For Love of Livvy (24 page)

Nervous fear tightened the knot in my stomach. I scooted from the laundry room along the hallway to the front windows of my guestroom and peered out. Under the street light sat the grey Crown Vic that Marcus drove. Bolting back through the house, I hustled into the kitchen and opened the slider.

"What are you doing here so late?” I asked, as I took in the grim features on his face. Ten to one he'd gotten a call from blabber mouth upstairs.

"Just came by to check on you. Why didn't you call and tell me about the creep?” Quick to get to the point, his brows rose in an ominous arch while his eyes roved my burgundy silk clad torso.

"Any chance you'll give the jewels back?” I asked with the knowledge that I was right. Bad news traveled fast and Aaron was the one to blame.

With a step backward, I motioned him inside and leaned against the counter. It never failed that he always knew what was happening in my life, but I never knew what went on in his. Dang, it annoyed me, being the newsbag that I am.

"No, not a chance. What about the call?"

"It was another nasty call, but Aaron was here. Since you're working together now, I figured he'd be sure to tell you.”
Pretty good for blame displacement
.

"Did you?” He stepped toward me with a gleam in his eye.

"Uh huh, I did."

In a second, he'd not only stepped into my space, but was up against my body. Heat flooded my system. Marcus had the magic touch and my blood boiled into the danger zone as strong lean hands slid under my camisole and upward along my skin. Whew, if he didn't stop, I'd be ripping his neatly pressed uniform off his well built body. Then I could have my way with him right here in the kitchen.

Warm lips met mine. I was lost to the moment, the month, the year, whatever. Thrills passed through me and a tingle somewhere below my waist took over. I pressed him closer with my hands on his backside while my tongue slid into his mouth.

Things escalated from there and with an effort, Marcus pulled away. My eyes opened a mere slice to see his clouded with passion. Conflict was written all over his face as his hands slid away from my body and he stepped back. A tiny smile tickled his lips, and I leaned forward to lick the smile off his face. My tongue traced lightly over his mouth, and with an effort he moved away with a groan.

His grasp lightened, and I became aware of Mr. Winky's attention. There was no mistaking Richmond's arousal and the need for satisfaction. My hands slid down the front of his shirt, and I gently pushed him away from me. It was one of the more difficult things I'd done lately. My body wanted to succumb to the need we both had for fulfillment, but it wouldn't happen tonight. That's not what he was here about, I thought with an inward sigh.

"So, what is it you want Marcus, besides the obvious?” I asked, as my eyes slid down to Mr. Winky with a smirk.

"Your cousins will likely be arrested within the next couple of days,” Marcus said with a thick voice. “I want you to stay clear of them if you can manage it. Don't go to Cranston, don't see your parents and stay away from the gift shop."

"Are you ordering me around or is this the way you super cops usually conduct business?” My brows rose and I waited. Anger wasn't part of my equation, but I didn't care for his terse instructions either.

With a shake of his head, Marcus sighed and folded his muscular arms across his equally muscular chest. He seemed to come to a silent conclusion. Unfolding his arms, strong fingers traced my bare skin where goosebumps rose on the surface.

Marcus still stood in my space, but I didn't mind.
The closer, the better.
I watched him war with his temper.

"Please don't fight me on this, Vinnie. I can't do my job and worry about you at the same time. If you're in the line of fire, I might not act in everyone's best interest, especially yours. Give me a break and stay out of the way."

Guilt riddled my psyche at his confession, though for a mere second I was tempted to argue. Instead, I decided to go ahead with the idea to get faux gems from the craft store and continue with the plan Lola and I had concocted.

"Okay, I'll stay away from the two dummies and my parents as well. Cranston is too hot in the summertime anyway, all that asphalt and concrete, you know? As far as the shop goes, I think it's fair to say that you guys will remove the help. I'll be in the market for a new manager, right?"

A for real smile covered his handsome features, and I grinned at the sight of it. A breath away, Marcus leaned forward, kissing my forehead while his fingers enmeshed themselves in my thick, loose hair. Sculpted lips caressed my eyelids, and rained kisses down my cheeks onto my lips once again. It seemed he couldn't get enough of me tonight and that was fine by me. When Marcus finally stopped tormenting me, he leaned back.

"If you don't stop this, I'm going to have to take unfair advantage of you, Marcus,” I mumbled. Breathing had become a problem.

A chuckle rose from his throat as he stared into my eyes. His hands left my tousled mop to rest gently on my shoulders.

"Is that a threat?” he whispered.

"No, it's a promise,” I breathed.

"One that will have to wait, I'm afraid. I have to get back on the road, but I really did come by to check on you. Even though Romeo is upstairs, I worry about your safety."

"Would you like to hear the message?” I asked.

"No, Romeo gave me the gist of it. He also told me of your response to the damned thing. This will be over soon, you can bet on it.” His attitude solemn, I believed his words.

"Why do you call him Romeo? He's not like that, you know."

"Right, I've seen the way he looks at you. I'm surprised you haven't noticed."

"I have noticed, but he's not forward like you. He doesn't try to take advantage of me like you do. He's a nice guy."

"So you think I'm forward, that I'm not a nice guy and that I take advantage of you?” Marcus asked with a wicked grin.

"Yeah, and I like it too, I might add. Before this goes any further, I think you better get on the road. Call me tomorrow, will you?"

"Will do, ma'am. Have a good night.” He saluted me and chuckled when I swatted him.

He stepped through the open sliding door, turned and then kissed me once more. It was a long, soft kiss that left a promise behind as he walked away. He disappeared around the corner and the side lights illuminated the driveway. A few minutes later, I heard the car ease away from the driveway.

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The jingling phone woke me with a start, and I sat up in the dark. Rubbing my eyes, I tossed the swath of hair off my face. The bedside phone continued to jingle. I realized it was likely my scratchy voiced creep. It's awful to be right so often.

I lifted the phone to my ear and issued a sleepy greeting.

"Did you get the gems back from the cop?” The voice scraped like a rusty tin can against the sidewalk.

"They will be here tomorrow afternoon,” I mumbled.

"Good thing for you. I'll call around two p.m. and set up the drop. No cops, understand? Cross us now and it won't be good for you or your mother."

"Yeah, I get it. You're pretty friggin’ brave on the phone though, aren't ya?” He'd threatened my mother and that was all it took to piss me off. She had done nothing to deserve it. I was more determined than ever to put a stop to this jerk.

"Don't push us Lavinia, you won't like the results. Just do as you're told, bitch, and things will be fine."

The line went dead. Slumped back against the pillows, my hands shook, and I wanted to kick some butt right now. It was just the adrenalin that flowed at top speed through my system giving me a false sense of bravery.

This had to end, I needed to push the envelope. The cops were too slow. Justice, rules and the rights of the perpetrators got in the way of the job. Thoughts of the threat to my mother angered me once again.

Listen to yourself
, my voice said.
You sound like a vigilante, for gosh sakes.
I reasoned with the voice by justifying the need for my mother's safety. The voice argued back and we went back and forth a bit. This little voice thing was a nag and I began to suspect I'd lost my marbles.

The bedside clock burned bright in the darkness of the room. It was two in the morning, and I was certain I'd never get back to sleep. I flicked the switch on the lamp, and grabbed a pad of paper and pen from the bedside table. Words scrambled across the sheet as I planned out the possibilities of the gem drop.

If Lola watched out for me, then we could call the cops when the drop was made. Maybe Lanky Larry would follow this creep in his van until the jerk could be apprehended. I wrote these and other ideas down while my adrenalin slowed to a crawl and exhaustion kicked in.

I snuggled against the pillows and read the notes over. A yawn issued from deep inside my body and I turned, tossed the pad and pen aside before flicking the light off. Slipping under the covers, I hoisted them up under my chin. After I flopped around for some time, sleep finally drifted in.

A few hours later, I awoke with a headache. My mouth tasted like dog shit. Not that I know what that tastes like, it was just an assumption on my part. My head pounded like a hangover. That's what stress can do, I thought, with a grim outlook.

If this was how my day started, it could only mean it would worsen before it ended. Not exactly positive thinking, but I'm not stupid enough to believe it would turn itself around any time soon. I lay under the covers for a while until I flipped them aside to get up.

The coffee pot was on. It had probably been on for a while before I awoke. The smell brought me out of my doldrums. I poured a cup of java and shuffled my hair into some kind of order. What the day would bring was anybody's guess.

During the night it had rained, the grounds and air smelled fresh and clean. I slid the door open to the deck and stepped out onto the moist wood. Crisp, cool air assaulted my senses. A few deep breaths eased my headache to a dull throb. My mind cleared as did my eyes.

My glance traveled the back yard and rested on the garage. It was a large, two storied building that had at one time been a barn of sorts. Over the years the multitude of owners had used it for various purposes. Livvy had rented out the lower bays as storage for someone who owned classic cars and I'd never changed the arrangement. As for the second level, I hadn't used it for anything.

It occurred to me that my interloper might have used it for his own purposes. After all, where had he gone when he escaped the house? He'd have been seen if he'd run down the street, I reasoned. Maybe he watched what happened from that vantage point. There were two windows in the second floor loft which allowed a full view of the rear of the house.

A chill skittered along my spine when I considered someone spying on me. Why would anyone watch me? With a mental shake, I stepped inside the house. In a flurry, I grabbed some jeans, a jersey, some underwear and a pair of sneakers. Within fifteen minutes, I had showered and dressed.

The door locked behind me as I went down the front walk to the sidewalk. I hustled toward the corner and entered the deli. After I ordered a muffin and a fresh coffee, I wandered toward the kitchen. Lola kneaded dough on the stainless steel worktable. She glanced up as I walked into the room and momentarily stopped working.

"You look a bit strained today. What's happened?” she asked, and went back to pounding the crap out of the dough.

"I had a call in the wee hours from the creep. If I don't get the gems back today for a drop, they'll harm me and my mother. At least that's the latest threat.” I spoke in soft tones. Only Lola could hear me. I watched her eyes grow round.

"No shit, this idiot threatened your mother?” Lola whispered.

"Yeah, and the worst part of it is that when Richmond came by last night, I gave him my word that I'd stay out of Cranston and away from my parents for a few days.” I recapped the conversation from the night before. Lola whistled when I finished.

"What are you gonna do?"

"I'm going to the craft store and get as many freakin’ gems as I can. Then I'm headed to my parents’ house and have a chat with my father. That should be an interesting event. I'd rather go to the dentist than face him with this news. I'll be back before two and then work out some way to catch this guy."

"You think it's a guy?"

"Yeah, I think it's one of the dummies."

"That's what I thought as well. Do you need me to help you out?"

"You might be a lookout when the drop takes place. I'll insist it be someplace public so I don't have to worry about being in a deserted place alone. That would leave me too vulnerable."

"Okay, just give me some notice. I'll have one of the girls take over so I can give you a hand. You seem to have thought things through."

"Yep, I have.” I grimaced. “I can't tell you how angry I got when threats were made against my mother.” I sighed and stared at the floor for a second. “I'd better go. I'll call you later on your cell phone."

"I'll be here, just let me know."

At a trot, I hurried back to the house and got the car. I noticed Aaron's truck was gone from the driveway and I figured he was back on the stakeout, wherever that was. As my car glided into the street, I headed out of town with an eye out for anyone who might have followed me. Once I reached the craft shop, I parked the car and hustled my way through the jewelry supply department.

Colorful beads, stones and findings covered display racks. I strolled up and down the aisle, tossed packages of stunning faux gems into the carry basket without care. I'm not a gemologist and have no idea what these trinkets were made of, but plastic or glass would be my guess.

They shone like the real thing and sparkled under the lights. That's all that mattered to me. Velvet gift bags hung on an end cap at the end of the aisle. I tossed three of them into the basket and sauntered along the aisle one last time.

When I'd picked up enough sparklers to match the amount I'd found in the various velvet bags at the house, I headed to the checkout counter. The clerk looked at me and then ran them past the scanner.