked none too pleased to be involved in.
Ruby May looked nothing like her twin brother in Nick’s opinion. Hair, dyed a shiny blue-black, fell without a single wave or curl to frame the sides of her face, bangs cut high on her forehead in a Bettie Page style. Dark eyes flicked in their direction and Nick thought he saw her lip curl in distaste, but it was gone a second later.
While Jax was dressed casual for hanging around the hotel room, Ruby looked like she was ready to hop up on stage. Legs mostly bare under a short leather mini-skirt and torn fishnets, her boots boasted several inches of heel. Her top a red plaid corset with a row of buckles down the middle and thin spaghetti straps. Her makeup wasn’t too outlandish, but her pouting lips were stained a vibrant red.
Whatever Jax said to her seemed to do the trick and she followed him into the room, but not before stopping out of sight for a few moments. Hiding her stash?
“Here she is,” Jax announced with cheer that sounded slightly forced. Taking his seat beside Annaliese again, he left Ruby searching for somewhere to sit.
“Here, you can have my seat,” Nick offered immediately, rising from his chair only to have her wave him off.
“Aren’t you a charmer?” she said with a bleary grin. “But I’m good.” She was definitely high on something. Her eyes were glassy and vacant as she insinuated herself between Jax and Annaliese on the couch. Was it to annoy her brother? It sure as hell wasn’t to be close to Annaliese, who she turned her back on almost immediately. “Make me some chamomile tea for my voice,” she demanded of Jax with a petulant whine.
“Why didn’t you make it before you came over?”
“Because I ran out in my room.”
“There’s some on the counter right over there,” Jax said with a wave of his thumb, more interested in trying to catch Anna’s eye over Ruby’s shoulder.
“I’ll make it,” Veronica volunteered, happy to draw the attention of the singer who gave her a dazzling smile.
“Thanks, cupcake.” Ruby wiggled her behind, settling deeper into the couch, forcing Annaliese to scoot farther away into the space Veronica vacated. “So… who all do we have here?” She looked to Nick with mild curiosity.
“Annaliese was kind enough to bring my daughter Veronica up to meet you, she’s a huge fan.”
“And you are?”
“Nick… Gibson, Annie’s my girl.” Did you really call a twenty-eight year old woman your girl? He looked to see if he’d overstepped his bounds, but Anna’s face didn’t give anything away. Not so for Jax, who suddenly looked at Nick as if for the first time, assessing the competition.
“Oh, the two of you are sweeties? How… sweet,” she smiled, unable to come up with a better word. Ruby’s head hit the back of the couch as if it was too heavy to keep upright a moment longer. It lolled in Anna’s direction. “I don’t suppose you’ve got Rose’s number. I sort of lost track of it over the years, but now that I’m in town it might be fun to get the old group together, don’t you think?”
“Actually, I do.” Annaliese dug around in her purse looking for a pen and paper until Nick tore a sheet off from the notebook he always carried with him and handed it over with a stub of pencil. He probably could’ve written the number out for her, but he was too interested in watching the interplay between siblings. Ruby seemed to have relaxed, her body sliding back to rest against her brother’s. His arm wrapped around her almost protectively along the back of the couch, though his attention still seemed largely focused on Anna, who handed over the scrap of paper.
“I think she’ll be glad to hear from you.”
“So, you know Rose too? Nick hadn’t realized their friendships had all gone that far back.
“We were real close once,” Ruby said thoughtfully, folding the note and tapping it against her lips, which stained the paper red. “But that was a long time ago. What about the two of you? How long have you been going steady?”
“I wouldn’t call it…” Anna started to say even as Nick replied.
“For almost a year.”
Ruby’s eyes widened. “A year. That sounds serious. How long did the two of you date back in the day?” She craned her head back to look at her brother.
“I don’t remember exactly.”
“About nine months,” Anna volunteered.
Both Jax and Ruby replied at the same time with the exact same words. “It felt like longer.”
“Creepy…” Nick breathed. One of those twin things, he supposed. “Were you both in a band back then?”
An awkward silence stretched between them as they both seemed too preoccupied with other thoughts to reply. But then Ruby snapped out of it. “Nothing serious, we were just fucking around back then, finding our sound.”
“They performed at the school’s talent show though, they were great,” said Annaliese. “Endless Love, wasn’t it?”
Ruby dissolved into giggles. “That’s right, Endless Love. Principle Givens about shit his pants when we sang it to each other, remember? We started getting looks from our teachers after that performance. Whispers of twincest and all that.”
“That’s right,” Jax snapped his fingers at the sudden memory. “It’s okay to love your sister, just don’t love your sister,” he chuckled.
Nick traded a wide eyed look with Veronica fr
om across the room. He could guess what that meant even though he’d never heard the term before. The pair certainly were comfortable with each other, but were they truly too close for comfort? Annaliese didn’t seem to think it was anything other than amusing though, and that set his mind at ease more than anything else.
“How long have you been performing?” he asked, clearing his throat to get their attention as they reminisced about something he couldn’t follow between all the inside references.
This time it was Jax who replied. “All my life.”
“I meant professionally.”
“That depends on which critics you ask,” he smirked.
“Here you go, chamomile tea,” Veronica declared brightly, carefully carrying the mug over. “Do you like anything else in it? Sugar or honey?”
“No thanks, cupcake, I’m sweet enough as it is,” she winked, taking the cup slowly, keeping Veronica in the awkward position for an extra beat. Was it just him, or was Ruby looking down his baby girl’s top as she bent to hand it over?
“Here, why don’t you take my seat,” Nick said, patting his chair as he rose. “If you don’t mind I’d like to use your bathroom?” Jax gave him a disinterested wave, already leading Annaliese into another round of remember when. Taking the opportunity to slip away, Nick shut himself into the bathroom to step up his sleuthing.
All he’d gotten from his conversation with the guy was that he was borderline creepy at best and definitely still into Annaliese, which made him want to nail the guy in the worst way. That meant dredging up some kind of hard evidence before he wore out his welcome. Because from the way Jax was making eyes at his girl, it was a sure bet that Nick wouldn’t be invited to the next reunion.
The spacious bathroom was messy, the counter littered with more beauty products than Veronica’s, which was saying something. Hair putty, exfoliating scrub, under eye gel… in a business where how you looked was at least as important as how you sounded, he could see the need for it.
Counting on the noise of the fan to cover the sounds of his search, he looked through the entire contents of May’s beauty regimen. There were also two prescription bottles – one for a sleeping aid to counter insomnia and one for anxiety. Nick took pictures of both labels with his phone in case it became important later. Nothing leapt out at him as incriminating until he pawed through his shaving kit and hit the jackpot.