Play Me to Infinity (The Broken Men Chronicles Book 3) (18 page)

“Go,” Nicole said.  “Take Jake with you.  I think he could use a night out with the guys. I’ll hang out with Danica while you’re out.”

Despite not being one to turn down a night out, I found it hard to leave her.

“Are you sure?”

“You need some time with them.  You haven’t seen Ben all that much lately.  He needs his best friend, and so do you.”

She was right.

I picked up Jake on the way to meet up with Ben at
Fairfax
.

When my brother-in-law and I arrived, I was shocked to see that my best friend had corralled an entire group of men, most of them I’d grown accustomed to hanging out with since my move back to Jacksonville.

“Hey, man.” Ben greeted me with a slap on the back and thrust a beer into my hand. “I figured it was about time we all got together.”

“Hey, Ben?  Incoming!”  Paxton nodded toward the rear of the establishment.  There was a table of women, one of them closing in on my best friend.

“You should go for
it,”
I told Ben when he’d turned the woman down and she’d gone to rejoin her clan.

Being hit on was a constant for him, yet he refused every single woman that ever approached.

“I don’t need that.  She’s in here every weekend, leaving with a different guy.  I’m a family man, you know that.”

“Yeah, but what’s wrong with getting the kinks out with a good lay?” I asked and Jake nodded in agreement.

“I don’t need a quick fuck.”  He took a drink from his beer.  “And my shit works fine.”

“Doesn’t mean you don’t need a woman.  I mean, it’s not like you don’t have your pick of the litter around here.  Hell, from what I’ve heard, women love a man who can sling drinks like Tom Cruise, and if that doesn’t do it for them, there’s always the firefighter gig.  Chicks dig uniforms.”  Jake gave a subtle laugh and Paxton nodded.  “A hand will never be enough in the end, buddy.”

“But you’re forgetting something,” Brent added to the conversation.  “Meeting women in a bar doesn’t exactly shout out marriage material.”

Brent had a point.

Having grown up together, I knew Ben better than any of the other guys.  The man was like my brother.

What happened to him had been tragic, what with the freak accident that had cost him not only the love of his life, but his baby girl too.  It took a while to get the man back on his feet and build himself into the guy he was
now, but damn, how I wished he was moving on faster to rediscovering the guy he was before he lost everything.

“Seriously though,” I gave him a sobering look, “you need to open yourself up a little more.  Maybe not here per se, but I think a good woman would be all you need to make things right for you again.”

“What the hell happened to you?” Ben asked.  “You’re like the old Mike again.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nikki’s really sunk her teeth into you, huh?” Ben stated more than asked.

“What?” Brent started laughing.  “You and Nicole?”  I nodded.  “Well shit!  How the fuck did that happen? I thought she hated you.”

I grinned.  “There’s a fine line.”

I gave them all the four-one-one on what’s been going on, including the psychotic happenings that led to her house being torched and her moving in with me.

“You should have seen the two of them a week ago,” Ben added between bouts of laughter.  “Sorry about that, by the way.”

“I think you were more embarrassed than she was.” I chuckled. “We had a good laugh about it after you left.”

“Wait a minute!” Jake said, his gaze on Ben.  “You walked in on the two of them?”

Ben nodded and took a sip of his beer and Jake said, “Damn!”

Ben cleared his throat.  “It was the day Dani sent me to check up on him since he wasn’t returning her calls.  I walked in, thinking the poor guy would be moping, and there they were, in the buff, in the middle of the fucking living room floor, snuggling of all things!  Like I said, bro, you need to lock the door.”

“And you need to learn to knock,” I retorted.

“Would have been a better show if I’d seen a bit more action.”  He snickered.

I took a sip of my beer and pointed its tip toward my best friend.  “You should have been there ten minutes earlier then,” I quipped, making him laugh while the rest of the boys hooted and hollered.

Most of the men had headed home, leaving it to Jake, Ben and I.

Jake had gone to the men’s.

“So what’s going on with you?” I asked Ben.

The man shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know.  It’s been busy lately.”  I nodded.  “How’s it going with Nicole, really?”

I grinned.  “She’s perfect.  If it weren’t for all those side issues with our exes, I think we’d be well on our way to marriage and babies.”

The man sputtered and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.  “Did I hear you right?”  A laugh was my response.  “Fuck, Mike, you never talked about kids with Tracey.”

“It just proves that she wasn’t right.”

“That’s an understatement!” he mumbled.  “So what’s going on with Nicole’s place?  I heard the Chief say it was arson, that the old propane tank in the back is what blew the roof off the place.”

And nearly blew my woman to bits with it.
  “Yeah.”

“You know that things will take forever to get settled because it’s a criminal case, right?”

“It doesn’t matter.  I want to ask her to stay.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, why, you got something against that?”

“It’s not that.”  He seemed to deliberate something for a moment.  “Never mind…”  The man went from sporting a ponderous look to grinning like a loon.  “I’m just shocked at this complete turnaround.  I’m happy for you, I really am.  It’s been a long time coming.”

I couldn’t help but notice the loneliness that emanated from the man.

Here I was happier than a pig in shit, when my best friend was still licking his wounds instead of living out a happy life.

Still, the fact that his happiness for Nicole and me was genuine and unforced had me feeling less guilt.  Along with his humor, it demonstrated that the remnants of my formerly-lively best friend were making a more frequent appearance.  Maybe there was hope for him yet.

I took a sip of my Bud. “You know, if it’s someone outside the bar you want, I might just have the person for you.”

“Not happening, Mike.”

Jake plopped himself down on a chair to rejoin us.  “What’s not happening?  By the way, Gabby’s got a fever, so we’ve got to run, but I want to hear this first.”

“Mike thinks he can play match-maker,” Ben explained.

“She’s right up your alley.”

“Who is she?” Jake asked.

“A colleague.”  I swallowed the remainder of my beer.  “She’s pretty quiet, but a complete sweetheart.”

“Good,” Ben said, “why don’t you date her?”

“Because I’m happy with my trouble-making kinky spitfire.”  I grinned, making Jake laugh.  “Just think about it, all right?”

“Fine!” I knew he wouldn’t, though.  A man like Ben wouldn’t take handouts.  He could find his own woman.  “Now get lost.  Say hi to Nikki for me and make sure to pay those legs of hers some undivided attention while you’re at it.”

Jake shook his head.  “I’m glad to see your smart-ass mouth is back, but you’re begging for it, Ben.”

The man guffawed.  “He knows I’m kidding.”

I laughed.  “You’re lucky you’re on my good side, or you’d be on the floor nursing your jaw instead of that beer.”

Yes, Ben was definitely on his way back.

After a grueling day at the office, I found Nicole on the couch, head bent, laptop on her lap and her cell in her hand at her side, as her other massaged the bridge of her nose.

“What’s going on?”

Her head snapped up.  It was clear she hadn’t seen or heard me come in and the look on her face showed pure exhaustion.

“I just got off the phone with the insurance company.”

“And?”

The flat line of her lips said it all. “They said the investigation needed to be closed before I can get the funds and do anything with it.”

I sat beside her, closed the top on her computer, and set it down on the coffee table along with her phone.  Pulling her into my arms, I kissed her hair. “You know there’s no rush for you to get out of here, right?” I kissed her hair.

“I know.”  She pulled away and looked up.  “It’s just-”

“If you think that I’ll grow tired of
you, then you’re mistaken.”

“You might change your mind a month or two from now, when-”

“Just stop!”  Her mouth snapped shut at my sharp tone.  When I continued, my voice had softened.  “I’ve been thinking about something.”  Nicole’s brow arched, but she remained silent.  “Why not sell the land and keep the cash?”

“But then I’m still living with you.”

I smiled.  “Exactly.”

“But…”

I sighed.  Did I have to spell it out for her?  “You’re not getting what I
mean, honey.  I want you to stay… permanently.”

“Are you kidding?”  Her voice squeaked, but her lopsided grin made its appearance.

“Not even a little.  Nicole, move in with me.  Live with me.  Be mine.  I know this is quick, but I want to wake up to you every morning.  I want to go to bed with you beside me every night.  It’s no different than what we’ve been doing since before all hell broke loose.”

“Mike…”  She cupped my face in her hands.

“What do you say?”

“I’ve always wanted a pool.”  She giggled.  “So, your house, huh?”

I shook my head and corrected her.  “Our house.  Now, kiss me.”

She leaned in and paused before closing the rest of the distance.  “You’re sure?”

To prove how sure I was, I grabbed her face and leaned in to kiss her hard.  On a moan, I took advantage of her opened mouth to get a better taste of her.

Tastes like home to me.

Nicole had the right idea.  Working from home sure held its benefits, what with the lack of disturbances.

I was going through a client’s latest changes to a campaign we were asked to undertake when I heard the doorbell.

Nicole got up from the sofa.  “I’ll get it.”

I waited for Nicole to come back or call me, but all I heard was muffled conversation.

Around the corner, Nicole’s shoulders were slumped, her arms hugging her torso as Detective Mercer held his silence, his gaze ever watchful.

“Detective?” I offered my hand which he shook.  “I take it you have news?”  I wasn’t pleased with Nicole’s coloring, or the defeated look in her eyes that had combined with an onslaught of tears.

“We have a name.”  I waited for Mercer to continue.  “A man named Guy Turner was apprehended.  I need Nicole to come down to the station to see if she recognizes him.”

An hour later, that’s where we ended up.

“That’s him?” Nicole asked when we saw Guy Turner through the one-way mirror of the interrogation room as Detective Peters joined the suspect.

I snorted at the frumpy-looking giant.  If I had to guess his occupation, I’d say he did something in construction, what with the torn-up knees of his jeans and the dust speckling his shirt.

“That’s
him,” Mercer confirmed.  “Does he look familiar?”

She shook her head, indicating the negative.

“Try and think, honey.” I pulled her into my side.

“I’ve never seen him before, I swear.”

“I’m guessing he was a hired hand,” Detective Mercer said.  “We’ve got a warrant for his email and phone records.  We’re hoping that’ll tip us off as to who might have paid him.  We’re waiting on the judge to give the nod to access his bank records too.”

“How’d you find him?” I asked.

“Someone from Miss Baxter’s neighborhood called it in.  The man drives a company truck,” Mercer explained.  “It’s his company, and he’s the only one working for himself.  We found empty gas cans in the back of his truck.  We’ve got forensics running comparative tests to see if the accelerant matches.”

Moments later, a clerk came in and handed Mercer a piece of paper.  I didn’t like the grim line that formed on the detective’s face, or the way he marched to the interrogation room.  He whispered something in the other detective’s ear.  Peters nodded, then Mercer walked out of the room, and left Nicole and me alone.

“Who’s Lisa?” we
heard Peters ask through the intercom.

The man refused him the answer he wanted with a cocky smirk.  “I think it’s time I lawyered up.”

“This is your chance to talk, Turner.  Maybe we can work out a deal.”  Peters tried again.  “Now, who is Lisa Granger to you?”

“She must be pretty important since she’s been blowing up your cell since you’ve been here.” Mercer’s words made Turner tense.

“I’m not telling you two a damn thing.  I want my lawyer and phone call.”

“Oh, my God!” Nicole’s ass hit the seat she stood by and she bent forward, elbows on her knees, covering her face, her breathing having gone erratic.  “I can’t believe this!”

What the hell?
  “Nic?” I crouched down in front of her, my hands on the sides of her thighs. “What is it?  Are you okay?”

She shook her head. “I can’t believe this!  It can’t be!”

“Talk to
me, honey.”

“Lisa Granger… Fuck, it’s Lisa!”
she repeated.
 
“I have to speak to Peters and Mercer now!”

Peters came to the door after I pounded on it for nearly a minute.  “Can you please tell me why it is that you’re pulling me away from my interrogation?” he asked as Mercer came back to join us.

“I think you’re both going to want to hear this.”  I turned from the two men to Nicole.  “Honey?”

“Can I see a picture of Lisa Granger?”

Peter’s eyebrows pulled up and Mercer asked, “Why?”

“Because I think I might know her.”