Two Weddings and a Fugitive (The Chanel Series Book 4) (3 page)

‘Latte or cappuccino?’ Her new coffee machine had turned up the day before.

‘Do you have the chocolate sprinkle?’

‘Of course.’

‘Cappuccino.’ As far as I could tell the chocolate was the only difference between the two of them.

‘I’ll have a latte thanks.’ Billy sat on the lounge facing me.

I couldn’t believe he was here. In Sydney. It seemed so surreal.

‘What have you two kids been up to?’ Harry said as he walked into the kitchen. He reached into one of the cupboards and handed Mum the coffee mugs. She gave him a smirk as she took them.

‘Billy sprung me from work,’ I said.

‘Chanel’s going to help us on a case.’ Billy stretched back into the lounge, crossing his ankles and placing his hands behind his head.

I jerked my eyes away from his abdominals and back to the kitchen.

Mum paused in the act of pouring milk into a jug and gave Billy a similar look to the one Ramy had given him. Geez, even my own Mum thought I was a joke.

‘Can you talk about the details?’ Harry crossed back to the lounge and sat beside me.

‘Do you remember Kingy from Las Vegas?’

‘Matt King?’ Mum said. ‘The hunky reporter?’

‘That’s the one.’ Billy gave me a look as if he thought I was going to say something. For once, I kept my mouth shut. ‘We have reason to believe that his life may be under threat.’

So
Matt
was the minor celebrity getting married. I wonder who was after him. I mean from what I knew of him, he was very good at writing expose articles on dangerous criminals. The one in the paper the week before had been the most recent in a long line.

‘And you want Chanel to help you do what?’

‘She’s going to be a part of the bridal party, help keep an eye on the bride.’

‘Lucky me.’ Weddings and I weren’t getting on so well at the moment.

There was silence while we waited for Billy to say more, but apparently he had shared all the information he was going to.

Mum swayed from the kitchen and placed our drinks on the coffee table. Then she sat close enough to Harry that she was almost on his lap.

‘So where’s the wedding being held?’

‘Hamilton Island.’

‘Really?’ Had I heard him right? Hamilton Island was way up there on my list of places to go.

He nodded. ‘We fly out tomorrow.’

‘Oh.’ Mum clutched at Harry’s arm. ‘Hamilton Island. We should go too.’

‘That’s a great idea Tess.’ Harry turned to her. ‘We could have a real family holiday.’

‘Ahhh, hello. Working.’ I waved a hand between Billy and me.

‘Oh yes, but surely you’ll have some down time. I mean you can’t work twenty-four hours a day.’ Mum clapped her hands together as if it was a done deal that they were coming.

‘Well, when you’re working for the FBI you don’t get any down time.’ I looked over at Billy. ‘I think.’

His lips pressed together and his eyes creased at the corners. ‘Not much down time,’ he agreed. ‘But you guys should come anyway.’

‘What?’ I had been watching Mum and Harry staring gooingly into each other’s eyes. Now I whipped my head around to stare at Billy. ‘Really?’

‘Sure.’ His smile was reassuring. ‘We can spend some quality time with them. As a family.’

That was the last thing I had expected him to say. ‘Well if you think. I mean,
you’re
the boss.’

His smile stretched wider. ‘And don’t you forget it.’

***

I drained the contents of my drink and glanced at my watch.

‘It’s five seconds later than the last time you looked.’ Bruce shook a cocktail mixer as if it were a castanet, cracked it on the table and whipped off the lid. He emptied its contents into a fresh glass and slid it over the bar top till it sat in front of me.

‘He said he’d meet me here at seven to brief me on the case. That was five minutes ago.’ I picked up my new drink and took a sip.

‘Expresso martini,’ Bruce said. ‘And, apart from tonight, what have you
ever
been on time for…Holy Mother of Batman.
Who
is
that
?’

I didn’t even need to look over my shoulder to know what he was looking at. ‘Five foot ten, ripped like a swimwear model, blond hair ruffled up like James Dean and brown eyes you could drown in?’

‘
That’s
Billy?’

I swivelled on my bar stool, trying to sound nonchalant as I called out, ‘Oi, Bro.’

He looked in my direction and I waved a hand in the air. Damn him for looking so good in his tight, black jeans. How was that fair?

‘Close your mouth Bruce,’ I said as Billy strode towards us. ‘And wipe your chin.’

‘Well hello there,’ Bruce said when Billy arrived at my side. ‘Chanel never told me her
brother
was so good looking.’

If I could have reached my leg under the bar I would have kicked him.

‘You must be Bruce.’ Billy stretched his hand out to shake Bruce’s. ‘Chanel’s told me so much about you.’

Bruce clasped Billy’s hands with both of his, holding on for just a little too long. Billy didn’t seem to mind. ‘None of it was flattering I’m sure. She can’t handle competition.’

Billy laughed and looked over at me. ‘What are you drinking?’

‘Expresso martini.’ I held it out towards him.

He slid onto the bar stool next to me and took a sip. Then he swallowed and said, ‘I’ll have what she’s having.’

‘Really? It’s not too sweet?’ I hadn’t figured him for the cocktail type.

He pulled a face and shrugged one shoulder.

‘Bruce,’ I called out. ‘Get him a beer as well.’

‘So,’ I said when Bruce was out of earshot. ‘What’s this really about?’

‘The case?’

‘What else would I be talking about?’

He rested an elbow on the bar and put his head on his hand. ‘Boris escaped.’

‘
Russian Mafia Boris
?’

‘Shhhhh.’ Billy looked over his shoulder to see if anybody had heard my shriek.

‘Huge man, teeth filed to a point, psychotic personality?’ I wanted to be sure we were talking about the same guy.

‘The one and only.’ He paused as Bruce appeared on the other side of the bar shaking his cocktail mixer for all he was worth. The mixer sailed up into the air as Bruce crossed his legs and spun around on the spot. He caught it with one hand as it came back down.

I shook my head. ‘He never does that for me.’

Bruce tossed it from hand-to-hand a few times before cracking it and pouring the contents into a glass. He passed it to Billy with a wink and a smile.

‘He’s straight,’ I yelled after him as he went to get Billy’s beer.

‘Does he try to crack on to all of your friends?’ Billy asked.

‘Only the gorgeous ones.’ I froze as I realised what I had said. Oh great. Now he knew I thought he was gorgeous.
Awkwaaaaard
.

But instead of looking around for the nearest exit he smiled his cute smile and said, ‘And how many gorgeous male friends does my little sister have? Do I need to get a gun?’

‘Ha ha,’ I said. ‘You’ve already got one.’

‘Yes.’ He took a sip of his cocktail. ‘But that one’s licensed.’

He was kidding. I think.

Bruce placed the beer on the table and Billy reached for his wallet.

‘Stop.’ Bruce held up his hand. ‘You’re family. Family don’t get to pay for drinks.’

Billy nodded his head. ‘If you ever need anybody killed, just let me know.’

Bruce let out a shriek of laughter. ‘Stop it. Hot
and
funny. You’re too much.’ He looked Billy up and down again and let out a sigh before heading to the other end of the bar.

‘What? How? When?’ I couldn’t comprehend that Boris had escaped custody. I mean, I know it happened in movies all the time. But really?

‘A couple of days ago. They were moving him and some of his buddies ambushed the bus.’

‘So why do you think he’ll be coming after Matt?’

‘They found the newspaper article in his cell. He’d drawn a skull and cross bone next to Matt’s name.’

I let out a giggle. ‘Seriously? That’s all you guys are going on?’

He took a sip of his cocktail and then followed it up with a swig of his beer. ‘Beer chaser makes it bearable. Almost.’ He smiled at me and then said, ‘It was Matt’s investigation that led to his capture. Plus, he knows now that it was Matt who ruined the Russian operation in Morocco.’

‘And?’ There had to be more, surely.

‘And we have evidence that suggests he boarded a boat that was headed to Australia.’

‘Ready for a top up?’ Bruce sidled up next to Billy and batted his eyelashes.

I rolled my eyes and took a sip of my cocktail. Perhaps it was a good thing he’d turned out to be my brother. The jealousy caused by watching the whole world try to hit on him would have driven me insane.

I was going to tell myself that anyway.

‘Still good. Thanks.’

I let out a cough and held up my empty glass.

‘Oops,’ Bruce said to Billy. Then he laughed and whispered loudly enough that I could hear, ‘She’s a bit of a lush.’

I poked my tongue out at him as he ducked back under the gap in the bar.

‘Biiiillllyyyy.’ The shriek came from several of the club’s drag queens at once. They had been heading out the back to get dressed for the night’s performance, but now they flocked towards us, bustling around Billy, stroking his arms and running their hands through his hair. A lesser man would have wet himself, but not Billy.

‘Hello ladies,’ he said, looking up at them. ‘You all look ravishing tonight.’

I picked up his martini and took a large sip.

The Mutual Appreciation Society continued until Bruce finally intervened. ‘Ladies.’ He clapped his hands to get their attention. ‘Shouldn’t you be getting ready?’

With fingertip waves and giggles they headed out the back.

Billy swivelled back towards me. ‘You have such great friends.’

‘Really?’ I mean
I
knew I did, I just didn’t expect a guy to see that.

‘Yeah. They’re not scared to be what they want to be. That’s pretty rare.’

He had a point. It took a lot of guts for a guy to stand up and say, ‘I like dressing as a woman.’

‘I mean look at Martine.’

‘Oh no.’ I held up a hand. ‘Martine
is
a woman.’

He cocked his head to the side and stared at me.

‘She is.’ I shrugged my shoulders. ‘Martyn is her alter-ego. He’s dull, boring and germ-phobic. He’s an accountant,’ I said as if that explained everything.

‘She’s schizophrenic?’

I squirmed, uncomfortable with such a blunt dissection of my best friend. ‘She’s…Martine.’ In my mind Martine and Martyn were two different people. I tried not to spend time with Martyn. He was awkward.

‘Chanel.’

‘Speak of the devil,’ Billy muttered as Martine trotted towards us.

‘Oh, and Billy. Hello gorgeous.’ Martine leaned over and pressed her lips to Billy’s cheek. I had rung her that afternoon to fill her in. ‘Can’t stay. I’m late. See you in the break.’

‘Is your Mum coming?’ Billy took a sip of his beer. He hadn’t seemed to notice that I’d drunk his cocktail.

‘Not much lately.’ I raised my eyebrows at him and he barked out a laugh. ‘Besides, the girls have a huge repertoire. She won’t need to work with them for a while yet.’ I met his brown eyes. ‘What aren’t you telling me?’

‘What are you talking about?’ He picked up his beer and took a sip.

‘What. Aren’t. You. Telling. Me?’ I leant forwards to emphasise my words.

This time he smiled. ‘And they don’t think you’re smart.’

I raised my eyebrows, crossed my arms and waited.

He dragged his finger through the condensation on the bar top from his beer. ‘We won’t be working this case alone.’

‘I didn’t think we would.’

‘No, I mean the local cops have insisted they be included in the investigation.’

‘So, not other FBI?’

‘They’ll be there in the background. But Salindra and Nick will work with us. Salindra will be acting as my girlfriend and Nick as your boyfriend.’

‘Oh.’
So
not what I had been expecting. ‘So this Salindra, is she pretty?’

Aghhhhhh.
Did I really just ask that?

His eyes danced above the top of his beer bottle. ‘I’m not sure.’

‘Well, hello there. Chanel, you didn’t tell me you knew one of the Man Power boys.’ My friend, Bianca, slid onto the bar stool on the other side of Billy and stretched out one of her long, brown legs.

‘That’s because I don’t.’ I huffed out a breath of air. ‘Aren’t you meant to be serving drinks?’ It was mean, I know, but I didn’t want her and her bootaliscious butt anywhere near Billy.

‘I’m on a break,’ she purred, leaning against the bar. She stretched an elbow back to support herself, affording Billy an eyeful of her size D breasts. They bulged out of her halter-neck top as if trying to climb Mt Everest.

‘Billy.’ He stretched out a hand to her and I had to stop myself from slapping it away.

Brother. Not mine.

I was still working on that.

‘Bil-ly.’ She said his name in such a way that her tongue flicked out over her teeth between her lips. ‘The pleasure is mine.’ She leant back further to expose a long, lean expanse of stomach.

I wouldn’t have minded so much except when I had first met Bianca, she had been a pro. And I wasn’t talking about wrestling. I was sure she could show Billy things that would make his eyes roll back in his head and never come back out.

‘Bianca.’ Bruce’s voice was like a whip cracking. ‘Don’t make me flick you with my tea towel.’

‘I’ll pay you to let
him
do it.’ She smiled at Billy.

‘Sorry to disappoint,’ Billy said. ‘But I’m a terrible shot with a tea towel.’

She gave me a grin as she hopped back up.

‘What’s the plan for tomorrow?’ Suddenly I wanted to be at home on the couch with Cocoa. Billy had only been there half an hour and already I was exhausted with jealousy.

‘I’ll pick you up at nine-thirty. We fly to Brisbane at eleven, then onto Hamilton Island from there.’

‘Early start.’ I faked a yawn.

‘Nine-thirty is an early start?’

‘I’ve got to pack and walk Cocoa and do the dishes.’ I was rapidly running out of reasons to get out of there.