The next morning, Storm sat at the small kitchen table finishing up a plate of scrambled eggs as he watched Nina move around the room naked. Serving all of his meals completely nude was a rule he had made up for this two weeks of total submission, and he was loving it. Nina had the most amazing body he had ever seen, and he always loved the way her long red hair cascaded down to the middle of her naked back. She was beautiful. But he had gazed at her for long enough, and they were now in danger of being late.
“You can get dressed now,” he said, standing up and handing his plate to her. “And be quick about it ‘cause we need to get going.”
“Yes, Sir,” she said, taking his plate and rinsing it off before placing it in the dishwasher. Then he watched with a smile on his face as she dashed off down the hall toward the bedroom. He felt something brush against his leg as he leaned against the counter, and he looked down to see the cat demanding attention. He reached down and picked the thing up, and scratched its head as he held him.
“You know, I don’t appreciate all the gray and white hairs you leave on my clothes, fur ball,” Storm told him, and the cat meowed at him and started to purr. “Was that an apology?”
Still petting the cat, he looked down at his watch and then set the cat back on his feet.
“Nina! Let’s go, sweetheart.”
“I’m coming, Sir,” she called from the bedroom, and Storm rolled his eyes. He didn’t like her calling him Sir any more than he did Master. If she decided she wanted to continue this TPE thing he was going to have to figure out a title he could live with.
She emerged from the hallway fully clothed and beautiful as ever in a short denim skirt and one of her custom t-shirts with her shop’s logo on the front of it. She grabbed her bag from the couch and smiled at him. “I’m sorry if I made you late, Sir.”
Storm shook his head at her and smiled. Then he took her by the hand and led her out of the house and into the small garage. He stopped next to her car and opened her door for her.
“You have a good day,” he said, kissing her lips sweetly.
“You have a good day too, Sir,” she smiled as she gazed up at him. She wanted to tell him that she loved him, but she wasn’t sure how it would go over. How would he react to those words? Would it freak him out? Would he say it back? If he did, would he mean it? “Be safe please.”
“I will be safe,” he said.
She hesitated for the briefest of moments, then she couldn’t hold her tongue. “Sir would be safer if he would wear the protective vest in the closet,” she said softly, lowering her eyes in a submissive fashion. They had talked - or argued - about this subject many times, and Storm always refused. But she worried about him. She couldn’t help it. She loved him.
Storm sighed heavily. He was not about to get into this again, especially not when they were both late for work. So he decided to pull the Dom card. Effortlessly slipping into that mindset, his entire bearing changed as instantly as if he had flipped a switch - his stance, his attitude, the look in his eyes.
“Get in the car, Nina,” he said, using the quiet authoritative, and slightly dangerous tone of voice she had come to know well.
“Yes, Sir.”
He closed her door once she was safely inside, then he turned and headed to his own vehicle, which sat in the driveway. And he frowned as he neared it.
“What the …” his voice trailed off as his eyes suddenly darted all around his car. And he could actually feel his blood pressure rising. “Son of a bitch!”
*
Levi strode into work with a renewed sense of purpose. His mind was crowded with thoughts of the sledgehammer case. His meeting with the detective from Benton wasn’t until 4 o’clock that afternoon, but he already couldn’t get the details off of his mind, and he played the facts of both Eastwood break-ins over and over again in his head, trying to look beyond the obvious similarities. Trying to probe deeper. What did the two scenes have in common? What were the differences? And besides the fact that nothing was stolen at the barkery, so far he couldn’t come up with any real differences. But he knew that even that was a big clue if he could just connect the dots. Why go through the trouble of tunneling into a place only to take nothing? The perps hadn’t even ventured into Marina’s office where the safe was kept. If they had, they never would have walked away empty handed. So why hadn’t they? Levi couldn’t figure it out. Unless breaking into the barkery hadn’t been about the cash at all, but that made no sense either.
Sure the store’s two registers had each been pried open, only to reveal that there was no cash in them. And Levi had just assumed that the perps had gotten angry that they had gone through such effort for nothing, so they expressed their displeasure by trashing the place. But what if he had been wrong about that? What if that hadn’t been their motivation for the destruction at all?
He frowned, squinting his eyes as his mind tried to make sense of the puzzle pieces. He knew there was something there. He felt as though he were grasping for something important. Some clue. Some key that was just out of reach. It was there, if he could only focus. But his mind was a jumbled mess this morning. Not only teaming with thoughts on the sledgehammer case, but also on the Logan case as well.
Before he had made his way to the detective’s bullpen, Levi had informed the day-shift sergeant that he needed a uniform to bring Mrs. Kylee Logan, and one other person, in for questioning. Interrogating persons of interest had never been his favorite part of the job, but something told Levi that this one would be especially unpleasant. There was something about Kylee Logan that unnerved him. He wasn’t sure what it was. He only knew that it was true. She made him uncomfortable for some reason. But whatever the cause, Levi knew that he had to focus once she got there because he refused to allow her to rattle him.
As he was going over his notes on the Logan case he heard someone slam a drawer shut, and he looked up to see Storm sitting at his desk, phone in hand, and cursing under his breath. He stood up and made his way over to his desk.
“Everything alright, Kelly?” he asked, frowning at him as he watched him slam the phone down.
“Hawks, you are not going to believe this, man,” Storm replied, looking up at him from his seated position.
“What’s up?”
“My tires were slashed!”
“What?”
“All four of them!”
“You gotta be kidding me,” Levi said.
“I tell you what … the bastards better be happy they got my car and not my motorcycle. Otherwise I’d kill ‘em,” Storm all but yelled.
“You know who did this?” Levi asked, still frowning at him.
Storm hesitated, realizing now how silly that last statement sounded. “No! But once I find out, I’ll kill ‘em! Son of a bitch,” he mumbled.
“When did you notice the tires were slashed?” Levi asked.
“This morning as Nina and I were both leaving for work,” he answered.
“Was her car messed with?”
“No,” Storm sighed, finally beginning to calm down. “We only have that one-and-a-half car garage at our place, so … she parks her car in there, and I keep the bike in there.”
They were silent for a moment before Levi gave him a small smile. “You know, you kind of jinxed yourself last night at dinner, right?”
Storm looked up at him with a disgusted smirk, but he couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped him.
“The sad part about that statement is that you may be on to something,” Storm said.
“What do you mean?”
“That phone call I just hung up?”
“Yeah?” Levi said.
“That was Payne.”
“Payne Kelly?” Levi asked. He knew from conversations with various Kellys that Storm and Payne were the same age, born just a few weeks apart, and they had been practically joined at the hip ever since.
“Yep.”
“Okay?”
“Guess what he woke up to this morning?” Storm asked.
“I’m afraid to,” Levi answered.
“His tires were slashed,” Storm said. “All four of them, same as mine.”
Levi couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Okay, wait a minute … I know you and Payne like to ride your motorcycles into some pretty rough places sometimes, and that you’ve both been known to start a dust up or two …”
“We don’t start them,” Storm interrupted. “But we don’t run from them either.”
“Okay, but … is there any chance that this is retaliation for something?” Levi asked. “I mean, did you two maybe piss somebody off recently? Maybe bad enough to make them want to come after your whole family?”
Storm gave him a dubious look and then smiled at him. “Well, we are good at pissing people off, that’s for sure. But we’re not that good, Hawks. So you’re still thinking that this is all connected somehow?”
Levi shrugged his shoulders at him. “At this point, aren’t you? Look, … all I know is that I’m starting to see an escalating pattern of terrorism against the Kelly clan. Has Ryan said anything?”
“Ryan?” Storm asked, thinking about Payne’s older brother. And Levi watched as Storm’s expression changed from one of skepticism to burgeoning belief. “Oh, wow,” he said.
“You thought of something,” Levi said, stating the obvious.
“Yeah,” Storm confirmed, looking as though he couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of it sooner. “Yeah. A few weeks back. Back before the paint splattered at Ethan’s, way back before any of it … someone threw a large rock or something through Ryan’s living room window. It scared the shit out of his wife, Nicole; I mean, they have a brand new baby in that house!”
“I bet it did. So that’s nearly a complete set then,” Levi said. “Almost every member of the Kelly clan has experienced some form of terrorism in the last several weeks.”
“Everybody except Nate, it seems,” Storm replied, finally giving in to Levi’s conspiracy theory. “And Frankie. But with the police K-9 there … nobody can get near their place without Bo alerting them to it.”
Levi nodded in agreement as he wondered why Nate Kelly had been spared.
“And then there’s Marina,” Storm continued. “But she’s not a cop, so … maybe that has something to do with it?”
The instant Storm said the words out loud and they registered in Levi’s brain, it suddenly clicked. That was it! That was the missing puzzle piece, the important key his mind had been grasping for earlier. That was the difference between the sledgehammer burglary at the barkery and the one at the video rental store!
“Oh, my God,” he stated. And Storm fixed him with a curious expression.
“What is it?”
“You’re a genius,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Well … yes, but … don’t go spreading it around. I wouldn’t want everyone else to feel inferior,” Storm said, smiling arrogantly, and Levi laughed.
“No, seriously … you just blew this whole case wide open,” he said.
“Of course, I did! Uh … which case would that be exactly?” Storm said, scowling at him.
“The sledgehammers! The vandalism,” Levi said excitedly as he took a seat on the edge of Storm’s desk. “Don’t you see? It’s all one case!”
Storm’s scowl grew deeper as he tried to follow Levi’s train of thought. “Hawks … are you saying that you believe Marina’s store being hit is part of this string of vandalism going on?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying! It all makes sense,” he insisted. “That’s the reason nothing was taken from the barkery. The safe in Marina’s office was full of cash, and yet the perps didn’t even attempt it. That’s because their main focus wasn’t robbing the place, it was trashing it! They meant to damage that store, and that’s exactly what they did.”
“Okay, but … why?” Storm asked. “I mean, if you’re right and the hit on Marina’s store was connected to all the Kelly vandalism … why?”
“I don’t know,” Levi said, shrugging his shoulders as his mind worked. “My best guess is that somebody out there obviously has a hard on for your family. But I can’t answer the why. Not yet. That’s going to take some time. I mean, you’re all cops; you have all put people in jail. Some of you have sent people to prison. Some of you may have even had to kill someone in the line of duty. I have no idea. And there are so many of you … where would I even begin? And that’s just assuming that this has something to do with the job. But what if it doesn’t?”
“What else would it be about?” Storm asked.
“I don’t know. It could be personal,” Levi replied. “I mean, what about Nate? Why hasn’t he been hit? Maybe this is about him, and whoever’s doing this wants him to see his family suffer for a while before they go in for the kill.”
“Do you really think this is about Nate?”
“That’s my point, Kelly … I have no idea! There are so many of you, this could be about anything! Or anyone. And it could just be that Nate hasn’t been hit yet, but his turn is coming. Same with Frankie. Whatever this is, it doesn’t have to come in the form of vandalism to your house or your vehicle.”
“So, what you’re saying is that someone is coming after my family, and we have no idea who, why, or from where,” Storm stated, looking Levi in the eye.
“It’s just a theory. But it doesn’t sound altogether crazy now, does it?” he asked.
“Unfortunately, no,” Storm answered with a disgusted expression.
“So far, it’s all been fairly harmless. But the longer it goes on without anyone taking it seriously, the more impatient whoever’s behind it is going to get. And then, they’re going to up their game. And that's when it could get dangerous,” Levi warned.
“What do you suggest?” Storm asked.
“I think I’m going to pull all the vandalism reports your family has filed and take them to Lieutenant Andre,” he replied. “Along with my theory about how the sledgehammer break-in at the barkery ties into it. See if I can’t get him to broaden the scope of my investigation.”
“Hey, Hawks!”
Levi and Storm both looked up at the uniformed officer approaching them.
“Mrs. Logan is in interrogation room one. Mr. Barnes is in two,” the female officer said.
“Thanks, Martin,” he said. Then he took a deep breath and sighed. He really wasn’t looking forward to this.
“Sounds like you’ve got your hands full,” Storm said.
“You could say that.”
“How about I pull those vandalism reports for you while you take care of Logan and Barnes? Whoever they are,” Storm offered.
“Persons of interest in my other case. You don’t mind pulling the files?” Levi asked, standing up.
“Nah, I got some time. They’ll be on your desk when your interviews are done,” Storm said.
“Thanks, man.”
“Yep.”
He returned to his desk to retrieve the Logan case file, then he made his way out of the bullpen and started down the hall toward the interrogation rooms as his mind played over the facts of the case. Standing in the hallway looking at both doors, Levi made the split-second decision to start with Donald Barnes, the man he had learned was Kylee Logan’s alleged lover. And in his gut, he knew that he was simply putting off the inevitable. He was going to have to be in that woman’s presence whether he liked it or not.
Stepping into the room he nodded at the officer standing guard, indicating that he could go. Then he dropped the case file onto the table and took a seat across from the man, looking him in the eye.
“I’m Detective Levi Hawks,” he said evenly. “I want to talk to you about your girlfriend. Kylee Logan.”
“I want a lawyer,” the man said, staring back at him.
Levi could see the fear behind the man’s eyes, and he nodded at him. “I’m not surprised. If I had helped my married girlfriend kill her husband I’d want a lawyer too.”
“I did not kill William Logan, okay?” he blurted out. “I didn’t have any part in that man’s death!”
“But you had a part in the cover up,” Levi stated. The man hesitated, and Levi watched as his forehead broke out with tiny beads of sweat. Donald Barnes was clearly riddled with guilt, and Levi’s gut was telling him that William Logan’s death had not been part of this man’s plan. It quite possibly had never even crossed his mind until it happened.
The man rubbed his sweating palms together, and Levi could tell that he was going to be an easy one to crack. “Can I get you some water, Mr. Barnes?”
“Yes, please,” he said quietly.
Levi stood and walked over to the table bearing a few bottles of water, a warming pot of coffee and a few paper cups. He opened a bottle, poured some water into a cup, and then set it down in front of the man. Then he returned to his seat across from him. Donald Barnes took a nervous sip of water with a shaking hand. Then he looked at Levi and started to talk.
And as Levi listened, getting his side of what had transpired that night, he understood that the man had simply been taken in by Kylee Logan. He had been bewitched by her pretty face and her sweet words. Seduced and manipulated by her beauty and her wiles.
As he listened to the man talk about their relationship, Levi suddenly saw himself as Donald Barnes. He identified with him. He understood the man’s willingness to do anything to make Kylee Logan happy. He understood it because he had been in the man’s shoes. And he suddenly understood the uneasiness he felt around that woman. It was the same unease he had recently felt with Stacy. Kylee Logan made him uncomfortable because she gave off the very same treacherous energy as his ex-girlfriend. The same duplicitous nature wrapped in a different pretty package.
He came away from his interrogation of Donald Barnes with a whole new insight - insight into the case, and into himself as well. He finally understood that he had been hanging on to this thing with Stacy for far too long, clinging to the hurt. Keeping her betrayal as close as a lover, and that had to stop. The relationship was long dead, as was the love. And now the bitterness needed to die with it, once and for all. It was the only way that he could ever be truly free to love Marina the way he wanted to.
He left the interrogation room feeling slightly shaken, and he made a quick stop in the bathroom to splash some water on his face. Then he gathered himself together and headed out for round two. Standing outside the room, he grasped the doorknob and took a deep breath before turning it and entering the room.
“I have been sitting in this filthy room for over an hour!”
Kylee Logan glared at him with barely contained fury, her voice raised and full of ire. Levi ignored her harsh tone as he made eye contact with Officer Susan Martin who was standing in the corner of the room. When she moved to leave, he gave her a discrete signal telling her to stay put for this one, so she maintained her position.
He pulled out the chair across from Mrs. Logan and sat down. “I’m sorry you find our amenities lacking, Mrs. Logan. I’ll be sure to pass your displeasure along to the cleaning service. Can I get you some water or some coffee or anything?”
“Don’t patronize me,” she snapped. “My time is very important. I have a distraught daughter at home, and I’m trying to handle funeral arrangements, not to mention seeing to my husband’s business affairs. I don’t have time to be kept waiting like this! What is this about?”
“Well, it’s about the fact that you lied to me during our first conversation,” Levi replied.
She glared at him. “I did not lie to you.”
“Well, you told me that you and your husband were happy, and that’s not true, is it?” He watched as the color began to stain her cheeks, but she said nothing. “In fact, according to a couple of sources, Mr. Logan had filed for divorce just a couple of days before he was killed.”
She laughed slightly. “I don’t know what sources you’re getting your information from, Detective, but my husband and I were not getting divorced. And Will shot himself. You make it sound as though he were murdered,” she stated.
“That’s because he was. But you already know that,” Levi said, looking into her eyes. And he saw the sudden flash of uncertainty there. He now had her full attention.
“I know no such thing,” she said, her voice full of bravado. “And neither do you!”
“Well, then let me tell you what I do know,” Levi said, leaning back in the chair and placing his hand on the table. “I spoke with your husband’s divorce attorney. She confirmed that the papers were filed on the grounds of adultery, and that you were being served the following day. The papers named your lover as a Donald Barnes.”
“This is ridiculous,” she spat, glaring at him.
“Is it? Because I actually have Donald Barnes in the next interrogation room,” he said. “Tell me, Mrs. Logan … what tale do you think he’s going to tell me, hmm?” He didn’t wait for her to respond. “Based on my interview with your husband’s attorney I know about the clause in your prenuptial agreement. I know that if your marriage ended by adultery, you would be out of a nearly 2 million dollar divorce settlement. That’s a pretty powerful motive. And you couldn’t let that happen. So you tore the house apart, looking for the proof of your affair that you knew your husband had on you.”
She sat staring at him, saying nothing. So Levi continued.
“See, my theory is that he walked in on you ransacking his study. You argued. Maybe you pleaded with him to forgive you, promising to end things with Barnes. But when he wouldn’t budge, you got angry, and you hit him with something in the heat of the moment. Maybe a paperweight from his desk or something similar. In any case, your husband ended up dead, face down on the floor of his study. And you panicked. You didn’t know what to do. So you called Barnes and begged him to come over and help you. And as usual … he came running. And by the time he got there, you had concocted the whole suicide story. You instructed Barnes to prop your husband up in the chair, and then you pulled his gun from the drawer of his desk and told Barnes to put it in William’s hand and pull the trigger. What do you think of my theory so far?” he asked.
“I think it’s ludicrous,” she answered. “I did not kill my husband. And you have no proof of anything you’ve just said!”
“Ludicrous,” Levi repeated, nodding his head. “Well, if it’s proof I need … how about the fact that I left you stewing in this room while I spoke at length to Donald Barnes in the next room. He admitted to everything - the affair. The clause in your pre-nup that you frequently told him about. The many theoretical conversations you had about actually killing your husband. And the details of what happened that night.”
“No. You’re bluffing,” she said, studying the wall behind him instead of looking into his eyes. “You’re trying to trap me into saying something, and it won’t work. Donald wouldn’t have said any of those things! He’s probably not even here.”
“My conversation with Mr. Barnes was video recorded. Just like our conversation right now. I’d be happy to play it for you if you’d like,” he said.
“I want my lawyer,” she said. And Levi nodded his head at her. “That’s a good idea. Kylee Logan, I’m placing you under arrest for the murder of William Logan. Officer Martin, would you please read her her rights and get her to booking?” Levi said as he stood up.
“Yes, sir.”
Levi looked down at her from his standing position, and for a crazy moment he wondered what his life would be like now if he and Stacy had stayed together. If he had forgiven her for a third time and they had ended up married. The thought rattled him, and he turned and left the room without another word.
*
It was near closing time and it had been a very long day for Marina, what with the workmen finally finishing up the repairs in the storeroom and in the dining area. All of the café tables and chairs had been moved back in and the customers’ pictures had all been reframed and re-hung on the walls. The place was actually looking better than ever, and Marina was elated. She now even had two separate glass display cases - one small one for the people cookies and biscotti, and a longer one for all the dog treats.
This month had set her business back a few paces, that was for sure. But lucky for her, her insurance coverage was really top notch - something she could actually thank her father for. Mike Kelly had been far less than thrilled when she opened the barkery, but he introduced her to a friend of his who worked for the local branch of a national insurance firm. Her father had apparently saved the man’s life way back when, during the early days of his police career, and the man had vowed to always help her dad in any way he could ever since. The result for Marina was a top of the line insurance policy for the store that didn’t cost her an arm and a leg, so not too much of the repairs had to come out of her own pocket.
Liz was busy sweeping up the mess the workmen had made while Marina wiped off the tables and chairs that had just been put back in place when she heard the door chime, and she turned to see one of her regular customers coming in with her two dogs, a Doberman and a Bulldog. Ever the gracious host, Bear rushed over to greet their guests, and Marina was so happy to see real customers back in the store that she gave each of the dogs a treat on the house.
“The place looks great, Marina!”
“Thanks. It’s been so much work getting it back in order,” she told the woman as she offered her a seat.
“Oh, I can imagine. Do the police have any leads on who did this?”
“No, I’m afraid not,” she answered. “But I don’t even care anymore, you know? As far as I’m concerned, it’s over now. The repairs are finally finished, the workmen are packing up as we speak, and now I just want to look ahead to the grand re-opening this weekend!”
She talked to the customer for a while longer before getting the woman a cup of coffee and two chocolate toffee cookies, and some peanut butter paw prints and a bowl of peppermint and parsley water for the dogs. She was busy running the woman’s credit card through the machine when the door chimed again, and she looked up to see a very pretty woman walk in. She didn’t have a dog with her, but she looked around at the place with great care, as though she were inspecting it. She was dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and navy pumps, with a very pretty, pale pink sleeveless blouse, and an expensive-looking matching pale pink handbag.
“Hi there,” Marina called out from behind the counter. The woman said nothing, but she smiled at her. Marina carried the credit card and the receipt back over to her customer, reminding her again about the grand re-opening that weekend. Then she turned to properly greet her new guest. And it struck her as odd that Bear was nowhere around. Usually, greeting the customers was his favorite thing to do, but as Marina looked around she spotted him over by the counter just watching, and she frowned at him, wondering if he was okay.
“What can I get you?” Marina asked, turning toward the woman.
“Oh, um … well, actually I’ve never been here before,” she said.
“Hmm. Well, welcome! I’m glad you stopped by,” Marina said kindly, looking the woman in the eye. Then she turned toward the menu hanging behind the counter, and gestured to it. “As you can see, we have an extensive doggie menu. Our people menu is limited, but I promise, it is every bit as delicious.”
The woman smiled at her again. “I’ll have a cup of coffee and … um, a couple of the lemon poppyseed shortbread cookies.”
“Excellent choice,” Marina smiled. “Have a seat anywhere.”
As she walked back to the counter she took a deep steadying breath, letting it out slowly as she went about gathering up two cookies and placing them on the small dog-shaped saucer. And as she pulled out one of the barkery’s much-loved coffee mugs, Marina couldn’t help but wonder what that woman was doing in her store.
She had recognized her the moment she stepped through the door. The image of her sitting at Beans Coffee Shop a few days ago with Levi was sort of etched in Marina’s brain, whether she liked it or not. This was the infamous Stacy, who Levi was still letting get under his skin. What did she want? Why had she come to Marina’s shop? She obviously wasn’t in the market for any dog treats, so what was she after?
She picked up the coffee pot and made her way to the woman’s table, setting the plate of cookies in front of her. Then she set down the mug and poured the steaming liquid into it.
“I’m sorry, would you like cream or sugar?” she asked.
“Yes, both please,” the woman answered, looking up at her.
Marina returned to the counter, wondering with every step what was going on. Had she come to confront her? To say … what? Levi had told her that he’d gotten the chance to tell Stacy that he was involved with someone when she showed up at the station the other day. So, what was she doing here? What possible reason could she have for seeking Marina out?
She returned to her table with the promised cream and sugar, setting it down with a small smile. Then she returned to the counter and busied herself wiping down the counters in preparation for closing.
“The kitchen is all ready for the morning, Marina,” Liz said.
“Thanks, hon,” Marina said distractedly.
“Wow, this is the busiest this place has been in weeks,” Liz joked, and Marina gave her an amused smirk.
“Sad but true. I am so excited for the weekend.”
“Me too. And those t-shirts your sister-in-law made are awesome! I love the way they fit.”
“Aren’t they great? Although I’m not really sure how Stormy would feel hearing us refer to Nina as my sister-in-law,” she said with an amused smile.
“Well, Nate says they’re practically joined at the hip,” Liz said.
Marina suddenly gave the girl a wide-eyed grin. “You’ve been dating my cousin!”
Liz laughed at her. “I wish that I’ve been dating your cousin,” she said. “But we’re just friends. We hang out, you know. Heather Moss has become a good friend of mine, so … I hang out with her and Ethan sometimes, and … sometimes Nate’s there.”
“Of course. Because Ethan and Nate are so close,” Marina said, still smiling at her. “Are they trying to fix the two of you up?”
“No! It’s nothing like that,” Liz insisted. “Besides, he’s a little too old for me.”
“Oh, yeah. He’s like … four whole years older than you,” Marina replied. “God, he’s ancient!”
Liz giggled some more, blushing a pale rose color. “It doesn’t make any difference; he doesn’t even know that I’m alive. I’m just Heather’s annoying little friend to him.”
“Mmm hmm,” Marina mumbled, still smiling at her with narrowed eyes. “I’m going to have to talk to my cousin about that.”
“Please don’t!” Liz’s voice was full of horror as she stared at her boss. “Oh, my God!”
Marina couldn’t stop her laughter. “I’m just teasing you.”
“I’m going to straighten the storeroom before close,” Liz said, eager to get away from Marina’s teasing and her probing questions.
“Actually, why don’t you go ahead and get out of here, sweetie,” she said, glancing at her watch. Six o’clock on the dot.
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“But we’ve got two customers in the store,” Liz protested.
“No, it’s okay. Diana’s already paid for her stuff, so it’s just the one. Just be sure to turn the sign over and lock the door, okay,” she said.
“Okay. I could sure use the study time,” Liz said, eagerly walking to the front of the store. And Marina watched as she locked it and turned over the Open sign. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Have a good night.”
Her customer with the two dogs suddenly stood up. “I guess if you’re locking the doors that means I should let you go home,” she smiled.
“No, no. You sit and finish your coffee,” Marina smiled.
“Oh, I’m done. It was delicious, as always. You know, someday you’re going to have to give me the recipe for those chocolate toffee cookies.”
Marina smiled. “But if I did that, you wouldn’t come visit me anymore.”
“Are you kidding? These two wouldn’t let me do that; they love this place,” she said, talking about her dogs. “Alright, come on, guys,” she said, getting their attention. “Have a good night, Marina.”
“You too. Hope to see the three of you this weekend,” she smiled.
“Oh, you will!”
She unlocked the door to let them out, remembering to lock it again after them. Then she walked over to their abandoned table and picked up the water dish from the floor, and the empty coffee mug and saucer, and returned them to the kitchen.
When she came back out, Bear was sitting next to the kitchen door, as though he didn’t want to be left alone with their last guest. Marina frowned at him and gave him a quick, reassuring scratch behind the ear. Then she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and walked over to the woman’s table.
“I suppose I should go too,” the woman smiled, looking up at her. “Let you close up shop for the night. I’m sure you’re anxious to get out of here.”
“That’s alright, I’ve got some time,” Marina said, pulling out the chair opposite her and sitting down. She sat back in the chair and crossed her legs as she looked the woman in the eye. “And as wonderful as my coffee and cookies are, I suspect you didn’t come here for either. So is there something you wanted to talk to me about, Stacy?”
The woman looked at her in surprise. “You know who I am?”
“Yes,” Marina nodded. “I’ve heard all about you. Levi has been very forthcoming. He and I don’t have any secrets. I don’t suppose it would surprise you to know that honesty is now a very important issue to him in a relationship.” Marina watched the color rise from the woman’s neck to her cheeks.
“Well, I don’t guess there’s any fooling you, is there?” she said, returning Marina’s gaze.
“No, I don’t think you’ll find much success with that,” Marina replied, staring into the woman’s eyes. “So why don’t we skip the pleasantries and you just tell me what it is that you’re doing here.”
The woman stared blankly at her for a moment. Almost coldly. Then her demeanor changed and she looked away, and if Marina didn’t know any better, she would say she looked embarrassed.
“I don’t know what I wanted, really,” Stacy said, sounding forlorn. “I just … wanted to meet you, I guess.” Then she looked up at her. “You’re exactly what I imagined when Levi told me about you. I could tell by your name. Beautiful name, beautiful face, perfect figure. Cute little shop,” she said softly. She looked around the store, her eyes lighting on Bear across the room. “Beautiful dog. I don’t think he likes me, though.”
Marina felt a chill slide up her spine as she looked over at Bear, still sitting exactly where she had left him as he watched the scene carefully. Marina trusted her dog’s judgment implicitly, and if he didn’t want to be anywhere near Stacy, neither did she.
“I bet you and Levi make a striking couple. Two beautiful people being beautiful together,” Stacy said quietly.
Marina frowned as she looked back at Stacy slowly, wondering what the heck this chick really wanted. What an odd thing for her to say.
“Stacy … did you want to say something to me? Is that why you’ve come?”
“I told you why I’m here,” she said, turning back to her. “I just wanted to meet you.”
“To what end?”
Stacy shrugged. “I guess I was just curious about the type of woman Levi fancied these days. Part of me was expecting … or maybe hoping to see something of me in you somewhere. A similar personality to mine … the same eye color maybe. A similar sense of humor. Anything to let me know that he still thinks about me from time to time. But you and I are nothing alike; I can already tell that much. I guess I was hoping that whoever he was with now somehow reminded him of me on some level. But I suppose being reminded of me is the last thing Levi wants.”
“You’re still in love with him. Aren’t you?” Marina asked.
She looked down at the table. “Yes,” she said after a small pause, looking up with tear-filled eyes. “I made the biggest mistake of my life when I cheated on him. I don’t know what I was thinking. I thought I wanted excitement. That’s what Dan was. Excitement and money and power. He would buy me the most incredible gifts - jewelry and clothes and trips. It all looked so inviting. And it was exciting, lying to Levi and sneaking around. Crazy as it sounds, I never felt so alive. Even the night he walked in on us having sex … oh, it was the biggest thrill,” she said, almost laughing through her tears as Marina watched in shocked silence. “I needed that excited rush. I craved it. And Dan gave me that. But I hurt a truly amazing man in my quest for it.”
Marina almost felt sorry for her as she listened to her confession. But she also felt that Stacy was playing her somehow.
“Well, you’re right about that. You hurt a truly amazing man, and it took a long time for him to get over it. Levi is good and loving and brilliant and strong. And I’m sorry that you didn’t recognize all those things when you had him. Because if you had, then maybe you wouldn’t have broken his heart. But I’m going to be straight with you, Stacy. I come from a long line of strong-willed, passionate warriors. I may not have wanted to be a cop myself, but all those traits and instincts are in my blood. So if you’re looking for a fight, sweetheart … I will give you one! I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing here, and I really don’t care. I will fight you tooth and nail if you try to come between Levi and me.”
“I understand,” Stacy said softly after a small pause. “But I’m not looking for a fight, Marina. I just wanted to know that you loved him too.”
Marina frowned at her. And for the life of her, she couldn’t tell if the woman was being sincere or not. She knew that this woman was excellent at deflection and manipulating any tense situation to get what she wanted. Marina just wasn’t certain what coming here had gained her.
They stared at each other for what felt like several minutes as Marina attempted to read her. She saw what she thought might be a smile at the corner of the woman’s lip, but just as easily as it appeared, it vanished, and Marina felt that cold chill run up her spine once more.
The light knock on the glass door drew a startled gasp from them both, and Bear barked a couple of times as he ran to the door.
Marina stood and crossed the room to the door, reaching up to unlock it. And as she pushed it open, and she and Levi made eye contact, she could tell from his expression that he was shocked by the sight.
At first, Levi wasn’t sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. Surely the woman Marina was talking to wasn’t who it appeared to be. But when he stepped into the barkery there was clearly no mistake.
“Hi,” he said as he leaned in and kissed Marina’s lips.
“Hi.”
“Hey, buddy,” he said as he reached down and petted the dog. Then he straightened up and walked toward the table as Marina followed. He felt his scalp prickle. A sensation that traveled uncomfortably from the top of his head down over the rest of his body.
“What, uh … what’s going on?” he asked awkwardly, wrapping his arm around Marina’s waist and looking back and forth between the two women. What the hell was Stacy doing here?
“Stacy and I were just talking,” Marina answered. “Getting to know one another.”
“Okay,” Levi said slowly as he studied them. The tension in the air was unmistakeable, although he suspected that it had skyrocketed with his arrival, and he wondered what exactly had taken place between the two women.
“Actually, I was just leaving,” Stacy said, standing up. “I’ve kept you long enough. What do I owe you?”
“It’s on the house,” Marina said.
“Oh, no … please,” Stacy protested.
“It’s okay,” Marina said with a dismissive wave of her hand as she leaned into Levi’s side and felt his arm tighten around her waist. She had won. She could afford to be gracious to this woman.
“That’s very kind of you,” she said. “And the cookies were delicious, as boasted.”
Marina gave her a silent, artificial smile as she watched her gather her things. And when Stacy turned her attention to Levi, Marina could see a tempest brewing behind the woman’s eyes. She knew in her gut that this wasn’t over.
“It was good to see you, Levi. Maybe next time we’re together it will really feel like old times,” she smiled.
He frowned at her choice of words. Next time they were together? What did she mean by that? And why did those words make his blood run cold? She stared into his eyes for a long moment before she glanced over at Marina, and Levi suddenly became very aware of his breathing. Was she threatening the two of them, or was he simply being hypersensitive to her every word or action because of his epiphany while interrogating Kylee Logan? He was inclined to believe it was the latter.
Either way, he didn’t respond, and Stacy turned and walked slowly out of the store. He stood for a long moment just holding Marina close and staring at the door. Then he turned to look at her.
“What the hell was that about?” he asked, eyes wide with concern.
“Oh, what do you think it was about, Levi?” Marina shot back, looking at him as though she couldn’t believe he was asking the question. “That was about exactly what I said it was about days ago. That woman is desperate to get back with you.”
“I don’t believe that,” he stated. “I don’t know what game she’s playing this time, but I can promise you that she does not want me back. What she wants is to mess with my fucking head, like always. And now she’s dragged you into it! Did you ask her to come here?”
“Of course not! Why would you even ask me that? I don’t know where she lives or how to contact her,” Marina stated loudly. “She just showed up here, like she was spying on me or something!”
“What did she say to you?”
Marina shook her head as she thought back over their strange conversation. “I think I agree with Jeremiah on this one. That girl is a nut job,” she muttered as she went to lock the door once more.
“What did she say?” Levi asked again.
“She talked about how pretty I am. Just like she imagined,” Marina said with a roll of her eyes. “And then she raved about what a handsome couple we must be - two beautiful people together.”
“What?” Levi frowned at her as though he didn’t understand what she was saying.
“Yeah … it was pretty bizarre. And that was before she admitted to me that she still loves you, and what a big mistake she had made by cheating on you, but she just couldn’t resist the excitement of it!”
Levi stood shaking his head as he listened to Marina’s account of her visit with Stacy. What the hell was going on in that woman’s head, and what did she want from him? What was she really after? She didn’t love him. She never had; Levi understood that now. So why was she doing this?
“None of this makes any sense,” he mumbled. “I don’t care what she told you, Marina … Stacy is not in love with me. She doesn’t even know what those words mean!”
“I don’t care if she knows what they mean or not. I’m just telling you what she said,” Marina replied as she stalked around the store making sure the lights and appliances were all out in the kitchen. She hated fighting with Levi; it was something they had never done before. And now, because of his crazy ex-girlfriend, that’s all they seemed to be doing.
She sighed as she sauntered off to her office to get her things. And she could feel the tears dancing right at the edge of her lower eyelids. She grabbed hold of her desk with one hand and shut her eyes tight. She was not going to cry about this! She was not.
Still holding the edge of the desk, she brought her other hand to her face and covered her eyes. And she jumped when she felt Levi’s hands at her waist.
“I’m sorry, Marina,” he whispered, pulling her gently into his arms. “I don’t know what to say to you. I … I don’t know what she wants or why she’s doing this. I haven’t seen or spoken to her in nearly two years. I don’t know what she’s after. And I’m sorry that she’s upsetting you. But I don’t want her to come between us. She can’t. Not unless we allow her to.”
Marina nodded her head. She knew that he was right. She had said as much to Frankie, Heather and Nina at dinner the other night. That woman couldn’t cause any trouble between them unless they let her. She looked into Levi’s eyes as he wiped his thumb over her cheek. She hadn’t realized that she’d lost control of her tears.
“I’m so sorry, angel,” he said softly. And when he kissed her, Marina felt herself give in, melting into him as she let his kiss overtake her.
“Would you do me a favor?” she asked softly, looking into his eyes.
“Anything. You know that,” he answered.
“Would you take me home and make love to me?”
“I will do that with great pleasure,” he whispered.