Deadly Dozen: 12 Mysteries/Thrillers (248 page)

I walked back behind the bar and began pouring drinks. Not too long after, Bradley said he needed to head home, something about his dog having separation anxiety since his wife was away. He even mentioned, in all seriousness, that they had looked into hiring a dog psychologist. Oh my. I was growing to love L.A., but some of the comments I’d heard in Texas about flaky, wacky Californians had a grain of truth to them.

As I was mixing Tequila Sunrises for a couple of coeds, I noticed Mumbles watching me. I think he wanted to say something, and I moved down the bar to talk to him. Candace had vacated her seat and was likely in the restroom.

Before I reached Mumbles, however, Becky strolled in. She wasn’t alone. I caught my breath as I locked eyes with the man at her side. As amazingly beautiful as Lucas was, the man with Becky was a serious rival as far as eye candy goes. Unlike Lucas, this guy didn’t glow or glide or seem on the verge of fading away. He was rugged, strikingly handsome, and very human. I felt my heartbeat speed up as I took him in. Light eyes (possibly blue but hard to tell from a distance), glossy brown hair, high cheekbones, and solidly built without looking overly bulky. Yum.

Becky and the young man reached the bar together.

“Evie, hi. This is my son, Joshua.”

I wiped both hands on my jeans and reached across to shake his. His grasp was warm and firm, confident. In my moment of captivation, I’d broken my rule and caught a flash of Joshua knocking another man out hard in what looked to be a kitchen. Then I saw him seated in the back of a police car. I already knew too much.

“Nice to meet you,” he said, in a deep, smooth voice. His eyes lightened a bit at my touch, and I knew whatever I’d seen in the vision had been lifted off him some.

“And you! Your mom said you work for the Red Cross in Africa. How was the flight home?” I found myself staring a little too long at his mouth. Seriously, what was wrong with me? I also found myself wondering about the vision.

Joshua nodded, smiling. “Yes, I was in Bangassou for the past few months inoculating women and children. The flight was long but,” he glanced over at his mom affectionately, “I’m glad to be back home again.” Becky reached over and hugged him.

I studied him for a few seconds, trying hard to spot Nick in his features. I wondered what Becky had told him about the bar.

“So, I guess this place is yours now?”

Joshua nodded. “That’s what my mom tells me.”

I decided against any mention of Nick. I had no idea what Becky had said and, frankly, it wasn’t my place. Becky patted Joshua on his broad chest.

“Honey, I need to speak with Evie for a sec. Why don’t you take a peek in the kitchen? I know how much you love to cook. Maybe we can turn this place into the restaurant of your dreams.”

“Sure, Mom.” He tossed a questioning glance at me and then walked towards the kitchen. We both watched him leave. I hoped my thoughts about how nice he looked from the back weren’t obvious to Becky. As soon as he closed the doors behind him, Becky grabbed my arm and pulled me to the side. I was happy I’d chosen a long sleeved blouse.

“Listen, I know you are kind of, uh, how do I say this … you aren’t exactly sophisticated.”

What the—?

“Jeez, Becky. Why don’t you tell me how you really feel?” Seriously, did everyone here think I was some sort of backwoods redneck?

Becky grimaced apologetically, “I’m sorry. It’s just…” She chewed on her lip for a moment. “Well, sometimes you say things … speak out of turn.”

“Like asking him about being the owner of the bar?” If she hadn’t wanted people asking awkward questions, perhaps she should have told him the whole story
before
bringing him to Nick’s. But then again, what did a hick like me know?

“It’s complicated. See, Joshua loves his work overseas. Coming home to all this has been—well, it’s quite a change. And I would appreciate if you don’t say anything about Nick.” I waited a few seconds as my unsophisticated brain processed this information. Then I narrowed my eyes.

“Wait a minute, you mean you haven’t told Joshua that Nick was his father?” She looked away and didn’t answer. “So, what exactly
did
you tell him, Becky?”

“None of your business,” she spat. “Stay away from my son and keep your mouth shut. In fact, I think you should start looking for another gig.” My cheeks flushed and I felt myself becoming angry. I was suddenly gaining a deeper appreciation of Candace’s dislike of Becky.

Luckily, Joshua reappeared and overheard some of his mother’s tirade. “Wait a sec, Mom. Didn’t you tell me what a fantastic singer and musician she is? Now you’re asking her to leave?”

Becky turned to him, all smiles and innocence. She patted Joshua on the arm. “No, no, honey, it’s just that she’s so busy with her other job. I thought maybe it was getting to be too much for her.”

He turned to me, one brow arched sexily. “Is it too much for you?”

I smiled and tilted my head slightly to the side. I’d learned a few tricks from Simone. “No. I’m good. I love singing here and helping out.”

Joshua grinned broadly, his white teeth shining brightly against his tan skin. “Good! Grab your guitar and play. Something tells me I’m going to like you singing here.”

I looked pointedly at Becky, who frowned, and I went to grab my guitar. Becky had another thing coming if she thought she could intimidate me so easily. She’d also shown me a side of herself I had only glimpsed once before. I could not help wondering which was the real Becky.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

I CAN’T SAY I WAS unhappy to head home after the day I’d had. I didn’t like the feeling in the pit of my stomach. I didn’t like the way Becky treated me. I did like that her son was really hot, but then I felt guilty about my feelings, too. Whenever I started thinking about Joshua, my mind switched to Lucas and my heart beat a little bit faster. Fact is, I thought about Lucas more than I cared to admit. No man, alive or otherwise, had ever made me feel the way Lucas did. I didn’t know if he’d visit tonight, but even though I was exhausted, I hoped he would. I didn’t want to be alone.

I pressed down harder on the gas pedal and turned up the radio to Stevie Nicks singing “Edge of Seventeen.” I sang along with her, trying to block thoughts of the day, the new guy, and Lucas out of my mind. As I rolled up the road to my house, I pushed the clicker to open the gate to the main entrance. A quick check in the rearview mirror showed an empty road behind me.

I still was feeling anxious about Pietro or George appearing on the scene. They had failed to show up at the bar, but if they found out where I lived … I suppose going to George’s place and eavesdropping had not been the smartest idea, and although I had learned some interesting things, I had more questions now than I did before I stood outside George’s office.

When I opened the door to my place, I was greeted by Cass, Mac, and Lucas. They were all seated in the living room watching TV. I found myself smiling instantly.

“You’re here,” I said.

“I am. I told you I would be back.”

“But you left in such a hurry last night, and I thought you were upset with me.”

He shook his head. “No. But we need to talk.”

I did not like the way that sounded. “Okay.” I came over and sat down next to him. The glow around him was dimmer than usual. “When someone says ‘we need to talk,’ that usually isn’t good.”

He sighed. “I know I keep telling you our worlds are the same, but reality is, I am not completely of your world any longer no matter how badly I want to be.”

I wasn’t sure where this was going. “What are you trying to tell me?”

“Nothing.” He waved a hand and the light surrounding it made a dizzying swirl around the room. He seemed almost angry. “I am here to distract you from falling into anything associated with the Black Tier, and to do so, we need to start with your friend’s murder.”

“Okay.” God, I was so confused! “I’ve been looking into it already.”

He groaned softly. “I was afraid you’d say that.”

“I have to, Lucas! The police seem to think it was a mob hit, and they aren’t all that interested in doing much to solve it. Nick deserves better than that.”

“Then I have more work to do. I need to be sure you’re protected.”

“Why can’t you just go with me wherever I go?”

He shook his head sadly. “You know I can’t. I’m limited without permissions. My portal is here and my vibration will diminish if I leave this portal or anywhere I don’t have permissions to be.

“So get permission,” I said a bit angrily.

He closed his eyes and sighed. “It’s not so easy. Even if I was with you every second, there is only so much power I have. I can be of more help to you from this side. I can keep the Black from getting to you, but at a human level, I can’t do much. I need to find out who your guardian angel is and see what I can do to keep you further protected.”

Say what? “My guardian angel? Really?”

“Really. Everyone has one. And many times, they’re the last person you would expect. Some are born here with the knowledge of who and what they are. Some are sent here in another vessel.”

“Like reincarnation?”

“No. Like if you died tonight and went through your review and ultimately met with the Bodha, they could script you. That means they would give you a script—a purpose—and you would be sent back to Earth to fulfill that purpose. Likely you would go somewhere you had never been, you would already be an adult, you would be given instructions on where you would work, live, how, why, all of it. And you’d be given details on who you were watching over.”

“No kidding?”

“No kidding. This can also happen to people who cross over but want to come back. They aren’t finished. The Bodha allows them return to wrap up unfinished business, but in return, they must become a guardian angel. They too, are given a script but it’s different from being placed into another body.”

“Let me get this straight … someone like Simone could be my guardian angel?”

“As odd as that may seem, yes.”

“Can you tell me who it is when you find out?”

“No. I can’t. I would be breaking the trust between the Bodha and myself, and I am already on thin ice as it is.” I wondered exactly what he meant by that comment. I hoped I hadn’t somehow gotten him into trouble. “Since you are already investigating on this side of things, I think it’s time you tell me what you know. Let me see if there is any way I can help.”

I laid out the players. I told him about Becky and Joshua, conveniently leaving out the part about Joshua’s good looks. I told him about Candace and Mumbles and the history between them. I laughed at the idea that George Hernandez could have offed Nick for stealing his fish taco recipe. It seemed crass, but it sounded ludicrous as I said it.

“Then there is this Pietro SanGiacomo character who seems like a mobster to me. I think he’s a loan shark. Apparently Nick was screwing around with this guy’s sister on top of owing him money, and then he dumped her. My guess is the guy wasn’t pleased. Oh, and he and George Hernandez have some kind of illegal side business arrangement.”

“What a tangled web.” Lucas shook his head.

“Tell me about it. Then there is Bradley Verne. I like him. I mean, he seems like a decent, sincere person, but there is still something that bothers me about him. He and Nick have a long history, and I think I have only barely scratched the surface. They all have a past together. Candace, Becky, Bradley, and Nick.” I went on to tell him about Roger and how he drowned in the pool at the Verne mansion.

“Roger Hawks?”

I nodded.

Lucas smiled.

“What?” I asked. “Why the smile?”

“I might be able to actually gain information directly from the source.”

“What do you mean?”

“From Roger Hawks himself and what happened that night.”

“So, you, uh, know him?”

Lucas shook his head. “No. But let me see what I can do. Seeing how he was once famous, died tragically—well, if he didn’t wind up stuck in the Black Tier or glorified in the White, he may be closer than we think, and I may get access to his vibration.”

“That would be great. If there is a link from that night, that could help us figure out who murdered Nick, then maybe Roger Hawks can give us some answers.”

“I agree, but let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. I will likely have to jump through some hoops as it is.”

“Right.” I couldn’t help but smile. Yes I was really attracted to Lucas, but it was also nice to have this kind of support. He wanted to help me.

“Anything else? Anyone else you’ve encountered who you think might have had it in for Nick?”

“I forgot to tell you about Jackson.”

“Jackson?”

“Yeah.” I gave him an abbreviated description of the strange man and his bizarre behavior.

“I don’t like him at all,” Lucas said, his voice low and gruff.

“Me neither. I should also tell you someone followed me home the other night. And then yesterday, I was almost attacked by a jaguar.” Lucas looked incredulous until I told him about Pierre and how Anastasia tried to attack me. I even mentioned how I could have sworn I spotted Pierre back at the bar with some woman.