Dead and Disorderly (Behind the Blue Line Series Book 2)

by Craig, Alexis D.

  “I know you did, Dominic.” He swallowed hard at the utter conviction in her voice. Nonna patted his hand on the table before reaching into her bra to pull out another cigarette, lighting it from the previous one that was still burning.

  “Nonna,” he scolded, but couldn’t help but laugh. His grandmother was beholden to no one and did exactly what she wanted, and when. She and Nahia had that in common and would be thick as thieves in no time.

  She giggled and gave him a grin reeking of devilry. Then a shadow fell over her eyes. “Ah, Donna and Joe. Damn.” She sipped her drink and stared out at the setting sun behind the downtown skyscrapers. “At least they’re together now.”

  Nico was so used to thinking of them as Mr. and Mrs. Ianucci that hearing their first names was a bit jarring. He thought back to his conversation with Nahia about the potential haunting of the restaurant. “You think he stuck around and waited for her?” It wasn’t canon, it wasn’t in the Scripture, and he honestly couldn’t think of what possessed him to ask, but was ultimately relieved when her formerly wistful smile brightened.

  Nonna nodded confidently. “Oh yes. I believe he waited for her. Their souls needed each other, it was bigger than love.” She sniffed and rubbed the bridge of her nose, her eyes looking a little shinier than normal, but he didn’t want to bring attention to it, lest she smack him on the back of the head for impertinence. He still had scars.

  Her description of Mr. and Mrs. I’s love for one another warmed him, and reinforced his desire for the same thing. Unbidden, Nahia popped into his head again. He’d managed to go a whole ten minutes without thinking about her. A new record.

  “Dominic.” The way she said it made him feel like he had been ignoring her, and he was immediately chastened.

  Nico shook his head and focused on her. He saw her so rarely; she deserved his undivided attention. “I’m sorry, Nonna. What were you saying?”

  She snorted and tossed back her scotch like a pro, slamming the glass down on the wrought iron table with a surprising amount of force for a little old lady. “That you have that look again. Now, you’re going to tell me all about her.”

  Nico stood and picked up her glass. “Your ice is dry. I’ll get you another and be right back.” She laughed outright at his evasion technique, but didn’t press him on it. He just hoped he could figure out how much to tell her before he had to return.

  Nahia looked her friend over, amused to see him as smudged and rumpled as she was. At least she’d worn jeans; he’d still been in his suit. “Well, you cursed us.” She picked another cobweb out of her hair and stared at the rusted cigar box in her hands that she’d retrieved from the third drawer of the credenza. It was sealed, its contents shifting inside when she shook it, a soft sound, not rattling or clanging against the metal sides. She only hoped it was papers and not another rat carcass like she’d found in Drawer Number Two.

  “It’s only a curse if it’s full of dead mice or something.” The fact that his thoughts so closely mirrored her own weren’t terribly comforting. They’d descended the stairs where they’d started, fearing going down the outside ones would draw unneeded attention to their furtive activities. Plus, she’d wanted to interrupt the salt barrier so Aurelio wasn’t trapped inside. It wasn’t often she could coax Nigel into a good bout of breaking and entering. Throw in stealing, or as she referred to it, ‘borrowing’, and it was a whole other game.

  “I gotta run. You cool here?” She had to race home, shower, and head down to Ianucci’s to meet Nico for the wake. Any anxiety about the house was overcome by the butterflies in her stomach and their Rolls-Royce engines when she thought about meeting Nico’s family for the first time. This was big– huge, in fact– and all she could think of was she wasn’t ready. Hell, she’d thought about telling him that when he’d invited her in the first place, but he’d had so much on his mind, she didn’t want to add the strain.

  “I’m good. Stay here, poke around with my badge and gun visible, and if anyone asks, I’m checking on an abandoned building.” He recited the plan she’d laid out for him by rote.

  “Awesome, and—”

  “Do not go into the house,” they said at the same time.

  Nahia laughed and tossed her gear into her trunk and opened the car door. “Just checking. Text me when you’re out, okay? If I don’t hear from you, I’m coming back, and I’ll be loaded for bear.”

  Nigel snorted and motioned for her to get going. “Don’t cut out early from the family event. I got this. I’m good.”

  Nahia kissed his cheek and climbed into her little car, racing into downtown. It only took a moment to run up three flights of stairs and dart into her apartment. Doing the math as she tossed off her clothes, she’d have to go without makeup if she wanted clean hair, but some sacrifices had to be made. Fifteen minutes later, she was sprinting down the stairs, and opted to slide on the banister for the last flight, just to save time. She gave no thought to the box in her front seat until she jumped in the car.

  She’d meant to take it inside with her, but it would have to wait. She was grateful when she got the text from Nico right before she left the parking lot asking where she was that she could honestly say she was on her way with an ETA of less than ten minutes.

  Weaving adroitly through the afternoon throngs, she worked hard to mentally calm herself. It was just dinner. It wasn’t an inquisition, and she looked great. Nico would be there, and she wanted to support him. It was going to be okay. She repeated the litany over and over in varying permutations, the words soothing her only slightly.

  At a stoplight, she reached up and touched her hair, thrown back into a bun that hid her turquoise streak, a simple silver chain taking the place of the medicine pouch she’d had on earlier. She’d changed from her tank top and jeans into an off the shoulder silky turquoise blouse, a black pencil skirt that fell to her knees, and finished off with some black patent kitten heels. She was going for sexy, yet civilized, with not even a hint of hoochie.

  The parking lot was full to bursting when she arrived, bleeding over into the office lot next door. She’d ended up parking a block away and walking, regretting her choice in footwear about halfway there. She saw Nico on the patio talking to an older woman whose hand he held. He looked edible. In his white dress shirt with rolled up sleeves and jeans, he made the preppy look work in the best possible way. He stood when he saw her, whispered to the older woman who hooked an arm over the back of the chair to look at her, a cigarette smoldering away in her hand.

  Speaking of smoldering, the kiss he laid on her as soon as she walked up definitely qualified. His arm around her waist, other hand cradling her head, palm splayed over her lower back sending tingles through her whole body while his lips demanded a response she was only too happy to give. He pulled back, breathing hard, and rested his forehead against hers.

  “I missed you, too.” She giggled breathlessly. One look over his shoulder and she could see the woman at the table grinning approvingly and looking like she wanted to applaud. Nahia returned her attention to Nico, nuzzling her nose against his. “You doing okay?”

  He nodded and took a step back, presumably so it didn’t look like he was accosting her in the parking lot. “Happy you’re here.” Keeping his arm around her, he led them back to the table. “I have someone I’d like you to meet. Nonna, this is Nahia.”

  Nahia smiled brightly and took the little old woman’s hand in her own. She looked exactly like she’d anticipated, no bigger than a minute and sparkling dark eyes hinting she was up for any available mischief she could find. “Lovely to meet you, Mrs. Verrazzano.”

  “His mother is Mrs. V, I’m just Nonna. My Dominic here is very fond of you.” She sipped her scotch, staring at him thoughtfully.

  Nico stiffened next to Nahia as he held out her chair. Leave it to Nonna to be so damn direct. Nahia giggled, to her credit, completely unintimidated by his family’s matriarch.

  “Well, it just so happens I’m pretty fond of him, so that works out
well.”

  He did his best not to gape at her, because he definitely hadn’t expected her to be so open with her feelings, especially right away, and with his Nonna of all people. “I…” he trailed off as his mind attempted to regroup. “May I get you a drink, Nahia?”

  His grandmother snorted and looked them both over. “You don’t need to keep me company, Dominic. Take her inside, introduce her around. You’re mother’s going to be very excited to meet her.” She ended the statement with a giggle that became a cough, but she continued to wave them toward the front doors.

  He rose, and Nahia followed his lead after a look of concern for his grandmother. Shaking his head, he put his hand on her back again, escorting her into the restaurant. “You ready?” he murmured into her hair just above her ear. She looked amazing, absolutely stunning, and he was so proud to show her off, but he didn’t want to overwhelm her with the tidal wave of people who’d be anxious to make her acquaintance.

  She nodded, but looked over her shoulder once more at the patio. “Yeah, I’m sure. You sure we should leave your gramma out there?”

  He nodded and held the door for her. “If you fuss over her, she’ll beat you with whatever’s available. There aren’t whole a lot of options out there before she’d be throwing furniture. Best to just go inside.”

  Nahia giggled and kissed his cheek, the feeling of her soft lips on his skin almost enough to make him miss a step as they walked into the dining room. “It’s your show, Nico, I’m all yours.”

  Before he could respond to her, a figure came into view from the corner of his eye. “Nico, have you seen your grandmother?”

  His mother was on a mission, he could tell from the set of her shoulders and the look in her eye. Trying to buy his grandmother some time, he offered, “Ma, this is Nahia, the girl I was telling you about.”

  Nico’s mother was stately. Taller than her, with a curvy figure, sharp features, and long black hair, Mrs. Verrazzano was definitely where he got his looks. The regal woman stopped in the middle of her hunt to look her over.

  Taking the opportunity to make a good impression, Nahia stuck out her hand and flashed her most winning smile. “Mrs. Verrazzano. Lovely to meet you. Nico speaks of you often and fondly.”

  His mother took her hand briefly before folding her hands in front of her. “He mentioned he’d met someone.” The front door to the restaurant opened, and Nonna strolled in, doing her best to look inconspicuous. Mrs. V. zeroed in on her immediately. “Excuse me, would you? We’ll talk more in a little bit.” She turned toward Nonna, who’d almost made it to the bar for a refill, “Ma! You know what the doctor says about your drinking.”

  “See? Not so bad.” Nico brushed his lips briefly across her bare shoulder. “C’mon, there’s a few other people I want you to meet.”

  ‘A few people’ turned into the funerary equivalent of a receiving line, and it was endless. By the time they’d made it back to the front of the restaurant, she was tempted to dig into her purse and start making notes on a scorecard. It was a lot of damn people, everywhere a cousin, an aunt, an uncle. If she started factoring in divorces, remarriages, affairs, and random children they’d manage to populate a medium-sized country.

  Their whirlwind tour ended thankfully at the bar, tended by another cousin, or second cousin or something. “You holding up?” He ordered her a dirty martini and got himself a couple fingers of bourbon.

  Nahia had been cordial, friendly, and everything else he could expect for a woman at someone else’s wake cum impromptu family reunion. Grieving relatives didn’t make for the most upbeat affair under the best of circumstances, and these were pretty close. Still, she seemed vexed, for lack of a better word, and that had him a bit concerned.

  “Please tell me that’s the whole play, because if it’s just the first act, then I’m gonna need more of these.” She shook the glass, swirling the olives around to illustrate her point. They took their drinks out to the terrace, and she grabbed a seat at one of the unoccupied tables. People were still showing up, waving as they went by as she watched the progression. “That’s a lot of people,” she whispered, though he didn’t know if it was to him or herself. She turned back to him with a speculative look. “You related to everyone here?”

  He chuckled sheepishly. “Yeah, most of them.” Looking her over speculatively, he asked, “You said you had a small family, right?”

  She shrugged and looked down at her drink. “Damn near miniscule compared to this. I’m an only child. Parents have one sibling each, grandparents passed when I was a teenager. Makes Christmas easy, though.” She laughed ruefully.

  He took her hand in his and turned it over, stroking his fingers lightly across her palm. “So this is a bit much, huh?”

  “It’s a little overwhelming,” she admitted, her eyes full of apology.

  Nico rose briefly and scooted his chair over next to hers so they were shoulder to shoulder. “Understood. You have no idea how much I appreciate you being here for me.” A bright blue curling tendril had escaped the confinement of her bun, and he smoothed it behind her ear, reveling in the closeness. “Supporting me,” he continued, his lips brushing the shell of her ear and taking a moment to inhale her intoxicating scent. He slid a finger under her chin to bring her face around to his, her eyes wide, full lips parted on a shaky exhalation. “I’m grateful,” he finished before sealing his mouth over hers, swallowing her gasp.

  He hummed in pleasure as she framed his face with her hand, moving closer. She tasted of martinis and comfort, effortless joy. Her hand slid from his jaw down his neck, leaving a trail of singed nerves in her wake. As he deepened the kiss, his tongue tangling and wrestling with hers, she dug her nails into his shoulder.

  “Dominic!” His mother’s chastising voice broke into his thoughts, and they both jumped apart. His mother had come outside with two plates full of olives, prosciutto and mozzarella. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

  “Well, you found us. Come, have a seat.” Nico stood and pulled out a chair for his mother, waiting until she was seated and comfortable before resuming his spot next to Nahia.

  “So I see. Thank you, Dominic.” She pushed the plates in their direction and pulled silverware rolled in napkins from her pockets. She was nothing if not prepared. “No one was really in the mood for anything heavy right now. We’ll be cooking more tomorrow, anyway, for after the Mass.”

  Nahia smiled shyly and took the offered plate. “Thank you, Mrs. Verrazzano.”

  “Carlotta, please.” He took it as a good sign that his mother offered up her first name so soon. “So my son said you met at a work function, but was terribly vague.”

  Nahia nodded and stabbed an olive with her fork. “Yes, I had a business venture, and my usual security backed out at the last moment. Nico was kind enough to fill in.”

  “He always has been very helpful.” His mother gave him a loving smile. “He did tell me you own a business.”

  The woman at his side dabbed her mouth with her napkin and finished chewing before answering. “I do. I sell teas, both herbal and medicinal.” He remembered having this conversation with her, but that was after they’d gone ghost hunting and his orientation in the universe had been altered. This time, however, she kept a straight face and delivered the line in an offhand manner, like she did it all the time.

  “Oh, wonderful. It’s nice to see the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well.” Even as his mother said the words, Nico could sense something else going on behind them. “Is it one of those weird, New Age places where they sell crystals and have fortune tellers?”

  It was all he could do not to let the apprehension he was now feeling choke him. Nahia kept her face impassive but pleasant as she answered, “Yes, exactly like that.”

  “I see.” Two words and Nico could see the wall going up between the two important women in his life and could think of no way to deflect. “And yet you had a business venture needing security?”

  “I did,” Nahia said it wit
h a slight incline of her head, but didn’t offer any further. As far as conversational moves went, it was like drawing a line in the sand. He wasn’t quite sure when or how the conversation had spun so far out of control, but it was bad and getting uglier by the minute, regardless of the pleasantries exchanged. It was like there were two conversations at once, only one audible, and the other requiring a trainer, a waterboy and a bell to signal the end of rounds.

  “Dominic!”

  All three turned to his grandmother, with her halo of white hair catching the pinks of the dying evening sky wandering out of the restaurant’s main doors with a determined stride.

  He stood as she approached, silently offering to vacate his chair for her. “Something wrong, Nonna?”

  She put her hand on Carlotta’s shoulder, not a move many others could have gotten away with at that moment, and looked him up and down. “You didn’t introduce your girlfriend to your sister, Dominic. I’m disappointed in you.” She looked to Nahia, winking over his mother’s head like the most confident of pirates. “Come on, Nahia, since my grandson is so lax in his manners.”

  Nico had done no such thing, introducing her to Jules immediately after his father, Frank, but he wasn’t going to contradict his grandmother. He knew what she was doing, and was grateful. He and his mother clearly needed to have a conversation.

  Nahia looked to him and he nodded almost imperceptibly, and she rose from the table. She held her hand out across the table toward his mother. “Carlotta, it was lovely to finally get a chance to sit down and talk to you.”

  With so many witnesses, he knew his mother wouldn’t refuse the kind gesture. “Absolutely. Lovely talking to you, too.”

  She patted his back as she walked over to join Nonna. “I’m all yours, Nonna.”