The Mane Event (17 page)

“Don’t threaten me.”

“I don’t get it.”

“Maybe you should ask your sister. She seemed to have a real problem with my presence at your club last night.”

The silence Dez got back from the other end of that phone sent a chill up her spine. Not for her, but for Anne Marie Brutale. She didn’t envy the girl. She got the feeling Gina didn’t like her sister involving herself with her life.

“I understand,” Brutale said, and hung up.

Dez shuddered. No, she didn’t envy Anne Marie one bit. Of course, she didn’t really feel bad for her either. The woman
had
tried to kill her, after all. The bitch had made her bed. Now she could freakin’ lie in it.

“Everything okay, darlin’?”

“For me. Yeah.”

Sissy’s phone rang. She answered it, and when Dez realized it was a rather tense call from one of Sissy’s other siblings, she decided to give her a little privacy. With her cup in hand, Dez strolled slowly past her coffeehouse. A cute place that had great hours, not closing until three or four
A
.
M
. She came so often many of the staff knew her by name. She continued to walk until she found herself in front of the alley beside the coffeehouse. A fairly large place with one entrance in front and another side entrance leading to the alley. A large brick wall spanned between the coffeehouse and the building beside it. A metal door oddly placed dead in the middle.

Dez stopped and openly stared. How could she not? She knew the woman. Anne Marie Brutale. And she recognized the man. How could she forget a guy she’d once arrested? Especially a guy who broke one of her ribs during the takedown? She wasn’t sure about his name. Something Irish.

He had Anne Marie backed against the wall, one arm braced over her head. He leaned into her and she gave a freaky sadistic grin and shook her head. His free hand ran up her arm, across her collarbone, to savagely grip her throat.

“Do what I tell ya.”

Anne Marie hissed, and Dez knew she saw fangs, even from here.

“Dez, let’s go.”

Dez turned her head to glance at Sissy Mae, who had already started off down the street. When she turned back in the alley, both Anne Marie and her pet criminal were gone. Dez looked around. She didn’t understand. They couldn’t have passed her.

Her eyes locked onto two doorways. One led back into the coffeehouse. The other led into the brick wall. Part of her itched to see what was in there. Itched to find out why a Jersey princess like Brutale would hang around with such a lowlife. Something deep inside told her it wasn’t fucking, but something scary and dangerous. And she’d be an idiot to go follow them.

“Dez, come on, darlin’.”

Dez stared into the alley a few more seconds, then followed Sissy.

From the bench, Dez watched Sissy Mae glide by on the ice. Impressed, Dez sighed. She had no idea Sissy could be so…graceful.

Funny, after thirty-six years this was the first time Dez had ever come to Rockefeller Center during the Christmas holiday. She hated the crowds, the tourists, and, God knew, she didn’t skate. But Sissy Mae and Smitty wanted to come so badly, she didn’t have the heart to tell them to go by their damn selves.

Sissy Mae glided by again. She moved with such confidence and skill. She could see the younger skaters watching Sissy with admiration. Until her brother slammed into her from behind. Dez covered her mouth and tried not to laugh. Although seeing Sissy sprawled out, facedown on the cold ice, made it kind of difficult.

Dez watched the younger woman snarl, drag herself to her feet, and take off after her brother. She’d never seen two siblings play so rough. Sissy Mae threw herself at Smitty, landing on his back. Using her body, she spun him up and around, knocking him to the ground while still attached to him.

“Holy shit.”

She started to stand up, worried she would have to prevent the two from going to jail, when Mace’s hand on her shoulder pulled her back onto his lap.

“Leave ’em alone, baby. They get like this.”

Dez closed her eyes at the feel of Mace’s chest against her back.

“You know, Dez, you never answered my question. Did ya miss me today?”

“No.”

“Liar.” Yeah. She was a liar. She’d missed him all afternoon. She had a great time with Sissy Mae, but she kept thinking about seeing Mace later. Seeing him naked.

He kissed the back of her neck, and Dez fought the urge to drag Mace into the nearest bathroom.

“Did you miss
me
, Captain Ego?”

“Oh yeah.” He tightened his grip around her waist as he leaned in closer to her. “I missed that little sound you make when I graze my teeth across your clit. And the way you taste on my fingers and tongue. The way you dig your nails into my back when you’re coming and that little thing you do with your hips when I’m going down on you.”

“Stop.”

“Stop? You sure?”

“Yes. I’m sure.” If he didn’t stop, she’d come while sitting on his lap without the man doing a damn thing to her.

Mace closed his eyes. Thank God she told him to stop. Much more and he’d have her jeans down and his cock jammed into her right in front of all of New York. He needed to get her back to her house. Or a hotel. Or an alley. He needed to fuck this woman and he needed it soon. Hell, he’d even brought a condom along…ya know…just in case.

He heard gasps around him. Mace looked up in time to watch Sissy Mae put her brother in a headlock and slam him face-first into a gate.

“How much longer can they keep that up?”

“Hours.”

“That can’t be good. Oh shit. Security.” Dez started to stand up again but he pulled her back down.

“I’d really wish you wouldn’t move right now.”

“But I—” She stopped when he pulled her closer to his bursting erection. “Oh.”

“Yeah. Oh.”

“Well, what about Sissy and Smitty?”

“They can take care of themselves.”

“Honestly, Mace, can’t you control that thing?”

“Not around you apparently.” He rubbed the back of her neck with his hand. “Let’s get out of here, Dez.”

She looked at him over her shoulder. He saw the lust in her eyes. A lust as strong as his. She opened her mouth to answer but stopped when her cell phone went off.

“Goddamnit,” she angrily snapped as she answered her phone. “MacDermot.” She nodded. “Yeah. Okay. Okay.” She glanced at her watch. “Yeah. Okay. Yeah.” She closed the phone.

“I’ve gotta meet Bukowski at a bar.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope. He wants to talk to me about the Petrov case.”

“He can’t do that over the phone?” He really had to stop growling things at her when annoyed and jealous. It did nothing but piss her off.

“Yeah. He can. But he probably wants to apologize too and he won’t do
that
over the phone.” She didn’t seem pissed at Mace’s tone, though. Instead, she acted like she expected the other shoe to drop—or for it to be thrown at her head. There was something going on and he had no idea what.

Dez rubbed the back of her neck. “You know, I’ll understand if you want to—”

“Want to what?”

“Well, if you got stuff to do or somethin’. I don’t expect you to wait for me while I take care of this.” Why the hell wouldn’t he wait for her? She wasn’t running off to one of those bullshit charities his sister chaired or going off to Milan to watch polo like his mother used to—although she really only scared those poor horses. No. Dez had a murder case with her name attached to it. He still marveled at the fact she hadn’t run screaming from him once she knew the truth. She hadn’t gone straight to her C.O., given him the whole story, and had Mace thrown into the local zoo. Instead, she’d let him fuck her until they both could barely stand and then she fucked him back.

“Dez, the only thing I want to do at the moment is you.”

She turned away from him. “Oh.”

“Do you want to meet me back at…at your house?” He winced. He almost said “our house.”

“No. You’ll scare my poor dogs to death. I’m not sure they can handle much more.”

Smitty and his sister stood in front of them. “Can you believe they asked us to leave?” Sissy demanded.

“All right you two. Get those skates off.” Dez stood up, her hand digging into Mace’s hair. An unconscious act, and that made Mace love her even more. “We’re going to a real cop bar now.”

“Like in
NYPD Blue
?” Sissy actually clapped her hands together.

Dez rolled her eyes at Mace as her hand stroked through his hair. “If that brings you joy, Sissy.”

They both cringed when Sissy actually squealed.

Dez grabbed the door of McCormick’s Bar; stopped; and looked at Sissy, Smitty, and Mace. “All right, you three. I have to work with these people. No fistfights. No growling. No purring. No threatening of body parts.” She looked directly at Mace. “No grabbing of body parts. No embarrassing me. No pissing me off. Are we clear?”

The trio stared at her. With a sigh, she pulled the door open and walked in. Packed with cops from two local precincts, all trying to get in some downtime before going home to their families.

“I’ll be back.” She tugged the sleeve of Mace’s jacket. “And you be nice.”

“I’m not sure I like what you’re implying.”

Dez wound her way through the crowd, greeting friends and acquaintances. She loved this bar. Loved being around other cops.

She spotted Bukowski with Crush and headed straight toward them.

“I’m taking the Pack out clubbin’ tomorrow night. Y’all should come. You know, if you can pry Dez’s thighs off your face long enough, that is.”

Remembering Dez’s order of no fistfights, Mace instead pointed to Sissy Mae. “What exactly is your sister up to?”

Smitty turned to see his baby sister happily surrounded by four SWAT team members.

“Sissy Mae Smith!”

Mace watched Smitty storm off to rescue the four men.

“Didn’t we almost arrest you a couple of nights ago?” Mace turned to find two women staring at him.

“No.” He motioned to Smitty. “You almost arrested him.”

“That’s who I saw. Patrick Doogan. I busted him about seven years ago. My last year in uniform.”

Crush threw back a shot of tequila, his big muscles rippling with the effort. The man resembled a small mountain. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I had a conversation today with one of my informants. A hooker. She said he bragged to her he took out Petrov.”

“Why?” Bukowski asked the question, but Dez knew why. She now understood that Doogan and Mace were the same. At least breed-wise.

“Apparently he wants Missy Llewellyn.”

“So he kills her accountant? Why not try online dating instead?”

A man of few words, Crush said nothing.

“What confuses me,” Bukowski admitted, staring at his beer, “is how the thumb claw thing works.”

Dez planned to make sure Bukowski went to his grave fifty years from now never understanding how the “thumb claw thing” worked. She knew he’d never be able to handle it.

“All this is really interesting, guys, but I’m off the case.”

Bukowski and Crush looked at each other. Then Crush stood up and lumbered to the bar.

“Come on, Dez,” Bukowski said. “This is me. I thought you were shittin’ me earlier. I mean, when have you ever backed off a case? You’re like a rabid pit bull.”

“Not this time.”

“Is this about Llewellyn?”

For once, he didn’t sound pissy when he mentioned Mace’s name. “Well, it does make things a little awkward. I don’t want anyone to say I’m doing anything even remotely sniffing of impropriety. So, I’m off the case.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that over the phone?”

“Because I thought you might have something else to say to me.”

He shrugged. “About today…” He looked back at his beer. “I’m sorry.”

Dez kicked him under the table. “I know.”

“So we’re cool?”

“Yeah. Just stay out of my love life.”

“Well, you’ve never really had one before, so I was a little confused.”

Dez smirked. “Schmuck.” She stood and said, “You stopping by my house on Christmas?” A standard tradition for the partners. Bukowski’s kids loved getting their gifts and playing with her dogs, and it gave Dez a chance to catch up with Bukowski’s wife, Mary.

“Yeah. It gives me an excuse to get us away from the in-laws. Besides, Mary has a gift for you.”

“That’s cool. I have something for the kids.”

“You have actual gifts this year?”

“I always have gifts for your kids. It’s my sisters’ kids I always forget about.”

The partners smiled at each other.

“I’m outta here, B.”

“All right. I’ll let you know if it gets interesting.”

“Good. And I’ll tell Mace you said happy holiday.”

“Yeah. You do that.”

She winced at Bukowski’s sneer. No love loss between those two.

Dez pushed her way back through the crowd. She found Smitty about to start a fistfight with half the SWAT team, Sissy flirting with a couple of guys from the vice squad, and Mace chatting with two of her fellow female officers, which she didn’t like one goddamn bit.

She shook her head. No wonder she loved her dogs. Because people never listened.

Dez grabbed Sissy with one hand, took Smitty by the collar of his jacket with the other, and yanked both of them toward the exit. As she passed, she kicked Mace in the ankle.

“Move.”

By the time she got the siblings out the door, Mace stood next to her.

“Were my rules not clear?”

Smitty and Sissy pointed at each other.

“She started it.”

“He started it.”

With a sigh, she turned to Mace. “And what the hell were you doing?”

Mace smiled. “Being nice.”

Dez growled as Smitty grabbed his sister’s arm.

“We’re leavin’. Talk to y’all tomorrow.” He dragged her off to a taxi and literally threw the woman in.

Dez crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Patrick Doogan.”

“What about him?”

“Is he after your sister?”

“You could say that.”

“Mace, he’s a problem. The man has a sheet longer than your dick.”

“Wow, that’s huge.”