Thieves Like Us Part 20

Janet's heart nearly broke. She didn't have the first clue who Ginny's parents were and what they were like, but she put an arm around Libby's shoulder and rea.s.sured her. "Oh, honey, of course not. They know you're a good person, and they'd never be that mean."

Libby chewed the inside of her cheek, considering. "Grandma thinks so."

As much as Janet wanted to stay out of it, she was going to have to have a talk with Elizabeth. "I guarantee that your grandma is exaggerating. She's just worried about you and wants to be sure no one talks trash about her precious granddaughter."

A reluctant smile touched Libby's mouth. "I don't think Grandma knows what that means."

She faked a shocked expression. "Are you kidding me? She and her girls are always sittin' around the club, givin' props and dissin' the b.i.t.c.hes. Don't tell me Elizabeth Westfield isn't down with the talk."

Libby giggled and Janet relaxed at the small concession. Sighing, she got to her feet. "It's been a long day, kiddo, and I'm going to get ready for bed. How about you go get into your PJs and come back here? We can have a sleepover and talk about boys."

That one earned her a grateful smile. "Okay."

Libby was almost out the door when it occurred to Janet that the room was a little too quiet. "Hey, Lib. Have you seen Jingles?"

"He and Fluff are watching Freddie in the kitchen. I think they're all going to be friends 'cause Freddie wags his tail and barks at them, but Grandma said he has to sleep in the cage tonight. The cats keep walking by to check him out."

Flaunting their freedom. She winced. Between the compet.i.tive cats, the clueless dog, and the feuding grandparents, tomorrow was going to be interesting.

Interesting wasn't how Rocky would have described the next morning. "f.u.c.ked up" was more like it. He stared at his four flat tires and ground his teeth.

He knew who was responsible for the deep slashes and that there was nothing he could do about it. The message was clear: what you do to us, you get back- times four. No doubt Rocky's security system had restricted their efforts to his car. Thank G.o.d Janet was beyond their reach.

Getting new tires set his schedule back two hours. By the time he finished the backlog of Red Rose Security jobs and headed over to see Janet, it was already dark out.

He ran up the front steps to the Westfield mansion, then stopped midway as the door opened and noise poured out, a rolling mixture of laughter, barks, and excited squeals, followed by Ben Thatcher's heavy footsteps. Slamming the door behind him, the police chief stomped toward Rocky.

One look at Ben's expression and he stepped aside, leaving far more room than necessary for the chief to pa.s.s on the wide stairway. Instead, Ben stopped one step above Rocky, hands on hips, ready for a confrontation, and leveled a stare that had surely intimidated many a criminal. Rocky swore under his breath, realizing that he was about to catch the backlash of another lover's quarrel between Elizabeth and Ben.

"I hear you're the one I have to thank for bringing another G.o.dd.a.m.ned animal into that house," Ben snapped.

Rocky took a judicious step back, determining how much evasion he could get away with. Not much, probably, since Ben was glaring at him like he was smuggling gerbils in his pockets. He held up both hands, palms out. "Hey, it's just one homeless puppy. And it's temporary."

"That's what animal shelters are for. Ever hear of them?"

"Um-"

Ben stabbed at his chest with a blunt finger. "You might want to think of that next time some sorry little dog rolls its eyes at you, instead of running right over here to the Elizabeth Westfield Animal Shelter."

Rocky knew he should keep his mouth shut and let Ben vent, but it was an unfair accusation. "Weren't you the one who suggested bringing over more animals?" he challenged.

Ben stopped mid-rant, head c.o.c.ked and one eye squinting a laser beam at him. d.a.m.n. Rocky hoped the man wasn't carrying his gun. "That's right, I did." Ben nodded. "My mistake. So you know what? Why don't you just find a few more cats and dogs in need of homes and bring 'em on over. The mangier the better. Introduce them to the good life. I'm sure if you cruise the alleys you can find plenty." His finger jabbed back toward the front door. "Let her see that turning that house into a G.o.dd.a.m.ned zoo won't make any difference. She'll be doing our granddaughter more harm than good by hanging on to Banner's house."

Rocky couldn't think of a single safe thing to say, so he tried a tight smile.

Ben shook his head in disgust and started down the steps. But before Rocky could breathe a sigh of relief, the police chief turned back.

"Hey." He barked it like a drill sergeant. "You happen to see Janet's Colombian shadows last night?"

"No. They followed us from the DIA, but we dodged them." And he hadn't given them another thought, with all the fun distractions that followed.

"Huh. I figured."

That p.r.i.c.ked his curiosity. "Why?"

"I suspect they're the ones responsible for a couple smash and grabs at jewelry stores last night. One in Troy, one in Novi. Made off with about fifty grand altogether. They either got tired of waiting for Janet to lead them to what they want, or they had a little temper tantrum over you two shaking their tail. Maybe a little of both."

He knew Ben wouldn't hold him responsible for what the Colombians did, so it must be the man's generally nasty mood that made it sound accusatory. "Was anyone hurt?"

"A store manager got beaten up by one of the guys. The a.s.shole seemed to go out of his way to do it, too."

"Strange," he muttered, hoping like h.e.l.l it wasn't some sort of skewed revenge for what he'd done, but suspecting it was.

Ben looked him up and down. "I'd strongly advise against taking that girl anywhere right now. If these guys are getting impatient, I want to know she's in a safe place."

"Good idea." Janet was going to hate it.

"You just remember, Hernandez, I'm counting on you to keep her safe." Ben drilled him with a hard look, then stomped off.

Ben was right; Janet's safety came first. If they couldn't sneak off to Jack and Ellie's house again, at least he could spend a few hours with her here. His attraction to her had never been all about s.e.x, anyway. He'd admired her spirit since the day they'd met. She'd escaped an attempt on her life, then fought back. Not against the paid Colombian hitmen, which would probably be suicidal, but against her crazy husband who had orchestrated the plot. The smart thing probably would have been to let the DEA and FBI and G.o.d knows how many other alphabet agencies try to prove Banner's guilt. They might have even succeeded after a few years. Instead, she went after him herself with nothing more than a b.u.mbling, well-intentioned friend and a whole lot of anger. She'd succeeded, too, and Rocky had fallen for her on the spot.

But now he was determined to keep her safe. As long as the Colombians were stalking her and someone was still looking for the rest of the Pellinni Jewels, his s.e.x life was on hiatus.

Rocky half expected Mr. Peters to answer the door armed with a water rifle and packing a spare tank on his back. The boring black suit was almost a disappointment.

"Good evening, Roberto." Elizabeth appeared from the direction of the living room. If she'd been upset by her conversation with Ben, she'd regained her composure nicely. "Should I have you frisked for kittens?"

"No ma'am, no kittens. Not even a flea."

"Then I believe you're welcome. Janet is downstairs with Libby."

"I guess that means you're rejecting me."

She shook her head. "Ah, Roberto, you have a remarkable talent for flirting."

He grinned, recognizing flirting as a euphemism for bulls.h.i.t. "It's a gift," he agreed. "But sadly underappreciated. Maybe Janet and Libby will fall for it."

"Oh, I think they already have."

He smiled, not sure if that was good or bad, and headed for the staircase.

The spa, bar, and rec room on the lower level were deserted, but the door to the home theater was closed. He opened it into a dark room with a movie playing on the large TV screen. From the center of three rows of reclining chairs, Janet raised a hand and waved him over, while Libby called out, "Close the door!"

On the screen, a pretty red-haired actress hugged a stuffed animal and whined to her friend, "But he said he loved me. How am I supposed to know if he's lying?" Chick flick-he should have guessed.

He walked down the inclined floor to the middle row, where he was nearly knocked over by the furry critter that lunged toward him, dancing on hind legs and whining.

"Hey there, Adolf buddy." He pushed the pup down and gave him some friendly thumps on the shoulder.

"His name's Freddie," Libby offered without taking her eyes off the screen.

"Much better. Hi, Freddie."

"Shhh," Libby hissed. "Sit down."

He slid obediently into the seat next to Janet, whispered, "Hi," and leaned over to kiss her before settling back in the plush chair.

On the other side of Janet, Libby bent forward, eyes wide with surprise. "You kissed her."

He gave her a blank look. "Did not."

"Yes, you did. I saw it."

"Hush," he told her. "This is my favorite part of the movie. I always cry."

She raised her eyebrows and gave Janet a look that said, You will tell me all about this later. Since Janet seemed amused, he took her hand and conspicuously held it.

They watched in silence for several minutes, during which Libby checked out the handholding with furtive glances. She finally turned to them with a sly smile. "You want me to leave so you guys can make out?"

"Sure, would you?"

"As if."

Janet nudged his arm and gave him a "what the h.e.l.l are you doing" stare. He wasn't sure, but he thought he was trying out the idea of them as a couple, bouncing it off Libby's dependably honest personality. He liked the result. Libby's only objection seemed to be that she hadn't been told directly. He smiled to himself, convinced they could take this thing public. If Janet agreed. It was a big "if."

He tried to follow the movie, even though the only good part was being able to hold Janet's hand while the clueless redhead made one bad decision after another. He was actually relieved twenty minutes later when his cell phone rang.

"Outside," Libby and Janet said together without taking their eyes off the screen.

Gladly. He looked at the caller ID as the theater door closed behind him. "Hi, Ben. What's up?"

"Thought you'd like some good news. We picked up the two guys who've been tailing Janet. Got enough to hold 'em for forty-eight hours."

"Great!" Without the Colombians watching for an opportune moment to strike, he'd have Janet out of here within a minute of hanging up the phone.

"Yeah. That's the good news."

Suspicion clouded the happy scenarios that were already running through his mind. "What's the bad news?"

"The gun you took off them wasn't the one used in the p.a.w.nshop murder in Detroit. Neither was the gun we found in their car."

s.h.i.t. "That was pretty fast for ballistics results."

"Didn't need to do 'em. They're carrying forty-fives. The kid was shot with a thirty-two. It was a long shot anyway; guns aren't their style. The feds say these guys like to be a little more hands-on. Besides, we had 'em under surveillance during the probable hours when the p.a.w.nshop kid was murdered."

d.a.m.n. Someone else had killed Sleazy. It wasn't hard to imagine that Sleazy had another shady customer, but it was unlikely both would come back to bite him at the same time. If his deal with Banner had stirred up the Colombians, then most likely it had stirred up someone else, too. The Colombians would be looking for diamonds, their usual method of laundering money. Which meant, just as he'd expected, someone else was looking for the Pellinni Jewels. Which meant- "Janet is still in danger," Ben stated for him. "She had the necklace, so they're going to a.s.sume she has the rest of the collection. And this guy is willing to kill to get it. Didn't think the d.a.m.n things were that impressive myself."

"Trust me, they are to collectors."

"Well, if someone is that desperate to get them, he won't give up just because he didn't find them the first time he searched her home."

"I know."

"We're releasing her place as a crime scene, but you can't let her move back in."

"I know."

"They might even be looking for a way to get into Liz's place, as long as she's staying there."

"I know, Ben. The house is pretty secure already, but I'll talk to Elizabeth about it and make sure she increases the security." He doubted she'd be open to any suggestions coming from Ben right now.

Ben grumbled, "Thanks," before saying good-bye. Rocky closed the phone as Janet and Libby walked out, Freddie bounding after them. Libby clapped her hands and chased the dog around the rec room. Rocky sensed she'd had a sudden attack of self-consciousness and was now avoiding him and Janet.

He watched Libby while saying in a low voice to Janet, "Your Colombians are in temporary police custody. Want to get out of here for a while?" He skipped mentioning the mysterious jewel thief. If the guy was watching Janet, he'd be interested in breaking into places when she wasn't there, not when she was. In Rocky's experience, most thieves would prefer to obtain their pieces without ever seeing, much less threatening, the owners. If the guy still didn't find what he was looking for-well, they'd worry about that later.

The idea of freedom lit up Janet's face, with an added sparkle of what he hoped was l.u.s.t. "Yes!"

He smiled and called out to Libby, "Janet and I are going for a drive. We'll see you later."

"Okay." She didn't look up from playing with Freddie.

He didn't believe her; it wasn't okay.

Janet caught his worried look. "Three's company," she murmured, confirming his thoughts.

He nodded and held up a finger. "One minute." Crossing the room, he stopped beside Libby as she bent over, petting Freddie and acting as if she didn't know he was there.

"Hey, Lib."

"What?" She straightened, looking a little flushed.

Most of the time he felt like an uncle to his best friend's daughter, but right now she seemed more in need of a big brother. "Come here." When she hesitated he forced the issue and tugged her toward him and wrapped her in a hug. For a couple seconds she remained stiff, then softened and hugged him back.

"What's that for?" she said against his chest.

Setting her back, he waited for her eyes to meet his. "For being cool about me and Janet."

She shrugged. "Yeah, well, it was bound to happen."

The resignation in her voice made his smile slip. "What do you mean?"

"You know. She's so pretty and nice, and you're always dating pretty girls, so it figures you'd add her to the list."

Alarm bells rang in his head. He hadn't seen that one coming, but he should have. He couldn't even remember how many times he'd gone to Jack and Ellie's house for a backyard barbeque with a casual date, or stopped by to pick something up while a woman waited in the car. More than he cared to count. Even if they hadn't meant much to him, he should have realized showing up with a different woman so often would make an impression on a highly observant teenage girl-especially when he was aware that her friendship bordered on a semicrush she was still learning how to handle.

G.o.d, he was dense. And Libby was more mature than he'd given her credit for. She wasn't feeling rejected. She was worried about Janet eventually being rejected. By him.

Deliberately turning his back on Janet, he wrapped an arm around Libby's shoulder and put his head near hers. "Lib, I have to tell you something, but I don't want you to tell anyone else. Not yet."