Dark Chocolate Demise (13 page)

“I don't know,” she said. “Until it's over.”

Manny didn't ask if she meant the trial or the relationship, and she was relieved, because she honestly didn't know what she'd answer.

Manny excused himself to walk the perimeter of the building. Mel figured it was an excuse to put some distance between them, and she was grateful. Not for the first time, she wondered what would have happened if she had met Manny before Joe had taken an interest in her.

Then again, after her talk with Joe last night, she wondered if Joe was simply her fate. How could he have noticed her at seventeen and not done anything about it? She had been such an insecure, emotional wreck during her teen years. Capturing Joe's attention could have changed everything for her. But she probably wouldn't have handled it well. They'd have broken up, and she'd have been heartbroken and probably started stalking him. Yeah, it was probably for the best that he'd done nothing.

Mel had spent more than a few hours last night rethinking that long-ago trip to Cabo. Had she gotten any feeling of more than friendship from Joe? No. Whatever he'd been feeling, he'd managed to contain it. Sort of like now. She sighed.

Probably, even if she had met Manny first, she would have left him for Joe because they were just meant to be together. Or at least, she'd always thought so.

Now, she was beginning to wonder. Fate certainly seemed to be testing them. Then again, she remembered her first weeks of culinary school. It had been harder than she'd thought, and she'd debated quitting, but her father in one of their last heart-to-heart talks before he died had told her that getting what you want involved sacrifice, and if you weren't willing to make the sacrifice then you would never get your heart's desire and be truly happy.

If getting through this dark time with Joe meant that they got happy ever after in the end, then surely she could suffer through this time apart. Right?

She moved Manny's laptop to the small table and started to turn the futon into her bed. She was so tired, so emotionally drained, she realized that she didn't even care about her relationships right now. It could all get figured out tomorrow. She yawned.

She took her jammies into the bathroom and changed. Her oversized black Rolling Stones T-shirt and plaid flannel bottoms were about as sexy as tofu, so she figured she was safe from engaging Manny in anything other than brotherly affection. She pasted up her toothbrush and began to scour her molars, when she heard the door open.

She had a spasm of nerves but shook it off. This was Manny. Yes, he was good looking and had saved her life and he was also very clear that his feelings for her were more than that of a pal, but still he was a professional and her uncle's partner. She knew she could go out there butt naked and he wouldn't lay an unwelcome hand upon her. He was a good man.

She glanced down as she scrubbed the last of her teeth. She was covered from neck to toe with nothing tight or revealing, because good man or not, she didn't want Manny to get any wires crossed. Not if he was staying here all night.

She spit and rinsed her brush. She could hear Manny moving in her apartment and wondered if he was trying to figure out how to work around her bed. That was going to be weird having him working while she slept. She wondered if she should try to reason with him one more time. There really was no need for him to stay. She was fine, especially if there was a cruiser out front. No one, not even one of Tucci's thugs, was going to tempt that sort of trouble.

“Hey, Manny,” she said as she opened the bathroom door. “I was thinking you don't have to—”

Mel's words stopped in her throat. She'd been prepared to see Manny in his khakis and dress shirt, holster on his shoulder and badge on his belt.

The man standing in her living room holding Captain Jack had none of those things. Tall with long black hair and a wiry build, he was dressed in black leather pants and a white tank top that showed off his colorful sleeves of tattoos. In other words, he was not Manny.

Without pausing to think, Mel opened her mouth and screamed. The man jumped and yelped as if she'd scared him. Captain Jack jumped out of his arms and scampered behind Mel. The door to the apartment burst open and Manny dove into the room, taking the man down at the knees.

They slammed onto the floor with a grunt and thwack. On the way down the man's eyes met Mel's, and recognition finally kicked in.

“Roach?” she cried. She dropped to her knees to see his face. “Oh, my god, what are you doing in my apartment?”

“I needed to talk to you,” he said. At least that's what she thought he said.

Mel frowned and looked up. Manny had his knee in Roach's back and had secured Roach's hands behind him, causing his face to be mashed into Mel's fluffy area rug.

“Stop! Manny, stop!” she cried. “It's Roach.”

“He broke into your apartment,” Manny argued. “I'm not letting him blink an eyelash until I know just what the hell he thought he was doing.”

“He's a friend,” Mel said. She leaned forward and put her hand on his arm. “It's okay.”

“This is why you're always in trouble,” he snapped. Manny loomed over her. He looked a little wild-eyed and crazy, and she figured Roach's appearance in her apartment had triggered every one of Manny's cop instincts to protect and serve.

“I am not always in trouble,” she snapped back.

She leaned forward, refusing to be intimidated by him. The unfortunate part of this move was that they were now inches away from each other, and their emotions were running pretty high. Mel wondered if he was going to kiss her. He looked like he was thinking about it. Then she wondered how she'd feel if he did. Time seemed to have stalled.

“If you're going to kiss her, get it done, because your knee in my back is beginning to warp my spine,” Roach said from below them.

Both Mel and Manny jerked back from each other, and Manny yanked Roach up by his elbow and shoved him onto the edge of the futon.

“So, no kisses then?” Roach asked, glancing between them.

“Shut up!” Manny and Mel said together. Roach smirked.

“If you don't behave,” Mel threatened him, “I'll let him take you in for trespassing.”

“Aw, I thought we were friends,” Roach protested.

“Friends knock before entering,” Mel said.

“I did knock,” Roach protested. “No one answered, I swear.”

“Why are you here, Malloy?” Manny asked using Roach's real surname. “How did you get in?”

“The door was unlocked,” he said.

“I told you to lock it after me,” Manny said to Mel.

“I forgot.” She winced.

Manny slapped a hand to his forehead and muttered something in Spanish that Mel couldn't understand, but she was pretty sure was not a compliment.

“Listen, I'm sorry I freaked you out, but I'm worried about Angie,” Roach said. “I stopped by her house to give her some VIP passes to my CD release party, but her fiancé wouldn't let me see her. Since I'm being shut out, I figured Mel would be my next best source for information.”

“I can't talk to you about Angie,” Mel said. “She would skin me, especially since you wrote that song about her. I know she was working her way towards forgiving you, but I'm not sure she's there yet.”

“That song went platinum,” Roach said with a shake of his head. “Most girls would fall in love with a guy for that.”

“Angie is not most girls,” Mel said.

“Don't I know it,” Roach said.

The look of sadness and longing in Roach's eyes made Mel glance away. She looked at Manny and noticed he was looking at Roach with an understanding that made her distinctly uncomfortable.

“Is there a specific reason you're worried about Angie?” Mel asked.

“You mean other than the fact that she's the target of a murderer?” Roach asked.

“We don't know that for sure,” Mel said.

“Oh, come off it, Mel,” Roach chided her. “She was dressed as a zombie bride”—he paused as if choking on the words before continuing—“and the woman who was killed looked just like her.”

“That woman's husband is working a high-profile case with Joe DeLaura,” Mel said. “She could have been the target just as easily as Angie.”

“Unless it was a crime of passion and the murderer is living with Angie right this very minute,” Roach said.

“Don't, Roach,” Mel said. “You know Tate is not the murderer.”

“I know no such thing,” he said stubbornly. “Taylor could have been so enraged that I was going to win Angie back that he shot her.”

“His name is Tate and you know it. And it would have been hard for Tate to shoot anyone as he was busy having a fistfight trying to protect Oz,” Mel said.

“Details.” Roach waved a dismissive hand, and Mel rolled her eyes.

“While we're on the subject,” Manny said. He turned and glared at Roach. “You could have been so mad that Angie tossed you over for Tate, that you lost control of your emotions and shot Kristin thinking she was Angie.”

Mel studied Manny's face. He was definitely baiting Roach, trying to get a rise out of him.

“Why would I shoot the woman I'm trying to get back?” Roach asked. “Kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?”

“So, you are trying to get her back,” Mel said.

“Not that it's working,” Roach said. “But yeah, I'd like to have her back. What does she see in the buttoned-down suit? He's got such a stick up his a—”

“Tate is funny, kind, and hardworking,” Mel said. “And she's been in love with him for years. Don't mess this up for them when they are finally getting it together.”

Manny cleared his throat, and Mel realized her little speech could have been to him about her and Joe. Did he think it was about her and Joe? She felt her face get warm. Was it possible to die of embarrassment? Sadly, she had never heard any such reports on the news.

“I don't want to mess it up for her,” Roach insisted. “But I'm worried. Jimbo my manager said that the case her brother is trying involves Frank Tucci. That guy is bad news.”

“What do you know about him?” Manny asked. He had his cop face on.

“Same as everyone else,” Roach said with a shrug. “He's a made guy with the mob, an untouchable.”

“Not for long,” Mel said. A burst of pride flooded her as she thought about Joe putting it all out there to take on the notorious mobster.

Roach tossed back his hair and looked at her. “Joe has to win, Mel.”

“I know,” she said. Suddenly, she regretted all of the things she hadn't said to Joe last night, like how proud she was of him, and she couldn't help but wonder if she'd ever get the chance.

“Will you do me a favor?” Roach asked.

Mel looked at him. Gone was his rock star veneer. Instead he just looked like a guy hung up on a girl. Boy, could she relate.

“Sure,” she said.

“Tell Angie I said to be careful,” he said. Then he paused and blew out a breath. “No, tell her I
asked
her to be careful.”

“I can do that,” Mel said with a smile.

“She really loves him?” Roach asked.

“Completely,” Mel said.

Roach stood, letting out a heavy sigh. The others rose as well.

“Come on, I'll walk you out,” Manny said.

Roach nodded. He opened his arms and Mel didn't hesitate. She gave him a big hug. Roach kissed the top of her hair.

“Be careful,” he said.

“Hard not to be when I've got my own security detail,” Mel said.

She watched as the door shut behind Roach and Manny. She wondered if she should text Angie about Roach's visit. She glanced at the clock. It was late. There wasn't much point in bothering her friend right now. Plus she didn't want to be the cause of friction between Angie and Tate; better to tell Angie in person when Tate wasn't around.

If Tate had sent Roach packing when he showed up at Angie's house, it might not sit well with Angie even though Mel knew it was just Tate being protective. Sort of like Joe having Manny babysit her. She didn't like it, was surprised by his choice, but knew that it meant he would do anything to keep her safe.

When Manny returned, Mel couldn't help but ask, “You don't think he had anything to do with Kristin's murder, do you?”

“No,” he said. “Even if we ran with the theory that he mistook Kristin for Angie and in some crazy crime of passion decided that if he couldn't have her no one else could, Roach's alibi checks out. Plus, by all accounts, he doesn't even know which end of a gun to point, never mind how to shoot someone from a distance in a crowd.”

“So Kristin was shot from a distance?” Mel asked.

Manny blew out a breath. “I didn't mean to tell you that. I'm not talking to you anymore.”

He sat back down at the small table and studied his laptop. He punched keys with his big fingers, and Mel got the feeling he wasn't working so much as avoiding her. Maybe now that the Roach buffer and Stan buffer were gone, and since they'd had their little heart-to-heart, things were officially weird between them. Well, Mel wasn't going to let that stop her.