“What are you some sort of ninja assassin?” Melissa asked,
coming up behind Alexa as she practiced Tai Chi on the patio. She had been
watching for a while, impressed by the fluid motion in her form.
Alexa smiled and used her towel to dab at the sweat on her
forehead. “I just like to stay active is all. I could teach you a few moves if
you’d like.”
“Nah,” Melissa replied, shaking her head. Dropping onto the top
step, she continued watching, sighing every now and again. “Can I
ask you something?”
“Should I reply with a wisecrack or just ‘yes?’” Alexa
grinned over her shoulder.
“You and Gavin are here because your place is being sprayed
for bugs, right?” Melissa continued, ignoring Alexa’s comment. “How long does
that usually take?”
“Still anxious to get rid of me, Melissa? And here I thought
we were becoming fast friends,” Alexa sighed.
“I’m just wondering what in the world my brother sees in you.”
“Do you really want me to answer that?”
“Ew. You know I’m only 15, right?”
“And yet you somehow picked up on the implication,” Alexa
smirked.
“I’m smart. And it doesn’t change the fact that you
shouldn’t say things like that to me.”
“You’re right, I’m sorry. That was using poor judgment and I
apologize.”
“You just don’t want me to tell my mom,” Melissa teased with
a smirk.
“Maybe,” Alexa replied. “She’s not my biggest fan either;
you two have that in common.”
“I’m nothing like her!”
“If you say so,” Alexa shrugged.
Melissa drew silent a moment as Alexa continued her calisthenics.
“Does it hurt?”
“What this? Not at all. It’s actually very beneficial for…”
“Not that,” Melissa interrupted with a sigh. “I’m talking
about sex.”
Alexa stopped and turned to face the teen. Grabbing her
towel, she dropped onto the step beside her as she thought over her answer. “It
can hurt. The first time mostly but it’s temporary. It’s a small discomfort;
sort of like a tummy ache. But after a while that goes away and it starts to
feel really, really good; especially
with the right partner.”
Melissa smiled and Alexa stood to resume her workout. “It’s
none of my business, Melissa, and trust me I’m not asking but, if you are
planning to be active, make sure for your sake that you use protection. No
matter what a guy says or how much he tells you he loves you, be smart for
yourself.”
Before she could resume exercising, her phone rang and she
tossed her towel to the bag before answering. “A, we’ve got movement. Nolan’s leaving the hotel or rather he’s getting
thrown out on his ass,” Kasper laughed over the phone.
“What? Are you there right now?”
“Yeah. I thought it
was best we keep an eye on him just in case he gets any ideas.”
“K, that’s not…that’s not smart,” Alexa whispered, turning
her back to Melissa. “Remember what happened last time you went out on your
own?”
“I know, hence the
reason for the call. I figured you might want to take lead on this considering
he’s your ex and all. But I wanted you to have a decent jumping off point. Can
you meet me at the Sheridan?”
“I can’t right now. I have to meet with the judge on this
murder-for-hire case. The trial hasn’t even started and the defense is trying
to bury me in motions.”
“Murder for hire?
Sounds like that’s right up your alley.”
“Cute.”
“Alright fine, after
work.”
“Fine. But, K…be careful. If it looks like trouble, promise
me you’ll get out of there as fast as possible.”
“I promise.”
“Hey, Mel,” Gavin greeted his sister as he dropped beside
her. Alexa turned at the sound of his voice, quickly hung up her phone and
slipped it into the waistband of her shorts. “If you don’t get a move on, you’re
going to be late for school.”
“Mom tell you to say that?”
“Mmhmm. She also told me to give you these,” Gavin replied,
brandishing a pair of strappy heels. “She mentioned something about picture day
and wanting at least one decent shot of you before you’re 40.”
“She says that every year,” Melissa rolled her eyes and snatched
the shoes. “I swear that woman is going to be the death of me,” she lamented
and stomped toward the house.
“Hey, you.” Gavin smiled in Alexa’s direction.
“Hey, yourself,” Alexa replied and began gathering up her
belongings. Things were starting to settle in again between them after she’d split.
Alexa called him later that night from the Clifford Hotel distraught and
apologetic. She explained why she left and he convinced her to let him come
pick her up. He didn’t say much when he got there and found her crying in
the lobby. Instead, he checked them in and they stayed for two nights. He was
mostly just grateful he found her unharmed. And after promising she wouldn’t
pull some stunt like that again he dropped the Nolan subject once informing
her that the St. Claire Police department was on the case. Gavin stood and slowly
started toward her.
“So, I’m heading in to the shop but I was thinking lunch;
you, me, Carrie’s Smokehouse? Huh? Whaddya say? Could be fun, right?” Then
there was that. The constant checking up. Gavin had been attached to Alexa’s hip
since the beach, she barely had room to breathe. If he wasn’t calling to see
how her day was going, code for ‘are you still in town’, then he was making
sure any spare time she had she spent with him. Lunch had become code for ‘I want to keep an eye on you.’
“Maybe…but…”
“Don’t you mean best butties,”
Alexa giggled as Gavin pulled her closer.
“Oooh that was bad, even for you,” he smirked and softly
kissed her nose. “But seriously. Lunch? Pretty please?”
“Don’t you ever get sick of me?”
“Never!” he answered without a second’s hesitation.
“Fine,” Alexa conceded with a sigh. “Lunch, 1 o’clock, I’ll
meet you there.”
“It’s a date!” Gavin pressed his lips tightly against hers,
moaning into her mouth as he felt her tongue lightly caress his. “I’ll see you
later.”
“Bye,” she smiled and waved him off. Checking the clock on
her phone, Alexa quickly counted out the time it would take to meet up with
Kasper before her big meeting at the courthouse. If she skipped breakfast and
ignored traffic lights from here to St. Paul Street, it would give her 15 minutes
to assess the situation. Too close,
she thought and shrugged off the idea. Kasper would just have to wait until noon.
“Your Honor, with all due respect…”
“Thank you, Your Honor,” Alexa sighed, crossing off a line
on the folder in her hand.
“Furthermore, Ms. Taylor, I am NOT allowing the photographic
evidence into court as it is fruit of the poisonous tree. Due to the illegal
search made by police of the defendant’s car they are deemed inadmissible.”
“Thank you,” Watson grinned and glanced at Alexa. “What
about the emails?”
“I was getting to that, Mr. Watson. The emails I will allow…”
“But, Your Honor, they were…”
“Obtained legally by the search and seizure on the home
which stemmed from a previous charge. I know the law, Mr. Watson. The
Prosecution has 48 hours to come up with additional evidence to support the
secondary charge of blackmail otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to dismiss it,”
Judge Clark stood allowing the attorneys to exit the room.
“How’d the case go?” Kasper asked, slipping into the
passenger seat of Alexa’s black sedan as she pulled into the parking lot of the
Gold Club Café.
“As good as I could hope for. The Judge sided with me on the
motions but rejected some of my best evidence.”
“Bummer.”
“Is that for me?” she asked of the chocolate doughnut in the
bag on Kasper’s lap.
“Of course.”
“Thanks.” Her cell phone chimed and she picked it up to
check the message.
“Lemme guess, Mr. Terrific?” he asked, seeing the smile on her face. “Has he saved a bunch of 1st
graders from a burning bus? Or rescued a cat from a tree? Help an old lady
cross the road?”
“Gee, someone sounds jealous,” Alexa retorted with a
grin. “And it’s nothing heroic…this time. He’s running late for lunch.”
“Oh well I’ll alert the media!”
She quickly fired
back a reply and sat the phone on the dash. “So anyway, back to the case. I
have 48 hours to find something else otherwise I can only charge the defendant
with attempted murder.”
“What’s the details?”
“A businessman hires a PI to follow his wife and finds out
she’s cheating on him with her tennis instructor. Instead of divorcing her
outright, he decides to hire a hitman to take her out.”
“He should have come to us.”
“Yeah well, that’s not the kind of thing we do. Anyway, the
hitman turned out to be an undercover police officer; clean cut attempted
murder charge. But here’s the kicker; the PI the husband hired ALSO caught him
on tape with his secretary. The PI turns around and blackmails the husband for
more money in exchange for his silence. Turns out there’s a clause in the pre-nup
which voids payout if he’s caught with his pants down.”
“And there’s the rub.”
“When the husband got pinched, he ratted out the PI for the
blackmail but the evidence there was a bit shaky.”
“Anything I can help you with?”
“Nah. I appreciate the offer, but I can take care of it,” she shook him off. Moments later, Nolan stepped outside the café and Alexa sat up in her seat. “There he is.”
“Yep. Probably just spent his last dime on that coffee,” Kasper said, watching him toss a cup in the trash.
“Too bad.”
“So, what’s the play here?” he asked, briefly glancing at
Alexa before turning his attention back to Nolan.
“Follow him, see if he’s leaving town. I just can’t help but
feel like we’re missing something though,” she sighed and started the ignition.
“You have GPS on his car, right?”
“I do.”
“Can you tell me where he’s been in the last 24 hours?”
“Unfortunately, no. I wasn’t able to install it until he got
back to his hotel last night. I didn’t know where else to find him until then.”
“Damn.” Alexa and Kasper continued following Nolan for the
next thirty minutes. He led them to a convenience store, a drug store, a
clothing store, and a gas station, before finally pulling into the Avis parking
lot.
“Think he’s leaving town?”
“One could only hope.” Nolan spent the next ten minutes
speaking with an agent behind the counter, handed the man the keys and took a
seat on the bus bench on the corner. “Looks like he’s not moving.”
“According to TrackMyRoute.com the next bus from here makes
stops at Camden Beach, Hidden Springs and Meadow Glen. All signs point to him
getting out of town.”
“Good. But as luck would have it, I can’t stick around to
find out. I’m meeting Gavin in twenty minutes for lunch.”
“Drop me back at my car and I’ll keep an eye on Nolan.”
“Or, you could drive me a block down to Chauncey Boulevard
and keep my car. I’ll walk. Just pick me up later.”
“Hold it right there,” Melissa froze in place at the sound
of the authoritative voice behind her. Stealing a glance over her shoulder, her
eyes met with the reflective gold metal of a St. Claire police badge and she
cussed beneath her breath. Usually she was so cautious; scanning an area
thoroughly before engaging in her extracurricular
activities. But now she’d been caught; literally red-handed as she let the
paint can fall to the ground. “What do you think you’re doing?” the officer
asked as if the answer wasn’t apparent.
“I…was…um…” Melissa started, turning around to face the man.
“Hey, don’t I know you from somewhere? You look familiar.”
“I…um…” she again stammered. If she told the officer who she
was, she would surely face her parents’ wrath. On top of that, it would be a
headline her father didn’t need; especially after the fundraiser fiasco. “I’m
um…”
“There you are!” Alexa’s voice resounded from over her
shoulder. Melissa turned sharply and caught her gaze as Gavin’s houseguest rounded
the corner. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you! Why did you run off like
that?” she continued, mockingly scolding her before turning toward the cop. “Thank
you, Officer…Miller,” Alexa smiled, reading the nametag on the man’s shirt. “I
don’t know what’s gotten into her lately. She doesn’t normally do these kinds
of things.”
“Ma’am, do you know this young lady?”
“Yes, I do. Sarah is my step-daughter. Ever since I married
her father, she’s been a handful to say the least,” Alexa frowned glancing
briefly in Melissa’s direction. “I am very sorry about this.”
“Did you know St. Claire has an anti-blight ordinance,
Ma’am? I’m gonna have to cite you for this. May I have your license, please?”
“Absolutely, I understand,” Alexa replied, handing over her
ID. “I will pay for any damages she may have caused.”
“I’m letting you off easy this time,” Officer Miller stated
as he quickly scribbled something on the notepad in his hand. “These things
have cost the taxpayers a lot of money to clean up. It’s why the mayor
instituted the new ordinance. Anyone caught defacing or vandalizing city
property will face restitution. That could also mean 1-3 years in jail,” he
added, looking directly at Melissa. He handed Alexa the citation and her
license back and flipped the cover closed on his pad. “You should keep a better
eye on her in the future.”
“Wow. Lying comes easy to you, doesn’t it?”
“Hmm, I think the words you were looking for are ‘thank’ and
‘you’. Besides, I like to refer to it as ‘bullshitting’. I am, after all, a lawyer,”
she smiled, catching an eye roll from Gavin’s baby sister. “Oh, I’m sorry,
Melissa, would you have preferred telling him the truth? Come on, let’s go do
that. I’m sure he hasn’t gotten far.”
Melissa grew silent and dropped her eyes to her feet. “I’m sorry,
you’re right. Thank you,” she replied with a stiff and disingenuous smile.
“Whatever would I have done without you?”
“Faced jail time? Sat in juvie a few years with a bunch of
rough and tumble tweens? Hear your parents’ disappointment and look at those
disheartened faces of theirs?” Alexa offered, placing her hands on her hips.
“Not to mention Gavin’s reaction. He thinks his baby sister can do no wrong.
This would break his heart.”
“Ok, ok, I get it. I screwed up, alright? I’ll never do it
again. Is that what you wanted to hear?”
“Now who’s lying?” Alexa smiled, pulling out her cell phone.
She snapped a quick shot of the collage of faces and saved it to her gallery. “Not
bad. When Gavin said you were the next da Vinci, he never mentioned you were
also a street tagger.”
“Because he doesn’t know!” Melissa nearly shouted and again
dropped her head with a sigh. “Look, obviously this part of my art isn’t
something most people know about and I’d prefer it stayed that way. I doubt
they’d approve.”
“Don’t worry, Melissa, your secret is safe with me.”
“So…” she started, her mood greatly improving. “How much you
get hit for?”
“$1,250. That is, of course, unless I contest it. In which
case, you’ll be doing some community service,” Alexa grinned widely at the
fearful expression on Melissa’s face. “I’m kidding. Think of this as your first
commission. I just bought a piece of your artwork.”
“Thanks, Hannah.”
“It was a walk.”
“Excuse me?”
“A walk. Professor didn’t show so after five minutes the
whole class walked out.”
“I’m pretty sure that only applies in college, not high
school.”
“Yeah whatever. I gotta get back anyway. 6th
period is art, and I never miss that class.”
“Good to know.”
“Thanks again, Hannah. Maybe you’re not such a bitch after
all. I’ll catch you later.” Melissa quickly turned and sprinted down the
sidewalk in the same path the cop went earlier. Alexa took one last look at the
image defacing the Fairview Library in the middle of Main Street before heading
off in the opposite direction.
Looking both ways, Alexa carefully stepped into the crosswalk, continuing her stroll. Carrie’s Smokehouse was just a little way up the street and the cool afternoon air was surprisingly refreshing. Retrieving her phone from her purse, she checked to see if Gavin had sent her any new messages since this morning. Alexa smiled seeing the small envelope and the heart emoji attached.
Alexa was too busy replying to Gavin’s text she didn’t
notice the man walk up behind her.
“Eva Austin.” There was that name again, but the voice was definitely not Nolan’s. Alexa turned with a
confused look into the extremely arrogant smirk on Tobias’ face. “Gotcha!”
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