Worcester Nights - The Boxed Set (27 page)

His voice was a growl. “And when I …”

It was deeper, harder, impaling me to my core, and my nipples stood out hard-edged from within the dress. I could feel my moisture dripping down my leg, shielded from view within the burgundy beading.

His hand slipped within the fabric of my bodice, sliding against my breast, and his mouth found my neck. He sucked hard, the muscles of my sex contracted sharply, and his groan shook me.

“God, Kay, you are … you are …”

His movements sped up, grew harder, and I arched against him, my eyes barely taking in the elegantly attired woman who stood before me. The side views revealed Sean’s hard body in its glorious motion, everything I could ever want in a man, and he was mine.

The crescendo grew, cascaded, flowed, and then we were shuddering, joined, soaring into the sky, dancing amongst the stars. The beads glimmered and glistened, sending a thousand candles into the mirrors.

At long last our eyes met in the mirror, shining, connecting in a way I never had with any other person.

His gaze moved to the bowtie in my mouth, down the long, elegant dress in the mirror, then back up to my own.

His lips quirked into a knowing smile.

“Remember.”

Chapter 11

I
sat on the bed, sliding my feet in the exquisite burgundy high heels to match the gown I wore. The whole experience seemed surreal, as if any moment I would blink awake and be back in my small bedroom in Waterbury, late for school. This was the sort of thing young girls dreamed of. It wasn’t something people actually did.

I stood, wiggled my toes, and then carefully walked across the studio to the long mirror alongside the bathroom. The woman who returned my gaze looked nothing like me. Her hair was up in an elegant style, with curls trailing down on each side. The dress shimmered as if it was layered with rubies. Only the Saint Michael’s pendant at my breast seemed a glimpse of normal.

Sean pushed open the bathroom door and my breath caught. He was in a formal, black tuxedo, his white cotton shirt freshly pressed, the black buttons gleaming.

I could barely take my eyes from him. I didn’t know men existed like this in real life. And here he was, in front of me, and he was all mine.

He grinned at my gaze, then came around behind me, resting his hands on my hips as we looked into the mirror. One of his hands came up to stroke along the edge of his burgundy tie, and my throat went dry.

His voice was a sensual whisper in my ear. “Remember.”

My entire body shimmered into heat, and he slid a hand along my hip, turning me …

His phone rang.

He pulled it from his pocket, bringing it to his ear. “Sean here. Sure, Seamus. We’ll be right down.”

His eyes twinkled when he looked at me. “Guess they’re a bit early. They’re eager to get the party going.” He brought a hand up to stroke along the side of my cheek, and his look became serious. “It’ll be good to get this evening behind us.”

I turned and picked up my small, elegant purse from the table. It matched, of course, in shimmering burgundy with a thin strap. It held my phone, wallet, and the apartment keys.

He pulled the door open for me, and in a moment we were walking together down the stairwell. We got about half-way down where he took a hold of my hand, drawing me to a stop. He pressed his body against mine, his mouth coming to my ear. His voice was the softest murmur.

“Kay, for tonight, I need you to stay right by me. There’ll be the dinner, then the discussion about the Cubans, then the ceremony. After that they’re planning on dancing. But once all of that Cuban talk is on record, we’ll have what we want. The cavalry will sweep in and gather everyone up.”

I knew the plan. The caterers had three large trucks which they’d used to set up for the party. The trucks would soon be parked over in a church parking lot, a few blocks away. Those same trucks would return as the dancing began, seemingly to begin the take-down process. Instead, they would be filled with law enforcement.

He gave my hand a squeeze. “Your only role is to try to help our blonde moppet. If she can get more dirt on Jimmy, that will give our prosecutors even more ammo.”

I nodded. “I’ll do whatever I can.”

He traced his fingers down the side of my face. “I know you will.” He pressed a tender kiss against my cheek. “Just stay close. It should be smooth, once they realize they’re caught, but you never know.”

He slid his fingers to my arm and we continued down the remaining stairs. Once out the door, Seamus’s Escalade waited for us in the deepening dusk. Bridgit waved from the passenger seat.

She looked back with a wide smile as Sean and I climbed into the back seat. “Katie, you are a vision! You’ll be the belle of the ball tonight.”

She reached down to the floor at her feet, and took up a white box, about the size of a double-height laptop. She handed it back to Sean. “A gift for you.”

Seamus pulled the Escalade away from the curb as Sean drew the lid open. His brow creased as he looked within. I was confused – it looked like a pile of dark-brown leather straps.

He lifted one of them, and my heart stilled. There was a handgun nestled within.

Seamus’s voice was smooth from the front seat. “Taurus PT-99,” he commented. “Seventeen-round magazine.”

Sean looked up, his eyes serious. “You expecting trouble tonight?”

Seamus shook his head. “No, but I like to be prepared. Our arrangement with Providence and Boston is fairly loose. Their guys will undoubtedly come packing. I like to keep an even playing field.”

Sean slipped off his tuxedo jacket, laying it across my legs. He slipped on the shoulder holster as if he’d been wearing it all his life. I flushed. Perhaps this had been standard for him, during his previous assignments. It was still so hard sometimes to remember that he’d been a beat cop once, had worked out of a station and filled out paperwork. It seemed so far from the Sean I knew.

He took the coat up and slipped it back on. I wouldn’t have known the gun was under there if I hadn’t seen him put it on just a moment ago.

He put his hand over mine, and I looked up into his eyes. They were steeling now, settling into that hardened focus that I knew so well from my childhood, from my father.

Whatever came, Sean would be ready for it.

In a few minutes we rolled up to the warehouse door, and one of Seamus’s men ran forward to get the door. We stepped out, and Seamus turned to the soldier. “Remember, all cars go to that church lot. We want the area around us clear. An open line of sight.”

The man nodded, then slipped into the driver’s seat. In a moment the car was moving off.

Seamus looked around in satisfaction at the empty alley. “We’ve cleared everything out. Any trouble happens, the attackers will be out in the open. We’ll have an easy time of it.”

Bridgit tucked her arm into his. “You think of everything. This will be the event of the year.”

Sean stepped forward to open the door for them, and my mouth went into an O as I followed them into the warehouse. It had been completely transformed. There had to be at least twelve round tables, each covered with white linen and set for ten with gold-chased china. Large floral arrangements on each table boasted red roses and white baby’s breath. Small, twinkling white lights cascaded from a point in the ceiling down to all of the walls.

Bridgit smiled at my surprise. “The team did a good job,” she agreed. “Once I got them started in the right direction, they were able to pull it off.” She nudged her head toward the stage on the right. “The band will be up there, for the dancing later on.” She gave me a pat on the shoulder. “Before that, of course, your Sean has his ceremony.”

Jimmy strode up to us, a glass of whiskey in his hand, his face beaming. His normally askew hair had been neatly combed back, and he actually looked half-decent in his tux.

“Everything’s all set, Seamus. The caterers are just getting the last of the food in through the warehouse doors, and then we’ll send the trucks off. The team is setting up the appetizers as we speak.” He waved a hand at the long tables set up against the back wall, laden with a variety of liqueurs. “We’ll keep them happy.”

Bridgit’s eyes lit up, and she strode toward the table, picking up a bottle of Champagne. “Oh, very happy,” she grinned.

A glass was poured for me, and Seamus and Jimmy went out back to check on the final preparations.

I took a sip of the bubbly, then looked up again. Sean had worked with Seamus and Jimmy for the past few days, thoroughly sweeping the building, ensuring there were no listening devices anywhere throughout the structure. Then, early this morning, I knew that he added several back in as he strung up those lights twinkling high overhead.

The scene was set.

Soon guests began arriving. Bridgit was the consummate hostess, introducing Sean and me to each arriving group, but the names went in one ear and right out the other. There was an elegant black couple from Boston, a mature, silver-clad, silver-haired Hispanic woman from Providence, a portly man in an ill-fitting tuxedo from Hartford, and they kept on coming. It was an odd mix of a warm family reunion coupled with a high school dance where everyone was sizing the others up. Somehow the group was loudly talkative and carefully distant all at the same time.

Sean barely left my side, staying steadily at my elbow, looking over each new arrival with attentive interest. He seemed to pay special attention to the men, running his eyes along the edges of their jackets, the fall of fabric over the back of their pants.

A waiter strolled by with a plate of mini beef wellingtons. I’d had three of them already, but found it hard to resist the fourth. Sean’s eyes sparkled, but he said nothing, his eyes maintaining their smooth sweep of the bustling room.

There was a murmur, and I turned toward the entry. It was Jessica, her blonde curls shining under the twinkling lights, and she was a vision in white. Her dress’s lace neckline curled demurely down to a sweetheart shape, and the skirt of the dress fluffed out in sheer cascades. All she needed were angel wings on her back and the image would be complete.

Jimmy was at her side in a moment, his face beaming in satisfaction, and he took her hand. He lowered his head for a courtly kiss, and Jessica erupted in a flurry of delighted giggles. He slid an arm around her waist, and then guided her over to stand with us.

His voice was warm when he spoke. “Jessica, dear, you remember Sean and Katie, right? You saw them in the bar, that time you visited. I want you to stay with them when I’m not around. They’ll keep an eye on you.” His gaze darkened for a moment as he swept the room. “Too many rough guys around here.” His smile returned, and he looked down at her. “I’ll keep you safe from them. Trust me.”

She looked up at him, her large eyes glowing. “Oh, I do, Jimmy.”

Bridgit stepped up, her mouth pressed into a line. “Jimmy, they’re ready for the main service.”

Jimmy’s shoulders tensed, but he sighed, then nodded. He strode up to the stage, then tapped the microphone a few times. “Ahem, hello, everybody. Jimmy here. Please take your seats, and we’ll get this meal going.”

There was the shuffling of feet, a murmur of conversation, and the group all shifted toward the tables. Sean guided me toward the one immediately by the stage, and I saw that our names were at the place settings on white cards with embossed black script. Sean was on one side of me, Jessica on the other. Then came Jimmy and Bridgit, and Seamus was the last name I recognized.

Sean pointed at the other four seats. “The bosses from the other areas,” he explained. “You met them earlier.”

I’m sure I had, but in the crowd I could barely keep track of where Jimmy and Seamus were as they moved in and out, never mind strangers. At last, though, everyone found their seats. The tall, black man was sitting next to Sean, with the woman on his other side. The portly man in the tux was alongside the silver-clad woman from Providence.

Ten black-clad waiters bearing plates walked in a line over to our table. Each stood behind one of us, and in unison they laid the plates down before us. It was like watching a performance of precision ballet dancers, but with a culinary flair to it. The plates held a beautiful presentation of five fresh oysters. I tucked my linen napkin on my lap and took up the one closest to me, sucking down the smooth flesh.

Wow, was that amazing.

Sean’s eyes glinted. “You eat as many of those as you want,” he teased.

I grinned. “Oh, I don’t think I need any help from the oysters.”

His hand almost reached for my thigh, but he reined it in with visible effort. “Not tonight,” he murmured, half to himself.

He took a drink of his water, and I realized that he hadn’t been drinking any alcohol all night. He’d somehow deftly turned away offers of drinks or took them to present to someone else.

Jimmy was leaning over to Jessica. “Here, sweetie, you do it like this. Let me.” He took up the oyster and tilted it toward her mouth. She obediently opened her lips to him, and his eyes shone with desire as she took in the oyster.

His voice was hoarse. “Oh, yes. Just like that.”

She gave a light giggle. “I think I’m liking this Champagne. Can I have some more?”