There wasn’t much I could do about it at this moment because I pulled into the driveway of Etta Wilks. Tatiana’s notes told me the 75-year-old woman married well and divorced even better.
I drove the vehicle to a stop in the drive, put it in park, then turned to Celia. “Lalelei, I’m a bull in a china shop when it comes to you. I don’t have fancy words, but I can tell you this - you are sexy as hell. Those curves you’re rocking get me all kinds of hot. Your brown eyes see right through me. But there’s something about your mind, your heart, and your laughter that sends jolts of electricity straight to my cock.”
And damn it. Just talking about it made it even harder.
Celia blushed but met my eye. “For someone who says he doesn’t have fancy words, those were pretty good ones.”
I thought she might lean in to kiss me. I thought about leaning in to kiss her. But we were rudely interrupted by a loud rapping on my window.
I turned to see a wrinkled face peering at me. “You bozos going to sit there and fuck in my driveway, or will you get out and state your fucking business?”
Celia covered her face with her hands. I chuckled. Yeah. That did it. The senior woman staring at us through the car windows was the exact thing I needed to get my pecker to calm down. I adjusted my pants, then got out of the car.
I towered over the woman standing in the driveway with her hands on her hips. A cigarette hung out of the side of her mouth. A yapping Yorkshire Terrier growled at my shoes.
“Easy, Killer,” Etta Wilks rasped at the dog before glaring at me. “Who the fuck are you? And, what the fuck are you doing at my house?”
The petite Ms. Wilks had about an inch on Celia, which meant I towered over both women. Etta might have been a blonde in her younger days, but now she sported a spiky platinum haircut that made her look like an aging rock star. Her ice-blue eyes narrowed at me as she took another drag at her cigarette, then blew a smoke ring. Tattoos on each finger of her hands spelled out: F-U-C-K-Y-O-U-!
That’s right. She even had the exclamation point on a finger, in case you didn’t believe the seriousness of her “Fuck You” in the first place.
I coughed but held out my hand to shake. “I’m Flint Mendota, with Saber Security. And, this is Ms. Celia Saber.”
I know, I know.I left out the critical name on the security company letterhead. But I knew this senior hard-ass wouldn’t talk to me. I figured she would talk to Celia if she thought the woman was in charge.
Etta pumped Celia’s hand. “Fucking awesome! Welcome, Boss Babe. I’m Etta Wilks. This is Killer.”
Celia raised an eyebrow.
The dog attacked Celia’s shoes, then peed on her leg. Celia gasped.
“Goddamnit! Killer! What did I say about pissing on nice people’s shoes?” Etta yanked on the dog’s leash. “I’m sorry, Boss Babe. Let’s go inside. I’ll get you a towel.”
Celia’s disgust nearly made me laugh, but if I ever wanted a chance to see the woman naked again, I thought I might just want to bite my tongue. Her face told me that was a wise move.
We followed theconstantly smokingEtta into her home. Smoke curled around her head like she was steam-powered. Etta unleashed Killer, then motioned for us to follow her into the kitchen. She handed Celia a wet and a dry towel.
“Fucking sorry about that,” Etta pulled a fresh cigarette out of her bra, lit it on the one in her mouth, sucked on both for a second, then stubbed out the first in an overflowing ashtray. “Killer loves to mark his possessions. He must like you.”
Celia grunted.
“Anyone want a margarita?” Etta raised an eyebrow.
Celia glanced at the microwave clock.“It’s not even noon.”
“So, mimosa, then?” Etta tilted her head.
“None for us, thanks,” I grinned.
Etta was growing on me.
“You come to talk about that sorry-ass excuse of a security company we have out there,” Etta pointed out the window with her cigarette.
Celia glanced at me. I nodded for her to take the lead.
“Not exactly,” Celia began. “We’re investigating the murder of Octavio Cruz.”
“Thatmotherfuckingsonofabitch!” Etta walked over to the kitchen sink and spat twice. “Good riddance, I say.”
