AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Or…” She twists to the windowsill and picks up a bandage someone has already found for her. “I’ll treat my patient. This one is alive, which is a pleasant change of pace for me. I’ll finish what I’m doing, then we’ll hand her off to the local police.” She glances across and lifts a daring brow. “Felix, I suggest you put that gun away before you find yourself in a Jamaican jail for the night. I’d really prefer you made it to my wedding.”
“Which is in two hours!” I exclaim. “Why is no one else alarmed about this?”
“Because you’re exceptionally dramatic,” Fifi drawls. “Ms. Cain is a kind woman, Detectives. She’s grieving. She’d like to confess. And as such,” she pushes up from her bouncy ball and turns so Fletch’s gulp is almost as audible as the concierge’s. “We expect kindness toward her in return. Officers?” She leans around and eyes the cops still standing in the door, “Ms. Cain is ready for apprehension. But you must be thoughtful about your actions. She does not need weapons. She doesn’t need physical violence. She’s willing to come with you.”
“Put your gun away, Archer.” Minka wraps Veronica’s hand with quick, practiced movements. “I don’t recall you packing one of those for this trip. Though,” she peers across with a side-eye. “You’ve been lying about your involvement in this case all along. So who am I to assume your honesty about the gun situation?”
“Nah,” Felix reaches across and snatches his piece back. “That’s mine.”
“Minka!” I snap, loud enough to make Veronica startle. “Step away from her. Now.”
“Christabelle.” Crisis averted, Felix circles around me and strides across to the woman who makes him soft. His hands go to her hips and his lips pucker forward. “You over here fighting crime too, babe?”
“You,”smack, “kidnapped,”smack, “a,”smack, “child!?” She rears back to swing again. “Felix!”
He catches her wrist and brings her hand forward to press a kiss to her knuckles. “No hitting, Darling. Besides,” another kiss, “he really needs to get over it. It was one time, we hung out, she told me all about hotdogs on sticks, and now she’s my little buddy. If the girl can forgive me, then all the rest of these motherfuckers can, too.”
MINKA
“Oh god, oh god, oh god.”
I breathe in. I breathe out. I suck air into the very depths of my lungs, then I exhale again and wonder if today might be the day I pass out.
“Use this.” Fifi slaps a paper bag in front of my face. “Stop being so weird.”
“I’m getting married! In, like…” Desperately, I search the room for a clock. “Twenty minutes!”
“You’re already married, stupid.” Christabelle snaps my head back and works on applying my lipstick. “You’ve been married for months already. So why are you freaking out now?”
“Because I’m getting married in front of people.” My eyes grow painfully wide. “I’m saying all myI do’sin front of people. Where’s Aubree?” I jerk my chin out of Debbie’s hand and search the room. Mary’s here. Mia. Fifi. But no Aubree. “She claims this bullshit best friendship every three seconds of our lives. But she’s not here!”
“We’re on a boat.” With a vise-like grip, Christabelle yanks me back and forces the lipstick closer. “She hasn’t gone far. Maybe she’s banging Tim and getting that nonsense out of hersystem. Besides,” she leans closer and uses the edge of her thumb to perfect the line of red. “You’re supposed to be freaking out about Archer.Where is he?” she mock whines. “Does he still love me? We had a fight today, so that’s probably a bad omen.” She rolls her eyes and straightens out to search her makeup bag. “You have the strangest relationship I’ve ever seen.”
“Oh hush,” Fifi grumbles. “Felix Malone. It’s literally all we have to say about your relationship.Felix. Malone.”
“What do you even know about Felix Malone?” I fight Christabelle’s grip and turn to meet Fifi’s stare. “You don’t know them. You don’t know anything about them.”
“Please.” She plops her ass onto the corner of the bed and flattens her lips. Of course, her ass is wrapped in a flawless silk gown, and her lips, perfectly plumped and red. “It takes about two seconds to google a name, Chief Mayet. It doesn’t take a genius to connect Felix Malone’s name and face to the billion newspaper articles coming out of New York. Besides,” she looks straight over my head and smiles at Christabelle. “Our very own journalist over here. She blasted the Malones publicly not too long ago. Pretty sureeveryoneknows who you’re married to now, Chief.”
“Shit, shit, shit.” I burn Debbie with a glare. “You justhadto publish those articles?”
“That was from before I liked him.” She shrugs. “We all have lapses in judgement sometimes.”
“Sure,” Fifi mumbles. “But I’m pretty certain yours is ongoing. Considering the wholeI’m dating a gangsterthing.”
“What’s a gangster?” Mia, long ago bored with us, circles the room and peers into random drawers. She opens one, peeks inside, closes it, and looks into another. “And do you fink there will be hotdogs on sticks at the wedding?” She closes another drawer and glances across to meet my eyes. “Daddy said I had tobe polite and eat what I get. But I really like hotdogs on sticks. I don’t like spicy stuff.”
“I’m not sure.” Pale-faced, I bring my attention to Christabelle. Taking my cue, she snatches my jaw and continues her work. “Could someone maybe call one of the guys and get confirmation on the hotdog situation?” I swallow, the lump of nerves rolling along my throat a painful reminder I’m about to be put on full public display. In a white dress and red lips. “And maybe someone else could find Aubree for me.”
“We should take offense,” Fifi snarls. “You have me and Christabelle here. And Mia. And you’re obsessively focused on Aubree.” She arches a brow. “It’s rude. You’re rude.”
“I need to know where Aubree is. Where’s Aubree? Mary!” Like a woman possessed, I spin and search for the one whose job right now is to make me happy. “Please find Aubree.”
“Yes, Doctor.” She sets a garment bag on the desk lining the far wall and circles back to the door. “I’ll find her for you right away.” Then she looks at Mia and smiles. “And I’ll make inquiries about the menu.”
“Thank you, Mary.” On the verge of hyperventilation, I look back to Christabelle with absolutely no clue where we’re up to with the makeup and hair situation.Am I done? Am I presentable?“I’m getting married in twenty minutes. And I think I’m gonna puke.”
“If you puke and ruin a thirty-thousand-dollar gown, I’m gonna tear the skin off your face.”
