by Amy Reece
Argyros narrowed his eyes and frowned. “I’m afraid you have wasted your morning, Detectives. My family has nothing to do with organized crime and I know nothing about the unfortunate incident on the West Mesa.”
“What exactly do you do here, Mr. Argyros? What is Integrated Solutions, LLC?” Finn asked.
“We are an advisory group.” At their blank looks, he continued. “Financial advice, investment strategies, that sort of thing. It’s all perfectly legal.”
I’m sure it is, at least on the surface. “Well, thank you for your time, Mr. Argyros. We can see ourselves out.” Chris rose and led Finn out of the office.
He waited until they were seated in her Mustang. “So…that went well.”
“It went well enough. I didn’t expect him to actually admit anything.”
“You were just trying to fluster him.”
She concentrated on navigating the one-way streets for a moment, then spoke. “That’s right.”
“Okay. It’ll be interesting to see what comes of it.” He glanced across the front seat at her. “You missed our exit.”
“I’m not heading back to the precinct yet. I want to talk with Argyros’ son, Alexandar. I don’t know where he works, but I have a home address.”
“Ah, I see.” He said nothing else until she pulled to the curb in front of a small mansion in the High Desert subdivision in the foothills of the Sandia mountains. The homes in the neighborhood all cost a minimum of a million and a half dollars, at the very least. They walked up a cut stone path toward a set of towering double front doors and rang a bell, which echoed throughout the house.
“Yes?” a disembodied female voice sounded from a speaker located under the doorbell.
“Ma’am, we’re with the New Mexico State Police. We’d like to speak with Alexandar Argyros,” Chris said.
“He’s not home.”
“Is Mrs. Argyros home?” Finn added.
The speaker was silent for a moment. “I’d like to see your identification. Hold it up to the camera, please.”
Finn and Chris removed the badges from around their necks and held them up, one at a time, to the lens angled at them from the top corner of the porch. A moment later, the door opened and a slight, blonde woman stood aside to allow them to enter.
“I’m Ariana Argyros. Alexandar is my husband.” She was pretty, but looked tired. Chris guessed her age to be around thirty. She welcomed them into the living room, but didn’t offer them any other sort of hospitality. She was clearly anxious to get rid of them as soon as possible.
Finn led off with the questions, using his disarming good looks and charm to attempt to set her at ease and get her talking. She didn’t respond, seeming too nervous to appreciate his efforts. They got very little information from her, save for a work address for her husband.
“Your husband is an attorney, Mrs. Argyros?” Chris asked.
“That’s right.” She nodded as she rubbed her hand absently across her stomach. “He’s hoping to make partner this year. Please don’t ask me any more questions, Detective Hart. I don’t know anything.”
More like she’s scared to death to say anything about what she knows, which I’ll bet is plenty. “Of course. We need to be going, anyway.” She flashed Finn a pointed glance. They both stood and turned to leave. “Oh, I forgot to ask about your children, Mrs. Argyros! How many do you have?”
Ariana Argyros looked stricken. “None. We don’t have any children.”
“I’m sorry. I just assumed with a house this big…well, anyway. Have a nice day.”
Finn waited until they were in the car to ask. “Care to share with the class?”
She shrugged, a small smile hovering around her mouth. “Just a hunch. It’s probably nothing.”
They had barely entered the precinct when the booming voice of Captain Silva reached them. “Hart! DeLuca! Get your asses in here!”
They glanced at each other and picked up the pace to their superior’s office. “Great,” Finn muttered. “What now?”
“Shut the door!” Captain Silva didn’t look up as they entered. “Would you two geniuses care to tell me why I’ve got the governor’s office suddenly breathing down my neck about this murder investigation?”
Finn and Chris stared at each other. “I assume you’re talking about the construction site murders, sir?” Chris asked.
“Of course! I received a call from the governor’s chief of staff asking me to back off from this investigation and let the FBI handle it.” The captain sounded calmer now, but his face was alarmingly red.
“Why would the governor interfere? And why would she want us to back off?” Finn asked.
“No idea. The chief of staff, a guy named Keller, wouldn’t say.”
“Oh, shit,” Finn whispered, too soft for the captain to hear.
“I told him, politely of course, to mind his own goddamn business. We clearly have jurisdiction here and are cooperating with the FBI, who, by the way, have shown very little interest in solving anything but the murder of their own agent.” He stood and poured himself a cup of coffee from the pot behind his desk. “Now will you two, for the love of God, please get this case solved? I do not need the governor riding my ass about this!”
“Yes, sir. We are making headway.” Chris looked at Finn and jerked her head toward the door. “We have reports to write, so…”
“Yeah.” Captain Silva gestured for them to leave. “Just get it done, okay?”
“Yes, sir,” they said in tandem.
She waited until they were back at their desks. “Spill.”
“Listen, Chris. I don’t know for sure, but Hugh’s college roommate was named Jason Keller, and I remember something about him being big into politics. I think I remember Hugh talking about him getting a job with the governor’s office.” He stopped and looked at his partner. “It probably doesn’t have anything to do with it.”
She tamped her anger down and hissed, “It was Hugh.” She stood and pushed her chair in carefully. “I have an errand to run. I’ll see you later this afternoon.”
Chapter Thirteen
Hugh
“Hey, Malva, could you call the city about those permits—”
The outer office door slammed open, interrupting Hugh and causing Malva to drop her pen.
“I need to talk to you.” Chrissy didn’t yell, but her eyes were narrowed dangerously in his direction.
Ah, crap. This can’t be good. “Why don’t we go into my office?” He held the door open for her, ignoring Malva’s wide, questioning eyes.
Chrissy said nothing as she preceded him into his office, but he swore he could feel waves of anger rolling off her. Bob dragged himself out of his bed and padded across the office, tail wagging madly, to greet one of his favorite people. Chrissy bent down to pet him and Hugh had a brief hope she might have calmed down slightly.
She gave the dog a final pat and sent him back to his bed before rounding on Hugh. “I can’t believe you called the goddamn governor!”
So, that’s a ‘no’ on the calm. She’s completely pissed. “I didn’t call the governor. I called an old friend of mine who happens to work for the governor.” How in the world had she found out so fast?
“Really, Hugh? You’re going to split hairs with me now? I don’t recommend it.”
“Chrissy, hon, I—”
“Don’t! I’m not in the mood to hear any of your endearments right now, Hugh! I just got done getting my ass royally chewed by my captain because of you! I can’t believe you’d do that to me! Why?” The betrayal on her face cut straight through his heart.
“I’m scared shitless, Chrissy! That’s why! You’ve got fucking mobsters threatening you and slashing your tires! I had to do something! I feel so powerless! I can’t stand the thought of anything happening to you or Finn.” He grabbed her upper arms and tried to keep himself from shaking some sense into her.
“It’s not your job, Hugh! You can’t just waltz in and interfere with our job. God! Who the he
ll do you think you are?” She shrugged his hands away and crossed her arms, breathing heavily, tears shining in her eyes.
He hated that he’d done this to her, hated that he’d made her cry, but why couldn’t she understand his desperate need to protect her and his brother? “Can we sit down and talk about this? Please?”
She was shaking her head even before he finished speaking. “I can’t. No. I’m not ready to talk about this with you.” She swiped angrily at the tears leaking from her eyes and sniffed. “Stop interfering. Period.”
“I don’t know if I can do that. How can I sit by when I know you’re in danger?”
“Ugh! I can’t do this, Hugh! I can’t be with a man who doesn’t believe in me!’
“That’s not—I do believe in you!”
“Yeah, well, you have a hell of a way of showing it.” She walked to the door and stopped with her hand on the knob. “I’m sorry, Hugh. I think it’s best if we don’t see each other anymore.”
“Are you breaking up with me?” God, please, no! He felt like he might throw up right there on his office carpet. He wanted to put his fist through a wall.
She nodded, refusing to look back at him. “It’s for the best. Take care of yourself, Hugh.” Then she was gone.
He stared at the wood grain of the office door for several long moments before he realized he needed to sit or he was going to pass out. He stumbled to his sofa. She just walked out on me. Oh, God, she broke up with me.
“Hugh?” Izzy’s soft voice called through the door. “Are you okay?” She peeked around the door.
He didn’t look at her, choosing to keep his head resting on the back of the couch, eyes closed. “Not really, Iz.”
She closed the door quietly and came to sit next to him, taking his hand.
“You heard, huh?”
“Oh, yeah. Her dulcet tones penetrated into my office…and possibly the building next door.”
He groaned in response. “She broke it off.”
Bob whined and left his bed to hop onto the couch next to Hugh.
“Yeah, I heard.” Izzy left him for a moment, then returned with a steaming cup of coffee. “Here. Sit up and drink this.”
He didn’t want it, but he took a sip anyway. “She broke up with me.”
“Yes, she did. Why? What did you do?”
He gave her a scathing look over the rim of his mug. “I thought you heard everything? And why do you assume I did something?”
“I couldn’t hear everything. And I assume it was you because I know you. I repeat: what did you do?”
He gave up. “I called Jason Keller at the governor’s office and tried to have the murder case she and Finn are working on taken away from them.”
“Shit, Hugh! You’re lucky all she did is break up with you. She does carry a gun, you know.”
“Thanks, Izzy. Really. You’re a big help.”
“You don’t need sympathy right now, big brother. What you need is a kick in the ass. What the hell were you thinking?”
He vaulted to his feet, slopping hot coffee over his hand. “Dammit,” he muttered and set the mug on his desk. “I don’t know! I was trying to protect my little brother and the woman—” He stopped before he said too much.
“The woman you love?” She chuckled slightly at his surprised look. “It’s really not a huge secret, Hugh.”
“Shit.”
“So what are you going to do about it?” She crossed her arms and leaned back into the couch cushions.
“What do you mean? She said she doesn’t want to see me anymore.”
Izzy gave him a sardonic look, reserved for times when she was especially unimpressed with one of her brothers. “Seriously? Maybe you don’t really love her.”
He cursed again under his breath and stared out the window. “I have to get her back.”
“I can work with that. She’s the best thing that ever happened to you, Hugh, and I’ve never seen you so happy. When you weren’t too busy making yourself miserable about how dangerous her job is, that is.”
“The thought of her and Finn in danger makes me physically ill.”
“Well, you better figure out what’s more important: your stomach or having her. She’s a cop, and there’s always going to be some element of danger with that. But she was a cop long before you ever met her, so it’s not fair to expect her to change her career for you. You need to figure out if you can accept her as she is, if she’s worth it.”
“She’s definitely worth it.” He ran his hands through his hair and sighed. “That much I know. What I can’t seem to figure out is how to deal with the knowledge she may not come back to me at the end of the day.”
“Oh, Hugh.” Izzy stepped next to him and put her arm around his waist, leaning her head against his chest. “There are no guarantees for any of us. I can’t promise she won’t ever get hurt or worse doing her job. But I can’t promise you won’t walk out of here and get run over by a bus, either. I think love, the kind of love you and Chris have, is pretty rare. Don’t throw it away. Find a way to accept her and her job. Your only other choice is to live without her. Can you accept that?”
He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. “No. I need her.” They were both silent for several moments. He wondered how she had become so wise when he was unaware of any recent long-term romantic attachment in her life. “Thanks, Izzy. Now get out of here so I can figure out how I’m going to get my girlfriend back.”
***
It took all afternoon, but he finally came up with something. It was undoubtedly lame, but it was a start. He tiptoed toward her front door just after six p.m., Bob following silently. He quietly commanded the dog to sit directly in front of her doormat, looped the flowers through his collar, then knocked and quickly ducked around the corner.
She opened her door slightly, the chain still in place. “Bob? What are you doing here?” She shut the door, then reopened it after she unhooked the chain. “Hugh?” She stepped into the hallway and looked around.
He stayed hidden, hoping her soft spot for Bob would pave the way for a reunion.
“What’s this?” She must have found the flowers and the note.
I’m sorry.
“Hmm. Well, you might as well come in for a while.”
He breathed a huge sigh of relief and slipped around the corner—just in time to see Bob’s tail disappear into her apartment as she firmly shut the door. He stared stupidly at her front door for several minutes before he chuckled softly and went to sit on the stairs. Twenty minutes later, he was beginning to feel the cold cement under his ass. He pulled out his cell phone and sent her a text.
Hugh: Did you kidnap my dog?
Chris: We’re having a drink. He’ll be out in a bit.
He shook his head at the thought of his dog enjoying a beer with her while he sat in the hall, clearly not invited. Well, what did I expect? I guess I’ll just sit here and wait until my dog is finished having a drink with my girlfriend. He refused to think about her as anything else. He would do whatever it took to get her back. Izzy had managed to help him realize what a complete dumb ass he’d been about her job. What had gotten into him? Finn had been a cop for years and it had never truly bothered him before. Hearing about the threats against them had sent him over the edge into some sort of insanity.
She kept him waiting over an hour. He was considering sending another text when he heard her door creak open and Bob padded down the hall, his nails clicking on the concrete.
“Did you have a good time, bud?” At least the flowers were gone and a quick glance at her front door showed she hadn’t thrown them on the welcome mat. “This is not exactly how I pictured this going down. I kinda hoped I’d be the one drinking the beer, not you.” He could smell it on Bob’s breath and shook his head ruefully. “I hope she only let you have a little. All I need is a drunk dog.”
***
Chrissy
She stopped by a Walgreen’s on the way to work to buy a bottle of eye drops. She s
at in the precinct parking lot, leaning against the headrest and waiting/praying for her eyes to clear at least a little bit. Jeez, I haven’t had to do this since college! Back then it had been due to partying too hard; now it was due to crying her eyes out over Hugh. Breaking up with him had been one of the hardest things she’d ever done, but she knew it was for the best given his attitude about her career. She couldn’t afford to fall any deeper in love with him than she already was; her heart simply couldn’t take it. Then Bob had shown up on her doorstep last night. She knew Hugh was nearby—of course he was—but she wasn’t ready to talk to him. She had wanted, more than anything, to call out to him, to invite him inside. But she knew it would only be a Band-Aid and not a real solution to their problem. It would have been all too easy to allow him to hold her and make love to her, forgetting all about their fight and his negative attitude. So, she only allowed Bob to come inside, enjoying the thought of Hugh’s irritation as he waited for her to return his dog. She smiled slightly as she remembered sharing her beer with the Golden Retriever and cuddling with him on the couch. She had briefly thought about throwing the flowers Hugh had attached to Bob’s collar in the trash, but couldn’t do it. She refused to put them in a vase, though, and rooted around under her sink until she found a crusty old mason jar. She shook her head and checked her reflection in the rearview mirror, relieved to see her eyes had cleared up a bit. She pocketed the eye drops and headed inside.
Finn was already at his desk, tapping away at his keyboard. He glanced up as she sat. “Are you okay?”
She nodded as she turned her own computer on and logged in. “Please don’t ask. We broke up. I hope it won’t make things awkward between you and me.”
“Of course not.” He returned his attention to his screen. “I’m sorry, Chris. My brother’s an ass.”