Deep in Death: A Shelby Nichols Adventure (12 page)

“It depends,” he answered. “On who you’re trying to impress.” He was thinking it was because Kate would be there.

“Huh…you got me. But it’s not just Kate…I like to look good.”

He chuckled. “Well…I don’t mind as long as it doesn’t cost me an arm and a leg. But to be honest, I think you look good in anything.” His voice softened and he added, “And nothing.”

My heart melted. He was so good to me, and most of the time, I probably didn’t deserve it. I put my arms around him and held him tight, then pulled away to brush his lips with a soft kiss. “Thanks honey. I sure do love you.”

“I love you too. Don’t forget that if Kate does something to make you mad, okay?”

I sighed. “Don’t worry. I’ll be good, even if she is thinking something that will make me want to hit her.”

“She wouldn’t do that…I mean…she knows you’ll hear her. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

I didn’t want to point out that he was giving her way too much credit…just like Uncle Joey, so I let it go. Still, it made me even more determined to prove myself the better woman.

We took my car, since it was nicer, and hopped on the freeway. I had the address in hand since the only time I’d been there was kind of a blur. I’d been scared to death that time, so it was comforting to go back with Chris by my side.

As we neared the big house, excitement overcame my anxiety. This was nothing like the last time, and if I’d known then that I’d be coming back like this now, I wouldn’t have believed it. “Wow, this is kind of crazy, isn’t it?” At Chris’ furrowed brows, I explained. “That I’m coming back, and it’s so different than the last time.”

Chris twisted his lips into a frown. “Yeah. I get that. It still feels a little wrong to be here though. Kind of like taking the first step into the dark side.”

I chuckled. “I know what you mean. Are you nervous?” I asked.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. But I’m also…intrigued.”

“That’s exactly how I feel.” I reached over and squeezed his hand. “Here’s the turn.”

Chris pulled into the long driveway and followed it to the circular drive in front of a huge house. A young man waited, ready to open our doors and park the car. He helped me out and Chris soon joined me. I took his arm and we followed the walk and up two steps to the spacious entrance.

Ramos stood in front of the door, and I was sure he had more than one weapon hidden under his jacket. His cool nod and hard eyes made him seem more dangerous than ever, but I still caught a quick thrill of pleasure that I’d worn the blue dress he’d bought me before he shuttered his thoughts.

“Shelby…Chris,” he said. “Follow me. Mr. Manetto’s waiting for you.”

We passed through the hallway and it was just as I remembered from before. Beautiful hard-wood floors with Persian rugs and antique furniture. High ceilings with hanging light fixtures set off the dark-wood wainscoting that framed the ceiling and floors. Ramos led us past the door to Uncle Joey’s office and ushered us into a beautifully furnished dining room.

The lavish table was set with china and fresh flower arrangements. Contemporary artwork hung from the walls, and a large picture window overlooked the beautifully manicured yard. The Passinis, David Berardini and his wife, and a few others were already there. Jackie noticed our arrival and hurried over to greet us.

She offered us champagne and took us to the Passinis for introductions. Kate stood beside Alec and, with her red hair falling in soft curls around her shoulders, along with a sea-foam green and copper dress, she easily stood out. She caught sight of us and turned her gaze to Chris with a sexy smile. She kept her gaze on him, practically oozing with an undercurrent of physical attraction, and giving him a look of undisguised admiration. It set me off. She wasn’t supposed to look at my husband that way.

“Julia,” Jackie began. “I believe you met Shelby Nichols at the office yesterday.”

“Yes,” Julia responded. “So nice to see you again.”

“You too,” I said, pulling my attention away from Kate and her traitorous thoughts. “Allow me to introduce my husband, Chris.” Julia tilted her head in a polite nod. “Chris, this is Julia and her sons Alec and Jon Panini.”

“Passini,” Alec and Jon both said at the same time.

“Oh! Yes…of course,” I said. “I’m so sorry. I guess I just got…well…they are quite similar and…anyway…”

Kate snorted and her lips twisted into a sardonic smile. She found my discomfort highly amusing. How could I make such a terrible blunder? She wasn’t going to let me forget that one anytime soon.

“Nice to meet all of you,” Chris said, stepping in to rescue me. He took Julia’s hand in his and said warmly, “I’m Mr. Manetto’s lawyer, but don’t let that put you off.” His rakish smile caught her off guard and she responded with a flirtatious smile of her own.

“I’ll try not to hold it against you,” she said. But she was thinking how handsome he was, and how nice it would be to hold herself against him. Shocked, I slammed my shields down. What the freak?? Wasn’t she old enough to be his mother? Good grief! If I had to hear one more sex-laden thought about my husband, I might just turn around and walk out of there…dragging him with me of course.

Kate caught the murderous glint in my eyes and snorted again. I let down my shields enough to hear her thinking she was surprised at how easily I let other people upset me, especially considering that the evening had barely begun. Couldn’t I control myself better than that?

I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists, managing to hold back my anger. Her gaze caught mine, and she waited for me to explode, or mess up again, but I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction. “Nice to see you again, Kate,” I lied. “How are you?”

“Good,” she said. Her gaze settled on Chris and she smiled sweetly. “Chris, I didn’t know you were Uncle Joey’s lawyer.”

“Yes,” Chris answered. “A lot of things have changed since you left. How are you enjoying Seattle?”

“Things are going great. I run a shipping company there and I’m finally getting the hang of it.”

“Wow,” Chris said. “That’s a big change from filing court petitions and representing clients. How did that happen?”

“Well, let’s just say Eddie Sullivan was in no position to run it, so I took over. To be honest, I couldn’t have done it without the help of my manager, Zack Riordan. He’s been amazingly helpful and an indispensable asset to the company.”

She glanced at Alec and smiled. “In fact, we’re doing so well it looks like we’ll be merging our company with Alec’s. It will bring us twice the profits with less cost. We won’t be bidding against each other for the same contracts either. It’s perfect.” Kate was thinking Uncle Joey held all the cards on this deal, so they had effectively cut off any pretense Jon might have had of taking over her part of the company. He just didn’t realize it yet.

Alec was thinking how hard it was to be caught in the middle of his family and the woman he loved. He was resigned to his fate, but if there was a way he could get out of looking like he’d set Kate up, he’d take it in a heartbeat.

I promptly zoomed in on Julia’s thoughts. Relief came through that this was all going so well. It was the only way she could see her way clear of the mounting debts her husband had left her. Hot anger shot through her. Why did he have to die and leave her with this mess? Stupid man! He was supposed to take care of her. Now look at what she had to do.

The wave of anger toward her husband caught me off-guard. Wow, she was really upset. I tuned into Jon’s thoughts to see if he felt the same way. While he was grateful Uncle Joey had gone along with the merger, he was thinking he’d have to be careful that Alec did his part with Kate so they could off-set the terms of the agreement with a few stipulations of their own. Hmm…this was getting complicated. 

Uncle Joey joined our little group, and I felt Chris tense up beside me. While his features stayed relaxed and personable, his animosity toward Uncle Joey came through loud and clear. Luckily, Uncle Joey didn’t speak directly to Chris, and we were soon taking our seats at the table.

As I glanced around the table, I took note of all the people there and realized Ramos was missing. Where was he? I got a little angry that he wasn’t included, but then realized that, as Uncle Joey’s bodyguard and hit-man, he didn’t exactly fit with this group and probably wouldn’t have liked it anyway. Still, as his right-hand man, it seemed like he should have been there.

I was strategically seated next to Jon and Julia, which gave me the opportunity to pick up their thoughts more readily. I did my best to get them talking, but I could only do so much. At least now I knew they were having money problems. Kate and Alec were sitting together with Alec clearly showing his interest in Kate. There was one time that Jon studied Alec with narrowed eyes and wondered if there was more to his act. Alec caught his glance and gave him a slight nod, which seemed to appease Jon’s worries.

But it wasn’t just an act, and Alec was growing tired of the whole thing. He didn’t need his father’s business to succeed. He could make plenty of money on his own, and this charade was wearing him down. As soon as the papers were signed, he planned to get out of the family business and strike out on his own. If his brother managed to take the business out from under Kate, he wouldn’t be around for it. Then maybe he could convince Kate the merger had nothing to do with the reason he’d fallen in love with her.

As dessert arrived, Uncle Joey stood to offer a toast. “First of all, I’d like to thank the Passinis and the rest of you for coming to my home, and joining me to celebrate the merger between our two companies. May this merger between the Passinis and the Manettos be a blessing to both our families.”

Everyone raised their glasses, and I caught Julia’s relief that Manetto had made it official. She’d thought he would, but until he had said those words, she hadn’t been sure. Now all she needed was his signature on the paperwork. But it looked like it was going to happen as they’d planned, and she allowed a small sense of satisfaction to brighten her smile.

Julia stood and raised her glass. “To Joseph Manetto. He was a good friend of my late husband, Bernard Passini, and I know this merger would have made my husband proud.”

As we raised our glasses again, a loud curse startled me and I jerked in surprise, making champagne slosh over the edge. No one else reacted, so I knew it was only in someone’s mind. I covered my slip-up by smiling and heard it again. This time I knew it came from Jon. I shot a quick glance at him, catching the murderous set of his jaw and pursed lips before he caught me staring.

The transformation of his handsome face into a pleasant smile would have made me doubt what I’d seen was true. But lucky for me, I knew it was all a show and that he was furious. How could his mother betray his father like that? His father hated Manetto. If he knew what she’d done, he’d be rolling over in his grave. With him gone, they shouldn’t have to keep paying Manetto. Jon shouldn’t have let her talk him into this. But it was too late now. He’d have to do damage control and figure out a way to take Manetto out of the equation.

Whoa! Someone wasn’t happy. Did that mean he was going to kill Uncle Joey? When he thought about taking him out, it didn’t seem like he meant death. But what else was there?

With dinner over, a few people began to leave. Chris glanced at me and raised his brows thinking
can we go now?
I smiled and nodded my agreement, glad to know he was just as anxious to leave as I was.

As we stood, Uncle Joey caught my gaze and motioned us over to his group. I didn’t really want to join them since he was talking to the Passinis and Kate. But I just smiled and nodded, then glanced at Chris. “We’ve been summoned.”

“Figures,” he said. “Let’s make it quick and get out of here.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

Uncle Joey made room for us beside him and, rather than looking at me, he focused his attention on Chris. “We’re just talking about the merger. I’m flying to Seattle on Monday to sign the paperwork and wondered if you could join me.”

My breath caught. He couldn’t make Chris do that! It was dangerous. “No,” I blurted. “He can’t go.”

Everyone stared at me in surprise, even Chris. “Umm…sweetheart,” he said, glaring at me before turning his gaze to Uncle Joey. “Let me check my schedule and see what I can do.” He was thinking that I should keep my mouth shut and let him handle this.

“I’d appreciate it,” Uncle Joey said. He leveled me with a cold stare. “I just need my lawyer to make sure the papers are in order before I sign them.”

“Uncle Joey, you don’t need Chris for that,” Kate chimed in, a little offended. “I’m a lawyer too. I’ve been working on the paperwork with Alec’s lawyers. I’ll make sure everything is done right, and you can read over every little detail with me before you sign.”

Uncle Joey studied Kate before he nodded his agreement. “Hmm…you’re right. That should work.” He put his hand on Chris’ shoulder and pursed his lips into a wry smile. “I guess you’re off the hook. That should make Shelby happy.”

I felt the blood rush to my face, but decided to make light of it. “Uncle Joey, you are such a tease.”

No one moved a muscle. How could I say that to a mob boss and live? Even Chris was waiting for Uncle Joey’s reaction. To my great relief, Uncle Joey laughed. “Shelby…you are a treasure. And I mean that in the best way.” He took my arm. “I hope you had a wonderful time tonight. Thank you for coming. Let me see you both out.” I caught a stray thought from Julia that if I wasn’t related, I’d probably be going to my execution…in fact, I still might.