“I will. Stay safe, my brother.” He hung up the phone and wondered if there were any other secrets she was keeping from him.
* * *
Abby shut the front door behind her and hung her jacket up in the closet. She made her way to Piotr’s study and wasn’t surprised to find Seth there, still hard at work. She was surprised to see the curtains open. The light from outside hit the screen and had to make it difficult to work.
He glanced up with a smile. “Time for lunch?”
She nodded and held out her hand. He got up and walked around the desk. He took her hand and together they walked into the dining room. Piotr’s butler quietly set plates of soup and salad in front of each of them and left the room.
“How did your work go today?” Abby asked around a mouthful of salad. God, she’d have to get the recipe for this vinaigrette from Piotr’s chef. It was amazing.
“It went well. Very well. Better than I expected, in fact.” He smiled. “I called Dante, by the way.”
There was a strange note of amusement in Seth’s voice, as if he was holding something back. His gaze was suspiciously innocent. “How is he?”
“He’s doing well. He’s on leave for six weeks and bored out of his mind.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. I would have liked to talk to him.”
“Mm. I bet. Who’s Elizabeth Rand?”
Abby choked on a sip of her ice water. “Beth?” Uh-oh.
“Yes. Beth. Funny, Dante thought you might know her. Who is she?”
She gave him her brightest smile. “A private investigator.”
Seth tilted his head and studied her. “I gathered as much when Dante complained about her. Did you hire her?”
“Um, not directly. Andi did.”
He placed his fork back on his plate and rested his chin on his folded hands. “I see. And when were you going to let me know about this?”
She bit her lip. “I was going to tell you about it, but I got distracted.”
One eyebrow shot up. “Distracted?”
She gazed at him from under her lashes, trying to look sexy. “Distracted.” She batted her eyelashes at him outrageously. When his eyes began to twinkle she knew he wasn’t really angry with her. She breathed in a quick sigh of relief.
“Distracted. Okay. Next time, tell me about these things. I’m a little nervous when the police tell me that your private investigator is a real pain in the ass.”
“She’s bothering him?”
“Let’s just say that he offered to check into a few things if she’d back off the case.”
Abby whistled. “She must really be making a pest of herself.”
“Yeah, well, at least Zucco said she’s bothering the other detective now.” Seth’s grin faded into a frown. “I spoke to him today, too.”
“And?”
“I’m not impressed. He’s decided that the whole thing is a bunch of kids doing a little B and E.”
Abby blinked in shock. “What? Does Dante think the same thing?”
“No, of course not. You know what he thinks.”
Abby flopped back in her chair. “A Shem.”
“Yup. But because he’s on sick leave, there’s not much he can do legally. The new detective is in charge.”
“So? We work around him. Let Beth do her digging, and Dante if and when he can, and we’ll see what they unearth.”
“Dante will keep working it because it’s you.”
“Only because I gave him my enchilada recipe.” She wasn’t fooling him. It would surprise her if they couldn’t see her blush from orbit.
“You and Dante got pretty tight.” The scowl on his face was adorable only because he was still amused. “Something I should be worried about?”
She shoved a huge bite of cucumber in her mouth just to tease him.
“Remind me to tell him where he can shove his cannoli,” he muttered.
The cucumber immediately tried to kill her as she snorted out a laugh.
Her back got pounded hard enough that she almost landed in the soup. “You okay?”
She swallowed the evil cucumber before answering. “Yup.”
“Thank God. I did not want to explain that to Bill.” He snickered. “Or Trish.”
She could only imagine what Trish would have to say when she heard this story.
“Anyway, before we get interrupted by more edible phallic symbols—”
More edible?
He had to pause until she could get her laughter back under control. She was wiping away tears when he continued. “Andi is looking into Doug’s background to see if anything pops up, maybe some old enemies who think you have some information on something.”
“But that doesn’t make any sense. Why wait five years to come after me if they thought I had information on illegal stuff?”
“Who knows? Best to check out all angles. She’s also checking into old friends who might have resented you or Doug, his family members, that sort of thing.”
“The more information we have, the better.”
Seth stood up. “So far all we’ve been doing is reacting to what the stalker does. We’ve run instead of holding our ground.”
“Then what do you think we should do?” Running sounded like a fabulous option to her.
“Maybe it’s about time we took the initiative, stop letting Damien and Dante be the point men for us.”
Abby joined him on his way out of the dining room. “I just love it when you talk tough.” She grinned up at him.
He grinned back. “Sweetheart, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” He took her hand and led her back to the study. “What I don’t understand is why someone would kill Doug and then go after you.” He sat in the chair behind the desk. Abby joined him, perching on his lap. She wound her arms around his neck and leaned into him.
“Maybe the two aren’t related at all? Maybe someone wanted Doug dead, and someone else decided to stalk me.”
“Someone who looks like Doug, or has changed himself to look like Doug? A Shem, to boot? Right after Doug breaks out of prison? No. It’s too much of a coincidence.” He settled her more comfortably on his lap and stared at the computer screen.
He was right. It was too much to hope for, but she’d had to toss the idea out there anyway. “Maybe we should look up the headlines in Delaware, see if they’ve come up with anything on Doug’s autopsy.”
“Not a bad idea.” Seth leaned around her and began typing on the keyboard. Soon he had the Delaware headlines listed. News of Doug’s death was in all of the papers, but nothing on the autopsy. “Huh. Guess they’re not done yet. Or they’re not releasing anything to the press.”
“Andi?”
“You are just full of good ideas today.” He picked up the phone. “I’ll make the call. Why don’t you get us both something to drink?”
She got up from his lap. “Sure. Anything in particular?”
“Iced tea?”
“On the way.” By the time she made her way to the fantastically huge, state-of-the-art modern kitchen and back, he’d finished his phone call. The worried expression on his face made her pause. “What’s wrong?”
“He was shot with a .22-caliber pistol, execution style.”
She walked toward the desk and put down the two glasses. “Okay. So now we know how he died.”
Seth nodded, still obviously worried. “Yes, we do. Just not where.”
“What? He wasn’t killed in the preserve?”
“Apparently not. No one knows yet where he was killed. They’re still investigating.”
“Why would someone dump him there?”
Seth shrugged. “Difficult to find him, lots of water, kind of swampy. Maybe the murderer thought that the water would erase the trace evidence.”
Abby shuddered delicately. “Trace evidence. Sounds so grisly. I think I’d better call Beth. She knows all about this kind of stuff.”
“Don’t worry about it. Andi is going to talk to Beth. I’d like to know where he was killed. It
might answer a few questions.”
“Maybe the forensics guys will find fibers in his clothes or something.” Abby flopped down into a chair across the desk from him, her eyes glued to his face but not really seeing it. She was trying to work out the details in her head, and they just weren’t adding up.
“Maybe. If the water didn’t wash it away. At least they’ve got the bullet.”
“I wonder what Andi had to do to get all this information?”
“Fork out a lot of cash, probably. Piotr’s footing the bill.”
Abby sat straight up and stared at him. “He’s what?”
“He’s footing the bill for the investigation.”
“Why?”
“He’s my best friend. He’s helping me protect you. He’s doing it as a favor to me.” Seth laughed lightly. “I also got the feeling that he’s slightly intrigued. As long as he’s bored and willing to help, why not let him?”
Abby tried to explain her unease. “I’m not very comfortable with him.”
“He’s not as bad as people make him out to be. He doesn’t make friends easily, but when he does, he’s loyal beyond anything you’ve ever seen. Don’t worry, he’ll help, not hurt, us.”
Abby eyed him doubtfully. “Well, okay, I’ll take your word for it. But I don’t like that he’s paying anyone to investigate this. I don’t know that I want to owe him anything.”
Seth gave her hands a reassuring squeeze. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. You won’t owe him a thing.”
Abby narrowed her eyes at him. “But you will?”
Seth shrugged.
“Is that a yes or a maybe?”
“Maybe. Like I said, he’s decided to help, so he might feel I don’t owe him anything. Or, he might want something from me one day. I’ll just have to wait and see. Besides, friends help friends out. It’s not really a matter of ‘owing’ anyone anything. If he asked for my help, I’d give it.”
“No questions asked?”
“I might ask a question or two, but I doubt the answers would affect the outcome. I’d help him because he’s my brother.”
Abby relaxed. If Seth was that sure of Piotr, she would be, too. “Okay.”
Seth raised one eyebrow in disbelief. “Okay? That’s it? No more arguments?”
“Nope.”
“Mind telling me why?”
Abby shrugged. “If Piotr is worthy of that kind of loyalty from you, then I’m willing to trust him, too.”
Seth just stared at her, a strange expression on his face. “Thank you. That you’d just take my word for it...” He sighed. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. So, what’s our next step? Wait and see what Piotr comes up with?”
“I’m not sure. We’ll have to give it some thought. It might not be a bad idea to discuss when we’re going to go home, and how we can keep you safest.”
Abby shrugged nonchalantly. “Move in with me.”
“Are you sure?”
She laughed. He sounded so eager, how could she say no? “You’re already moved in with me here. We lived together for what, a week? What difference would it make if you move into my town house?”
He stood up and pulled her with him. “I was hoping you would say that. I wasn’t sure if you were going to fight me on that or not.”
“No real point, is there? You were going to move in whether or not I agreed. We might renegotiate once my stalker is caught, but for now, this will work.”
Seth didn’t look thrilled about the renegotiation part, but that hard determination was back on his face. “Works for me.”
Abby hugged him. Once he moved in, she was willing to bet that he had no intention of leaving. “All we have to do is find my stalker and our lives can get back to normal.”
“Or as normal as they ever will be, I suppose.” Seth returned her hug, and she relished his warmth as it seeped into her.
In Seth’s arms, she honestly believed everything was going to be okay.
* * *
Abby spent a lot of time in the gardens over the next few days. If Seth was available, they walked on the beach together. They often picnicked, spending hours talking and walking, sharing their plans for their lives.
It amazed him that they never seemed to run out of things to say to each other. She’d seemed surprised at what he wanted out of life. A family, a home and a loving partner all topped his list.
He lifted his head and smiled at her, eyeing the heavy basket in her hands and the grin on her face. He stood up, closed down his program and moved toward her. “Another picnic? Don’t you get tired of eating sandwiches on the beach?”
Abby shrugged. “I like beaches.”
He took the heavy basket. “Oof. What did you put in here, the cook?”
She managed to look innocent, but keeping the smile from her face was hard work. “Of course not. She wouldn’t fit in there.”
He eyed her suspiciously and put the basket down on a nearby table. He started to open the lid. “What’s in here?”
“Oh, no you don’t.” She pulled his arms away from the basket before he could get the lid up.
“You don’t want me to see what’s in the basket?” He could easily have broken her hold, but he didn’t. She loved it when he played along.
“You got it. You just get to carry it. If you’re good, I’ll let you see what’s inside once we get there.”
“Well, you’ll have to let me go if you want me to carry it.” She let him go reluctantly, and he massaged his arms lightly. “You have a strong grip.”
She got both of their jackets out of the closet. “I’ll kiss your owies when we get there.” She paused in the act of handing him his jacket, a worried frown crossing over her face. “I didn’t really hurt you, did I?”
He touched the frown line between her eyes, smoothing it away, his expression tender. “Of course not.”
She handed him his jacket with a cheery smile. “Well, then, let’s get going.”
It took a while to reach her favorite spot on the beach. “Whatever you put in this oversized bread basket had better be worth it.”
Out first came the blanket, a red-and-white-checked affair they’d been using for every picnic they’d had so far. Next came a small stereo, and she started up a CD of soft music. A bottle of wine and some plastic glasses followed, along with a small container of port-wine cheese, crackers, grapes and oranges, and a loaf of French bread, still warm.
He sat down on the blanket with a slow smile. “This is my kind of picnic.” Seth picked up the knife and sliced a piece of bread, spreading some of the cheese on top. He took a bite and moaned.
Abby began to pour the wine. “Worth carrying everything?”
“I’d say so.” He opened his mouth and accepted a grape.
She smiled at him, a secret, mysterious smile, and he felt the familiar tightening in his groin. He wondered if she was trying to seduce him. He was willing to go along and find out.
He held out his slice of bread. She took a bite, chewing softly. She spread the cheese on her own piece of bread and held it out to him.
He ignored the bread, moving her hand out of the way and leaning in to her. He kissed her softly, feeling out her mood with his lips, and was pleased when she responded immediately. He placed his free hand on her hip and deepened the kiss, pushing her onto her back. His hand moved to her light windbreaker and began unsnapping it.
Just as she tilted into him, a strange noise shattered the silence. It sounded vaguely like a firecracker going off. The portable stereo made a squawking noise, sparks flying off of it. He lifted his head and abruptly pushed her back down to the ground, staring at the stereo in horror. It was shattered, utterly destroyed, sparking and hissing.
Shit. The stereo had been inches from Abby’s head.
“Was that what I think it was?”
Seth glowed and, for a second, almost lost control of his wings. His aura would protect them a bit, but it also marked their location. Sheltering her with his body, he began to
prod at her to get into the cover of the underbrush. Just as they reached it, another shot rang out.
“Fuck!” His head whipped around as he pushed her behind a bush. “I can’t believe this. We’re sitting ducks out here.” He cautiously lifted his head and peered around. He could see nothing but trees ahead of him and beach behind him. He brought up his mental map of the island and searched for the familiar landmark, an oddly shaped tree stump. Spotting it, he lowered his head and got cautiously to his feet, crouching down all the while. He helped her into the same position and began inching forward, his hand clamped around her upper arm.
He had to protect Abby. He could fly, avoid the bullets, but doing so would leave her exposed and vulnerable. He’d get her to the house, safe in Piotr’s fortress, and come hunting when he wasn’t terrified for her life.
The sound of another gunshot had him flat on the ground, Abby under him. He heard the wine bottle shatter and peeked behind him. Sure enough, both the stereo and the wine were now casualties.
Abby was white-faced and trembling, but she kept up, not complaining when his path back to the house led them through a stream. He found what he was looking for off to the right of it. He dampened his aura, hoping to throw the Shem off track.
She balked when he started to push her into a small cave mouth. “What are you doing?” she whispered furiously.
She must have thought he was crazy, but she had to trust that he knew what he was doing. It might appear to be an animal burrow, low to the ground and covered in vines, barely large enough for a human to squeeze into. It even had the distinct smell of animal droppings oozing out of it, but it wasn’t what it seemed to be.
She tried to resist his hand on her head, pushing her down, but he wasn’t being gentle. He forced her to the ground.
“No time to explain, just move.” His low voice harsh, he pushed her ahead of him into the cave mouth.
Inside it was dank and smelly. Tree roots gripped his hair, and there was barely room to breathe. Seth wasn’t normally claustrophobic, but he imagined that this must be what it was like to be buried alive.
He began to move, pushing her ahead of him. The sooner they were out of here the better. It grew darker and darker, and he was forced to use his hands to guide himself. It wouldn’t be long now. His scalp hurt from the hair the tree roots had pulled out. His hands were scratched to hell and gone. Still, Seth pushed onward. Once they were out of the tunnel, they were that much closer to safety.
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