No Strings Attached: A Lexi Carmichael Mystery, Book Eight (23 page)

Chapter Fifty

I brushed my hair one more time, setting the brush down on the sink when I finished. “Slash, I think I’m ready,” I called out. “How do I look?”

I glanced at myself in the mirror. I wore a black skirt, a shiny gold blouse Basia had bought me for my birthday last year and a knee-length black sweater. It seemed overkill, but I’d never been to a bachelorette party, let alone thrown one, so what did I know about the dress code? Basia had told me dressy and this was as dressy as I was going to get.

Slash walked in from the bedroom, dressed in a gray sweater and black jeans. He looked relaxed, happy and healthy. I caught a whiff of his cologne as he dropped a kiss on my cheek. He stepped back surveying me.

“You look stunning. You’re sure there are no men coming to this party.”

“I’m sure. Well, except for Junior, Faylene’s son.”

Slash narrowed his eyes. “He’d better not look twice at you.”

I punched him on the arm. “You can ease up on the alpha male posturing. Junior is helping his mom with the party. I seriously doubt you have anything to worry about.”

“I’d better not.” Grinning, he walked over to the sink and picked up his toothbrush.

“How come you don’t have to dress up?” It seemed patently unfair that Slash could go to his party in jeans and a sweater and I had to wear a freaking skirt.

“We’re men. Dressing up would be counterproductive to an evening that will certainly involve a lot of alcohol, minor debauchery and most likely cigars.”

“Gross.”

He laughed.

I leaned back against the sink and looked around the bathroom. “You know, this is a weird thing to say, but I’m going to miss this bathroom. Well, mostly the showerheads, but still. When is moving day again?”

“Next Wednesday.” Slash put the paste on his brush and ran some water over it.

“Are you going to show me your new place?”

“Of course.” He pointed the dripping toothbrush at me. “You,
cara
, are first on my list to see it. Actually, you are the
only
person on that list.”

“I’m honored.” I watched him as he brushed and spit. When he was finished, I asked, “So, did we ever find out what happened to Shi?”

Slash shook off his toothbrush before wiping his mouth on a towel. “He was questioned and released. Feng Mei was arrested on suspicion of murder. The others in the house are being held for Rock’s kidnapping. The kid, Lin Yee, was arrested yesterday and is undergoing questioning by the FBI. Unfortunately, no one has pointed a finger directly at Shi yet.”

“Not even Feng Mei?”

“Not even her.”

I pushed off the sink. “She’s afraid of him. They’re
all
afraid of him. Or afraid of what he can do to their families.”

“Undoubtedly.”

“So, what’s going to happen to Shi?”

“He returned to China last night. Not surprisingly, this has become a sensitive diplomatic matter.”

“
What
? He got away unscathed?”

Slash met my gaze in the mirror. “He won’t come out of this unscathed,
cara
.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I just am.”

Slash returned the towel to the bar and took my hand. “Look, I don’t want you to worry or think about it tonight. Tonight we are going to celebrate the start of a new life for two special friends and nothing more. Let’s linger on lighter thoughts for the moment...like the party.”

“What’s light about
that
?” I exclaimed.

He chuckled. “It’s too late to do anything but show up.”

“I know. Don’t remind me. I talked to Basia about half an hour ago. I’m stopping by her place in my rental car before I head over to the club.”

“You’re taking her to the club?”

“No.” I shook my head. “I called a limo service for that. Her cousins are coming over and will go with her. I’m going to the club early to make sure everything is in place. Basia wanted me to stop by her place before I go to the club and everyone gets there.”

“Why?”

“I have no idea. Probably some kind of weird girl talk.”

“You’re taking this all remarkably well.” He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “But I know better. How are you really holding up?”

“Honestly, Slash? I feel like I want to throw up. This hostess thing...I’ve discovered it’s totally not my thing. In fact, I’m
never
going to throw a party again. Been there, done that and it’s totally crossed off my bucket list. Not that it was ever there in the first place.”

“You’ll do fine. You’ve survived complicated rescue missions and saved the world. You’ll survive a party, too.”

“Then why am I totally panicking?”

He patted my shoulder, amused. “Basia will be among friends and so will you. Relax. I’m sure it will be memorable.”

I sighed. “I sure hope so. Wish me luck.”

Chapter Fifty-One

Basia fussed with her hair even though it looked perfect. “Remind me why we can’t go to the bachelorette party together?”

“Because you’ll be arriving in style in a limousine. Plus, I want to get there first to make sure all the decorations are in order. The limo will be here in about forty minutes to take you and your cousins, Jolka, Victoria and Katia. The others are meeting us at the club.”

“Okay. I’m so looking forward to this.”

“By the way, thanks for inviting Gray at the last moment. I just thought since Xavier had invited Hands...”

“Oh, please, not another word.” She snapped open a lipstick and expertly applied soft pink color to her lips. “I’m beyond thrilled to finally meet Grayson. I know she played an instrumental part in saving Elvis’s life, so I’m honored to have her at my party.”

“You’ll like her.”

“I’m sure I will.” She gave me a hug. “Oh, I love you so much, Lexi.”

“Wait and say that
after
the bachelorette party, okay?”

“It’s going to be perfect. I just know it.”

“Honestly, I’d settle for satisfactory, but if you’re going for perfect, I’ll do my best.”

“You are the best friend
ever
.”

“Really?” I’d started to feel guilty I hadn’t been more involved in the party planning. “I just hope you won’t—you know—grow out of our friendship.”

Basia stopped fussing with her hair and turned away from the mirror. “Why would you say that?”

“I don’t know.” I struggled with the right words, feeling stupid. Why had I opened my mouth?

When I didn’t answer, she walked over to me, putting her hands on my shoulders. Her head came up to my chin, but when she had that fire in her eyes, I felt a little afraid. “Lexi?”

“Never mind. It’s nothing.”

“Look, I’m getting married, not dying. I will
always
be there for you. There are many people who may walk in and out of my life, but you aren’t one of them. You’re here.” She tapped her heart. “And here you’ll stay. Got that?”

“Got it.” I scuffed my foot against the floor, wishing I hadn’t brought it up. But for some unknown reason, the words kept falling from my lips. “I guess I’ll just miss having you around all the time, you know, telling me what to do.”

She sighed. “You don’t need me to tell you what to do. Just trust your heart once in a while and give that overcharged brain of yours a rest.”

She threw her arms around me and we hugged. The moment seemed oddly bittersweet. I’d never fully understood or appreciated the importance of having a close female friend, but now it was starting to hit me. No matter how she insisted things would be the same, I knew I’d no longer be the first to hear her secrets or dreams or frustrations. She had Xavier for that now. Things were changing between us, much in the same way they were changing between Elvis and me.

Adapt and grow. Life kept pushing me in these directions. While it was hard to keep up, I was learning how to roll with it—at least a little.

“I’m sincerely happy for you, Basia.” I stepped back from the hug and smiled. “I really am. Xavier is a great guy. He and I...well, we’ll just have to figure out how to share you. I know you’ll always be my best friend. But now, you’ll be Xavier’s, too.”

Chapter Fifty-Two

I drove to the club, checking several times in the rearview mirror. No more FBI tail. I smiled. It felt...freeing.

I pulled into the parking lot of the After Hours Club. The sign in front of the club blinked in red, white and yellow. The parking lot was empty, so I pulled into a space in front. The lights were on in the club and Faylene had told me they would park their van in the back next to the kitchen entrance.

The club was finishing up some minor renovations that wouldn’t interfere with our bachelorette party, but it meant we’d be able to have the entire club to ourselves for the evening.

The front door was unlocked. There was a coatrack near the door so I slid out of the new blue coat Slash had bought me and hung it on a hook.

“Hello?” I called out.

“Lexi?”

A woman dressed in a red flannel shirt, blue jeans and cowboy boots walked toward me. Frizzy gray hair, an unlit cigarette dangling between her lips and friendly brown eyes. She pumped my hand hard.

“Hi, I’m Faylene. Nice to finally meet you. I hope everything is to your satisfaction. It’s been hard to get a hold of you these past few days.”

“I know. Sorry about that.”

I looked around. One large circular table had been set up with a pretty yellow tablecloth. Ten plates, glasses, napkins and silverware had been set out. In the middle of the table was a lovely centerpiece comprised of yellow-and-red roses with some greenery surrounding a large orange candle. There were red gift bags at each place setting. One chair had a slipcover that looked like a princess throne. A gold crown with a white veil sat on the plate.

“Wow, the table looks nice.”

“Glad you like it. Over here is the buffet.” She led me to a long table. There were several silver-covered serving trays lined up. Underneath the trays were small burners to keep the food warm. I lifted the lid on one and sniffed.

“That smells fantastic. What is it?”

“Lasagna. It’s my granny’s recipe. Really yummy.”

“Wow. I can’t wait to try it.”

I went down the table, inspecting the dishes. A few were empty, but others had garlic bread, green beans, salad, and macaroni and cheese. There were a couple of great choices for desserts, too. Chocolate cake, lemon squares and a whipped cream salad.

“Junior,” Faylene shouted at a door behind which I presumed was the kitchen. “Where are my brownies?”

“Coming, Mama.”

“Wow, this is really great.” I spread my hands. “Thanks so much, Faylene.”

“I’m happy it meets with your approval.” She linked arms with me and steered me to the bar. “Now let me introduce you to your bartender for the night. Uncle Shine, you back there?”

A big man stood up from behind the bar holding a bottle of vodka in each hand and wearing a great big smile. “Right here, Faylene.” He dipped his head in greeting. His cheeks were weathered and ruddy and his five o’clock shadow gave him a grizzled look.

“I want you to meet Lexi Carmichael. She’s in charge of the party tonight.”

“Technically,
you’re
in the charge of the party, Faylene,” I corrected. “But that’s just semantics at this point.”

“Hey there, Lexi.” Uncle Shine extended a big hand and we shook. “We’re going to have a great time tonight.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“Of course, I’m right.” He waved the bottle of vodka at me. “I’m the bartender, so what I say goes. Can I start you off early?”

“Oh, no thanks. I’m the designated driver.”

I looked around the room. “So, what is the plan in terms of schedule?” Schedules always made me feel more in charge, more relaxed. They were linear, logical and planned. That worked for me.

“Well, as soon as the girls start arriving, have them hang up their coats and head toward the bar,” Faylene explained. “Uncle Shine will get them started with a drink.”

“Okay, that sounds good. Then what?”

“Then you eat. The food is ready. After that you’ll play your first game. It’s all set up over here.”

She tugged on my arm, pulling me toward a wall next to the stage where she had hung a giant poster of a naked guy with dark hair, dark stubble and no clothes. There was a bull’s-eye on his private parts. He looked oddly familiar...

Slash!

I gripped her arm in panic. “Where did you get this photo?”

She looked surprised. “Off the internet. There is a page with all these male fashion models. Between you and me, he’s probably not into girls, if you know what I mean. I just blew it up and added the target.”

I studied the poster closer. After a better examination, I realized it wasn’t Slash. But it was a darn close representation. In the dim light, it was an easy mistake to make.

I pressed a hand to my chest, calming it. “Okay, fine. Tell me why is there a giant poster of a naked guy with a bull’s-eye on his...thing...on the wall?”

“The game,” Faylene said, tapping my shoulder. “Pin the Junk on the Hunk.”

“
What?
”

She held up a red blindfold in one hand and a small bucket in the other. I glanced in the bucket and saw a variety of cartoon cutouts of a man’s private part. I looked between the poster, the blindfold and the bucket and got the idea. Reaching into the bucket, I pulled out one of the cutouts and studied it.

“A hot dog cutout?” I said. “Really?”

“The bat with the two balls is my favorite,” Faylene chuckled. “Although the cactus-shaped one is a close second. It’s just a sexy variation of pin the tail on the donkey. Well, actually, there are sexier versions than this, but I thought this would be enough for you.”

“No kidding.”

“Anyway, this version involves putting the blindfold on the girl, spinning her around and pushing her toward the poster. Whoever gets the junk on the hunk closest to the target wins.” She walked over to a nearby table and held up a gift bag. “Then the rest of the girls can take the cutouts home as a souvenir.”

I shuddered just thinking about it. I totally didn’t get the point of this game, but it wouldn’t have been polite to say that, so I kept my mouth shut.

“So, you’re running this game, right?” I said.

“Oh, heck no. This is your thing, honey. I’m behind the scenes in the kitchen.”

“Jeez.” I took breaths to calm myself. It was just a stupid game. I could handle it. “Okay. What’s after the game?”

“There’s more entertainment to follow, but your involvement on that will be minimal, so you can relax and enjoy.”

I blew out a breath. “Thank goodness.”

I started to relax a bit. Faylene did seem to have everything under control. The decorations were nice, Uncle Shine was settled in behind the bar and the entertainment was taken care of. I needed to take the anxiousness down a notch.

“Okay, Faylene, now what?”

She pointed at the door where Bonnie and Gray were just coming in. “Your guests are here. I suggest you go greet them.”