The next morning, Shay woke up to Roxy sitting beside her bed, whining. “No, no way.” She rolled over with every intention of ignoring the dog. Rather than fluffing her pillow into the shape she liked, she punched it. She hated mornings, and she really hated this one. She’d barely slept.
Every time she’d closed her eyes and started to nod off, Michael would pop in for a visit. In one dream, he’d put her in handcuffs before driving her back to prison, and in the next, he’d been representing her in court, defending her with his rapier wit and prodigious brain, winning her case, saving her from prison. The tug-of-war between good Michael and bad Michael continued in her head all night. It wasn’t difficult to figure out why.
Good Michael had heroically saved Cherry both from immediate death and jail while bad Michael was digging deeper into Shay’s and Charlie’s lives, discovering things she didn’t want him to know about her and her family. Asking her to stand down, to trust him to find her uncle, to go completely against her better judgment and leave their lives in his hands.
She lifted her head and punched her pillow again. “Cherry, Roxy has to go out,” she called to her friend who’d been sleeping in Shay’s sisters’ bedroom.
“I need to sleep after my ordeal. Doctor’s orders. You take her.”
“I was standing right there. Finn said you were fine. Now get your butt out of bed. The fresh air will do you good.”
“He was fine, wasn’t he? I know he’s married, but I think he might’ve been into me. He wasn’t obvious about it or anything, but you don’t keep someone locked in an examination room for half an hour after the exam unless you feel a little somethin’ somethin’ for them, right?”
Shay had her own theory about why Cherry’s exam took so long, and he was six foot two with eyes of blue. Which admittedly could have described Michael’s cousin, too, but he wasn’t the one who’d orchestrated her alone time with Michael. It had been obvious from the men’s silent exchanges that Special Agent Gallagher had put the good doctor up to it.
“I have no idea what Dr. Gallagher was thinking, but your dog looks like she’s thinking about peeing in my room, and I swear to God, Cherry, if—” The doorbell rang, cutting off Shay midthreat. And it kept ringing, like someone was leaning on it. “It’s eight flipping o’clock in the morning! Who in their right mind rings someone’s doorbell at eight flipping o’clock in the flipping morning?”
Shay threw back the covers and stomped down the hall, glancing in her sisters’ old bedroom to where Cherry lay in the double bed with her pink eye shades on, her pink satin pajama top visible above the white comforter, and her hands clasped peacefully with a beatific smile on her face. “You suck,” Shay said before stomping down the hall to the front door.
“I love you too, Shaybae. No, you go with Auntie Shay, Roxy. She’ll take you out for a tinkle.”
“I’m not taking your dog for a tinkle!” she yelled at the same time she pulled open the door. On the other side of it stood her next door neighbors, Libby and Teddy, wearing matching sneers on their faces. Shay was just about to close the door on their ticked-off faces when Gabby stepped into view and gave her an angelic smile. Shay dragged in a deep breath while rubbing her fingers through her hair with the urge to tear it out right there. “Okay, so what brings you three to my door at eight in the flipping morning? No, no, that was not an invitation,” she said as Libby and Teddy pushed their way inside.
Gabby stood in front of her in a pair of princess pajamas that were two sizes too small and stained with raspberry jam and orange juice. “Momma lost her job ’cause she don’t have any medicine for her bad back.”
Shay briefly closed her eyes, opening them to see Libby and her oldest daughter had crossed their arms and were staring at her with identical what are you going to do about it? looks on their faces.
“Roxy, come,” Shay said, and without a word to the West family, she followed the dog outside. After calmly closing the door, she yelled at the top of her lungs. “Charlie, where the hell are you?” Roxy froze with a terrified look on her face. “Sorry, just go do your business. I’ll be okay.” She looked up at the sun peeking out from behind a fluffy cloud. The sullen weather of the past couple of days better suited her mood than what was starting out as a cheerful day.
She glanced at the Challenger, the sun’s rays dancing on its sleek black frame. If she were in a fairy tale, the Hellcat would serve as her trusty black stead. Ready, willing, and able to save her from the nightmare she found herself in. All she had to do was go back inside, throw her clothes in a bag, grab her keys, and leave everyone in that house—all the demands and responsibilities—behind in a cloud of dust.
The door cracked open, and an arm appeared, wearing pink satin with a mug of what smelled like coffee. She sighed. “Thanks.”
By the time Roxy had done her business and Shay had drank half a cup of coffee, the Wests had made themselves at home in the dining room. Cherry came out of the galley-sized kitchen with a plate of toast in one hand and a box of cereal tucked under her arm. “All right, Teddy, first you’re going to tell Shay what you saw last Tuesday night, and then we’re going to figure out what to do about you, Libby. Don’t worry, though—like I told you, Shay will take care of everything. She always does. Don’t you, Shaybae?”
Shay went to drag in another calming breath but knew it was futile to search for calm at this moment. She clenched her teeth together to keep from swearing and walked toward the hutch in the corner, the chipped seashell decorated lamp she’d found at a garage sale still gracing the top. Retrieving the extra white wooden chair from beside the hutch, she pulled it up to the round white table. She remembered the day she’d gone with her uncle to buy the furniture.
They’d been living with him for a year by then. She was eleven and going through a nesting phase, putting down roots, determined to make her uncle’s bachelor pad a home for her and her sisters. Sometimes she wondered who she would’ve become if their family hadn’t been torn apart the following year.
She turned the chair around and straddled it. “Okay, so what did you see, Teddy?”
The teenager glanced at her mother, who nodded. “I saw Charlie around ten-thirty like I told you and Agent Gallagher, but I saw him again, later.” She hesitated, and Shay gave her a look of encouragement even though she instinctively knew she wasn’t going to like what she was about to hear.
“When Mom’s at work, I check the locks on the doors and windows before I go to bed.”
Shay glanced at Libby, wondering how that made her feel. As a mother, it was her job to protect her daughters, not the other way around. Libby caught Shay looking at her and crossed her arms, her chin lifting.
Taking in their silent exchange, Teddy stopped talking.
Cherry, who’d returned with bowls, spoons, and a pitcher of milk, nodded at Teddy. “It’s okay. Shay needs to know. She can protect you. She can protect all of us.”
Shay bowed her head and rubbed her forehead before lifting her gaze to Teddy. “Someone came after him, didn’t they?”
The young girl nodded. “A black car, a really expensive one, turned onto the street and turned off its headlights. Then it pulled into the driveway, and two men got out. They were big, and one of them had a gun.”
“Jesus, kid, you went and warned Charlie, didn’t you?” Admiration warred with fear for what might’ve happened to Teddy had the men seen her.
She gave a jerky nod. “Charlie pretends his hearing is fine, but it’s not. I waited on our deck in the shadows, you know, to be sure they weren’t going to come around to the back. When I heard the front doorbell, I ran over here and climbed in the window.” She gave her mother a sheepish look and lifted a shoulder. “Charlie leaves it open in case I need anything.”
“He gave you the key that night, didn’t he?” Shay said.
“Yeah. When I found him, he was just sitting on one of the beds staring at some papers. He was acting all weird. I shook him and told him about the men. He snapped out of it then. We hid in the attic until they were gone.”
Costello’s men wouldn’t have left like that, no matter what Teddy would have them believe. “They broke in, didn’t they? Searched the house?”
Teddy swallowed and nodded, the fear she’d felt that night visible in her light blue eyes. Shay hoped that was enough to scare the kid straight. She was too brave for her own good. “They wrecked the place, pulling things apart, turning furniture over. I came back after school on Friday and cleaned it up.”
“Did you notice anyone watching the house? No one came in to search a second time?”
“I saw the car Wednesday and Thursday, but they didn’t come in. Me and Charlie put papers in the doors and window, so I’d be able to tell. He told me not to come back for a couple of days in case they did.”
“All right, so what did Charlie do after you got out of the attic? Where did he go?”
“He said it was safer if I didn’t know. He’s okay, right?”
Maybe it was just wishful thinking on Shay’s part, but she thought he was. “For now, he is. Has he called you? Did he give you a number where he could be reached?”
She shook her head. “He said you’d come. He said you’d come and help him.”
A million deep breaths weren’t going to alleviate the stress bubbles expanding in her chest. The only thing that would help was action. No matter what she promised Michael, Shay couldn’t just sit by and do nothing.
Libby moved her coffee cup back and forth. “I’m really sorry about Charlie, but I’ve got bigger problems. Like no money coming in, thanks to you. Teddy says you told her you’d come up with a plan to help us, and I’m all ears. Plan away, lady.”
“Seriously? You have bigger problems than my uncle? Lady, he has the East Coast mob after him. You don’t get much bigger than that,” she snapped at the woman, avoiding Teddy’s and Gabby’s anxious eyes. Dammit, dammit, dammit, she swore in her head. “All right, fine. Give me the name of your club and your boss, and I’ll get your job back.”
“Shaybae, that’s the thing. Her club, Pussy Cat East, has a new boss, Danny Costello, and her old boss, Frisky Freddy, was found dead the other day.”
Shay smiled. “Well, Libby, it looks like today’s your lucky day. I’m going to solve Charlie’s problem and yours.” She got up off the chair. “Let’s get to work.”
The four of them frowned at her. “What do you mean, work? I might not be the best mom on the planet, but I’m not putting my kids to work at the pub. They’re not even allowed in the Salty Dog.”
“Sure they are if they’re with me, but that’s not what I was talking about. You guys have ten hours to turn me into a stripper.”
* * *
It was four-thirty on Tuesday afternoon and Michael had arrived home to find a note from his mother to come to the manor. Yes, his mother, who was still living with him. Michael had arranged to take his father to his favorite hole-in-the-wall diner near headquarters in hopes of getting to the bottom of his parents’ marital problems. The only thing he’d come away with was the knowledge that both his parents were apparently happy with their current living arrangements. And either his brothers had moved and hadn’t told him or they were avoiding his phone calls.
He opened the heavy door to Greystone Manor. “Hey, Jeeves, have you seen my mother? She said something about eating at the manor tonight.” He was hoping to convince her to order takeout and eat at home.
He’d been gone since seven that morning and wanted to spend some time outside with Atticus. It was the first semi-decent day weather-wise since they’d moved into the cottage, and the sun would set in about half an hour.
Jasper grimaced and tugged on his ear.
The smile Michael had offered the older man upon entering the manor fell. “What is it?”
“It appears your mother has joined the Widows Club, Master Michael.”
“My dad isn’t dead.”
“Yes, well, they’ve been known to bend the rules in certain circumstances. Take Ava and Lexi, for example. They were divorcées, not widows.”
“Okay, so that aside, you know as well as I do that my mother’s a…Well, she’s a snob, Jeeves. She hates the manor, and all she’s ever done is make fun of the Widows Club. She’s my mother, and I love her, but you’ve gotta help me get her to go home. I don’t want her to hurt you or Grams or anyone at the manor.”
“We appreciate your concern, Master Michael, but we’re old enough to look after ourselves. And your mother, surprisingly, has been quite genial. I’d go so far as to say she’s a changed woman.”
“Really? Well that’s good to hear at least,” Michael said, knowing he should be relieved, but something didn’t feel right. He understood what Jasper was saying, though. He’d seen a change in Maura too. She’d been less strident and demanding with him.
“Yes, it is. But as to assisting you to get Maura to return to your father, I think that may prove to be bigger than us. We may require divine intervention.” He looked at the black cat at his feet. “You know what I mean, don’t you, Simon? Yes, you go off and let her know, won’t you?” Jasper said as the cat slunk away.
Michael looked from the cat to Jasper. “Is there something you want to talk about? You’re feeling okay, aren’t you? No issues we should know about? You’re as much a member of this family as anyone, Jeeves. I hope you know that and feel like you can come to any one of us at any time.”
“That’s most kind of you, Master Michael. And I do appreciate it. Rest assured, I’m well. But I’m afraid your mother has no intention of leaving until”—he clasped his hands behind his back and rocked on his polished black shoes—“you’re happily married.”
“What?”
“Yes, and I’m afraid it’s even worse than you’re imagining. She now has the Widows Club in her corner. They’re gathering in the dining room as we speak…with the first two candidates.”
“Candidates?”
“Matrimonial candidates.”
Michael turned to leave.
Jasper stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “Do yourself a favor and go along with them. They’ll hunt you down if you don’t, and you’ll never know a moment’s peace. Trust me, I’ve been watching them operate for years. I’ll help you outmaneuver them.”
“Michael darling, there you are. Come join us for tea.”
He turned to see his mother and his grandmother standing arm and arm at the top of the stairs leading down into the dining room. He raised a hand and forced a smile for the two women he loved. Two women who just over a year before had barely been able to utter a civil word to each other. “I’ll be right there. I’m just having a word with Jasper.” Michael squinted at the poster sitting on a brass easel near Maura and Kitty. “Tell me that’s not a picture of me.”
“I wish I could, Master Michael. But it’s an excellent photograph.”
“I can’t read what it says above the photo.”
“Bachelor of the month. I’m afraid they’re using it in all the manor’s promotional material and social media accounts. If it makes you feel better, Sophie says it’s been excellent publicity. We’ve never had so many hits.”
He scowled at the man. “I can’t tell you how much better that makes me feel, Jeeves.”
“Quite. And I’m afraid the news only gets worse.”
“How could it possibly get worse than this? My mother and grandmother are trying to auction me off to the highest bidder like a…like a piece of meat.”
“Oh, I wasn’t aware you knew about the auction.”
“What auction?”
“You just said…Ah, I see, you were being facetious. Well, you have the dubious distinction of being February’s bachelor of the month.” At Michael’s blank look, he continued. “The official month of love, the month when every single woman wants a man in her life.”
“Why?”
Jasper sighed. “You’re a highly intelligent man, Master Michael. But I must say your lack of knowledge about love and the fairer sex is somewhat shocking.”
“No, it’s your lack of knowledge of the modern woman, Jeeves. Maybe back in your day all women wanted was a man, but not now. Take Shay, for example. Do you really think she’s sitting at home counting down the days to Valentine’s Day and worrying she won’t have a date or be in love by then? Yeah, I don’t think so.”
“You’d be surprised how little changes, Master Michael. And while Ms. Angel might not be actively seeking love, as Valentine’s Day approaches, it will most definitely be on her mind. You should take advantage of that.”
“Even if she showed the slightest interest in me, which she doesn’t, I have to keep my distance until I figure out how deep she and Charlie are involved in my case. I can’t let personal feelings get in the way of doing my job. This is my first case as an agent, and I don’t want to blow it. I gave up a lot to get to where I am today.”
“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised you’re at a loss when it comes to love. After all, you did almost marry Ms. Adams.”
“And why was I twelve hours shy of making the biggest mistake of my life? I see it’s dawning on you now. My mother, Jeeves. My mother set me up with Bethany, and I promised myself I’d never let her set me up again. So as much as you think I should just go along with them, I can’t take the risk. Please apologize to everyone for me and tell them I got called into work.”
As he walked down the pathway to his SUV, his cell phone rang. It was his partner. So maybe he hadn’t lied after all.
“Pretty Boy, got any plans for tonight?”
“If I did, I can tell by your voice that you have every intention of ruining them. What’s going on?”
“You know the club Fast Eddie managed, Pussy Cat East? Word on the street is that our favorite mobster has just taken it over, so I thought we’d check it out.”
“You might want to curb your enthusiasm, James. You’ll lose your cool card.”
“Hey, I’m fine losing my cool card if I get to see me some T and A. And, Pretty Boy, wear one of your million-dollar suits. Women love that fancy rich-boy shit.”
He reached in his pocket for an antacid. “You’re trying to get me to transfer to white-collar crimes again, aren’t you?”