20. Chapter 20
Levi watched Flip push their only witness against the wall. This wasn’t the way he wanted to get answers. “Stop. We need his help. Let’s take him back, sober him up then see what we can get.” It had been an all night search to find this guy. According to the security camera, this junkie was right down the alley when Vincent was killed. Levi didn’t want him to be too scared of them to talk. Right now he was the only potential witness they had.
“If you say so,” Flip said and took his hands off the guy. “Come on.”
Until he sobered up, there wasn’t much they could do. Levi had been up all night. He just wanted to go home, but instead, he was going to go back to the office. They needed to comb through the other cameras in the area and see if they could find or see anything. It was going to be a long day.
What he wasn’t expecting to find when he opened his office door was Melanie sitting in his chair and Andrea sitting opposite her holding a sleeping Addy in her arms. “I feel like I need to lock my office.” This was the second time in two days people had been waiting on him.
“What fun would that be?” Andrea asked with a raised brow. Whatever that was, he wasn’t going to touch it. He was too tired.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I brought you clothes and breakfast,” Melanie said and got up so he could sit.
“And I saw her on the cameras, so I came to see why she was here on a weekend.” Addy stretched and her little hand clutched Andrea’s shirt. It was cute and made his heart ache because he’d thought he was going to have a kid. Just last night he found out that wasn’t the case. But he wanted it so bad he could taste it now. Seeing where he was looking, she asked, “Do you want to hold her?”
“No.” He did but it would hurt today. “I’ve been walking through alleys and talking to people. No telling what I have on me.” At least he had a better excuse than it made him sad.
In her eyes, he knew she didn’t believe him. Especially when she turned to look at Melanie beside him. “Can you give us a minute?”
“Sure, want me to take her?”
Andrea looked down at Addy and kissed her head. “Absolutely.” She stood and handed her over, Addy never even waking up or moving except for her hand being pried off the shirt.
“We’ll just go hang out in the break room,” Melanie said, looking between them until they nodded.
“She’s not wearing the ring,” Andrea commented when the door closed. “And Arturo said you left Fettuccina before you even ordered.”
Of fucking course. “I didn’t ask her. She told me not to.”
“Why?” She frowned and sat back.
“Because she’s not pregnant. She told me—” He shook his head and swallowed. It hurt in a way he didn’t understand. He couldn’t look at her. “The birth control stopped her period. The test was just in case.”
“Levi,” she said and waited, but he couldn’t. If he cried over something he’d never even had then he was going to feel like an idiot.
“Scarlett called anyway.” Finally he brought his eyes up to hers. “We haven’t had time to discuss it anymore.”
Andrea stood up and came around the desk to lean on it. Her voice was much quieter when she said, “Do you want me to take over the investigation so you can go home?”
He shook his head. “No. You’ve got enough on your plate. Why are you here on a weekend anyway?”
She laughed and looked out the window behind him. “Val’s mad at me.”
“I didn’t know that was possible,” he said with a smile.
“Oh, it’s possible, trust me. She just never lets it show around any of you.”
“What did you do?”
“Nothing which is the problem,” she said, waving her hand like it wasn’t important. Something in her tone said it was very important though. She stood up and straightened out her jacket. Business time. “I’ll go get Addy. While youre waiting for more information, talk to Melanie. She brought you clothes as an excuse to talk. Don’t waste it.” The look she gave him said ‘don’t fuck it up.’
“Ok, Mama A.” He held back his eye roll. “Go make up with your wife. When we know something new, we’ll let you know.”
She went to the door, but paused and turned back toward him. “I know I’m not your mom—”
“It’s—”
“Let me finish,” she said to interrupt him back, “I’ve never tried to be your mom. My life hasn’t ever allowed me to have a family in that regard. Not until Val made me realize I hadn’t allowed myself to have it in my life. More time isn’t always a luxury we have.” She leaned back on the door and sighed. “What I’m trying to say is, life only gives you what you take from it, Levi. You’re family to me just as much as Avrie and Addy. I want you to be happy, and I’ll give you anything I can. You know that, right?”
He furrowed his brows and looked at her, really looked like he hadn’t in months. Something was wrong. “I know…” Before he could figure out how to ask, the sound of a baby crying came through the door.
“That’s my cue,” she said with a smile. “Thank you for working so hard on this thing for Victor. Let me know what you find.” Then she went through the door without letting him even agree.
When Melanie appeared a few minutes later, she had a weird look on her face. “What did you say to her?” she asked, coming to sit in one of the chairs.
“Nothing. Why?”
“She was about to cry.” She shook her head and gave him a sad smile. “I’ve never seen her look glassy eyed like that. It was kind of scary.”
He jumped up and ran to the elevator. It had just closed behind her. Pushing through the door to the stairs, he took off down. He checked the sixth floor, but the elevator was already going down further. By the time he got to the parking garage, he was out of breath. Luckily, she was standing at the back of the car strapping Addy into the car seat. Hutch was sitting in the driver’s seat. She glanced over at him and then buckled the belt. After putting a stuffed giraffe on her belly, she closed the door.
“What’s going on, Andrea? And don’t say nothing.” He came closer and looked her in the eye. “Whatever it is, you can tell me.”
She put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. “Not here,” she whispered and glanced toward the camera pointing at them. “Come to the house tomorrow for family dinner with Allie and Bril. Bring Melanie too.”
“Ok, but—”
“No buts,” she said with a small smile. “Everything including the investigation can hold on for a couple of hours on Sunday for us all to be together.”
He nodded and grabbed her hand when she pulled it off his shoulder. “We’ll be there.”
“Good. Now, I’ve got to go.”
Levi stood there for a minute, even after the cars drove off. He had a bad feeling about whatever that was about. There wasn’t enough time to deal with that and what was already going on though. So he went to the elevator.
Melanie was still there waiting for him. “Is everything ok?”
“I don’t think so.” He sat in the chair beside her instead of going to his own. When she reached out a hand to him, he took it and pulled her into his lap. They needed to get a couch in here. “I think she’s sick,” he said after she kissed him.
“Why? She’s been running around like crazy, just like always.” She leaned her head against his in comfort. “No way someone who’s really sick could do what she does on any given day.”
“Have you noticed how slender she is? How dark her eyes look?” Even if Melanie was right, there were signs he hadn’t paid attention to in a while.
“Babe, she’s got two babies, a wife, and a dozen businesses. Plus, she works out every fucking day. Have you seen her without her jacket lately?”
He shook his head.
“Her arms are more defined than yours.” She pulled back to see his eyes. “I think you’re wrong.”
“Are you saying I’m getting chubby?” He wanted to change the subject.
She pinched his stomach. “No. I’m saying relax.”
“Ok. Well she invited us to dinner tomorrow. We have to go.”
Melanie’s smile grew. “To Sunday dinner?”
“Yeah.” He shrugged. “Why do you look like that?”
“Because that’s a big deal! Everyone knows it’s family dinner night.” Melanie jumped off his lap. “Did you ask what we should bring?”
“What?” He shook his head and tried to pull her back down but she refused. “Why would I ask that?”
“Levi! Because it’s the first time she’s invited us!” Her look said obviously he wasn’t getting it. “Oh my God,” she gasped.
“What!? We’ve had dinner with them before.” He didn’t see the big deal other than he knew Andrea was going to make an announcement.
“Not on Sunday with Allie and Bril!” She picked up her bag. “I’ve got to go figure out what to wear and call my mom to ask what the hell the right thing to bring is.”
He scrambled to catch her arm before she could leave. “Mel, wait.”
“What?” She stared up at him in question. He couldn’t decide if now was the time or not.
“Shouldn’t we talk? About last night.”
“No, Levi.” She smiled and leaned up to kiss him. “Not while you’re in the middle of an important and time sensitive case. Just focus on that and call me later so I know you’re ok.”
It made sense, but it didn’t mean he had to like it. “I’ll call,” he promised and pressed their lips together again.
“Be safe.”