Vortex (SAI Book 1) (5 page)

Even Mama wouldn’t expect her to behave well in the face of the accusations that had just been hurled at her. “It’s time for you to leave, Joel.”

“That’s it?”

“Absolutely. You have just insulted me for the last time, and I have no interest in what you’re offering.” Sitting up straight, she skewered him with a look she rarely used. “I don’t know what it is about me that offends you, but you have been rude to me from the moment I met you. I have done my best to behave in a civilized manner, but if I spend five more minutes in your company, that no longer will be possible. Ben and Dane can stay and install a system. I will even let them sit in on the meeting with the FBI. But you, sir, are not welcome. Send me a bill for your time, and I’ll take care of it promptly.”

She watched him sit back and steeple his fingers in front of his face as he studied her. She knew what she had said was clear. Even he wouldn’t be able to misinterpret her statement. Why in the world was sitting there like she had just invited him for a drink?

“I’m sorry, Vivi. You’re right. I’m acting like an ass.”

Okay, that wasn’t what she expected to hear. What in the hell was going on? She tried to pull herself together. “Thank you. I appreciate your apology.”

“So, is it true? You all are widows?”

And the strangeness gets…stranger.
“Yes. It’s not something that someone would make up.” Twisting around, she picked up a picture off her bookshelf. “This is my husband, Matt. He was killed in Somalia when we were working with an NGO. We had been married a month when he was hit by a stray bullet. A group of rebels invaded the village where we were working and shot up anyone who got in front of them.” Rubbing her finger over his face, she smiled to herself. “I didn’t know that a happiness like that was possible. It turns out, it wasn’t.”

“How long have you been a widow?”

Placing the picture carefully back on the shelf, she scrubbed off the small fingerprint. “Three years, one month, two weeks, and three days. But who’s counting?”

Nodding, he studied her closely. “My fiancée was killed when I was OCONUS, four years ago. I didn’t find out for a month because we were on a mission and couldn’t be reached. Had we been married, I would’ve found out right away.” Clearing his throat, he moved around in his seat. “It was a freak accident. She was crossing the street, and a car hit her.” Flattening out his pants, he glanced up. “I wasn’t there when she was buried.”

“I’m awfully sorry for your loss,” Vivi replied. Why in the world was he sharing this with her? It made no sense, based on the way he had interacted with her in the past.

“There are only two people who know the story outside my immediate family. I’m not sure why I’m telling you. Maybe as a way of apologizing for my behavior.”

“I don’t see the connection, but thank you for sharing that with me. No one knows better than me what losing the love of your life can do to a person.” Straightening the files on her desk, she concentrated on making sure that the corners lined up exactly. “You still don’t have to stay. Leave Ben and Dane here, and I’m sure we’re going to be fine.”

“I don’t think that I could get Ben out of here even if I wanted to. He seems to have been hit by your friend Ruby.”

“Ruby’s husband was a firefighter, and he was killed when a building collapsed five years ago. She was pregnant at the time, and she lost the baby shortly after Kellan died. I haven’t seen her look in the direction of a man until just the last couple of months. It seems that the thing she misses most is how a man smells. She followed one around the market last month, and she realized that maybe it was time to see if she was capable of feeling anything other than grief. I’d say by the looks of it that she is.”

Rubbing the back of his head, he let out a small laugh. “I guess the whole vitamin comment by Trinity makes a lot more sense now.”

“We may need to add prayers to ensure his survival,” Vivi replied dryly. Pushing away from her desk, she was about to stand when Joel stopped her. “Something else?”

“I believe that what is going on here is connected to a much bigger problem. My partner, Grady, is working a case in Florida, and we think that the people who are targeting the freight company are part of a group of criminals who traffic prescription drugs. I think that you’re dealing with more than neighborhood gangs.”

“I guess having the FBI and DEA become involved should have clued me in. My friend Gideon hinted that we might be in the eye of the storm. It seems that he wasn’t overreacting.”

Leaning forward, Joel caught Vivi’s hand. “I can’t leave until I know that you girls are safe and out of harm’s way. I promise to do my best to not give you a hard time anymore.”

“What is it about me that bugs you so much? I don’t think that anyone has ever disliked me without knowing me first. Usually they have to spend some time around me before they get irritated.” 

“Something about you…stirs something in me that I have no desire to
be stirred
. Your kindness reminds me of my fiancée, Francie. Every time I’ve been around you, I’m reminded that there are good people in the world. And it pisses me off.”

Staring into his light blue eyes, she noticed the pain that was there. For a split second, she swore he appeared vulnerable. Which seemed impossible. He was six feet of hardened warrior, and she doubted very much that anything frightened him. “I could act really bitchy around you. That might help.”

Levering himself out of the chair, he stood and gave Vivi a small smile. “I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think that you have enough bitchiness in you to make a real difference.”

Spinning toward the door, she opened it, and then walked out. “You might be surprised, Joel. I’m willing to dig deep and let my inner bitch flag fly. Who knows…it might be fun for a change. I might enjoy telling people what I really think.”

He followed her out into the waiting room and mumbled to himself, “What the hell have I done?”

“Did you say something, Joel?”

“No, just talking to myself.” Rolling his shoulders, he let out a loud breath.

“Remember, you can go home anytime. No need to torture yourself.”

“I’ll go home after I know that the situation is secure.”

“Suit yourself,” Vivi replied happily.

***

Stepping into the waiting room, Vivi noticed that Dane handed Trinity a twenty-dollar bill. “What was the bet?” Vivi inquired.

“That you would kill him within the first five minutes,” Trinity answered.

“I gave you twenty minutes,” Dane replied.

“I appreciate the faith, man.” Joel looped his arm loosely around Vivi’s shoulders and studied the group. “We have come to an understanding, and we’re friends now. No more bickering.”

“Are we talking about the type of friends that might kill one another?” Ben inquired.

“Not unless it becomes necessary,” Vivi replied. Turning slightly, she bumped her hip against his. “Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.”

The room erupted in laughter. “Let’s go to the house, and I’ll fix supper,” Vivi said loudly. She stepped over to Uncle Buck and helped him out of the chair. “Come on, old man, you started all this nonsense. I expect you to provide the bourbon.”

Holding on to Vivi’s arm, he grinned. “Sweet girl, we’re going to drink the good stuff tonight.”

CHAPTER FOUR

Joel, Ben, and Dane stood on Buck’s front porch and stared into the bright morning sun. The temperature was hovering around eighty, and the humidity was making their T-shirts stick to their backs. There was a large oak on the front lawn, and it was offering only a small amount of relief for the three men.

“I can’t believe that old man drank us under the table. Did you see how happy and chipper he was this morning?” Dane slid his sunglasses on his face and grimaced. “I don’t want anyone to know about this. It’s embarrassing.”

Ben wiped his face with the bottom of his shirt and sat down on the front step. “The girls are going to take one look at us and know what happened.”

“Let’s go eat a greasy breakfast and drink a gallon of coffee and then lie our asses off when we see them,” Joel responded. Shoving his cap on his head, he slowly descended the stairs. “A seventy-year-old man has put us to shame, and I don’t want to advertise it.”

Dane drank down a bottle of water and followed Joel to the car. “Trinity is going to have way too much fun when she finds out. I’m not looking forward to that at all.”

“We deserve whatever happens to us,” Ben replied. “We have let down the brotherhood.”

“What the hell was he serving us…anyway?” Joel asked. Piling slowly into the car, they buckled up, and he set the GPS for the closest diner.

“He called it a Viux Carre. It had high-proof rye, sweet vermouth, and Bénédictine,” Ben replied.

“The high-proof rye got us.” Dane smirked. As they drove down the street, he tipped his head against the seat. “To be more accurate, it was the bourbon-and-rye combination that took us down.”

“Mardi Gras is next week. We better get out acts together, because I don’t plan on feeling this way again,” Ben stated. “Ruby is never going to stay interested in me if she thinks that I can’t handle myself.”

“It’s going to take a lot more than that,” Joel replied. “She’s been a widow for five years, and according to Vivi, you’re the first man that she’s shown any interest in.”

A small grin crossed Ben’s face. “I’m glad she waited and I was the one that caught her eye.”

Joel glanced into the rearview mirror and noticed that Ben had a blissful look on his face.
Lucky bastard
, he thought. He wished that he was still capable of that sort of optimism. If he were, then it would make being around Vivi a lot easier.

***

Vivi and Ruby were following along with the yoga program on TV, while Trinity lay prone on the couch. “Are you sure you don’t want to join us?” Vivi called over her shoulder.

Trinity lifted her eyes away from her iPad and smirked. “I’m sure.” Pulling the blanket higher on her shoulder, she stared at the ceiling. “I hope you all are done soon, because I want to hear the details of what happened on the patio last night. I believe our Ruby was smooching a man.”

Ruby was in downward-facing dog and peered through her legs at Trinity and beamed. “I
was
smooching a man. A big, handsome, sexy man with a beard.”

“Praise all the saints who are currently bestowing their kindness on our sad and sorry lives,” Vivi said.

“Wow!” Trinity replied. “All the saints…are you sure?”

Moving into warrior pose, Vivi looked straight ahead. “Absolutely. All three of us need them.”

“Are you almost done? I’m getting hungry,” Trinity whined.

“We’ll do shavasana, and then we can go up and make breakfast,” Vivi answered.

They stood in Vivi’s bright kitchen, worked on breakfast, and discussed the current state of affairs. Such as they were. “I think that Ruby falling for a man is a sign that things are about to change,” Trinity declared to the group.

Vivi stood at the stove frying up a batch of bacon and considered the possibility that it was time to take a step forward. “I unfortunately agree with you. The fact that Ruby is so smitten by a man must mean something.”

“Are we ready?” Trinity inquired.

“I am!” Ruby replied. “I’m more than ready. I’m taking that big sweet man to my house tonight, and I’m going to seduce him and not let him leave until I’m good and satisfied.”

Both friends stared, and she nodded to them. “It’s going to take a while too!”

Trinity finished the fruit salad and shrugged. “That means that Vivi and I need to accept a date from the next man that we find attractive. No excuses!”

Sliding the plate of bacon across the counter, Vivi shook her head. “I don’t think that I have to go on a date because Ruby has found someone that she wants to shag. I’m not getting involved in this nonsense.”

“Oh, yes, you are,” Trinity and Ruby chorused.

Vivi poured eggs into the pan and swirled them around and shook her head. “I don’t want to.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Trinity replied. “Why don’t you take Joel out for a spin? He has to have something beneath that stern façade. Maybe he’s a magician in bed.”

“Yeah,” Ruby crowed. “You all went into your office acting like a bunch of snarling cats and came out like the best of friends.”

“We called a truce.” Dumping the eggs into a bowl, she then moved to the table and joined her friends. “I should be fair. We actually had a
moment
.”

Trinity filled everyone’s plates, and Ruby refilled the coffee cups. “What do you mean by
moment
?” Ruby asked.

“We actually had about five seconds of honesty. And…I understand why he’s always so short with me. I think.” Filling her fork with eggs, she waved it at the two of them. “Don’t get me wrong…he doesn’t get a pass for bad behavior. But he does get a little compassion from me.”

Ruby shrugged and ate a piece of bacon. “Who knows, maybe compassion can lead to something else.”

“Sure it can. It means that I’m not going to kill him right away,” Vivi stated.

“That’s a place to start,” Trinity replied.

The doorbell rang, and Vivi shouted, “Come on in, it’s open.”

Joel, Ben, and Dane strolled in…looking a little worse for wear. “Uncle Buck got you all good last night. Let me guess, he’s as chipper as a bird this morning with no hangover,” Vivi said.

“We’ve never felt better,” Dane replied.

“You’re going to split hell wide open with the lie you just told,” Vivi replied. “Have a seat, and I’ll make a fresh pot of coffee.” Standing, she moved over to the coffeemaker. “Unless you need the hair of the dog. I’m sure I have some rye around here somewhere.” She heard a chorus of noes and laughed out loud. Slapping her leg, she bent over and laughed. When she got herself under control, she swiveled and noticed Joel staring at her. Twisting, she glanced at her backside. “Do I have something on me? Why are you staring at me?”

Before Joel could respond, Dane helped him out. “Yeah, Joel. Why are you staring at Vivi’s extremely fine ass? Do you see something you like?”