Magnolia and Moonlight

by Iris Abbott

  His deep, hearty laughter rang out around them. His moving chest vibrated against her back. The hammock shook. “Yeah, you mentioned the gnomes once or twice,” he got out between chuckles.

  The joyous sound faded. “The possibility of passing on a bad gene, having a child face death and the bleak childhood I did.” He shook his head. “I don’t want that on me.”

  “If something like that were to happen, I like to think that we, you and me together, would be strong enough to handle it.” She twisted her lips. “Not every couple has children,” she reminded him, “and some adopt.”

  He rolled her over so that she was under him. She looked into his beautiful dark blue eyes. “You’re amazing.”

  She entwined her arms around his neck, lifted her head, and covered his mouth with hers. He nipped at her bottom lip. She opened for him, and his tongue probed her mouth, demanding a deeper response.

  Her phone rang.

  Marcus tore his mouth from hers. “Ignore it,” he pleaded.

  Maggie complied. She rained kisses on the side of his neck. He caressed her side, slipping his hand under the hem of her shirt again.

  Her phone went silent but immediately started up again.

  “Damn! Someone’s persistent!” Marcus groused.

  Maggie groaned. “Could be important, my sister might need me, or my parents, Rose, one of the other flowers.”

  He rolled off her. She twisted to sit on the edge of the hammock, snatched up her purse, and grabbed her phone. She glanced at her display. “It’s Lily. She knows I’m with you. She wouldn’t call unless it was important.”

  She tapped the screen and put the phone to her ear. “Lily, hey.”

  “Maggie! Oh! My! G-god! You g-gotta come home r-right now!” Lily talked so fast, Maggie had a hard time understanding her.

  “Whoa! Slow down! What happened?” Her heart just about jumped into her throat. Something was dreadfully wrong.

  Marcus’s hands landed on her shoulders. He squeezed. She leaned back into his strong frame, accepting the comfort.

  “I’m by myself, hiding in the car, waiting for the police.”

  A cold chill snaked its way down Maggie’s spine. She shivered. The warm hands on her shoulders tightened.

  “Our place was trashed, really messed up,” she whispered.

  Maggie reached back and clutched Marcus’s arm. “Stay safe! Marcus and I are on the way, be there as soon as we can.”

  She disconnected the call and hopped up from the hammock. Marcus was right behind her.

  “What the hell’s going on?” he wanted to know.

  Maggie repeated what Lily told her.

  Marcus scratched his head and furrowed his brows. “How the hell did anyone get by the alarm?” He grabbed her hand and started running. “My SUV,” he insisted, directing her to the garage.

  He gave her his phone. “Call Jeremy, let him know what happened. He’ll get a tech on the camera feed.”

  ****

  “Un-freaking-believable!” Maggie slapped her hands against her side and paced around his bedroom. “I just don’t get it! The place was almost destroyed, but nothing is missing. Who would do such a thing?”

  She walked by Marcus once again. He wrapped an arm around Maggie and anchored her to his side. The duplex had been tossed, holes hammered into walls, carpet ripped up. It did not make sense to him either.

  “Seems as if someone is looking for something,” he theorized. “But who and what?”

  “No clue,” Maggie answered. “Lily and Holly don’t know either.”

  “Lot of that going around.” He ran his free hand through his hair and shook his head. “According to the camera feed, no one entered or exited the apartment after you and Holly left five minutes apart.”

  Maggie vigorously rubbed her face and screamed into her hands. “Yeah, the police seem convinced that we’re still doing shit for attention. The duplex was neat and normal when I left. No way, Holly could have done that much damage in five minutes. Even if thirty minutes or an hour had passed, I would not believe Holly capable of such a thing anyway,” she staunchly defended her friend.

  His chest burned. The knots tied in his gut cinched tighter. He rapidly blinked and rubbed his forehead. “I believe you about your friend and the apartment. You have no reason to lie, and Holly could not do that amount of damage in such a short amount of time.”

  Marcus sat down on the edge of the bed, dragging Maggie down with him. She tapped her bare feet against the hardwood floor but did not attempt to get up and resume her pacing. “I just don’t see how anyone could have gotten in and out of your place without setting off the cameras even if they did find a way to bypass the alarm system.”

  She groaned in frustration. “Maybe it’s a ghost.”

  He snorted. “Not ready to go there yet. There’s gotta be a reasonable explanation, and I’m gonna figure it out. I want you to stay here until we know for sure what the hell is going on.”

  Maggie threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you!” Her body trembled. “I wasn’t looking forward to going back. The vibes are totally bad now like the place is haunted.”

  He rubbed her shoulders. “I need to get back in there and have a thorough look around. I’m willing to bet the perp is flesh and blood. Whoever it is got in there somehow, and I’ve got to figure it out.”

  “It’s a mystery, that’s for sure.”

  It was, and Marcus did not like unsolved mysteries. “Lily and Holly probably shouldn’t stay there until we know what the hell is going on. They have somewhere to go?”

  “Yeah, short-term they’re staying with Rose and Jeremy. If that doesn’t work out, they can stay at my grandma’s place for as long as they want. There’s plenty of room even after Savannah moves in.”

  She wrapped her arms around his waist and cuddled up against him. “This is giving me nightmare flashbacks to Rose’s stalker,” she told him in a trembling voice.

  The hair on the back of his neck bristled, and his gut burned. “Doesn’t feel like a stalker to me. Something about the whole thing is off.” A cold chill slithered up and down his spine and settled deep inside. “It’s almost as if the invasion has nothing to do with y’all and everything to do with your home.”

  Another piece of the puzzle slipped into place, and a nagging suspicion formed in his mind. “Do you know anything about who rented the duplex before you and your friends?”

  She lifted her head and stared at him. “No, the landlord didn’t volunteer any information, and we never thought it was important enough to ask.” Her eyes widened. “You don’t think this has anything at all to do with us, do you?”

  “Can’t say for sure yet, just a hunch. Though my gut is usually right, I’m not willing to bet your life on it. Nothing changes. You’re still staying with me for the time being.”

  She turned, wrapped her arms around his neck, and brushed her lips over his. He tangled his hands in her hair and took control, deepening the caress. Lips mashed together, mouths opened, teeth nipped, and tongues tangled.

  “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” she finally whispered in a voice made rough from passion.

  “Me either.”

  He rolled on top of her and stared into her mesmerizing eyes. “You have such unusual and beautiful eyes. When you’re angry like you were at the hospital the other night, they look like a stormy sea. When you are happy or aroused, like now, they remind me of the calm turquoise waters of the Caribbean.”

  She tightened her hold on his neck. “There’s nothing I love more than a man with the soul of a poet,” she whispered.

  “I’m a man of action too, enough talk.” Marcus caressed, kissed, and stroked his woman into a passionate frenzy. He could make her forget about the danger and mystery swirling around her and her friends temporarily, at least. There would be time enough for them to worry tomorrow. The night was going to be about them and the way they made each other feel, nothing or no one else.

  TWELVE

&
nbsp; Maggie extended her arm, reaching for Marcus. All she found was an empty side of the bed. She lazily stretched, enjoy the lingering languor leftover from a good night of sleep. Maggie swung her legs over the side and sat up in the bed.

  A gnome she had not noticed before stood in the center of the dresser. Maggie got out of bed and moved closer to study the statue. Her mouth curved into a smile. She could not wait to see what scene this chubby guy would depict.

  The figurine included a large brass key. She looked down onto the top of the dresser and saw a folded note. Her name was written out in a masculine scrawl. Maggie grabbed the note. Something fell to the floor with a clatter.

  She knelt and searched the area. A key had skidded across the edge of the furniture. Maggie picked it up with her free hand and clutched the key to her chest.

  Maggie flipped open the note. Her gaze scanned the paper. Her smile widened. Heat flushed her body. Marcus never failed to surprise her.

  He told her he had an early morning meeting with Jeremy and didn’t want to disturb her before he left. Marcus also wrote that he would be traveling for work and might be out of touch for part of the day, but that he hoped to be home by bedtime. The note urged her to keep the house key and come and go as she pleased. He also reminded her to be aware of her surroundings, watch her back, and stay safe.

  Maggie found her purse, dug out her keys, and added Marcus’s to the ring. To a lot of people, a key was just a key. To her, it was a symbol of another leap forward in her relationship with Marcus. The key was a milestone to be celebrated.

  Her phone rang. Maggie ran to answer, hoping it was Marcus. Glancing at the screen, she saw that it was her sister instead. Maggie quickly answered, hoping nothing was wrong. “Hey, Savannah!”

  “Hey! Where are you?” her sister demanded to know.

  Maggie double-checked the time. It was after ten. “Man, I really slept in,” she muttered under her breath.

  “I can’t understand you,” Savannah retorted. “You’ve got to speak into the phone!”

  Not wanting to worry her sister last night, Maggie did not call to tell her about the break-in and vandalism. Instead of answering Savannah, Maggie asked her own questions, flipping the focus of the conversation to Savannah. “What’s going on with you? You’re usually at work by now. Everything all right?”

  “Eh, I’ve been better, but we can talk about me later. Right now, I’m standing outside your place and no one’s home. I thought you guys were night owls and stuck close to home most mornings.”

  Her mouth went dry, and her throat constricted. “Damn! How’d you get there?”

  “Flew in early this morning and thought I’d surprise you.”

  “No, no, no!” she screamed into the phone. “How’d you get from the airport to my place?”

  “Got a rental, so I wouldn’t….”

  Maggie cut off her sister’s words. “Good, good! Get back in the car right now and make sure all the doors are locked.”

  “You’re scaring me,” her sister hissed back at Maggie. “What the hell is going on? That Marcus fellow didn’t turn into a jerk, did he?”

  “No! Stop asking questions and get in the damn car!” Maggie ordered.

  There was complete silence on the other end of the line. And no wonder, as the older sister, Savannah had always been the bossy one. “Savanna?”

  “Okay, okay, I’m in the car, and the doors are locked. Now, you gonna tell me where you are and what the hell is going on?”

  “Later, I’m on my way. It’ll take me twenty minutes tops to get there, wait for me, and don’t get out of the car for any reason. What are you driving?”

  Her sister named a popular brand of four-door car and told her the vehicle was white with Florida tags.

  “Okay, when I get there, I’m not getting out. I’ll send a message when I get to the neighborhood. Look for my car and follow me to the coffee shop down the street.” Hopefully, they would be safe in the popular and public spot.

  Now that she knew her sister was relatively safe, Maggie’s heart was no longer about to pound its way out of her chest. Maggie breathed deep and slowly released the air. “Great, love you, and see you soon!”

  Maggie used the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and took a record-breaking five-minute shower. She took a minute to call Marcus, even though she knew she might not get through. She got his voicemail and left a message about her sister’s unexpected visit, telling him they were going to the coffee shop and then to her grandmother’s or back to his place.

  Thirty minutes later, Maggie sat next to her sister in one of the reading nooks. Her sister was sipping some kind of tea while Maggie revisited the urge to guzzle down her favorite mocha. She spilled the beans, both good and bad. She told Savannah about the damage to the duplex and also about Marcus’s invitation to stay with him and his gift of a housekey.

  Her sister gripped her hand and squeezed. “Wow, and I thought I was leaving behind a shitstorm in New York.” She shook her head. “And Barrett Security or the police have no idea what’s going on?”

  “Nope.” Maggie twisted her lips and wrinkled her nose. “The police aren’t taking us seriously since the cameras didn’t pick up an intruder.”

  Savannah stiffened and tightened her grip on Maggie’s hand. “Jackasses!” she muttered. “Let me guess, they’re men.”

  Maggie’s eyes widened. “Well, uh, yeah.”

  Her sister shook her head. “Figures.”

  She stared at Savannah for several seconds. The attitude was new, and it gave her something to focus on other than her own troubles. “Enough about me and the duplex, I trust Jeremy and Barrett Security to get to the bottom of things. I want to talk about you.”

  She met her sister’s gaze and refused to look away or even blink. “Not that I’m unhappy to see you, but why are you here? I thought the move wasn’t for another couple of weeks.”

  Savannah shrugged. “My landlord found another tenant with impeccable references and an immediate need, so he asked if I wanted out early. I was mostly packed anyway. A couple of friends from work helped me box the rest. I don’t have that much stuff, and a moving company worked me in with another scheduled move out this way. My things are already on a truck and on the way down here.”

  Maggie sat down her drink, pulled her hand from her sister’s, and threw her arms around her neck. “You’re here to stay! That’s great!”

  Savannah nodded once the hug ended. She spread her arms wide. “Yep, here to stay! And not a moment too soon, either.” Maggie detected a touch of bitterness in her sister’s voice.

  She leaned forward until her nose almost touched Savannah’s. “And, that’s not the whole story. Spit it out,” she ordered.

  Her sister narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her breasts. “You’re turning into a regular bossy pants, you know that?”

  Maggie arched her brows. “I could order you around for the rest of our lives and still not match all the bossing you did to me when we were children.”

  Savannah slumped back against the window at the back of the reading nook. “To be a child again, those were the days,” she reminisced.

  Something else was going on with her sister. “So, you said your goodbyes to Ivan, wrapped things up at work, and here you are.” It was her turn to narrow her eyes. “What are you leaving out?”

  “Can’t get anything by you, can I?”

  “Nope, known you my whole life,” Maggie grinned. “Therefore, I know you pretty well.”

  “Ivan and I had a nasty fight and broke up,” Savannah admitted.

  “I’m sorry.” She reached out and put her hand over her sister’s in a sign of solidarity. “I thought he was thinking about relocating down south.”

  Her sister sniffed and wiped at her eyes with her free hand. “Thinking’s done. He told me that he could not compromise his lifestyle for a hick loser like me who couldn’t cut it in the big city. Oh, yeah, and he wasn’t really all that into me anyway,” she added. “So, just
like that, my boyfriend of two years kicked me to the curb without even giving the long-distance thing a try.”

  Maggie jerked her head back and did a slow blink. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard what I said. I’m not repeating that crap.”

  “Glad you realize it’s bullshit,” Maggie emphatically stated. She twisted her lips. “I hate to say this, but I never liked the pompous ass.”

  “Really?” Savannah arched her brows. “You never said.”

  “Like I was going to trust my judgment of men after the whole sordid experience with Caleb.” She removed her hand from her sister’s and propped her chin up on steepled fingers.

  “Your job?”

  “They didn’t seem anymore keen to hang on to me than Ivan was. Already trained my replacement, so Human Resources told me to use vacation time and turn in my badge. She shrugged. “Nothing keeping me in New York, so here I am.”

  Her face brightened. She flashed Maggie a genuine smile. “I get several days head start on the next chapter of my life. And none too soon from the sound of things. My sister needs me.”

  Maggie bounced her suddenly restless legs and clutched at her churning stomach. “You’re my big sister. I’ll always need you. What I don’t need is you gettin’ hurt because some crazy person has become obsessed with my duplex or whatever the hell is going on with that place.”

  “I’m not gonna get hurt,” Savannah insisted. “Though, don’t know if I want to stay at Granny’s by myself. That old historic house is a lot bigger than the one-bedroom apartment I’m used to, and you’re otherwise occupied with Marcus.” She grinned.

  “Marcus has a guestroom. I’ll talk to him about you staying with us,” she offered.

  Savannah’s head recoiled, and she stared at Maggie with wide eyes. “Nope!” She held up her hands. “Things sound like they’re going well between you and your new man. The last thing you need is your older sister getting in the way and making a nuisance of herself.”