Along Came a Spider (14 page)

Pete rushed forward and blocked the door. “Why the hell should I let in you and your little lemon tart here to see Snow after what you did?”

Nicky cast an uncomfortable glance my way. “That’s ancient history,” he mumbled. “Now, you gonna take me to her, or am I gonna have to go exploring on my own?”

Pete grunted again, apparently starting every answer this way. “Fine,” he spat. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you if she cuts your nuts off and rams ’em down your throat.”

I sent a wide-eyed glance Nicky’s way, wondering what the hell he’d done to piss off Snow White so much that she’d want to relieve him of his dangly bits. A buzzer sounded as Pete pressed a button under the counter that released the inner security door, rescuing me from further speculation. Nicky pulled open the steel door and motioned for me to go first.

“Just him,” Pete barked, throwing out an arm to block my entrance. He gave me the once-over again, more thoroughly this time, lingering on my chest longer than I liked. “You can stay here and keep me company.”

“Uh, thanks,” I demurred, “but—”

He sidled a little closer, wedging himself in between Nicky and me. “Ah, come on, baby. You don’t know what you’re missin’.” He wagged that massive caterpillar on his forehead at me. “You ever had a dwarf go down on you? I promise it’ll be like nothin’ you’ve ever experienced before.”

“Back off, Pete,” Nicky growled. “She’s with me.”

Pete shrugged. “Not usually what I’m into, but I’m game. Hell, you’re a good enough lookin’ guy even if you are a dickhead.”

Nicky pegged Pete with a murderous glare and ushered me inside. “Don’t make me kill you, Pete.” He slammed the door behind us but not before I caught a glimpse of Pete wagging his tongue at me in what had to be the most disgustingly obscene gesture I’d ever witnessed.

Trying not to dwell on the skeezy dwarf, I turned my attention to the dim halls of Happy Endings. If the road to hell was paved with good intentions, the road to depravity was apparently paved with red shag carpet and black wall sconces blazing the way like runway lights. And if there’d been any doubt about what kind of establishment we’d entered, the moans and cries of passion seeping out from under closed doors would’ve clued me in.

“Wow,” I muttered, trying to swallow the little bit of vomit that had risen in my throat. “Why do I feel like I just stepped into an upscale porno?”

Nicky snorted with quiet laughter. “Seen a few of those, have you?”

I felt the heat rising to my cheeks and was glad for the dim light in the hallways. Okay, so maybe I’d switched the TV to Cinemax a few times in recent years when the loneliness had gotten to me and the ache in the center of my chest—and other areas—had been too much to bear. Honestly, though, I hadn’t really needed the stuff on cable to provide inspiration. All I had to do was close my eyes and remember my latest dream about Nicky.

Luckily, Nicky was more intent on finding Snow White and her lover than finding out about my history of sexual solitaire. I had to jog a little beside him to keep up with his long strides as he navigated the halls. Obviously, he knew his way around the place.

“So,” I said, drawing out the word, “I guess you’ve been back here before?”

Nicky glanced down at me, his cheeks going a little crimson. “I hung out with Snow for a while, but it was a long time ago.”

I felt my chest constrict. I’d known about him and Red and had made my peace with that, but the unexpected news that Snow White had found pleasure in Nicky’s arms while I was lying cold and alone in my bed most nights, with nothing more than my fantasies to keep me company, was like Truth had shoved her hand into my chest and given my heart a good squeeze just to remind me that I was her bitch.

When my steps faltered, Nicky moved closer to my side and dipped his head. “Ah, shit,” he muttered. “Trish, it’s not what you think—”

“It’s fine,” I said in a rush, cutting him off and picking up my pace. “You don’t need to explain.”

I heard his quick steps as he followed. He grabbed my arm and gently pulled me to a halt. “You don’t understand—”

“Really, Nicky!” I interrupted, glancing up and down the hall, wishing someone would come out of one of those doors and keep him from saying anything more. “I don’t want to hear this.”

He lifted my chin with the edge of his hand and I was surprised to see the pain in his eyes. He looked tortured, torn. “What I was going to say is that nothing ever happened between Snow and me—and she’s pissed as hell about it. I hung out here now and then back in the day ’cause Snow was a friend. But that’s all she’s ever been.”

I tried to look away, but he gently guided my face back to him. The way he was looking at me now made my heart trip over itself. Something shifted in the air between us, and the tug in the center of my chest pulled me closer to him, but this time I didn’t resist. I began to tremble a little as his head dipped toward mine.

“Well, if it isn’t Nicky Blue . . .”

Nicky cursed under his breath and let his hand drop away from me before forcing a rakish grin. He turned and spread his arms wide. “Hello, Snow,” he drawled, going to her and enveloping her in a brief hug as he pressed a kiss to her cheek. “You’re looking as beautiful as ever.”

Olivia “Snow” White gave him a sultry smile and a wink that would’ve melted a lesser man. “Flatterer.”

God, no wonder her business was thriving. . . .

She leaned out around Nicky’s shoulder and gave me a sweet little smile that didn’t fool me for a minute. “And who’s this?” She gasped theatrically and rushed to me, taking hold of my upper arms. “Is this Trish Muffet? I recognized you from your sweet little ringlets! Oh, my darling—if things don’t work out at the FMA, you really must come work for me! I have men who love the whole little schoolgirl look!”

I managed a smile in return, but was so not in the mood to be patronized. “Oh? Do they get tired of a used up, has-been princess who’d spread her legs for anyone?”

She laughed, but there was no amusement in it. “Not as tired as they get of a cock-tease whose legs have to be pried open with a crowbar.”

I batted my lashes and smiled sweetly. “I’d rather hand out crowbars to pry open my legs than ‘now serving’ tickets to the turnstile in my vagina.”

I caught a brief glimpse of Snow’s enraged expression just before Nicky stepped in front of me, his chastising look negated by his unsuccessful attempt to smother a grin. “Try to play nicely,” he whispered. “We need information, remember?”

I rolled my eyes and heaved a sigh. It might’ve been a lot easier to let Snow’s insults roll off my back if I hadn’t known that she’d wanted to be flat on hers with the man I was not-so-secretly in love with. And to see her standing there in her black negligee, looking absolutely stunning and sexy, while I stood there pouting in my boring-as-hell jeans, sweater, and standard issue pea coat didn’t help boost my confidence in spite of all Nicky’s assurances he wasn’t—and never had been—interested in the sultry madam. At least I’d traded my snow boots for the lug-soled biker boots Lavender and Seth had sent me for Christmas. That was something, I guess.

Beatrice . . .

My head snapped around toward the sound of the voice that seemed to be just over my right shoulder.

“Trish?”

She’s not the one he wants, the voice reminded me. She’s not the one I want. . . .

“Trish,” Nicky said again, taking hold of my arms and bending to peer into my face intently. “You okay, doll?”

I glanced over my shoulder again, half expecting to see the mystery man slipping out of the shadows to stand beside me and laugh at the confused expression on my face. But of course there was no one there. I gave my head a quick shake, then offered Nicky a weak smile. “I’m fine.” He looked unconvinced, so I patted his chest lightly and forced my smile to be a little stronger. “Really, Nicky, I’m fine.”

Snow coughed pointedly behind us. “Did you actually want to see me, Nicky, or were you and your girlfriend planning to pay for a little fun? I have a business to run. And, frankly, darling, as reluctant as I am to turn away a paying customer, I’d much rather tell you to go fuck yourself.”

“Playing nicely, was it?” I snarked at Nicky.

He groaned and took my hand in his, keeping me close to his side when he turned around to face Snow. “Maybe we could chat in your office?”

Snow inclined her head and pivoted with a flounce of black chiffon, motioning us to follow. “I’ll give you ten minutes.”

“Works for me,” Nicky said with a shrug. “Might want to ask Aloysius to join us.”

Snow visibly stiffened, but she didn’t even spare a glance over her shoulder as she glided down the hall. “Why ever would you need to speak with Ally?”

“Tim Halloran’s dead,” Nicky told her.

This brought Snow’s feet to a halt. She waited just a beat before turning around, no doubt to dampen the joy she felt at hearing the crime lord had bought it. “How very unfortunate.”

“What’s unfortunate is that Sophia is dead as well,” I said, watching her expression. “She was killed in an Agency raid on the compound. A raid from which your lover was curiously absent.”

She cast a quick glance up and down the hallway, then grabbed Nicky’s arm and pulled him after her as she hurried down the hall. I found myself jogging again to keep up and was glad when Snow threw open a set of intricately carved double doors and ushered us inside. I was a little shocked at the opulence of the room, from crystal chandelier to plush furniture, but my shock paled in comparison to what Snow apparently was experiencing.

“There must be some mistake,” she said, not nearly as confident now as she’d been in the hallway. “Sophia wasn’t supposed to be harmed. That was the deal.”

Nicky gave her a stern look that would’ve shaken even the most hardened criminal. “I think you’d better start talking.”

“Ally has been trying to get out from under Halloran for years now,” Snow explained. She sat on her white settee, her head hanging. “He’d been skimming from Halloran’s coffers, saving the money so that we could start a new life together. But after all the shit with Sebille Fenwick two years ago, Halloran started watching things much more closely. Ally and I had to put our plans on hold.”

“So you thought you’d have the Sandman knocked off?” Nicky demanded.

She lifted her head, her eyes pained. “It wasn’t like that,” she retorted. “Someone approached Ally and asked him to set up a meeting with Halloran. They had a business proposition for him.”

“And was this someone from the Agency?” I asked.

Snow nodded. “It was some guy named Norman Fredericks. Ally said he used to work for Halloran but had gone to work for the Agency.”

Nicky shook his head. “That fucking ferret.”

“Ally said Halloran came back from the initial meeting talking about how a new day would soon be dawning,” Snow continued. “He told me the Sandman said the deal he’d been offered was huge, that it would change everything. Ally was worried that if Halloran became even more powerful, we’d never get out from under him.”

“What was the deal?” I questioned. “Did Aloysius tell you?”

She shook her head. “He didn’t know the specifics, but he thought it might have something to do with supplying fairy dust to the Agency.”

I heard Nicky curse from his seat next to me, putting into words exactly what I was thinking. If the Agency was trying to get their hands on fairy dust, which had been expressly forbidden by their treaty with the FMA, there was no telling what they were planning.

“So how did the deal go south?” I prompted.

Snow heaved a long sigh. “Ally—”

“Olivia.”

Snow bolted to her feet at the sound of her lover’s voice. And so did Nicky, his gun already in his hand and aimed at Aloysius as the gangster emerged from his hiding place in Snow’s closet holding a gun of his own.

Late to the party, I shot to my feet as well, glad Nicky had insisted I bring along the pistol tucked in my waistband. For the moment, I left it where it was, though, as a tactical edge.

“Don’t say another word, baby,” Aloysius ordered, slowly circling around to where Snow waited, her expression growing increasingly panicked.

“Ally, please,” she begged, clasping her hands together at her chest. “Just tell them what happened. You did nothing wrong.”

Aloysius grunted. “Tell that to the FMA. I’m not letting them pin Sophia’s murder on me.”

“It’s only a matter of time before Red Little comes calling,” Nicky told him. “Do you want to deal with her instead?”

Aloysius snorted with laughter. “She’s pregnant!” he retorted. “What’s she gonna do?”

“She could still kick your ass, and you know it,” Nicky insisted. “Now put down the gun and tell me what the hell happened with Halloran’s deal. I’d hate to have to shoot you and ruin Snow’s white carpet.”

“Ally, listen to him!” Snow entreated. “Please, baby—for me.”

Aloysius’s grip tightened on his gun for a split second, but then he held up his hands and let it slip down onto his finger. I rushed forward and took the gun, ejecting the magazine and the bullet in the chamber before tucking it into my coat pocket for safekeeping.