by Liliana Hart
“I’m in charge here. What I know is that you or one of the others took the transport van out in the middle of the night, without letting me know I might add, and you came back with a body and no paperwork.”
“If you’d woken up at your usual time, you wouldn’t have seen him at all. We just needed a quick place to put him while we tended to some other things. I’m really glad Eve put that tile floor in. It makes cleanup a lot easier.”
“So what you’re saying is if I hadn’t had insomnia I’d have never known the difference.”
“Pretty much. You’re a creature of habit. We can set our clocks by you for the most part. We had a small setback while we were out, and time wasn’t on our side. It was a simple race against the clock.”
“So y’all frequently use company equipment to joyride and pick up random bodies while I’m sleeping?” Her temper was on the edge of the boiling point.
“Not random,” he said.
“If you hadn’t showed up when you did, he could’ve killed me.”
“If you’d stayed asleep until seven, you’d have never been in danger.”
“So this is my fault?” she asked incredulously.
“More or less.”
“You must be out of your damned mind.”
“I wouldn’t have let him hurt you,” he said, shrugging.
“How would you have stopped him? It was just chance that you happened to walk by.”
“I never do anything by chance.”
“You are the most maddening man I’ve ever met in my whole life.”
“Thank you,” he said, nodding.
“It wasn’t a compliment!” She paced back and forth along the side of the body. “I’m the person responsible for anything that happens with the funeral home. Did you kidnap this man? Are the police going to be banging down the door looking for him? I deserve an explanation.”
He stared at her a few seconds, his face set in determined lines. She wouldn’t be intimidated by his size, and she wouldn’t back down.
“No,” he said after a moment of silence, and turned around and walked out of the embalming room.
Her mouth hung open in a surprised O, and then her brain processed his rudeness and she ran after him.
“What do you mean, no? You can’t just say no. That’s ridiculous.” He was already to the other end of the hall. “Good grief,” she muttered under her breath and sprinted after him. “He’s like a damned gazelle.”
“My hearing is excellent,” he said.
“What the hell am I supposed to do with that guy?” she asked. “I’ve got a body to prep today.”
“He’ll be out of your way in the next couple of hours. Don’t worry about it.”
“Oh, sure. No problem. I’ll completely ignore the hulking guy on my table. I’ll just put Mrs. Schriever right on top of him while I get the liver spots off her face. My mother is going to have a cow.”
He stopped in his tracks at that, and she ran right smack into his back with an mmmph. “Your mother is coming today?” he asked.
“She’s doing Mrs. Schriever’s hair. Why?”
“No reason. I’ll warn Dante. She bit him once.”
Tess pursed her lips tightly. “She has a fondness for British men. I guess she couldn’t help herself.”
Deacon’s lips twitched and he moved forward, but she rushed in front of him. “I’m serious, Deacon. I need to know what’s going on here. I’m not stupid. I’ve got eyes and ears. This was supposed to be my funeral home. I’ve put blood, sweat, and tears into this place for a long time. But then you guys move in and all of a sudden there’s a room I can’t access inside the casket showroom and the carriage house is protected like Fort Knox.” He shook his head like he was going to deny it, but she cut him off before he could speak. “Do me a favor and don’t lie to me. I’d rather you ignore my questions than lie.”
His lips pinched together, but he eventually nodded. He didn’t deny or confirm her accusation of the hidden room.
“My grandmother’s ring got stuck in one of the memory compartments on one of the caskets, and I was on the floor trying to get it unstuck. Axel didn’t notice me when he came in and went to the back wall with the three stacked caskets. I couldn’t see what he did to open it, but the wall slid open. I’ve known about it almost since the beginning.”
“Interesting,” Deacon said. “I’d really love to talk, but I need to get a couple hours of sleep before our new friend wakes up. He’s going to take a lot of energy to deal with. Just let him sleep it off and stay out of his way.”
“Yebat’, chto,” she said.
In loose translation, it meant something along the lines of “Fuck that.” Her grandmother had taught her all the really important sayings before she’d started school. She’d been the only kid in kindergarten who could call her teacher a Commie bastard and get away with it.
“Nerazumnym zemleroyka,” he popped back.
Her mouth dropped open as he answered in the language of her childhood.
“An unreasonable shrew?” she asked, her voice pitching higher on the last word. “An unreasonable shrew?”
She spat back in a tirade of back-alley Russian that would have made her grandmother proud. Her body was hot all over, and she figured she probably looked like a teakettle ready to blow, complete with steam coming out of her ears.
His brows rose high and he said, “Pretty talk.”
“I haven’t even gotten started,” she said, blocking his attempts to get around her. “And since we’re on the subject—”
“No we’re not,” he said, picking her up by the elbows and lifting her to the side.
She wasn’t deterred. “I was told you all were experienced employees and mortuary assistants. You’ve always helped when help was needed, but none of you know Jack squat about digging graves or your way around an embalming table. Or even what to do with the fluids for cleanup. The first time Axel assisted with an embalming I thought he was going to vomit. I’ve never seen a man gag like that.”
A definite twinkle came into his eyes at that bit of information.
Tess crossed her arms. “I’m not stupid, so I know there’s a specific reason she put you here. I don’t know what it is, and I don’t care. Okay, maybe I care a little, but only because I’m curious. What I really care about is my reputation and whether or not it gets damaged. Whatever the real scenario is with the body in the embalming room, it doesn’t play out well. You were surprised he was alive. Which begs the question, did you try to kill him or try to save him? And when did you learn to speak Russian? I feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone.”
“I’m never surprised by anything,” Deacon said, expertly ducking all her questions. “Being surprised usually leads to being dead.”
“That’s very philosophical. But it still doesn’t explain the very alive man on the embalming table.”
“Like I said, he’ll be out of your hair in a couple of hours. You’ll be seeing him around once he gets used to this place. We’ve all gotten along just fine. Don’t start sticking your nose places it might get cut off.”
“Like I said, I’m tired of being kept in the dark. I’m not even sure what I’m still doing here, other than it’s the only thing I’ve ever done. I’m about this close to walking out of here for good and letting you explain to the nosey people in this town why you can’t bury their loved ones because you don’t know a vein expander from a hole in the ground.”
“You think you’re irreplaceable?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.
“Of course not.” It was the first time she’d voiced her thoughts of leaving out loud, and it felt powerful. Or maybe that was her temper. Either way, she was bound to say something she’d regret later once her good sense returned. “Everyone’s replaceable. But I won’t be bullied into doing things I don’t agree with. And I won’t be steamrolled by the five of you because you’re taking orders from Eve Winter instead of me. I’ll do my job the right way or I won’t do it at all.
“
So if this is the way you plan to do things, you can relay my resignation to your boss. Don’t ever underestimate the people in this town. They’re nosey as hell, and if I leave here they’re going to invade your personal space like you’ve never imagined. They’re going to ask questions, no matter how personal. And then they’re going to take their business into the city, because they’re not going to let an outsider they don’t trust handle the bodies of their loved ones. Only there’s just one problem with that.”
“And what would that be?”
She moved in a step closer, so her chin almost touched his chest. “It’s going to be pretty difficult to explain to the feds why enough income for ten funerals a month comes in consistently when we’re lucky to do one. The money has to come from somewhere, right? Maybe they can find out whatever scam it is you’re running and using the funeral home to do so. Maybe I should go wake the John Doe on the table in there and ask him what he knows before you get your hands on him.”
“That would be a mistake,” he said gravely. “A big one.”
“I don’t appreciate being used to take the fall for whatever kind of fraud you’re involved in. I don’t know what scheme you’re running, and I don’t care. But I’ll be damned if I’ll have the IRS or FBI looking at me as the responsible party because my name is on the account and I write all the checks.”
His eyes went frigid and she hoped to God he couldn’t smell her fear. Because once she’d started talking she hadn’t been able to shut up. It was like the pseudo-dead guy on her embalming table was the last straw, and something in her had cracked. Up until this point it had just been her gut telling her something was off with her sexy and secretive employees. It hadn’t stopped her imagination from picturing them as part of a prostitution ring or black-market baby scheme, but she figured most of that had to do with the fact that she read a lot of romance novels. The body on her table was a different story. She deserved some answers.
All five-foot-six of her faced off against a man who looked like he’d have no problem snapping her neck.
“You’re playing a dangerous game, Tessera.”
She narrowed her eyes and said, “Don’t call me by my full name. And how in the world do you even know that name anyway?”
“It’s beautiful,” he told her.
She backed up a step and crossed her arms over her chest. She was never very comfortable with compliments, so she ignored him. “Besides, we wouldn’t have to play any games if you just told me the truth. This is my life you’re messing with.”
He took a step forward, until their bodies were almost touching and his gaze bore into hers. Her breathing was ragged and her heart pounded in her chest, and she felt the electricity from their tempers and the storm crackling between them.
He leaned a little closer, and then he said, “Has anyone ever told you you look a little bit like a hedgehog when you’re angry? It’s terrifying.”
Tess didn’t recognize the sound that escaped her lips, but she thought the synapses in her brain must’ve been exploding one by one, because all she saw was red. And then he leaned the rest of the way down and kissed her right on the lips.
The heat that was already infusing her body went molten as his lips pressed hard against hers. He didn’t touch her anywhere else, and her arms dropped to her side as she went boneless. He tasted of mint and man, and her tongue stroked against his. She felt as if she were falling, and she brought her hands up to grasp hold, but he pulled away from her mouth and took a moment to nuzzle her neck before taking a step back.
There was a loud buzzing in her ears, and it had been going on awhile before she realized someone was at the door. It was followed by three loud knocks.
“Tess, open up. It’s Cal.”
Cal Dougherty was the sheriff in Last Stop. Her eyes widened and she looked up at Deacon, but he’d already taken a step back. The teasing glint that had been in his eyes was gone, and in its place was the same unreadable mask she’d seen for the last two years. She wanted to kick him in the shin, but she figured it was probably best to refrain. Deacon was a bit of a wild card.
“Sounds like you’ve got business to tend to,” he said, stepping around her. “I’ll let you get back to work.”
Her emotions were wreaking havoc inside her body. All she’d wanted was a few answers. Instead she’d had the rug pulled out from under her. What the heck had been with that kiss? She’d imagined kissing him for two years, though in her fantasies it had transpired a little differently. There hadn’t been the arguing. And he hadn’t called her a hedgehog. Other than that it was as spectacular as she’d imagined.
“Why did you kiss me?” she asked him hotly.
“Because I wanted to.”
“Seems awfully coincidental that you’d pick now of all times.”
“You’re very cynical.” His voice was calm and his breathing even, as if he hadn’t just had his tongue in her mouth.
“I’ve got reason to be.”
“Not really. You dodged a bullet with that jackass you were engaged to. I can’t believe you were even engaged. He wasn’t your type at all. You’d railroad a man like that in no time.”
She huffed indignantly. “I would not,” she said. “I’m not some overbearing nag. I’m a very nice person. Dammit.”
Bang, bang, bang. “Tess, are you in there?” Cal called out again.
“You are a very nice person,” he agreed, pacifying her a little. “But putting your personality with his would be like letting a hurricane loose on a trailer park. You’d mop the floor with him and come to resent him. And you wouldn’t be able to pretend to be the meek and subservient wife forever, which was how you ended up engaged in the first place.”
Her hands went back to her hips and she scowled. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t realize you’d been such an active part of my relationship. No wonder you have such insight. Maybe you could’ve told me all this a couple of years ago instead of letting me make an ass of myself in front of the entire town.”
“Sometimes you’ve got to learn lessons the hard way. Besides, it was pretty entertaining the way you threw that ring into that Dumpster. And it was more entertaining to watch him go in after it. What’d you do with it? I know you didn’t actually throw it in that Dumpster.”
She narrowed her eyes. “How do you know that?”
“I’m observant. It’s part of the job.”
“Which job would that be?”
Buzz. Buzz.
He just smiled.
“You know, I don’t think I’m cut out for whatever is happening here,” she said. “I’d already been considering a change, but I’m feeling pretty strongly about it now. I’m resigning.”
“No, you’re not.” And with that, he moved around her and headed out the kitchen door and into the rain.
“I’m really getting tired of you telling me no,” she yelled after him, and then went to let in the sheriff.
In her experience, it usually wasn’t good news when the cops showed up at the door before the sun had risen.
CHAPTER FOUR
Cal Dougherty was a couple of years older than Tess, and they’d gone to school together. He’d become sheriff during the last election cycle when he’d beat out Sheriff Brown by a landslide.
That was mostly because Sheriff Brown had gotten caught with his duty belt around his ankles and the mayor’s wife sitting on his face—at least according to Georgia Ambrose, who’d walked in on them doing the deed. Of course, no one had bothered to ask Georgia what she was doing at the Bluebonnet Motel on a Tuesday afternoon or why the key she’d used unlocked Sheriff Brown’s room. But rumor was that Sheriff Brown had cuffed a lot of women in room 202.
Tess and Cal had grown up with the same circle of friends, so they knew each other well, but it had never been her favorite thing to deal with the police, so she’d kept her distance the last several years. Mostly because she’d spent her fair share of time trying to explain to the cops why they shouldn’t toss her mother in jail and throw awa
y the key. If Theodora was in a financial fix and the slot machines were calling, there was no limit to what she’d do to feed her habit.
Tess had gone to school with Cal’s first wife. She was a nice girl from a nice family, but she and Cal hadn’t been married more than a year when Victoria decided she wasn’t meant for small-town life and moved down to Austin. Cal hadn’t seemed too bent out of shape about the whole thing, so everyone figured it was probably for the best.
Cal didn’t really get too bent out of shape about anything, unless it was the Dallas Cowboys or that time a group of teenage boys changed his election signs to read “Erect” instead of “Elect.”
He was handsome, with dark brown eyes and black hair threaded with the occasional strand of silver, which he kept cut short in a military style. He was dressed in jeans, and his neon-yellow police slicker was snapped all the way to the collar. He’d spent his rookie years plus a few more working patrol for the Dallas PD, and he’d taken a couple of bullets in his vest during a routine traffic stop.
“Sorry to bother you so early, Tess,” he said. “Whew, it’s bad out here.”
“No problem. I’m just getting up and started for the day. Come on in out of the wet.” Tess stood back so he could get past her. It was then she really got a good look at the front yard. “Good grief, we’re all going to be under water before too much longer. I’ve never seen it so high.” The grass and sidewalk were completely covered with several inches of water.
Cal lowered the hood of his slicker and unsnapped it, shrugging out of it before laying it across one of the rocking chairs on the front porch. He wiped his feet on the mat before stepping inside.
“And doesn’t look like it’s going to stop anytime soon. Never seen rain like this in July.”
“I hear it’s El Niño,” she said.
Cal gave her an odd look, and it was then she realized they were standing mostly in the dark. The downstairs lights were still off since she hadn’t opened for business yet, and only the wall sconces were lit. She reached over to flip on the main light switches, and the foyer was instantly flooded with light.