Chapter 28
Suds
The sun wakes me through a grimy unfamiliar window.
Where am I?
In response, my mind downloads a montage of images into my conscious brain, the good, the bad, and the awesome. My morning wood springs to life when Sam squirms. We make love between the sheets, in the shower, and back in bed.
“We should eat.” Sleepy eyes lift to mine as her check lies on my heart, her fingers twisting my chest hairs.
I inhale our sex scent and kiss the blond locks under my chin. “There’s a convenience store around the corner. I’ll be back in a minute.”
There’s not a lot of breakfast choices but I manage to score a loaf of bread, some juice, and a jar of peanut butter. At the counter, I pour two extra-large coffees and go back for a small carton of cream.
Hungry now, I get back into my vehicle and rush to Sam, hoping for another round of hot sex before we go.
Cutting the engine, I roll into the parking lot and study the black SUV in front of my cabin. Maybe it’s the cleaning staff but that makes no sense. We aren’t checking out until late morning and we’re the only ones who stayed the night.
Not expecting trouble, I left my sidearm on the dresser so reach to the glove compartment and pull out my spare. Maybe there’s nothing to get all worked up about but my gut is seldom wrong.
In the office, the same sleepy guy who answered yesterday comes to the front desk. “Can I help you?”
“I left my key inside the room. Can I have another? And by the way, do you know who parked the SUV outside my place?” I peek outside the window where everything remains quiet.
“No idea.” Grumbling, he fumbles around inside a drawer and hands me a card. “Make sure you give them both back or there’s a charge.”
“Thank you.” As I cross the open and exposed lot, gun tucked in my jeans, I feel a little foolish. There could be any number of reasons someone parked out in the middle of nowhere but hell if I can think of one.
At my cabin door, I pause at the sound of a man’s voice. “Sit down. You think youz can accuse my wife of murder then walk away?”
Sam’s steady voice responds. “Listen. We didn’t accuse anyone of anything. We’re private detectives and were hired to find a guy.”
“Huh. You can see what a difficult position you’ve put me in. They found one of my wife’s playthings in a dump. And, while I’m not overly fond of her, I don’t want her in jail or any negative publicity. Capice?”
“I understand. “ Her voice gets nearer.
“And if I do nothing, I could be perceived as weak by my enemies.”
“Certainly.”Good girl.Now, she sounds closer.
“So, here’s what I’m thinking. We’ll wait until your partner shows up and then take a short drive into the woods. Or, perhaps I’ll kill you now and when he walks in and sees your body, I’ll shoot him, too. Baddabing, baddaboom.”
“You should probably wait. Nowadays, forensics are a bitch. My friend, Frankie, said it’s best to kill the person where you want them, permanently.”
I grin at her cool head but it’s bizarre to hear her discuss disposing of our bodies as if giving a lecture at The Hitman Institute.
It’s time to take action. “Sam, you in there? I left my key.”
She shouts back. “Just a second. Coming.”
Touching the metal in the small of my back, I pull down on my shirt, and Sam opens the door wide.
“Mr. Gallo, meet Sebastian Sutcliff, my partner.
He points his gun at her chest. “No stupid shit. Keep your hands in the air where I can seez them.”
I do as he says, slide next to her in front of the drapes, and try to talk sense into him. “Y’all can’t shoot us here. The guy at the front desk already has your license plate.”
