My Sister's Keeper

by Curry, Edna

  “So, who screwed up? And why?” George’s angry gaze swept both their faces until Red cringed in defeat.

  “Hey, I didn’t think you wanted to keep the broad around,” Red whined. “She was in the elevator when I came out of that apartment. She saw me leave after I had to off the guy. She could have fingered me. I’d never have been done if I’d started paying her off. I had to do it. I made it look like a regular mugging, in an alley, right by the bus station.”

  “Did you find out where she hid the stuff she had on us first?”

  Red blanched. “Gosh, George, I forgot about that. No, I…I didn’t even ask her. I mean, it was weeks ago. You said you’d take care of it, so I thought you had.”

  “Well, I didn’t. Now we can’t ask her, can we? Isn’t that a nice kettle of fish? What is the boss going to say if he finds out? How’re we supposed to find the stuff before someone else does and gives it to the cops?”

  Red shrugged. “Don’t get so shook up, George. Maybe nobody will ever find it. Or know what it is, if they do see it.”

  George smiled crookedly. “You think so? You better hope so. Get outa here.” He waved Red out, but nodded at Harvey to stay.

  Red scurried out the door. George waited until he’d left. “Red’s gotten to be a liability. Take care of him before the boss learns about this fiasco.”

  Harvey shrugged and raised an eyebrow. “If you say so.”

  “Make sure it looks like an accident.”

  “Of course. Don’t I always do good work?”

  George ignored that statement, bringing a frown to Harvey’s face. “Then we’re needed in Florida. Maybe Jolene passed the evidence on to her mom or sister. We can check anyway. The house should be empty during the funeral.”

  “Good idea.”

  “I’ll let you know when I make flight arrangements.”

  “Okay. Whatever you say, George.” Harvey hurried out and returned to his room.

  There he called Red and said, “George wants you dead, but I don’t think the boss is gonna approve. Why don’t you lay low for a while? We’ll let George think you’re dead ‘til we know for sure what the boss wants.”

  “And what if the boss wants me dead, too, Harvey?”

  Harvey gave a hollow laugh. “You know the boss always gets what he wants, Red.”

  Chapter 9

  Hours later, in their Chicago hotel, Luke snapped awake, sliding the blanket aside. He’d finally slept after hours of tossing and turning.

  Now he could hear someone moving around in Candi’s room. He pulled his gun from under his pillow, stood, and moved silently to the open door between their rooms.

  Enough moonlight shone in for him to see a person standing at the window, her slim body silhouetted against the many yellow rectangle lights of high-rise buildings.

  Candi. With a relieved sigh, he laid his gun on the end table beside his bed and went to her. “Can’t sleep?”

  She glanced over her shoulder and gave him a rueful smile. “No. I did until Jessie woke up. I fed her and got her back to bed, but can’t seem to go back to sleep myself.”

  He came up behind her and hugged her close. The soft scent of her strawberry shampoo tickled his nose. He could feel her breasts under his arms. God, she wore only a sleeveless, thin cotton nightgown. It hardly skimmed her thighs. Their legs were touching, skin to skin, sending tremors of heat along his veins.

  “What’s going to happen to little Jessica now?” she asked in a trembling voice.

  He pulled his thoughts back to their conversation. “Had Jolene married George?” Damn, he should have searched online to see if they’d filed a certificate of marriage. Why hadn’t he? Maybe Curt had.

  She shook her head, her hair tickling his face. “She said she didn’t. But she told me he is Jessie’s father. I forgot to ask her to explain that note saying she wanted us to keep her safe from George.”

  “We can find out if there’s any evidence of domestic abuse in his past. That would certainly count against him.” If it was reported, he amended to himself.

  She nodded. “But now that Jolene’s gone, how can we prevent him from claiming her if he wants to? He’s Jessie’s father.” She wrapped her arms around his, nestling into his hug. Her nipples pebbled under the soft cotton. She pressed her bare arms against his.

  He leaned forward to kiss her ear. “I’m not sure. I suppose that’ll be up to a judge to decide. He’s not likely to get custody of her if he’s in jail, so certainly a conviction in this jewelry caper would count against him.”

  “Then I hope you succeed in getting one.” She shivered.

  He held her tightly and went on, “If they weren’t married, George will have to ask the court for custody of her and prove he’s her father with a DNA test.”

  “Yeah. Maybe he won’t even try to get custody. I can’t believe a gambler would want to be saddled with a tiny baby. Changing diapers would interfere with playing poker, don’t you think?”

  “Probably. Don’t worry about it yet, Candi. Curt promised to call a judge in Minnesota and get you temporary custody until the court decides Jessie’s future. He knows we’ll bring Jessie back there in a few days and agreed to that. Jolene left her with you, so until a judge tells us you have to give her up, I think you’re safe claiming her.”

  Candi turned in his arms and leaned her forehead on his chest. “Jessie won’t even remember Jolene, will she?” She started to cry again.

  “Probably not,” Luke agreed. He held her until her tears let up, and then tipped her head up so he could see her face. He leaned down and kissed her, meaning only to comfort her. But she responded so hungrily, that comfort quickly turned to flames of desire.

  She reached up, unbuttoned his pajama top and slid her hands inside and across his bare chest. She pushed the pajama off his arms and kissed him again.

  “Candi, if you don’t stop this, I won’t be able to,” he said, his voice thick with passion. His voice wasn’t the only thing grown thick.

  “I don’t want you to stop. I need you, Luke.”

  “Are you sure?” When she nodded, he groaned. Moving them both to the sofa, he pulled her down onto his lap, taking her kisses and returning them with fervor.

  In seconds his hands had found the bottom of her nightgown and pulled it off. He nibbled her ear, and when she tipped her head back to give him better access, he lay her back on the sofa and kissed his way down her neck to her breasts.

  “You’re perfect,” he whispered, suckling first one, then the other. She arched to him, reaching up to grasp his head and hold him close.

  She reached between them and pushed his short pajama bottoms down. He kicked them aside and groaned as she grasped him, fingers closing over his sex. It throbbed in excited anticipation.

  He teased and tasted his way along her belly, then slid his hand through her mound of soft curls, finding and opening the moist folds below, then rubbed the nubbin gently and slipped a finger inside. She drew a sharp breath and went still.

  Had he hurt her? “Are you okay?”

  “Yes. Don’t stop.” She gasped, her voice hoarse.

  He grinned and continued his explorations, feeling her squirm in pleasure.

  He dropped his head and tasted her, gently flicking his tongue until she arched and cried out.

  Candi whimpered in dismay when he suddenly stopped and walked away. He was leaving her? Now?

  “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”

  “No!” she exclaimed in frustration. Her aroused and ready body throbbed. “Don’t stop now.”

  “Okay. Come with me. The bed’s more comfortable anyway.” He pulled her to her feet and led her to his room. “I’ll leave the door open in case Jessie cries.”

  He pulled back the covers on the bed and eased her down. Grabbing his pants from the chair, he dug through his billfold, pulling out a foil package.

  Idiot, she scolded herself with relief. He hadn’t intended to leave her, only to get protection. Which she hadn’t tho
ught of.

  In a minute he lay facing her, running his hands over her bare skin and kissing every inch of her. She reciprocated eagerly, enjoying the taste of his heated skin and feeling him tremble under her exploring hands.

  At last he rose, knelt between her legs and covered her with his muscular body. She opened her thighs wider and reached between them to guide him into her.

  He slowly eased into her, giving her time to accommodate him, watching her face. When she clasped her legs around him and urged him on, he groaned and began to move in the age old dance of joy.

  Her neat office girl persona had changed to wanton sexy vixen. And he loved it, he thought just before all thoughts ceased and pleasure exploded in a blaze of stars.

  Afterward, she fell asleep in his arms. He pulled up a blanket to cover them and cuddled her close.

  Hours later, Candi awoke to groans and thrashing from the man beside her.

  She sat up and reached out to turn on the bedside light. Luke’s eyes were closed, but he restlessly tossed and turned. Should she wake him?

  Suddenly he sat up and shouted, “No, don’t shoot!”

  As she stared at him in surprise, uncertain what to do, his eyes opened and he stared back, awake now, his body trembling.

  Candi let out a relieved breath. “Bad dream?”

  He swallowed and nodded. “Yeah.” He pushed the covers away, swung his feet over the side of the bed and hurried into the bathroom.

  When he returned and slid back into bed, his body still trembled.

  She watched him uncertainly. Did he want sympathy? Want to be left alone? Or what? “Do you want to talk about it?”

  He gave her a little smile. “Not particularly.”

  She shrugged and lay back down. “Okay.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said a minute later. “It’s a—a recurring nightmare about something.”

  “Something bad happened on your job?”

  “Yeah.” He reached out and turned off the light.

  “I find it sometimes helps to talk about things,” she said into the darkness. A bit of light shone through their window from the nearby skyscraper, enough to show her his eyebrows dipping in a frown.

  “I know.” He shuddered and she thought he wasn’t going to explain. Then he began talking softly. He told her about a drug bust gone wrong. An informant had promised to tell them where to find the bad guys and get out of sight, leave the area before they moved in. But she hadn’t. She’d evidently come back to watch and the perp had shot her before exchanging fire with the agents. She’d died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. The investigation had cleared him of any wrongdoing, but the incident still replayed in his dreams.

  “She wasn’t supposed to stick around,” he repeated.

  “Luke, it obviously wasn’t your fault,” Candi said. “You can’t blame yourself for her mistake.”

  “I should have realized she was too emotionally involved with these guys. Should have assigned an agent to keep her out of the way. If I had, she’d still be alive,” he said, heaving a heavy sigh. “I live in fear of something similar happening again.”

  “You can’t prevent every mistake, Luke. You’re not God.” She snuggled up to him and hugged him.

  Cuddled together, they slept again until Jessica’s demanding cry awoke them. They took care of her and then went back to bed and made love again.

  ***

  The next morning, Luke ordered breakfast from room service while Candi tended Jessie in her room. No sense in taking unnecessary chances on being seen in a restaurant in case some of the Las Vegas gang still kept tabs on them. He hoped they thought they’d solved all their problems by killing Jolene, but he couldn’t be sure. He’d better keep Candi and Jessie out of sight until they wrapped the case up.

  He went to the door of her room and watched her feeding the baby. Candi’s dark hair was tousled and she had a sleep wrinkle on her cheek. Their lovemaking had worn away every bit of her makeup. “You’re beautiful.”

  She looked up, caught him eyeing her and flushed. “No. I must be a mess.”

  He grinned and walked over to lean down and kiss her. “You’ve never looked lovelier.”

  “Yeah, right.” She burped Jessie over her shoulder and put her back into her carrier. “Will you keep an eye on her? I need to shower.”

  “Sure,” he said, glancing at Jessie whose eyes had closed again. ”Make it fast, okay? Our breakfast should arrive soon.”

  “For that I can hurry.”

  He sat at the little table drinking his coffee when she returned. She’d dressed in brown slacks and a soft, off-white sweater. His fingers itched to get under the knitted garment to cup those soft mounds he’d enjoyed last night. His jeans tightened as his body reacted to the thought.

  She sat and eagerly poured her coffee. Sipping it, she said, “Oh, that’s good.”

  He grinned. “Another caffeine lover, eh?”

  “Definitely. I’m no good in the morning until I’ve had my coffee.”

  “Oh, you were good, all right. And it was this morning. Or at least after midnight.”

  She blushed and looked away.

  He laughed. “I like making you blush.”

  Tackling her eggs, she didn’t answer and her face sobered. They ate in silence for a bit. “Do you think they’ll release Jolene’s body today?”

  “I’ll call after a bit to find out.” The morbid reference to her dead sister had definitely spoiled the mood.

  He refilled their coffee cups, berating his thoughtlessness. He found himself ashamed of wanting her and thinking about sex when she was grieving. What had he been thinking? He should be more considerate of her feelings. Though she had certainly been responsive last night and hadn’t seemed to be doing anything against her will. If he recalled correctly, she was the one who’d initiated their lovemaking. How was a guy to know? He recalled reading somewhere about lovemaking after a tragedy reaffirming life. Did she care about him? Or only need comfort?

  They’d barely finished eating when Jessica demanded attention again. Candi went to tend her while Luke made a phone call to his partner. Curt had seen no one suspicious near their hotel, which was good news. Jolene’s body wasn’t being released for a couple days yet.

  Candi called her mother and they discussed the logistics of transporting her body.

  Maggie said, “We’ll take Jolene home to Minnesota so she can rest beside her daddy.”

  Candi gasped in surprise. “Isn’t that expensive?”

  Maggie sighed. “Yes, but we already own the plot in the cemetery there. We’d have to buy another one here. That would be expensive, too. I’d rather she lay beside other family members so someone will go visit her grave once in a while.”

  “Of course, Mom.” Candi swallowed. “There are so many details to think about. So many hard choices. And it’s only a couple years after you did it all for Daddy. How do you deal with this? My insides are in knots.”

  “You do what you have to do, Honey. You don’t have a choice.”

  Candi swallowed and agreed.

  “We can have her body shipped directly to Minnesota, with a graveside service in Minnesota and a memorial service in Florida for our friends here.”

  “I suppose that would be best. I’ll leave the details up to you and Gram, Mom.”

  “Good. If they’re not releasing Jolene’s body for a couple of days, why don’t you come down here now? We can do the memorial service right away. By the time we return to Minnesota, they’ll have sent her there.”

  “That should work. Okay, Mom. I’ll let you know when we’ll arrive.”

  Candi hung up and explained the new plan to Luke, who agreed.

  Luke talked to Curt about coordinating surveillance around her mom’s house and the memorial service, which seemed to him the gang’s logical next target, if they hadn’t given up. He booked their flights to Florida for that afternoon.

  Candi was pleased with his news. “Will we have time to shop for some ne
cessities before we leave? I don’t have enough diapers and stuff. And I don’t have anything dark to wear to the service.” She flushed and sent him a small smile. “I’m sorry, but Mom is a stickler for being proper.”

  He smiled. “Sure. I should pick up a sport jacket to wear myself. I only have casual things with me.”

  “Thanks. I’d rather shop here where I know the stores than wait until we get to Florida where they’re unfamiliar to me.”

  “Good thinking.”

  They did their shopping without incident and Curt drove them to the airport and took the flight with them. They all had adjoining seats, with Jessica between Luke and Candi and Curt across the aisle. Luke itched to talk to his partner, but didn’t want to do so in front of Candi.

  While Candi went to the bathroom to change Jessica, Curt updated Luke on the latest news from their Las Vegas partners. At the skimpy report, Luke ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “Do you think they’ve given up following Candi and the baby?”

  Curt shrugged, his brow wrinkled. “I have no idea. If I knew why they were doing it in the first place or why they killed Jolene, I could make a better guess.”

  Luke nodded and rubbed neck muscles stiff from the plane flight. “Yeah.”

  “My gut says this is all tied into the Las Vegas jewelry robberies and murder. If we can solve those, we’ll get some answers to the rest of it.”

  “I think so, too.” Luke agreed. Candi returned and he rose to allow her into her seat. She looked tired and drawn, not at all as professional and efficient as when he’d first met her. Still, playing the part of Jessie’s mom suited her.

  They said little through the rest of the flight. Upon embarking, Curt again rented a car and claimed the role of driver as they headed for Candi’s mom’s house.

  Luke kept one eye on the traffic behind them as they moved out onto the freeway. Twice he spotted a dark sedan behind them, but it merged into another lane and he couldn’t be sure it was the same one. He hoped they weren’t still being tracked.