I bite into a turkey on rye and look around the room.
Nadia and I have been back in Denver for three days, and we haven’t learned anything that we didn’t already know when we arrived.
It’s damn frustrating.
“If you hear from him, tell him to call me.”
“I can do that.”
“So, um, Annika,” Nadia begins and smiles at her cousin, “Rafe asked about you the other day.”
Annika doesn’t even pause in the fast consumption of her chips. “Okay?”
“I told him to ask you, but he said you don’t reply to his texts or calls.”
“No.” She slips another chip into her mouth. “I don’t.”
Nadia sighs and watches her cousin in exasperation. “Are you ever going to?”
Annika chews her bite, swallows, then looks at Nadia and says, “No.”
“Why not?” Ivie asks. “He’s a good guy, A.”
“This is nobody’s business,” Annika replies and reaches for another bag of chips. “I’m just not going to, okay? I’m sorry, Carmine. I don’t mean to insult you or anything.”
“Rafe’s an idiot,” I reply happily. “I wouldn’t reply, either.”
“He’s not an idiot,” she says softly. “He’s brilliant and kind and all of the good things that Rich wasn’t.”
She sets the unopened bag down.
“Then I’ll ask again.” Nadia’s voice is gentle. “Why won’t you answer him?”
I figure this must be what it’s like to be a fly on the wall during a girls’ night. I don’t think I want to repeat the experience.
“Because I’m broken, and Rafe is way too good for me.”
“That’s a pile of bullshit,” Nadia says simply. “You’re not broken, and no one is too good for you, Annika Tarenkov. You’re hurting, and you need time to heal. You’ll get there.”
Annika shrugs a shoulder and reaches for the laptop.
“Let’s just get back to work and get this over with.”
Time drags. Several hours and two sandwiches later, we’re still at square one.
“I officially hate paper,” I announce as I push the last folder aside. “And I know too much about all of these people’s medical histories.”
“Let’s call it a day,” Nadia suggests. “We can start again tomorrow with fresh eyes. Maybe we’ll go to Rich’s office.”
“It’s empty,” Annika replies. “I went there to clean it out shortly after you left for Europe, but someone beat me to it. The only thing left was the desk.”
“What?” I stare at her, dumbfounded. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because you were in France, on vacation. And, frankly, I didn’t care. It was one less thing I had to deal with. Somebody did me a favor.”
“He wouldn’t have kept something incriminating there,” Ivie says, shaking her head. “It wasn’t secure, and he wasn’t there all the time. If there’s something that can help point to who’s behind all of this, I think it’ll be here. Rich was cocky. Arrogant. He felt safe here. Knew that no one would mess with him here.”
“You’re right,” Annika agrees. “And I was not allowed to be in here. Especially when he was gone. If there’s something to find, it’s here.”
“We need to stop for today,” Nadia announces. “We’re all moody and tired. We’ve been at it since sunrise. We need to get some rest and start again tomorrow, like I said.”
I watch Nadia. She looks exhausted. We haven’t stopped moving since France. There’s been little time to rest and get over the jet lag.
She’s not wrong. We do need to rest.
“You’re right. We’re probably missing something because we don’t have our wits about us. Let’s pick it up in the morning.”
“Thank God.” Annika closes the laptop. “I’ve tried every combination of words and numbers I can think of.”
“If Shane would answer his phone, he could get into it without breaking a sweat. I’ll keep trying him.”
“I will, too,” Ivie adds and reaches for her cell.
“It’s settled then,” Nadia says and stands to stretch. “We’ll come back tomorrow.”
“I needed to get out of there,” Nadia confesses when we pull into the driveway of our rental. “I love my cousin, you know I do, but she was irritating the shit out of me today.”
“She’s angry.”
“She’s being a brat,” she counters. “And that’s not like her. She won’t talk to me. All she wants to do is brood and sulk, and it’s irritating as fuck.”
“Not everyone knows how to handle their emotions after a powerful loss like that.”
“I know. And I’m sympathetic. She lost who she thought was her husband, the life she imagined they’d build together before he even died. And then he was just…gone. She couldn’t confront him. She must have so many emotions going on, and I feel for her. But her attitude is shitty, and I needed a break.”
“Fair enough.” I park and lock my car, and we walk inside the house. It’s the same one we used when we were here a few weeks ago. It’s starting to feel like a home away from home.
I wonder if the owners would consider selling it? It would be convenient to have a piece of property here in the neutral city of Denver.
I’ll have to make some inquiries.
“I’m taking a shower,” Nadia announces, and already has her shirt over her head as she saunters down the hall to the master, her ass swaying in that way that never fails to kick me in the stomach with lust.
I want her.
I always want her.
I’ve fallen in love with her.
I follow after her and hear the water turn on in the shower. Deciding to leave her alone to wash off the frustration of the day, I light a few candles and then go to the kitchen to arrange some fruit, cheese, and crackers on a tray. It’s not fancy, but it’ll be a nice snack.
I set the platter next to the bed and turn to find Nadia standing in the doorway, towel-drying her hair.
She’s naked and still damp from the shower. I can’t wait to get my hands on her.
“Is that for me?”
“It seems that most of what I do these days is for you,” I reply as I cross to her and cup her face in my hands. “Better?”
“Yeah, that felt good.”
I kiss her lips tenderly. “Come, relax. Have a snack.”
“I can think of something I’d like to snack on.” Her lips curl up into a flirty smile, and she drops her hair towel to the floor, then reaches for my jeans.
“And what would that be?” The question is playful. “A card game, perhaps?”
“I’d kill you at poker.”
“I’ve seen you play poker,” I remind her.
“That was an act. I could have cleaned up on that table.”
“Darling, you’re just full of surprises.”
She yanks my shirt over my head and tosses it to the floor, and then she’s on me, raw need pouring from every pore of her body. We stumble to the bed, fall in a clumsy heap, and then it’s all groping hands and laughter as we fumble our way to each other.