No Rep

by Vale, Lani Lynn

Fran did, too.

  “Can I borrow your car?” she teased.

  I snorted. “I would if I could, but I’m fairly sure that it was you that borrowed it this morning. You dropped me off, remember?”

  She sighed against my back and I turned to gather her into my arms. “Your grandmother is…”

  “A raging bitch?” she finished for me.

  I snorted and dropped a kiss onto the top of her head, her riot of curls smelling of lime and some other smell I couldn’t identify.

  Which reminded me. “The name of your hair stylist. Will you get it for me?”

  She pulled back and fished her phone from her pocket, fiddling on it before sending me whatever she’d found.

  “I sent you her details,” she said. “I’ll hitch a ride from the two that are still out in the parking lot arguing.”

  “How do you know that they’re outside?” I wondered, looking over her shoulder to the small sliver of parking lot I could see.

  “My sister has a sixth sense when it comes to Pearl Pope. She’ll be there. I was just hoping to avoid them seeing my grandmother as I feel this vibe coming off of them, and I wanted them to have some alone time,” she admitted.

  I waited until she sighed and started to pull away before tightening my hands on her. “I love you, too.”

  Her breath hitched, and those big blue jean eyes lifted to meet mine.

  “And, if you’re into it, I have no problem going to get hitched in Vegas the moment this is all over,” I teased.

  Her eyes went wide. “You were serious? I thought you were just putting on a show for my grandmother.”

  I shook my head. “I wasn’t putting on any show. I want you. I want you to carry my name. And as long as you have no problem with my own grandmother being there and not yours, I’m down for Vegas.”

  She shook her head. “When you get done here today, let’s go meet your grandmother. I want to make sure that she knows me.”

  I winked. “I’ll call her and tell her we’re coming.”

  CHAPTER 22

  I thought I wanted a career. Turns out, I just want a paycheck.

  -text from Fran to Taos

  TAOS

  “Taos, I’m dying.”

  I looked over at my grandmother. The woman that would’ve raised me after my parents had passed away if she hadn’t been so ill—she’d battled cancer for many years before she’d finally beat it.

  She was ninety-four.

  But she was a spry ninety-four.

  “You’re not dying,” I tried to argue.

  “Tomorrow, I want you to go pick up Fran. And I want to go with you. Spend the day with you two.”

  I looked at the chalkboard in front of me, at all the possibilities of who this serial killer could be and felt my stomach tense. “I can’t spend the day with you tomorrow. We have a new lead that we’re following up tomorrow. But as soon as this is all over, you’re going to come with me to Vegas and watch me marry the woman that I’ve fallen in love with.”

  My grandmother’s breath hitched.

  “Then come over to dinner tonight,” she ordered.

  I grinned.

  That’d been what I was trying to accomplish anyway.

  I looked at her on the screen of my phone. “You’re not dying.” I paused. “But that sounds like fun. I’m sure Fran would love to have some spaghetti and meatballs.”

  My grandmother’s laugh filled the air around me.

  “Oh, Taos. I love you.” She shook her head. “I’ll see what I can scrounge up.”

  I smiled.

  “I’ll call Fran and tell her when to pick me up. And we’ll be over around dinner,” I promised.

  Except, when I called Fran five minutes after hanging up with my Grans, it was to hear her say, “I’ll drop your car off to you, and I’ll hitch a ride over right now. Help her with dinner”

  Something inside of my heart that was already hers bloomed into full-blown devotion. “She would love that.”

  “And, seeing as my sister is now brooding, it’ll give me something to do that doesn’t have her growling and snapping at me for every single thing that I think, do or say.” She snickered.

  After giving her the address, and her promising she’d leave my keys with the attendant at the front desk, I went back to work.

  “All right,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. “This hair stylist has the means and clientele…” The chief’s phone rang, and he answered it on speaker. “Chief Wilkerson.”

  “Chief Wilkerson, this is Chief Teller Kincaid. You and I spoke earlier about the traveling hair stylist that was in my city a couple of hours ago,” Chief Kincaid explained in a rough voice.

  “Yes,” Chief Wilkerson confirmed. “Did you find something?”

  “Sort of,” he answered. “I was heading to speak with her when we got the call about an altercation at her place of business. The parking lot of a gas station at the south side of town.” He paused. “She and a reporter were in the parking lot fighting.”

  I looked over to Schultz who was closest to me. “Son of a bitch.”

  Chief Wilkerson echoed my sentiments a half second later.

  “Anyway, I have officers responding. I can hold them both now due to a physical altercation. And I can ask her about other things we have questions about,” Chief Teller offered. “No need for y’all to come down unless you want to.”

  After thanking him for his help, I started to pack up my shit.

  “I’m out,” I said. “I need a break. And I want to be there tonight for dinner.”

  Schultz groaned and stood up with me. “What I wouldn’t do for a home-cooked meal that wasn’t done by me. My parents—who I moved here to help me with my nieces—are out of town. They’ve been on a country-wide wine tour for the last month and a half. And we’ve all been surviving on fast food and boxed meals.”

  “You’re more than welcome,” I offered. “My Grans cooks enough for an army.”

  “How about two?” Easton stood up. “I could use a break.”

  After giving them directions to my grandmother’s house, I followed my own advice and headed straight there.

  When I arrived, it was to find both Grans and Fran in the front of the house. Fran was picking weeds out of the garden that Grans was pointing out to her, and I felt my heart beat hard inside of my chest.

  “That one there is called Belinda’s Dream. It was bred at Texas A&M by a math professor,” Grans said. “Careful of the prick.”

  I rolled my eyes. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’d heard ‘careful of the prick’ from my grandmother as I was doing the same damn thing that Fran was doing. In fact, had Fran not been here, I would be in her exact spot doing it instead. My grandmother loved her rose bushes.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many types of roses in one place before.” Fran shook her head as she glanced over her shoulder.

  I felt her smile in my soul when she aimed it at me.

  “There’s my boy now,” Grans called shakily.

  I looked at my Grans now sitting on her walker, all but beaming at me as I walked up to them.

  “There are my two favorite ladies,” I said as I arrived. “I hope you don’t mind, but I invited a few colleagues from work who could use a good home-cooked meal.”

  My grandmother beamed.

  She loved having guests.

  I was glad to have her back home.

  She’d been out of town with her friends for what felt like forever.

  The moment I was close enough, I dropped down and wrapped my grandmother in my arms, feeling a bit sad when I felt how fragile she felt in my arms after being gone for two months.

  She felt so much lighter than the last time I had my arms around her.

  “Grans, you lost weight,” I accused.

  Grans snickered. “I was going for walks on the deck, boy. Of course, I’ve lost weight.” She patted her lack of belly. She’d never had one. Even in old photos where she was pregnant with my dad, or my
aunt and uncle, did she have much of one. “Now, help me get these roses inside, and into a vase, so my table looks presentable for when your friends get here.”

  Fran stood up then, too, and handed me her burden.

  I took the flowers, ignoring the ‘pricks’ and then transferred them into one hand before pulling my woman into the heat of my body and placing a chaste kiss on her lips so I didn’t scandalize my grandmother.

  When we got inside, and I had the flowers all situated, my grandmother sat in her chair and snapped her fingers. “Now, tell me about the book you’re close to finishing.”

  I shook my head. “I’m not anywhere close to finishing it,” I said as I watched Fran putter around the kitchen. “I would be way closer if I had time to write it. But I’ve taken up this serial killer case out of necessity, and I haven’t had time to touch it in about a month.”

  “That also might be a bit my fault,” Fran admitted as she came to the table with a basket of garlic bread covered by a red towel. “I’ve been keeping him a little preoccupied.”

  My Grans beamed at her. “I’d rather you keep him occupied than him buried in his work. Knowing that he’s made time for you, instead of compulsively obsessing over a case, makes you more important in my eyes than anyone he’s ever allowed in yet.”

  She had a point. Nothing could keep me from obsessing over a case once I had my teeth dug into it.

  The next several minutes were spent with me moving this or that for my grandmother, setting the table, bringing food to the center of the large handmade table, and making sure the extra chairs were brought in from the guest room where my grandmother kept them.

  Just as everything was set ‘just right’ according to my grandmother, there was a knock on her door.

  I moved to get the door, but Fran beat me to it.

  She was at the door, and swinging it wide open—without, might I add, looking to see who it was—before I could so much as take a step in the door’s direction.

  She beamed at Easton and Schultz.

  “Schultz,” she greeted. “Where are your kiddos?”

  Schultz grinned at Fran and said, “They’re at a ‘CrossFit Night Out’ or whatever.” He jerked his chin in my direction. “Something that your old man over there suggested I put them into for my sanity. It’s been a godsend these last few weeks.”

  “Oh, I forgot that they did that there.” She smiled and turned her attention to Easton. “Hello, Easton. How are you?”

  Easton winked at her. “I’ll be doing so much better when I eat whatever smells so good.”

  Fran stepped back and allowed them inside, calling out to Grans as she did. “Grans, meet Wilhelm Schultz and Mr. Easton I don’t know what his last name is.”

  Grans laughed as she held out her old, delicate hand to them from her spot at the head of the table. “Schultz, Easton. It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you from my soon-to-be granddaughter today. I hear that my grandson is spending a lot of time with you lately.”

  “Unfortunately.” Easton took my grandmother’s hand and kissed it.

  My Grans blushed, and I rolled my eyes. “Suck up.”

  Grans shot me a glare. “Listen, boy. I don’t get many kisses anymore from men that aren’t related to me. Don’t ruin it.”

  Schultz started to laugh as he one-upped Easton by placing a kiss on her cheek. “If you ever want one, let me know. I’ll be more than happy to oblige. Especially if it gets me fed.”

  Grans patted Easton on the butt, causing us all to chuckle.

  “Take a seat, everyone. Let’s eat. I hate to say, it’s not often that I have such a full table. This makes me incredibly happy.” She smiled sadly, and I felt my heart lurch.

  I tried to spend as much time with her as I could. Even if it was just sitting on her couch and writing while she watched her crime shows on the television while I pointed out everything that was done wrong throughout the fictional investigation.

  Everyone sat, with Fran on one side of me, and my grandmother on the other.

  We ate. We laughed. And not fucking once did any talk of serial killers come up.

  Not until Chief Wilkerson called me a half an hour after we’d finished dessert.

  I reluctantly answered, even though it was the last thing I wanted to do after having such a damn good dinner.

  “Just letting you know,” Chief Wilkerson said in my ear the moment I answered. “That Chief Teller spoke with the hair chick. Apparently, she was pretty well rounded out. The FBI special agent that dropped in on the questioning, Wolf Amsel or something like that, agrees. She doesn’t fit the profile. They said that the driver and assistant, a man in his mid-thirties who was a close friend of the hair chick, did fit. They’re running a few background checks on him right now. As soon as they have those, they’ll get back to me.”

  I groaned, pissed that our lead went to hell.

  But hopeful that the driver/helper would fit.

  I just wanted this over.

  The thought of it all was making me literally sick to my stomach.

  How many more would have to die before we found him? Before he made a mistake big enough that we were able to get a lead? To pinpoint who might be doing this?

  Sighing after I hung up with the chief, I turned around and nearly ran over Fran.

  I stopped with barely an inch separating us, then did the first thing that came to mind.

  I placed a small kiss on the tip of her nose and said, “I love you, too.”

  Her eyes glowed with happiness. “I’m glad that I met you, Taos Brady.”

  I pulled her in with a hand on her ass until we were pressed from chest to thighs, her breasts pillowing on my sternum, and her head tipped almost completely backward so she could see into my eyes.

  “I’m glad that you gave me a chance,” I told her. “I’m glad that you gave CrossFit a chance. I’m glad that you changed your life. I’m glad that I was in time to help you that night. I’m glad that you’re mine.”

  Tears glistened in her eyes when I was done with my impromptu speech. “You’re like a fictional character in one of my romance novels.” She shook her head with a grin tugging at her lips. “I didn’t think men like you were real.”

  I tucked a stray, escaped curl back behind her ear. “I’m sure, eventually, you’ll think I’m annoying. For now, though, we’re going to continue saying I’m Mr. Perfect.”

  She snickered. “Come back to the table. Your grandmother is telling us really good stories about how awful you were in high school.”

  I rolled my eyes. “That woman.”

  She squeezed my hand. “That woman thinks you’re her entire world. She’s been talking about you nonstop today. I think that you can do no wrong in her eyes.”

  I snorted. “Oh, I can do wrong. She knows it, too.” I paused. “She just wants you to think the best of me so you’ll marry me.”

  She tilted her head. “It won’t take much convincing.”

  With that parting comment, she went back to her seat next to my grandmother, immediately starting to laugh at what Grans said.

  I, on the other hand, stood back and watched the two of them interact, knowing deep in my heart that this day would forever be one of my best memories.

  My two favorite people in the world, side by side, laughing and carrying on like they’d known each other their entire lifetimes. Knowing that they loved me was everything right then.

  Everything I never knew that I needed.

  CHAPTER 23

  There should be sympathy cards for people that have to go back to work after vacation.

  -Text from Madden to Taos

  TAOS

  I woke to Fran in my arms, curled tight against my body, with her head pillowed on my bicep.

  My eyes went to the clock on the nightstand behind her, and I frowned.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, moving just a little bit deeper into my arms.

  “I don’t know,” I admitted.

  I wasn’t
sure what had woken me, but all of a sudden, I felt like there was something that I needed to do. The only problem was, I didn’t know what.

  What I did know was that there was something that was niggling at the back of my brain.

  Fran rolled over and reached for her phone on the nightstand, her frown filling her face.

  “No calls or texts on my phone,” she said. “What about yours?”

  I leaned over and looked at my phone that was set up on the opposite nightstand.

  That was when I saw the missed calls that were filling the call log.

  “Shit,” I grumbled as I stared at the missed calls from Chief Wilkerson, Easton, and Schultz. “I think there was another murder.”

  I was wrong, though.

  What it was, was a potential lead.

  “Got something we think you should come look at,” Chief Wilkerson said the moment that he answered the phone. “Have a blue and white already sitting outside your house to keep an eye out. Come on.”

  I reluctantly started to pull on my pants that I’d left on the floor beside the bed.

  “Sorry, I was sleeping, and didn’t realize that I’d turned my phone on silent,” I said as I pulled them up over my hips.

  “No worries,” he said. “But get here.”

  After giving Fran a kiss, who sighed as I said I had to go, I grabbed a t-shirt, my gun, a pair of shoes, and walked out to my car.

  When I arrived at the station, it was to find everyone up and much less perky-eyed than I was.

  “Nice Crocs,” Schultz said.

  I looked down at my American flag Crocs and shrugged. “I was in a hurry. Normally I only wear them to the gym when I’m working out.”

  Schultz grinned, then jerked his head toward the board at the corner of the room.

  I went with them, staring at the face of a stone-eyed man that looked perpetually pissed off. Even though he was eating ice cream next to a beautiful woman.

  “This is the assistant to the hair chick,” Schultz said.

  “Why do y’all keep calling her that?” I wondered.

  “Because that’s her name. Or her company’s name. The Hair Chick. This is Raymond Pasqual. He’s a thirty-eight-year-old man.” Easton paused. “Look familiar?”