Until death, p.22
Until Death, page 22
“What do you give the guy who saved your daughter’s life?” Levi remarked.
“The beach house in the Virgin Islands,” Miller muttered.
All eyes were suddenly on him. He glanced at the others then chuckled.
“I’m just kidding,” Miller teased then appeared somewhat serious. “Although, after the murders, my father did send Dane to the beach house for a few weeks while he recovered from his injuries. Six months later, Raina and I wanted to spend some time at the beach, and my father said he sold that house.”
“What an amazing coincidence,” Jenna remarked.
“I guess Mr. Steele shot down Dane’s first choice reward,” Sloan announced then grinned.
“What was his first choice?” Titus asked with great interest.
“Raina,” Levi teased.
“Okay,” Miller announced while glaring at the others. “We’re not doing this. That’s my sister, so we won’t be discussing anyone’s sexual fantasies involving her.”
“Come on, Miller,” Sloan announced while grinning. “Do you actually believe that bullshit alibi that Raina and Dane were watching a movie in his room the night Callie was murdered?”
He stared at her with a strange look. “Raina and I always watch movies together,” Miller insisted. “As people love to point out, we’re not blood relation, but we’ve watched movies in my bed, and nothing has ever happened. Why shouldn’t I believe her?”
“Because Detective Payne was respecting their privacy,” Levi announced.
Sloan smiled and giggled. “Raina told the detective they were drunk and spent the night together,” she remarked and cleverly raised her brows. “With the way Dane attempted to deny it, you know shit happened.”
Miller stared at them a moment with surprise then looked at Jenna alongside him. “Did she confide this to you?” he suddenly demanded.
Jenna held her hands in the air and turned defensive. “She didn’t say anything to me about it,” she announced. “I did, however, see her slipping into her room Sunday morning still wearing her dress from the party.” Jenna considered the comment and nodded. “I recognized the walk of shame. Considering they couldn’t even look at each other for a full twenty-four hours tells me something happened.”
“Yeah,” Titus remarked while laughing. “He’s afraid if he looks at her someone might see how happy he is when she’s around.”
“Again,” Miller scoffed. “That’s my sister.”
“She’s not your sister,” Hanson lectured then grinned. “And don’t tell me you’ve never gotten hot and bothered by her either.”
Miller groaned and rolled his eyes. “I’m going to be violently ill.”
“Are we really having this discussion?” Sloan demanded and eyed those around her. “Can we show a little respect for Raina and Dane, the man who could make our lives miserable for his own amusement?”
“Well, we could discuss the ‘boner dance’ Titus does when he looks at you,” Hanson teased.
Titus appeared embarrassed and caught the look he received from the others. He glared at Hanson. “Why the hell would you even say something like that?”
“Oh, please,” Levi groaned then casually refilled everyone’s martini glasses. “You’ve wanted to get back into Sloan’s pants ever since you got out of them.”
Sloan looked at Titus with some surprise. He made a face while avoiding looking at her and waved off Levi.
“He’s delusional,” Titus remarked then glared at the cook. “And I’m going to hit him later.”
Despite not commenting, Sloan seemed to consider what she had just heard. Elana and Keefe finally joined the others at the large bar after successfully annoying the Nixon’s.
“I can’t believe Detective Payne searched the entire mansion and only found a stack of girly magazines,” Elana announced with some surprise.
“What kind of place is this?” Keefe demanded. “Not even a single joint?”
“What did you think he’d find?” Jenna prodded.
“I don’t know,” Elana remarked with irritation. “Maybe something that would point to whoever in this house killed my sister.”
“And what makes you think it was someone in this house?” Miller demanded. “Did you call in that bogus tip to the police hoping they’d find something?”
“Of course not,” Elana cried out. “The police already know who killed her; they just can’t make an arrest without proof.”
“Oh, and who’s that, Elana?” Miller launched hotly.
“I don’t need to tell you, Miller,” Elana snarled. “You know damned well who wanted her dead.”
The Nixon’s had been standing nearby listening to the conversation. Gilda seemed unusually irate while Farley attempted to hold her back to keep her from approaching those at the bar. Gilda broke free from his hold and approached Elana.
“You also know exactly what sort of woman your sister was, Elana,” Gilda cried out.
“Please, Gilda,” Farley begged in a docile tone. “Don’t cause a scene.”
“No, Farley, it’s about time I spoke up,” Gilda launched then spun to face Elana. “Your sister was a conniving, blackmailing whore. Just because I couldn’t prove she was the one blackmailing my husband, that doesn’t mean I don’t know she was the one.” Gilda’s eyes narrowed with hatred and anger. “Yes, I’m also surprised the police didn’t find anything. I’m sure she kept that blackmail video, and if they had found it, it would prove what she really was once and for all.”
“You can’t talk about my sister like that,” Elana shot back while jumping from her seat at the bar.
“I most certainly can,” Gilda snarled back. “Your services are no longer required at our home. Perhaps you can seek employment here and wiggle your way into Otto’s bed the same way your sister had!”
Elana was about to respond when Farley pulled Gilda away from them. Elana attempted to bolt after them, but Keefe held her back and attempted to calm her as well. Half the room was now staring at them.
“Someone was blackmailing Farley with a sex video of him and Callie?” Miller gasped with surprise.
“That’s not true,” Elana shot out. “If it were, Callie would have told me about it. She would never have allowed something like that to circulate.”
“Suppose there was this blackmail sex tape,” Jenna suggested. “Is it possible the blackmailer was using it to extort money from her to keep it from Otto?”
“There was no tape,” Elana again proclaimed. “Gilda just made that up as an excuse to fire Callie for her relationship with Farley.”
“You think she may have been meeting the blackmailer by the crypt when she was murdered?” Keefe asked Jenna.
“Keefe, there was no tape,” Elana insisted while becoming further agitated with the entire conversation. “Callie would have confided in me if there was. No one was blackmailing her.”
“It sounds like a pretty damned good motive,” Miller interjected. “She refuses to pay, they scuffle, and he hits her on the head. Not wanting it to look like murder, he stages her suicide.”
Tia and Olivia approached the bar and seemed interested in Miller’s comment.
“I overheard Callie talking to someone on her cell phone about some video,” Olivia offered. “We were out for a girls’ night a few months ago. I don’t know who she was talking to, but she sounded upset.”
“You don’t know who she was talking to?” Jenna asked with a curious look.
“I have no idea,” Olivia announced then looked at Tia in silent question.
Tia shook her head. “She didn’t offer,” Callie’s friend remarked, “and we didn’t ask.” Tia looked at Elana. “You were with us. Did you overhear that conversation?”
“I don’t remember her having a conversation about a sex tape,” Elana insisted while becoming angry. “If something like that happened, she’d tell me about it. I think you’re mistaken about what you think you overheard.”
“No,” Olivia insisted. “She definitely said something about a video and being concerned about it.” She then looked at Tia and snapped her fingers. “She was talking to a man. Remember, she said something to the caller that he should find out who it was and beat him up.”
“Yeah,” Tia agreed. “It would be odd to tell another woman to beat up some guy. That’s usually something you’d tell another man to do.”
“She had to be talking to Otto,” Elana insisted and shook her head. “Who else would Callie have been talking to? She was out with us so that just leaves Otto.”
“I don’t think it was Otto,” Olivia insisted. “She hung up on him without saying goodbye. I don’t think I’ve ever heard her talk to Otto that way on the phone.”
Elana sank into thought then cast a look at Keefe. He shrugged and shook his head. She looked back at those around the bar with more insistence.
“I’m telling you,” Elana again insisted. “There was no blackmail tape. Callie would have told me if someone had been blackmailing her with a sex tape.”
They heard a commotion across the room. Jimmy Love stood between Otto and Nole, who were violently shouting at each other.
“This place is like a soap opera,” Levi muttered.
“I admit I had an affair with Callie,” Nole cried out to Otto while pushing against Jimmy Love. “You could never handle a woman like that!”
“Low blow,” Jimmy Love scolded in a high-pitched screech.
“Everyone here knows you killed her in a fit of jealous rage,” Nole shouted in anger.
“You were supposed to be my friend,” Otto shot back. “You betrayed me, you bastard!”
“Boys, boys,” Jimmy Love attempted to calm the men who were about to crush him while standing between them. “Not that I don’t love a good testosterone-fueled, ass whooping, but this is a memorial, remember?”
Titus and Hanson ran across the room and pulled Otto and Nole away from each other. Both men fought against their captors then attempted to relax. Otto finally pulled away from Titus and headed for the bar.
Jimmy Love gave Titus a quick once-over. “Hmm, you must work out.”
Titus rolled his eyes and walked away.
Jimmy Love pointed and called after him, “That was a compliment, honey!”
Chapter 43
Keep Your Enemies Closer
Only an hour later, the memorial service continued to unravel with raw emotions and accusations flying. Raina and Dane pretended to play pool while keeping an eye on the others. Raina wore a simple black dress that revealed a little too much cleavage and plenty of leg. Under the circumstances, it seemed like the perfect dress to wear to Callie’s memorial. Dane and Raina spent more time leaning on their pool sticks than actually playing the game.
“You learn a lot when you step onto the sidelines,” Raina remarked and eyed the show in progress.
“One of the joys of being a servant,” Dane informed her. “People forget you’re there. They tend to speak freely around the staff as if they’re invisible.”
Raina gave him a quick once-over then raised a demanding brow. “You never practiced your invisibility technique around me,” she insisted. “I’m pretty sure it was quite the opposite. You were always annoyingly present.”
Dane chuckled as he glanced at her before finally returning to the pool table to make his shot. “That’s because I was being a prick and wanted to get on your nerves.”
“You succeeded,” she teased while admiring the sexy butler make the tricky shot. “I heard our drunken antics already got around the whole house.”
Dane missed the shot then frowned while straightening. He appeared tense. “Which included your father,” he remarked with a groan. “Ironically, he’s acting as if nothing happened. I’m worried he may kill me in my sleep.”
“He brought it up the other day. He’s not getting involved in my personal life,” she remarked then shook her head while suspiciously eyeing him. “You really can do no wrong in his eyes, can you?”
Dane seemed surprised by the admission. “Huh, he actually said that? I guess I can do no wrong,” he remarked then added a humored grin as she leaned over to make her next shot.
Raina wasn’t positive, but she swore he was checking out her backside as she leaned over the pool table.
“You’d think a drunken one-nighter with his daughter would be enough to push him over the edge,” Dane casually remarked as if purposely attempting to get a rise out of her.
She straightened and eyed him without making her shot. “Aren’t we being bold tonight?” Raina remarked while raising her brows. The fact that he felt comfortable enough to joke about it told her he’d come to terms with what had happened. “He knows you have a colorful past, but does he know you were a jewel thief?”
He eyed her sharply and moved around the table to face her. “Now who’s being bold?” Dane remarked then shrugged with less interest. “He knows I was involved in illegal activity. I doubt he knows the specifics.” He gave her a sly once-over. “You’re the first person who’s ever actually called me on it.”
“Unfortunately the killer knows too,” she informed him and again leaned over the pool table, finally making her shot. She straightened and glanced at him. He turned away a little too quickly, almost confirming he’d been eyeing her cleavage while bent over the table. His embarrassment was cute. “Must have taken quite a bit of research to find all those articles on you.”
“Some weren’t me,” he insisted. “I’ve never even been to some of those countries.”
Raina studied him a moment and felt she needed to pry. “Why did you do it?”
“After eight years in the military, I was discharged only to discover I had no skills,” he confessed. “I was only qualified to be a security guard or professional hitman, so I went a different route. I had the skills to slip in and out of secure locations, so I put that to good use.” He considered the comment and shrugged. “I enjoyed the thrill more than anything. After a few years, I grew tired of living out of a suitcase and longed for something more stable.”
“You mean you ran out of money,” she teased while grinning.
“No, I retired with over five million dollars in my pocket,” he replied.
Her expression dropped as she stared at him with surprise. “You’re kidding.”
“When I gave up that lifestyle, I gave up the money I gained from it. Well, most of it,” he informed her. “I gave it to a children’s hospital. They even named their new wing after me.”
“Bullshit.”
He raised his brows in question and stared back at her. “Would I lie?”
“Hmm. Good question,” she remarked then eyed him suspiciously while hiding her grin. “Is your name really Dane Kingston?”
“Daniel Dawson Kingston,” he informed her. “My team gave me the nickname Dane.”
“Why Dane?”
“Great Dane,” he replied simply. “You know, like Marmaduke.”
“Why did they call you Great Dane?” she asked and leaned on her pool stick while standing alongside him.
“I couldn’t tell you,” he replied. “I certainly wasn’t the biggest dog in my platoon.”
Raina studied him a moment with a strange smile on her face. He noted her look, appeared curious by it, and had to smile back.
“What’s that smile about?” Dane asked.
“I just can’t imagine you dirty and sweaty,” she remarked with a laugh.
He stared into her eyes a moment and offered a tiny, playful grin. “Trust me, you don’t know the half of it,” he announced with a chuckle.
She stared back at him and attempted to understand his hidden meaning. As she stared into his eyes, she couldn’t deny her incredible curiosity and intrigue in the handsome man. It was bad enough she was attracted to the quiet, serious man she’d come to know over the years, but his former life as a soldier and a jewel thief intensified those feelings. Throw in a little-added mystery, and she had a hard time resisting the urge to throw herself at him. He was no longer the butler; he’d spontaneously combusted into James Bond.
§
Half of the guests attending the memorial had left by eight o’clock that night, which left the guests who would be spending the night. There were also two couples Titus would be driving home a little later. If the weather forecast was correct, a tropical storm would reach them later that night. It promised to be a big one. Jenna and Miller hung out by the pool table and appeared to be having a good time together despite that neither was drunk. It was possible Jenna was hustling Miller at a game of pool. Miller missed another shot and straightened while cursing.
“I’m completely off my game tonight,” he announced with disgust.
“I think you’re just not as good as you boasted,” Jenna teased and easily made her next shot and won the game. She turned toward Miller, grinned, and held out her hand.
He frowned and slapped a ten-dollar bill into her palm. She gleefully placed it down the cleavage of her shirt, catching Miller’s attention before he quickly looked away.
“Want a rematch?” she asked while raising a sly brow.
“Not tonight,” he remarked. “I think this entire memorial party is throwing me off.” Miller looked around and frowned. “It just feels so fake. Only about four people here even liked her.”
“Yeah, she certainly knew how to alienate herself with just about everyone, didn’t she?” Jenna muttered while leaning her back against the pool table as she scanned the room. “I can’t imagine going through life making it my mission to piss off everyone.”
“Well, for you it comes naturally,” Miller remarked and flashed a sly grin.
Jenna glared at him and raised her brow. “You’re not funny, Miller.”
“I disagree,” he teased. “You and Raina would be bored to tears if I didn’t go out with you to nightclubs.”
“You got me there,” she replied and straightened. “Raina doesn’t really like dancing.”
Miller eyed her with some surprise. “So why is it we’re always going out to clubs?”
