Armed and Fabulous (Lexi Graves Mysteries, 1)

  ~

  The shooting range was a popular spot with the MPD. Garrett got a warm reception from the man behind the desk, who signed us in. Not long afterwards, we were ushered into a booth on the range.

  "When was the last time you shot a gun?" he asked.

  I wrinkled my face up in thought. "I was twenty-four," I said finally. It was a bleak period of my life that coincided with the army incident I tried to forget. "Rifles and handguns. I don't remember what type."

  "So you're probably rusty?" he asked.

  "I have no idea."

  "Try this one." Garrett loaded a small revolver and handed it to me. Then he placed a pair of earmuffs over my head. "Aim and fire when you're ready. We've got the range to ourselves."

  I readied myself, held the revolver forward, my arms straight and shoulders relaxed before squeezing off a shot. I hit the second ring out.

  "Not bad," shouted Garrett. "Do a couple more."

  I emptied the gun, scoring one inner ring, another second and the rest dotted around the outer rings. I made sure the gun was safe and laid it on the shelf in front of our booth.

  "How's that?" I pulled my earmuffs off and Garrett grinned. He pressed the button to bring the paper towards us and we examined it.

  "It's a Graves thing," he said proudly. "We can shoot anything."

  "We can even shoot our mouths off."

  "That, too. How about something bigger? A Glock? A SIG Sauer?"

  We returned the revolver and booked out the SIG. "It's a good size, accurate too," explained Garrett as he showed me how to load the magazine and insert it. "It comes in compact too."

  "Like a dangerous tampon," I said.

  "Yeah, that'll make the bad guys run."

  "They wouldn't need to run. They could rollerskate or windsurf with the SIG Tampon Compact."

  "Fire the gun, sis’."

  Garrett made approving noises about my aim, secured the gun and we went back to check out a different model. Garrett ran me through my paces on a variety of weapons until I settled on the SIG Compact. During our last twenty minutes, I fired round after round, my shots gradually becoming tighter together.

  "This is the one I want," I told him, giving the weapon a friendly pat.

  "Are you going to tell me why you need it?"

  "Just to keep at home." I shrugged like it didn't matter.

  "With you and Lily on your own, I guess it's a good idea to have some extra security."

  "Right," I agreed.

  We both thought about the Finklesteins. I hoped Garrett assumed that West Montgomery was just getting to be a bad neighborhood, and not that I was the target. He looked at me for a long time before he said, "We can set you up in a few days."

  "I can't go get one now?"

  "Baby steps. It's a gun, not a new sweater." I followed Garrett out of the range, waiting while he exchanged hellos with some buddies in the small lobby. I climbed in the car alongside him, but he didn't turn the engine on right away. Instead, he said, "You can tell me if something is wrong. I'm not going to blab to the rest of the family. Not even Traci, if you say not to."

  "Nothing is wrong, honest."

  "I gotta admit, Lexi, I'm kinda worried. The Finklesteins turn up dead outside your place, I get why you want a gun. But you wanted one before that and you were asking about Maddox. Then he turns up and you two seem to know each other. Something doesn't smell right."

  "I may not be a cop, but we're a cop family. Of course, I know other cops."

  "That doesn't really answer anything. So, I'm going to ask you again, Lexi, are you in any kind of trouble? Something you don't want to tell me about perhaps? ‘Cause I gotta tell you, after fifteen years on the force, I've seen everything." I was quiet a long while, thinking what I could say. Evidently, Garrett got bored because he asked, "Is it Lily? Is Lily okay?"

  "Yeah, she's fine."

  "So it is you." This time it wasn't a question.

  "Yeah, it's me. Garrett, you can't tell anyone about this." And despite orders to the contrary, I told him, because Garrett wasn't just on any team, he was on my team and he was a cop. And someone had left me the deadheaded roses and the creepy message, neither of which thrilled me to the core.

  I told him about finding Dean and seeing the Finklesteins get rid of his body, then how Maddox and I got out of there, and how I found out he was a cop running an investigation with the FBI. I omitted plenty of stuff. There was no need to mention my breaking and entering moment, or the rediscovery of Martin Dean, or the stuff at the club, or when Lily and I visited Tara Henderson. I did tell him that I'd been snooping around the office.

  "I can't believe Maddox got you mixed up in this." Garrett's face was impossible to read. I saw him look similar when his oldest kid got suspended after being caught spraying graffiti on the school gym's wall. It was his quiet, contemplative look while he decided whether to explode or not.

  "He's just doing his job."

  "He's putting you in danger because he wants a result."

  "It's not like that."

  Garrett inclined his head to look at me. "Please don't tell me he turned his puppy dog eyes on you and told you that you were part of the team."

  "Actually his joint taskforce boss at the FBI approved it."

  "Jesus!"

  "No, his name is Matt Miller."

  "This isn't a game, Lexi. You got mixed up with the Finklesteins, so someone means business. You did the right thing in applying for the permit. You should get a gun, but you can't carry it. You need a concealed weapon permit for that." Garrett leaned his head on the neck rest and closed his eyes. "I'll talk to Maddox's lieutenant tonight. We'll put you somewhere safe until whatever this is blows over."

  "No. Garrett, I'm okay. Really, I am."

  "Has he got someone watching you?"

  "Not that I know of. But he had a car parked at my house after I found the Finklesteins."

  "You shouldn't be wandering around."

  "I'm not, I'm with you and Maddox picked me up this morning. You want me to come and stay at your house? Put Traci and the kids in danger? Or how about Mom and Dad? I don't think so, Gar'."

  "You could stay with Jord?"

  "Have you seen his apartment? Bachelor hell. It's covered in sports equipment and his roommate's girly magazines."

  "You could take Lily. That would put her off Jord."

  We laughed and took a moment to think about that. I wasn't sure what would put Lily off Jord, but after seeing her get-up for working the door at Flames, I didn't think a few editions of skin magazines would put her off in the least.

  "The moment I disappear, or leave to stay with one of you guys, anyone who is watching me will smell a rat. Right now, all I can do is try to be normal. Go to work, go home, hang out," I explained. "Just be normal."

  Garrett slammed the wheel and the horn honked, making us both jump, then laugh again. "I want you to get a tracker and keep it on you, along with an alarm. Then I'm going to talk to Maddox. Next time you see him, he might have two black eyes and be walking funny."

  "I'll buy some ice." I didn't tell him that Maddox already bugged my cell phone.

  "Let's get you home. I want to check the security on your place."

  "It's shit," I told him. "But I have a carving knife."

  "You ever carve anything with it?"

  "No, but it's under my pillow, just in case I get the urge to slice something in the dark."

  "Jeez."

  Garrett brought me home, staying for a long while to poke around my apartment and make a list of all the security improvements it needed. Everything, apparently, needed securing after seeing the way he rattled the windows and played with the door locks. After he left, muttering under his breath, Serena called in a panic and asked me to stop by her house, hanging up before I could ask why. Lily poked her head out of her door when I was on my way downstairs, so I figured that made it okay to strong-arm her into coming with me.

  "Want to go out for dinner on the way back?" she
asked.

  I did. I really did. I wanted to go out and have a nice meal and a few glasses of wine and arrive home, feeling warm and safe. Unfortunately, after Garrett's lecture, I also had a healthy dose of paranoia and I wanted to lock my doors and hide in the closet, right after I made sure no one else was already in there.

  "Let's pick something up," I suggested. "My treat. Chinese?"

  "You're on."

  Lily drove, seeing as she had to run a couple of errands on the way. "What does Serena want?" she asked.

  "She didn't say. Just that it was important."

  When we got there and knocked, I heard Serena weakly calling, "It's open!" so I pushed the door and went in, saying, "Hello?"

  "Kitchen!"

  "What's wrong?" I asked, clipping along the hallway, Lily at my heels. Serena stood hunched over in the kitchen, hands on thighs, breathing hard, a puddle of water by her feet.

  "My water broke."

  I looked down at the puddle around her toes. "Actually, I think you smashed a glass."

  Serena looked up and frowned, then tried to look over her sizeable bump. "Are you sure? My belly is really tight."

  "Maybe you're having those Braxton Hicks thingies?" suggested Lily. “It’s too early to go into labor.”

  "Oh. Maybe." Serena levered herself into an upright position and blinked. "I guess if that was labor, it was a lot easier than I thought it would be."

  "You'll know when you're in labor," said Lily, taking Serena by the arm and guiding her to the living room. Meanwhile, I plundered the cabinets for a dustpan to brush up the glass and a dishcloth to mop the floor.

  "Is this why you called me over?" I asked. "Where's Ted? You should have called him if you thought you were in labor."

  "Yes, and I don't know," Serena replied as Lily settled a pillow under her back. She also moved the footstool so Serena could put her feet up. "I called him and he said he had a business dinner and couldn't make it."

  "You told him you thought you were in labor, right?"

  "Yes. He told me the dinner was too important to miss and I'd have to cross my legs and wait it out."

  Lily pulled a face. "He knows babies don't care about dinners, doesn't he? And if you were in labor this early, you would need to be in the hospital right away?"

  "More importantly, does Ted know he's an asshole?" I asked.

  "He really is an asshole, isn't he?" Serena groaned and stretched.

  "Yeah. And anytime you think you're going to pop, call me first. I'll come straight over. You won't have to cross your legs for as long." My only hope was that Ted would arrive before it got gory.

  "Thanks. I appreciate it."

  "Aww. I'd hug you, but I don't think my arms can fit around you," I teased, but it was partially true. Serena was huge.

  "Raincheck. I'll be skinny in a few months again. I've already booked post-pregnancy boot camp."

  "What the hell is that?"

  "Military-style weight loss and toning. I can even bring the baby."

  "Sounds awesome." Sounded hellish, but that was Serena for you. "Can I get you anything before we take off?"

  "No. I'm fine. Sorry for calling you out here for nothing."

  "Not a problem."

  We climbed back in Lily's Mini and buckled up. "So," she said. "Chinese?"

  "Yes. I'm starved."

  "Wing's?"

  "You bet."

  Lily backed out of Serena's driveway and pointed the car towards Wing's, both of us lost in our own thoughts momentarily. Mine were mostly on the menu, which I had half memorized.

  "You ever wanted to be a mom?" asked Lily, surprising me.

  "I don't know. I guess." I pondered that some more. I had a crappy job, an okay car, a nice apartment, below market rate thanks to Lily's parents, and a distinct lack of commitment from a man. "Not any time soon though."

  "Me either, but one day. I want to be a stay-at-home mom. It sounds nice."

  "Nicer than working the clubs, eating out, drinking cocktails and sleeping in?"

  "A different nice."

  "Better than being skinny?"

  "There's boot camp and I have great genes."

  "I can see you being a mom."

  "Me too. I bet Maddox would make beautiful babies."

  "You want to have babies with Maddox?" My voice came out an octave higher than intended.

  "No! Besides, he wants to make them with you."

  "He might want to have sex with me. I don't think babies are on his agenda."

  "What about Solomon?"

  "I suspect he eats babies."

  "Eugh!"

  "Not really. I don't see Solomon as the type to change diapers and wear a Snugli. He's silent and dangerous."

  "He's sexy and dangerous."

  "You think too much about Maddox and Solomon."

  "At least I'm thinking."

  Wasn't I thinking about them too? I was probably thinking too much. So far, Maddox had starred in enough dreams that I’d lost count. Solomon had popped up in one, startling me enough to wake me up, panting. But back to real life, both had kissed me, and both held me when I needed them, their arms like steel girders around me.

  I considered myself a powerful, in-control woman, since I hadn't gone in for a sneaky squeeze or given them the come-on. Well, I might have given them some indication that I liked them. But when I thought about that, I remembered Maddox kept inviting himself over, and the way he angled to get closer to me didn't strike me as strictly professional. Of course, that made me think about Solomon and his slow, sexy smiles. The way he looked at me with smoldering eyes and had no hesitation about crashing our not-a-date, or rescuing me when I needed him.

  "What's the sigh for?" asked Lily.

  "I just saw Wing's," I lied, firmly relegating Maddox and Solomon to the back of my mind while Lily parked in the lot. We ordered, loitering in the small, tiled, lobby area while it was being prepared. Then, with the hot paper sack filled with dinner in hand, Lily yawned, handed me the keys and we climbed back into her car.

  For some reason, the main road into West Montgomery was all snarled up, so instead of twiddling our thumbs in traffic, I drove away from home and used side streets. We managed to bypass the majority of the traffic, backtracking and rejoining where it petered out and pointed towards home.

  I pondered the Maddox slash Solomon thing as I drove and Lily snoozed, her head nodding towards the side window. Glancing in my rearview mirror as I switched lanes, I noticed a large, black car making the same maneuver. Perhaps they were just impatient, but like a good spy, I glanced in the mirror every few minutes. I signaled left but didn’t turn, and slipped through the light traffic, while watching as the car matched our movements.

  Hmm. Suspicious!

  The SUV had tinted windows and I couldn't see who was driving, or the passengers. Now, however, I thought this was becoming less exciting and more scary, especially as Lily's Mini was just the right size to be their car's baby. I put my foot down and accelerated, trying to ignore the dial on the dashboard as it crept over the speed limit. The SUV never left us.

  "Lily?" I whispered, "Lily?"

  "Uhhhnn-err," snorted Lily.

  "Lily!" I hissed, a little more loudly this time, finally shouting, "Lily!"

  Her whole body shook as she jumped, her eyes flashing awake. "What? Was I talking in my sleep? I swear to God, none of it is true!"

  "No, you weren't, but I think we're being followed."

  "Whaaat?" Lily started to turn, but I shot my arm out, blocking her.

  "Don't turn round. They'll know we're onto them."

  "Why would anyone be following us? Are you speeding? You are so paying the ticket!"

  "I'm not speeding." Actually, I was, but that wasn't the problem as I eased up on the gas. The problem was the car that stayed a regulation three vehicles behind us, kept weaving through the traffic whenever I did, and speeding up whenever I went faster.

  "What's going on, Lexi?"

  "I don't know wha
t you mean."

  "Don't play dumb with me, missy. I've known you too long. There were two dead dudes in the street last night, and now someone is following us." Her suspicious face, combined with the dark sky, infiltrated by the flashes of streetlamps ahead, made me shrink lower into my seat. Her mouth dropped open. "Oh my God! They really are following us!"

  "They might not be following us," I squeaked.

  "Tell me the truth!"

  I broke. "They probably are following us."

  Lily spoke slowly, in the no-nonsense voice she usually reserved for people trying to creep past the bouncers to get into one of her clubs. "What really happened last night?"

  "The dead guys are the men I saw getting rid of my boss' body and now someone has offed them and Maddox said they might want to kill me." I sucked in a breath. Wow. Getting that off my chest felt so much better. "And I promised not to tell anyone!"

  "Maddox wants to kill you? Cute Maddox who isn't your boyfriend?"

  "No, he doesn't want to kill me, and yes, that Maddox. Is there any other?"

  "Huh. What else haven't you told me?" To Lily's credit, she didn't say a word until I finished filling her in on the extra details from the ominous note to the creepy screensaver at work. "Holy crap," Lily said at last. "Someone is after you."

  "So, you believe me?" Hell, I wouldn't have.

  "And now you think this car is following us?"

  I glanced in the mirror. Yep, the car was still behind us, and thanks to the traffic snarling up again, we were still far from home. "I'm sure," I replied. "It's been on our tail for a while."

  "What are we going to do? What are they going to do?"

  "It depends who they are."

  "Maybe they're from Maddox. Maybe he's got someone watching over to make sure you're okay?"

  "I guess." But they were being kind of obvious about it and I thought Maddox was more subtle than that.

  "We need to call him." Lily reached round, careful not to look up and grabbed my jacket, pulling my cell from the pocket. She tapped in my pin number, ignoring me when I scowled, open-mouthed, at her. "You're not exactly discreet with the pin. It's also the same as both your credit cards."

  "I'll change them on Monday."

  "Do not change them to the same code as your laptop."

  Drat. That was the first sequence I thought of.

  "It's ringing." She listened, for a moment, then, "Hey, Adam Maddox? It's Lily, Lexi's friend. Yes, she's fine, but we were just wondering... Arrrrgh!" Lily didn't finish because right then, the Mini suddenly hurtled forward, the wheel sliding through my hands as the SUV rammed us from behind. Instantly, we were both screaming and Maddox was shouting, his voice sounding tinny through the phone's earpiece. My future flashed before my eyes: Serena screaming at me for ruining her baby's birth by dying; my parents' sad faces at my imminent funeral; and Lily in the hospital, injured, because I couldn’t ever think of her as dead.

  Then the SUV came at us again, ramming for a second time.