Deadly Reunion (The Taci Andrews Deadly Series) (16 page)

I somehow managed to keep my mouth from falling open, hard as it was.

“All right fine, you caught me. I, Taci Lynn Andrews, was working today instead of taking a day of rest. What are you going to do? Turn me in?” I asked after I managed to swallow my shock that he’d been able to discern that much information in such a short period of time.

“Turning you over my knee sounds more appealing but at the moment I’m more interested in what you learned from Tompkins,” he remarked.

“According to Robbie, Drew wasn’t the one who dumped Samantha, she did the dumping. What’s even more interesting is the way he talks about Jason. They had some sort of huge falling out back in college that still has him pretty pissed,” I finally said. No point in beating around the bush when he already knew half the story.

Tony’s eyebrows rose an inch. “He didn’t happen to mention what that something was or what year it happened, did he?”

“Would I have gone back to the Times and spent the morning doing research if he’d told me what it was all about?” I replied sarcastically.

Tony opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the ring of his cell phone. Pulling it from his pocket he checked the screen before flipping it open. “Parsons.”

Turning back to the clothes pile I resumed my folding, trying to at least act like I wasn’t listening in. Not that he made it easy, all of his answers were clipped and one worded which told me either he wasn’t happy about the phone call or he didn’t much like the person on the other end. Finally he snapped his phone shut, turning back to me.

“That was Phillips from the RPD. The trace analysis finally came back,” he said quietly. I stopped folding, hearing the tenseness in his voice.

“And?” I prodded, trying to remain calm.

“It came back with traces of Ammonium Nitrate,” he said quietly.

I gave a shrug. The words were greek to me but obviously Tony wasn’t happy about something. “Meaning?”

“Meaning Ammonium Nitrate by itself is harmless, actually it used to be used by farmers as a fertilizer. However mixed with a sensitizer it can become explosive,” he finished.

My blood went cold and the shirt I’d been folding slipped through my fingers.

“Ok let’s back the truck up here. Obviously I’ve never had any kind of explosives training so can you tell me in layman’s terms what you’re talking about? Like what the hell is a sensitizer for one thing,” I said more calmly then I felt.

“A sensitizer can be a number of things from diesel oil, gasoline, nitromethane, hydrazine and the like. Ammonium nitrate in itself is so insensitive to detonation you could probably store it under your bed for safe keeping,” Tony explained.

“As tempting as that sounds I think I’ll skip the storage idea. So can I assume I don’t need to worry about my apartment blowing up with Reese and I in it, or do I need to start moving things out?” I asked, picking up the shirt I’d dropped.

Tony shook his head. “Not according to Phillips. He said the traces were minimal. Worst case scenario it would have started a fire.”

“Versus blowing up, you mean? Gee, that sounds much more appealing when you put it that way,” I replied dryly.

“Look on the bright side, your landlord would have redecorated your apartment and you could have gotten all new stuff,” Tony pointed out.

“Thanks for looking on the bright side, Parsons. Now I know who to call the next time this happens,” I replied.

Tony sobered at that. “If there is a next time. Seriously Tace, you really need to be careful. Some whack job is out there and obviously has you pinned as a target. There’s no telling what stunt he or she may pull next.”

I tossed the folded shirt into the laundry basket, mulling his words over thoughtfully. “So you think it’s a she that’s behind this?”

Tony shrugged, folding a pair of socks together. “It’s good to keep all options open, but truthfully my gut says it’s not. What are you thinking?”

Tossing the last shirt from my pile into the laundry basket I leaned a hip on the edge of the dryer. “That depends. If I don’t fill you in do you intend on following me around town?”

Tony finished folding the last pair of socks and chucked them into the laundry basket. Resting a hip up against the dryer he folded his arms across his chest. “Look, I’m not going to beat around the bush and say that I’m not concerned, because I am. I’ve seen a lot of things from being a fire fighter and most of them weren’t pretty. As to if I intend on following you around town the answer is no. You’re a big girl and I think you’ve more than proven you can take care of yourself. However I will ask that you use your head and try and stay under the radar for a little while. Do you think you can handle that?”

Did I think I could handle that? Now that was a loaded question.

“I’ll do what I can but Bryce isn’t going to stay on hold forever. He wants the McAllister story punched out pretty soon and it’s going to be my butt if I don’t follow through,” I pointed out.

Tony sighed. “Then do what you can to pacify Bryce but keep your cute little butt out of trouble, OK?”

I paused, suddenly unsure. His concern was genuine, that much I could tell. The reason for it was beyond me. I wanted to reassure him that I’d be a good girl and keep my head down but I somehow knew I wouldn’t follow through. I never was good at following orders.

“I’ll do what I can, that’s all I can promise you,” I replied after a moments pause.

Tony slowly gave a nod though I could tell he wasn’t thrilled with my answer. “Fine, but if you end up floating in the river I’m going to be really pissed.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, frowning at the person staring back. I didn’t want to go. I
really
didn’t want to go. Maybe Reese could just tell her I was sick I thought with a glimmer of hope, which quickly faded to another frown. She’d be over right after dinner with chicken noodle soup. Plus there was the fact that Parsons would be back shortly to pick us up. While I feared an evening with my matchmaking mother, I feared an evening alone with Tony even more.

My thoughts drifted back to the conversation earlier with Tony. While I didn’t doubt that he’d be royally ticked if I ended up floating in the river I wasn’t sure where this sudden drive for my safety was coming from. The best I could come up with was the man is desperate to get into my pants and finding me face down in the river was seriously going to mess that up for him. It wasn’t the best thought that came to mind, but at least it fit Parsons profile. Better that than thinking he might actually care about me more than just a quick tumble.

Giving a shake I took one last look in the bathroom mirror, satisfied with the hair and make up job I’d done. It was as good as it was going to get, especially since Parson’s had only given me under an hour to get home, showered and dressed again before he arrived. Truthfully I could have skipped the shower but there was something about spending an afternoon at a laundry mat that made me want to duck into the nearest bathtub. I was quite proud of the record shower that I’d taken though and a glance at the clock on the bathroom counter said I had five minutes to spare. Opening the bathroom door I headed towards the kitchen.

Reese was perched on the kitchen counter, a bowl of cereal in hand and a spoon halfway to his mouth when I appeared around the corner.

“Is that all you ever do Reese? For crying out loud, we’re going to Mom and Dad’s for dinner. Can’t you wait an hour?” I said with more exasperation than I felt. Truth was I knew Reese was a human garbage barge; he’d been one all his life. Actually I think it’s more a comfort thing with him and if it weren’t for his good metabolism it would have caught up with him years ago.

Reese only grinned in response, shoveling another spoonful of cereal in his mouth.

“Yeah, but Mom’s pretty hit or miss when it comes to cooking and I didn’t want to chance it,” he replied through a mouthful of food.

Passing him on the way to the refrigerator I lightly clubbed him alongside his head.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” I chided with a smile, tugging open the fridge to pull out a beer. Where Reese had his comfort food I had my comfort beer. Hey, we all had our vices.

“You’re pretty brave bringing Tony to dinner, sis. Aren’t you afraid of the fifth degree from Mom?” he asked. Finishing his cereal he set the empty bowl on the counter next to the sink. I sighed and set my beer down, reaching over to scoop up the bowl to rinse it out.

“Gee, I can tell which corner you’re going to be in tonight. Just remember whose house you’re staying at,” I said dryly. Satisfied the cereal crumbs had been washed from the bowl I set it back down on the counter and picked up my beer for another satisfying drink.

Reese held up a hand in surrender, sliding off the counter. “Hey, it’s not my fault that she always singles you out. Can I help it if I’m her favorite child?”

I tried not to roll my eyes, to no avail.

“You’re my favorite too Reese…favorite pain in the ass,” I replied good humouredly. Snatching the hand towel from the counter he twirled it up and whipped it out, catching my thigh with a snap. Yelping I jumped away from him, quickly leaving the kitchen. Another snap hit by backside as I reached the dining table and I yelped again, nearly dropping my beer in the process.

“Reese James Andrews I swear if you do that again….,” I said in my sternest voice which was spoiled by the grin that crossed my face.

A fist came down on the front door, then Tony’s voice shouted through the solid wood. “Taci? Are you Ok in there?”

I sighed, walking over to the counter to set my beer down before crossing to the front door.

“Thanks for getting me in trouble,” I hissed in Reese’s direction, to which he merely grinned in response.

Opening the door I immediately jumped back as Tony stormed in like a man on a mission. Dark eyes assessed me up and down, making sure I was fine before roaming the rest of the apartment. “What’s going on?”

I held up my hands in mock surrender. I was the victim in all this, after all.

“Only Reese acting like a child. Seriously, let’s all just chill out. Dinner at Mom and Dad’s can be nerve racking enough without him,” I said, jerking my head in Tony’s direction, “acting like a macho man and you,” I nodded towards Reese, “acting like a four year old.”

“You’re sure you’re OK?” he asked, studying me intently. I blew out an exasperated breath. Stomping back into the kitchen I took one last swallow of beer before turning the bottle upside down in the sink to drain. Turning back towards the boys I took in Tony’s still fierce expression and Reese’s boyish grin. This was going to be an interesting evening, that’s for sure.

“I’m fine, nothing to worry about. We should get a move on if we’re going to make it on time,” I said with a pointed glance at my wristwatch.

Moving to my side Tony took my arm, tugging me towards the front door. “Then we’d better get moving.”

I paused, waiting while Reese walked through the door ahead of us before turning towards Tony.

“I feel I need to warn you about my mother before we go to dinner. You may change your mind about coming tonight,” I said, suddenly nervously.

Tony smiled, rubbing his thumb alongside my elbow. “I don’t scare easily Tace. I put up with the trio, remember?”

Hmm, he had a good point there. But then again the trio could be pretty tame when compared to my mother on a rampage.

“The trio isn’t half as bad as my mother when she deems to put on her matchmaking skills, and you’d better believe those will be pulled out tonight since you’re coming to dinner. Just thought I’d warn you ahead of time before you entered the lion’s den,” I replied.

Tony chuckled, steering my elbow towards the front door.

“Trust me, I think I can handle it. I have my share of matchmakers in my own family. I think I can take whatever your mother throws at me,” he said confidently, waiting while I shut and locked the door. Reese stood leaning against the wall opposite my doorway, a goofy grin on his face.

“Did you warn him about mom?” he asked, shoving off the wall to follow us down the hallway.

I shrugged nonchalantly though my stomach was already starting to churn. “He thinks he can handle it.”

Reese doubled over laughing; Tony and I paused until he regained his composure. Wiping a tear from his eye he reached over to clap Tony on the back. “Well, you can’t say she didn’t warn you.”

Moving past us Reese continued down the hall, leaving a bewildered Tony to stare after him.

“Is she really that bad?” he asked, turning to me.

I shrugged. “That depends on your definition of bad. By bad if you mean does she tell everyone she’ll be an old woman before her spinster daughter gets married and has children then yep, I’d say she is.”

Tony choked back a laugh. I turned to follow Reese.

“She doesn’t really say that, does she?” he asked almost incredulously, following me down the hall.

“Among other things. Just don’t be too surprised when she starts asking about your dating history. She’s real particular when it comes to men that I bring home,” I replied.

“Should I be jealous by how many guys you’ve brought home to dinner?” he asked, sliding me a sideways glance.

I smiled inwardly at his interest. “Don’t waste your time. I don’t have much time these days to do a whole lot of dating, so bringing someone home to meet Mom and Dad has never been an issue. She’s probably called everyone in the neighborhood by now to tell them I’m actually bringing someone to dinner. Guess I should thank you for putting me in my mom’s good graces for once.”

Reaching the stairwell door Tony threw his arm across my shoulders and tugged me in close, nuzzling my ear. “I’ll collect on your thank you later then.”

My toes curled in my brown penny loafers as my insides turned into mush. Oh lord.

***

My parents live in a quiet little neighborhood in the north end of town where everyone knew everyone and everyone’s kids had grown up together. What had once been a neighborhood full of kids on bicycles, hop scotch games and driveway basketball tournaments was now filled with an older generation whose joy now came from the visits of their grandchildren.