Quick Fix (22 page)

The driver gave him a suspicious look. “These real?”

“As real as that medallion,” Billy said with a meaningful glance at the cab’s hood.

“Ha ha. Very funny, asswipe.”

Billy gave him a charming smile. “Now, now. With language like that you won’t get a tip.”

The driver peeled out, veering toward Billy as he left. Good thing reflexes are another Doyle trait. Not so much a Halligan trait, or I would’ve already been in the club. “Now, then,” Billy said, the charm gone from his voice. “You were about to tell me what happened to my car.”

“I was?”

“You were.” His eyes were about as far from seductive as I’d ever seen them. Could this possibly be the same guy who’d finessed my half-virginity away from me so skillfully I could hardly think about it without panting?

“We-e-ll,” I started, and paused to lick my lips. “Oh, look—there’s the door. Come on—let’s get out of this rain!” I twisted my elbow out of his grip and took off. I was soaked again by the time I reached the awning.
And
the door was locked.
Shit.

Billy followed at a more leisurely pace, like a cat stalking its prey. Being drenched didn’t faze him. “My car, cuz. Don’t even try to lie—you suck at it.”

My breathing sped up. My pits—one spot on me unreachable by raindrops—went damp. Not a good time for antiperspirant failure. “Shouldn’t we be trying to find Bri? He’s expecting us, isn’t he?”

“He’ll be here in a little while. Now, spit it out before you choke on it.”

I gave the door one more halfhearted tug, and hit it when it didn’t open. “It’s your fault, you know. If you hadn’t been making out with Monica the day after we … after we…” I swallowed. “I thought I meant something to you, damn it!”

“I
wasn’t
making out with Monica. I told you, that wasn’t me.”

“How was I supposed to know that? You know you had the hots for her—”

“In
high school.
Jesus, Ciel, you could try giving me the benefit of the doubt. I told you you’re the only one I want.”

“I can’t help it if I’m not used to you being monogamous. It’s not like I’ve ever seen you try it before.”

He glowered at me but could hardly refute it. “You could’ve come to me, you know. Confronted me, like any normal, overly jealous twit. Why did you have to attack my
car
?”

I shrugged. “It was there. You weren’t. Granddad’s walking stick was in my hand. Seemed like the thing to do.”

“And if I’d been there?” he said, eyes narrowing considerably.

“Let’s just say you’re lucky, and leave it at that.”

He clenched his teeth—and his fists—and walked very deliberately away from me, taking a deep breath as he went. “I swear to God, Ciel, when I get you alone…”

“I’ve heard that before,” I muttered. Yeah, I know. Not the brightest thing to say. But it just sort of popped out.

He stopped. Turned, and walked toward me, slowly, until he was inches from me. Looming. He was a good loomer. “You don’t think I’ll do it?” he said in a frighteningly calm voice.

I lifted one shoulder.
You didn’t before,
I thought, but of course didn’t say it out loud.

And then he was sitting on the edge of a cement planter, and I was across his lap, my face half-buried in daisies that smelled a whole lot like sweaty feet and stale beer. Negotiations had apparently come to a halt.

“You know,” he said, trapping my kicking legs beneath one of his, and pinning my shoulders with his forearm. “I’d hoped we’d be somewhere a bit more private if this ever happened, and a lot less clothed, but I think I might enjoy it all the same.” His voice was laced with grim satisfaction.

“Wait!” I yelled as he lifted his paddling arm. I shoved my torso up and twisted my head around so I could see his face. “You can’t do this. It’s not right.”

“And bashing my car to pieces is?” He pushed me back down, but not before I’d seen the glint in his eyes. He was mad, all right.

“Would it help if I apologized? I feel really, really bad about what I did to your car.
Really.
”

“Good. You should. Don’t worry—you’ll feel better after you’ve atoned.” He pushed me back down, lifted his arm high, and held it poised while he completed his thought. “Well, not right away, of course. But maybe in a day or two, after your ass cools off.”

“Hey, Billy,” Brian’s nonchalant voice floated nearby. “Why are you about to hit my sister?”

I twisted toward him. Billy held me tight. “Bri—make him let me go!”

“Stand back, Brian. I am about to help your sister with her troubled conscience,” Billy said.

Brian leaned one shoulder up against the building. “What’d she do?”

“She beat the shit out of my car with your grandfather’s walking stick, that’s what. Scratched the paint, broke the headlights. Carved up the seats. And slashed
all four
fucking tires.” He leaned over to see my face better. “Did you use the pocket knife I gave you for your twelfth birthday, by any chance?”

Uh, yeah.
“Of course not.”

“Whoa. Sis, you did that? Not cool.”

I blew the hair out of my eyes with an exasperated huff. “Extenuating circumstances, Bri.”

“But there weren’t, were there? Nothing extenuating at all.”

Brian drifted closer. “Hey, this is kinda like that song, huh? The Carrie Underwood one?” He hummed a few bars, capturing it perfectly. Brian has a remarkable musical ability. “But that guy was cheating on her, so she had a good reason. Well, not a
good
reason, but a reason.”

“I had a reason, too, damn it!”

“What reason could you possibly have for marring a man’s ride like that? I know Billy teases you a lot, but hurting his Chevy—that’s just low.”

“She
thought
I was cheating on her.”

“What? That’s stupid. You and Ciel aren’t even …
Whoa
. Dude. Wait a sec. You guys are…?” He looked from my face to Billy’s, disbelief brimming in his eyes until finally it spilled out, leaving an amused awareness of the truth. He burst out laughing.

“Oh, ha fucking ha ha,” I said. “Would you please just tell this Neanderthal he can’t
spank
me, no matter what I did to his car?”

Brian screwed up his eyebrows, considering. “Hey, does this mean it’s okay for me to ask out Sinead?” he said, referring to Billy’s middle sister. “If things don’t work out with Suze, that is?”

Billy looked appalled. “It does not! Sinead is your—”

I twisted toward him, eyes narrowed. He stopped. “Sinead is seeing someone now. I think it’s serious,” he finished.

Brian shrugged. “Never mind. Suze is cool. In fact, I think she may be the one.” Yeah, right. Like we hadn’t all heard that before.

“Brian, can we discuss the love of your life later, please? Like after you convince the caveman to let me go?”

“I don’t know. I might be nonviolent by nature, but I think even I’d be tempted to let you have it in a case like this.”

“Thank you, Brian,” Billy said, lifting his hand again.

“Bri-an!”
I said, squirming.

My brother moved fast enough to catch Billy’s arm as it descended. Billy glowered at him, but Brian only shrugged. “Sorry, man. Can’t let anyone hit my little sister.” He half raised his left eyebrow. (Halligans have remarkably communicative eyebrows.) “You understand how it is with little sisters.”

Billy jerked his arm from Brian’s hand, grabbed me by both shoulders, and stood me up in front of him. “Fine. I won’t strike your sister. We’ll just have to think of some other way for her to make amends.” The look in his eyes made me think I would have been better off just letting him wallop me and getting it over with. I swallowed hard.

*   *   *

Inside the club, after we were as dry as we could get using paper towels from the restrooms, Brian offered us beers. I declined, fighting a wave of nausea. “Isn’t it a little early for that?” I asked, trying to ignore the hops-y aroma.

“It’s after two. Nothing wrong with an afternoon brew, is there?” Brian said. In addition to his band providing music for the club, he was also an unofficial assistant manager. It allowed him access to the place during the day so he could rehearse. Since his band wasn’t getting paid a whole lot, the manager didn’t mind if he had a few beers on the house, as long as he didn’t go overboard.

“That late, huh?” I asked. Guess I’d slept longer than I’d thought. “Can I just have a club soda instead?”

Brian filled a glass with ice and squirted it full from a handheld nozzle, adding a wedge of lime before handing it to me. Billy sipped his beer with no discernible sympathy for me. “Where’s Suze?” he asked Brian.

A banging on the front door interrupted.

“That her?” I asked.

“Shouldn’t be. She’s at home, catching up on some work for her day job,” Brian said, and went to open up. He barely had the dead bolt pulled before the door shoved him aside, pushed by Thomas. On his heels was Mark. Just spiffy.

“Where the hell have you been?” Thomas said to Billy, keeping himself between Billy and the door, like he thought our cousin might bolt.

Mark placed himself on Billy’s other side, blocking any chance of a rear escape. Billy smiled his charming smile and raised both hands in casual surrender. “Lower your hackles, guys. I can explain.”

“Oh, can you?” Thomas said.

“Would I be here if I couldn’t?” Billy’s left dimple made an appearance. It was not well received by my brother, whose eyebrows strained to meet in the middle over the bridge of his nose. The dimple backed off, and seriousness fell over Billy’s face. “Yes. I can. Pull up a stool. Brian, a couple more beers?”

Thomas grabbed a bar stool, noticing me for the first time. “What’s wrong with you? You look terrible.”

“Nothing,” I said, trying to adapt away whatever post-hangover ravages had leaked through. “Maybe a touch of, um, food poisoning.”

Billy quirked his mouth wryly. Thomas snorted. Mark didn’t say anything but edged an empty snack bowl closer to me. His face was bland, but I could tell he knew damn well what was wrong with me. Points to him for not rubbing it in.

“Where’s James?” I asked, eager to get the focus off me. “How’s Molly? Did she finish changing back?”

Thomas, if anything, looked even more disgruntled.

Mark glanced at his watch. “As of about two hours ago, she was still orange and furry. Pure ape—no Molly bits to speak of.”

“Well, shit. She lost ground. What’s James going to do?” I asked.

“He said he had something else he wanted to try,” Thomas said. “Told us to get the hell out of his way, and to leave him alone while he implemented it.” He turned his attention back to Billy. “Shoot.”

Billy took a breath, and looked from Thomas to Mark. “Funny you should say that. You know Monica Barrelles?”

Thomas looked puzzled. “Jordan’s sister? Sure. Why wouldn’t I?”

“Did you see her at the party last night? Any of you?” Billy took in everyone with a sweeping glance. Apparently, nobody had seen her except him and me. “I’m afraid she may be dead.” He quickly explained what we’d found in the grotto, and how the body had disappeared.

“Is this connected to what happened to Laura?” Mark asked.

Billy ran a hand through his hair, leaving the still-wet curls in disarray. “Hell if I can figure it out.” He hesitated. “You know Laura and I were working a little side project?”

Mark looked disgusted. “Yeah, she told me. Wouldn’t say what it was. Said what she did on her own time was none of my business.”

Billy smiled openly at that. Hell, he’d probably coached her on what to say. It sounded like a line from his playbook. “You got a problem with free will?” he said. Yeah, I know. Reckless, considering Mark didn’t seem to be in a forgiving mood.

Gray eyes turned to rocks. “I have a problem with stupidity,” Mark said.

Billy sobered. “Look, she came to me.” He saw the skepticism in Mark’s eyes. “Seriously. She approached me after Sweden. Said she knew I had interests other than just working with you, and that she wouldn’t mind moonlighting a little herself. Made a crack about government work not paying all that well.”

“If she needed money she could have come to me,” Mark said.

“Yeah, well, I got the idea she’s more the type who wants to earn it herself. Or maybe…” Billy stopped, shrugged.

“What?” Mark pressed.

“Maybe it wasn’t about the money. Maybe she was on a fishing expedition.”

“What do you mean?”

“Come on, Mark. She knows about you. She must suspect there are more like you. Maybe she was trying to figure out if I’m one of them.”

Mark considered it. “Maybe. So, what did you set up with her? I assume you didn’t turn down her offer.”

“Of course not—I was curious to find out what she knows about me,” Billy said. “We were going to meet when I got back from D.C. She was up here, supposedly setting up the job. She’d asked to stay at my place, to save a few bucks, since she wasn’t on the company dime. That’s what got me thinking she was digging deeper into my background.”

“That it?” Mark said.

“She also set up a meeting with a friend of hers at the zoo in D.C., one of the reasons I decided to take Molly to visit Ciel. That friend never showed. Now I’m wondering if that was just to get me out of town for a few days.”

“Is that why you were so distracted at the zoo when you were supposed to be helping me?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Two birds, one stone.”

“And Laura was the one you had to get rid of before we brought Molly to your place,” I said. At least it hadn’t been a girlfriend.

“Well, I wouldn’t phrase it that way,” Billy said wryly. “But, yes, I had called her to ask her to clear out before we got there. I didn’t think explaining Molly’s situation to her was a good idea.”

Mark’s face remained passive. “So? I’m waiting.”

“So, that’s it. I never had a chance to find out more.” Billy looked uncertain. “The thing is, I don’t think my project with Laura has anything to do with her shooting.”

“Then why was she at your apartment?”

Billy shrugged. “Not sure. Maybe she left something there and was coming back for it. Or maybe…”