Before Julian could say anything more, a man began heading their way. Immediately, he held out his hand to shake it.
“Mr. Nelms, it’s good to see you.”
The man looked relieved. “You can’t imagine how happy I am that you’re here.”
Well, since he threatened legal action if they didn't show up, what choice did they have?
Tori shook his hand after Julian introduced them. “What happened to make you this freaked out?” she asked, sensing the trepidation. “You look worried about something.”
He lowered his voice as he prepared to tell them all about it. “I’ve had more issues pop up. Last night, our only guests walked out. They weren’t happy when the doors began slamming for no reason. Then add to it that the woman’s earrings went missing... I had to refund them their money, and I can’t run a business like that. You of all people should understand what I’m saying, Mr. Littlemoon.”
Yeah, he got it.
Tori scanned the room. From her peripheral, she could see shadows moving. From what she’d learned with having Bethany around, they weren’t alone. This place was rocking when it came to the dead.
Great.
Yeah, this was going to test Julian. He said he accepted it, but this would be the defining moment. She only hoped that he didn't lose it.
“Are more guests coming?” Julian asked, hoping they wouldn’t be the only people there. It would make their job that much harder if they had everyone watching them. With other guests, they could blend--sort of...
The man lowered his voice. “Everyone thinks you’re one of our couples, and we have three others booked for this week. They arrive tonight. You have to get to the bottom of this, Mr. Littlemoon. My business is going under.”
Julian could tell it was getting worse. The man looked more frazzled than when he’d met with him. No wonder he wouldn’t take his retainer back and allow them to back out of the job.
He was desperate.
“We will. My team is really good at handling this sort of thing.”
“I pray you’re right. It was bad enough when it was things being stolen or broken, but now the person trying to destroy me is going too far. Playing ghost and spooking away my guests will break me. I have a lot of money invested in this place.”
Julian lifted a brow and glanced over at Tori. He could tell by the look on her face that she already suspected this wasn’t going to be just about someone sabotaging the Nelms.
Shit!
When their eyes met, she looked away.
He hoped he was wrong. Julian needed to get his wife alone so he could ask her if they had ‘company’.
Man…he dreaded that conversation.
His gut was already warning him, and that didn't bode well for his investigation at all.
“The woman who recommended you said you’ll get this nonsense to quiet down around here and find the person who is doing all this.”
Julian was curious.
“We don’t understand how she approached you to recommend us. We’ve never heard of her before.”
Yeah, and now that he knew she was a psychic, he had to wonder if she was the real deal, or someone yanking their chain.
Before the last year, he would have gone with the latter, but now that he’d met Vivian, Beckett, and seen his wife’s new gift, he wasn’t so sure.
He could only hope Nyx Nightingale wasn’t some kook.
“Oh! Well, Ms. Nightingale was a guest here at the vineyard. The one day we had a wine tour, and she walked in off the street. I have to say that my first impression of her is that she’s odd, but when she told me that you’d be perfect for the job, I had to call you. What choice do I have? No one else will come here and locate the person doing this.”
“Yeah, we seem to specialize in the weird,” Julian replied, his voice fraught with sarcasm. He may have to accept it, but he didn't have to like it.
What was next?
He was almost afraid to ask.
Tori knew Julian was getting worked up. He may have said he was okay in the car, but she wasn’t a fool.
She could read him.
“Can you put us in the room that the couple was in last night?” Tori asked.
“Why?” Daniel Nelms asked.
“Because we can check it out and see if the person doing this left a trail back to them. I used to work for the FBI. I’m really good at spotting things that are out of the ordinary.”
He appeared to relax a little more.
“I think I love you! You’re a brave woman, Mrs. Littlemoon.”
Oh, he had no idea.
Tori popped a mini pastry in her mouth to keep from laughing. Julian was staring at her as if she was the conductor of the crazy train. “What?”
He simply shook his head. Of course, his wife was going to want to stay in the haunted room.
At least their client had calmed down.
For the first time, Daniel Nelms was smiling. “That room is ready for guests, and that’ll save us from the next couple who runs from it screaming. Thank you.”
Julian gave his wife the look. “Yeah, thanks,” he muttered, so only Tori would hear him. He was skittish about sleeping with ghosts around. The last time, Bethany possessed his wife, rode him hard, and got Tori knocked up.
Well, the last part he didn't mind.
The rest--it scared the shit out of him--and rightfully so.
“I’ll have my wife escort you up. We’re having a tasting tonight, and you’ll be able to meet everyone. Wander around and enjoy the place. Just tell the staff you’re my special guest, and they’ll be very helpful.”
Yeah, speaking of that…
“Who else knows about us being here?” Julian asked. He needed to ensure that his wife was safe. Julian asked the man to keep it quiet, but he wanted confirmation.
Tori’s safety was his first priority.
“We need some anonymity while we investigate. It’s damn hard to dig for dirt when you have the entire place looking at you.”
Daniel got it.
“No one is aware of your real intentions but me. I told my wife that you booked for the week, simply to have a little holiday. I didn't mention that you were going to be digging around. I thought it best no one knew, not even my kids.”
“And our partner?” Tori asked. “Is he already in place?”
“He’s already in the prep room working. My daughter took him for a tour, and they think he’s a waiter. By the way, he’s a nice man. I couldn’t help but enjoy his company. He’s very calming.”
Tori smiled. “Yeah, he really is. Beau is my brother.”
He checked her out. “You know, I see it now. It’s the same eyes and hair color. Don’t worry, Mrs. Littlemoon. I promise that his cover is safe. I just love all this secret spy stuff. If I wasn’t on the verge of bankruptcy, I’d be enjoying this.”
They were sure he would. Daniel Nelms appeared to be a really decent guy--just sinking in a mess. All of this made them want to get to the bottom of it.
“Your brother is in good hands,” he offered, patting her on the arm.
That helped Tori relax.
She wanted to make sure Beau was okay. After all, this was his first case. She didn't want him in danger and wandering round all by himself. Their jobs could be very dangerous, and since they didn't know what they were up against, she had to be concerned.
They heard her coming first.
It would be hard not to, since she was wearing heels as she stormed across the tile floor.
Both men glanced over as a very statuesque woman headed their way. Daniel Nelms grinned at her, and Julian recognized her from the file.
This was the owner’s wife--his MUCH younger one.
It made him want to laugh.
They didn't look like a couple. While he and Tori stood the same height, they fit each other like two halves, but this woman was insanely tall, and when you saw Daniel with her, you had to scratch your head.
He was short, stout, and bald.
She was the exact opposite.
Talk about opposite sides of the spectrum.
“Sweetheart, I’d like you to meet the Littlemoons,” he stated, introducing them. “This is Julian, and here is his lovely wife Tori.”
The woman sized up their guests.
Tori noticed that she spent a great deal of time ‘checking’ him out. She wasn’t shocked. It happened a lot. Natives weren’t all over there place, and they were exotic.
Well, at least to her.
When the woman focused on her, it was a look of distaste. It screamed, ‘Why is he with you when there are so many other women out there?’, and she knew it.
Yeah, she wasn’t surprised.
They offered her their hands.
The woman wasn’t rude, but she wasn’t warm and friendly like her husband. It was hard not to notice that she was rebuilt by the hand of a surgeon. No one’s skin was that taut.
No one’s.
And her breasts?
Tori wanted to laugh.
Julian moved out of the woman’s way, and Tori was enjoying how uncomfortable he appeared to be. It probably had everything to do with the incredibly low cut shirt the woman was wearing. Her breasts were right there, nearly in their faces. Obviously, Julian had checked them out, but who could blame him?
Tori did too.
They were ridiculous.
If her husband didn't notice them, she was going to get his eyes checked. When you passed by a train wreck, it was second nature to look.
She wouldn’t fault him for that.
“Hello! Welcome to Darkwood Monastery,” she offered, grabbing a bottle and two glasses of wine from the table. Immediately, she poured some for them, splashing it all over the place.
Obviously, someone was already half a bottle into her own product. That was funny, since it was barely noon.
Tori declined. “No thank you.”
The woman looked perplexed. “But this is a winery. You have to drink. I had some with breakfast. It’s made from the finest California grapes. It’s like having a fruit salad.”
Well, good to see Tori could still pick the biggest lush out of the room. Some skills never went to waste.
She shoved the glass at Tori.
“I’m sorry, but I’m pregnant. I can’t, but my husband will be more than happy to have both his and mine,” she said, still smiling.
Tori didn't say she wouldn’t make him pay for noticing the woman’s breasts. She just didn't blame him.
Julian gave her the look.
When she grinned wickedly, he knew why he was forced to chug the wine. The half-naked woman had caused this.
Hell!
It wasn’t as if he picked out her clothes.
This wasn’t exactly fair.
“Bottoms up, babe,” she teased. “Is it nippy in here?” she asked, just as he started drinking.
Of course, he started choking.
Tori smiled in victory as she patted him on the back, and then grabbed his ass.
He got the point.
Julian kept drinking.
Tori nearly laughed. This was going to be fun. If the blonde bombshell was going to be throwing wine around, Julian was in for one hell of a workweek. It’s a good thing she had medicine for headaches.
Someone was going to have a hangover.
“Oh! I’m sure a little wine won’t hurt!” Sheila Nelms offered. “In Italy, they give it to children and drink while pregnant. Are you sure?”
“Yep, I’m positive, but I will take some home and the day this baby comes out, I’ll have a straw and the whole bottle.”
Bullshit.
She was going to have a cold beer and all the meds in the ward. Who was she kidding?
“Come on. Danny, tempt her. You’re good at luring the women in.”
Tori lifted a brow. She was pretty sure it was the man’s big, fat wallet that called to Sheila, not that cue ball head of his.
“Won’t work,” she replied. “I don’t even drink coffee.”
There was a gasp as if she committed some cardinal sin.
Yeah, she wasn’t boozing with their unborn child in her womb. There were rules, and she followed them.
Hell!
She made her brother smoke outside, and then change his clothes before he came back into the apartment--and she loved him.
Wine, not so much.
No, it wasn’t happening. If this was going to be their only child, she wasn’t screwing it up. Her gene pool was sketchy at best.
Look at her mother.
Sheila gave up, instead turning her attention to the Native man before her. “It’s great to have you here,” she stated, smiling at Julian. “You look so familiar. Did we date? I think we had sex,” she stated.
He choked again on the wine, only this time it was out of fear. The last thing he needed was his pregnant wife on the warpath.
He wasn’t a fool.
Tori had to pound him on the back, and she didn't hold back.
“Shit!” he muttered, trying to regain his composure. “No, I know we didn't. My wife is the first non-Native that I’ve been with, and the last,” he added out of self-preservation.
Sheila winked at him. “If you say so, but you look so familiar.”
Daniel Nelms stepped in, not at all bothered by his wife’s flirting behavior. “You saw them on the news, sweetheart. The Littlemoons are celebrities.”
They both blanched.
Yeah, no they certainly weren’t or at least they never wanted to be.
“Ohhhhh! Now I remember! You saved those women who were being held in cages, and you solved a hundred year old murder mystery. It was the one where that teenage hussy seduced her boss and was killed. What a slut! It’s like a soap opera.”
From her peripheral, Tori saw the glass sliding toward the edge of the table. Immediately, she grabbed it before Bethany could shove it to the floor.
Apparently, she didn't like being called a hussy or slut. Who could blame her?
They all looked at Tori and how fast she moved.
“On second thought, I’ll have some red wine. Maybe you’re right about just a little,” she stated, covering her ass. The last thing they needed was a spirit getting pissy with the ditz. That would be hard to explain. In her head, she warned Bethany to knock it off.
She could hear her pouting.
Great.
Her gift was getting weirder by the day.
Julian stared at her like she was crazy. Certainly, she wasn’t going to drink, and he hated wine. Why would he want more?
Then she mouthed one word, ‘Bethany’.
He totally got it.
Crap!
They needed to get this moving before something spooky started brewing in the entryway. He’d heard how Bethany distracted Jamie Montgomery, so Tori could save Christina and herself.
Why push their luck?
“Maybe you can show us to our rooms?” Julian asked. “We’d love to start looking around. You have such an amazing place,” he added for the sake of Mrs. Nelms. What Sheila didn't know wouldn’t hurt them. She didn't appear to be the sharpest tool in the shed.
“Absolutely! I’ll bring you up,” she offered. “Let me get one of the guys to get your bags. We don’t let our guest carry them, and we certainly won’t let our pregnant guests exert themselves.”
“Put them in the blue room, sweetheart.”
Sheila smiled. “That’s a great room!”
Julian knew why his wife wanted it. If it had things going bump in the night, of course she wanted to be in the thick of it.
When she rushed away, Daniel Nelms whispered, “If you need anything, here’s my private cell number. Just let me know, and I’ll take care of it. Keep me updated, okay?”
“Sure thing, sir. We’ll keep in touch as we nose around. When we find something, you’ll hear about it.”
“No place on the grounds is off limits. I’ll tell my staff that since you two are celebrities that you can go wherever.”
Again, they cringed.
“You do whatever it is you do to get this taken care of,” he stated.
“Are you sure?” Julian warned, thinking back to the damage they did at the Lamonts’ house.
They tore that place up.
“I want this solved, and I’m footing the bill. You dig up the vineyard if you need to, and that’s that.”
Well, at least they had carte blanche. They were probably lucky. There was no doubt they’d likely do that and so much more.
That made it easier.
When no one was looking, she dumped her wine in Julian’s glass. He tried not to laugh.
Before she could say anything, Sheila was back and had some man following her.
“This is Danny’s son, Romeo,” she stated. “He’s learning the ropes. He wants to follow in daddy’s footsteps.”
The man shook their hands. “Hey! I saw you on the…”
Tori cut him off. “We’re trying to hide from all the media. Someone recommended your vineyard as a good place to lay low. I hope you can help us relax and find some privacy.”
Julian loved his wife. She turned this all around, and even Daniel Nelms looked impressed.
“Absolutely,” Sheila said.
Romeo grabbed their bags. “I understand. We want you to be happy here,” he offered. “When you leave can you…?”
“We’ll write you a letter stating how amazing this place was, and you can use it to promote your vineyard.”
Romeo beamed. “That would be awesome!”
Tori knew they’d fall for it.
Apparently, Romeo was serious about the business. He and his father were a lot alike. They even looked similar.
Well, when his parents named them, they didn't see this one coming.
At all.
“Follow me,” she stated, leading them up the stairs and down a long hall toward a room. “I hope you have a good stay and join us for drinks tonight!”
“We’ll be there,” Julian promised. “We can’t wait to mingle.”
“It’s not formal, but you should dress up a little,” stated the woman, clearly alluding to who needed a wardrobe fix up.
Tori wasn’t surprised.
Julian took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “We’ll be there with bells on.”
“And heels,” Tori stated. “I just love walking around in heels. They make me feel like a woman. Forget the baby I’m .growing. I need heels.”
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