The shorter man nodded at Emma. “Did I hear you tell that guy you didn’t belong to him? Our records indicate you’re his girlfriend.”
Emma snorted and shook her head. “I worked with Tony on a project. We never dated, no matter how many times he asked me out. I have a strict rule about not dating coworkers.”
“Most rules are made to be broken,” the taller man observed, eliciting a scowl from Emma.
“Not that one. Not ever. He became obsessed with me. Following me around and yelling at my dates.” She shuddered and wrapped her arms around her middle, tears springing to her eyes. “It’s never gotten this out of control before.” The men exchanged pointed looks, but seemed to buy her story.
Chase let out the breath he’d been holding. Emma seemed comfortable with this part of the melodrama finally back on the script she’d practiced. Of course, they hadn’t expected to put on a show for any Boston mobsters. This part of the story was supposed to play out for the real FBI agents and get reported back to Don Lenzini. Giving the information straight to the likely source of Emma’s arsonist seemed like an added bonus.
The taller man addressed Chase. “I noticed you at the bar earlier in the evening. You and the deceased seemed cozy enough before the fight broke out.”
Chase tried to stand straighter but gave up when pain shot through his chest and abdomen
. Definitely something broken
. “I’m a climate scientist. Mr. Lenzi pursued me with a business proposition. Eco Dawn. Have you heard of the company?” Both indicated they knew the name but not the specifics. “It’s a shell game,” Chase said. He was so exhausted he could barely get the words out. “You buy into new technology that’s not quite ready for prime time, and either it fails outright or the company gets buried in lawsuits within a year and never moves forward with the proposal. My lawyer tells me New Yorkers are already lined up on the courthouse steps, ready to sue.”
“But what was that part about reporting to the mayor of Boston?”
The image of Vito’s pale corpse floated through his head, along with Lenzi’s warning not to end up alone with these two. It occurred to him he had no clue which side of the debate the mobsters stood for. Playing it safe, he tried for a lighthearted chuckle, which quickly turned into a coughing fit. He pressed his back against the bricks and took a deep breath before answering. “Blowing smoke at Lenzi to make him back down. Didn’t work so well, obviously. My current project is for the U.S. Global Change Research Program, nothing to do with Boston at all.”
Again, the men exchanged long looks with one another before nodding and turning back to offer Chase a handshake. “Thank you for your time. You’ve been most informative.” The pair turned and headed around the corner onto Commercial Street, disappearing into the crowd.
Emma and Chase stared after them for long minutes. Emma finally broke the silence. “Was that who I think it was?”
Taking her hand, he pushed himself away from the brick wall, testing his balance. His legs felt wobbly, but he didn’t keel over. Flashing red and white lights bathed the alley in alternating colors.
The ambulance is here to take Tony away.
“Let’s not talk about it right now. We need to go back inside and tell your story to Agent McKay, so he can report back to the Don.” He took a few steps on his own, groaning when he almost stumbled over a crack in the sidewalk.
“Let me help.” Emma ducked under his arm, taking his hand away from the bricks and clasping it tightly in her own. She eased her other arm around his waist and started the slow walk back to the main street. “The first thing we should do is have a paramedic check you over.”
He tried to smile, but only managed to get one side of his mouth to respond. “It could’ve been worse. Lenzi made me drink scotch with him, which numbed me up pretty well.”
Emma stopped in her tracks. “But Tony hates scotch, says it tastes too medicinal. White wine is his usual drink.” Tears filled her eyes again, but she didn’t cry. Chase squeezed her hand in sympathy, wondering what he could say to ease her pain. It did seem odd for Tony to force the scotch—and quite a bit of it at that. Maybe that’s how things got so out of control so fast. He rubbed his swollen jaw with his free hand, thinking how much worse everything would feel if he was sober.
Thank God for all that scotch, actually
.
Inside the bar, a heavy white tarp covered Lenzi’s body and the surrounding area, bloodstains oozing from under all four edges. More uniformed officers and a few paramedics had arrived on-scene, taking statements and checking out a few of the patrons. When they caught sight of Chase stumbling through the door, two EMTs rushed forward with a chair and helped him sit. One noticed Emma’s blood-splattered skirt and tried to help her to another seat but she waved him off. “I’m fine. None of the blood is mine. Help Chase.”
While they examined him, Emma hovered nearby, her waitress friend standing next to her, a comforting arm around her shoulders. The paramedics finished up, but strongly suggested he ride with them to the emergency room, more than an hour away in Hyannis. He declined and they finally walked off to check on other patrons. He didn’t see Todd anywhere, and asked Emma to find him. She returned a few moments later with the grad student in tow. She stepped behind Chase’s chair, resting her hand slightly on his shoulders. He reveled in her warm closeness and that tantalizing smell of honey-lemon sunshine that was so uniquely Emma.
Definitely a gal worth fighting for,
as Tony had told him, though he didn’t think he’d meant it literally.
Todd stood in front of him, eyeing the bruises and bandages. Chase noted the paleness and stoic expression on his intern’s face. Tonight had proved a little much, even for a tough guy like him. “How you holding up, kid?”
“Better than you, boss man.” Todd shuffled his feet before adding, “Thanks for stepping into the fight. Who knew things would get so crazy?”
“Nobody beats up my interns.” Chase quirked up the side of his mouth still under his control, trying for a smile. “Or the woman I love.” He patted Emma’s hand.
A wide grin lit Todd’s face. “The L word, huh? See what I mean, Emma? You made the guy into a human.” She gave both his shoulders a quick squeeze, pressing gently against his back.
Chase wasn’t sure he wanted to know how the rest of that conversation played out between the two of them. “Very funny, kid. Now, here’s the not-so-funny part for you.” Chase shifted in his seat, grimacing at the pull of the sling tying his arm to his torso. “I’ve definitely got a concussion and at least two broken ribs. Which means no more lifting, carrying, or much of anything for the next few weeks. You’re going to have to take charge of packing up all the samples and equipment and getting them back to the university first thing Saturday.”
Todd’s face fell. “This weekend? But Carnival starts tomorrow! There’s this huge kickoff party I’ve been invited to, and the bonfire in Herring Cove at midnight tonight…” He stopped whining and swallowed hard. “Sure, boss. Whatever you need me to do.” The kid looked so forlorn at the prospect of spending the rest of the evening packing equipment, Chase had a hard time holding back his laughter.
He scrunched his eyebrows. “Did I say
this
weekend? I meant next Saturday of course, after Carnival week is over. You’ve earned a week’s vacation after all your hard work this summer. Besides, after next weekend classes will be starting up again. You should definitely take some R-and-R while there’s still time.”
His face lit up like an evergreen on Christmas morning. “Do you mean it? Or is this some kind of joke?”
Chase nodded, making sure to keep it slow and careful so as not to aggravate his already throbbing face. “Check in with Detective Wilton before you leave the bar, but I don’t want to see you again until next Friday. At least, not in the lab.”
Todd practically skipped over to the police detective. “That was nice of you,” Emma whispered in his ear. Her hair tickled against his cheek. “But I thought you had deadlines to meet.”
“There are more important things in life than work.”
“Speaking of work, I guess I need to make a few phone calls. After tonight, I want nothing to do with any of those guys from Eco Dawn.” Emma came around to kneel next to him, resting her hands on his thigh. He felt a tightening response in his groin and groaned inwardly. Given the broken ribs and swollen jaw, he wouldn’t be able to do much about that desire any time soon. As if reading his thoughts, Emma smiled knowingly. “We have plenty of time, Chase.”
“This might sound crazy, but I feel like I’ve already waited so long to finally meet you. I don’t want to waste any more time.”
She nodded seriously. “Definitely the concussion talking.”
“No, it’s not.” He laid his free hand on top of both of hers and ran his tongue over his dry lips. “I’m crazy about you, Emma Maguire. And I want to spend the rest of my life proving it to you. I don’t ever want you to doubt me again.” His eyes darted to the other side of the barroom, where the M.E. and Agent Roth conferred over the body. “The circumstances might be less than ideal, but believe me when I say I love you.”
Tears glistened in her eyes yet again, but Chase thought these looked different. Happier. Or maybe that was the wide grin that made them seem happier. “I love you too.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
One year later
“Another Carnival week come and gone already.” Emma sighed as she packed the last bag into the trunk of the rental car. She slammed it, anxious to get on the road. As much as she loved visiting her parents and her hometown, it was good to be heading home. “Although, I have to say I enjoyed this year’s Roman Feast theme a heck of a lot more than last year’s mobster one. Who would have guessed how many creative ways people could wear togas?”
Sean laughed as he followed her out the back door and sauntered toward the car, hands shoved deep into the front pockets of his jeans. “I don’t know about that. I’m sorry I missed all the mafia hoopla around town, being stuck in that hospital bed for so long. You know how much I love the Godfather movies.”
“Trust me, it’s no fun in real life.” She threw her arms around his waist and hugged him tight, breathing in his salty, fishy, big brother smells. “I’m glad your appendix didn’t kill you, Sean.”
He rested his chin on the top of her head and squeezed her tight. “Yeah, me too. By the way, I really like your boyfriend. It’s about time you came home for me to spend some time with him.”
“We’ve been busy traveling, and setting up the new foundation.”
And dealing
with the fall-out from Eco Dawn
. She didn’t need to worry him with those details. She’d confided some of it to her mother and father, but Agent Roth assured her recently that her involvement was finished. They’d gathered enough information for indictments, and her further testimony wouldn’t be required. She and Chase argued long and hard over the Grand Jury proceedings she testified at, but Agent Roth promised her identity would be kept in strictest confidence, for his eyes only.
She shuddered at the memories, but it was the past and she couldn’t change it. She and Chase were ready to move forward. Together. “Once the foundation is up and running, you’ll see more of us. Chase wants to channel a lot of the work through the Center for Coastal Studies.”
“Well, I still can’t believe you didn’t come home for Christmas week.”
Emma pressed her cheek against his wide shoulder. “I wasn’t about to pass up an invitation to their Southampton estate. They’ve got two indoor pools! Besides, it’s one of the two times a year Chase gets to spend time with his parents.”
Sean finally released her, stepping back to jam his hands in his pockets again. “You must really love him to spend all that time on the water together on those research journeys. You always hated going out on Dad’s boat.”
“I hated fishing,” Emma corrected. “There’s nothing wrong with being out on the ocean.”
“As long as we’re together,” Chase added, coming out of the house to join them in the driveway. He held a fat stack of envelopes in his hand. “Your mom asked me to give you this mail that she forgot about. She’s been holding it for you, said she never knows if she should forward it to New York.” He handed it to her, brushing his lips across her cheek. His breathy whisper tickled her ear, sending warm tingles down her spine. “She does know we’re living together, right?”
She shrugged as if unsure, and grinned when Chase looked horrified. “Of course she knows, silly. She can’t officially endorse the arrangement because we’re not married, or even engaged. But she feels safer knowing I’m not living alone in New York.”
Sean rolled his eyes, elbowing Chase in the ribs, which thankfully healed long ago. “Why don’t you just make an honest woman of her already, man? What are you waiting for?”
“Not my fault,” Chase told him, his eyes twinkling. “I keep asking, she keeps putting me off saying we have to wait until we’ve been dating at least a year.”
Emma busied herself sorting through the envelopes, trying to ignore the conversation. She wanted to marry Chase, eventually, but she still wanted the romance of dating, the excitement of the pursuit. She wanted the fancy diamond and the romantic proposal every girl dreams of, but she was willing to wait.
She stopped when she got to a colorful postcard showing turquoise waters and a pristine beach in front of a fancy tropical resort. She frowned, wondering who’d gone on a Caribbean vacation recently. “Curacao,” she read out loud before turning the card over. It was indeed addressed to her, here in Provincetown, but the message was puzzling.
The honeymoon suite is reserved, babe.
“Chase, do you know anything about this?” She handed him the card.
His puzzlement quickly turned into a smile. “It’s from an old friend. I think a trip to the Caribbean might be called for.”
“What are you talking about? Why would a friend of yours send me a postcard talking about honeymoons?”
“He’s a friend of yours too. A friend who always called you babe, perhaps?”
Her jaw dropped.
Tony?
“How is that possible?”
“Agent Roth has more than a few tricks up his sleeve. Shooting blanks in a crowded bar posed less risk than an all-out war on the streets of Provincetown.”