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“So you’re just playing the overprotective friend while she gets back on her feet?”
“That’s right. She’s quite jumpy at the moment.”
“Brooke said her last relationship didn’t end well?”
“The douche belongs in a dumpster. Speaking of ending well, did you resolve the situation at The Lookout earlier in the week? Baldwin’s Shore seems to be attracting a disproportionate amount of trouble for such a small town. It’s not good for business.”
“Understood. And the situation is…partially resolved.”
“Oh?”
Luca glanced around, and when he started the story, Nico was glad Luca had checked the women were out of earshot. Sara Baldwin—quiet, mousy Sara Baldwin—had apparently made a dangerous enemy, and her circumstances weren’t entirely dissimilar from Kaylin’s. A powerful man against a young woman. Evidence that could go either way in court. A future curtailed because she’d always be looking over her shoulder. It was also clear that Luca hoped the Bad Samaritan would step in and make things right, although he didn’t say as much in words.
Which left Nico with a dilemma.
This wasn’t the first time Luca had hinted about vigilante justice. It had been mentioned during the last Baldwin debacle. The Bad Samaritan had gotten involved, which meant one of two things: either the Bad Samaritan was Deck, Luca’s other suspect for the role, or the Bad Samaritan was half-psychic and had acted of his own accord.
Two things were clear in Nico’s mind—firstly, the men terrorising Sara had to pay for their sins, and secondly, he wasn’t the man for the job. A simple bullet to the head, and maybe he could handle it, but this plan would require someone with significantly more experience in liquidations than he’d managed to gain.
Which meant he had a phone call to make when he got home.
But for now, he just smiled and nodded. “It’s a tricky problem. Let’s hope it resolves itself, but in the meantime, do you have another beer?”
“Game’s about to start,” Aaron yelled.
Luca took two bottles of Bud out of the refrigerator and handed one over.
“Yeah, let’s hope.”
* * *
“How’s Kaylin doing?” Emmy asked.
“She’s sleeping.”
And tipsy too. She’d probably had one more drink than she should have, but Nico had been glad to see her laughing tonight. Between the two of them, they’d gotten Matty into bed, and Nico had judged it to be too late to speak with Emmy Black, so he’d sent a message instead. Seemed she suffered from insomnia because she’d called two minutes later.
“Lucky her.”
“You couldn’t sleep?”
A pause. “I get nightmares sometimes.” Barking sounded in the background. “Excuse the dogs; we’re playing football. Soccer over here, I guess. Anyhow, I take it this isn’t a social call?”
“So perceptive, Mrs. Black.”
“Problems with Cesare? He’s been trying to find Kaylin. Calling in favours left, right, and centre, by all accounts, but so far, he’s been focusing on New York and Virginia.”
“It’s not Cesare. No, there’s a different issue.” Nico laid out the story Luca had told, including the hints he’d dropped about possible action and the fact that Decker Langdon was also a candidate for the role of Bad Samaritan. “I feel that Sara deserves a future as much as Kaylin does, but if Deck isn’t the Bad Samaritan, I have no way of passing the message to the intended recipient.”
“What do you think? Is it Deck?”
“Honestly? I don’t know. I was hoping for some advice. Either that or… What are the chances of you unmasking the Bad Samaritan? I’d pay you for the work, of course.”
“I’ll level with you—I’m not taking that job. If the Bad Samaritan’s hanging out in a place like Baldwin’s Shore, it’s probably because they want to enjoy their retirement. Do you have a picture of Deck? I’d be interested to see one, just for my own curiosity.”
“I don’t have one, but I could get one.”
Nico had first met Deck when he enquired about selling his sculptures in the Peninsula’s boutique, which had been a no-brainer because he was a talented artist. But he also worked locally as a carpenter. If Matty was going to be around for a while—and Nico sincerely hoped that would be the case—then the temporary fence around Nico’s private pool would need to be replaced with a more permanent construction. If Deck was interested in taking the job, then Nico could invite him over to measure up.
