The corner across the street was smeared with blood, but no one seemed to notice. The people who walked by had no idea about the violence that had occurred, not even an hour before, in the space they were passing through.
A couple stopped just a few feet from the largest stain, arguing. The woman looked both ways and then crossed the street, and I recognized her just before she slipped beneath the awning of our lobby. Marks followed her, and I sighed, knowing they would both be stepping off the elevator minutes later.
I went to my door and unlocked it, and then I waited in the open doorway. The elevator chimed, and the doors revealed my friend looking angrier than I’d ever seen her.
She stepped out and then stopped abruptly, elbowing Marks when he ran into her. “Are you leaving?” she asked me.
“No. Just getting home.” I held the door open. “Come in.”
She passed by, and then Marks paused, waiting for my permission. I nodded, and he followed her to the couch.
I shut the door and turned, crossing my arms. “I am not in the mood to Dr. Phil you two. I can’t figure out my own shit.” I raked my hair away from my face, and then I walked over to the chair, scooping up the folded throw and holding it in my lap as I sat down.
“You agree with me, don’t you, Liis?” Marks asked. “She needs to kick him out.”
“He won’t leave,” Val said, exasperated.
“Then, I’ll make him leave,” Marks growled.
I rolled my eyes. “C’mon, Marks. You know the law. He is her husband. If the cops came, you would be the one asked to leave.”
Marks’s jaw worked beneath the skin, and then he looked beyond my kitchen. “You have a second bedroom. You’ve invited her.”
“She doesn’t want to lose her condo,” I said.
Val’s eyes widened. “That’s what I’ve told him.”
“I don’t want you living with him! It’s fucking weird!” Marks said.
“Joel, I’m handling this,” Val said. “If you don’t want to stick around, I understand.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Why are you two here?”
Marks sighed. “I came to pick her up for dinner. He made a big deal. Usually, I wait for her outside, but I thought I’d be a fucking gentleman for once. He made a scene. Who’s she pissed at? Me.”
“Why do we do this to ourselves?” I asked, mostly to myself. “We’re grown adults. Love makes us so stupid.”
“He doesn’t love me,” Val said.
“Yes, I do,” Marks said, looking at her.
She slowly turned to him. “You do?”
“I chased you for months, and I’m still chasing you. You think this is a casual fling for me? I love you.”
Val’s face fell, and her lip jutted out. “I love you, too.”
They hugged each other and then began to kiss.
I looked up at the ceiling, contemplating a tantrum.
“Sorry,” Val said, fixing her lipstick.
“It’s fine,” I deadpanned.
“We should probably get going,” Marks said. “We barely got a reservation. I don’t want to have to drive around looking for a decent meal at nine thirty at night.”
I forced a smile and then walked to the door, opening it wide.
“Sorry,” Val whispered as she passed.
I shook my head. “It’s fine.”
I shut the door, walked straight back to my bedroom, and fell face-first onto my bed.
Val and Marks had made finding a solution look so easy, figuring it out even though Val had been sharing a condo with Sawyer for over a year. I was miserable living an entire floor below Thomas. But our problems seemed more complicated than living with an ex. I loved a man who I couldn’t love, who loved someone else but loved me more.
Love could kiss my ass.
The next morning, I was relieved not to see Thomas in the elevator.
As the weeks passed, it became less of a worry and more of a memory.
Thomas would make sure to arrive at work before me and to stay far later. The meetings were short and tense, and if we were given an assignment, Val, Sawyer, and I hated to come back to Constance empty-handed.
The rest of Squad Five kept their heads down, scowling at me when they thought I wouldn’t notice. The days were long. Just being in the squad room was stressful, and I had quickly become everyone’s least favorite supervisor in the building.
Eight straight days went by without any run-ins with Thomas at Cutter’s, and then another week passed.
Anthony had given me the number of a friend who knew someone who shipped vehicles, and once I’d called and mentioned Anthony’s name, the price dropped in half.
By May, my Camry had been delivered, and I was able to explore more of San Diego. Val and I went to the zoo, and I began systematically visiting all the beaches, always alone. It became sort of a thing.
It didn’t take me long to fall in love with the city, and I wondered if falling quick was going to start being a thing with me, too. That was squashed after several outings with Val as I began to understand that every interaction with a man just reminded me of how much I missed Thomas.
One hot, sticky Saturday night, I pulled into the Kansas City Barbeque parking lot and shoved my keys into my purse. Even in a sundress, I could feel the sweat dripping from under my breasts and down to my stomach. It was a heat only the ocean or a pool could alleviate.
My skin was slick, and my hair was pulled into a loose knot at the top of my head. The humidity reminded me of the island, and I needed to distract myself.
I pushed the door open and froze. The first thing in my line of sight was Thomas standing in front of the dartboard with a blonde, holding her in one arm as he tried to help her aim a dart with the other.
The moment we made eye contact, I turned on my heels and walked quickly to my car. Running was not conducive in wedges. Before I could even clear the front patio, someone rounded the corner, and I plowed into him, getting knocked off my footing.
Before I hit the ground, large hands swooped me up.
“What the hell is your hurry?” Marks said, releasing me once I’d found my balance.
“Sorry. I was just coming in here for a late dinner.”
“Oh,” he said with a knowing smile. “You saw Maddox in there.”
“I, uh…can find somewhere else to eat.”
“Liis?” Thomas called from the doorway.
“She doesn’t want to eat here since you’re here,” Marks yelled back, cupping my shoulder.
Everyone dining on the patio turned to look at me.
I pushed Marks’s hand away and lifted my chin. “Fuck off.”
I stomped toward my car.
Marks called after me, “You’ve been hanging out with Val too long!”
I didn’t turn around. Instead, I reached into my purse for my keys and pressed the keyless entry.
Before I could open the door, I felt hands on me again.
“Liis,” Thomas said, breathless from jogging across the parking lot.
I jerked my arm away and yanked the door open.
“She’s just a friend. She worked in Constance’s position for Polanski when he was the ASAC.”
I shook my head. “You don’t have to explain.”
He pushed his hands into his pocket. “Yeah, I do. You’re upset.”
“Not because I want to be.” I looked up at him. “I’ll figure it out. Until then, the avoidance thing is working for me.”
Thomas nodded once. “I’m sorry. Upsetting you is the last thing I want to do. You, um…you look gorgeous. Were you meeting someone?”
I made a face. “No, I’m not meeting someone. I’m not dating. I don’t date,” I snapped. “Not that I don’t expect you to,” I said, motioning to the restaurant.
I began to sit in the driver’s seat, but Thomas gently held my arm.
“We’re not dating,” he said. “I was just helping her with darts. Her boyfriend is in there.”
I glared at him, dubiou
s. “Great. I have to go. I haven’t eaten.”
“Eat here,” he said. He offered a hopeful small smile. “I can teach you how to play, too.”
“I’d rather not be one of many. Thank you.”
“You’re not. You never have been.”
“No, just one of two.”
“Whether you believe it or not, Liis…you’ve been the only. There has never been anyone else but you.”
I sighed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up. I’ll see you at work on Monday. We have an early meeting.”
“Yep,” he said, taking a step back.
I slid into the driver’s seat and then stabbed the ignition with the key. The Camry made a dainty growl, and then I backed up and pulled away, leaving Thomas alone in the parking lot.
The first lit drive-through sign I saw, I pulled in and waited in line. Once I received my non-Fuzzy burger and small fries, I drove the rest of the way home.
My sack crinkled as I shut my car door, and then I walked to the lobby doors, feeling abysmal that my brilliant plan for distraction couldn’t have been more of a failure.
“Hey!” Val called from across the street.
I looked over at her, and she waved.
“You’re a hot bitch! Come to Cutter’s with me!”
I lifted my sack.
“Dinner?” she yelled.
“Kind of!” I called back.
“Fuzzy’s?”
“No!”
“Gross!” she yelled. “Liquor will be more satisfying!”
I sighed and then glanced each way before crossing the street. Val hugged me, and then her smile faded when she noticed my expression.
“What’s wrong?”
“I went to KC Barbeque. Thomas was there with a very tall and pretty blonde.”
Val pursed her lips. “You’re way better than her. Everyone knows she’s a total skank.”
“Do you know her?” I asked. “She is Polanski’s assistant.”
“Oh,” Val said. “No, Allie is super sweet, but we’re going to pretend she’s a skank.”
“Allie?” I whined, puffing out a breath like the wind had been knocked out of me. The name sounded exactly like the perfect girl who Thomas could fall in love with. “Kill me now.”
She hooked her arm around me. “I’m packing heat. I can if you want.”
I leaned my head onto her shoulder. “You’re a good friend.”
“I know,” Val said, guiding me to Cutter’s.
I FORCED A SMILE FOR AGENT TREVINO while stopped at check-in, and then I steered my Camry toward the parking garage. I was already in a foul mood from the weekend, and the fact that it was Monday wasn’t helping matters.
Thomas was right. I did hate driving on the freeway, and that annoyed me as well. I found a parking space and pushed the gear forward into park. Then, I grabbed my purse and brown leather messenger bag. Shoving the door open, I stepped out to see Agent Grove struggling to get out of his blue sedan.
“Morning,” I said.
He simply nodded, and we headed for the elevator bay. I pressed the button, trying not to tip him off that I was nervous to have him standing behind me.
He coughed into his hand, and I used that as an excuse to glance back.
My sleek ponytail whipped over my right shoulder as I did so. “Summer colds are the worst.”
“Allergies,” he grumbled, almost to himself.
The elevator opened, and I stepped on, followed by Grove. His pale-blue shirt and too-small tie made his expansive midsection look even more pronounced.
“How are the interviews going?” I asked.
Grove’s wiry mustache twitched. “It’s a little early to engage in chitchat, Agent Lindy.”
I raised my eyebrows and then faced forward, holding my hands in front of me. The seventh floor chimed, and I stepped into the hallway. I glanced back at Grove, who glared at me until the doors slid shut.
Val merged with me as I approached the security doors. “Open the door, open the door, open the—”
“We’re not finished,” Marks said with a grimace.
Val instantly switched on a smile and turned around. “For now, we are.”
“No, we’re not,” Marks said, his bright blue eyes flaming.
I pushed open the door, and Val took a step backward. “But we are…so we are.” When the door closed in Marks’s face, she turned back around and squeezed my arm. “Thank you.”
“What was that about?”
She rolled her eyes and puffed out a breath. “He still wants me to move out of my condo.”
“Well…I wouldn’t like my boyfriend living with his wife either.”
“Marks is not my boyfriend, and Sawyer is not my husband.”
“Your status with Marks is debatable, but you are definitely still married to Sawyer. He hasn’t signed the papers yet?”
We turned into my office, and Val shut the door before falling into a club chair.
“No! He came home from Cutter’s one night, going on and on about how Davies was a mistake.”
“Wait—Agent Davies?”
“Yes.”
“But you…”
Val’s nose wrinkled, and when recognition hit, she jumped out of the chair. “No! Ew! Ew! Even if I were a lesbian, I’d much prefer ChapStick to lipstick. Agent Davies looks like a reject from a Cher look-alike contest with all that”—she circled her face with her index finger—“stuff on her face.”
“So, when you said you experienced both Sawyer and Davies, you meant because he’d cheated on you with her.”
“Yes!” she said, still disgusted. She sat back in the chair, keeping her butt on the edge, while letting her shoulders fall back against the cushion.
“If you say that to anyone else, you might consider clarifying.”
Val let that thought simmer, and then she closed her eyes, her shoulders sagging. “Shit.”
“You’re not going to forgive Sawyer?” I asked.
“God, no.”
“What keeps you there, Val? I know it’s your condo, but that can’t be all there is to it.”
She lifted her arms before letting them slap to her thighs. “That’s it.”
“Lie.”
“Well, now,” she said, sitting up and crossing her arms, “look who is honing her craft.”
“More like common sense,” I said. “Now, if you’re going to be a bad friend, shoo. I have work to do.” I shuffled papers, pretending to be disinterested.
“I can’t forgive him,” she said, her voice small. “I’ve tried. I could have forgiven anything else.”
“Really?”
She nodded.
“Have you told him that?”
She picked at her nails. “Pretty much.”
“You need to tell him, Val. He still thinks there’s a chance.”
“I’m dating Marks. Sawyer still thinks I’m hung up on him?”
“You are married to him.”
Val sighed. “You’re right. It’s time. But I warn you, if I put down the hammer and he doesn’t budge, you might have a new roommate.”
I shrugged. “I’ll help you pack.”
Val left with a smile, and I opened my laptop, input the password, and began scrolling through my emails. Three from Constance marked Urgent caught my eye.
I directed the mouse to the first email and clicked.
AGENT LINDY,
ASAC MADDOX REQUESTS A MEETING AT 1000. PLEASE CLEAR YOUR SCHEDULE, AND HAVE YOUR CASE FILE IN HAND.
CONSTANCE
I opened the second.
AGENT LINDY,
ASAC MADDOX REQUESTS THE MEETING TO BE MOVED TO 0900. PLEASE BE PROMPT, AND HAVE YOUR CASE FILE IN HAND.
CONSTANCE
I opened the third.
AGENT LINDY,
ASAC MADDOX INSISTS THAT YOU REPORT TO HIS OFFICE THE MOMENT YOU RECEIVE THIS EMAIL. PLEASE HAVE YOUR CASE FILE IN HAND.
CONSTANCE
I looked at my watch. It was barely eight a.
m. I grabbed the mouse and clicked through recent documents, printing the new intel I had accumulated. I grabbed the file folder, snatched the papers off the printer, and ran down the hall.
“Hi, Constance,” I said, winded.
She looked up at me and smiled, batting her long black lashes. “He can see you now.”
“Thank you,” I breathed, walking past her.
Thomas was sitting with his back to me, staring at the gorgeous view outside of his corner office.
“Agent Maddox,” I said, trying to sound normal. “I’m sorry. I just saw the email…s. I brought the case file. I have a few more—”
“Have a seat, Lindy.”
I blinked and then did as he’d commanded. The three mysterious picture frames were still on his desk, but the center frame was lying on its face.
“I can’t make them wait any longer,” Thomas said. “The Office of the Inspector General wants an arrest.”
“Travis?”
He turned. The skin under his eyes was purple. He looked like he’d lost weight. “No, no…Grove. Travis will start his training soon. If Grove hears from Benny or Tarou about Travis…well, we’ll be dead in the water anyway.
“Constance will send everything you have to the US Attorney’s office. They’re going to stage an armed robbery at the gas station he frequents. He’ll be shot. Witnesses will testify that he was killed.
“Then, Tarou and Benny will think they’re shit out of luck instead of packing up and destroying evidence because Grove was busted and all roads lead to their criminal activity.”
“Sounds like a home run, sir.”
Thomas winced at my cold response and then sat behind his desk. We remained in awkward silence for a solid ten seconds, and then Thomas made the smallest gesture toward the door.
“Thank you, Agent Lindy. That will be all.”
I nodded and stood up. I walked to the door, but I couldn’t leave. Against my better judgment, I turned, holding my free hand in a fist and tightly gripping the file folder so that I wouldn’t drop it.
He was reading the top page of a stack, holding a highlighter in one hand with the cap in the other.
“Are you taking care of yourself, sir?”
Thomas blanched. “Am I…excuse me?”
“Taking care of yourself. You seem tired.”
Beautiful Redemption (Maddox Brothers #2) Page 24