"Instead of paying me, you take the money and donate it to the pet adoption fund at my clinic."
Rheyna let out a melodramatic sigh. "Is that all? Here, I thought you were gonna demand my first born."
"That comes with the next pup you adopt."
It was Rheyna"s turn to laugh. "Okay, Doc. You got a deal."
"In that case, I will see the two of you tomorrow morning, if you"re open."
"I have an appointment at eight, so any time after that is good," she lied.
"See you tomorrow then," Caroline said before hanging up.
Rheyna looked down at the puppy sleeping peacefully in her lap. She felt bad about using her-actually, only a small part of her felt bad. The logical side of her brain was forcing her to think about her true motive. Was she only doing this to find a way into the Castrucci household, or was she reacting to her own emotions? She ignored the last question. For G.o.d"s sake, she was a FBI agent. If anyone knew what that job entailed, she did. She tried to push all thoughts from her mind that didn"t pertain to her job. It was her job to gather as much Intel and evidence against Anthony Castrucci in order to put him behind bars. If it meant using his daughter for whatever means she deemed necessary, than that was exactly what she was going to do.
She got up from the couch and decided to take the puppy outside for a small walk. She stepped out on the deck, and an overwhelming pang of guilt rocked her. There was no need for her to question the feeling. She knew where it was coming from. She hadn"t been attracted to any other woman since Jenny, and her mind was telling her the attraction she felt for Caroline had absolutely nothing to do with her job. Now faced with this truth, her logical side was working overtime, trying to convince her that the attraction was purely physical. She knelt down to ruffle the puppy"s fur and for the first time in three years, she couldn"t stop the tears from streaming down her face.
In a small apartment located in the downtown section of Palo Alto, the recording tapes were spinning. Unbeknownst to the occupants inside Pal Joey"s Bar and Grill, the Pandora"s Box surveillance team was across the street, listening in on their conversation.
Mafia Don Carlos Ma.s.sino"s Consigliere, Roberto Failla, and Foot Soldier Mike Little Mikey Labruzzo sat at a corner table in the back of the bar with Castrucci"s Soldier, Henry Venutti. Henry reached inside his jacket pocket, pulled out a thick envelope, and handed it to Roberto.
Roberto scowled deeply, his eyebrow raising as he opened it and peered inside. He skimmed his fingers across the thick wad of cash and then tossed it in his briefcase. He leaned menacingly over the table toward Henry. "Where the f.u.c.k is Sonny?"
Henry cowered back further into the seat. "I told ya, he had other business to tend."
"What the f.u.c.k is more important than this?" Roberto demanded.
Henry took a deep breath. "The Feds, that"s what. He"s had a tail the past couple days and decided to lay low."
Roberto jabbed his stubby finger at Henry and leaned in closer. "You tell him the Feds will be his least f.u.c.king problem if he doesn"t clean up the G.o.d d.a.m.n motherf.u.c.king mess over in L.A." Roberto stood up and gathered up his briefcase. He tossed several bills on the table. "You tell Anthony to plug the f.u.c.king leaks, capische?"
Henry slid out of the chair and followed him toward the front door.
Roberto turned to Henry. "You tell him the problem better be fixed before he leaves on business."
Stevens turned to Edwards. "What"s he got his panties in a bunch over?"
Edwards reached across the table and turned the volume k.n.o.b down.
"Two nights ago, we intercepted one of their boat shipments and confiscated over a hundred pounds of pure heroin," Artie said before Edwards had a chance to answer.
Over near the window, Laura continued peering through the camera lens. She snapped several photos of the men standing on the sidewalk. She stepped back from the camera and turned to Edwards. "From the sound of it, they definitely know that we"re getting" inside information."
Edwards nodded in agreement. "And that makes it all the more dangerous for our informants. Do we know where he"s going yet?"
Laura shook her head. "Nope, but they rescheduled the photo shoot with Rheyna because of it."
Stevens walked over to look out the window. "Our informant in L.A. thinks the s.h.i.t"s about to hit the fan. Ma.s.sino wants his answers, yesterday." He paused to light a cigarette and took a drag before continuing. "We also intercepted a conversation between Roberto and one of his soldiers. Our Intel was dead on-Ma.s.sino is demoting Castrucci for his insubordination."
Laura raised her eyebrows. "Wow, so not only is he being pa.s.sed over as Anastasia"s replacement, he"s about to become a grunt."
Edwards rifled through the stack of papers lying on top of the conference table. He turned to look at Stevens. "We get the warrant for the wire tap yet?"
Stevens shook his head. "Nope, should be anytime now."
Edwards turned to Laura. "When is your next contact with Rheyna?"
"Nine-thirty tonight."
Edwards stood and pulled his jacket off the chair. "Okay. I"m flying back to Washington tonight to meet with the Deputy Director and Ron. In the meantime, Laura, you call me immediately if anything unexpected happens."
Chapter 8.
Rheyna took a deep breath and pulled the door open. A large brown paper bag and a tight and s.e.xy, stonewashed pair of Levi jeans greeted her. Caroline slowly lowered the bag from in front of her face and smiled at Rheyna.
"Well, h.e.l.lo there," Rheyna said.
"Hi, I hope I"m not too early," Caroline said, looking a little unsure of herself.
"Are you kidding? Please come in." Rheyna moved out of the way to let her through the door.
Caroline followed Rheyna into the kitchenette and set the bag on the counter. "I brought some things for the puppy. I hope you don"t mind."
"Yep, I mind. I want you to leave and take everything back, right this very second." Rheyna laughed at the expression on Caroline"s face. "I"m just kidding. h.e.l.l no, I don"t mind. I was planning to go out later to pick up a few things for her and you just saved me a trip. So thank you and please tell me how much I owe you."
Caroline smiled at her. "First off, you"re welcome and we can just add it to your donation and has anyone ever told you that you might be a little warped?"
"Personally, I think you have to be warped to survive in this world of ours. Makes things a little easier to stomach," Rheyna answered honestly.
Caroline started to respond, but the puppy got her attention. She limped happily over to Caroline with her tail wagging fifty times a minute. Caroline knelt down to her level and lovingly ruffled her fur. "She sure looks a lot better than the last time I saw her."
"Yeah, she"s a real cutie. I think she and I are gonna get along just fine."
Caroline stood and crammed her hands into the front pocket of her jeans. "Have you thought of a name for her yet?" she asked.
Rheyna thought about it for a moment and then realized she hadn"t given it a second thought. "No, I"ve been calling her puppy."
Caroline smiled as the puppy nudged her hand, wanting more rubbings. "You do know that you just got yourself a new best friend here and that she will love you with no questions asked?"
For some reason, Rheyna got the feeling Caroline was making the comment more to herself than to her. I really, really like this woman, she thought as she watched Caroline hug the puppy tightly against her chest.
Caroline looked up at Rheyna and smiled. "What do you think about Annie?"
"Annie?" Rheyna asked, because she only heard part of the question.
"You know, for her name."
Rheyna liked the sound of it. "I think Annie is the perfect name for her."
"Okay, then-Annie it is," Caroline said as she walked over to the counter. She opened the bag she brought and started pulling things out, laying them on the counter.
There were several cans of puppy food, a matching navy blue collar, harness, and leash, a couple of small bags containing tiny dog biscuits, and a rubber toy in the shape of a newspaper.
Annie must have known the items were for her. She limped over to Caroline and stood up on her back legs with her front paws resting against Caroline"s legs.
Caroline reached down and scratched Annie"s ears. "She is just too adorable," she said as Annie"s tongue hung out the side of her mouth. She looked at Caroline with big, brown, expectant eyes. Caroline handed Annie the rubber newspaper. She and Rheyna laughed when Annie chomped down on the toy and it squeaked so loud, it caused her to jump several inches off the floor. She bit down on it repeatedly before trotting off to the couch with it hanging from her mouth. She looked at Rheyna and Caroline and chomped down again.
Caroline cringed at the sound and smiled. "I hope you don"t end up hating me for that."
Rheyna wanted to say, "I don"t think there is anything you could possibly do to make me hate you." Instead, she said, "I"ll let you know in a couple days." Rheyna opened the fridge and pulled out a pack of ground chuck. "Will you stay for lunch?" she asked and immediately saw hesitation on Caroline"s face. "Please, Caroline? It"s the least I can do for your help with Annie."
"Since you asked so elegantly, how can I possibly refuse?"
"Do you like hamburgers?" Rheyna asked as she began the gross task of converting the meat into patties.
"One of my favorites, if you add cheese."
"Okay, then, it"s settled-cheese it is," she said, thrilled at the thought of spending time with Caroline. She told herself that it was all in a day"s work and that having Caroline stay for lunch to eat a hamburger was just a tiny needed piece of puzzle in the grand scheme of things. She intentionally ignored the little voice in her head and tossed the patties on a plate. She pulled a spatula out of the drawer and flung open the fridge door. She grabbed a pack of cheese slices and slid open the patio door.
Caroline, along with Annie, followed her out onto the deck. She lit the gas grill and tossed on the patties. Caroline, to her amus.e.m.e.nt, had already made herself comfortable. She had taken off her shoes and was sitting on the glider with her legs tucked up under her. Rheyna tried not to stare, but found it increasingly hard. "Would you like something to drink? A gla.s.s of wine, maybe?" she asked.
Caroline used her hand to shield her eyes. She smiled warmly. "A gla.s.s of wine would be nice, thank you."
Rheyna went back inside and pulled open the cabinet door. As she went to grab the gla.s.ses, she noticed her hands were trembling. She set the gla.s.ses down and leaned against the counter, trying to quiet her nerves. What is wrong with me? How in the h.e.l.l am I going to pull this off if I can"t handle being alone with her for more than two minutes? She took a deep breath and opened the fridge. She needed to calm down and get it together. She grabbed the bottle of Moscato. She used a corkscrew to pop out the cork and then took the gla.s.ses along with the bottle of wine outside.
Caroline graciously held them while Rheyna poured. Caroline raised her gla.s.s in the air for a toast. "To Annie, may she have a long, healthy life."
"To Annie and ... to me surviving the squeaker," Rheyna said, clanking her gla.s.s against Caroline"s gla.s.s. They both laughed when Annie, as if on cue, bit down on her new toy.
Sonny and Henry watched Big Tony meticulously unwrap and then light the illegal Cuban cigar. He blew several smoke rings into the air. The three of them were sitting at the table, having drinks by the pool, discussing business. Big Tony was agitated, and that was not a good thing, as they very well knew. When things didn"t go right, it was the ones closest to him who felt the wrath.
"How much did they get this time?" he asked, directing the question at Sonny.
"Hundred pounds," Sonny answered without hesitation.
Big Tony slammed the gla.s.s of iced tea down on the table, spilling half the contents. "I thought you plugged the f.u.c.king leak!" he spat at the two men. The men grew silent as Esther approached the table with a pitcher to refill their gla.s.ses. Big Tony waited for her to leave before continuing. He turned to Henry. "Get me some f.u.c.kin" answers. I wanna know who the backdoor motherf.u.c.ker is! You hear me, Henry?"
"Yes, sir," Henry answered as he scooted his chair away from the table.
The waves breaking along the edge of the sand created a soothing and romantic swooshing sound, and Rheyna found herself completely at ease. The sun was beginning to set over the ocean, sending a pallet of red, yellow, and orange hues cascading across the water"s surface. The colors reflected back into a sky dotted in various shades of blue, creating a light purple haze across the puffy clouds. The effect was breathtaking and was only dampened by the low drone of boat engines as scores of skiers zipped up and down the coast.
Caroline took a sip of wine. "It"s so quiet and peaceful. I wish it was like that at home, but I know it"s just wishful thinking on my part. I honestly can"t remember a time when someone wasn"t at the house and to tell the truth, I don"t understand how my mom takes it."
"Why don"t you get your own place?" Rheyna asked.
"I will eventually, but for now, Mom wants me to stay until she knows for sure that Haven is a success."
"Well, I"d say from the looks of things, your clinic seems to be doing pretty well."
"I know it is and so does Mom. I think she"s just using it as an excuse to keep me home. What about you?" Caroline asked. "I"ve done nothing but sit here and talk about me."
"What do you want to know?"
Caroline took another sip of wine. "Are you from California?"
Rheyna shook her head. "No. I moved here from Chequotah, Oklahoma about two months ago."
"Why here?"
Rheyna shrugged. "I guess I was tired of the cold and wanted to live in a place where the temperature didn"t drop below thirty." Rheyna recited the words she had rehea.r.s.ed umpteen times. She hated lying to Caroline and wanted desperately to change the subject. Out of habit, she glanced at her watch and instantly regretted it.
Caroline stood up and brushed off her jeans. "I"m sorry, I should go. I"ve probably worn out my welcome."
Rheyna didn"t want her to leave. "You don"t have to leave."
"Yeah, I do. My dad left for New Jersey today and Mom doesn"t like to eat dinner alone."
Rheyna reluctantly followed Caroline to the front door. Caroline turned abruptly, causing Rheyna to lose her balance, and before either of them knew what happened, Rheyna fell against her. The force knocked Caroline back against the door. With her face only inches from Caroline"s, Rheyna felt her pulse rate quicken. Her senses were a.s.saulted with the sweet smell of Caroline"s perfume, a mixture of honey and lilacs.
"I am so sorry," she managed to get out. She felt Caroline"s hands on her forearms, trying to steady her. She felt Caroline"s warm breath against her cheek and shivered. They were too close. Rheyna pushed against the doorframe, trying to upright herself.
"You don"t need to apologize, Rheyna. I"ve been told a time or two that I should add a set of brake lights. Although I"m not sure it would have mattered in this instance." Caroline winked at Rheyna, her eyes twinkling with amus.e.m.e.nt.
Rheyna was tongue-tied. "Uh ... you can visit Annie anytime you like," she managed to say and felt her face flush. It was obvious that Caroline was enjoying Rheyna"s discomfort, just as she had the first time they met.
Caroline busted out laughing. She smiled at Rheyna, which only made things worse. Her smile was truly disarming. "I was wondering, um ... if you have any plans tomorrow?" she asked.
Rheyna realized happily, that she was not the only one a little unnerved. "I have a photo shoot in the morning," she lied. "But I"m free the rest of the day."
"How would you like to come for dinner? You can bring Annie along, too."
"Are you sure?"