Forever Hers (41 page)

Her first instinct was to blow them off, but then she remembered she had to make an impression. “I’m supposed to meet someone, but if he doesn’t show up, I will.”

“And you are?” Trent asked.

“Amy Kincaid.”

He stuck his hand and shook hers. “Nice to meet you, Amy.”

Before she could respond, Hailey appeared with the salad and shot the guy a pointed look as though she’d like to kick some butt. She placed the salad on the table. “Are they bothering you?”

“No. They’re just being friendly.”

“Expect the call any moment now. I’m heading to their table.”

She’d barely walked past the three guys’ table when a voice called out, “Is there a Ms. Amy Kincaid in the restaurant? Ms. Amy Kincaid.”

“That’s me,” Amy said loudly.

Across the room, Nolan whipped around. His gaze met Amy’s as she stood. She pretended not to recognize him, flashed Trent and his two buddies a sunny smile and started toward the entrance. Part of her was dying to turn and see what Nolan was doing.

At the desk, she picked up the phone, brought it to her ear and casually turned to face the restaurant. Nolan was staring at her with narrowed eyes. Beside him, Hailey tripped. The move was so effortless it seemed real. The glass of water on her tray tipped over and splashed Nolan’s girlfriend’s hair, face and the front of her dress.

Turning away, Amy said into the phone, “Yes?”

“You are supposed to trap Nolan, not flirt with some guy,” Eddie said.

Hailey must have told him. Amy rolled her eyes, too aware of the hostess’s veiled hostile glare and the people still waiting to be seated. “Where are you?”

“Outside, what do you think?”

“I mean,
where are you
? You are supposed to be here five minutes ago. I can’t believe you stood me up.” Nolan’s girlfriend walked past her, looking ticked off, and headed toward the restrooms.

“Now leave the restaurant.”

“Yeah, sure.” Amy passed the phone back to the hostess. “Men.”

The woman nodded. “I hear you, sister.”

“If he calls again, tell him I’m gone.”

“You got it.” The hostess glanced at Trent and his buddies. “There are always more fish in the sea.”

Amy chuckled. Funny how women could bond fast over their disappointments with men. Exchanging another conspirators’ grin with the woman, she headed toward the restrooms. An employee wearing an apron walked out just as Amy walked inside. The door closed and Amy stepped further into the bathroom.

It appeared empty. Amy checked the open stalls, then under the ones that were closed, but there were no visible feet. Had the woman left? How? Maybe she’d used the employees’ entrance.

Amy turned to leave. She was about to turn the handle when the sound of a gun cocking froze her in place. The floor shifted under her and her stomach dipped. Slowly, she raised her hand and tried to catch the glimpse of the woman through the mirror. The Glock was pointed straight at her back.

“Easy now,” the woman said pleasantly. “No sudden movements or the gun will go off. Lock the door.”

Amy did, her heart pounding hard.

“Turn around, nice and slow.”

Swallowing, Amy did as instructed. From the ease with which she held the gun, she was either a cop or learned from one—Nolan. Just like Amy had learned.

“Who’re you?” the woman asked.

“Amy Kincaid.”

“No, you are not.”

“I am Amy Kincaid and I can prove it.”

“IDs can be forged. And that hair isn’t yours either. I can spot a wig a mile away. I’ll ask again and you’d better give me a straight answer or your sweet ass is mine. You do
not
want to know what I can do to pretty lil thing like you.”

The way she held the gun and the alert look in her intelligent eyes was a dead giveaway.

“You’re a cop,” Amy whispered.

The woman’s eyes narrowed menacingly, but Amy didn’t cower. Then the woman pulled something from under her bra. It was an FBI badge.

“No, I’m the freaking FBI and you’re interfering with my investigation. So unless you start telling me who you are and why you are pretending to be Amy Kin…”

Amy laughed. She laughed so hard she doubled over. “FBI? I thought I was coming in here to rescue you…and save you from the big bad Nolan when…” Laughter overcame her again. The FBI agent stared at her as though she had gone nuts, which was probably how she appeared. Amy braced herself against the counter and tried to control herself. “I’m sorry. We thought you were Nolan’s girlfriend and you looked so happy in there and all I kept thinking was poor woman, I have to save her…and…you looked like me and Penelope and…” Amy sighed. “I’m not making any sense, am I?”

“No. Show me your ID.” The gun didn’t waver.

Amy removed the picture she’d folded of Penelope and placed it by the sink. “That’s Penelope—”

“Digger, Reither’s first victim.”

Amy stopped. “Are you saying—?”

“The ID,” the agent interrupted.

Amy pulled out her two driver’s licenses and spread them on the counter. She pointed at her old one. “I used this one before I decided to disappear four months ago.” She pointed at the second one. “This is the fake one I’ve been using since.” Amy removed the wig and shook her shorter mane then pointed at the roots. “See? Lighter hair just like the wig. I dyed it for my new identity.”

The gun stayed leveled at her. “Where’s your son?”

Amy sighed. “I do not have a son. I have a daughter. Raelynn. But if you think I’m going to tell you where she is, you’re off your rocker. You could be working with Nolan for all I know.”

The agent gave her a mean smile then reached under her dress, where a black thigh strap was visible, and holstered her gun. “Okay, let’s say I believe you. What are you doing here?”

“We flew in tonight to take Nolan down. I got tired of running and hiding.”

The agent studied Amy intently as though checking for signs of lying. “When you disappeared months ago, we thought he killed you too. That’s what prompted me to go undercover. We couldn’t prove he killed Penelope, but when you disappeared after a string of burglaries, we had to reopen her case, which led us to your deceased fiancé. It was too much to be a coincidence.”

“He tried to off me, but his partner turned against him and decided to help us.”

“Partner?”

“Jeremy Blackwell, but you already know that.”

She scratched her forehead. “Yes. We want him too. The Goth girl is with you?”

Amy nodded.

“And the two men outside?”

“Yes.”

The agent removed a small notepad from her purse, scribbled something, ripped the page and handed it to Amy. “That’s my hotel. Be there at ten with your friends. Now get out of here before you get in more trouble than you already are in. You should not be meddling in police business. Do not go back to the restaurant,” she added after Amy shoved the paper and her IDs in her purse. “Trent might have appeared friendly back in there, but he was only doing his job.”

Amy opened then closed her mouth without saying a word. She grabbed Penelope’s picture and headed for the door. Just before she opened it, she glanced back at the agent. “What’s your name?”

“Ross.”

“Well, Agent Ross, if you had done
your
job and put Nolan away after he killed Penelope, my fiancé would still be alive. If you knew what I’ve gone through, you wouldn’t be telling me what I should or should not do. My friends have done your job and found the evidence that could put Nolan away for good, so when we meet with you later tonight, I would appreciate it if you don’t talk to them in the same condescending voice you’ve used with me.” Amy yanked the door open and stepped outside.

The restaurant employee she’d seen leaving the restroom when she arrived stood outside by Hailey. From their close proximity, the woman was an agent and she was probably holding a gun to Hailey. On the door was an OUT OF SERVICE sign. Amy grabbed the sign and shoved it at the agent.

“Excuse us. Come on, Hailey.” Amy grabbed the Hailey’s arm. Together, they hurried away from the agents.

***

Eddie paced back and forth and fought the urge to run inside the restaurant. He checked his watch. Two minutes had passed since he last spoke to Hailey. She’d gone to check on Amy in the ladies room.

“Hailey?” he hissed then checked the ear piece to make sure it was on. It was. “I’m coming in.”

“We’re coming out.”

Eddie plucked the tiny walkie-talkie from around his ear and stared at the restaurant’s entrance until Amy and Hailey appeared. Any moment, he expected Nolan and his girlfriend to come charging out of the building too. Other patrons came out, but not Nolan. Amy walked straight to his arms. She was shaking.

“Whoa, what happened?”

“The FBI happened,” Amy said, stepping back from his arms. “Nolan’s girlfriend is really an agent—Agent Ross. She and several people in the restaurant are undercover. She said Nolan killed Penelope, but they couldn’t find evidence to put him away. When I disappeared, they thought he’d killed me too.” She put a piece of paper in his hand. “She wants us to meet her at her hotel in an hour.”

Eddie read the address then showed it to Rod.

“I know where it is. Come on, Hailey. We’re not losing sight of Reither or that box. Call me if you need me at the meeting, detective.”

“No, I got it covered.” Eddie opened the door for Amy, waited until she was seated then walked around the hood and slipped behind the wheel. He didn’t start the engine. He reached out and caressed her cheek. “You okay?”

“She pulled a gun on me, Eddie. I thought I was helping her, opening her eyes to who Nolan really was.”

Anger slammed through him. He was going to make that meeting just to rip Agent Ross a new one. No one pulled a gun on Amy. Then the last thing she had said registered. “Helping her? How?”

By the time she finished explaining what she had tried to do, he was laughing. It was either that or throttle her. He had no idea how she managed to stay so tenderhearted after all the crap she’d been through.

He kissed her then started the engine. “Let’s go back to the hotel.”

“Then we go to Agent Ross’s hotel?”

“No, sweetheart.
I
will go and meet with Agent Ross.”

He was surprised when Amy didn’t argue, which was telling. The agent must have really scared her. Her silence continued until they reached the hotel.

“Let’s check on the girls,” she said.

They peeked through the glass panel of the door leading to the indoor pool and watched Raelynn, Lori and about four guys having a good time. Wherever his sister was, guys tended to flock like scavengers. He didn’t get it. She was so bratty.

“Do you want me to tell them to head upstairs?” he asked.

Amy shook her head. “No. Raelynn can stay up late this once. Look at her. She’s having so much fun. Come on, we need to talk.”

That didn’t sound good. Upstairs in their room, she turned and faced him, her expression serious but calm. But the way she played with the strap of her purse told a different story.

“Tell the FBI everything you know and let them take over this case,” Amy said.

“Why? We’re close to getting Nolan.”

“I know, but I also know he’s cold and calculating. He’s murdered two people and he’s still a free man, Eddie. What if he decides to kill again, go down taking as many people as he can?
You
could get hurt.” She blinked rapidly. “When I thought he’d loved Penelope so much and tried to replace her with me, I felt a little sorry for him. Now, I think he killed her because she rejected him. He’s crazy and I’m scared of what he’ll do when cornered.”

Eddie gripped her arms and looked into her eyes. “First, I made you and Raelynn a promise, which I mean to keep. I must see this through. Second, I have too much to live for to let him take me out. I plan to be a devoted husband to you and a father to Raelynn and her brothers and sisters.”

She laughed, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “Brothers and sisters?”

“Twins run in our family.”

“You haven’t asked me to marry you yet, and I haven’t said yes,” she reminded him.

“I plan to once this mess is behind us and after I meet your parents and talk to your father. We Fitzgeralds have traditions we hold dear and one of them is meeting the parents and having the talk. Oh, and I will need a ring too, so do you think you can wait?”

“For as long as it takes,” she whispered.

He felt calmer than he’d ever felt in his entire adult life. Amy was home. Loving her was what he was meant to do.

“I love you, Amy.”

She reached up and touched his face, her hand so gentle, her gaze so intense as though she was seeing him for the first time. “I love you, Eddie.”

He moved from her hand and went to place the DO NOT DISTURB sign outside the door. If Lori came upstairs, she would understand. Then he turned and walked to his woman, the love of his life, and kissed her, slowly. Her lips parted to welcome him.

Carefully, he lifted her and carried her to the bed and removed her clothes, pausing to taste every inch of skin. He pulled off her boots and removed her garter belt then slowly rolled off the stockings, kissing her skin until he got to her toes. The lushness of her body never failed to take his breath away, but tonight, the love shining in her eyes held him captive as he stripped.