Kiss the Witch Goodbye

by Lisa Olsen

  Annaliese was going to kill him on so many levels.

  * * *

  Pressed with his regular work load, Nick wasn’t able to call Annaliese until well after lunchtime, only then sitting down for a few minutes to wolf down a sandwich and catch his breath. Half a sub still lodged in his throat, he dialed her cell, prepared to leave a message if she didn’t pick up. Instead, she answered after the second ring.

  “Hey, Nick, I’m glad you called. Listen, about tonight…” she started to say but Nick butted in, swallowing hard.

  “Oh, you know, I think I’m going to give it a pass.” He tried hard to make his voice sound light, not in the mood to get into another argument. “You’ll have a better time catching up with him without me there anyway, and I’m not sure I want V exposed to those two.”

  “Why not?”

  “They’re weird. That whole brother-sister-love-your-sister thing.” Nick made a noise halfway between a gag and a shudder, and Annaliese laughed.

  “Oh, come on, that’s just their sense of humor. They’re twins, they’re close, but they’re not that close.”

  “You sure about that?”

  “Trust me.”

  “I do. But I still think you’ll have a better time with out an old man like me hanging around.” He waited for her to contradict him on the old man part, but instead she let him off the hook.

  “Actually, I was about to say that Jax had to cancel anyway. Something suddenly came up that he couldn’t miss and I had to take a rain check.”

  “Aw, that’s too bad.”

  “I can tell you’re all broken up about it,” Anna snorted, and Nick seized the opportunity to make the cancellation work in his favor.

  “How about you come by our place tonight as a consolation prize?” He stood a much better chance at wangling an invitation to Rose’s party in person.

  “That sounds like an offer I can’t refuse. But no silly costumes this time.”

  “And here I’ve been dying to try out my babushka,” he quipped, flashing Captain Quinn a hand signal that he’d be off the phone in two minutes. “We’ll do something simple, I promise.”

  “How about I pick up a pizza on the way over tonight?”

  “Flying Pie?”

  “Of course.”

  “You’ve got a deal. I won’t even play Dean Martin. Listen, I’ve gotta run. I’ll see you tonight.”

  “Okay, love you, bye.”

  “Yep, bye.” Nick stared at the phone for long seconds after he’d hung up. Had she said she loved him? It hadn’t registered in time before he put the handset down, already thinking about getting into the Captain’s office for a briefing. How could he have hung up on her after something like that! Should he call her back? Should he apologize? Should he say he loved her too? Would she remember to leave the onions off the pizza?

  His thoughts all a jumble, he sat in stunned silence until Quinn stuck his head out of his office, stern features schooled into a mask of disapproval.

  “Gibson, while we’re young?”

  “Right, coming,” Nick called out. Tossing the remains of his lunch into the trash, he hurried into the boss-man’s crowded office, but his mind wasn’t on the spiel about the new requisition procedure for ammunition. Instead, he replayed Annaliese’s inflection of those two little words over and over again. They’d been hurried and off the cuff, like she’d said them a hundred times before, hadn’t they? It wasn’t the romantic gesture he’d been working himself up to or any kind of declaration at all, really. What if it’d slipped out by mistake? What if he made a big deal about it and it turned out it was a slip of the tongue?

  “You’ll take care of that, won’t you, Gibson?” Captain Quinn’s use of his name drew a comically slow double take from Nick.

  “Wha… yeah, of course. I’m on it, Cap’n,” Nick agreed, collaring Park and Brady the instant they left the office. “What am I doing?”

  Brady came to his rescue. “Calling your buddy Troyer at the East precinct and asking him for a copy of their ammo recs so we can modify them and use them here.”

  “Oh, I can do that, no problem.” For a moment there he’d been afraid he’d volunteered for a presentation on stranger danger for the local Wilderness Girls again.

  So many cookies.

  “I’ll take care of it for you, sir,” Park offered. “I’ll ask Nelson to email it over.”

  “Thanks.” Nick flashed her a grin before her words caught up with him. “Why would you be talking to Nelson exactly?” The younger detective’s head ducked down, lips twitching as she struggled for a quick response. “No…. you and Nelson?” Nick’s mouth fell open in shock. “That guy’s a total assclown.”

  “He’s not an ass… clown, sir,” she objected, her cheeks coloring, chewing out the words with distaste. “Travis is something of an acquired taste, I’ll grant you.”

  “Yeah, like Rocky Mountain oysters,” Brady snickered.

  “Some people call those a delicacy.”

  “I’m still not putting any kind of balls in my mouth, but we’re talking about Park’s social life, not mine.”

  “So, how long have you been playing circus games with the assclown, Shellybelly?” Nick asked, drawing her attention back to him before Brady said anything else that earned him a belt to the Adam’s apple.

  “If the two of you are finished, I’ll have him get us the information.” Park stalked away without another word.

  “She seriously hates it when you call her Shellybelly,” Brady pointed out and Nick clapped him on the back.

  “Better she hate me for that than hate you for that crack about his balls in her mouth. You’re the one who has to hit the pavement with her on those composite sketches down by the river, which is where you’re headed right now.”

  “What about you? Aren’t you coming too?”

  “Nope. I’ve got to get down to the printers about getting those flyers made up with the reward info and make some calls about getting it on all the news channels.”

  “That won’t take you that long. How about I go run those errands and you hit the streets with Park?”

  “No dice, kid. I’ve already sacrificed my shoe leather for the cause. My seniority says you’re the one who’ll end up with flat feet tonight. I’ve got a date with my two favorite girls,” Nick winked, grinning when Brady grumbled.

  “That’s illegal in most states.”

  “Only if you marry them.”

  Marry them. Her. Marry her. Marry Annaliese. Was that where this was headed? Did she want to get married or would a proposal scare her off? Nick knew she’d been married before and wasn’t a fan of the convention. But was it time to take the next step?

  * * *

  Despite his best efforts to leave work early, Nick kept getting roped into one more signature, reviewing one more report, taking one more call, until he excused himself to go to the restroom and snuck out the fire escape stairwell. “Really not what I wanted to be doing tonight,” he grumbled, shoes echoing on the metal stairs.

  It wasn’t that he minded the late hours on most nights, but he wanted Annaliese in a receptive mood for his request, and making her and Veronica sit around while the pizza grew cold wasn’t the best way to go about that.

  It turned out he didn’t have to worry on that score. By the time he made it into the house, the pizza was half gone, both girls staring up at him with innocent (and well fed) smiles when he pointed at the half empty box.

  “We couldn’t wait for you any longer,” Annaliese explained, already loading up a plate for him to reheat in the microwave. “V’s got a date tonight.”

  The pizza forgotten, Nick’s brows twitched together at the aforementioned date. “I don’t remember anything about a date tonight.”

  “That’s because I’m telling you about it now,” Veronica pointed out, tossing away the garbage.

  “That’s not our arrangement. You know I’m supposed to meet all gentleman callers before any night time dates. You’re to bring them before m
e with plenty of notice for me to get out my gun collection. Has this one submitted to a DNA sample yet?”

  “Very funny,” Veronica smirked. “You’ve met Dave before, you already ran a background check on him and he came through with flying colors.”

  “I did?”

  “You did. Now can I go get ready for my date? He’s taking me out to Azteca for dinner.”

  “Why are you eating my delicious pizza if he’s taking you out to eat?”

  Veronica fixed him with a withering stare. “I can’t let him watch me eat, this is only our fifth date.”

  “Ah…” Nick gave up on trying to follow the logic of that and waved her off. “Okay then, have fun.”

  Annaliese’s words of love returned to his thoughts as she moved around his kitchen, getting him a beer and his reheated pizza with crushed red pepper flakes, the way he liked it. Should he say something or ignore it?

  “Rough day today?” she asked, setting the food down at the table for him.

  “Not too bad. Nobody died, that’s always a success.”

  “Redefining my definition of success,” she chuckled. “I’ll have to remember that when I’m complaining about taking inventory.”

  She gave no sign that she was upset over his lack of response to the L word. Maybe she hadn’t even realized she’d said it? “How was your day?” he prompted, getting her talking while he munched his way through three wide slices of pizza. Relaxing under her lighthearted chatter, they sank into a companionable silence when the meal was over, his fingers lightly brushing over hers on the table.

  “Hey, here’s a kooky coincidence. A friend of mine mentioned a party Rose is throwing for the Mays tomorrow night. Did you hear anything about that?”

  “Yes, she called me about it earlier today. I didn’t think you’d be interested or I would’ve mentioned it before. I figured it combines two of the things you hate the most, a room full of phonies and Jackson, so you’d give it a pass.”

  “Are you kidding? A chance to people watch with a crowd like that? I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He offered a broad smile, feeling like the biggest phony of them all for masking his true intent. But what else could he say? If he told her it was to get his FBI buddy in to take a crack at May, she’d tell him to take a hike.

  “Really? You want to come?”

  “Sure, if you can get Rose to allow it.”

  “I think I can probably manage that. You know she doesn’t hate you nearly as much as she used to.”

  “Another ringing endorsement for my indefinable charm,” he sighed, bringing her fingertips to his lips for a kiss. “What about a plus one?”

  The corners of her mouth turned down over that. “Don’t you think Veronica’s a tad young for a party like that?”

  “That’s not who I had in mind.” Nick leaned forward in his chair, talking faster. “See, I have this old friend from L.A. who’s in town.”

  “Oh? Another cop?”

  “FBI actually.”

  “And they’re a big fan of Forsaken?” Annaliese didn’t bother to hide the skepticism in her voice.

  “Not especially, but they’re a fan of big swanky parties.”

  “I don’t know, Nick…”

  “Oh, come on, Rose will never even notice. It’s not like she can’t afford an extra body there, and I kind of think it’d be cool to show my buddy how the other half lives.”

  “Alright, I can ask her.”

  “Could you maybe ask her now? I sort of promised I’d have an answer tonight.” Nick gave his best pretty please smile, mimicking Veronica’s clasped hands under the chin routine and drawing her laughter.

  “Fine, I’ll call her now. You owe me big for this, buster,” she warned, poking him in the shoulder.

  “Which I am more than happy to pay off with either chocolate or the art of sensual massage.”

  Annaliese got up and walked away from the table as she made her call, but not before giving him a sly wink. A wink that told him that whether she’d meant to say the L-thing before or not, she wasn’t holding any grudges over the way he’d handled it. Relaxing, he gathered up the rest of the garbage from dinner and put away the leftovers while she talked to Rose.

  “It’s all set, you can bring your friend to the party too, no big deal,” she reported.

  “What party?” Veronica asked, coming downstairs in a pair of leggings and an oversized sweater that hung from her frame like a rag. That was her date outfit? Nick forgot to be worried, glad she’d ditched the miniskirts and strappy tops for once.

  “Rose is throwing a big welcome home party for Ruby and Jax tomorrow night.”

  “Sweet, can I come?” she asked, eyes dancing with avarice, and Nick shut her down before she worked up too much steam behind the idea.

  “No, it’s an adult party. And besides, it’s on a school night.”

  “So? Who cares about school when there’s a party with Jax May?” Ignoring Nick’s dismissal, Veronica appealed to Annaliese. “Please say I can come. You know I’ll behave myself at an adult party. I won’t even drink.”

  Nick caught Anna’s eye over her shoulder, silently pleading with her to have his back on this one. “I don’t think so, sweetie. Maybe next time. Your dad’s right, this isn’t a kind of party you should go to.”

  “Which is exactly why I want to go,” Veronica pouted until a brief honk of the horn sounded. “Oh, Dave’s here, I gotta jet.”

  “He’s not even coming to the house?” Nick frowned, immediately going to the front window. He couldn’t see the boy from his vantage point, but the silver Jetta blocking the driveway didn’t scream sinwagon to him.

  Without even bothering to answer that, Veronica skipped out of the house. “Bye you guys, don’t wait up!”

  “Have fun, but not too much fun,” Nick called after her. “Make good choices!”

  “You’d think it’d get easier for you,” Annaliese smiled when he shut the door, leaning against it, lost to his own thoughts.

  “Ha, wait until you have a teenaged daughter, we’ll see how paranoid you get.”

  “You know I love Veronica, but I trust her. She’s got a good head on her shoulders. You raised her right.”

  There it was, that love word again. But it was easier to say you loved a kid, who didn’t love kids? “You’re right, she does have a good head on her shoulders,” he agreed, treading carefully. “And she loves you too, in case you didn’t know.”

  “That’s good.” She waited, but he didn’t say anything else, chickening out at the last moment. Maybe he imagined it, but Nick fancied he saw a tiny droop of her shoulders. “Right, well, I should probably get going.”

  “Wait, you don’t have to rush off right away, do you? We’ve got the house to ourselves.”

  “Actually, I do. I’m meeting with my circle as soon as the sun goes down.”

  “Ah, is it a waxing or a waning thing?”

  “Neither, it’s a more of an impromptu mixer. Feather’s bringing over a couple of friends to meet the coven and see if our energies are in sync.”

  The circle was still greatly diminished after the rash of murders nearly a year ago, and Nick knew how important it was to her to build it back up again. “Alrighty then. Thanks for dinner, I’m sorry I was late and missed half of it.”

  Annaliese gathered a thin, gauzy scarf around her neck, the only nod to an outer garment in the mild evening weather. Nick saw regret in her eyes as she paused by the open door. “About what I said before…”

  Maybe it made him a chicken, but Nick couldn’t let her finish. If she said it was a mistake he didn’t think he could take it. “You’d better get going, it looks like you’ll barely make it home before nightfall,” he interrupted, pulling the door open wider.

  “Right,” she blinked, her face twisting with emotion before it smoothed back into a neutral smile.

  “What time should we pick you up tomorrow?”

  “I’ll meet you there. I’m going over early to help Rose put things togethe
r. I’ll make sure your name is on the list to get in. Plus one,” she added before he could remind her.

  It was on the tip of his tongue. Annie, I love you. But somehow the moment felt wrong. Instead, he brushed the back of his fingers against her cheek, savoring the exquisite softness of her skin and the way her eyes shone against the dying light. “Take care of yourself, Annie. You know where to find me if you need me.”

  “Goodnight, Nick. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Nick watched her walk to her car, hanging on the door until she’d disappeared from view. Only then did he lock up and dial Natalie. It went straight to voicemail, but instead of leaving a message he sent a text instead. We’re in for tomorrow night. Only don’t dress like a Fed, okay?

  Less than ten minutes later she answered. I’ve got it covered.

  Nick’s stomach clenched in anticipation. He had a feeling his world was about to change one way or another.

  Chapter Seven

  What did one wear to a too-rich-for-their-own-good-witchy-rock-star soiree? This was the question Nick concerned himself with the next night after a quick shower. In the end he went with one of his old standbys – a blue button-up shirt over a pair of comfortable jeans and a brown leather motorcycle jacket. Not that he owned a motorcycle (or even knew how to ride them) but it made him feel cool and marginally handsome.

  The bigger question seemed to be should he carry his gun or not. Nick opted for not, since he wasn’t officially on duty, but he was willing to bet Natalie would be armed and ready if something went down.

  Veronica was still grumbly about being left out of the party, but she eventually emerged from her room in search of pizza rolls and V8 Splash. “You still look like a cop,” she said, catching him looking in the mirror.

  “I do not,” he frowned. “I look like a suave man about town.” Did he look like a cop? He supposed maybe he did, it was the only real job he’d had outside of the paper route all the way from elementary through high school. “I fooled Jax and his sister the other night. They didn’t know I was a cop.”

  Veronica didn’t even bother to try and hide the obligatory eye roll. “Oh please, you so sounded like a cop! I kept waiting for you to shine a lamp in their eyes and demand where they were on the night of the eighteenth or something.”