Designing Woman (The Sloan Brothers Book 2) (25 page)

Both men who were there to question me, were attractive.  I’d say they were both just under six feet.  One had dark brown hair, his eyes were the color of chocolate.  His gaze was piercing and I’d have bet an original creation that he was good at his job.  I was ready to confess to burying Hoffa at Yankee Stadium and I wasn’t even born when all of that went down.

His name was John Pastorelli and it took me less than two seconds to know exactly why he’d been assigned to this case.  He obviously shared ethnicity with Marconi and by the look on his face, I could tell I’d get very little sympathy from him, no matter what I said.  The thought was disturbing for a lot of reasons.

His partner’s name was Shane Ormand and he was a blonde haired, blue eyed cutie.  Younger than his partner by at least a few years, he looked star-struck and out of his element.  This was more pronounced when he was introduced to the Sloans.  Their reputations for something, be it business or their highly publicized social lives, had impressed the hell out of the young Detective Ormand.  Him I liked.

They both took the seats offered and turned their focus to me.  Just my luck, it was Pastorelli that was to be my interrogator.

“Ms. Lincoln, I want you to relax.  We’re not here to frighten or disturb you.  We understand that you were released from the hospital just this morning.  I trust you’re feeling better?”

It was at that moment I became aware of a code that had not been discussed.  Juliet’s hand was now resting on my shoulder in a false show of affection.  She gently squeezed and I took that to mean I could answer the question.  Time to test the water.

“I still have moments Detective, but I feel better in my own home with my family and friends around me, yes.”

He nodded as if sympathetic, and leaned forward with his forearms on his knees, his hands clasped between.  His head was turned towards me, his attention never wavering.  His partner was ogling Deacon as if he were considering asking him for a job.

“Ms. Lincoln, I assume you know why we’re here, since you obviously knew we were coming.”

The sarcasm did not escape me, and if he thought I’d be embarrassed by his dig, he was sadly mistaken.  I was just about to open my mouth and tell him as much, when I felt Juliet tap once on my shoulder.  I closed my mouth and smiled.

My mouthpiece began flexing her muscles.

“Detective, we’re here because our client plans on pressing charges against Mr. Anthony Marconi for Assault and Unlawful Restraint.  We respected her right to privacy and recovery while she was in the hospital, and encouraged her to act quickly once she was discharged.  Since Mr. Marconi is supposedly wanted for questioning for another case involving Arson and Reckless Endangerment, but strangely has not yet been apprehended, we figured that we had time to add our charges to the pile that seems to be accumulating at a rapid rate.”

It took everything I had to keep my jaw from dropping to my chest.  Another part of me wanted to smirk all cocky like and say, “Yeah.  What SHE said.”

Detective Pastorelli was not a happy camper if his body language revealed anything at all.  He was now sitting upright, his spine ramrod straight.  Those chocolate lasers were now focused on Juliet.  The expression on his face spoke volumes.  He’d underestimated her and he was calculating how much that mistake was going to cost him.

“Ms. Foster, I can assure you that we’re doing everything within our power to find Mr. Marconi.  He’s not surfaced since his unfortunate encounter with Ms. Lincoln.”

His eyes fell back to me and I reached for my glass of water, giving myself a moment to regroup.  I said nothing because he’d asked me nothing.  I put the glass back down, my eyes never leaving his.  Something my father said came floating into my mind on the current of discord that flowed unrestrained throughout the room.  When I told my parents that I was going into business for myself, they encouraged me.  Especially my father.  He had one piece of advice and it’s proven to be my salvation on more than one occasion.  He said to me, “Melody, when you find yourself in intense negotiations about anything, remember one thing.  State your position and say nothing else.  He who speaks first, loses.  Every time, without exception.”

So that’s how I came to sit there, meeting his eyes defiantly, saying nothing.  I could feel Deacon’s smile and Anton’s approval.  Evidently they were aware of my father’s theory as well.

The stalemate lasted several long minutes, neither of us uncomfortable with the silence.  The difference was, I was in my own home and he’d either have to give in and start questioning me, or leave.  He came to me uninvited and that’s the price to be paid for intrusion.  The pressure was entirely on him, even if he thought the opposite was true.

Finally, it was Ormand, not Pastorelli that broke the stalemate.  In a move that almost seemed choreographed, he suddenly looked at me with his big blue puppy dog eyes, a cheesy grin on his face, and asked the million dollar question as if he were asking me for my autograph.

He leaned forward, his eyes on mine.

“Did you really bite the guy’s dick off?”

I felt Juliet’s solid squeeze on my shoulder, but I had a better idea.  It was better because it was honest.

“I honestly don’t know.”

Both detectives leaned away from me as if I were a bad smell.  Pastorelli picked that moment to decide he’d had enough of dancing around the subject.  Lucky for him, I had too.

“What do you mean, you don’t know?  It’s not like we’re asking you if you took the trash out.  That might not be memorable.  But biting off a guy’s private part?  How the hell do you not remember doing something like that?”

I saw Anton clench his hands into fists at the Detective’s tone of voice.  I looked at my fiance and gave him a genuine smile.  He watched me for a few moments and fave a slight nod.  He’d stay out of it...for now.

I returned my gaze to Pastorelli.

“He drugged my glass of water, first of all.  I woke up spread eagle, and handcuffed to a bed.  That’s pretty traumatic if it’s never happened to you.  If you’re not married, I don’t recommend it as a fun dating idea.  It didn’t do much for me.”

“So you’re telling us you were on a date?”

“Certainly not.  I’m engaged to Mr. Sloan.  Mr. Marconi knew that as well.  I told him that almost immediately.”

I hadn’t realized it, but I’d slipped into answering their questions without even looking at Juliet or the others.  Her hand was still on my shoulder however, and if she squeezed again, I’d stop.  Just to make certain everyone knew my intention, I looked up at her and spoke loud enough for Pastorelli and Ormand to hear.

“Juliet, if I shouldn’t answer a question, please let me know.”

She patted my shoulder and replied just as loud.

“Oh I will Melody.  No worries there.”

I turned back to Pastorelli and he was scowling.  Ormand looked like he was playing a part in a stage play.  He kept looking at everyone around him, like he didn’t know who to be more impressed with.

Pastorelli continued, only now he was taking notes.

“So you say you weren’t on a date.  But you met him in a bar and you left together.  Is that correct?”

“We left because a group of men walked in and began flirting with me.  We thought it wise to leave before trouble started.”

“You got into a car with Mr. Marconi...”

“Only because I didn’t see a cab readily available and I didn’t know the area.  It seemed rougher than what I was accustomed to.  Tony had been the perfect gentleman and I was trying not to pass judgement too soon.”

“So when he pulled up to the Box House, where he was living at the time, how did he persuade you to go inside with him?”

Juliet broke in and in a firm voice said, “Don’t answer that Melody.  It doesn’t matter.  You weren’t on a date and you could’ve gone inside to wait for a cab.  Going inside a place of residence, whether it’s permanent or temporary, is not permission to drug or restrain someone.”

Her eyes were on Pastorelli and her voice was as icy as her eyes.  She was reminding him who the victim was.  Yes I fought back and it might have been perceived as vicious, but he started it.  Not me.

Pastorelli looked at his shoes and then back at me.

“You say that you ‘don’t know’ (he actually made quotation marks in the air with his fingers) if you assaulted Mr. Marconi in a very personal way.  Is your memory impaired due to your injury Ms. Lincoln?”

“I have no clue, Detective Pastorelli.  Know what I do know?”

The strangest thing happened when I asked him that question.  You could almost feel the collective holding of breath.  It was like the oxygen had been sucked out of the room by a giant.  I could feel everyone’s eyes on me, waiting for me to screw this up.

I’m not sure why Juliet didn’t squeeze my shoulder with the grip of a drowning man, but she didn’t.  I think her strategy at this point, involved pulling my ass out of the fire that I was determined to jump into from the frying pan.

I leaned forward towards Pastorelli and gave him the same glare he was giving me.

“What I know is this.  Whatever I did to defend myself?  It was bad enough to put me in the hospital with head trauma, but not bad enough to warrant him even going to an emergency room somewhere to have it checked out.  So you can sit there and look at me like I’m not worthy to wipe your shoes on, but you’re a ‘facts’ man.  Looking at the facts Detective, who really came out worse in the encounter, him or me?  Huh?”

He said nothing, but he did swallow hard, giving me courage to continue with my parting shot.

“Yeah.  That’s what I thought.  You can show yourself out Detective.  If you have any other questions, contact my attorney and we’ll come to you.  Or better yet, why don’t you find the guy with the supposed missing dick and ask him.  Have a nice day.”

I leaned back and closed my eyes, refusing to waste another second on this bullshit.  Stick me with a fork, I was done.

Several hours, warnings, hugs, and promises later, I was finally alone with Anton.  In our place.  Alone.  For the first time.  There are probably multitudes of adjectives I could use to describe what that was like.  I’m going with nerve wracking.

The entire time we had company, he was attentive and sweet.  He stayed close by, getting me things I needed and guessing at things I didn’t.  He was the perfect fiance.  I kind of expected that, because everyone was waiting for him to lose it.  Once I got discharged, I knew all bets would be off.  As surly as he’d been with the nurses and doctors, I thought for sure my time was coming and coming quickly.

I watched him walk around the place, turning off lights and making sure that the door was locked.  Once he was satisfied that we were safe and secure, he stopped in front of me.

“You ready to go to bed babe?”

“I guess so.  It’s been a long day.”

He hooked my cane over his elbow, bent down and scooped me up.  I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.

“You’ve been wonderful Anton.  I don’t think I’d have survived this without you, I mean it.”

He looked at me, studying my face.

“I love you babe.  I’ve never been as scared as I was the night they found you in the park.  I’ve never wanted to kill anyone before either.  That changed when I saw you in the back of that ambulance.  The cops had better hope that they catch his ass before I do.  That’s all I’m sayin’.”

He nudged the bedroom door open with his knee and placed me gently on the bed.  He propped my cane against the nightstand on my side of the bed.  I leaned up on my elbows and watched him as if he would vanish if I took my eyes off of him.

Anton pulled his shirt up over his head and reached for his belt buckle before he noticed I was mesmerized.

“What are you staring at babe?”

“You.  You usually sneak in like a ninja and then vanish before I can ask too many questions.  I can’t believe that we live together now.  I can’t believe that every night I get to watch you undress and then watch you get dressed again every morning.  How did I ever get this lucky Anton?”

He dropped his jeans and moved to sit next to me on the bed.  He took my hand and kissed my fingers before placing them on the side of his face.

“I’m the one that got lucky Mel’.  I’ll never forget how close I came to losing you.  I’ve never been so scared or sick in my life.  I lost a lot of sleep and drove many people insane with my rants and erratic behavior.”

I moved my hand from the side of his face where he was leaning into my touch, up through his hair.  I pulled his face closer to mine and kissed him like I’d spent a year without him.  In my mind, I had.  Nothing lines out your priorities like a life threatening situation.

When we pulled apart panting, eyes glazed and dazed, I watched him watch me undress.  His hands began to open and close like a small child fighting for restraint.  I could feel him wanting to pounce and grab.  I could feel the want coming from him in waves.

Once I was naked, I surprised him and pulled him roughly to me as I laid down.  I wrapped my arms and legs around him as he registered his situation and position.  Then he smiled that bad boy rogue grin that he was infamous for.