Crime (19 page)

Felicia sipped her drink and studied Melanie, looking her over as if she was a new, interesting prospect. "Mmmm. This is really good." Felicia took another sip. "I have to tell you, I'm not here alone."
Melanie made a show of looking around at all the empty seats at the table, then turned back to Felicia and then arched a brow. "Who are you with? The Invisible Man?" she quipped.
Felicia laughed and waved a hand towards Lonna. "No. And I'm with a woman."
"Well," Melanie drawled, "that answers that question."
"Which was?"
"Wither or not you're into women. Walking over here, I was praying pretty hard, hoping you wouldn't turn out to be straight."
"What if I was?"
Melanie gave her a wicked grin. "I'd work it like a tent evangelist and try like hell to cure you."
Felicia's burst of laughter had Lonna whipping around. "Who the hell are you?" she snapped.
"The woman taking your neglected date for a dance." Melanie stared Lonna down as she grabbed Felicia's hand and lead her towards the dance floor, mentally taking a snap shot of Lonna's shocked face as she took off with her date. That would be a Kodak moment to treasure.
They reached the dance floor just as the band struck up a nice slow song. She turned around to face Felicia and pulled her into her arms. The two of them glided around the floor in silence.
"Lonna's madder than a wet hen," Felicia whispered in her ear. "You better damn well know what you're doing, Melanie, or I'm going to pay for it later."
Melanie tighten her hold on Felicia, the thought of Lonna hurting her making her stomach clench. "Just play along, act like you're enjoying all of the attention, and I promise, you're walking out of here with me before the night's over."
The conviction in Melanie's voice strengthened her own resolve, and Felicia let herself enjoy the feel of being in the arms of someone who cared for her. Seconds later, she felt Melanie's hand slide down, dangerously close to cupping her ass. She glanced back at Lonna as they turned, saw the rage on her face, and sent up a silent prayer.
The song ended a few minutes later and Felicia started to step away, but Melanie pulled her right back into her arms for another dance, the band switching to some Latin music. Expertly, she spun Felicia around the floor, people stepping back out of their way. An audience was gathering to watch them and Melanie was trying hard not to check for Lonna's reaction. This worked only if Lonna thought she wasn't paying her any mind, acted as if she didn't even exist.
The song ended and the crowd began to applaud as Melanie dipped Felicia one last time. Swinging Felicia back up, onto her feet, she bowed to the crowd, and then led Felicia to the mini-bar farthest from Lonna. She ordered two drinks and turned her attention to Felicia.
"Ready?"
Felicia narrowed her eyes. "For what?"
"Well, darling, the show, of course," Melanie answered with a smile.
It was the wicked gleam in Melanie's eyes that was making Felicia nervous, or excited, she wasn't sure which. The thought of getting away from Lonna, for good, was a joyous thought, but the consequences if Melanie's plan, whatever it was, failed, was something she didn't want to linger on. Her smile faded and she grew solemn as she stared down at her drink.
"Melanie..."
Melanie cut her off. "No, Felicia, there's only one way this will end. You, Jessica, and I are walking out of here together. Then we'll go home, sit on the porch and have a few shots of tequila. From now on, we're family, and we stay together." Felicia's fear wasn't lost on her, and she could tell her words didn't go far in the way of reassuring her. Leaning over, she pressed a kiss to her temple and, grabbing her hand, walked with her towards a deserted table.
"Now, we're going to sit here and talk, share a few laughs, just relax. When I think Lonna's good and mad, we'll go back over and finish this." Melanie laid a hand against Felicia's cheek, cupping her face and guiding her head up so she could look her in the eye.
"Do you trust me?"
"Yes," Felicia whispered.
"Do you want to go home?"
"Yes," Felicia answered vehemently.
"Then stop worrying and ride with it, baby. I know you know how to do that." Melanie's grin was wicked and she felt relief flood through her when Felicia returned the grin with a sheepish one of her own.
"Jessica's not too happy." Felicia nodded towards Jessica's table. Following her gaze, Melanie's eyes quickly found Jessica and could tell she was fighting to control her temper and tried not to stare at the two of them, sitting cozily at a corner table. Jessica's gaze flicked to them and their eyes locked for a split second. It was just enough for Melanie to hear her own breath quicken, feel her heart speed up. She cared for Felicia, a great deal, but there was only one woman who made her go from 0 to 60 with just a look.
"Jessica will make me pay for this later," she thought, and then smiled as memories of their lovemaking played through her mind.
"Penny for your thoughts, cher," Felicia quietly asked. Melanie looked over to find deep blue eyes watching her every move. Felicia was so beautiful, it was hard to imagine that she'd been so lonely that she'd fallen in with a viper like Lonna.
"What in heaven's name where you doing with this bitch in the first place? Don't tell me women weren't lined up at your door to go out with you?"
Felicia smiled weakly and went back to staring into her glass, "sad and lonely" written all over her face. "They weren't, lined up at my door, that is. Jessica and I, our family, have quite a reputation in this town, and a scandalous past that every single soul knows about. Women are either afraid that we're both a mental and emotional mess, because of our parents, and don't want to get tangled up in all that, or their afraid of our money, or interested in us just because of it."

Felicia inhaled deeply, slowly exhaled, and then looked up to face Melanie. "I guess that's why we fought over you. For the first time, there was this beautiful woman who wasn't afraid of us, or interested in cashing in on the Matthews name. Yes, I seduced you when you first came here. I thought it would be a fun, and convenient, way to keep tabs on you and the progress of your investigation. I was so use to all of my relationships being just about sex; I didn't expect..." her voice trailed off. Melanie waited a few moments, but she didn't continue.
She chuckled. "I sure as hell didn't expect you and your sister, either, but here we are. And I think the real reason there isn't a line at your door is because you and Jessica are intimidating as hell. Both wild, fiercely independent, and tempers that should require you both to wear warning labels." Melanie laughed at her own comment, saw Felicia's face transform into a genuine smile, and continued. "I mean, face it Felicia, you two are a hell of a hand full. I think most women around here just didn't think they could hold on for the ride. They were probably afraid you'd trample them, and you would have, both of you would have, have even, I'll bet."
Melanie leaned towards Felicia. Anyone watching would probably think she was asking about to whisper sweet nothings in her ear. "I'll let you in on a little secret, my friend," she patted Felicia on the knee under the table, "I'm not that strong. Matter of fact, you and your sister scare the hell out of me, every single day." She sat back in her chair. "No, honey, I'm with you two because I'm too crazy, or maybe too stupid, there's a thin line between the two, to know when to run like hell."
Felicia burst out laughing and several heads swiveled their way, but neither one of them noticed. They talked a little longer and Melanie soaked up every minute. She started envisioning what it would be like, once Felicia was back home, the three of them hanging out, shopping together, sharing their lives together, and it made her smile. For the first time in a very long time, she had a family again.
She glanced over at Lonna's table and decided it was time to wrap things up. Tucking her Hallmark images into the back of her mind, she stood up and offered Felicia her hand.
"Let's get this show on the road, shall we?"
Felicia looked up into Melanie's dark brown eyes, her smiling face, and felt momentarily jealous of her sister's good luck. Then again, maybe she was lucky too, in a different kind of way. Returning Melanie's smile, she accepted her hand and stood, then let Melanie guide her back to the table she was sharing earlier with Lonna.
As they neared the table, Melanie could tell Lonna was spoiling for a fight. They were inches from the table when Lonna stood up, grabbed Felicia's arm and pushed her into a chair, then turned on Melanie.
"I hope you enjoyed yourself," she snarled, "because it's over. If we weren't in public, I'd stomp you into the ground."
Melanie just smiled and casually reached out to smooth the lapels of Lonna's suite. "Relax, lady. No need to get your panties in a bunch." She considered Lonna for a minute. "Well, maybe there is, because the lady is leaving with me. You obviously are too stupid to know what to do with her, or she wouldn't have been so eager for my attention."
It was really satisfying to watch Lonna's face turn beet red as she glowered at her. "Why you little shit! Do you know whom you're dealing with? I can ruin you with the snap of my fingers! Who the hell are you, anyway?"
"Ruin me, huh? I find that extremely doubtful," Melanie answered with a cocky grin. She could tell Lonna wasn't use to anyone being insolent with her, amused even, and Melanie happily listened as Lonna started to sputter.
"You...You..."
"Bitch?" Melanie helpfully offered. "Yeah, I get that a lot. So much so, it's probably true. Looks like you met your match, sugar."
Lonna's eyes were beginning to go red with rage. If they weren't in the middle of a party, she'd probably attack her.
Melanie folded her arms across her chest, bent one arm at the elbow and rested her chin in the palm so she could tap a finger against her lips. "I'm curious though, who exactly YOU think you are, that you've got the power to ruin me. Wait, let me guess, you're the DA's wife, right?"
She made a show of looking around the ballroom, found the DA and his wife seated several tables away, and then she pointed to them. "No, that's not right, because she's right there with her husband."
At this point, Lonna was vibrating with anger. "I'm the woman who can crush Matthews Enterprises with a single phone call."
"Ewwwww. That's impressive, but I don't think there's anyone to answer that call."
"What? You think I'm bluffing?"
"As a matter of fact..."
Lonna was now standing toe to toe with Melanie, literally nose to nose. "One phone call, and this little bitch you're so hot for, goes straight to jail for embezzlement, and when they investigate, they'll find Matthews Enterprises is wiped out; completely bankrupt."
Jessica had been keenly watching the argument, listening in. When she heard Lonna's last comment, though, her head snapped towards her uncle, but he looked as surprised as she was.
Melanie noticed Jessica and David's reaction, which spoke volumes, and decided she needed to bait Lonna a little longer. "Completely bankrupt?"
Lonna became smug, nodded in the affirmative. "You see, while Felicia was sitting here, leading you on, she had a hacker sneak into the company's system and transfer their funds to her Swiss bank account."
"Hmmm. Well, seeing that you know so much about it, wouldn't that makes you an accomplice?"
"Oh no. I'm the poor, duped girlfriend who just happened to stumble onto Felicia's scheme." Lonna laid a hand against her chest. "And as an upstanding citizen, I quickly reported it to the authorities. Felicia will be arrested within the hour. In fact, they might mistake YOU for an accomplice."
"Bingo!" was all Melanie could think. She raised her hand into the air and seemed to wave someone over. All heads turned to face the same direction she was looking in. Three men emerged from the kitchen area, two of them in dark suits flanking a third man dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, his face sullen, hands cuffed in front of him.
As they approached, Melanie watched all color drain from Lonna's face. She turned to bolt, but Melanie grabbed her arm and kicked a knee out from under her. Lonna would have fell, but Melanie yanked her back onto her feet and, with a tight hold on one of Lonna's hands, pulled her to stand in front of her while she twisted Lonna's arm behind her back, effectively holding her in place.
The three men stepped up to them. "Lonna, I'd like you to meet Special Agent Tom Lucas of the FBI. I'm not sure who his friend is, the other suite, but I know I don't have to introduce you to Ralph here." Melanie nodded towards the man in handcuffs.
"In fact, I believe you two are old friends, of sorts. Well, you were, anyway. I suppose that's all over now." Melanie pressed up against Lonna's back and spoke into her ear. "You see, Ralph and I spent the morning together, discussing his outstanding warrants. Deep down, he's a really swell guy, so I helped him out and hooked him up with Agent Lucas. See, Tom and I go back a ways, and since he owed me a favor," Melanie shot Tom a smile, which he returned, "he was happy to drive down to Baton Rouge and listen to Ralph's story."
"It's pretty sad, actually. It seems he got seduced by this older woman, who promised him the sun and moon, if he just did a few favors for her, like siphon some funds from Matthews Enterprises and make it look like Felicia did the whole thing. Ralph's really, really good with computers, so it wasn't all that hard, but he was really upset this morning when I told him you really hate guys and planned on taking off with another woman, that you've been fucking another woman this whole time, while you told him he had to wait for it."
"Tusk, tusk, Lonna. Don't you know guys hate to be dumped for another woman? Anyway, once I explained the situation, showed him photos of you banging one of your waitresses behind the club the other night, he got kind of vengeful. Of course, I was more than happy to help him with that and, as a bonus, get him immunity for spilling his guts about your plan."
Jessica rounded the table, fire in her eyes directed at Melanie. "Why the hell did you wait this long? We could have had this bitch arrested the minute she got here."
Melanie met Jessica's glare. "Because. This way, we get a confession, of sorts, and a guarantee that Lonna Tassin will never darken the Matthews's doorstep ever again."
Agent Lucas pulled a small tape recorder out of his pocket and played back the last few minutes of Melanie and Lonna's conversation. "I think," he said, "that the jury will be pretty interested in hearing Ms. Tassin explain how she knew all about the depletion of Matthews Enterprise's funds. Which, by the way, never actually occurred, since our friend here," Tom gave Ralph's arm a little tug, "decided to come forward this morning."
Melanie looked at Tom, who was standing directly in front of Lonna. "Want to take this one off my hands too?"
"With pleasure." Tom stepped forwarded, walked behind Lonna, and promptly cuffed her. He pushed her forward and all four of them, Tom with Lonna and the other agent holding Ralph, began to walk away. Tom stopped and looked back.
"Pleasure doing business with you, Melanie, as always."
Melanie smiled and waved as the FBI agent marched a very disgruntled Lonna out the front door. She turned towards Jessica, who was staring at her sister. Felicia was staring back, a death grip on the back of the chair she was sitting in. Neither of them spoke, and David and Mama seemed reluctant to step between them, or break the silence.
"Kiss and make up already," Melanie said, her voice a mix of impatience and amusement.
Suddenly, Felicia launched herself out of the chair and straight into Jessica's open arms. The two sisters held on tight to each other, crying. David rushed over and wrapped his arms around both of them. Mama stood beside the table, wiping tears from her eyes with a linen napkin.
Melanie stood back and watched, happy to see the Matthews family reunited. Jessica jerked away from her family and turned towards Melanie.
"Don't you dare!"
"What?"
"The last time the three of us got caught up in a family moment, you disappeared."
Melanie walked towards Jessica, pulling her hat and mask off as she went. Once she was standing directly in front of Jessica, she framed her face with her hands and pulled her in for a deep kiss. Long minutes passed as she dipped her tongue between Jessica's soft lips, their tongues tangling together. Finally, Melanie pulled her head back and stared in Jessica's eyes.
"No such luck, this time. You're stuck with me, angel."
Jessica threw her arms around Melanie and hugged her for all she was worth. Melanie glanced up to see David and Felicia grinning at them, arms wrapped behind each other's backs.
"What?"
David spoke first. "Come on you two. Let's go home and celebrate." He started to guide Felicia away, but Melanie untangled herself from Jessica, yet kept hold of one hand. She wrapped the other hand around Felicia's arm and gently pried her away from David.
"Sorry, David, but I made these two a promise." She captured Felicia's hand in hers and stood there, holding on to both sisters. She raised their hands to her lips and kissed each one.
"I think I said something about the three of us walking out together."
Felicia and Jessica looked at each other, smiled, then they stepped forward and, one standing on each side of Melanie, wrapped an arm across her back. Melanie reached out both arms to encircle their waists and pull them close against her.
"And you always keep your promises, don't you?" Jessica asked, beaming at her.
"You bet your Cajun ass I do." She smirked at Jessica as she heard Felicia burst out laughing beside her, and felt her heart warm. She'd done it. She fixed everything, and now she had her family back; a new family in a new town, but it was all hers.