The World According to Vince - Jane Harvey-Berrick Page 0,46

coffee table.

“He did what? You’re where? How long? Who else? When? For God’s sake, Rick! Why?”

The thought crossed my mind that you could tell Cady had a background in journalism. Personally, I’d always thought that she missed her calling as a kick-ass FBI agent. But then her words sunk in as she turned her uh-oh face to me.

“Right, I’ll tell her. You are in so much trouble, Rick Roberts!”

Cady tossed her phone onto the coffee table next to the spilled wine, then swore and grabbed her sweater to mop it up.

The dogs were all awake now, looking at us expectantly as if it was time for a game or a walk or another round of Milk-Bones.

A cold rush of sobriety had me sitting upright and I rubbed my eyes, blotting drying tears with a tissue.

“What did Vince do?” I asked with ominous foreboding.

Cady gritted her teeth. “He’s been arrested.”

I nodded.

“For burglarizing Central Park Zoo.”

I nodded again.

“For rescuing a lion and trying to take it home.”

I blinked. “A lion?”

Cady exploded. “Yes, a goddamn lion! A lion! With teeth and claws and an untameable desire for raw meat! Your client is a maniac! Rick could have been eaten! I could have been standing under the chuppah on my wedding day next to a can of Chum! I cannot believe Vince has done this! I’m going to kill him! Slowly! Or maybe quickly! I am so mad at him!”

“I’ll help. Um, did Rick get arrested, too?”

She calmed down a little, the murderous rage fading from her eyes.

“No, thank God. He’s down at the 20th precinct where they took Vince.”

I glanced up as I worked my phone, the liquor receding rapidly from my veins. “They didn’t take him to Central Booking?”

“No. Is that good?”

“Yes, it means they’re still deciding whether or not to charge him.”

“We have to get over there!”

“I’ll go. You have to stay with the kids. Tap gets anxious if she’s left alone.”

For a moment, Cady looked mutinous but then sighed and nodded. “Fine, you’re right. And I’d probably be arrested for assault or intent with a deadly weapon.”

“You’re holding your phone,” I pointed out.

“You haven’t seen what I can do with my phone when I’m mad!” she said darkly.

“True.”

I stood up and found my coat.

“You’re taking this very calmly,” said Cady, looking me up and down.

I gave her a thin smile. “It’s not my first rodeo. And let’s face it: Vince + bachelor party + New York City = disaster.” I shrugged into my coat. “I’ll call you.”

The Uber I’d summoned honked outside the door and I bent down to kiss the kids, with a special squeaky one for Tap, then hurried out into the night.

To rescue Vince.

From himself.

Again.

Vince

If I was honest with myself, Rick’s stag night hadn’t gone entirely as planned.

The sports bar had been good, except for those tossers Rafe and Elias ditching us; and the striptease show had been fantastic, except for Rick having his family jewels felt up by a strange woman with purple eyeshadow; and the Pedicab had been brilliant, except it was a bit chilly if you weren’t the one pedalling; and The Lion King had been epic, except for Rick checking his phone every five minutes; and the meal would have been good, except we didn’t get to taste it (although on the plus side, we hadn’t paid for it either). But then I’d been arrested, and if anyone was arrested on a stag night out, it was supposed to be the groom.

So mostly a successful evening.

I hoped Gracie wouldn’t be too mad about the last part.

But after what seemed like hours of listening to the drunk in the next cell to me singing Freedom off-key, I wasn’t quite as optimistic.

Finally, my door rattled and a police officer told me that my attorney was waiting for me in an interview room.

I had a huge smile on my face when I saw Gracie sitting at the table, her lawyer briefcase next to her chair and a notebook lined up in front of her with two pencils.

“Gracie!” I grinned.

She looked up, her face unmoving. “Vincent, we must stop meeting like this.”

Her tone was a tad cool but fair enough—I’d left her getting happily plastered with Cady for a girls night in, and now she was at another police station after midnight saving my sorry arse.

She pointed to a chair that was bolted to the floor opposite her and then introduced me to a dude sitting next to her. Somehow I hadn’t seen him when I’d walked