Vendetta (Otter Creek Book 10) Page 4

  “Murphy. What do you need, Rio?”

  “You’re on speaker with Nick Santana, Marcus Lang, and Paige Jensen. I need a favor.”

  “Name it.”

  He gave the man Paige’s phone number. “Access her records and send the result to my email. I’ll forward it to Detective Santana.”

  “Ms. Jensen, are you okay with this?”

  “Access the records, please. The detective needs proof that I was on the phone when I said I was.”

  “Copy that. I’m Zane Murphy, by the way. I’m a computer and communications tech at Fortress Security.”

  “He also saved Durango’s hide more times than we can count,” Rio added.

  Paige smiled. “You’re the amazing Z they talk about all the time.”

  “They’re good friends.”

  “Aww.” Rio grinned. “I knew you had a soft spot for us.”

  A snort. “Don’t let it go to your head.” Computer keys clicked in the background. “How are you, Marcus?”

  “Great, thanks for asking. You planning to come back up this way soon?”

  “Hope to. Claire wants to take pictures in the area.” A pause, then, “Rio, the records are in your email. Anything else I can do for you?”

  “Not right now, buddy. Give Claire a hug from me.”

  “Will do.” And he was gone.

  Nick chuckled. “What Zane just did in two minutes would have taken at least two days to accomplish with our own people. Forward the information to me.” He turned to Paige. “Have any enemies?”

  “None that want to kill me.”

  “What does that mean?” Marcus asked.

  “Not everyone is happy with the way I run the center. In fact, a couple people believe I should be replaced.”

  “Why?” Nick flipped to a new page.

  “Some think I cater too much to the teens and kids at the center. Others want the senior citizens shuffled to another facility. Still others are positive I’m wasting the center’s money by padding my own pocket.”

  Marcus scowled. “That’s ridiculous. I’ve seen the budget and what you do with it is amazing.”

  She smiled. “Thanks.”

  “You sure you don’t have enemies, maybe someone in your past who is exacting revenge now?” Nick asked.

  “I’m the most boring suspect you will ever have. I don’t have an enemy past or present. I might irritate a few people, but nothing that would inspire the attack at the center.”

  “I will have more questions for you. Be available.” The detective stood, laid his hand on her foot again. “I have to do my job, Paige. I’ll follow the leads wherever they take me.”

  “Do you really think I’m guilty of murder?”

  He squeezed her foot gently. “No, I don’t. But I have to ask questions that will seem as though I do believe you’re guilty. I hope you understand.”

  She didn’t like it, but she did understand. Hopefully, the detective would find the information necessary to prove her innocence. “Have fun trolling through my phone records.”

  They were boring. Calls from friends and her grandmother, occasionally from Marcus. Texts from the same people. Her cheeks burned. The only text conversations she saved had been with Marcus. And yes, that was seriously embarrassing because the conversations hadn’t been anything personal, simply passing information between them about the center, church, and her grandmother. What would Nick make of that? She hoped the detective was discreet.

  “I’ll talk to you later, Paige.” Nick nodded at the other two men and left.

  Rio waggled his phone. “I’m going to call Darcy, make sure she’s okay. She was pretty tired last night when I left for the EMT shift. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Marcus, keep those ice packs in place for another two minutes, then you can remove them.”

  Silence filled the room once the medic walked into the hallway. How did you face the man you wanted to impress after you had barfed with him holding your hair out of the line of fire?

  “Feeling better?” Marcus asked.

  Apparently, you faced it head on. Paige sighed. “Yes. I’m sorry, Marcus. That episode was an unpleasant surprise.”

  “Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve rendered aid to a sick friend.”

  She risked a quick peek at his face. “Didn’t realize that was part of your pastoral duties.”

  Shadows clouded his eyes for a moment. “It’s not although I’ve sat at the bedside of many ailing church members.”

  “I’m a captive audience for at least another two minutes. Want to talk about it?”

  “Another time. I’d like to ask you something.”

  “Go ahead.”

  “You asked me why I haven’t dated anyone since I arrived in Otter Creek.”

  “I remember.” Where was he going with this?

  “You were right about the campaign to rid me of my bachelorhood. I’ve had plenty of offers, but I’m only interested in dating one woman.”

  Oh, man. This better not be a question about how to capture another woman’s interest. That might break her heart. Secretly pining for the pastor of your church wasn’t easy. Watching him romance someone else in their congregation would be painful.

  Marcus removed the ice packs and set them aside, then wrapped his hand around hers. “We’ve been friends for years, but I hope you’ll give me a chance to be more than a friend.”

  Her heart skipped a beat, then surged ahead. “That’s not a question, Marcus.”

  “Here’s my question. Would you be interested in going to dinner with me?”

  She wanted to say yes, but what did this mean? A one-time deal or the start of something new? “Is this a one-time offer?”

  “I hope not. I want dinner to be the beginning of many dates to come.”

  “You want to date me?”

  “If you aren’t interested in that kind of relationship with me, I’ll back off. We’ll stay friends.”

  She smiled. “Marcus, I’ve been hoping you would ask me out for a long time.”

  His hand tightened around hers. “You have?”

  “Didn’t you notice I haven’t dated anyone since the first year after you arrived in Otter Creek? Once you caught my interest, no one else would do. I would love to date you and see where this goes.”

  “And if it doesn’t work?”

  “I’ll hold you to your promise that we’ll still be friends. My grandmother loves you and Cornerstone Church. I won’t pull her away from there because I’m uncomfortable. That means if our dating relationship doesn’t work out, you have to live with the fallout, too.”

  “Thank God,” he murmured. “You don’t know how long I agonized over broaching this subject. I don’t want to lose your friendship.”

  “This will change how we interact if things don’t work out between us.”

  “I can live with that. Are you sure, Paige?” A smile curved his lips. “We’ll be dating in a glass fishbowl. Everybody in town will be watching.”

  She laughed. “I enjoy a good challenge.”

  He kissed the back of her hand. “Thank you for taking the chance.”

  Was he kidding? Paige had waited more than six years for this chance. No way was she holding back because of a little attention from the gossip mongers in town.

  Dr. Anderson walked into the room. He smiled at them both. “You appear to be much better this morning, Paige. Let’s have a look at you.”

  “I’ll wait in the hall,” Marcus said, squeezing her hand before leaving the room.

  Minutes later, Doc Anderson was back on the top of her list of favorite doctors. “Thanks for giving me early parole.”

  He chuckled. “You’re welcome, my dear.”

  “What about driving?”

  “Let’s wait for 48 hours to be safe, then I think it will be fine for you to resume driving. If your vision blurs again, I expect to hear from you immediately.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Anderson patted her shoulder. “I’ll inform the gentlemen waitin
g for you that you’ll be ready to leave as soon as you dress. The nurse will be along shortly with your discharge papers.”

  As she changed clothes, Paige thought through the logistics of getting where she needed to go for the next two days, and smiled. Maybe Marcus wouldn’t mind playing chauffeur occasionally. Nicole would taxi her around as well if Gram was busy. Only two days. She could handle it. The danger to her was in the past. She’d be fine now.

  She swallowed another sip of the soft drink, grimaced at the reminder of how she’d gotten the sore throat. Nick would find the culprit soon. She hoped.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Paige opened the door, release papers in hand. “I’m ready,” she told Marcus and Rio.

  “Excellent timing.” The medic smiled. “I’ll have just enough time to take you home, drop off Marcus, and still make my class.”

  “That’s not necessary,” Marcus said. “I’ll take Paige home.”

  Rio’s lips curved slightly. “Suits me. That will leave me time to steal a kiss or three from my gorgeous wife before I run PSI trainees into the ground.”

  “I think you enjoy showing up the bodyguard trainees.” Marcus’s hand rested against Paige’s lower back as they walked to the elevator.

  “How could I not? Most of the trainees are ten to fifteen years younger than we are, and think they’re ready for any situation thrown at them. Our job is to show them they’re wrong, then teach them how to protect themselves, their teammates, and principals. Do we get a kick out of showing up a bunch of hotheads who think they’re invincible? You bet. We demonstrate how a cohesive team operates, then train them hard to create a unit we trust to have our backs on a mission.”

  Since they were alone on the elevator, Paige asked, “How do your wives handle your job?”

  “They’re strong. We couldn’t do our jobs without their support. They encourage each other when our team is out. If there comes a time when one of the wives can’t handle our deployments, Durango will ask Maddox to assign us permanently to PSI as trainers without deployments. Our wives mean more to us than the job.”

  “You and your teammates are blessed, Rio,” Marcus said. “Your wives are your greatest treasure.”

  The medic nodded. “We never forget that, either.”

  Paige’s heart squeezed. She hoped someone special would feel the same way about her one day. Maybe Marcus? She pushed that thought aside for now. Too soon. They hadn’t been on one date yet.

  They exited the hospital and climbed into Rio’s black SUV. The sun was peeking over the horizon and the day promised to be a beautiful one, perfect for Gram’s guests to visit the mountains and Cherokee reservation.

  The sunlight also aggravated her headache. Paige found her sunglasses and plopped them on her nose. The relief was immediate.

  Rio glanced in the rearview mirror. “If the headache worsens, let me know or contact Anderson, Paige.”

  “I will, I promise.”

  He parked beside Marcus’s truck. When they all exited the vehicle, he said, “If you need help, call me.”

  “Thanks, Rio.” Paige stood on her tiptoes and gave him a quick hug. “I appreciate what you did for me.”

  “Glad I was available. If Durango can help, we will. All you have to do is ask.”

  Tears stung her eyes. “Thanks.”

  He turned to Marcus. “Same goes for you, too, buddy. If you need us, pick up the phone.”

  “Appreciate it.”

  With a wave of his hand, the medic crossed the square to That’s A Wrap, the deli his wife owned.

  “Let’s get you home, Paige.” Marcus unlocked his truck and helped her into the passenger seat, then handed her the seatbelt. He circled the hood of the truck and climbed behind the wheel. Minutes later, he parked in the circular driveway of the bed and breakfast.

  Home had never looked better. She loved the Victorian house on the outskirts of Otter Creek. While not as massive as Darcy and Rio’s place, the B & B was large enough to be spacious for guests yet small enough that she and Gram didn’t feel lost in the place when it was just them in the house. The white house with black shutters and wraparound porch spoke of comfort and love to Paige. Truthfully, any place Gram lived would do that for her.

  Marcus walked with her to the porch, waited while she unlocked the door, and followed her inside.

  “Gram’s probably in the kitchen. She might need help fixing breakfast for our guests.”

  “Lead the way.”

  She walked through the large living room and dining room, and hung a left into the spacious kitchen. Sure enough, her grandmother was standing in front of the double oven. Blueberry muffins, from the scent wafting through the room.

  “Need help, Gram?”

  Brown eyes peered at her over a slender shoulder. “I could use an extra pair of hands. How do you feel, honey?”

  “Like a mad miner is whaling on my head with a mallet.”

  “Let me take these muffins from the oven, then I want to take a look at you.”

  “I’ll take care of that, Jo,” Marcus said. He held out his hand for the pot holders.

  Jo Jensen clasped Paige’s hand and led her to a barstool at the breakfast bar. She turned Paige’s head first one way, then the other, examined the bruises on her neck, and scowled. “Do the police have the man in custody?”

  “Not yet, Gram. Nick’s working on it.”

  “I’ll have a word with him after breakfast.”

  “He’s been working all night. I hope he’s going to sleep soon.”

  “Nick will work as fast as possible.” Marcus deposited the muffins from the pans on the cooling racks and turned them right side up. “He’s a top-notch investigator.”

  She kissed Paige’s cheek and circled the bar. “I know you’re right. But this is my granddaughter we’re talking about, not some stranger who is the unfortunate victim of a senseless crime. No one has any reason to hurt my girl.”

  “What else can I do to help?” he asked.

  “You any good at manning a toaster?”

  “I think I can manage that.”

  “Good. When breakfast is ready, you’ll sit down and eat with us. It’s the least I can do because you stayed with my Paige at the hospital.”

  “I was happy to spend time with her. What am I toasting?”

  “Bagels. They’re already pre-sliced.” A sly look from her grandmother. “I learned the hard way to buy them already cut. Saves visits to the ER for a certain young lady.”

  Paige sighed. “Gram, I was twelve. I’m more careful with a knife these days.”

  “And our bank account thanks you.” She handed a package of sliced plain bagels to Marcus. “Here you go. Toaster is beside the canisters.”

  Paige cracked eggs and mixed in milk, salt, and pepper for scrambled eggs. The normal act settled her as nothing else could besides a hug from the favorite woman in her life.

  Gram waved her off when she volunteered to make the eggs. “I can handle this. Set the table for our guests in the dining room. They’re a family unit and don’t need help carrying on conversations. We’ll eat in here with Marcus.”

  Sounded good to her. She wasn’t up to entertaining visitors. She hopped down, winced at the stab of pain in her head, and crossed to the cabinets containing plates and glassware.

  “You okay?” Marcus murmured as he dropped two toasted bagels into a waiting bread basket.

  “Headache.”

  “Take some over-the-counter pain reliever.” Her grandmother pressed a bottle of the medicine into her hand. “That with a chaser of green tea might help.”

  “Sounds good.” She shook out a couple tablets and swallowed them with water. After setting the table in the dining room, Paige filled the tea kettle with water and waited impatiently for it to heat. She dumped a couple heaping teaspoons of her favorite green tea with chamomile mix into the special container and screwed on the filter.

  Her grandmother and Marcus carried a platter with eggs and the two bread baskets fi
lled with muffins and bagels to the dining room. Another trip for the butter and cream cheese, and the pitchers of orange juice and apple juice plus a carafe of coffee.

  Finally, the guests arrived for breakfast. Once Gram got them started on the meal, she returned to the kitchen and sat at the breakfast bar with Marcus and Paige.

  “Do you want some eggs, honey?” Jo’s spoon hovered over the second smaller platter of eggs she’d reserved for them to share.

  Paige’s stomach immediately twisted. “No, thanks, Gram. I think I’ll try a plain bagel this morning.” She sipped the tea, grateful the mix was doing its job in settling her stomach. She definitely didn’t want a repeat of the earlier episode. One embarrassment today was enough, thank you very much.

  “Coffee, Marcus?”

  “I’ll get it, Jo. Thank you for inviting me for breakfast.” He slid off the stool and circled the bar. He filled his mug. “You want coffee?”

  “Please. I don’t know where Paige got her taste for green tea.” She inclined her head toward the clear tea carrier with green tea, chamomile, and assorted other leaves floating free. “Looks and tastes like grass clippings from the yard to me.”

  Marcus chuckled as he slid onto the stool beside Paige. “I have to admit it doesn’t have the same appeal as a good cup of Serena’s coffee.”

  “She’s the one who got me started on green tea.” Paige nibbled on her bagel, grimaced and set it aside. Nope, not going to stay down if she tried to force herself to eat. Looked like she was drinking her breakfast today.

  After Marcus finished his meal, he scrubbed his face with his hands.

  Paige laid her hand on his arm. “You need to go sleep, Marcus. You were awake all night.”

  His lips curved. “I look that bad?”

  “Of course not.” Her cheeks burned. “But I know you have a tough couple of days ahead of you.”

  “Why?” Jo asked, her gaze shifting from Paige to Marcus. “What else happened?”

  “Jeb Kirkland passed away last night.”

  “Oh, no. I’ll call Nancy later, offer my condolences and our guest rooms for the family members coming to town.” Jo pushed her plate aside and leaned her folded arms on the bar. “What else should I know?”