3 Bad Guys Get Caught (23 page)

“I don’t have time for dating right
now,” Mila said tersely.

“Don’t have time for dating?” A tall man
in his mid-thirties approached the bar stand. “Then how are you ever going to
find your soul mate?” he added, his blue eyes twinkling at her. There was a
twang of Down Under accent in his speech: either New Zealand or Australia.

“Excuse me?” Mila placed her hands on
her hips, about to break her rule of never being rude to customers.

Daniel intervened, “Philip! Finally! I
thought you weren’t going to show up.”

“Dan the man!” The Down Under jackass
slapped Daniel on the back. “I almost got lost; man, it’s a maze in this part
of town.”

Daniel grinned. “Don’t tell me that
while you were playing cowboy on that farm of yours in New Zealand you forgot
your hometown!”

“Cowboy? Who said cowboy?” Amy eyed
Philip appraisingly.

“I’m afraid Daniel used a misnomer.
Cowboys tend to horses. My farm only had windmills on it,” the jackass
clarified.

Amy’s eyes flashed as she nudged Mila.
“How exciting! And what brings you to New York?”

Mila rolled her eyes; another energy
entrepreneur thinking that he was God’s gift to humanity.

“Family money wasn’t enough for him
since Philip here wanted to make a name for himself, so he went off to New
Zealand and turned a failing sheep farm into one of New Zealand’s largest
alternative energy providers. Now that he’s sold it at a hefty profit, he’s
looking for a new adventure in New York.”

“This is all very fascinating, but if
you’ll excuse me, I have to go check on our customers,” Mila said.

“I’ll do it!” Amy dashed off, leaving
Mila stuck.

“Daniel, you have such exciting
friends!” Ania exclaimed. “I’m Ania by the way, Daniel’s wife.” She extended
her hand to Phillip, and he shook it gingerly.

Daniel fumbled with his watch. “I think
it’s time we got going, Ania. We don’t want to be late for our dinner with the
Watkins.”

“Oh, I just checked my calendar. You
were right—it is tomorrow,” Ania replied, clearly reluctant to leave.

“Well then, there’s a camera store I was
interested in checking out on the way, and I wanted to get there before they close.”
Daniel got up, making it clear that the conversation was over.

“Goodbye, thank you so much for stopping
by.” Mila waved at them.

“Keep up the good work, Mila, and I’ll
be seeing you soon.” Daniel kissed her on the cheek.

“Let’s have lunch sometime,” Ania
offered. “I’ll call you.”

Mila nodded. “Sounds great.” If she
didn’t see Ania for another two months, she wouldn’t miss her one wink. “Are
you sure you can’t stay for another drink?” she asked. As much as she disliked
Ania, the thought of being left alone with Philip was even more unnerving.

“No, no, we really must be going,”
Daniel insisted, grabbing Ania by the elbow and steering her towards the door.

Mila fumbled with the liquor bottles.
“What would you like to drink?” she asked Philip. This was a bar and if he was
going to hang around, he’d better be a paying customer.

He ignored her question. “Forgive me, I
think we got off on the wrong foot,” Philip said, his baby blues twinkling at
Mila.

She shrugged. “I run a bar. It takes
more than a stupid comment to ruffle my feathers.”

“So you think what I said about finding
your soul mate is stupid?” Philip asked, almost delighted.

“I didn’t mean that,” Mila retorted.
“It’s just too idealistic,” she added, annoyed at herself. Why was it that
Philip’s smile was making her so uneasy? She couldn’t deny that the man was
sexy: tall, broad-shouldered with those muscles roving underneath his tailored
shirt and those narrow hips, he was walking man candy. That was just it; Mila
was on a diet, indefinitely. “Well, it was nice to meet you, Philip. I really
do have to get back to work.” Mila prayed that more customers would pile in.
Where the hell were they?

As if in an answer to her prayers, the
doors swung open and a crowd of girls burst in. The one in the middle was
wearing a white veil. “Let’s get this party started!” one of them shouted. It
was the bachelorette party; they had arrived early.

“I really do have to get back to work,”
Mila repeated, relieved. “Would you like a drink?” she offered, not wanting to
be completely rude.

“Yes, I would, but not right now.”
Philip slid a card across the bar. “My phone number is on there. I hope that we
can continue our discussion on the topic of soul mates because I think I can
prove you wrong.”

Mila shook her head. “A little cocky,
aren’t we?”

Philip rocked back on his heels. “Just
confident.”

Mila put the card in her back pocket.
“I’ll give you a call, Philip.”

“Great.” He smiled at her, turning to
leave. “You’re not going to leave me hanging by the phone, are you?” he turned around,
locking his eyes with hers.

Mila smiled in spite of herself. “I’ll
do my best.”

“Promise?”

“Cross my heart and hope to die.” She
could hear the bachelorette party getting rowdy in the background.

“Great.” He grinned. “I think you’d
better get back to work now.”

Mila skipped along the length of the bar
and joined Amy who was frantically mixing drinks.

“I need two rum and cokes and two
margaritas,” Amy rattled off. “Was he hot or was he hot?” she asked, as her
hands were busy pouring liquor into a martini shaker.

“He was hot,” Mila admitted, lining the
glasses on the bar.

“So you’re gonna call him?”

“How do you—”

“I’ve got really good ears,” Amy shot
back.

“I can see that.”

“So you’re gonna call him?”

“Yes.” Mila smiled demurely, pouring the
rum. It was funny how things happened when you least expected them.

“Hey, careful there!” Amy nudged her.
“These aren’t supposed to be doubles.”

“Sorry!” Mila put the bottle back. “See
what I mean? Men make you distracted.”

“Honey, I think a little bit of spilled rum
is a small price to pay for finding a soul mate.”

Mila only smiled, thinking that the
“when it rains it pours” saying worked both ways. For a while it had seemed
that the downpour of misfortunes tumbling on her head would never stop, but now
that the sun had come out, and its light just kept getting brighter and
brighter. She had no idea if Philip and she were going to hit it off, but she
decided that both of them deserved a chance to find out.

Dennis Walker leaned back in his chair.
A stack of assignments was piled up on his desk; ever since he and Janet had
gotten back from their hiatus in Tahiti, they had been crazy busy, as Kirk
& Associates became the agency of choice used by the FBI. Instead of
grinding away on his next case, he stared at his computer screen with unseeing
eyes. Work was the last thing on his mind.

He had a very important decision to
make, and he had a little over twenty-four hours to make it. Deep down he knew
that his mind was already made up, but he needed one final push, one last
assurance to convince himself. What he needed was a friend’s advice. The
problem was that he didn’t have too many friends in general, and he had even
fewer friends who were qualified to give advice in the area of his predicament.

With a grunt, Dennis picked up the phone
and dialed Laskin’s number. Desperate times required desperate measures, and he
was pretty damn desperate.

“Peter Laskin.”

“Peter, it’s Dennis.”

“Dennis! Long time no speak! How are
things?”

Dennis ignored Laskin’s question; he
didn’t have time for idle pleasantries. “Can you meet me for lunch?”

“I’m always glad to see you, Dennis, but
I’m swamped at work. Any way we could do it next week? Maybe Janet could come
too. It’d be great to catch up.”

“Can’t you meet me today? I won’t take
up much of your time. It’s really important, Peter.” Dennis paused. “It’s about
a personal matter.”

“Can’t you tell me over the phone?”

“I’d rather tell you in person.”

“Can you meet me by my office? Remember
the burger place where we used to go for lunch? It’s quiet there, so we’ll be
able to talk.”

Dennis knew the place well, but he
resisted the urge to make a comment. Laskin was a creature of habit. God forbid
he would have lunch at a different venue; the change would upset his
equilibrium for months to come. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

When Dennis reached Laskin’s office,
Laskin was already pacing up and down the front of the building.

“Dennis! So great to see you! I finished
up early, so I thought I’d get some fresh air.”

“Great to see you, Peter.” Dennis shook
Laskin’s hand, relieved to hear that he wasn’t late. Even a five-minute
lateness was a major transgression in Laskin’s book. Normally, Dennis never
missed an opportunity to ridicule Laskin’s penchant for punctuality, but today
he was in no position to mock him.

“Great to see you, Dennis. You look
good.” Laskin shook his hand.

“You too, Peter.” There was a palpable
change in Laskin’s appearance: the cut of his suit was a little sharper, his
tie a tad smarter, and his shirt several degrees crisper. Those weren’t the
only changes; his overall demeanor was weightier, like that of a man who was
sure of his station in life.

“It’s this way.”

“I remember. I’ve only eaten lunch with
you there a hundred times.”

Laskin slapped him on the back. “Ah,
it’s good to see you, Dennis. I can’t tell you how much I miss those witticisms
of yours.”

Ten minutes later they were seated in a
booth of Laskin’s favorite burger place. The décor was tired to put it mildly,
but the food was good, or at least it used to be from what Dennis remembered.

Laskin placed his order of a burger with
cheddar cheese and fries, his usual fare, without looking at the menu. Dennis
followed suit for the sake of time, not that he had any appetite. His stomach
had been in knots since the morning.

“So how was Tahiti?” Laskin asked.

“It was wonderful, man. You should
definitely check it out. It’d make a great honeymoon spot. By the way, how are
the wedding preparations? I never did get my invitation.”

Laskin scratched his chin. “My bad,
Dennis. I’m afraid the ship’s sailed. I’m already a married man.”

“When did that happen?”

“About the time when you and Janet were
in Tahiti. Aileen and I got hitched in Vegas. In a true Las Vegas tradition we
were married by an Elvis impersonator.”

“Vegas?” Dennis couldn’t keep surprise
out of his voice. Laskin, who had every single detail of his life planned in
advance opted to entrust one of the most important events in a man’s life to an
Elvis impersonator.

“Yes. Aileen had to go to Vegas for a
seminar, and I tagged along. Then, we were having dinner, and the idea occurred
to me. Why wait? I knew I wanted her to be my wife, so why wait another six
months?”

“Because that’s what people do! You have
to be sure that that’s what you really want in life.”

“I already knew what I wanted. I knew it
the day I met her.”

“Come on, Peter! Spare me the love at
first sight nonsense. Marriage is a matter of utmost importance … It can’t be
decided on a whim. It has to be considered carefully, with much thought and
gravity, as such an important step in a man’s life deserves.”

The waitress returned with their orders.
The one thing the place had going for it was speedy service. Laskin took his
time assembling his burger, carefully placing a slice of tomato, onion, and
pickles—he always insisted on having sliced pickles in his burger. Then he
grabbed the result of his labors with both hands and took a giant bite. “Mmm,
this is good.” He closed his eyes, chewing for several moments. “Why aren’t you
eating?” he asked after he had finished chewing.

Dennis barely resisted the urge to smack
Laskin around. This was a matter of life and death and all Laskin could think
about was shoving down chow. “I’m not very hungry.”

“Sorry,” Laskin gulped. “I’m starving.
Aileen is on this new diet, and it’s all about healthy eating: no red meat, no
carbs, yogurt for breakfast … This is my one guilty pleasure. Don’t tell her we
came here,” he added sheepishly.

“Hah, you see what I mean!” Dennis
pointed his finger at Laskin triumphantly. “Doesn’t this drive you nuts? Don’t
you wish you had thought this whole marriage thing through a bit more carefully
instead of jumping in like that? Because you see, once you’ve reached the point
of no return, there’s no going back—”

Laskin placed his burger on his plate
and gave Dennis a once over. “Is this about you and Janet?”

“What is? What are you talking about
it?”

“It is, isn’t it?” Laskin shook his
head. “Well, well, the elusive Dennis Walker is finally going to tie the knot,
and he’s getting commitment jitters. How cliché.”

“Shut up, Peter. That’s not at all what
I was getting at—” Dennis cut himself off. What was the use of lying when
Laskin had him down to a T? After all, didn’t he seek Laskin out for his
advice? So he might as well get to the point. “You’re right. It is about Janet
and me. I’m sorry—”

“No need to apologize. This is a very
emotional time in every man’s life.”

“You had seemed so cool when you
proposed to Aileen.”

Laskin shook his head. “Me, cool? I
hardly got a wink of sleep the night before I proposed. I was literally
shaking.”

“So you were unsure about marrying her?”
Dennis asked, dumbfounded. “Then why did you do it?”

Laskin shook his head. “Come on, Dennis,
you can do better than that! You’re an investigator, for crying out loud. Our
profession requires some degree of insight into the human nature.”

Dennis stared back at Laskin. “Are you
saying that you were shaking because you wanted to marry her? Really badly?”

Laskin nodded. “Bingo. I couldn’t
imagine the rest of my life without her, and the possibility of her saying no
was devastating.”

“What about what you just said earlier
about not being able to eat what you like—”

“What about it?” Laskin shrugged. “A
steak dinner is hardly a sacrifice in exchange for what I have with Aileen.”

What do you have with Aileen? Dennis
almost asked, but he didn’t. Deep down he already knew the answer: partnership,
camaraderie, love, great sex (although the thought of Laskin and Aileen having
sex was something he didn’t want to dwell on), having someone who’d be there
for you no matter what. Dennis wanted to both give and receive all of these
things; once, he’d been stupid enough to think that he could share them with
Vanessa, and he’d been afraid to look for them ever since. Until he met Janet.
Now all he had to do was take that last leap of faith.

“Just ask her, Dennis,” the tone of
Laskin’s voice made it clear what he was referring to. “I’m sure she’ll say
yes. If ever I saw a couple perfectly suited for each other, it’s you and
Janet,” Laskin paused. “If you need help picking out a ring, I can put you in
touch with a really good jeweler.”

Dennis shook his head. If there was one
thing he didn’t need help with, it was picking out a ring. In the sock drawer
of the chest of drawers in his apartment laid a black velvet jewelry box with
the perfect engagement ring he’d bought for Janet. Now all he had to do was
muster up the courage to get on one knee and ask her to be his wife; one simple
question that would require one simple answer, after which both of their lives
would change forever. Well, at least Dennis wanted to believe that it would be
forever. It was a leap of faith he thought he’d never be able to take again.
Suddenly it hit him; the prospect of Janet saying no was much more terrifying
than taking the leap of faith. He wanted to marry her more than anything in the
world.

Dennis pushed away his untouched plate.
“Thanks for lunch, Peter. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some things to
take care of.” He reached for his wallet.

Laskin waved him away. “Don’t worry
about the check. Go get her!”

***

Back at work, Dennis closed the door of
his office. If he was going to ask Janet to be his wife, he wanted to do it right.
He grabbed his cell phone and pulled up his parents’ number—a number he only
dialed on holidays and birthdays. He waited for the ring tone, his heart rate
racing.

“Hello?”

“Mom? It’s me, Dennis.”

“Hi Dennis,” the warmth in his mother’s
voice instantly soothed away the tension inside him. “You know, I’m not yet old
enough so as to forget the sound of my son’s voice. You don’t need to introduce
yourself.”

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “Old habit.”

“Well, maybe if you called more often,
the habit would go away.”

“I’m sorry,” he said again. This wasn’t
going as he had intended it.

“No, I’m sorry. Here you are calling us,
and I’m giving you the third degree. How are you, son?”

“I’m good, Mom. Real good. Work is going
well,” Dennis halted. Work was the subject he avoided when speaking with his
family. There had been a time when he’d been overly proud of his snazzy Wall
Street job, flashing his high pay and glitzy lifestyle. Ever since the Vitaon
disaster, his pride had been humbled.

“I’m so glad. You’re working for a
private agency now? For your former boss from the Treasury, right?”

“That’s right. We’re getting lots of
interesting cases. I can’t really talk about them, but it’s really exciting
stuff,” Dennis paused. “I feel like I’m really making a difference.”

“Of course you are, Dennis. I want you
to know that your dad and I are very proud of you.”

“You are?” The words escaped his lips
before Dennis could stop himself. Even though he had made a name for himself in
his new profession, he felt like none of it was ever enough to erase the shame
of his past.

“Sure we are. We were always proud of
you.”

“Mom?”

“Yes?”

“The reason I’m calling is to tell you
that I’m getting engaged. The girl I told you about, Janet, I’ve been seeing
her for a while now. I think she’s the one. I think it’s the real thing.”

“Dennis! That’s so wonderful! I’m so
happy for you! You father will be over the moon!”

“Is he there?” Dennis asked tentatively.
Since the Vitaon disaster, he only spoke to his old man twice a year: on his
birthday and on Christmas.

“He’s out. I’ll be sure to tell him when
he comes back.” There was a pause on the other side of the receiver. “You know,
Dennis, your father may not be the most vocal man, but he loves you very much.”

“I love him too, Mom. Will you tell him
that?”

“I will, Dennis. I hope that you and
Janet will come to visit us soon.”

“We will. I promise.”