Eeny Meany Miny Die (Cat Sinclair Mysteries) (17 page)

"Jen's right," Taylor said, squatting in front of Angel. "She's just trying to stir up trouble as usual."

"It doesn't matter what she's trying to do," Angel said on a sigh. "What matters is what she's capable of doing. And she's capable of anything right now, from canceling our tour to canceling our contracts. We need to be careful."

"Canceling our contracts?" Jen cried. "But they're tight. Aren't they?"

"It can be done. She'll have to pay us out a huge amount though. Frank once told me that. I don't think she can afford to do it."

"She hates you," Taylor said quietly. He rested his hands on Angel's knees.

She bent her head and pressed it against his forehead. "I know. But I'm stronger than her and I won't let her break me."

The little foursome huddled in close. If I felt like an outsider before, I felt positively voyeuristic now. I cleared my throat and emerged from the bathroom.

"Cat!" Angel signaled for me to join them. "I'm sorry you had to hear all our dirty linen being aired."

"My business trades in dirty linen," I said. "Don't worry, I've heard much worse." I checked my watch and gave them all sympathetic smiles. "I have to go."

"You're still coming to Angel's freedom party tonight, right?" Jen asked me.

"I thought it’s a grieving party now."

Corey's lip curled into a sneer. "No way."

"Fuck that," Jen said. "It's still Angel's party to us."

Taylor agreed. "Frank doesn't deserve so much as a passing thought, let alone a party."

Angel merely lifted her shoulder in a resigned shrug. "So you're still coming?"

"Of course," I said.

Jen clapped her hands. "Bring your boyfriend so I can check him out."

"Sure," I said, wondering how I was going to convince Will that he'd have a good time.

***

I'd lied. I didn't have anywhere I needed to be. As soon as Cindy had indicated that she had to be somewhere, I decided to follow her. I waited in my Honda and picked up her black Lexus as it left the hotel. She must have rented it.

Linc drove, but he was a terrible driver. He changed lanes without indicating and didn't slow down for pedestrians or stop signs. He was an accident waiting to happen. I guess he was used to the pace of Hollywood where people drove the way they lived—fast and careless. It wasn't easy keeping up with him, and I broke the speed limit too many times to count, but I managed to follow him all the way into the parking lot of The Grotto.

Yep, The Grotto. Grungy bar, criminal hangout, and shit hole. The parking lot was mostly empty so I drove a little down the street, turned, and parked on the other side where I could see both the parking lot and the building. Linc parked the Lexus away from the other beaten up cars and Cindy got out. She clip clopped on her high heels to the door, her bag swinging at her hip. Linc stayed in the car.

It didn't take long before the Lexus attracted some attention. The wrong kind of attention. Two guys with round shoulders and no necks came up to the car. One kicked its tires and the other peered through the glass. He did a double take and I guessed he'd just spotted Linc. The poor kid would be shitting himself about now. I could just make out the grin on the one looking through the window. He beckoned his friend over and nodded at Linc. The friend leaned a meaty forearm on the car roof.

If Linc had any sense he'd gun it and run the guy over. It seemed he was lacking in the brains department, because he wound the window down a fraction to speak to the thugs. One of them laughed and pulled something out of his back pocket. It glinted in the light.

Crap!

I got out of my car, hiked my skirt higher and fluffed up my hair. "Hey!" I called out, waving my hands over my head. "Hey you!"

The Neanderthals looked at me. "What the fuck do you want, Sweet Cheeks?" one asked. He grinned and showed me what he'd pulled out of his pocket. It was a set of knuckle dusters.

Double crap. Why did I do this to myself? Why did every psycho in Renford want a piece of me?

"You a cop?" the other asked.

His friend grunted. "Would the cops send out a pretty little ass like that on her own to a place like this?"

"He's got a point," I told his friend. "He's right too. I ain't no cop. I'm Mad Max's girl, and this car belongs to a friend of his. So unless you want him on your case, I'd fuck off if I were you."

Both the thugs looked at me. I could practically hear the hamsters in their brains running to turn the wheels. I ground my fingernails into my palms as I waited for them to consider their options.

"You're a mouthy little thing," the guy with the knuckle dusters said.

"Never seen her before," the other said to his friend. "If she belongs to Mad Max, would we have seen her before?"

Belongs? What century did they think they were in?

"If you're going to talk about me, at least do it to my face." I had no idea what I was saying now. I only hoped I wouldn't pee myself.

"Hey, it's Kelly, right?" said Linc through the gap in the window. The nervous wobble to his voice gave away his fear, but at least the guy was trying. "Max is probably expecting you, right? He's inside now with Cindy, but they won't be long. They'll be out soon. Real soon."

Seems the goons couldn't tell a good actor from a poor one. They glanced at The Grotto's front door and stepped away from the car. The knuckle dusters got put away.

"Like we was saying," the second guy said. "Nice car." He patted the Lexus's hood. "Come on, Tex, I need a drink."

They sauntered off. The Lexus's locks clicked and Linc said, "Get in before they come back."

I climbed in the passenger side and he flicked the central locking again. I blew out a breath and leaned my head back against the leather headrest. I hated The Grotto. Scary things always happened to me in this place.

"Are you really his girlfriend?" Linc asked me.

I gave him a tired smile. "What do you think?"

He looked me over with his lovely blue eyes and shook his head. "I think you're too good for that weirdo."

I laughed. "You're right. I'm not his girlfriend. I was just driving by and thought you needed some help here. I know this place. It's got a reputation. When I saw those two guys looking at this car like they wanted to do some damage to it, I thought I’d better step in."

"That's pretty brave considering you don't know me."

I shrugged. "I'm stronger than I look."

He arched a brow at me and gave me another once over. Yeah, I was stretching it with that lie. The thing was, I would be bumping into Linc and Cindy later at the party where any cover I made for myself would be blown. I had to at least tell him part of the truth now.

"So how do you know Max?" he asked.

"I just do."

He
humphed
, but seemed to accept my brush-off. He definitely didn't question me further. What the hell were Cindy and Max actually doing in there? Did Linc assume that I was there to see Max for the same reason she was?

"Anyway, like I said, I was just passing by and thought you needed some help. I haven't seen you around The Grotto before."

"We're new in town."

"We?"

"My girlfriend. She's in there with Max like I said."

Girlfriend? So they were sleeping together. A part of me wanted to give the forty-something Cindy a high-five for scoring the pretty boy, but I suspected Taylor was right when he said she'd promised Linc a role if he slept with her.

He peered through the windscreen, a frown creasing his brow. "So you think I should go and check on her? I thought she'd be out by now."

I needed to hurry up and get some answers before she emerged. I might be able to fool Linc, but I wasn't so sure that Cindy would be as stupid. "Best to stay here. If your girlfriend is a friend of Max's then she'll be fine. He has a reputation around here."

"So I gathered from the way those dumbasses scampered off with their tails between their legs."

I didn't think it described their exit, but I didn't say so. Linc seemed to want to talk now that the danger was over, and I needed for him to talk.

He snorted. "Did you see the size of their necks? My thigh isn't that thick."

"I think their necks are inversely proportional to the size of their brains."

He laughed. "So you don't seem too worried about them going inside and telling Max his so-called girlfriend is out here."

I was shitting myself, but I couldn't tell him that. "Max won't hurt me for that little lie. We go way back." My little lie had presented me with a line of questions that might help. "I know Max really well. We're very close. So that's why I'm surprised to see a nice guy like you sitting in a car like this in the parking lot of The Grotto. What does your girlfriend want with Max?" I crossed my arms and enjoyed watching him squirm. The poor kid looked like he couldn't decide whether to lie or not.

"She doesn't usually come to Renford to conduct, er, business. But since she was coming anyway…"

Business? So it wasn't a meeting between friends. "What sort of business is she in?"

"Look, no offence, but I don't think I should say. She wouldn't want me talking about her affairs to complete strangers." Pity the guy wasn't just a bit dumber. I might have gotten more information out of him.

Cindy and Max both emerged from The Grotto together. She had an angry air about her as she stormed toward the car, like Glenn Close in
Fatal Attraction
. Max sported a twitchy smile.

I got out of the car, waved, and headed back across the parking lot.

"Hey!" Cindy called. "Who the hell are you?"

"Nobody," I called back. I turned with the intention of flashing my winning smile, but it froze on my face, half-formed.

Mad Max stood with his feet apart, pistol in hand. He pointed it at me.

CHAPTER 10

I held up my hands. My head began to spin. My legs turned to jelly and a wave of heat slammed into me. I was going to faint. Maybe.

Better fainting than dying.

I steeled myself and locked my gaze with Max's. He didn't blink, and even his twitching had stopped. He was across the parking lot, but the man had been in the army. He was probably a great shot.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" came Linc's scream from inside the car.

That made Cindy turn to look at Max behind her. She screamed too. "Fuck! Don't shoot! Are you fucking nuts?"

Max laughed, a manic, horror-movie laugh that sent a chill rushing down my spine despite the warm day.

He pulled the trigger. I dropped to the ground, my knees crunching against the tarmac.

Max lowered the gun to his side and laughed harder. Cindy pressed her hand to her breast and swore at Max again. I stood and tried to look calmer than I felt. My insides were doing flips and my heart was racing, but I was alive. I needed a moment to let it sink in.

Just my luck, Max sauntered over to me. Cindy raced to the Lexus, hopped in, and they sped off, leaving me alone with the freak. Great. Just what I needed. The only witnesses to what might happen next had fled.

I couldn't trust my voice, so I said nothing. He nodded at me and licked his lips.

"So," he said. "H-how's my g-girl?"

"A little b-bit freaked out r-right now."

"B-better watch that st-stutter, Sweet Cheeks. W-wouldn't want p-people to think you're weaker b-b-because of it." He laughed again.

I turned and ran to my car. I didn't check my mirror until I approached the corner. Mad Max still stood in the parking lot, smiling at me, his gun in his hand.

I sped all the way back to the office.

***

"You told me you'd call in," Will said. He'd come marching down the corridor from his office as soon as he heard the front door open. He stood near Faith's desk, his arms crossed, his eyes dark and swirling.

"I wasn't near a phone. Besides, I said I'd call in later. It's later now and here I am in person." I would have given him a kiss to diffuse the tension, but I didn't think he was ready for Faith to find out about us.

I looked at her. She openly watched us, her chin resting on her linked hands. Guess we were more interesting than her work. I totally got that. I shot her a smile and she shot one back. It was the friendliest signal she'd ever given me.

"I'm getting you a new phone." Will lowered his arms and opened my office door.

I went in first and he followed and shut the door. "I can get my own phone."

He winced then put up his hands. "Sorry, I didn't mean to get all paternal on you. You buy it and put it through as a business expense."

"Really? Awesome."

He grasped me by the waist and pulled me close. Damn, he smelled good. His lips nipped mine, but he pulled back as soon as I went to kiss him properly.

"But there's one rule," he said. "You have to answer it when I call you."

Rules again. Will had a long list of them. "You're getting paternal again."

He rested his forehead against mine and looped his arms around me. I snuggled in. "Sorry. Just take the damn phone and do what you always do."

I didn't tell him that I'd been planning to do that all along. "I'll keep you informed when I'm working a case," I told him to ease his mind. "Especially if it's a dangerous one."

He pulled back and narrowed his eyes. "Is this one getting dangerous?"

"No. Nothing bad has happened to me."

His eyes narrowed further. "You don't count getting your phone stolen as bad?"

That had been scary, but nothing compared to having Mad Max pull a gun on me. My stomach still lurched at the memory. I kissed him tenderly and felt his body relax. "Thank you for worrying about me," I said. "But I'll be fine."

He sighed. "You sure? I wish I could help you out more, but there's a load of work to do at the moment."

"How's Slim's case? Has Bankler slipped up yet?"

"No, and I've listened into hours of phone conversations. You know, that's something a rookie P.I. should be doing. Someone with more experience should be on the murder case."

"The murder is mine. Besides, Jen trusts me. Why not get Faith to listen into some of Bankler's audio."