1 Dog Collar Crime

by Adrienne Giordano

  Having never been the bad girl, this little romp screamed sinner. Particularly when Frankie flattened her against the door and hiked her dress up, his long fingers frying her skin. She drew a hissing breath and closed her eyes. How long she’d been without him.

  Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.

  He bent low, slipped his fingers under the edge of her underwear and…yanked.

  Holy moly.

  The damned things only made it as far as her thighs, though.

  Frankie laughed. “Damn. Thought I had that.”

  “Try again, fella.”

  On the second try, they hit her knees and he slid them off her. Were they really going to have sex against the back of a hotel room door? Where millions of strangers did the same thing?

  God, she hoped so.

  Frankie slid his hands up her thighs and over her boney hips, and the inferno in her stomach spread to her legs. Totally crazy—the lust she still had for him.

  He trailed frantic kisses over her neck. “Are you okay with this?”

  Locking one leg around him, she pulled him tighter.

  “I guess that was a yes.”

  He unzipped his fly, boosted her against the door and she wrapped her other leg around him, ready for that moment, that first press of him against her that she’d memorized from the thousands of times they’d made love.

  He entered her with the quick self-assuredness that Lucie adored about him. Frankie knew his talents, and pleasing a woman ranked high. Her breath hitched and she let out a long moan. It had been too long since she felt this need for him. This want for more. This passion.

  When he pulled back, she breathed in, waiting for the next slow slide when her backside would bump against the door. How had she ever believed she could live without him? Yes, she could be anything with Frankie. He’d never judge her. Pity her. Patronize her.

  “I love you,” she said, invading his mouth, nipping at his lips. The ferocious hunger tore into her and she pumped her hips, needing him deeper and deeper still, while her world spun in a glorious whirl and she shook her head, fighting off the explosion, wanting it to last. But he knew her. Knew the rhythm of her body. Knew the magic spot that would undo her. He hitched her a little higher and—boom—sent her over the edge, tumbling, tumbling, tumbling until the cry trapped in her body broke free.

  His body stiffened and he grunted before collapsing against her. “Love…you…too.”

  “Easy in there,” someone cracked from the hallway.

  She popped her eyes open, stared at Frankie and burst out laughing. They stood there, her back plastered to the door with him still inside her and breathing heavy.

  “You’re destroying me tonight,” he said.

  The words caught in her brain. She wanted to destroy him. “Good.”

  “I might die, but I’ll go with a smile on my face.”

  He stepped back and an instant chill slammed against her. Nothing unusual. Every time he left her, the cold came. He pulled up his pants, grabbed her panties off the floor and handed them over before reaching around the bathroom wall to flip on the light. “It’s all yours.”

  “Thanks,” she said. “And lucky me, I didn’t have to take my bra off.”

  Chapter Ten

  Late Monday afternoon, Lucie finished with Fannie and Josie and dropped them at home before heading to Sammy Spaniel’s to retrieve her share of the trunk show sales.

  Of course, to celebrate a day without dognappings, she and Frankie ducked into the alley next to the Bernard’s for a make-out session before he left for work.

  That Frankie.

  That tongue.

  At certain times, that was all she needed to smooth her edges. They argued a bit over his leaving her alone, but she reasoned the dogs were the targets. As long as she didn’t have a dog with her, she’d be safe. Besides, her ongoing investigation of the items she had sold hadn’t produced any other diamonds. She’d have to keep looking.

  Lucie made quick work of getting to Sammy’s to pick up her check. From there, she’d take a cab to the Lutzes’ to retrieve her car. Frankie had been reduced to taking the train home from work every night so she wouldn’t drive into the city alone in the morning. It seemed like overkill to her, but spending time with him would never be a bother.

  She pushed through the door at Sammy’s and the doggie bells on the door jangled.

  Jeanette stood along the sidewall restocking coats and collars. An open box sat on the floor next to her. She wore her typical dark jeans paired with a wrap sweater that showed off her chest. No shock there. Her hair was pulled away from her face and when she looked up, her eyes carried extra luggage under them.

  “Hi, Lucie.” Jeanette’s voice didn’t have its usual bubbly excitement and her questioning stare forced Lucie to check her mental calendar.

  Yep. Monday. “You told me to stop by and we’d settle up from the trunk show.” Jeanette pressed her fingers to her forehead. Uh-oh. “Are you okay?”

  Jeanette nudged the box on the floor and stepped toward Lucie. “The store was robbed last night.”

  Robbed. Oh, no. “I’m so sorry. Were you here when it happened?”

  “No. I was out with Jimmy. After he dropped me off, I came down to do my orders and the place was a mess.”

  “What about your alarm?”

  Jeanette shook her head. “They cut a hole through the second floor window and unlocked it. I only have glass-break sensors up there. They must have carried everything through the window.”

  Lucie glanced around the store, but every collar, leash and shelf item seemed to be in its rightful place. Jeanette must have been up all night. “Well, it looks like you have everything organized.”

  “Yes. I had back stock and got right to it after the police finished. If the store isn’t open, I don’t make money.”

  “What was missing?”

  “Mostly cash. I usually do my deposit on Mondays after the busy weekend.”

  “Ah, Jeanette. That stinks. Do the police have any leads?”

  “Who knows? They fingerprinted all over, but so many people come through here, they didn’t seem too hopeful. Maybe they’ll get a print from the register.”

  Lucie nodded. There would be no way she could take a check from her today. Not after being robbed. “Forget about the check. We’ll settle up at the end of the week.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Lucie nodded. “Absolutely. Can I help you? I’m done with the walks so I could help if you need to do orders or something.”

  “I appreciate that, but I have it under control. Besides, you may not want to stay here when I tell you the rest.”

  Good God. “What?”

  “I lost mostly cash, but a lot of my high-end stuff was stolen. They took all the wooden dog feeders, the oversized beds...”Jeanette held her hand to her forehead again. “Some of the coats and collars are gone. I’m sorry, Lucie. They took everything left from your trunk show.”

  Suddenly, this random robbery didn’t seem so random. “Everything?”

  “I’m so sorry. I’ll pay you for them. My insurance should cover it. I feel horrible.”

  Insurance. Right. Lucie would still earn money, but that wasn’t the damned point. What a nightmare. Could the diamond thief have robbed Jeanette’s store to get to Lucie’s items?

  A screeching sound in her brain made her a little woozy. She propped a steadying hand against the wall.

  “Lucie?”

  It was her fault. Should she tell Jeanette? She wanted to, but what did she really know? Nothing. And trying to explain something she herself didn’t understand would be impossible.

  She needed to get out of here. Get her thoughts together. She should have followed her instincts and not put any merchandise in this store. Instead, she let Frankie, with all his Fortune 500 Coco Barknell crap convince her. She should have done it her way.

  Lucie said goodbye to Jeanette and ran to the corner for a cab. No luck. Dammit.

  She tore d
own the street and cut over one block to Sanford’s, a local hot spot, where she easily found a cab. She pulled her phone and dialed Frankie’s cell.

  “Hey,” he said. “I just got to the office. What’s up?”

  “Can you meet me in the lobby in ten minutes?”

  “Here?”

  The pounding in Lucie’s head traveled to her eyes. “Yes.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Jeanette’s store was robbed. My accessories are gone.”

  “Son of a bitch.”

  Eight minutes later, Lucie stormed through the revolving door into the cavernous lobby of the Herald and found Frankie standing next to the security desk where a guard checked in a visitor. Frankie waved her toward the windows and a modicum of privacy. Her sneakers squeaked against the marble floors and the guard and lone visitor tossed her a look.

  “I feel like I’m getting nowhere. Ro has gone through every stone in my stock and hasn’t found any other diamonds, which means the thief still thinks the diamond we found is on one of my coats. Clearly, the warnings our fathers put out are not helping. We have to figure out who is doing this. Waiting for another dognapping so we can capture the thief has failed.”

  Frankie pulled her into him and squeezed. He was as lost as she was.

  “I’ve had it, Frankie.”

  He pushed back and eyed her with that focus he reserved for split-finger fastballs. “Have you finished collecting the stuff you’ve sold?”

  “I’m working on it. It’s not easy getting all that stuff back.”

  “I know.”

  “Jeanette being robbed just days after my stuff landed in her store was not a coincidence. You have to know that. I’m responsible for what happened to that woman. And don’t give me any of your can-do attitude crap. I need to do something. Fast.”

  “I know. We’ll figure this out.”

  There it was. The can-do attitude. He simply couldn’t help it. She let the sound of his voice settle her quaking nerves. He always provided the calm in her storm.

  “It’s crazy, Frankie. The dogs being dognapped, Jeanette’s store being robbed. It has to stop.”

  “Yeah, it does.” He glanced at his watch. “I gotta get back upstairs, but I’ll get a couple of the guys from my father’s crew to help out.”

  “Are you insane?”

  “Knew you’d say that.”

  “How could they possibly help?”

  “If the dognappers see five guys around you, they’ll go away.”

  She held up a finger. “Even if I liked that idea, there is no way I’d do it. One of them is bound to tell my father, and I don’t need him hassling me.”

  Obviously fed up, Frankie squeezed his fingers over his forehead, his nails turning red from the pressure. Lucie filled the gap of silence. “And I’m not convinced this doesn’t have something to do with my father’s business or the people who work for him.”

  “Your father wouldn’t put you in direct danger.”

  Yes, she believed that, but she didn’t trust the people working for him. “We are not enlisting anyone’s help.”

  Frankie stayed quiet. Too quiet.

  “Whatever you’re thinking, forget it.”

  He grinned. “Yes, dear.” His phone rang and he checked the screen. “It’s my editor. I gotta go. I’ll call you later and we’ll talk about it. For now, please, go straight home and stay put.”

  After dropping a quick kiss on her lips, he took off toward the elevator.

  Lucie turned toward the revolving door. She’d stay put, but she wouldn’t be idle. Time to show these dognappers what she was made of.

  * * *

  That evening, tired of feeling helpless over the dognappings and non-random robbery at Sammy Spaniel, Lucie devised a plan. That plan included pepper spray and a stun gun. She had a vision of herself dressed as Wonder Woman—God help her giant boobs in that outfit—zapping the you-know-what out of any man trying to steal one of her dogs.

  “Wonder Womaaannnnnn!” Lucie sang as she planted herself at her makeshift desk and booted up her laptop. The whirring subsided and she quickly went to her search engine and typed in ‘stun gun’. She would work on the pepper spray next.

  Taking this step was bold and who knew if she had the nerve to actually use either of these devices; but she’d carry them just in case.

  Once the purchase was made with overnight delivery, Lucie checked pepper spray and stun gun off her to-do list. Next up, she’d have to start varying walks. No sense making it easy for the bad guys to find her. For this project, she would need the expanse of the dining room table. She scooped up her laptop, grabbed her Chicago street map and headed downstairs.

  She’d make this work. How she would do it in a car, she had no idea. The guys had been rotating driving her from client to client, but the traffic and parking issues were murdering her schedule. Precious time had been wasted battling traffic and searching for parking spaces.

  Time for a scooter resurgence.

  Lucie reached the dining room and found her mother at the table stitching buttons on a new pea coat for Otis. “That coat looks great, Mom. Otis will love it.”

  “I want to meet this Otis. Maybe I’ll walk with you one day.”

  Oh, boy. Not gonna happen. “Mmm-hmmm.” Safest answer.

  Mom set the coat aside and flexed her fingers while reading the production list Lucie had prepared. “The pea coat is finished. Now on to the leopard print with the velvet collar.”

  “Mom?”

  She looked up and stared at Lucie over the top of her reading glasses. “Yes?”

  “Thank you. I couldn’t do this without you.”

  She smiled her perfect smile that made Lucie think of hot chocolate and marshmallows. “Sweetie, I’m enjoying it. I’m part of the executive team for Coco Barknell. It’s exciting. I think I needed something. This might be it.”

  “And don’t forget you’ll get paid.”

  “And won’t your father love that?”

  Lucie shrugged. “Don’t tell him. At least not now. It can go on the what-he-doesn’t-know list.”

  Lucie unfolded her map and started checking cross streets and side streets. Internet mapping searches would need to be performed to see if she could get a visual on where the alleys ran.

  She could do this. No problem.

  At some point later, her phone rang and she glanced at the screen. Frankie. Off of work already? What time was it? She checked the wall clock. Ten-thirty. Wow, she and her mother had been sitting here for over two hours.

  “Hi.”

  “Hey. You still up?”

  “I’m talking to you aren’t I?”

  “Duh,” he said in his teasing voice. “Are you up for a visit? I got done early.”

  “Sure. Mom’s working on a coat and I’m rotating between paperwork and collars.”

  “See you in five.” He hung up. No goodbye. Nothing. She was so going to break him of that.

  “Frankie is coming by. Is that okay?”

  “Of course. You know I adore him.”

  She knew all right. At least her mother didn’t nag her about marrying him.

  Mom stood and arched her back into a long stretch. “I’m turning in. There’s an old Cary Grant movie on. It’s a good night for Cary.”

  After finishing her stretch, Mom stepped around the table and kissed Lucie on the cheek. “Goodnight, honey. If Joey comes home, tell him there’s a plate in the fridge.”

  Lucie smiled. “I will. You’re too good to him.”

  “He’s my boy.”

  Frankie knocked lightly on the front door just as her mother hit the lower landing. She turned, checked the peep and opened the door. “Hi, Frankie. Goodnight, Frankie.” She pecked him on the cheek and headed upstairs.

  He walked toward the dining room. “Did I break up the party?”

  “No. She’s tired. I hope I’m not working her too hard.”

  “She’ll tell you if you are.” He stared at the street map. “Wha
t’s this?”

  “I’m varying my route.”

  His face lit up. “Really? Is that what all the highlights and dots are?”

  “Yes.” She pointed to yellow dots. “These are alleys we can cut through to avoid traffic lights.”

  He scanned all the arrows pointing different directions. “Ouch.”

  “Yep.”

  “You can do all this in one day?”

  “Yes.”

  He eyed her. “You sure?”

  “Pretty sure.”

  “In a car?”

  Here’s the sticky part. “Scooter.”

  He gave her the psych ward look. “Well, you need to do it by car if Joey and I are going to be with you. Non-negotiable.”

  Non-negotiable. Pfft. That’s what he thinks. “I’ll never get it done by car. It has to be done by scooter.”

  Frankie held out his hands. “How’s that gonna work?”

  And now the fun really begins. Lucie handed him computer printouts of the scooters. “What color do you like?”

  He tossed the pages on the table. “No.”

  “It’s the only way. In order for me to keep my business running, I need to make adjustments. Those adjustments include riding scooters. You and Joey are rotating days so you ride it one day, he rides it the next.”

  “Luce, I can deal with the scooter. It’ll be tough, but I’ll suck it up. Joey? Forget it. He’ll look like a gorilla on a tricycle. You won’t get him on it.”

  This, she expected. Had even prepared for it. “Oh, I’ll get him on it.”

  “I’d like to have a ringside seat for that conversation.”

  The back door opened and in came Joey. Lucie glanced at Frankie. How the hell did he do that? “I guess your request has been granted.”

  Joey entered the dining room wearing jeans and a Bulls slicker. “What?”

  She swore he had inherited their father’s hearing. She could be screaming and if they didn’t want to hear it, they wouldn’t. Start whispering and they had bionic ears.

  “Mom left you a plate in the fridge.”

  “I ate at the bar.” Joey shifted to Frankie for a fist bump. “What’s up?”

  Preparing for the show, Frankie pulled a chair and sat. “Ask your sister.”