Chapter 19
J unior fidgeted, his knees in constant motion. “I didn’t do anything. I just came to see Cliff.”
“Just like Cliff came to see you the night at the bar?” Michelle leaned back against the wall and crossed her arms.
“I, uh. I was just wondering how he was doing.”
Nick stood at Junior’s side, one hand on his shoulder, anchoring him. They really should give Junior some room, but if Nick hadn’t pulled him in the trailer when she opened the door, Junior would be across the river by now. “So.”
He cut his gaze from her to Nick and back. “What?”
“You haven’t asked how Cliff is doing?”
He swallowed. His whole body wiggled in the chair. “How is he?”
“Naw, it’s too late to play the sincere-friend card. Where were you going?”
Junior gnawed on the edge of his lip.
“And don’t claim it was a planned trip. PTO is blocked this week.” Nick flexed his fingers on Junior’s shoulder.
The man rolled in on himself. “Fine. I might as well go back to jail. I’m a dead guy if I stay in Ashwood.”
At Junior’s comment, Nick released him and moved back .
Michelle straightened and took a step forward. “Did you kill Jonny Staniski?”
His face flew up, eyes wide. “No! Jonny was helping me. It was supposed to be easy. We steal the sleigh, ruin the festival, and my old man would finally sell the mall.”
“How does that help you?” Nick asked.
“I cut a deal with the developer. Dad was never going to leave me the mall.”
“Gee, I wonder why? You’re such a loyal employee.” Michelle shook her head. “Go on.”
Junior sighed. “You have no idea what my old man is like. One mistake years ago. I served my time. And my thanks, he sticks me in maintenance. He was never going to give me my inheritance.”
Nick leaned down. Junior jumped.
Was it wrong that Michelle enjoyed the way Junior flinched?
“What you don’t seem to understand, Horace.” Nick used Junior’s given name to drive home his point. “Is that you didn’t do anything to earn it. Your grandfather started the business, and your father made it what it is today. Thanks to him, you have money to blow. You chose to blow it up your nose and not give back to the company, through investment or sweat equity.”
At the indignation on Junior’s face, Michelle added, “We have all your financials. All of them.”
He sagged. “It doesn’t matter now. I’m as good as dead. Like Jonny, and if Cliff doesn’t get out of town, he is too.”
“From who?” Michelle needed him to confirm it. Say Towers .
Junior ran his hands over his thighs, his fidgeting grew worse. “I gotta take a leak.”
Fine. She knew there were no windows in the bathroom. When Junior disappeared down the hall, she motioned Nick to the doorway of the trailer. “I have to call Jim and grab the recorder. I want this on tape.”
“I’ll keep Silver from making a break—”
A boom thundered. The floor shook beneath them. Heat licked up her back. Nick grabbed her as they fell into the snow.
“Junior!” She squirmed to get out from under Nick.
“No! Stay here.”
Before she could stand, Nick disappeared into the flaming doorway. What the fuck was he doing? She pulled out her phone and called it in.
She started toward the door as Nick came back out, Junior’s lifeless body over his shoulder. He dropped it in the snow.
One look. That’s all it took for Michelle to see that Junior Silver was gone.
***
She followed Nick inside. Why was she at his house? She should go home, but when she finished at the police station, he was waiting for her. Her lungs filled with crisp air and when he held out his hand, she took it. The moon was high in the sky by the time he locked the door behind her.
“Ava is at her friend’s overnight. Stay.” The exhaustion in his eyes echoed with something deeper. Longing? She didn’t know.
“I should go through all the files. There has to be a connection to HighTower. I can’t just accuse Evan Towers when Junior didn’t actually say it was that development company, he made a deal with.”
“We can do it tomorrow. You need sleep.” He tugged her toward the steps .
So did he, but… “The festival…”
“Will come if we have the sleigh back or not. I’m tired of stressing out over that thing. All of it. My job, my father, my daughter. I just want to curl up with you and sleep.” The sincerity in his eyes gave her the nudge she needed. She toed off her shoes at the bottom of the stairs and hung her coat on the railing. Like a lost puppy, she followed him up the stairs.
“One minute. You can go into the bedroom if you want.” He crossed to his daughter’s room and opened the cage. Bandit and Snowball scurried around his legs with excitement.
Michelle smiled.
Snowball broke from the circle and beelined it to her. She dropped to the floor and scooped up the soft critter. “Hi. It’s good to see you, too.”
The wet nose pressed to her cheek as the ferret climbed to get closer. Michelle laughed. The sound caught her off guard. Junior was dead, all because of her.
Her vision blurred. She should have checked for explosives. She knew someone wanted Garmen dead.
“Hey.” Nick knelt before her. He swept a thumb over her cheek. It came away wet.
“Sorry.” She wiped her face with a sleeve. “It’s so surreal. It could have been you.”
“Or you.”
“Yeah.” Her gaze locked with his. She had just gotten him back. What would she do if she’d lost him? If he’d gone back to stand guard at the bathroom door?
“I know. I’m here.”
How could he do that? Read my mind? It was a Nick trait she had forgotten about. It was both infuriating and comforting .
He placed a soft kiss on her forehead then scooped her up in his arms. Snowball jumped to the ground and ran to the fresh food he’d put in the bowl when he opened the cage.
“You need sleep. We both do.” As if he hadn’t escaped death mere hours ago, he carried her across the hall, without even a huff, and gently set her on the edge of the bed.
With sure and steady hands, he stripped her shirt and pants, then he pulled back the covers and nudged her back.
Engrossed in his movement, she took in his broad shoulders, and lean torso as he stripped to his boxer briefs. The show was over all too soon, and he climbed in beside her. One strong arm wrapped her in a comforting hug.
Michelle settled into his warmth. A soft brush of lips against her temple sent flutters down her spine.
“Night.” His whisper brushed her ear.
She didn’t answer. Couldn’t. If she spoke now, the words she longed to say would spill out. Words so engrained in her being that she couldn’t stop them, even after two decades of distance. Nick was here. To her heart, it was like he never left.
She listened to his breathing level out and wondered if this was a mirage or a Christmas miracle. Because God knows, she’d felt like she was in the desert when it came to her love life since he’d left.
***
He flexed his fingers. A smooth mount of hip filled his hand. Soft breaths heaved against his chest as a moan filled the room. Michelle.
A smile split his face. God, he loved waking with her. It was different than any other woman he’d been with. Something about her made a peaceful calm rush over him. He didn’t know how she did it, because at the same time, his little head was up and raring for action.
He cracked open an eyelid. The room was still dark. That shouldn’t surprise him. He woke at 4 a.m. every day for the last twenty-one years.
But today, it was the best morning by far, because she was here. Where she belonged .
At least, that’s what he believed. Now to convince her. This wasn’t the right time. He knew it—so did she. They needed to get through this next week. Then he would beg her for another chance.
Yeah, she was in his bed, but he didn’t delude himself into believing this was forever. He hoped, and with some persuasion and maybe a little groveling, he could make her see they were meant to be together.
He glanced at the picture on his side table. Ava. Would she be onboard with his plans? It would take some time, but now that he was home, they could take as much as needed.
“Umm.” She stretched. Her long, slim fingers skated across his chest. The electric current in its wake charged his already impressive morning wood. God knows he wanted her. But she’d only gotten a few hours of sleep.
“Go back to sleep. It’s still early.” He should get a medal of valor for giving up a chance to be with her.
Large green eyes stared up at him. “I don’t want sleep. I want you.” Her hand slid down his chest, teasing his flat nipple along the way to his stomach and beyond.
Long auburn hair tickled his chest as she moved, kissing, teasing. All the while, his chest grew tight with love. She pulled up, her palms flat on his chest. One leg swung over his torso and his cock strained to reach her warm, wet core.
“Mickey. I can’t. I can’t.” He ran his hands up her biceps, gripping the soft, firm skin .
“You can’t?” With one fingertip, she traced the veins of his forearm.
What? He couldn’t live without her. The last twenty years about killed him. By God, he wouldn’t live the next twenty the same way.
Her smile was playful… sexy as hell. But did she feel the same? Did her gut churn at the thought of losing him? Did she love him? Because the love he had for her years ago was nothing compared to the love flooding his body now.
“Outside voice.”
“I can’t wait.” He gripped her hips, and in one swift move, lowered her onto his shaft. He was too lost by the time he realized he had forgotten a condom. She must have been too. Because as they scaled the wall of passion, she was right with him, thrust for thrust. Moan for moan.
When she reached her peak, he increased his speed to follow her over.
He pushed her curls from his face, gently stroking her cheek. “I’m sorry.”
She looked up, perplexed. “For what?”
“I forgot protection.”
Her shoulder casually raised and fell. “I have it covered. As long as you’re clean.”
“As a whistle.”
“Then all’s good.”
It was better than good. Mickey was in his bed. His Mickey. And he didn’t have to pick up his daughter for hours.
** *
Three hours later, the sun shone over the trees and Michelle was on her second cup of coffee. The files were spread across the table between Nick and her. “I don’t think I’m awake yet. No solid leads connecting Towers to Junior, Garmen, and Staniski are popping up.”
“Other than them working for HighTower?” Nick leaned back in the chair, shirtless.
“Yeah, that.” Maybe the dusting of hair on his chest was distracting her. Or the man himself. Michelle cleared her throat and dropped her vision to the computer in front of her. She glanced from the files to the screen. “I can’t find anything. I don’t see an email or text between them, not even a social media DM. All of their communications would have to have been in person. That seems unlikely.”
“Agreed. Even if they worked together.” Nick stroked his chin.
Michelle licked her lips. She’d enjoyed his day-old growth immensely. When his lip hitched up, she realized she’d been staring. Well, crap. She cleared her throat. “I still need to check on Staniski’s parking ticket.”
“The timing is suspect. Not to mention that he hadn’t worked for HighTower at the time.”
“I need to check with Towers’ assistant. She didn’t sound like Jonny had been to Evan Towers’ office, but she could verify Staniski was in the building. She could get me the security logs. They badge in and out.” Frustration ate at her gut. Michelle groaned. There had to be more. But she couldn’t pin this on Towers with a dead guy’s visit and Junior’s nerves. “How do you see this going down?”
“I think there was a middleman.”
“Yeah.” She leaned back and thought. “Who would Towers use to contact Junior if he didn’t want to be seen at the mall? Someone who wouldn’t be obvious? ”
Nick shook his head. “He must have a trusted employee or someone. It’s not like he would just send anyone to request they steal the sleigh.”
A lightbulb flickered in her brain. The coffee mug clunked on the table and her fingers flew over the keyboard.
“What? You got something?”
“Maybe. How did I not think to look for the link?” When the site pulled up, she scrolled through relatives and possible relations. “Bingo.”
Nick leaned in.
“It’s amazing when you search someone’s phone number, it tells you who they might be related to. I just need to confirm it, but I think I found our connection.”
“Well, don’t keep me hanging.” He jumped from the chair and slid into the seat beside her.
“There. See anyone you know?” She pointed to the list of names under Evan Towers’ right-hand person.
Nick’s eyes widened. “Well, I’ll be damned. She’s a better actress than I thought.”