Wine, Tarts & Sex

Thirteen

Roman had interviewed the staff at Leo’s apartment. The housekeeper knew something. But apparently, loyal to Janie, she was unwilling to divulge anything, even when he threatened her with calling the immigration authorities.

“Call them,” she’d spat, meeting his hard stare. “I’ve seen worse than you before. Where I come from you can get killed for a chicken.”

It was plain she wasn’t going to talk. It was even plainer she disliked Leo. “Why do you work here?” he’d asked.

“Stupid question. For the money. I’m supporting my whole family back home.”

He’d given up, figuring he could always return and threaten her again if he had to. Then he’d gone back to his office and set about tracking Janie’s charge cards and phone records. (It wasn’t just the NSA who could monitor your calls.) A short time later, he understood he could have saved himself the trouble of interviewing the staff. There it was, plain as day on her Verizon account.

A call at seven that morning to a number with a Minnesota area code.

Fourteen

Liv woke to the smell of bacon and maple syrup and the sound of conversation drifting up the stairs. Rolling over, she took note of her empty bed, put two and two together, and quickly ran through her options.

She could get up and join her guests downstairs.

That’s what she should do. And if it wasn’t-jeez- freaking seven o’clock in the morning, she might think about it. It looked as though she was going to owe Chris again today. After only three hours’ sleep, there was no way she was going to be able to get out of bed, let alone meet her work crew in anything that resembled a conscious state.

Her obligations summarily canceled, she shut her eyes and went back to sleep.

“I think it’s so sweet that you and Liv are friends,” Janie said, smiling at Jake across the kitchen table. “I mean, really, how amazing is that, that my two best friends are enjoying each other’s company.” In deference to her son who was eating his apple- cinnamon French toast beside her, she conversed about the relationship in bland phrases.

“Yeah, how about that,” Jake said in a tone of voice that would have warned off most reasonable people.

Janie’s smile was guileless. As if she knew that he knew that she wasn’t going to let him off that easy. “So tell me again how you met.”

“Didn’t you like the last answer?” he murmured drily.

“Darling, I want details, not some casual remark about some wine purchase.”

“How about some other time.” He flicked a glance at Matt.

She made a theatrical moue. “Very well, I’ll give you a pass for now. But I want to know everything.”

“As if.”

“Remember, I can ask Liv,” Janie purred.

Jake opened his mouth to speak, abruptly shut it and, quickly rising to his feet, crossed the kitchen to the screen door that opened onto the back porch. A large man had suddenly appeared on the other side of the screen. Even in the shadows of the honeysuckle vines that shaded the porch, Jake could make out the bulge under the man’s right arm. “Looking for someone?” As if he didn’t know. This was Leo Rolf’s bloodhound.

“I’d like to talk to Mrs. Rolf.”

“I’m not sure she wants to talk to you.”

“Why don’t you ask her?”

“You’re good, Roman.” Janie had come up and was standing at Jake’s side. “I thought I’d done a better job of hiding.”

“You don’t have to give him the time of day,” Jake muttered. “He’s not the law.”

Roman held his hands up. “I’m not taking sides. That’s not my business. Just give me a few minutes, Janie. I guarantee I’m harmless.”

Janie gave him an assessing look. “I’m assuming Leo sent you. With him behind this visit, I’m not so sure…”

“Leo might be paying for the charter plane, but I’m not for sale. You’re perfectly safe.”

'Leo’s a grade-A prick. Just so you know where I stand.” Janie spoke softly so Matt wouldn’t hear, although her son was thoroughly engrossed in the adventures of SpongeBob SquarePants on the kitchen TV.

“No argument there.” Roman smiled. “I doubt you’d find many who’d disagree. You have a lawyer, I presume. Call him; I’ll talk to him first. He can vet me.”

Janie’s mouth twitched in indecision, not that she thought Roman was actually dangerous. But her husband was. “Oh, very well,” she said. She turned to Jake. “Would you watch Matt for a few minutes? I won’t be long.”

“Not a problem.” Jake didn’t anticipate Janie’s abduction. If precedent held, Leo Rolf wanted his kid, not his wife.

Roman opened the screen door and stepped aside.

Janie gave him another assessing look as she walked through the doorway. “Have you been here all night?”

“More or less.”

He hoped the man hadn’t been taking pictures, Jake thought as he retraced his steps and sat down at the kitchen table. The bedroom curtains had been open. Not that he was seriously concerned. Janie was the man’s target, not Liv. He glanced at Matt, who hadn’t even noticed his mother was gone, entertained as he was by SpongeBob. Then Jake checked out the clock on the stove. Still too early to wake up Liv, although he was sorely tempted.

His psyche was running pedal to the metal on high-octane lust. And while that sensation was way outside any normal paradigm, it wasn’t as though he could turn it off. Somehow Liv had gotten under his skin. Not that her can’t-get -enough-of-sex wasn’t a major attraction. Duh. In fact, if he wasn’t in charge of a three-year-old hooked on cartoons, he’d go upstairs right now.

Then, out of the blue-as if he were being compensated for having lived a stellar life-a young woman with short dark hair, jeans, and a faded red T-shirt walked into the kitchen from the old parlor and said, “Hi, Chris tells me there’s a little boy here who likes kittens.”

Matt swung around, wide-eyed at the word kittens. Sponge Bob dropped from his radar, and like every little kid who’s been snapped out of his cartoon trance, he said, “Huh?”

“I think you might have a customer,” Jake said, smiling and coming to his feet.

“Great.” She put out her hand as she reached the table. “I’m Amy, Chris’s wife.”

“Jake Chambers. And this is Matt,” he added, grabbing a napkin and quickly wiping the syrup from the boy’s mouth.

“So how about it, Matt?” Amy knelt down beside his chair. “Would you like to go out and see the kittens?”

“I wuv kittens,” Matt said gravely.

Amy looked up at Jake. “Is it okay if I take him to the barn?”

“His mom’s on the back porch talking to someone, but I’m sure it’s fine. I’ll let her know Matt’s with you.”

“Let’s go, kiddo,” Amy said, lifting Matt down from his chair and coming to her feet. She took his hand. “We’ll be in the barn if you need us.” She smiled at Matt. “Right?”

“Wight.”