No Strings Attached: A Lexi Carmichael Mystery, Book Eight (25 page)

Slash took the gun from Junior and turned his gaze to mine. “Who is Leo?” he asked.

“The drug dealer in the wedding cake.” I jerked my head toward the cake. “You don’t happen to have cuffs on you, do you?”

Slash looked like he was trying to figure out what to say next when he saw the giant-sized poster of the naked guy that looked remarkably like him. “What’s that?”

“Don’t ask,” I said, holding up a hand. “Please. Just don’t. I’m not sure the night could get any weirder. I need a napkin stat.”

I headed toward the kitchen and froze when I heard the shouting.

“Police! Everyone get your hands up and get facedown on the floor. Now!”

I turned around, meeting the determined gaze of two policemen who stood in the doorway aiming their service weapons at us. I glanced at Slash as he rolled his eyes and dropped the gun he was holding. He raised his hands above his head and knelt down.

Gray, however, swayed on her feet, giggling and waving at the policemen. “Oh, hey, Officers, come on in and join the party. Are you going to strip, too? You guys are soooo cute. You can arrest me anytime. God, I’m hungry.” She winked at them and then promptly toppled over.

Hands caught her before she hit the ground.

I knelt to the floor with my hands up. “I didn’t think it could happen, but things just got a lot weirder.”

Chapter Fifty-Six

We took up the entire waiting room at the police station. A couple of officers had to go get more chairs so we could all fit. An hour and a half later we’d all been interviewed, except for Basia, who was in the room now. They were supposedly wrapping up our paperwork so we could go home.

I sat smelling like garlic, lasagna and baby oil, drinking a horrible cup of coffee while sitting on a bench between Elvis and Slash. I’d cleaned up the best I could in the bathroom, but it didn’t take the place of a full-fledged shower and a washing machine. Bonnie sat next to Elvis. It made me smile when I saw them holding hands. She shot me a grateful look and I smiled back. I saw that friendship going places and it made me happy. I leaned back against the faded blue wall of the station when Elvis got up to use the facilities.

I turned my head toward Slash. “You didn’t tell me yet how you knew about the pot.”

He had also leaned back against the wall, his eyes closed. He cracked open one eye when I spoke. “When they were setting up I smelled it on Junior. I’m sure he sampled a bit before or during his baking duties, but I’m reluctant to admit it didn’t occur to me that he would have baked any into the food until I tasted it.”

“Wait. How could you taste the pot in the lasagna?”

“I’m Italian.” He spread his hands. “I know my lasagna.”

He had a point.

“When I called you, I heard the siren in the background and figured the police might be headed your way. I wanted to come alone, but these guys insisted they come with me. I had no idea there was a guy with a gun who had co-opted Junior and Faylene or that you and Basia would be so successful at handling him on your own.”

“There’s no stopping Basia these days. Seriously. I was just along for the ride.”

“I’m not so sure about that.” He grinned. “Fieldwork may be your thing after all. Possibly hers, too.”

“Luckily I had a tray of lasagna to use as a defensive weapon.”

“A good agent uses whatever items are at hand. You acted perfectly. Look who’s turning into James Bond after all.”

“Ha-ha. But speaking of lasagna...” My stomach grumbled. I rummaged around in my purse, looking through the change compartment in my wallet. “Do you have any money for the vending machine? I’m starving, and only because I didn’t eat much at the party,
not
because I pigged out on lasagna and have the munchies.”

He had both eyes open now. “If I do have change, you have to promise me you won’t eat the processed peanut butter crackers.”

“I honestly can’t promise that. I’ll take whatever they have. I’m famished.”

Sighing, he shifted on the chair and searched his pocket. He came up with a fistful of coins. He poured them all into my hand.

I sorted through them, taking a bunch of quarters and returned the rest. “Thanks, Slash. You want something? A Kit Kat bar? Coffee?”

“No. Your coffee smells awful.”

I tossed my half-empty cup into the trash can as I walked to the vending machine. I looked through the glass, but it was empty. Decimated by a bunch of women with the munchies.

Jeez.

I headed back to my seat empty-handed. As I passed Hands and Gray, I heard him ask her, “Remind me again, how many servings of lasagna did you eat?”

“Shut up.”

“How are you going to explain this on your next lie detector test?”

“Hands, I swear if you don’t shut up—”

He burst into laughter and kissed her hard on the mouth. She wound her hands around his neck and kissed him back.

I’d just returned to my chair when the detective in charge, Jimmy Gonzales, came back into the room with Basia. She still wore the crown and the veil, although the crown was crooked and the veil torn. He looked at the sorry lot of us, shaking his head.

“So, let me run this down for everyone. I have a CIA agent, an NSA employee in possession of a firearm that isn’t his and another gun and a knife that is, the CEO of a cyberintelligence corporation and a couple of his employees, four strippers—one female and three male, a robbery detective with the Baltimore PD, a Navy SEAL, a reporter for
The Washington Post
, two computer programmers, a bartender, a medical intern, a couple of students, the owner of a party supply store and her son, who happens to be on probation, and...did I forget someone?”

When we were silent, he sighed. “What the hell am I supposed to do with you people?”

I raised my hand. “Well, I—”

“That was a rhetorical question, Ms. Carmichael.”

“Oh.” I lowered my hand. “Sorry.”

“Now, according to my notes from the interviews, Ms. Kowalski pushed Mr. Junior Markle into Mr. Leo Aultz who was brandishing a gun and threatening people. As Mr. Aultz stumbled, Ms. Carmichael used a lasagna tray as a means of divesting Mr. Aultz of his weapon while Ms. Kowalski applied a whiskey bottle to Mr. Aultz’s head to knock him unconscious.”

I nodded. “Yep. That’s pretty much it in a nutshell.”

Sergeant Gonzales glanced around the room. “For the record, I would never,
ever
recommend taking the actions that these two ladies took this evening, even though it had a positive outcome. However, that is apparently hindsight. I suppose no one in this room knew that Mr. Aultz is a notorious drug dealer in our area?”

We all shook our heads.

“Then I presume none of you knew there was a reward for information leading to the arrest of these men. Seeing as how Ms. Kowalski and Ms. Carmichael were the ones who did a lot more than just provide information—they, in fact, disarmed and secured him—we will be handing over the reward of ten thousand dollars to them. Congratulations, ladies.”

I looked over at Basia in surprise. She looked delighted at the turn of events. Everyone else started clapping, cheering and hugging Basia and me.

I removed myself from Xavier’s hug and shouted over the cheering. “Wait. Does this mean we’re not in trouble?”

“Well, not you.” Sergeant Gonzales cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted for everyone to be quiet. When the noise in the room died down, he continued. “Mr. Markle—Junior—was on probation, so we’ll be taking further action with him. I’m afraid he’ll be held pending bail for the time being, but the rest of you are free to go. Just go easy on the lasagna from here on out, okay? I’ve had our receptionist call a bunch of cabs to get everyone home. They should be out front shortly.”

The room erupted again with more sounds of laughter and talking. This time Sergeant Gonzales didn’t try to quiet it down.

Basia rushed over and hugged me. “OMG! Lexi, what an utterly crazy night.”

I examined her expression cautiously. “Wait. You’re not mad at me?”

“Of course not, you silly goose. I’ll never forget tonight. It will make a story to tell our kids for years to come. Right, Xavier?”

“Right, baby.”

They seemed so happy, I felt suspicious—like the bomb would fall any minute and I would blow up without knowing what hit me. “But...you got sick, and the fireman and the lasagna...”

“I mean it, Lexi. It’s all okay. It was definitely memorable.”

“Really? You’re not just saying that?”

Basia smiled. “Of course, not! It was a blast. Plus, we just got ten thousand dollars. Unbelievable.”

Xavier slid an arm around Basia’s waist. “You want the truth, Lexi? Your party just entered legendary status. What the hell could possibly top that? For a first effort, I’m totally impressed.”

I glanced at Elvis, an apology in my eyes. “But, Xavier, I ruined your bachelor party by extension. Elvis worked so hard on it.”

Elvis held up a hand. “Let’s be perfectly clear here. I did
not
work hard on it. I turned it over completely to Faylene. Just like you did. I feel uncomfortable with any misconceptions on that part.”

“No one ruined anything.” Xavier laughed. “Are you two listening to us? It was a night for the books. I’ve always wanted to run into a party ready to save the day only to discover my badass woman has already taken care of it. I can’t tell you how totally hot that is. Look, it’s been a hell of a night, and I mean that as a total compliment. You two aced it. Righteous all the way.” He and Elvis exchanged a high five.

Before I could respond, Billie Sue walked past and blew me a kiss. We all watched her disappear out the front door.

Xavier cleared his throat. “There is, however, the fact that I missed out on the stripper entertainment. I was not able to experience the true magic of the giant plastic wedding cake.” He grinned at Basia. “I don’t suppose that’s a fantasy of yours, is it, babe?”

Basia elbowed him the stomach. He grunted, but a smile lit his face. Everyone seemed so happy. It was hard to tell if the party was really a success or if everyone was still feeling the effects of the marijuana. Either way, as long as people enjoyed themselves, who was I to tell them they were crazy?

As everyone filed out of the station, I lingered behind, glancing at Faylene and Uncle Shine who were sitting in a huddle, talking animatedly. Slash noticed my hesitation to leave and took my hand, a question in his eyes.

“
Cara?
”

“I have an idea. Come on.” I pulled him over to where to Faylene and Uncle Shine were sitting.

They both looked up when I approached them.

“I’m really sorry about tonight, Lexi,” Faylene said. She’d been crying. Her eyes were red and watery, the skin on her cheeks blotchy. “I’m not charging you for any of it. I didn’t know about Junior. I thought he was getting back on the right track.”

“It sounds to me that was what he was trying to do. He just got a little confused about the best way to do that.”

She looked down at her hands. “Regardless, this isn’t what I had in mind for your party.”

I reached into my purse and pulled out my checkbook. “I was just told the party ranked among those of legendary status. Legendary status equals payment in my book. How much do I owe you?”

“It wouldn’t be right,” she insisted. “Everything was ruined.”

“It really wasn’t. How much do I owe you, Faylene? Seriously.”

She told me. I wrote the check, signing my name with a flourish and handed it over along with a business card.

She looked at the check, her eyes widening. “You wrote the wrong amount. This is two thousand dollars more than you owe me.”

“Use it to bail out Junior and use any leftover to do repairs on the club table and pay Billie Sue. Besides, I just came into a small windfall by putting Aultz away.”

Her eyes filled with tears as she stood to hug me. She smelled of cigarettes and bad coffee. Her wiry hair tickled my cheeks as she squeezed me hard. When she pulled back, her smile was sincere.

“I don’t know how to thank you.”

“Yes, you do. Give Junior my business card and tell him to look me up when you get this sorted out. If he really wants to go down the right path, maybe I can figure out a way to give him a fresh start. I work for a pretty decent company that may have something he can do. He seems like a good kid and I believe good kids deserve second chances if he’s willing to work hard.”

Uncle Shine stood and vigorously pumped my hand and then Slash’s. “Thank you so much. This means a lot to us.”

I grinned at Uncle Shine. “You know, you’re the best bartender I’ve ever met. Not that I’ve met a lot, but you have a real talent for the job. By the way, why do they call you Uncle Shine?”

He exchanged a glance with Faylene and then smiled sheepishly. “It’s a nickname—you know, short for moonshine. I make my own liquor...sometimes.”

I was still smiling as Slash and I left the police station hand in hand. I glanced at my watch once we were out in the cool night air. It was three forty-seven in the morning. I was mentally and physically exhausted, not to mention hungry.

“I’m really sorry about the coat, Slash. Again.”

He squeezed my hand. “No worries. Next time I’ll buy you ten of them.”

“Two should be enough. An heir and a spare.” I rubbed my eyes sleepily. “So, where are we going tonight? My place or yours?”

He stopped and put his hands on my shoulders. “How about
our
place?”

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Before I could utter a word, he pressed a finger to my lips. “Don’t say anything yet. Just let me show you and then you can tell me what you think. Okay?”

I nodded and he lifted his finger from my mouth. In complete silence, we drove south on I-95 headed toward Washington, DC. My thoughts were whirling and I wasn’t sure what I would say even if I could. When we got to the exit for Silver Spring, Maryland, he pulled off and wound around several roads until he pulled into an older residential area with old trees and even older houses. He pulled into the driveway of a house and took the keys out of the ignition.

“It’s a house,” I said in surprise. “With a yard.”

“Most houses have yards,” he said in amusement.

The house was the Colonial style architecture that was popular in this area. I had never imagined Slash in a house, but suddenly I could see him in one, enjoying the space and yard, perhaps upgrading from the minimalist design of his current apartment.

“I thought it was time to graduate from a condo,” he said. “I’m still renovating. The location is halfway between the NSA where I work and Crystal City where you work.”

That didn’t seem like a random coincidence, but I didn’t say anything. I climbed out of the car and we walked to the front door together. I observed the small cameras mounted to the windowsill from the upper floors. The lights were blinking red.

“Just give me your assurance that no one will be able to hack into those security cameras,” I said.

He held his hand against his heart. “I swear.”

He unlocked the door, tapped in a password on a security pad and flicked on the light. The house seemed ordinary on the outside, but on the inside it was sleek, modern and updated. To the left of the entrance was a living room and to the right were new, modular stairs. Directly in front of us, I got a glimpse of a brand-new kitchen.

He shut the door behind me and locked it. “It’s nearly done, but I’m still working on the bathrooms and the safe room.”

He tugged on my arm, directing me to the living room first. It had a big bay window, a fireplace and a lot of room for...whatever you put in a living room this size.

“The piano could fit here,” Slash said, spreading his arms, as if he had read my mind.

He played the piano beautifully, something I hadn’t known about him until recently. “So, you’re not keeping it behind locked doors and soundproof walls anymore?” I asked.

“No. Not anymore.”

He pointed at the bay window. “By the way, every window in the house is bulletproof.”

“Well, that’s good to know.”

He smiled as I wandered into an empty dining room, which had a side door to the kitchen and large French doors that opened to a backyard. It was too dark to see the backyard clearly, but it looked private with lots of trees and a wooden fence surrounding the lot.

“Who is going to mow that?” I asked.

“The LawnBott 43621.” Slash grinned. “I understand it will practically mow the lawn by itself. If not, it’s never too late to learn how to operate a regular lawn mower or develop a more intelligent one, I suppose.”

I chuckled and walked into the finished kitchen. It was big with modern stainless steel appliances, dark wood cabinets, steel handles and a gray, white and black backsplash. A center island had a lot of counter space and another sink. Some sleek silver lighting dropped down from the ceilings over the counter area, breakfast bar and center island. I liked the clean lines and the logic of the design, even if I knew squat about how to arrange a kitchen.

“This is amazing, Slash.”

“Do you think it’s big enough to invite Nonna to visit and do some cooking?”

His grandmother in Italy was the best cook in the world...the universe...probably the entire galaxy.

“It’s more than big enough, although it’s not like I would know.” Cooking was not my thing, but with Nonna’s help, there was hope I might someday be satisfactory.

He laughed and took me downstairs to the basement next. It was completely finished with a large open entertainment area and a full dark mahogany bar. I followed him down a small corridor to a complete suite with an adjoining bathroom and small kitchenette.

“Wow, it’s another complete apartment.”

“Technically it’s referred to as a nanny suite. I thought to use it for our guests and my family. The basement was fully finished when I bought it. It’s one of the reasons I purchased the house. It provides everyone with a high level of privacy.”

I stopped, looked at him. “Has any of your family ever visited you in the States?”

“Not yet. But I’m going to change that. I’m going to change a lot of things.”

I stared at him for a moment and then followed him back upstairs. There were three more finished bedrooms, one of which he’d clearly intended to be his workout room, and a bathroom. Another room Slash identified as the future location of the safe room was located next to the master bedroom. It was nothing more than wooden beams and a lot of dust at this point.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done in here, including special wiring to get this room just the way I want it.”

After that he led me to the master bedroom suite. It was a large room with a small sitting area beneath a smaller bay window. The sitting area had a built-in bench and two small bookshelves beneath it. It looked like the perfect spot to curl up with a laptop and a hot cup of coffee. The bedroom also had a small stone-and-glass fireplace. At the moment, the room was devoid of furniture except for a blow-up mattress and a couple of blankets.

“You’ve already spent the night here.”

“A few times when I needed to meet a contractor.”

I walked around in a circle. “This is a lot of house. It doesn’t look that big from the driveway.”

“Good. As long as it blends in and isn’t pretentious, I’m happy.”

I walked into the master bathroom. It still needed some tile behind the double sink, but it was mostly finished. There were towels hanging on the rack and toilet paper in the holder.

I examined the shower. “You did the three showerhead thing again?” I opened the glass door, observing them.

“Absolutely.”

“That massage one is the best. You do know you’ve ruined me for all other showers.”

“I’m not sorry about that.” A smile touched his lips.

I leaned back against the sink, crossed my arms against my chest. “Slash, when did you buy this house?”

“About five months ago.”

“Five months?” I studied him. “You kept it a secret all this time? Why?”

He blew out a breath and walked over to me. “Because I wasn’t sure if I would keep it or sell it.”

“And now?”

He cupped my cheeks. “Now I’m sure. I know it’s a big step for you...for me. Move in with me,
cara
. You can keep your apartment for a while, so if you don’t think it’s working out, you can leave at any time. We can take one day at a time, one week at a time, whatever you want. No strings attached. I want you to be comfortable. I want you to be as happy as I am.”

I tilted my head. “Basia would tell me that moving in would be taking our relationship to a whole new level.”

“She’d be right.” He took my hand. “I know this past week hasn’t been easy for either one of us. You’ve seen more sides of me than anyone ever has—including the sides I don’t normally show anyone.”

“Why were you afraid to show me that part of you?”

The expression on his face was pained. “Because I wasn’t sure you could accept that part of me. I also worried about corrupting...tainting you. In the end, it didn’t turn out like that. You were far too strong. I didn’t corrupt you at all. Instead, you saved me.”

“Not true.” I covered his hand, which was still cupping my cheek. “You didn’t need saving. You were pursuing peace, or at least détente, the entire time. But you had to be prepared in case that didn’t happen. I understand that now.”

“Thank you,” he murmured. He closed his eyes, leaned his forehead against mine.

I let out a breath and spoke from my heart. “The truth is, Slash, I want to be with you. But it has to be
all
of you. The good, the bad, the dark and the complicated. It goes both ways. I’ve got my issues, too. I’m not an expert on relationships, but I’m pretty sure that’s what love is all about. We have to trust each other enough to share those kinds of things with each other. Deal?”

He paused and then nodded. “Deal.”

We stood there in silence. My emotions were running the gamut of terrified to exhilarated. I wasn’t sure how to sort them out, and I could no longer ask Basia what to do next. Actually, I no longer
had
to ask her. Trust my heart, she’d said. That’s what had convinced me to get into the relationship with Slash in the first place. So far, the relationship had worked out far better than I’d ever expected, so trust my heart is what I’d do now.

Still, my hands trembled as I spoke. “Here’s the bottom line, Slash. I understand living together will not be easy. It’s going to be a lot of work. If I’m honest, it already is. So, if we decide to do this, we have to agree to work at it every day.”

“Agreed.”

“Then, my answer is yes. I’ll move in with you. Let’s consider it a new level, a new beginning for us.”

He pulled me tight against his chest. He rested his chin on the top of my head, his arms tight around me. His embrace was warm and safe, the thud of his heartbeat reassuring. I didn’t know where this next step would lead us, but for now it was enough to know I felt confident enough to take it.

“I love you,
cara
,” he murmured. “I can’t wait to see where it takes us.”

“Me neither. And just so you know, Slash, I’ll be leaving my apartment in Jessup when I move in with you. I’m going into this on faith. I can’t believe I’m saying that, but I am. Let’s make it all or nothing.”

His arms tightened around me as he pressed a kiss against my hair. “Perfect. I like my odds on that.”