All Things Pretty (10 page)

I give Travis a steady, meaningful look. His
lips thin, but he says nothing, just turns and walks sullenly
toward the front door.

When he’s inside, I close the small door and
turn to Sig. “Thanks for the ride. I…Travis…he…it was good for him.
Thank you. You should probably go now, though. Since he knows the
truck, he might think…I don’t know what he’ll think if he sees you
out here half the night.”

“Look, I’m happy to come in and play some
games with him. Or even stay with him for a while tonight, while
you’re with Tonin. Unless someone else would mind me being
there.”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just Travis and me
here. But he’s funny about his space. He likes…well, he likes the
quiet.”

“Just you and Travis?” he repeats.

“Yep. Just us.”

Sig looks like he wants to say something,
but he doesn’t. I pray that he doesn’t argue. I don’t want to hurt
his feelings when he’s just trying to be nice. But I will if I have
to. I have my priorities and Travis is number one. And that
includes keeping any secrets that could risk him.

“Does Lance ever come over?”

“He has a few times, but usually just to get
me. He knows about Travis. He either just picks me up or I go over
there.”

“And you spend
all
of your nights
here? Like you have recently?”

I know what he’s asking. I gulp and will my
cheeks not to turn red with embarrassment. “Yes, I spend them here.
With Travis.”

Sig shakes his head slowly. “And he spends
them with…company.”

I take a deep breath and nod. “Yes.”

“Well, if you change your mind, I only live
a couple blocks away.”

“You do?” An unexpectedly warm sensation
spreads through my belly, like temptation itself just moved in next
door and I can feel the sensual fire of its welcome all the way
through to my core. I almost wish I didn’t know, that Sig hadn’t
told me. Knowing he’s close. I shiver. “Did Lance tell you to do
that? Move in close, I mean.”

“Nope. Just coincidence, I guess. If you
believe in that kind of thing.”

“You don’t?”

“Not at all. I believe in fate, though.”

His dark whiskey eyes are fixed on mine,
unmoving, unwavering. They lure me in, in to him, to his trust, to
his web, so I back away. I know what lies in the web–a spider.
That’s
what always lies in the web. Never anything good.

“I believe in making the right choices.”

“And you think Lance Tonin is the right
choice?”

“For me? For now? Yes.”

“Until something better comes along?”

“Something like that.”

Sig leans across the seat toward me. “I’m
something better.”

“Are you?”

“I am.”

I search his eyes. For his meaning, for his
game, for his plan. I find nothing, nothing but want. It gleams
there beneath the chocolate like a shiny penny, hidden, but just
barely. I wonder if he’s even
trying
to conceal it.

“Thanks again for the ride,” I say and I
close the door behind me. I’m all the way inside, leaning against
the wall in my bedroom when I finally hear Sig’s engine start. I
don’t move until the deep rumble has disappeared down the
street.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN- SIG

I’ve got her. She may not be absolutely sure
about that yet, but I am. It’s just a matter of time. Keep doing
what I’m doing and she’ll be mine.

I think about the information that I could
glean from her once I have her on the hook. If I can just convince
her of how much better off she’ll be without Tonin in her life, we
could take him down together. It would be an amazing bust. My
career would skyrocket. I’d have my pick of assignments. And Tommi
would be free.

So then why do I feel guilty?

Because it’s counterproductive, I choose not
to dwell on the answer.

Just over an hour later, I’m delving into
warehouses near Finch’s location using the secure connection the
department had installed in my undercover hovel. My phone rings and
I see Barber’s number come up.

“Sig,” I answer flatly.

“Where the hell are you?”

“Home. Why?”

“Why the hell aren’t you with Tommi? Your
job is to keep eyes on her at all times. That’s what you’re paid
for.”

“She asked me to leave. Besides, she’s just
at home with her brother and then she’s going out with Tonin. I
didn’t think–”

“You don’t get paid to think. You get paid
to make sure she’s safe. Get your ass over there.”

How the hell did he know I’m
not
over there?

“She doesn’t want me in her house because of
Travis and–”

“Never step foot inside unless she’s in
trouble, asshole. Lance’ll have you shot. Keep an eye on her from
outside. Like you’ve been doing.”

So they’ve been checking up on me. Or on
Tommi. Or both.

“On my way,” I snap before I hang up. I’m
used to taking orders from my captain and from a few superiors I
respect. From my father on occasion, even. But it goes against the
grain to jump when a shithole like Barber or Tonin gives me an
order. But I’ll do it. Because it’ll be that much sweeter when I
bring ‘em all down.

After I lock up, I’m walking to my truck
when I see a familiar car drive by. My older brother, Steven, gives
me a nod as he passes. Even from this distance, I can see the
concern in his black-as-damn-night eyes.

After Mom died when I was younger, Steven
took on the role of second father to me and my other siblings,
Scout and Sloane. For some reason, when Dad got all distant, his
way of drowning in his grief I guess, Steven stepped up to keep an
eye on the family. Maybe it was his personality to begin with.
Maybe it was the way he reacted to Mom’s death. Maybe it was his
age. Who the hell knows? I just know that from pretty much the day
after she died, he’s had a stick permanently lodged in his ass.

I turn my head and keep my eyes on him as he
goes, frowning in suspicion in case anyone is watching me. That’s
what a criminal would do. It’s not uncommon for cops to cruise
through areas like this, and with Tommi being Tonin’s girlfriend,
I’m sure these streets get it more than others. But still, it was a
helluva risk for Steven to take. I know why he did it. He can’t
stand not being able to check on me. He’s a control freak that way
and since he got promoted in his division, he’s even worse. Power
went straight to his head. Thinks he’s gotta parent the shit out of
the rest of us. He oughta know by now, though, that I don’t need
parenting. I’ll have to remind him with a sucker punch to the nads
as soon as I get this case closed up tight. Then he can buy me a
beer while I tell him the awesome way I took down a drug lord.

The thought makes me smile. It’s been a
lifelong practice of mine to give my brother as much shit as I can.
It usually works out well for me. He’s easy to taunt and
ruffle.

I take my truck the short drive to Tommi’s
house and I park across the street.

From my position, I have a decent view into
Tommi’s back yard. I see her take something out to the trash–maybe
leftovers from dinner?–and then, about thirty minutes later, I
watch her hang three sets of sheets on the line. Three. It reminds
me of the woman in the back bedroom and the way Tommi takes care of
her. And the toll it seems to take.

After she goes back inside, I wonder why
she’d lie about something as simple as who lives with her. I stop
thinking about it entirely, though, when I see her literally
dragging Travis out into the yard. She’s tugging on his arm, a
playful smile on her lips, saying something that I can’t hear.

She’s wearing shorts. Tiny black ones that
make her hips look slim and her legs look long. They’re paired with
a striped tank top that accentuates her lush tits in a way that
only real tits can be accentuated. It’s the first time since that
day on the highway that I’ve seen her dressed so casually, in
regular people clothes. The rest of the time, she looks more
glamorous. Stuffier. Maybe even a little uptight. Like she’s not
quite comfortable in her own skin. Or her own clothes, I guess.
Seems like she’s who Tonin wants her to be, whether that’s who she
actually
is
or not.

Eventually, Travis stops resisting and moves
on his own. He takes off his hoody as Tommi goes to get something
from that little utility building out back. I actually see him
smile when she returns with a Frisbee.

They throw it back and forth for a few
minutes, Travis more half-heartedly than Tommi, before he finally
gets into it. And when he does, they seem to have a lot of fun.

Tommi bites her lip and zings one at Travis
as hard as she can, her whole upper body twisting with the effort.
It takes off at an angle and Travis has to dive to catch it.
Through my open window, I hear a happy, high-pitched tinkling
sound–Tommi’s laugh. It’s light and carefree and…childlike. Almost
like he’s her kid and she’s getting to spend some treasured time
with him. It obviously pleases her to see Travis engaging,
something that isn’t always easy for kids with Asperger’s if I
remember right from my research.

Travis braces his feet and sends the red
disc flying back toward Tommi. It goes high and long, and Tommi
runs backward to keep her eye on it until it drops enough to catch.
I see the water hose strung across the yard and I see her backing
right for it. I actually lean up in my seat, like I might be able
to catch her, when I see her foot tangle in it and her body pitch
backward. With an expression of shock, I see her arms flail and
hear her squeal as she goes down. She rolls over, ass-end up, and
then flops back on the grass. For a few seconds, I feel a little
bit alarmed, wondering if she hurt herself, but then she sits up.
Her face is red, she’s laughing so hard. She throws her head back,
exposing her long, graceful throat and I wish with everything I
have that I could be back there with her, enjoying her this way.
The way no one but Travis gets to see her. The
natural
way.

They play for almost another hour before she
glances at her watch and tips her head toward the house. I’m
guessing she’s gotta get ready for her date with the criminal. Or
take care of the woman in the back bedroom, if she didn’t as soon
as she got home. As she walks across the yard, putting a gentle
hand to Travis’s shoulder as she falls in behind him, I can see the
disappointment on her pretty face. This is what’s important to
her–Travis. That much is obvious. So why, then, does she stay with
Tonin?

I don’t find an answer, which tells me it
must be complicated. Probably involving a lot of things that even
I
can’t find out. Unless she tells me. But she’ll have to
trust me if she’s going to do that.

At five minutes until seven, a limo pulls up
in the driveway. No one gets out until Tommi comes down the
sidewalk, and then I don’t even pay any attention who it is that
does. She’s all I see.

Her hair is in a loose braid that falls over
one shoulder. It’s messy, like someone’s had their hands in it,
pieces falling out around her face. Sexy as hell, and goes with her
strapless little black dress to make her look downright edible.
Shit!

The slinky material falls from the peaks of
her nipples straight to mid-thigh. It’s loose, but I can still see
her curves move beneath the sheath as she walks. It almost caresses
her hips and ass, and I wonder again about whether she’s wearing
underwear.

The idea is hot as hell, but then I think
about her dressing this way for Tonin and I just get mad. She’s
wasted on him. He doesn’t deserve a woman like her and I can’t for
the life of me figure out what in the damn world she’s doing with
him.

The driver (I finally make note of) opens
the back door and I see an arm reach out to take Tommi’s hand.
Tonin no doubt. I grit my teeth and try not to think about his
hands touching her in the dark interior of that limo.

I follow the car as it pulls away from the
curb. Part of me wants to go back home. I don’t need to see this
shit. But part of me
wants
to go,
wants
to see
her
.
It’s like a freak show. After kissing
her, after seeing her with her brother, after watching her carry an
unknowable weight around when she thinks no one is watching, I’m
determined to figure out the reason she stays. Because I know she
can’t possibly want to. But I need proof. I need to
know
that his touch makes her cringe. I need to
know
that she’s
wishing she was anywhere else, anywhere but with him. I just hope
to God I see some. Surely I can’t be wrong about her. Surely the
way she cares for that woman…surely the way she cares for
Travis…surely the way she responds to me, I can’t be wrong about
her. Surely.

Tonin takes her to a swanky restaurant, one
with a wait list that’s months long. Turns out money talks, no
matter how dirty it is. The only way I can stay even remotely close
is to sit at the bar. The pain in the ass part, though, is that I
can’t even drink since I’m driving.

What I wouldn’t give to be able to slam back
a couple of shots to take the edge off.

I don’t dwell on why I’m suddenly so angry.
I just watch for Tommi.

When they finally make their exit at a few
minutes after nine, I hurry out to my truck, parked in a restricted
spot down the street. I fight the urge to crumple up the parking
ticket that’s waiting for me on my windshield. Instead, I just
stick it in my console to turn in to the department when all is
said and done. They can pay it, dammit.

Next, I follow the couple to an exclusive
club that’s pretty well known for it’s…loose reins on its patrons.
I know there’s no way in hell I’m even getting through the front
door without a badge or a member to back me up, so I wait for
Barber to get out of the black SUV that follows Tonin everywhere he
goes before I approach.