White Offerings
Page 21
A kiss sealed the moment, and they returned to bed, unable to stand any longer. Lying in Molly’s arms, she fell into a dreamy state. She and Molly were standing on a cliff, the swirling sea beneath them. Then Molly took her hand, and they stepped away from the precipice and strolled toward a sunny garden path.
In a matter of minutes, Ari was dozing against Molly, who remained in a haze, her brain unwilling to entirely shut off, and the effects of the painkiller forcing her body into a relaxed state that conflicted with her racing mind. She snuggled with Ari for three hours, until the painkiller wore off and freed her mind to enjoy all of its anxiety and fear.
She stole into the living room and settled on the couch with a glass of Scotch. She sipped it slowly, savoring the descent of the liquid down her throat, which seemed to tighten with each thought of their encounter just a few short hours ago. All of the pieces in her mind were fragments, the moments that totaled up to three words, the ones she’d avoided for most of her adult life. She closed her eyes and realized she’d said it first.
For a split second the future had been clear to her, full of loss and abandonment that sunk Molly’s heart into a deep hole. As Ari’s naked body had stood in front of the mirror, turned away, she imagined her walking out the door—and into Biz’s waiting arms—leaving with someone who truly appreciated her and saw her incredible gifts. And had Courtney’s aim been better, she would have lost Ari forever tonight. She saw her empty life without Ari, and she had momentarily lost her breath.
She had declared her love for Ari knowing that she was waiting, wanting to hear those words on her birthday more than she could have ever wanted any material object that Molly could have afforded. She had given her the most coveted of presents, and now she worried it would be at the ultimate cost. She drained the glass and shoved it away from herself, nearly propelling it off the coffee table. She lowered her head and took deep breaths, willing the panic attack to pass before Ari awoke.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Saturday, October 21st
9:48 AM
When Molly’s eyes fluttered open, the first thing she saw was Ari’s long legs extended across the stools of her breakfast bar. She wore only a police T-shirt over her panties, and Molly was instantly aroused. She sat up and Ari turned around, smiling. Her long hair flowed around her face, and she looked absolutely beautiful.
“Hey there, sleepy.”
“Hi. When did you get up?”
“About a half hour ago.” Ari slid off the stool and went to the kitchen. She brought Molly a steaming mug of coffee and joined her on the couch, draping her incredible legs over Molly’s hips. They stared at each other, Ari fingering the gold rope around her neck. “I love this.”
She nodded. “I can tell.”
“How’s your face?”
She touched the enormous bruise and flinched. “Still hurts.”
Ari set her mug down and took her hand. “I love you.”
“I love you,” she replied automatically. Ari stared at her, and she instantly felt uncomfortable. “Is everything okay?”
“You can take it back if you need to.”
She swallowed hard. How did she know?
As if she could read her mind, Ari said, “I found the Scotch glass in the sink. At first I thought you’d come out here because your face was hurting, but then I saw the glass, and I knew.”
Molly’s gaze dropped to the floor. “I don’t know what to say.” She glanced at Ari, and all she saw was concern. “I can’t explain.”
“Just tell me how you feel. Do you care for me?”
She squeezed her hand and stared at her. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone.” She opened her mouth but words failed her. How could she explain? “It’s overwhelming,” she said finally. “I do love you, and I don’t want to take it back. I’m glad we both said it, but I’m scared, and worried and paranoid. Too many emotions and I can’t see clearly, I guess.” She paused, afraid of what Ari was thinking. “So, what do we do now?”
Ari looked up and laughed. “Have breakfast?”
She smiled and felt the knot around her heart loosen—a little. “I think I just need more time to get used to it.”
Ari kissed her. “I know. And you’ve given me enough for now.”
They retreated to the kitchen and found the ingredients for omelets. Once the eggs were cooking, Ari wandered to the piano and shuffled through the pages of Itchy’s open file. Molly had brought it home earlier in the week, hoping she could find clues—clues they didn’t need anymore.
“What’s this?” Ari asked.
She realized Ari was holding a copy of the mysterious scrap of paper with the words Here to Help! printed at the bottom and the numbers on the other side. “We never figured that out. Itchy had it in his backpack. We thought it was an important lead that would help us catch his killer, but we didn’t need it. I’m wondering if it had something to do with the leak, but I don’t think we’ll ever figure it out. All the brass will care about is that John Rondo’s dead and so is his accomplice. Case closed.”
“Interesting,” Ari said.
Molly dropped the bread into the toaster and glanced up. “Why?”
“I’m just wondering why a street person would have an original piece of stationery from a title company.”
Molly froze. “That’s from a title company?”
“Uh-huh. American National.”
Molly’s eyes narrowed. “Are you sure?”
“I’m positive. I’ve got lots of their stuff in my files unfortunately. Jane and I hate dealing with them because their slogan is worthless. They are the least helpful and ethical company in the valley. We never let our clients use them if we can help it.”
Ari paused, as if waiting for Molly to say something, but she was too surprised, and all of the switches in her brain were clicking. Perhaps this was still important. Perhaps it would lead to the mole. “So if the numbers were written on stationery from a title company—”
“Then I’ll bet that the numbers are part of an address.” Ari held out the scrap of paper. “Why would a street person need an address?”
He wouldn’t, but the mole would.
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