“I’m two minutes late, Milo,” I replied. “It’s hardly worthy of the pissy scowl on your face.”
“That’s not why he’s pouting,” Andy said, entering the room. “He’s mad because Memphis texted to say he wasn’t coming.”
“Why? Is he feeling bad?” Memphis never missed Sunday brunch or French toast Wednesdays.”
“He was vague and just said he was sorry, but he wouldn’t make it this morning. I sent a follow-up text, but he hasn’t replied.”
I pulled my phone out of my purse and sent a quick message to his phone. Maybe he hadn’t heard Milo’s text come through. Hey, cutie. Is everything okay?
I’ve had the same group of friends for most of my life and a brother who knew me better than I knew myself, so I never knew I was missing anyone until Memphis moved to town. Milo and I were drawn to him immediately, and he became such a vital part of our lives that we couldn’t believe he hadn’t been there all along. I knew he was conflicted about Lyric coming to town, even if he hadn’t said anything. Memphis’s crush on the paranormal investigator was well-known, but he never used his cousin’s friendship with the man to wrangle an introduction. In fact, Memphis appeared to resist any attempts Emory made to introduce them, so you can imagine my surprise when Memphis offered his spare bedroom to Lyric for the duration of the investigation. I wasn’t the only one who stared in wide-eyed wonder and held my breath while waiting for Lyric to answer. Surely, he’d say no even though he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off Memphis, right? Wrong. He agreed to stay with Memphis then appeared to fall off the face of the earth over the next three weeks.
I watched as Memphis seemed to pull tighter and tighter inside himself every passing day without Lyric arriving in town. Sure, he said the right things and laughed in the appropriate places, but his smile never met his eyes. I was convinced his absence from brunch had to do with Lyric. Had the brooding, mysterious man changed his mind about staying with him? Did he change his mind about coming to Blissville altogether? I quickly checked my email app, but there were no new emails from Lyric.
I glanced up when I returned my phone to my purse and caught Milo watching me with a raised brow. “What?”
“Any news?” Milo knew what I was looking for, of course. I wasn’t the only one who noticed Memphis’s subtle withdrawal. I shook my head. “Well, let’s eat while it’s hot. Maybe we’ll hear from him soon. I let Memphis know I would happily set aside a plate for him.”
“Do I smell cinnamon rolls?” Elijah asked, sounding nearly as desperate as the time I taunted him by tying his wrists to our bedpost and denying him the pleasure he sought from my body. I mean, I eventually gave him what he wanted, but not until he was sweating, cursing, and demanding I fuck him. It was a game we hadn’t played in a while, and I planned to reintroduce it later in the week when my newest pieces of intimate apparel were due to arrive. Elijah bought me a membership to Worship Me, a monthly subscription that delivered a gorgeous piece of lingerie and a bra and panty set each month. Elijah made sure his ass was home early on delivery day.
“Yes,” Milo said cheerfully. “I made them from scratch.”
“What time did you wake up?” I asked him. Nonna’s recipe took hours to make since the dough had to proof twice.
“I learned a new trick, and I’m eager to see if it was effective,” he replied. “I did the second rise in the refrigerator overnight.”
“In the refrigerator? I’ve never heard of that technique.”
“Me either, but someone shared their own recipe on Facebook earlier in the week. Of course, I was silently gloating because there was no way in hell it could be as good as Nonna’s. I saw a side note next to the instructions for the second rise which stated it could be done in the refrigerator, but it would take longer, so they recommended letting them sit overnight.”
“There’s only one way to find out if these monsters are as good as your nonna’s,” Andy said. “I’ll throw myself on the sword and go first, Peach.”
“You’ve already fallen on the sword once this morning,” Milo responded cheekily. “Let Elijah give these buns a try.” Andy scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m talking about the cinnamon buns, Slugger. Take it easy.”
“I’m game to take one for the team,” Elijah said gleefully. He walked to the counter where the cinnamon rolls rested in their pan and lifted one out with the spatula. He took a big bite and there was no misreading the pleasure on my man’s face.
“Oh goody. I gave Elijah a foodgasm.” I narrowed my eyes at my twin because I wanted to be the one giving any kind of gasm to Elijah. “Step up your game, Sis.”
“There’s no competition, Freckles,” Elijah whispered in my ear after he wolfed down the big roll in three bites. “These are delicious, but you’re the only thing I can’t live without.”
I claimed a sticky, cinnamon-y kiss as my heart melted. Elijah had come so far to be able to speak those words to me. When we first met, he ran from the attraction he’d felt for me because he didn’t want to risk his heart ever again. This beautiful man overcame his fear to build a life with me, and I would strive to make sure he’d never regret it.
“Likewise,” I whispered before I kissed him once more. “Let’s eat,” I happily said when I turned around.
“If you think you can tear your hands and eyes off your man long enough,” Milo said.
“I can manage for a few minutes,” I replied. “Care to make a bet on which Miracle twin can behave the longest?”
“Maybe another day when Andy doesn’t look so devastatingly handsome in his light blue polo shirt. I didn’t think his eyes could look bluer, but I was wrong.”
Had there been a bet, I would’ve won because Milo found ways to touch Andy all the time. I adored how happy my brother was, so I didn’t even tease him about it.
After breakfast, I checked my phone to see if Memphis responded to my text.
“Still nothing?” Andy asked.
“Nope. I’m worried about him,” I said. Milo agreed by nodding his head.
“Come on,” Elijah said, scooting his chair back and standing up. “I’m sure everything is fine, but we’ll go check on him.”
“We can take him some rolls,” Milo suggested.
“Let’s not get crazy,” Andy said.
When we arrived at Memphis’s house, I assumed the old black truck in the driveway belonged to someone visiting one of the ladies known as the Matrons of Maple Lane. Imagine our surprise when we peered through the window in his kitchen door and saw the reason why Memphis canceled his brunch plans with us. Lyric Willows had finally shown up in town, and Memphis didn’t look too pleased we had interrupted.
“WHAT ARE YOU SMILING ABOUT, partner?” Adrian asked when he joined me at the coffee pot on Monday morning. “I mean, I could guess.” His rueful expression said he thought Maegan was on my mind. While she wasn’t foremost right then, she was never far off. The reason for this particular smile wouldn’t exist without Maegan and her friendship with Memphis Sullivan.
I was the first to spot Lyric Willows through the kitchen door and tried my best to steer the meddling Miracles off the deck, letting Memphis get back to doing whatever it was that made him cancel his appearance at brunch. I knew how much he crushed on Lyric, so the last thing I wanted to do was ruin his morning even though I was eager for Lyric to either calm Anthony down or help speed him along to his peaceful afterlife.
Milo and Maegan didn’t take the hint, and in fact, doubled down on their attempts to get Memphis to open the door. Lyric must have said something to Memphis because he turned his head to look at his overnight guest. That’s when Maegan and Milo strained their necks to see who the hell he was talking to. Memphis let us in, and Lyric made an excuse to leave which felt awkward. Later we learned why. Memphis had left his dildo, accurately named Big Bob, suctioned to the shower wall because he wasn’t expecting Lyric’s arrival the previous evening. He’d forgotten all about it until he started cleaning the bathroom the f
ollowing morning and saw Lyric had hung his washcloth over it after taking a shower. Memphis was horrified, but the rest of us laughed until we nearly pissed ourselves. So, yeah, greeting Bob O’Malley, our desk sergeant, the next morning made me smile as I recalled the conversation in Memphis’s kitchen.
“Something like that,” was how I responded to Adrian. “How was your weekend?”
“We had a great time,” he replied. “My parents watched the kids for us so we could spend the night in Cincinnati. Sally Ann bought me Diamond Club tickets to Saturday’s Reds game for my fortieth birthday.”
I let out a whistle of appreciation. “Are those the premium seats behind home plate?”
“Yeah,” Adrian replied wistfully. “The entire experience was amazing. We ate a fancy dinner in the lounge prepared by a chef I’d seen compete on Chopped, and then we had a private waiter throughout the game who brought us as much food and drink as we could handle.”
“Did you have to pay for the food and drinks?”
“Nope, all of it was included with the tickets. You just tipped your server after the last call. Let me tell you, the snacks available to us were much better than what you can get in the regular seats. Sally Ann got these pretzel sticks and queso cheese I’ve never found in the stadium before. And the seats were incredible. I felt like I was part of the action.” Adrian chuckled. “Do you know what my wife had the nerve to say?”
“I’m not sure I want to guess, partner.”
“She said, and I quote, ‘This is the closest I’ll ever get to Joey Votto without getting arrested.’ Then she started snapping pictures and sending them to Josh.”
“My husband knows nothing about baseball except he likes the way Joey Votto looks in baseball pants,” Captain Roman-Wyatt said from behind me. “He likes the contrast between the red jerseys and white pants.” Adrian and I were so involved in our conversation we hadn’t heard him sneak up. He sure was stealthy for a big guy.
We both turned at once to face our captain. Luckily, the good-natured smile on his face said he wasn’t too upset about Josh and Sally Ann swapping texts about how hot they found the baseball player.
“Elijah, can you come to my office once you get settled in?” he asked me. I noticed the jovial smile from seconds before was replaced with a strained one.
“Be right there, Captain.” I could see Adrian looking between us out of the corner of his eye and sensed his curiosity. I had a pretty good idea about what the captain wanted to discuss with me. Afterward, it would be time to come clean to Adrian too. After all, as my partner, he had a right to know about anything that was a threat to him. Axel Washington was dangerous to anyone who came in contact with me. “We’ll chat later,” I said to Adrian before I followed Gabe to his office.
“I suspect you know why I wanted to see you,” he said as soon as we were seated on either side of his large desk. Gabe Roman-Wyatt wore responsibility and dedication well. He appeared broader and taller behind his captain’s desk.
“Is it regarding a previous case I worked on?”
“Does my husband make the best country fried chicken you’ve ever had?”
I only had eaten it once when Gabe invited me to dinner after I first moved to Blissville, but it was enough to answer with a resounding, “Yes.”
“Tell me what’s going on,” Gabe said firmly. “More importantly, I’d like to know why I’m just now hearing about it, Detective.”
Uh oh. The captain’s formality let me know just how upset he was I hadn’t informed him about the info I got from my former CO. “The last scum bag I busted is walking the streets free and clear of all charges because several of the witnesses disappeared, along with evidence from the locker. Honestly, it wasn’t likely Axel would get convicted anyway. A sleazebag like him probably has corrupt judges on his payroll, and if not, his henchmen wouldn’t hesitate to intimidate jurors.”
“You’ve known this for how long?”
“A few weeks.”
“Why didn’t you say something, Elijah?”
I blew out a frustrated breath. “What could any of us do about it? Captain Barker said he’s under surveillance and he’d let me know if he got word my cover was blown. Cap, I was deep undercover during the investigation. Axel won’t easily find out my identity and track me down here.”
“You don’t believe what you just said, Elijah, so why are you expecting me to? If Axel has judges in his pocket, then he has cops hanging out beside them. How else does evidence turn up missing?” He had me there. “Captain Barker must’ve been worried if he called me behind your back. Do you know why he’s worried?”
“I don’t have a specific reason to believe he’s worried about my safety. I would’ve heard from him if it was the case. He probably called you because he knew I wouldn’t say anything unless I believed there was just cause to push the panic button.”
“Yeah, that’s pretty much what he said. He also might’ve thrown out an ‘Elijah is a stubborn son of a bitch, but his instincts are unparalleled by any officer who’s worked for me.’ Captain Barker just wanted to make sure someone was taking the threat seriously.”
“Of course, I’m taking this seriously, Cap. Do you think I want to see Maegan hurt? I wouldn’t jeopardize Adrian and his family, or yours either for that matter. At this moment, there’s just nothing to do. Captain Barker told me Axel appears to have gone straight.”
Gabe snorted. “His clean living will last as long as his surveillance does. They’ll need to turn one of his guys against him to get new evidence or hope someone from a rival biker gang takes him out for us. Otherwise, it’s a matter of time before he looks to exact his revenge. I love the people of this town, Elijah. I cannot protect them if I’m unaware a threat exists. I will not allow Axel Washington to catch me off guard, so I need you to be more forthcoming with information.” The captain knew how to make me feel like a selfish dick.
“Absolutely, sir. I apologize for not coming to you right away, and you have my word you’ll be the first to know about any intel I receive.”
“I appreciate it, Elijah. Has anything unusual happened lately that’s concerned you? I hear you say you want to keep me in the loop, but your body language says you’re keeping something from me.”
“I’m not keeping anything from you. I haven’t seen anyone strange loitering around, but I have more than usual unknown caller activity on my cell phone. That alone isn’t enough to sound an alarm. There’s nothing for us to investigate because they’re not leaving behind threatening voicemail messages and the calls are untraceable.”
“You’re not answering the calls?”
“If it is Axel Washington or his gang of deviants, I don’t want to make it easy for them to confirm my identity and where I’m living. Only people with your kind of clearance can access my employment files to see where I transferred to, and I haven’t changed my driver’s license or vehicle registration yet.”
“That’s wise,” Gabe admitted. “Okay, it sounds like I’m up to speed now. I want to be the first to know if anything changes. Do not make me call your former captain for information.”
“Yes, sir,” I replied.
“You’re dismissed.”
Adrian didn’t bother trying to disguise how eager he was to know what the hell was going on. “Not here,” I said when I reached our desks.
“That’s fine because a call came in when you were in Gabe’s office. It seems Mrs. Blankenbauer’s chickens were stolen from her back yard last night.”
“And it requires two detectives responding because?” I asked with a raised brow.
“She’s not the only one missing chickens.”
“How many people have chickens in Blissville?”
Adrian grinned and slapped me on the shoulder as we headed out. “It’s the new trend. People are raising their own chickens for fresh eggs and selling what they don’t use.”
“Huh,” I said, opening the passenger door of Adrian’s car. “I grew up on a farm, and we didn’t even
have our own chickens. My mom said it was too much hassle compared to the cost per dozen at the store.”
“There’s no comparison between store-bought eggs and fresh ones,” Adrian said. “I was hesitant when Sally Ann announced she wanted a coop with a few hens for fresh eggs. I prayed there would be an ordinance prohibiting ownership in town, but I didn’t get so lucky.”
“How’d I not know this about you? You never mentioned it.”
Adrian started his car and put it in drive. “Well, it just never seemed to come up in conversation. ‘What did you think about the Bengals draft picks?’ ‘Do you think this is Votto’s last year to wear a Reds jersey?’ ‘Oh hey! Come on over to meet Elvis, Patsy, Aretha, and Gaga and take home some fresh eggs.’”
I howled with laughter. “Elvis, Patsy, Aretha, and Gaga? Are you pulling my leg?”
“Those are the names Sally Ann picked out. She raised them as little chicks, and I’m telling you she loves them just like any other pet. Our kids love them too, and our neighbors love the eggs Sally Ann gives them.”
“I’m assuming Elvis is a rooster. I bet the neighbors don’t like him.”
Adrian snorted. “We were surprised to discover the chicks we bought included a rooster. The fat bastard is too lazy to get up early. He doesn’t start cock-a-doodling until the sun goes down.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I’m serious as a heart attack, partner. He sleeps for twenty hours a day then struts about, eats, and shits before he starts making a racket at sundown. I’m telling you those hens eat it up too. They carry on and make a huge racket when he struts around in his separate pen. I don’t speak chicken, but I’m pretty sure they’re fighting over him.”
“Stop it,” I said, wiping tears from my eyes. “‘Speak chicken.’”
“My life has become a crazy zoo, and it would get even wilder if I let Sally Ann have the goats she wants.”
“Goats?”
“Oh yeah. Goat milk is huge. They put the stuff in everything these days. Marabel uses goat’s milk in many of the products she sells. I guess Marabel is having issues with her milk supplier, so Sally Ann had the bright idea we,” Adrian gave me a knowing smirk, “meaning I would raise goats and supply Marabel with the milk she needs for her store in exchange for goods.”
The Lady Stole My Heart (The Lady is Mine, #2) Page 2