well, I was expecting treachery and betrayal and felony assault. Not this!"
"Knock it off, you two," Jessica ordered, massaging her temples. "I've got a splitting headache."
In a nanosecond, Nick became a totally different person.
"Babe? You okay? Maybe we better get you back so you can lie down."
"I'm fine, Nick, it's not the cancer. I just have a headache."
Nick was in the middle; I was on his left, and Jessica was on his right. If she hadn't been so thin, it never would have worked. But it did work, which is why I opened my purse, rummaged, then handed Nick a bottle of Advil. He shot me a look of pure gratitude — I almost fell out of the cab — and shook two into his palm, then gave them to Jess, who dry-swallowed them.
"Thanks for coming along, you guys."
"Wouldn't have missed it," Jessica said, leaning back and closing her eyes.
"She's only speaking for herself," Nick added.
"I still can't decide which pair is my favorite," I said dreamily. "Infinite, or Fairy."
"How about Goblin?" Nick muttered. "You just — hey, you're going past our hotel!"
"Sorry, mahn," the driver said calmly. "Got to admit, tough to see dis place on de street."
He had that right. The Grange really blended, which was weird, given how scary and old-fashioned it looked.
"That's okay," Nick said. "Just take a left and drop us off around the corner."
"Not at all, mahn. I will get you dere." I could see his dark eyes in the rearview mirror, heard him pop the car into reverse, and then we were speeding backward.
"This is a one-way street!" Nick practically shrieked.
"Dis is New York, mahn."
We came to a shuddering halt right outside the lobby steps, and Nick and Jessica couldn't scramble out fast enough.
I handed the driver my last fifty and said, "You got some plums on you, big guy. Keep the change."
He touched two fingers to an imaginary hat and grinned, his teeth very white in his dark face. "Anyt'ing for a pretty lady."
I got out and watched him drive away.
Now that was cool. Hideously dangerous and illegal, but cool.
"New York, New York, it's a helluva town," I hummed, trotting up the steps to catch up with Nick and Jess.
Chapter Thirteen
I spotted Sinclair waiting for us in the lounge; he'd already ordered me a Cosmo. I ran up to him, easily outpacing Nick and Jessica, and flung my arms around his neck so hard he rocked back in his chair.
He kissed my temple and said into my hair, "Did you have fun shoe shopping?"
"Oh my God, you would not believe it!"
He flinched at "God," rallied, then said, "I'll believe it very well when the American Express bill comes."
"Well, I had to replace the one that's stuck in the wall."
"Ah, so you only bought one pair," he teased.
Before I could give him a piece of my mind, or throw my drink at him, Nick and Jess were sitting down at our table. We'd all agreed to compare notes at the end of the evening. Interestingly, now that we were off Nick's suspect list (not that I truly thought we'd ever really been on it) we were sort of a crime-fighting team.
Maybe he'd hate us again when we all got back home. Maybe he still hated us but was using us to solve a murder, which would be very Nick-like (and cop-like). Or maybe hanging out with us was loosening him up a little. There was absolutely no way to tell.
"You dirty rotten son of a bitch," Nick started. Okay, maybe there was one way to tell. "You knew what her little errand was."
Sinclair actually giggled. Giggled. "Which did you like best, Detective Berry? Calm or Infinite?"
Nick stuck a finger in my husband's face, which was a good way to get bitten. "If I didn't hate you with every fiber of my being before, I absolutely do now."
"Somehow," he yawned, "I will try to recover from the remorse."
A pretty waitress — short, good figure, gorgeous green eyes, black hair — bounced up to our table. "Good evening, Majesties! May I bring your guests a drink?"
"Hi," I said, sticking out a hand. Startled, she shook it. "I'm Betsy. This is Nick and Jessica. She'll have a Screwdriver, heavy on the vodka, no ice. He'll have a Bud."
Her hand was clammy and almost uncomfortable to touch, but I held onto my smile and she looked weirdly gratified. "Right away, my queen," she said, and flounced off.
"That, uh, wasn't the killer, was it?" Jessica asked.
"I have been