Deadly Reunion (The Taci Andrews Deadly Series) (12 page)

And just like that he left as abruptly as he arrived, leaving me to stare open mouthed at the bathroom door. I hoped this wasn’t a prerequisite to our date this evening, because if he thought for one minute he was going to boss me around then he was in for a long evening. Taking a glance at my razor on the side of the tub I chewed my lower lip thoughtfully. There was one guaranteed way I wouldn’t end up in bed with Tony tonight, and that was if I didn’t shave my legs. Any woman worth her grain of salt would
never
allow a guy to see her unshaved legs.

The bathroom door flung open again and I let out a squeak, giving an angry glare to the intruder.

“By the way, I enjoyed your bath time,” he said with a wink before closing the bathroom door again. Flushed, I sunk under the waters bubbly surface.

***

It was nearly 6:00 when I put the final touches on my hair. A nervous glance in the mirror told me that I looked pretty good, which was a small miracle considering the bundle of nerves I’d become over the last hour. Out of pure spite I’d decided not to shave my legs, choosing rather to flirt and tease outrageously with Parsons before leaving him at the door. A dangerous game I knew but one I was sure I’d take great pleasure in. From the other room I heard the phone ring and Reese answer, then a knock sounded on the bathroom door.

“For you,” he said with a grin, tossing the phone inside the door and disappearing back down the hall.

“Taci? It’s Annie. I need a really big favor, and I mean
really
big. I know you’re supposed to be going out with Tony tonight but I wouldn’t have called if I didn’t need you,” Annie said in a rush before I could say anything.

I frowned. Annie sounded pretty rattled; something was definitely up. Why did I have the sudden feeling date night was no longer an option? “Annie slow down and take a breath. What’s going on?”

“My Mom dropped the trio off early tonight and it’s been a disaster with a capital D. First off, Leah didn’t take her ADHD meds today and is literally bouncing off the walls. I’m pretty sure the other two are sugar high because they seem to be bouncing right along with her. I can’t get a hold of my mother to find out what she did, Mel isn’t home and I have nobody else to call. I swear to God Taci, if you don’t get over here and take these kids from me I’m going to have a nervous break down here,” Annie wailed into the phone. Now that definitely had my attention. This
was
serious; she’d tried to call Mel before me.

Sighing I trudged out of the bathroom and into my bedroom. So much for the ankle length suede skirt and matching brown boots I’d picked out for tonight I thought, eyeing the ensemble that I’d spread out so carefully on my bed.

“All right sweetheart, help is on the way. Just give me a minute to round up some back up and I’ll be over,” I promised, disconnecting. Tugging on a pair of jeans and a soft blue sweater I slipped on a pair of sneakers and headed towards the living room just as a knock sounded at the door.

“Don’t worry, I got it,” I told an unmoving Reese, who gave a wave from the couch, eyes still glued to the T.V. Lazy ass I thought, giving a shake of my head before crossing the room to tug open the door.

Tony’s eyes traveled the length of me, an amused expression on his face. “Hmm, I think I might be a bit over dressed.”

My heart did a flip flop at the site of Tony dressed in black slacks and a buttoned up dress shirt. Good lord, the man looked good in anything.

“There’s been a slight change of plans. Annie’s girls are going bonkers over there and she desperately needs some help corralling them back in. I’m afraid I’m going to have to take a rain check on date night,” I said, turning towards the kitchen counter to grab my purse and keys. Tony gave a wave to Reese, who was still unmoving on the couch but managed to nod in acknowledgement. Rolling my eyes I walked past Tony, shutting the door behind me. Not breaking stride I headed towards the staircase.

“No problem, we’ll just change our plans from dinner and a movie to babysitting patrol. So, where does Annie live?” he asked, following me down the staircase. I stopped in mid step, causing Tony to crash into me from behind. Wrapping a protective arm around my waist he neatly flipped me around, pressing me against the side of the wall to prevent us both from tumbling down the stairs. My heart hammered loudly in my chest and I had the feeling it wasn’t from nearly falling down a flight of steps.

“Th-thanks,” I stammered, flushing at the molten color of his dark eyes.

“Anytime,” he murmured huskily, pausing for a moment before dipping his head towards mine. The staircase door opened from above us, the sound of footsteps hammering on the steps bringing us back to reality. Giving a sheepish grin Tony pulled back and grabbed my hand, tugging me down the last flight of steps and out into the cool night air.

Leading me over to his truck he opened the door, helping me in before heading to his own side.

“Not that I would dream of turning down your help, but are you really planning on babysitting with me tonight? Because I feel the need to warn you the trio can be a bit of a handful when they want to be,” I said after giving the directions to Annie’s house. Tony smiled, maneuvering easily through traffic.

“I appreciate the concern but I have seven nieces and six nephews who seem to think Uncle Tony was built solely to be used as their own personal play toy. Trust me, I think I can handle whatever these girls might throw at me,” he said confidently. I rolled my eyes. While there was no doubt in my mind Tony could handle his nieces and nephews like a pro I also knew Annie’s girls and I was pretty sure they could tear him apart, cute butt and all.

“I’m sure you can handle yourself just fine but just in case, maybe you’d like a few pointers when it comes to Annie’s girls,” I again offered.

Tony shrugged, taking a left onto Briarcliff Lane. “They’re three little girls, how hard can they be?”

Ok, now this is the point where the good girl in me says to tell him the truth, give him a heads up on what he’s in for before he makes it the next three blocks. Unfortunately, due to the superior way the he man was acting my naughty girl side was telling my good girl side to shut it. Go figure, I decided to listen to the naughty side.

I gave a nonchalant shrug, glancing out the window. “Suit yourself. I’ll leave it your capable hands then.”

As I was sure this night would come back to haunt me and I’d have some interesting favors to repay in return, I couldn’t help but delight in the events that were to come. Tony might think he’s a macho man now, but he’d never come into contact with the likes of the Hastings girls.

CHAPTER NINE

Annie lived smack in the middle of Maple Street, her two story ranch blending perfectly with all the other two story ranches that lined the block. It was a pretty neighborhood, seemingly quiet if you didn’t include the noise coming from Annie’s house. Pulling up in front Tony killed the engine, silently listening to the noise coming from inside.

“How many did you say there were?” he asked, cringing when there was a loud crash and then a scream.

I grinned, reaching for the door handle to swing the door open. “Just three little girls. Don’t worry Tony, you can handle it.”

Before I could climb down he grabbed my arm, leaning in close. The scent of his aftershave filled my nostrils and I inhaled deeply. It was a pretty orgasmic experience, to put it mildly.

“You owe me,” he said with a smile, his eyes saying more than the words possibly could. “I know,” I replied before tugging my arm free and climbing out of the truck. The house was in full chaos mode when we entered the foyer. Sheets, blankets, toys and clothing were scattered down the staircase and into the foyer, leaving a small path for us to follow.

Tony glanced at me, his face expressionless. “Is it always like this?”

I shook my head, picking my way around a knocked over chair in the hall as I followed the path of destruction into the kitchen.

“No, usually there’s food stuck to the tiles and the smoke detector is going off,” I replied. A small body raced down the hallway and I reached down, easily scooping up the squirming form.

“Hi Aunt Taci, did you come over to play?” Leah asked with her usual giggle.

“Something like that. Where’s your Mom at, or did you tie her up in the bedroom again?” I asked, setting the wiggling child back onto the floor. Tony arched an eyebrow and I shook my head. Another time, another story.

“Mom’s out back on the patio,” Leah replied before scurrying off in the opposite direction she’d come from. I sighed, heading through the kitchen to the glass sliding doors just beyond the large dining room.

Annie was lounged on the deck, a cigarette in hand and a wash cloth lying across her eyes.

“Please tell me DHS has come to take my children away,” she said tiredly when I opened the door and stepped out onto the patio.

“Not DHS, but I think you should definitely fire your maid,” I replied cheerfully. Annie swiped the washcloth from her face, flying out of the chair to give me a hug.

“Oh my God Taci, you have no idea what this means to me that you came over! I’m so sorry I ruined your date tonight,” she said watery eyed, giving a glance at Tony over my shoulder.

Tony gave a shrug. “No problem Annie, whatever you need. We didn’t really have anything big planned for tonight anyway.”

I plucked the cigarette from her hand, dropping it to the deck and squashing it under my foot. “I thought you gave that up.”

Annie sighed. “I keep an emergency stash just in case.”

Another crash sounded in the house. Tony jumped; Annie and I shook our heads. Taking Annie’s arm I led her into the house, pushing her towards the front door.

“Why don’t you go out for a few hours, catch a movie or something. Trust me, we’ll take care of everything,” I told her. Annie paused as if to argue but changed her mind when another crash sounded from upstairs.

“Good luck,” she said before grabbing her purse off the hook by the door and fleeing the house.

I turned back towards Tony who was gazing in wonder at the mess surrounding us.

“So, where do we start?” he finally asked.

I smiled. “We round ‘em up and lay down the law. I’ll take the upstairs and you take the downstairs. Try and keep them corralled in the kitchen if you can.”

Tony grinned. “Do I get to use duct tape?”

“Only if you don’t leave any marks,” I replied before heading upstairs. Turning the corner of the banister I entered the bathroom, giving a small sigh at the mess that greeted me. The mirror had been smudged with what appeared to be lipstick, the dark red streaks gouged from one side to the other. All over the counter of the double vanity was scattered various make up, deodorant, soaps and lotions. A bucket of miscellaneous items had been dumped out of the closet, I assumed accounting for one of the crashes we’d heard. The toothbrush holder had been emptied into the sink and a tube of toothpaste lay open and half spilled out on the rug. Ugh, this was going to be a fine mess to clean up. Thankfully, I grew up in a home that believed if you made the mess, you clean it up. These girls were in for a rude awakening.

Leaving the bathroom I entered the next room, Sarah and Leah’s room. Clothes were strewn from one wall to the other, toys and books stacked in piles throughout the room. Coming from a seven and eight year old I’d say the room wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. I’d be more shocked to see their room clean than to find a mess. A quick survey told me no kids were present, so I moved on to the next room.

Amber’s room wasn’t as messy as the rest, not surprisingly so. Amber was the kind of ten year old any parent would want; a neat freak. She was meticulous about where everything went in her room and always made sure everything was picked up and put in its place. It wasn’t too hard to spot her in the room; she was lying on her bed reading a book.

“So, how is it that every room in this house is destroyed, your sisters are running amuck and you’re up here in your nice clean room reading a book?” I asked, leaning casually against the doorjamb.

Amber sighed, not bothering to glance up from her book.

“Because I threatened them within an inch of their lives if they touched my room,” she replied nonchalantly.

I somehow managed to hold back a smile. I knew these past few months had been hell on the girls and Amber’s smart mouth was her way of lashing out. It drove Annie up a wall when she talked back like that, but I had a hard time not admiring her for it. She was a girl after my own heart.

“Well obviously they listened because they managed to destroy all the other rooms in the house instead. Anyway, I hope you’re caught up on your book because I’m counting on you to help clean up before your Mom gets back,” I said.

Amber set her book down, sparing a glance in my direction. “Where’d Mom go?”

I shrugged. “Doesn’t really matter because Tony and I are here and we’re in charge until she gets back. That means up and at ‘em sunshine, let’s get cleaning. If you’re good I’ll order pizza delivery.”

That got her moving; pizza was her all time favorite food. Shoving a bookmark on her page she snapped the book closed and put it back on the shelf.

“All right fine, but I am
not
cleaning Mom’s room,” she said haughtily, stalking past me to head downstairs.

I paused in the doorway. “What did they do to your Mom’s room?”

Amber glanced up at me from the stairwell, giving a shrug. “Beats me, but I don’t think the stains are going to come out.”

It was after eleven before Tony drove into my parking lot. Killing the engine he leaned back against the seat.

“Well, I’ll say one thing for sure. Those girls are definitely a poster board for birth control,” he said wearily.

I couldn’t really argue that point no matter how much I loved the girls. Sighing I leaned wearily against the back of my seat. Overall I’d say the evening went pretty well, all things considered. After checking out the mess in Annie’s room I followed Amber downstairs to discover Tony had found Sarah and Leah; or rather, they’d found him. With Leah tucked like a football under one arm Tony was chasing Sarah all over the living room, trying in vain to get a hold of her with his free hand. It really was a comical sight, one that I’m sure Tony would appreciate later; much later.