Secrets That Kill: A Shelby Nichols Adventure

  “What?” he sputtered.

  “It’s true,” I said. “He’s been listening to all of your conversations and thinking about reporting them all back to his boss.”

  “Do you know who his boss is?”

  “Not by name,” I said. “He just calls him the judge.” At that moment the chauffeur opened my door.

  “Thank you, Shelby,” Uncle Joey said, his brows drawing together. “I’ve certainly missed having you here.” He was thinking this was a fine mess, but now that he knew, he could do something about it. Plus, he’d have my help. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “But it’s the weekend,” I protested.

  Uncle Joey pursed his lips, clearly not caring about ruining my weekend, or the fact that I’d just come home after nearly three weeks of being gone.

  “Monday,” Ramos said, pulling Uncle Joey’s attention away from me. “It can wait until then.”

  Uncle Joey glanced at Ramos and then sighed, sitting back into his seat. “All right,” he conceded. “I’ll call then.” He frowned, unhappy, but knowing this wasn’t a battle worth fighting for, especially since I had Ramos on my side. When had that happened? This trip had changed us. He’d felt it when we first got in the car. What was going on?

  “Thanks,” I said quickly, wanting to interrupt his thoughts. “And thanks for the ride. We can definitely talk on Monday.” I started to get out, but Uncle Joey stopped me.

  “Your purse,” he said, pointing.

  “Oh, yeah.” I grabbed it.

  He was thinking that he’d certainly rattled me. Interesting. “Have a nice weekend,” he said.

  “Um…you too. Bye.” I couldn’t get out of the car fast enough. I grabbed my bag from the chauffeur and narrowed my eyes at him. This was all his fault. He blinked and backed away from me, surprised I wasn’t thanking him like a normal person. What was wrong with me?

  I inhaled sharply, and marched quickly up my driveway. Uncle Joey was way too perceptive for his own good. Of course, what the heck was I worried about anyway? There was nothing going on between Ramos and me. Nothing. Though I had to admit, I’d enjoyed my time with him, and I might miss that a little, but it wasn’t like I’d never see him again. Even so, I doubted that I’d ever spend so much time alone with him again. Which for me and my marriage, was definitely for the best.

  I took a cleansing breath and let it out before opening the door. My heart quickened to find it unlocked. That had to mean someone was home. I entered the house, relief pouring over me to be home and safe. I dropped my bags and listened for my kids, but the house seemed strangely empty.

  “Hello!” I shouted. “I’m home.”

  Hearing nothing in response, I wandered through the living room and into the kitchen. From here, I could see into the backyard and caught sight of the patio table. A long tablecloth covered it, and in the center stood a vase with flowers. The small flames from two candles swayed in the breeze, and the table was set for two with my fine china and crystal goblets.

  Wow! My heart melted a little, and I opened the patio doors to find Chris standing at the grill, cooking up something that smelled divine. He glanced up and our gazes met. His smile made me dizzy, and I ran to him in delight, catching him in a tight squeeze. “Oh Chris, I’ve missed you so much!”

  He hugged me back. “I’ve missed you too, babe.” He held me tight, then slowly released me. “I’m glad you’re home.” His lips met mine, and nothing ever felt so good. Before I was ready, he pulled away. “Dinner’s ready.”

  “What? Can’t we eat later?”

  “No,” he said, forcefully. “I haven’t gone to all this trouble to eat a cold meal. Now take a seat.” He turned me around and swatted my bottom to get me moving.

  “Okay,” I said, taking a seat at the table. “What are we having?”

  “Rib-eye steak, just like you like it,” he responded. “But we’ll start with a green salad.”

  We ate the salad, and he told me that Josh and Savannah were at sleepovers for the night. While eating the steak and baked potato, we chatted about everything that had been going on at home without me.

  “That was amazing,” I said. “Thank you so much for doing this.”

  Chris nodded and twined his fingers with mine. “I’m just glad you’re back safely. Now it’s your turn to tell me what’s happened to you in the last few days. Start at the beginning, when you left the hotel to deliver the letter.”

  “Sure,” I said. “But you already know that part.”

  “Um…sort of, but sometimes when you tell me things over the phone, it doesn’t always make a lot of sense. So I’m okay with hearing it again.” He raised his brow expectantly, and I knew I wasn’t going to get off the hook that easy.

  I just shrugged and told him the whole story. I left out Ramos’ past, but I did tell him about Fitch’s secret that his brother was alive, and how I didn’t know if I should tell Ramos. Chris only interrupted a few times to clarify things, and I left out a few of the details that weren’t relevant, like Ramos’ wound, and that sort of thing.

  He loved hearing about the poker match and how angry Carson got. “Carson couldn’t figure out what he was doing wrong or how I was reading him so well. It drove him crazy.”

  “I wish I could have seen that,” he said. “So what happened after the game?”

  Chris tightened his grip on my hand when I told him about the crooked cops, and how they took me to Carson’s house without Ramos. I kind of left out the part where Carson shot at me before Ramos came, making it sound like Ramos killed him before he shot up the couch. It wasn’t the whole truth, but it was close enough. Chris was still pretty upset about it, and a little mad at Ramos that he’d let me get into such a dangerous situation. Not that it was his fault, but he was supposed to keep me safe.

  It was nice to end on the high note of giving Javier the cashier’s check, and how cool that was. “I guess you’re supposed to forget about that,” I added. “But I’m sure glad you know why I had to stay another day.”

  “Yeah,” Chris nodded. He glanced at our hands, rubbing his thumb across my knuckles. “But I have to be honest. I wasn’t real comfortable with you spending so much time with Ramos. I mean, you’re alive and safe, so I guess we should just leave it at that.”

  I brought his hand to my face, rubbing his fingers against my cheek. I kissed his knuckles, then turned his hand over to his palm and kissed him there, especially since I knew that was a pretty sensitive spot.

  “Chris,” I said, holding his gaze. “I’m all yours. You alone hold my heart…all of my heart.”

  He let out a deep sigh, and I felt his relief pour over me. He suddenly smiled and a mischievous glint came into his eyes. “How about playing some strip poker?”

  I burst out laughing. “Sure,” I agreed. “But you know I’ll win.”

  “You know what? I don’t really care.”

  “You’re on,” I said, standing. Chris pulled me onto his lap, and kissed me until I was breathless. “Hmmm…maybe we should skip the poker.”

  “Honey,” he replied. “We’ve got all night.”

  I chuckled and jumped up, grabbing his hand to pull him to his feet. “Let’s get started then.”

  “Oh baby, oh baby.”

  THE NEXT SHELBY NICHOLS ADVENTURE

  NOW AVAILABLE

  TRAPPED BY REVENGE

  By

  COLLEEN HELME

  (read on for a sample)

  The first day of school started with a bang. The rush to get out the door with little time to spare kept me going at a frantic pace. It wasn’t until I came home to find a strangely quiet house that it hit me, and I let out a huge sigh. I dropped into a chair at the kitchen table and relaxed for the first time in weeks. Days of having the house to myself, at least until three-thirty, stretched before me like an endless field of beautiful flowers, and a huge smile spread over my lips.

  I loved my kids, and I loved summer break, but the challenges of keeping them occupied with mean
ingful, character-building experiences always made me grateful for the beginning of a new school year. Mostly because when it came right down to it, I pretty much failed. By the first of July, I usually gave up on keeping to a structured schedule and let my kids do whatever they wanted…within reason of course. This caused me a lot of guilt. On the other hand, because of my special ability to ‘read minds,’ they couldn’t pull anything over on me. So it mostly worked.

  Now that school had started we could get back to getting up and going to bed at a decent hour. Activities and parties with friends could be limited to weekends, as school nights were sacred at our house. I didn’t have to spend all my time driving them to games, practices, and lessons, followed by a never-ending stream of plans with friends, all for which I provided taxi-service. This, and trying to keep up with the demands of my consulting agency, had been exhausting.

  But the best thing about this summer was that I had found it easier to block my mind from hearing other people’s thoughts. I was getting real good at it, and it almost made my relationship with my husband seem back to normal. Like it was before I got shot in the head and this craziness began a few months ago. Reading minds had gotten me into a lot of trouble. Because of Kate, a woman who was after my husband, I’d had to reveal my secret to her Uncle Joey, the local crime boss, and then find a bargaining chip to work for him on my terms rather than his. It was always a struggle, and I’d nearly been killed a few times in the process. So I never liked it when he called me in to ask for a “favor.”

  Luckily, I’d only heard from Uncle Joey once since I got back from my trip to Orlando. That had to be some kind of record. I wondered if he had backed off because he felt guilty that I’d nearly died running an errand for him, or if Ramos had something to do with it. Ramos was Uncle Joey’s personal bodyguard and hit man. He’d saved my life several times, and we shared a special bond.

  I didn’t miss Uncle Joey, but I wondered how Ramos was getting along. We’d spent a lot of time together in Orlando, and I kind of missed him. He’d always come to my rescue. Only last time, I’d helped him. It felt good to be on the other end, and things had turned out okay, so it was only natural that I thought about him once in a while. Although I had to admit that Ramos had a certain magnetism that made women swoon or drool just to look at him. Me included. So it was probably a good thing for my marriage that he kept his distance.

  A day full of ‘me’ time awaited, and I shivered with anticipation. I was taking the day off from everything, at least until my kids got home, and I had the minutes all planned out. First, sit at the table and eat a leisurely breakfast while reading the paper. If I felt like it, I could go to the gym, but so far, it wasn’t happening.

  Once I got done with that, I’d take a nice, long, hot shower and get ready for my lunch date with my best friend, Holly. It was our way of celebrating the start of a new school year and a tradition we’d begun back when our kids had first started grade school.

  After that, I might go shopping or come home and read a good book. I could even take a nap or watch a few episodes of my favorite TV shows. The list of endless possibilities lightened my heart, and just knowing I could do whatever I wanted filled me with quiet content.

  As I finished the advice column, my phone rang. It was probably Holly. I checked the caller ID and my blood pressure rocketed. Thrasher Development? No! Not today! I debated so long about answering, that it went to voicemail. Oh well…at least now I could listen to the message and know what Uncle Joey wanted. That way I’d be better prepared with an answer when I called him back.

  Taking a deep breath, I began to push the buttons for voicemail, but before I could finish, the phone started ringing again. Thrasher Development popped up on the screen, and I frowned in disgust. I’d just lost my advantage of knowing what he wanted before he asked. Since he’d probably just keep calling until I answered, I might as well get it over with.

  “Hello?” I said.

  “Shelby,” Uncle Joey spoke. “I’m glad you decided to answer the phone. For a minute there, I wasn’t sure you would.”

  From his tone I could tell he wasn’t too happy with me, so I held back the sarcastic reply on the tip of my tongue and went for a more cordial sarcasm instead. “Well, that’s just silly. I know better than that. I was just too far from the phone to answer the first time you called. So, what’s up? I haven’t heard from you for a while.” The last time we’d talked had been when I’d come home from Orlando and he’d given me a ride in his limousine. I’d heard his chauffeur’s thoughts, and realized he was spying on Uncle Joey. I told him all about it and expected a call that never came.

  “Yeah, it has been a while,” he agreed. “Not since the chauffeur quit, and I couldn’t have you listen to him like I wanted. After that, I figured you could use some time off to spend with your kids. But now that school’s started I’m sure you’d like something to do with all of your free time.”

  “My free time?!” I exclaimed. “But this is the first day of school. I’ve already made plans for today. How about tomorrow? I’m sure I could fit you in tomorrow.”

  “Shelby.” His voice dripped with disappointment, reminding me that dealing with Uncle Joey was like running from a pack of crazed zombies. I needed to stay at least one step ahead of him, or I’d get ripped apart and eaten alive.

  “Oh all right. I have a few minutes after lunch if it’s important. What do you need?”

  He let a moment of silence go by before he replied. “That’s good, Shelby. I want you to know I appreciate anything you can do for me, so I’ll get right down to business. Ramos found the chauffeur, and I need you to listen to him again.”

  “What? Why? I already told you he was spying on you and thinking about telling a judge what he’d found out.”

  “I need you to be more specific than that,” he said.

  “But…what else is there? Unless…don’t tell me it’s because you don’t want to ‘off’ the wrong judge?”

  “Shelby,” he growled. “What are you thinking? A real judge? Don’t be ridiculous. Besides, the why of it doesn’t concern you. Just listen to him for a few minutes and report back. You don’t need to worry about anything else. I will handle the rest. Just like I always do. His name is Sam Killpack, and he’s really a private investigator. The meeting will be at Killpack’s office, and I’ll have Jackie arrange it.”

  “Okay, fine,” I agreed with resignation. What Uncle Joey wants, Uncle Joey gets, and I had to remember that.

  “Good. There is one other thing,” he added cryptically, making my breath hitch. “I can’t be involved. So we’ll say the reason you’re going to see him is because you might want to hire him to help you with something. Maybe you could even say that it has something to do with me. That way he’ll be more inclined to think about me and you’ll be able to pick it up. Can you do that?”

  “What?” I asked, then blurted, “You mean like give him a sob story about how I’m in the clutches of a mob boss and I need his help to get out of the mess I’m in?”

  He chuckled. “Shelby…you sure have spunk, I’ll give you that. And since you put it that way, yes, go ahead and tell him that. I think that would work very well for what I want. Get him on your side. Make him think you’re a ‘damsel in distress’ and all that. Private investigators love that sort of thing. But just remember this,” he hesitated, giving weight to his next words. “He’s not a good person. If he thought he could use you for his purposes, and throw you to the dogs when he was done, he would.”

  I kind of wanted to say, “like you?” But this time I kept my mouth shut.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” he said. “That I’m no better than this guy. But that’s where you’re wrong. I’d never turn my back on you. You know that. You’re like family, Shelby. That means you’re under my protection. Just to prove it to you, I’ll have Ramos take you. He can’t go to the appointment, but he can wait outside. Just in case you need him. How does that sound? He’ll pick you up at one o’cloc
k.”

  It sounded like he was using Ramos as his ‘muscle man’ to make sure I showed up. That bothered me a little, but since I really liked Ramos’ muscles, I let it go. “Actually, that won’t work,” I told him. “I’m going to lunch with a friend. Could I just meet Ramos there at about two? That would work best for me.” At least I’d show Uncle Joey I wasn’t a total pushover.

  “All right,” he gave in. “I’ll arrange it for two. I’ll have Ramos meet you in front of the building.”

  “But what about the fact that the chauffeur saw me when you brought me home from the airport?” I asked, hope blossoming in my heart. “When I show up, don’t you think he’ll know you sent me and think it’s a trap?”

  “Very good, Shelby,” Uncle Joey said. “But you’re forgetting one little thing.” He started to chuckle, and my hopes were dashed. “It doesn’t really matter what he thinks, because you’ll know! That’s exactly why it will work.” He cleared his throat, but I could still hear the laughter in his voice. “Give him your sob story to begin with and see what happens. Either way, he’s bound to think about me and everything he knows, and you can just play along however you like.”

  What could I say? None of my reasoning worked because I wasn’t a normal person. No matter how special being able to read minds made me feel, this was one of those times I wished I’d never gone to the store for some carrots and gotten shot in the head.

  When I didn’t respond, he continued. “Don’t worry Shelby, you’ll be fine. Ramos will be right outside if you need him. And nothing bad is going to happen. It’s a simple task and won’t take more than fifteen or twenty minutes of your time.”

  I sighed heavily and wasn’t ashamed that Uncle Joey heard it.

  “Hey now,” he cajoled. “Don’t get all maudlin on me. Remember how well you played your part with Carson? You beat him out of a million dollars! It was beautiful work. This will be a lot simpler than that, I promise you.” Uncle Joey rattled off the address, and we disconnected.