Waking Hearts (25 page)

“And he didn’t say if he won or not?” Ollie asked.

Maggie crossed her arms. “I’ll admit I was pissed. I assumed he didn’t and he was trying to come up with some excuse to give him more time or find another game. I was busy. When he didn’t show the next day, I texted him but never heard back.”

“And that was the last you talked to him?” Allie asked.

Maggie nodded. “I was furious. But not furious enough to hurt him, you know? Besides, he owed me—”

“Maggie,” Sean interrupted. “Don’t start.”

She lapsed into sullen silence.

“What about the break-in?” Ollie asked. “You were beneath the house.”

“Yeah.”

Allie asked, “Why?”

Maggie didn’t want to talk, but Sean nudged her shoulder. “I was looking for cash. Jewelry. Like I said, Joe owed me.”

“You bitch,” Allie hissed. “I am barely scraping by and you were gonna steal from me and my kids?”

“It wasn’t personal.”

Allie resisted the urge to slap her. “Yeah, it was.”

“Besides, I scooted out of there when the other guys showed up.”

Ollie put a hand on Allie’s shoulder. “Who were they?”

“Don’t know—”

“Maggie!” Sean looked ready to erupt.

“—
exactly
. I don’t know exactly. I’m pretty sure they worked for the one guy in the game I didn’t know. The other guys…” She shrugged. “They wouldn’t have hired these two.”

“What did they look like?” Ollie asked.

“I was under the house, remember? I didn’t see them. I heard them coming and hid.”

Allie asked, “Where was your car?”

“Someone dropped me off. Someone picked me up the next morning after the bear and the cop were gone.” Maggie glared at Sean. “You know how it works.”

“Yeah, I know exactly how it works,” Sean muttered. “But I grew out of breaking and entering. You didn’t.”

Maggie said, “Well, in this case, it might come in useful. The two guys mentioned a name. Wolf. Any of you know a guy with the last name Wolf?”

Wolf.
Lobo
?

Allie asked, “Was it Wolf or Lobo?”

Maggie frowned. “You’re right. It was Lobo. I wasn’t remembering right.”

“Lobo?” Sean asked. “Gang name?”

“I guess,” Maggie said. “But this game… it was supposed to be rich guys with too much money, you know? No one serious. Two real estate guys from LA. An Italian from Vegas.”

“And that didn’t raise any red flags?” Sean asked.

“Please,” Maggie said. “I know the Italian. He’s a pussycat. As long as you don’t cheat, he just likes his cards. Didn’t know the real estate guys, but Pinky vouched for them.”

“That was the guy who organized the game?” Ollie asked. “Pinky?”

“Don’t ask,” Maggie said.

“I know Pinky,” Sean muttered. “I’ll fill you in.”

“So there was the ‘sweet’ mafia guy,” Allie said, “the two rich guys from LA, Joe, and who else?”

“I guess this Lobo guy,” Maggie said. “Like I said, I didn’t know him.”

“Did Pinky vouch for him too?” Ollie’s sarcasm was getting harder and harder to veil.

“Yeah, he did.” Maggie frowned. “Kinda. He seemed… nervous. But Pinky always seems nervous.”

Sean said, “I can actually confirm that. Pinky does always seem nervous.”

Maggie said, “Anyway, they broke into Allie’s place, and they sounded like they were making a mess, but I don’t think they took anything. They were looking for cash. I heard that much.”

Allie threw up her hands. “Why does everyone seem to think I have cash? If I had cash, I wouldn’t need to ask the pack for grocery money!”

“Yeah,” Ollie said. “You’re not doing that anymore.”

Allie put her hands on her hips. “Don’t start.”

“I’m not starting anything,” Ollie said. “I’m making a statement.”

Sean said, “Getting back to the intruders, boys and girls, one thing seems pretty clear to me.”

“What?” Allie said. “They were looking for cash and I don’t have any. They looked everywhere. Can we assume it’s safe for me to go back to my house?”

“No,” Sean said. “Just because they didn’t find it doesn’t mean they don’t think it exists. And they might think you’re the one who knows where it is. You are definitely not going anywhere alone.”

Ollie asked, “Are you thinking what I am?”

“Probably.”

Ollie crossed his arms and muttered, “You think Joe won that game, don’t you?”

Sean nodded. “Why else would guys working for this Lobo dude be looking for cash?”

“Hot damn!” Maggie was grinning. “This may turn out after all. So”—she turned to Allie—“where would he put it?”

“You’re asking me?” Allie said.

“You were married to the man for fifteen years or something.”

“And this is why you’re not going anywhere alone,” Ollie told her.

“Hold on.” Sean raised both hands. “We don’t even know if he actually won. It’s just a theory.”

“Well,” Ollie said, “I have an idea about how we might confirm that.”

Allie asked, “Does it involve meeting a guy named Pinky?”

“No. But it does involve your finding a babysitter tonight. I think Sean was about to volunteer.”

Sean blinked. “I was?”

MONDAY lunch with Jena and Ted had become a tradition after Becca was born. They were all busy, but the three old friends carved out time for each other, which Allie was eternally grateful for. The past few months, she’d felt like it was the only adult conversation she got all week.

She pulled into Jena’s just as Caleb was driving out. He waved but didn’t stop. Allie parked and grabbed a tub of homemade potato salad out of the back. She’d made enough for an army the night before. Miraculously, there were leftovers.

“Jena?” she called out from the porch. The door was open—only the screen door was closed—but Allie didn’t want to intrude.

“Come on in,” a quiet voice said.

Allie walked in to see Jena sneaking from the hallway where the bedrooms were. She nodded toward the kitchen door and followed Allie in.

“Baby down for a nap?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Allie spotted the mismatched buttons on Jena’s shirt and couldn’t hold back a smile. “Caleb have an early lunch?”

“Yeah, but don’t worry.” Jena went to the fridge. “I didn’t eat.”

“Oh, I know you didn’t,” Allie said with a smile. “Might want to straighten that shirt, you hussy.”

“Oh, for the love of…” Jena untucked her shirt as a knock came at the kitchen door.

“Knock, knock,” Ted said. “I brought the sandwiches. Jena, do you have any sweet tea?”

“I don’t know,” Allie said. “But she’s got a hickey on her shoulder.”

Ted cackled. “The perks of morning naptimes and a low crime rate.”

“Shut up, both of you. You’re just jealous.”

“No jealousy here.” Ted sat at the kitchen table. “Mr. McCann gets his share of nooners.”

Jena said, “You do realize that office trailer at the job site rocks, right?”

“That would imply that I care if anyone knows I’m getting laid.”

“Shameless,” Allie joked. “Both of you. I’m embarrassed to be friends with you.”

“Oh, I don’t know…” Ted looked like the cat who got the cream. “Speaking of the sexy times, I heard something interesting just this morning.”

How had they heard already? Allie’s cheeks pinked. “Sean Quinn has a big mouth.”

“What?” Jena spun around from the counter where she’d been pouring drinks. “Sean what?”

Ted said, “Seems a certain bear is getting mighty possessive about a certain fox.”

Jena’s mouth dropped. “So there was more kissing?”

“Wait! There was kissing?” Ted asked. “Sean said grunting and the word “Mine” might have been mentioned. Allie, why didn’t I know about the kissing?”

“What?” Allie grabbed plates from the cupboard. “I… There’s nothing… I mean, it’s kind of new.”

“Seriously?” Jena shrieked, clearly forgetting about the baby, who started to fuss.

“It’s happened,” Ted said. “Oliver Campbell finally made his move.”

“Finally?” Allie said. “You mean, you guys knew—”

“Wait!” Jena held up a hand. “How did Sean know about this before us?”

“Um, because I’m not twelve, and I’ve had a few things going on besides calling up my besties and gossiping about boys?”

Ted shook her head. “No excuses. And Jena, don’t complain. You knew about the kissing.”

Allie tried to distract them. “I think the baby’s waking up.”

“Okay, okay.” Jena walked toward the bedrooms. “But when I get back, you’re spilling.”

As soon as they were alone, Allie grabbed Ted’s wrist. “Did you know?”

“That Ollie had the hots for you?” Ted shrugged. “Of course.”

“Did everyone know?”

“Pretty much.”

She sat at the table and covered her face. “Am I that clueless?”

“No,
mama
. Like you said, you’ve had a few things going on.”

“But—”

“No buts.” Ted grabbed the drinks from the counter and went to sit back down. “You know this is serious, right? He’s not fooling around about you. Do the kids know?”

She shook her head. “I think Kevin suspects… You know he loves Ollie. My son probably put him up to this.”

“I don’t think Ollie needed any help in that area.” Ted grinned. “So, have you… ya know?”

“No.” Okay, she couldn’t stop the blush anymore. “We’re taking things slow.”

“You don’t need slow,” Ted said. “You need to get laid.”

“Not all of us are as confident about that stuff as you are,” Allie muttered. “I’m… I mean, there was only ever Joe, so—”

“You’ll be fine,” Ted said. “Don’t worry. It’s Ollie. He adores you.”

“Yeah.” She let out a slow breath. “I’m starting to get that.”

“Scared?”

“A little. Maybe a lot.”

Jena walked back in with a happy, red-cheeked Becca on her hip, who babbled and held her hands out for Ted.

“Did you and your Uncle Alex make a deal?” Ted asked, kissing Becca’s cheek. “Convince Auntie Ted’s ovaries to go into overdrive with your cuteness and he’ll pay for college or something?”

Jena said, “I’d be okay with that deal. Now”—she sat down—“tell me everything. Include descriptions. And any actual words you managed to get the man to speak.”

Allie groaned and put her head on the table.

“Admit it,” Ted said. “There hasn’t been much talking.”

ALLIE couldn’t take her eyes off Ollie in the truck.

“What?” he shifted in his seat. “I’ve worn dress clothes before.”

“I’m trying to think of the last time.”

“Yeah, well… I look weird in suits.”

“No,” she said carefully, sweeping her eyes from the slacks to the pressed collar of his dress shirt. “You definitely don’t look weird.”

He looked
hot
. She could see the edge of the bear claw tattoos at the back of his neck, and the peek of barbed wire at one wrist. He’d trimmed his beard and hair that afternoon, and the effect was that of a powerful predator on a very controlled edge.

When Ollie had called her up and told her he was taking her to dinner in Palm Springs, she’d been surprised and touched. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been out for a dinner that didn’t involve the kids’ menu. Even when he told her they were meeting Alex, Ted, and Alex’s friend Cam, she was still excited.

The corner of his mouth creeped up. “Do you have a suit fetish or something? I might wear one if you do.”

“It’s not guys in suits,” she said. “I think it’s knowing you have all that ink
under
the suit that I like.”

She did. She loved his tattoos. She had dreams about licking them.

“Oh yeah?” He glanced over at her. “I like that dress. Did I mention that?”

“Once or twice.”

“Which panties are you wearing under it?”

She smiled. “The black lace.”

“The tiny ones?”

“Mm-hmm.”

He groaned. “There goes my concentration for the evening.”

“Keep it together, bear. You’re supposed to be the muscle in this gang.”

He laughed and reached across the car to take her hand. Allie scooted closer and held his hand on her thigh.

Ollie was making it remarkably easy to be with him. The past few days—once she’d leaped the hurdle that was holding her back—had been like a dream. Ollie woke her in the morning with stolen kisses before the kids got up. He helped get them off to school and sometimes drove them to the bus stop. Then he’d come home and sleep a little if he’d stayed late at the bar, or he’d work on one of his cars or do something around the house. She was still working at her dad’s, which was a nice distraction from the giant of a man who haunted her thoughts and was far too tempting for her own sanity.