by Lynn, JB
“I assume they’ve got some kind of tracker on Angel,” I said. “Technology has destroyed privacy. Gino tracks me. Patrick tracks me—”
“Patrick!” DeeDee barked excitedly, interrupting me.
“She just said his name. He’s not here, you imbecile,” God said. “Nobody’s coming to feed you.”
As if to prove him wrong, there was a rap against my passenger side window.
I yelped.
The dog barked.
The cat flexed her claws.
The lizard dove for cover.
Startled, I peered out and realized my favorite redhead was standing beside my car.
Patrick Mulligan winked at me. He actually winked, and like a fool, I grinned back.
“Hop in the back, Piss,” I requested of the cat.
Thankfully, she complied without comment. Then again, she rarely gives me any problems, unlike some other four-legged creatures that shall go unnamed. I unlocked my car, and Patrick slid in.
“You look better,” I told him.
He shrugged. “I’ve had a couple of days to recover.”
We didn’t talk about what he had been recovering from, the fact that his live-in girlfriend, the woman he’d dumped me for, had tried to kill him.
“So, you’re watching your boyfriend?” he asked.
I gave him the side eye. “Maybe I’m just enjoying the sights, and he’s not my boyfriend.”
Patrick shrugged. “Any other Delveccio shows his face here, and I don’t think twice about it. But Mr. Boy Scout shows up, and I’ve got to wonder what’s going on.”
“Were you following him, or following me?” I asked.
“Neither,” Patrick said. “I’m following somebody else who’s in there.”
I wanted to ask him who, and why, but I wasn’t sure that was allowed.
Patrick Mulligan and I have a strange relationship as it is. Add to the fact that, in addition to being a part-time assassin for Delveccio, he’s also a police detective, I never knew where the boundaries were. Boundaries weren’t something that he and I were particularly good at anyway.
“Hungry,” DeeDee whined from the back, sniffing at Patrick expectantly. That’s when I noticed he was carrying a brown paper bag.
“You’re following somebody else and you just happen to have something to feed the dog?” I asked incredulously.
“Couple of things you should know about a stakeout,” Patrick said, starting to unroll the top of the bag. “One—if you get a chance to pee, do it…”
“What enlightened advice,” God drawled from his place on the dashboard. “He’s telling you how to handle your bodily functions.”
The squeaking noise he made caught the redhead’s attention, and Patrick stared at him for a long moment.
“Do you ever leave home without him?” my murder mentor asked.
“Rarely.”
“Why?” Mulligan asked.
I shook my head. It wasn’t like I could explain that God was my best friend, or that he was also the best advisor I had.
“Hungry,” DeeDee reminded everyone, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
“Two, always bring something to eat.” Patrick reached into the bag and pulled out something wrapped in white deli paper. He took his time unwrapping it. “So, you didn’t answer me,” he said. “Are you here following your boyfriend?”
“It’s a job,” I admitted.
He looked at me sharply. “For Delveccio?”
“It’s not that kind of job,” I told him hurriedly. “He doesn’t want anything to happen to Angel.”
Patrick nodded slowly and pulled half a tuna salad sandwich out of the wrapper. “Does she eat fish?”
“Is there anything she doesn’t eat?” God asked. “I noticed that, once again, he failed to bring me anything.”
I ignored him. It wasn’t worth getting into it with the lizard.
“I eat fish, handsome,” Piss purred seductively, rubbing against Patrick’s elbow.
As though he understood her, Patrick pulled half of the bread off the sandwich and offered a piece to her, holding it out like his palm was a plate. She gently lapped at the tuna, while DeeDee wolfed down the piece of bread that he’d casually tossed into the back seat.
“You know this is my car,” I told him. “Do you really have to throw food around?”
Patrick chuckled. “You use your car as an animal transport and you’re worried I’m going to somehow mess it up?”
I frowned at him. “It’s about respect.”
Patrick leaned a little closer to me, his eyes locking on mine. “I have the utmost respect for you, Mags.”
When he stared at me with that kind of intensity, it did strange things to my traitorous body. I wanted to lean closer to him, but I forced myself backward instead.
“Are you kidding me?” God said from the dashboard. “Is he really trying to seduce you over tuna while on a stakeout?”
I didn’t know, and I didn’t know how I felt about it.
13
“I’m glad I ran into you,” Patrick said. “There’s something else I needed to talk to you about.”
I waited, hoping it wasn’t a discussion about his girlfriend that I’d accidentally killed. Not that I’d actually killed her, we’d been having a pillow fight, which I know sounds weird, but it really was a fight to the death. She’d fallen back on a syringe filled with poison, which she’d been planning on using on Patrick. So technically, even though I’d been the one to hit her, and she’d died as a result of her fall, I didn’t think I should get credit for killing her. She’d done that to herself.
Patrick peeled the top piece of bread off the other half a sandwich and tossed it to DeeDee. “It’s about that kid.”
“Boy?” I asked.
Patrick nodded. “He seems to have…disappeared.”
I swallowed hard. This was one of my worst nightmares, my two lives intersecting. The only way it could have been worse was if one of the colliding parts was my family life. “What do you mean?” I choked out, trying not to raise his suspicions.
“According to neighbors, a social worker breezed in and whisked him off.”
I nodded.
“As you well know, anyone can pretend to be a social worker,” he reminded me.
I winced, remembering how Maguire, the sister of Patrick’s now-dead ex, and Steve “the Shark” Sincero, both of whom had tried to kill me, had posed as a social worker and tried to take Katie, my beloved niece, away.
“I’m sure he’s fine,” I assured Patrick.
He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head, studying me.
Afraid of what my facial expression might reveal, I looked away.
“You’re not worried about him?” the redhead asked.
I shook my head.
“I thought that you worry about the entire world, Mags,” he said gently.
“I’m sure he’s fine,” I repeated sharply.
“You know something, don’t—”
He was interrupted by a crowd exiting the bar.
I wasn’t sure if I should be happy about that, or sad that Angel seemed to be in the midst of them.
“Your boyfriend is not keeping good company,” Patrick said.
I sneaked a glance over at him and saw that his jaw was set, and his eyes narrowed at the group outside. “Who are they?” I asked curiously.
“Trouble,” Patrick said.
I waited for him to elaborate, but he remained silent, studying the men.
I decided to do the same.
There was a group of four, including Angel. They all appeared to be about the same age, in their thirties. Most of them appeared to be very physically fit, but one of the men, with a bushy beard, looked like he absolutely lived at the gym. Another was missing an arm. They looked like a bunch of modern day pirates, and the nervous niggling of my stomach told me that Delveccio was right to be worried about his nephew.
“Maybe they’re old school friends,” I suggested hopefully. “It could be some
sort of reunion.”
Patrick didn’t reply, but God said, “If they were, I’d be willing to bet they’d spent most of their educational time in detention.”
“They don’t look that bad,” I said to the lizard.
Patrick, thinking I was speaking to him, shook his head. “Oh, they’re that bad. I’ve looked them up. They were all dishonorably discharged from the Navy.”
Surprised by the information, I peered closer at them. Angel was always such a straight shooter; I couldn’t imagine him befriending anyone who would besmirch the reputation of the armed forces.
“And none of them have held down a legitimate job since,” Patrick revealed.
I watched Angel and his interaction with the other men. Even though he stood at the center, and they were all laughing with and talking to him, he seemed to be slightly disengaged.
He looked unhappy. Tense. Wary.
“But they spend money like it’s going out of style,” Patrick continued.
I barely registered what he said, my intent focus on Angel. The four men piled into an obnoxious oversized Hummer.
“I mean, who drives one of those gas guzzlers anymore,” Patrick asked. “It’s like they have no kind of budget they’re adhering to.”
“Well, maybe they don’t,” I said defensively.
“Did you hear me?” Patrick frowned. “They’ve all been unemployed for a couple of years now.”
I nodded slowly, trying to figure out what Angel had gotten himself into.
“Did he serve with them?” I asked. “If they were old friends…”
“I think they’re bank robbers,” Patrick said.
I blinked, shocked, and turned in my seat to face him. “There is no way Angel is a bank robber.”
“I agree,” Patrick said. “But Delveccio must know something or otherwise he wouldn’t have you tailing his nephew.”
I nodded slowly. Delveccio obviously hadn’t told me the whole story. I wondered why not. Was he trying to protect me? Or was he looking out for the safety of his nephew? Or was it like he’d told me not that long ago, he had a mole in his organization he was going to have to exterminate. I’d have to go back and have another conversation with him soon. I couldn’t do my job unless I had all of the facts.
The Hummer pulled away from the bar.
“You’re not going to chase after it?” Patrick asked.
I shook my head. “I’ve got a family thing I’ve got to get to, and Angel didn’t look like he was in danger.”
“Immediate danger anyway,” Patrick said.
I twisted in my seat so I could get a better look at him. “What do you think is going on? Do you think they’re recruiting him for part of their bank robbery gang?”
Patrick shrugged. “I’m not sure, but whatever they’re going to do, it’s going to cause trouble. The kind of trouble that neither Delveccio needs.”
I nodded, not able to argue with him.
“You may be the only one who’s able to stop this, Mags,” Patrick said.
The declaration made me feel slightly sick to my stomach. I couldn’t even control how the family vote was going to go; how was I supposed to keep Angel on the straight and narrow?
14
As soon as Patrick was out of the car, I began to drive back to Herschel’s place. I would have liked the time to think about what I discovered about Angel. I would have liked the time to figure out how I was going to manipulate the family vote. Instead, I had to listen to God’s opinions.
“You cannot let Patrick figure out about Boy,” God opined from his perch on the dashboard. “If he and Ms. Whitehat clash…”
I squeezed the steering wheel. “You don’t think I know that?”
“It’s like throwing gas on a fire,” God continued as though I hadn’t responded. “Everything will blow up in your face.”
Considering I was heading to Herschel’s place because everything had literally blown up in my face at the B&B, I wasn’t particularly appreciative of his example.
“And you have to keep Angel safe,” Piss added. “Not just because he’s such a fine specimen of a man.”
I nodded. I couldn’t afford to get too romantically involved with him because, as Patrick had pointed out, Angel is a Boy Scout, but that didn’t mean I didn’t want to. In some ways, his inherent goodness was one of his most attractive qualities.
“But,” Piss continued, “also because, if you don’t, Delveccio will be very upset with you.”
I nodded. It had been a while since I had worried about failing the mobster and what his reaction would be, but this was a different situation. If I let him down, if I let something happen to Angel, he’d never forgive me. Worse, he might take it out on my family.
A chill raced down my spine and I shivered at the thought. I did not want Delveccio as an enemy.
“Do you to going what are?” DeeDee barked from the back seat.
I shrugged. “I really don’t know. I have to talk to Delveccio and get more of the facts. I’m going to try and talk to Angel and find out what he’s up to.”
“And what are you going to do about Boy and Patrick?” the lizard asked.
“I don’t know what I can do about that,” I said with a tired sigh. “I can’t tell Patrick that I know what happened to the kid.”
“And you certainly can’t tell him that you’re the one who arranged it,” God prompted.
I nodded. That probably wasn’t a good idea. “I guess the best thing I can do, is to do Whitehat’s job as quickly as possible.”
“Maybe you should actually read the file Whitehat gave you,” God drawled.
Ignoring him, I continue, “If I can get that cleared up, then everything will clear up around Boy, and Patrick should let it go.”
“Oh, sugar,” Piss meowed, climbing back into her rightful place in the front passenger seat. “He doesn’t strike me as the kind of man that just lets things go.”
I didn’t argue with her. Instead, I changed the subject. “How do you think I should vote tonight?”
“Well, I don’t think you should let Susan take the barn and displace Irma. The old girl deserves her dignity,” Piss said decisively.
I nodded.
“And I don’t think you should let Armani move in,” God declared. “Like I told you, you invite her in and you invite in Jack Stern. And that can only mean one thing.”
“What?” DeeDee barked inquisitively.
“He’s a crime reporter, you furry nincompoop,” God raged. “All Maggie does is commit crimes.”
“That’s not all I do,” I said defensively.
“Of course, it’s not,” Piss soothed. “You do a pretty good job of playing referee in your family.”
I frowned, remembering the tug-of-war over the quilt. “I don’t think I’m doing that great a job.”
“She was just being nice,” God said snarkily. “The truth is, you’re failing at that, too.”
“Too?” DeeDee barked.
“Well, she hasn’t done a great job protecting Boy, she’s not doing anything to protect Angel, and if you hadn’t noticed, this move to Herschel’s place, that was supposed to bring everybody under one roof, has resulted in a lot of in-fighting.”
“Everyone’s stressed,” I said. “Everyone was displaced. Everyone lost everything. If tempers are a little high…”
“Temper’s aren’t high,” God corrected. “Somebody’s lit the fuse and there’s about to be a big explosion.”
I frowned and shook my head. “That’s not going to happen. The family is dysfunctional, but we love each other.”
“Oh, that’s cute,” God said mockingly. “You think that love is going to conquer all.”
“Shut up,” I told him. “If you don’t have anything helpful to add, then just shut up.”
Insulted, he scampered across the dashboard, putting as much space as possible between myself and him.
Piss watched his temper tantrum through her one good eye. “You’ll figure it out,” she assur
ed me. “Things always work out one way or another.”
I nodded. “It’s the another I’m afraid of.”
“You save!” DeeDee panted.
“Thank you,” I said, reaching back to pet her head. “I appreciate that you’re willing to save me.”
“I appreciate it when she shuts up,” God complained from the spot where he’d curled up.
Thankfully, everyone fell silent after that and we drove the rest of the way back to Herschel’s place in blessed quiet.
If only the semblance of peace that had come over me didn’t completely shatter as Susan strode up the driveway to meet my car.
For a split second, I had the crazy idea of throwing the car into reverse and just disappearing. I knew that look on her face. She wanted to talk about something important.
I grudgingly got out of the car and opened the back door so that DeeDee could bound out. Piss jumped out, too, took one look at Susan’s expression and sauntered toward the main house.
The Doberman, oblivious of her consternation, raced over to Susan and licked her hand in greeting.
My aunt pet her distractedly. “I need to talk to you, Margaret.”
I nodded. “Is it about the vote?”
“It’s not so much about the vote,” Susan said ominously, “as it’s about the future.”
I think I audibly gulped.
15
“That doesn’t sound good,” I said, trying to lighten the mood.
“Walk with me,” Susan ordered. She began to walk away from the buildings. I quickly reached into the car and grabbed God, not wanting to be accused of deserting him again, before locking it and falling into step with my aunt. Not wanting her to see me toss the lizard down my shirt, I cupped him in my hand.
“What’s going on?” I asked nervously. I was afraid that she was going to tell me she was ill. It was a suspicion I’d been nursing for a while, and when she’d had a panic attack not long after the Bed & Breakfast had been blown up, I worried that it was a symptom of whatever was wrong with her.
“I’m not moving here,” she declared quietly.
Even though there was nothing in my path, I stumbled and almost fell, I was so surprised by her revelation.