No Rep (Madd CrossFit #1) - Lani Lynn Vale Page 0,62

my side.

And let’s not forget all the other people that were now listening behind us and at our sides that’d come in off of shift, or were about to go out on shift.

“Now, let me focus on my job,” I told Pearl. “You know, that pesky serial killer that’s floating around out there with your granddaughter’s name in the forefront of his mind?”

Pearl hissed out a breath. “This isn’t over, Francine Pope. We will be discussing this.”

With those final words, Pearl swept out of the police station in a dignified huff.

The moment the doors closed behind her, Chief Wilkerson said, “I guess congratulations are in order?”

Francine lost it then. “I swear to God. I’m really a nice person, but she makes it so hard for me to continue being a law-abiding citizen.”

Chief snorted and clapped her on the back. “We’ll give y’all a few minutes.”

I understood that for the order that it was.

Fran did, too.

“Can I borrow your car?” she teased.

I snorted. “I would if I could, but I’m fairly sure that it was you that borrowed it this morning. You dropped me off, remember?”

She sighed against my back and I turned to gather her into my arms. “Your grandmother is…”

“A raging bitch?” she finished for me.

I snorted and dropped a kiss onto the top of her head, her riot of curls smelling of lime and some other smell I couldn’t identify.

Which reminded me. “The name of your hair stylist. Will you get it for me?”

She pulled back and fished her phone from her pocket, fiddling on it before sending me whatever she’d found.

“I sent you her details,” she said. “I’ll hitch a ride from the two that are still out in the parking lot arguing.”

“How do you know that they’re outside?” I wondered, looking over her shoulder to the small sliver of parking lot I could see.

“My sister has a sixth sense when it comes to Pearl Pope. She’ll be there. I was just hoping to avoid them seeing my grandmother as I feel this vibe coming off of them, and I wanted them to have some alone time,” she admitted.

I waited until she sighed and started to pull away before tightening my hands on her. “I love you, too.”

Her breath hitched, and those big blue jean eyes lifted to meet mine.

“And, if you’re into it, I have no problem going to get hitched in Vegas the moment this is all over,” I teased.

Her eyes went wide. “You were serious? I thought you were just putting on a show for my grandmother.”

I shook my head. “I wasn’t putting on any show. I want you. I want you to carry my name. And as long as you have no problem with my own grandmother being there and not yours, I’m down for Vegas.”

She shook her head. “When you get done here today, let’s go meet your grandmother. I want to make sure that she knows me.”

I winked. “I’ll call her and tell her we’re coming.”

CHAPTER 22

I thought I wanted a career. Turns out, I just want a paycheck.

-text from Fran to Taos

TAOS

“Taos, I’m dying.”

I looked over at my grandmother. The woman that would’ve raised me after my parents had passed away if she hadn’t been so ill—she’d battled cancer for many years before she’d finally beat it.

She was ninety-four.

But she was a spry ninety-four.

“You’re not dying,” I tried to argue.

“Tomorrow, I want you to go pick up Fran. And I want to go with you. Spend the day with you two.”

I looked at the chalkboard in front of me, at all the possibilities of who this serial killer could be and felt my stomach tense. “I can’t spend the day with you tomorrow. We have a new lead that we’re following up tomorrow. But as soon as this is all over, you’re going to come with me to Vegas and watch me marry the woman that I’ve fallen in love with.”

My grandmother’s breath hitched.

“Then come over to dinner tonight,” she ordered.

I grinned.

That’d been what I was trying to accomplish anyway.

I looked at her on the screen of my phone. “You’re not dying.” I paused. “But that sounds like fun. I’m sure Fran would love to have some spaghetti and meatballs.”

My grandmother’s laugh filled the air around me.

“Oh, Taos. I love you.” She shook her head. “I’ll see what I can scrounge up.”

I smiled.

“I’ll call Fran and tell her when to pick me up. And we’ll be over around dinner,” I promised.

Except, when I called Fran five minutes after hanging up