“I never said one word about you being half-naked.”
He laughed again and swung me around, laying a big kiss on me.
Didier swooped in and kissed Fab.
I looked over Creole’s shoulder and saw a woman standing at the gate, waving. It took me a minute to recognize her, and then I slipped around Creole and went to meet her. “You came.” I enveloped Emerson Grace in a hard hug. She was a friend of the family and an old love interest of Brad’s.
She breezed into the pool area, her bright-blue sundress swirling around her legs, brown hair tucked up under a sun hat. “New York was a bore. You called with such a fun invitation, how could I not show up?”
I had an ulterior motive, which I’d fully disclosed. Emerson was one of the best family law attorneys to practice in Florida before she inherited a fortune from her grandmother and went north to get the family affairs in order.
Brad climbed out of the pool, wrapped a towel around his waist, walked over, and threw his arms around her, lifting her off her feet and swinging her around. “Good to see you.” He laid a big kiss on her.
“I told you I’d find you a brilliant attorney, bro-ski, and here she is.” I smiled at the two of them, hoping for more than just Emerson figuring out Brad’s legal issues.
“You’ll be happy to know that I’ve researched your options and started mapping out a plan of attack.” Emerson smiled up at Brad.
“My sister is, as you know, so nervy,” Brad said. That made Emerson laugh. “We’ll get you a drink and introduce you around. But later, we’ll have a long talk.” The two walked away, laughing and smiling at one another.
Creole appeared at my side, hooking his arm around me. “It was nice of you to get Emerson to come.”
“I was honest with her about everything. If anyone can help him figure out Logan’s custody, it’s her, and she won’t let anything bad happen to either of them.”
Creole kissed the top of my head.
The kids called him and Didier over to the pool.
I made the rounds of the guests and talked to each one, noticing out of the corner of my eye that Fab was doing the same thing. She had the attention of both the men and the women. I’d be reminding her the next time she complained she couldn’t do personable.
About to take a seat and enjoy a margarita, I caught sight of a string-bean blonde cutting through the palm trees from the front, stopping to look over her shoulder. She was headed to the pool area, and I’d be the one to stop her. A guest wouldn’t be tromping through the bushes, so it was more likely an uninvited neighbor, though she wasn’t familiar to me.
I caught Fab’s eye and nodded in the woman’s direction, silently indicating, I’ll take care of it. I had the advantage and could cut her off before she made her way into the pool area. It worked out perfectly, the two of us meeting at the open gate.
“This is private property,” I informed her as I stepped through and closed the gate behind me.
“You’re a hard woman to catch up with.” Her smile was hard and calculating. “You don’t know how many times I had to tell myself to be patient, that we’d meet up. And here I am.”
Something about her, more than just her skulking around, had me on alert. “Have we met?”
“Lime.”
The same color as her cotton dress, which tied at the waist. It was a name I’d never heard before; if I had, I would never have forgotten it. I was better at faces than names, but I couldn’t recall ever meeting her.
Lime made several attempts to move around me, but I stepped in front of her, forcing her to back up.
“Those your kids?” She peered around my shoulder, then focused her attention back on me. “It doesn’t matter; everyone’s going to die.” She pulled a gun from her pocket and pointed it at me. I took a step back, and she jabbed me in the stomach. “I wouldn’t move if I were you.”
“I’m certain that we haven’t met, so why don’t you tell me what this is all about?” I said in the most patient tone I could muster. I sized up the way she held the gun and figured she’d had little practice. “Be unfortunate if you had the wrong person.” I planned to take advantage of Lime’s first moment of hesitation and kick her on her butt. I casually tapped the small of my back.
“You murdered the love of my life. The fact that you’re not in jail disgusts me. I’m going to mete out justice. He’d want me to get even, and I want it for the both of us.”
“Does your true love have a name?” So much for not wanting to sound snarky, but she hadn’t noticed.
“Ted Roberts.” She sighed with a big smile.
Definitely wasn’t happy to hear that name again. I really hoped that the two of them hadn’t mated and had kids. “I did not kill Roberts. The cops took him out.” An ex-cop, anyway, but she didn’t need to know that.
“He was obsessed with you.”
With Fab. But I wasn’t about to enlighten her.
“He spent a lot of time tracking you down, and the last time I saw him, it was his plan to permanently shut you up, since he couldn’t be certain what you knew. I never saw him again. I had to hear about his death from the news.” She swiped at her eyes with the back of her wrist.
I took half a step back.
Lime jammed her gun into my stomach. “I told you once already. Move again, and I’ll drop you and everyone else.”
Her gun didn’t have that kind of firepower, and she’d never get the chance to reload, but I wouldn’t take the chance. “I can identify the officer that killed Roberts and help you get your revenge.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Roberts wouldn’t want you to kill a bunch of innocent people.”
Lime’s laugh was brittle. “You didn’t know him very well.”
Fab appeared at my side out of nowhere, catching her off guard. I planned to insist that she teach me that trick of hers once we’d dealt with the woman.
Lime pointed her gun at Fab and then back at me. “You should’ve minded your own business.”
“I don’t know what the problem is, but I’m certain we can come to a reasonable agreement. One that doesn’t end with anyone hurt and you dead or in jail,” Fab said in a deceptively patient tone, her eyes sparking fire.
“Lime here thinks I murdered her boyfriend, Roberts. I told her that the cops shot him.”
“Sorry for your loss.”
I almost laughed at Fab’s insincerity. Lime, on the other hand, soaked it up. “She also threatened to kill the kids once she dispatched me.”
“Did she now?”
For the first time, Lime appeared indecisive, not knowing which of us to turn her attention to. The gun wavered in her hand.
“Would you like to know why that’s not going to happen?” Fab asked Lime, but didn’t wait for a response, instead kicking the gun out of her hand. It went airborne, and a shot went off.
Lime yelped and grabbed her hand.
I planted my foot in her lower abdomen. She clutched herself and doubled over, and I shoved her to the ground, where she landed on her butt and screamed.
Fab drew her gun and pushed the barrel up against Lime’s forehead. “You have gutter taste in boyfriends,” she growled.
I turned and yelled, “Grab me a bungee cord.”
Alex jumped to his feet, raced out of the pool area and over to the wagon he’d left parked in front of Crum’s door, and grabbed several.
I pulled my Glock. “We need to trade here; you’ll do a better of securing her.” I smiled at Fab, who turned and took the cords from Alex.
The pool area had gone silent, the guests open-mouthed and wide-eyed.
Creole and Didier shot out of the gate. Creole hauled Lime to her feet, and the two men had her trussed up in a blink despite the fact that she fought them, the whole-time screeching that she was going to avenge Roberts’ death and nothing would stop her.
“That’s what you think,” Creole growled at her and shoved her back to the ground, standing over her.
�
��Murderer,” she hissed at me.
“She thinks you killed Roberts?” Didier asked. I nodded. “I killed him.”
Creole took out his phone and called 911.
“You two are cops?” Lime sputtered.
Ignoring her, Fab said, “I knew the second you touched where you’d normally holster your Glock that something hinky was going on.”
“I just wanted to know why she was so intent on mass murder before I kicked her teeth out.” I leaned my head on Fab’s shoulder.
“Let’s hope Roberts doesn’t have any more friends willing to crawl out of whatever hole they’re in to cause more ugly surprises.”
“I’m thinking whoever’s left was happy to hear of his demise. They no longer have to wonder if they’re next for a well-placed bullet.”
Fab nudged my head.
Kevin ambled up in his day-off attire of bathing trunks, impressive abs on display and a beer in hand, and exchanged a few words with Creole. He toasted us. “You’re getting another officer today.”
“That gives you a pass on the paperwork, but the ladies are going to want to ride you like a wild pony.” No smile, but his lips quirked, so good enough.
“I’ll take the short version,” he said.
That set off Lime, who ranted and bellowed filthy words.
Fab nudged me again and nodded towards the pool. The guests had lined up against the fence, trying to pretend they weren’t hanging on every word. Brad and Casio had herded the kids back into the pool, and Emerson was sitting on the side, encouraging them by throwing wayward beach balls back into the water.
“Enough,” Creole snapped at Lime and hauled the woman to her feet. He struggled to walk her towards the front, as she attempted to fight him off, and when that didn’t work, she went limp, fell to the asphalt, and tried to roll away. “Roll in the dirt; I don’t care.” Creole let go of her arm and took a step back, not taking his eyes off her.
Two cop cars rolled into the driveway, and an officer got out of each car. They acknowledged Kevin and talked to him first, then split up. One of the cops hauled Lime to her feet, and she went without any trouble until he tried to put her in the back of his patrol car. She fought him like a wet cat, but he prevailed.
The guests gathered around the gate hooted, hollered, and clapped. “Great show,” they yelled.
“What the…?” the cop asked.
Creole and Didier grinned.
“My guess is that they think this was a show put on for their entertainment,” I said. When his eyebrows went up, I added, “The answer is no, we haven’t done it in the past and will not be doing it in the future.”
He nodded, but didn’t appear completely convinced.
“I can vouch for her,” Kevin said, you owe me on his face.
The cop made the rounds and talked to the rest of us, finished up by talking to Kevin again, and left.
Creole and Didier came over and hooked their arms around us.
“By the time we’re done testifying, that woman won’t be getting out of jail,” Creole said.
“Good place for her,” Didier agreed.
They led us to chairs under one of the umbrellas by the pool.
“I’m tired of having guns pointed in my face,” I told Fab.
“We lucked out with Lemon. She knew nothing about her firearm. I wouldn’t be surprised if she stole it.”
I snickered but didn’t correct her on the woman’s name. I didn’t care.
“I’m just happy we were able to disarm her before she shot one of us or the kids.” Fab winced.
Creole and Didier were back, handing us each a drink—a margarita for me and a martini for Fab. They both sat down. “We’re here to guard you so you can get your drunk on in peace.”
I side-hugged Fab. “Thanks for coming to my rescue.”
“You didn’t need it. You could’ve taken her on your own.”
~*~
Madison and Fab had a sign made for the front gate of the compound.
Paradise Series
Crazy in Paradise
Deception in Paradise
Trouble in Paradise
Murder in Paradise
Greed in Paradise
Revenge in Paradise
Kidnapped in Paradise
Swindled in Paradise
Executed in Paradise
Hurricane in Paradise
Lottery in Paradise
Ambushed in Paradise
Christmas in Paradise
Blownup in Paradise
Psycho in Paradise
Overdose in Paradise
Initiation in Paradise
Jealous in Paradise
Wronged in Paradise
Vanished in Paradise
Fraud in Paradise
Naïve in Paradise
Bodies in Paradise
Deborah’s books are available on Amazon
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About the Author
Deborah Brown is an Amazon bestselling author of the Paradise series. She lives on the Gulf of Mexico, with her ungrateful animals, where Mother Nature takes out her bad attitude in the form of hurricanes.
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Bodies in Paradise Page 25