Craving Vengeance (10 page)

Spinelli pulled up to the curb of the foster
home and cut the engine.

Shannon glanced at her watch. “It’s kind of
late. The kids might be sleeping.”

He shook his head. “Nope. Sandi knew I was
coming, so she was going to keep them up. I texted her
earlier.”

He texted her?

They slid out of the car and walked up to the
front door of the older well-kept, two-story home. It was a nice,
clean home; far different from what the Washington kids had
previously been accustomed. And as for Sandi, Shannon really liked
her. She was a loving and caring woman. She and her husband Al,
both in their mid-forties, never had kids of their own, but they
saw to the needs of many foster kids through the years.

Spinelli knocked on the door. Al answered and
gestured for them to enter as he eyed Spinelli who still wore his
cupid costume.

“It’s a long story,” Spinelli said before Al
even said a word.

They walked through the small entryway, and
the second they entered the living room, the kids’ eyes lit up at
the sight of Spinelli. Sandi smiled in his direction.

Lesha jumped off the couch and ran up to
Spinelli with her arms open. He scooped her up and gave her a hug.
She kissed him on the cheek before he set her back down. Lesha’s
brother, Darius, age three, kept his distance. Samuel, a foster
child from a different home, who’d been with Sandi for some time
now stood next to Darius. Christina, the youngest of the Washington
children at eleven months, was nowhere to be seen. Shannon assumed
she was already in bed.

Shannon watched and listened as Spinelli
interacted with the children. Her first impression of him, when
she’d met him a little over two months ago, was so incredibly
wrong. At that time, he’d seemed cold and harsh to people,
especially children. But it didn’t take her long to realize that
was just his exterior layer. His warm and caring interior layers,
hidden firmly beneath the surface, didn’t take long to emerge once
the outer tier had been penetrated.

Spinelli handed each of the children a
valentine and one to Sandi, with Christina’s name printed on the
envelope. Shannon recalled seeing the envelopes lying on the back
seat of her car earlier but hadn’t really given any thought as to
whom they were for.

Judging from Lesha’s smile that stretched
from ear to ear, she’d realized her valentine included a trip to
Chuck E. Cheese. She looked at Darius’ and Samuel’s valentines and
then explained to them what those certificates meant. Their eyes
lit up, Samuel’s a bit more than Darius’. At just three years old,
Darius always seemed leery. Shannon hoped he’d shake it someday and
enjoy a carefree childhood.

“Do you guys have something to say to Mr.
Spinelli before you go to bed?” Sandi asked as she glanced at each
one of the children.

Each child, in turn, thanked Nick.

Sandi flashed a warm smile as well. “Thank
you, Nick. The children always enjoy seeing you.” She shifted her
gaze to Shannon. “It’s nice to see you, too.”

Shannon returned her smile then glanced at
Spinelli. His normal olive colored skin tone looked red. Was he
blushing? She thought about Sandi’s words.
The children always
enjoy seeing you.
How often does he stop here? And
when?

She wondered how she got so lucky; the man’s
heart was truly made of gold. Her heart ached at the thought of
what happened today with her and Joshua. She truly didn’t mean to
kiss him. She desperately needed to fix this with Nick. She had to
make him understand and forgive her.

Spinelli cleared his throat. “I’m sorry for
getting here so late. We’ll get out of here so you can get them to
bed.” He shifted his gaze to the kids. “You guys be good now,
okay?”

The kids nodded.

* * * *

Spinelli opened the car door for Shannon, and
she slid into the passenger seat. He hustled around to the driver’s
side and climbed into the car. Though the temperature hovered
around twenty-five degrees outside, he was sure the thermometer
would read in the teens if he wasn’t so warm. The whole while they
were in the foster home, he could feel Shannon’s heated gaze on
him. He knew he’d have some explaining to do. She wouldn’t be able
to just let this go and not grill him about why they stopped there
or why he stops there regularly.

He wondered why himself. He’d been visiting
them once a week since the foster mom had taken the kids to the
mall to see him as Santa. The Christmas wish Lesha shared with him
that day nearly broke his heart in half. He recalled how she
climbed up onto his lap and whispered in her sweet little voice.
I would like a new mom and dad for me and my brother and sister,
then maybe Darius wouldn’t be scared and cry all the time. You
know, maybe a mom like Ms. O’Hara or the new foster mom, one that
would love us and take care of us.

He hoped those kids would never have to go
back to their parents. He’d give his right arm to make her wish
come true. His chest tightened. He knew the truth. From his own
past experience, he knew in all likelihood those kids would bounce
between their parents and foster care more times than he’d care to
know. Though he hated the flawed system, he figured it was better
than no system at all.

“Nick, why didn’t you tell me you visit the
Washington kids?”

He stared out the windshield.
Why can’t
she ever just leave well enough alone? Why does she always have to
talk about everything?
He shifted the car into gear. His mind
raced for an answer. He knew he’d have to answer her. She’d hound
him until he did. “I guess it just never came up.”
Kind of like
your little fiancé secret.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw her
shoulders stiffen. Her lips pulled into a thin line.

Evidently he hadn’t kept the sharpness out of
his tone as he’d planned.

A few beats passed before she sucked in a
breath and expelled it. “It was very sweet, what you did for those
kids tonight.”

He shrugged.

She shifted in her seat. Her gaze fixed on
him. His already hot cheeks were now flaming.
Why can’t she ever
just say her piece and leave it alone?
All I did was bring
them a gift. That’s it, nothing else. End of story.

Her lips parted. “Whether you believe it or
not, those kids adore you, especially Lesha. Your actions have
impacted those kids’ lives more positively than anyone else has so
far in their young lives.”

What was she trying to do to him? He didn’t
need this kind of pressure. He just wanted to help a few kids who’d
been dealt a shitty hand.

Chapter Eleven

Spinelli parked
Shannon’s car in the lot behind the building, next to his truck.
She reached for her door handle, paused, and looked back at him.
“Are you coming over tonight? I really need to talk to you,
Nick.”

He glanced at his watch. It was already after
8:30 p.m. So much for his Valentine’s Day plans. A hint of sadness
passed through her eyes at his hesitation.

“I can’t. We’re in the middle of something
big here, and I really need you to come inside with me for a
bit.”

A look of fear trailed the curiosity that
rushed through her eyes. She climbed out of the vehicle and kept
pace at his side as they entered the precinct.

Marsh looked up from behind a table full of
laptops as they approached him. He gave Spinelli a once over and
roared with laughter. “Walker described it to me but I gotta tell
you he didn’t do it justice. Nice wings,” Marsh’s head bounced up
and down like a bobble-head doll.

Spinelli wanted nothing more than to smack
the smirk off his face. Before he could say anything, Walker’s
heels pounded against the wood floor in their direction. All eyes
shifted to Walker.

Shannon raised an eyebrow. “Brad, I thought
you were going home to spend time with Jeana.”

Walker shifted his gaze to the floor. He
looked like a puppy who’d been scolded for chewing on his master’s
shoes.

Shannon shifted her gaze to Spinelli. “What’s
going on here?”

“We need to talk, but first I need to get the
hell out of this ridiculous outfit,” Spinelli replied as he reached
toward Walker for his clothes. He was glad Walker remembered to
grab them from the backseat of their unmarked squad car.

Spinelli returned from the restroom a moment
later. He now wore his usual attire; a pair of jeans and a long
sleeved polo shirt. And most importantly, his shiny gold badge hung
by a chain around his neck.

Shannon had taken a seat at the table across
from Marsh. They were making small talk. The table abutted to
Spinelli’s desk. A red heart shaped box of chocolates sat on the
center of his desk. It wasn’t there when he had left earlier. He
glanced at Marsh. “Where did that come from?”

Marsh shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Spinelli looked at Shannon. She shrugged as
well. He could see the frustration in her eyes. He imagined she
wanted to know what in the hell was going on.

He returned his gaze to Marsh. “You didn’t
see who put it there?”

“No, it isn’t like I sat here and stared at
your desk the entire time you were gone.”

Spinelli thought about tearing into the
chocolates. He hadn’t eaten all day, and he was starving.

“Nick, it’s getting late, and I’d like to go
home soon. What is it you wanted to talk to me about?” Shannon
asked, annoyance oozing through her words.

Walker and Marsh busied themselves. No moral
support from them.

Spinelli plucked a photo of Dr. Joshua Meyers
from a manila folder on his desk and held it up for Shannon to see.
“Do you know this man?” Shannon leaned forward and glanced at the
picture. She shifted her gaze to meet his. Her eyes watered, and
she nodded. Spinelli wondered if her eyes watered because she’d
been busted, or because she knew what had happened to Meyers
today.

Spinelli lowered his shaky hand. His nerves
were shot. “When was the last time you saw him?”

Shannon chewed on her bottom lip for a
moment. She released it and blew out a sigh. “This afternoon. I
last saw him this afternoon.”

“What time?”

“I dropped him off at his hotel shortly
before 2:00.” Her confused gaze stayed on him.

He feared the answer to the next question,
but he had to ask it anyhow. He knew she’d tell the truth. She was
simply incapable of lying. “How do you know him?”

She shifted her gaze to the floor. “We were
once engaged,” she replied in a whisper. “But until today, I hadn’t
seen him for a couple of years.”

Spinelli leaned forward. “Did you ever think
to tell me you’re engaged?”

“I’m not engaged now. I said I was once
engaged,” Shannon snapped back as she met his gaze again.

“That’s not exactly how he put it.”

Shannon shot him a frown. “What do you mean?
When did you talk to Joshua?”

“I didn’t talk to him. I heard him say it to
you in the hall.”

Her green-eyed gaze widened.

Spinelli leaned back in his chair and crossed
his arms over his chest. “I believe the words I heard were ‘Aren’t
you happy to see your fiancé?’”

“You heard that?”

Spinelli cocked his head to the side. “Yeah,
do you want me to repeat what I saw right before I heard that,
too?”

She lowered her gaze then looked up at him
through her long lashes. “It’s not what it looked like, and I tried
to talk to you about it when I came down here earlier this
afternoon but you blew me off and didn’t give me a chance.”

“What’s to explain? Everything seemed pretty
clear when his tongue was in your mouth.”

Spinelli sprang to his feet and stepped back.
He didn’t like the intensity of the surge of jealousy flowing
through his veins. He didn’t like the fact that she could wind him
up like this. A couple of months ago, his life was a lot less
complicated. If only he could turn back the hands of time.

Shannon rose to her feet as well. “I can’t
believe you’d think I’d...” She glanced about the precinct. “Do we
have to talk about this here?”

Her gaze shifted to the crime board to
Spinelli’s immediate left. She squinted. Her eyes went wide, and
what little color she had in her pale cheeks disappeared. She was
whiter than the toga he’d been wearing earlier.

Spinelli realized what she’d seen. Pictures
of the dead cupids were on the board. Her gaze was fixed on Joshua.
She gasped. Her lips quivered, and tears rolled down her cheeks.
Spinelli quickly stepped around the desk and pulled her to him. He
couldn’t help himself. He hated it when she cried. He knew her
knees were weak. He supported her in his arms where she always
seemed to fit perfectly. After a moment, he urged her to sit.

Shannon sat quietly, staring forward, as if
trying to gather her thoughts. She swiped her hands across her
moist cheeks.

Walker appeared and handed her a box of
tissues and a bottle of water. Marsh stood at his side. Spinelli
sat at his desk.

Shannon looked up at Walker. “What happened
to Joshua?”

Walker pulled up a chair. “We received a call
today at about 4:00 p.m. in regard to the deceased. He checked in
at the Hyatt and ordered room service. A hotel employee found him
when she delivered his order. We have reason to believe he was
poisoned.”

Shannon threw her hand over her mouth. Her
gaze stayed fixed on Walker. “Shannon, we know Dr. Meyers was
upstairs with you at about 1:00 and that you left together. Where
did you go when you left here?”

She shifted her gaze to Spinelli and lowered
her hand. “I took him to the Hyatt. He had taken a cab directly
here from the airport. He thought he’d just stay with me, but I
told him he couldn’t because...because I was seeing someone, so I
dropped him off at the Hyatt.”

“So you went right from here to the Hyatt and
didn’t stop anywhere else?” Walker asked drawing Shannon’s gaze
back to him.