Poker Face Page 9

  “How are you, Liv?” Ryan asked, her voice soft. She could go back to Cairo’s topic in a moment. Cairo wasn’t going anywhere, as callous as that sounded.

  Liv hesitated, opening and closing her mouth several times. She looked away from Ryan, not speaking.

  Ryan exhaled slowly. She should have expected that.

  “I’m fine,” Liv said eventually, turning back to her and flashing a fake smile.

  It made Ryan’s heart ache, the reminder of what had broken them apart. Love wasn’t enough when trust wasn’t behind it. But even Liv seemed disappointed in her answer, her attention on the hand she sprawled out on the white marble countertop.

  The silence hung between them for a moment, to the point where Ryan was about to speak.

  “It’s hard.” The words Liv spoke seemed to startle her, and she shook her head slightly as if in disbelief.

  In high school, Liv had spent most of her time working on Ryan’s problems. With parents who had died in elementary school and grandparents with unpredictable health, high school had sucked for Ryan. Liv had been her rock, even if she’d refused to talk about her own family.

  There’d never been any scandalous rumors, she was just never talked about. It was a rarity in such a small town. Maybe she and her family were the exception. Or had her family done something to discourage the rumors?

  “I know,” Ryan said, an acknowledgment of the small progress between them.

  Liv didn’t meet her eyes, but she let out a breath. “What happened with the case?”

  Ryan was more than happy to change the topic if it made her more comfortable. “Cairo was pregnant.”

  Liv’s eyebrows shot up towards the ceiling. That obviously wasn’t what she had been expecting. “What?”

  “I wanted to go talk to Steven, see if he knew, but the Chief wouldn’t allow it.”

  “Of course not,” Liv muttered, clearly not very pleased with the Chief of Police. Ryan wouldn’t admit that it gave her great pleasure to see how grumpy she was getting.

  “Politics,” Ryan said with a shrug, but she wasn’t even sure she believed it herself. But that was a mystery for another time. She had this one to get to the bottom of first.

  “Let’s go,” Liv said, straightening up and looking directly at Ryan.

  “What?” Ryan blinked.

  “To Steven’s.” Liv was already moving around the kitchen and gathering her belongings. “If you can’t go, you can come with me.”

  “I’m pretty sure that’s still against the rules,” Ryan said. Even though she couldn’t deny that she was quite tempted. That was a lie. Secretly, she had hoped this would happen.

  “You want to know what happened, don’t you?” Liv’s gaze was challenging.

  “Yes.” She wasn't going to let politics stop her from finding out the truth. Sometimes, to get justice you had to circumvent the justice system.

  “Let’s go, then.” Liv headed out of her shop.

  Ryan didn’t hesitate this time, following her. Liv was telling River to close up.

  “Your car?” Ryan asked.

  Liv looked at her, then let a small smile cross her face. She nodded. “Let’s try his office first. He’s a workaholic.”

  “Like you have any room to talk,” Ryan pointed out.

  “Did you ever find anything out about the settlement?” Liv asked, turning the car on as they both buckled up.

  “Lawyer denies it, but the lawsuit looks legit.” Ryan grimaced. “Her bank is being stubborn about turning over records of her accounts. So is her husband.”

  “Fiancé,” Liv corrected absently. “What do you think he’s hiding?”

  “Maybe some of the money from her time as a poker player?” Ryan guessed. “Tax fraud is a big thing.”

  “A RICO case?” Liv made a spooky face.

  “Do you even know what that stands for?” Ryan laughed.

  “Nope.” Liv grinned, and for a moment, the air between them was light and familiar.

  It was like being transported into the past. Ryan exhaled slowly. “I also haven’t heard a ton of positive things about him.” She grimaced. Character testimony was hard to judge, but the fact there wasn’t anything explicitly nice being spoken about him worried her.

  Liv pulled up against the sidewalk, down the street from Steven’s office. “I didn’t think we should park in front of it.” She paused. “Since we’re not here on official business.”

  Ryan opened her mouth to protest, then closed it. “You have a point.” The last thing she wanted was for word to get around to her Chief that she was investigating someone she had specifically been told not to investigate. Especially since it had only been a couple hours since he had forbidden her.

  They got out of the car, and Liv came around to the passenger side. They stood together, then started forward as if their steps were intentionally synchronized.

  It was just easy for them, Ryan guessed, to fall into the rhythm. When she was younger, she’d told Liv it was like being two parts of the same person. Soulmates.

  Maybe that was the mistake she’d made, talking about emotions when Liv clearly didn’t like them.

  “Here.” Liv reached out and put a hand on Ryan’s arm, stopping her. They were in front of Steven’s large, busy plaza.

  Ryan led the way in, fighting back any semblance of nerves. She would be fine. “We’re here to talk to Mr. Blackstone?” She looked at the secretary.

  The secretary frowned slightly. “I’m sorry, but he’s out.”

  “Do you know when he’ll return?” Liv asked.

  The secretary shook her head. “No.”

  “Thanks.” Sensing they weren’t going to get anything more, Ryan nodded to Liv to leave.

  Liv went quiet, her brain turning over. Ryan liked Liv’s thinking face. It was cute.

  “What about Cairo’s house?” Liv asked, turning to Ryan with a curious light in her eyes. There was an excitement there, a passion. Like Liv had decided she was on for the ride and there was nothing Ryan could do to stop her.

  Not that Ryan really wanted to. “What about her house?”

  “We could check there and see if we can find any information relating to Steven. Is it still taped off?” Liv headed back towards the car, leaving Ryan to follow.

  “The tape’s been removed.” Ryan followed, excitement building up. Maybe they could find something that had been missed, something that had been overlooked when they considered Cairo’s death a suicide.

  “Let’s go.” Liv grinned, and unlocked the car.

  14

  Monday 10th October; 6pm

  This time Liv did park in front of Cairo’s house, turning her lights off before she turned the car off. Ryan was sitting next to her, and Liv could almost feel her apprehension.

  She reached out and put a hand on Ryan’s thigh. She liked it, the warm feeling of someone’s body under her hand. It made her wonder what had happened to Ryan’s body in the ten years they had been apart. But there was time for that later.

  And by later, she strictly reminded herself, she meant never.

  “It’s okay.” Liv spoke, then she nodded firmly as if to encourage Ryan to believe her words.

  Ryan nodded, but didn’t speak otherwise.

  Liv was first out of the car and led the walk to the door. She frowned. “It’s locked.”

  “And I don’t have the key.” Ryan grimaced. “Maybe this was a waste of time.”

  “Hold on.” Liv peered around the entrance to the door, looking at the rocks. “There.” She picked one up, feeling the flimsy plastic of a hide-a-key rock. “No one’s smart about these nowadays.”

  “Where’s yours?” Ryan sounded amused.

  “I just don’t have one.” Liv grinned.

  Ryan rolled her eyes and walked back to the car. Liv put the key in the lock and turned it, pleased to hear the bolt slide back.

  Liv opened the door, listening intently. It should be empty. There was no one else that was supposed to be watching th
e house, so they had it to themselves. She started inside, wishing she had thought to bring a flashlight.

  “Here.” Ryan offered her one.

  “Where’d you get these?” Liv looked at her, surprised.

  “Brought them from the trunk of my patrol car and stashed them by my feet on the drive.” Ryan grinned ruefully. “I thought you might get me into some trouble.”

  Liv scoffed. “As if you wouldn’t come of your own accord.”

  Ryan snorted. “It doesn’t count if you drag me first.”

  “Potayto, Potahto.” Liv waved a hand. They moved into the kitchen, going through the drawers first. Each was opened and rifled through. It felt strange, going through someone’s life. Liv knew she should have felt guilty, like she was invading Cairo’s privacy. But Cairo was dead, and justice wasn’t being served.

  “Here’s a bank statement.” Carefully Ryan drew it out of the drawer and placed it on the counter. Liv nodded in acknowledgment and delved back into the drawers in front of her. Most were full of papers, but none seemed to be important.

  “Here’s a deck of cards,” Liv said, pulling it out.

  “There was a full deck found near her body.” Ryan’s voice was grim.

  Liv didn’t know what to say to that. She had seen the murder scene from a distance but knowing it was a whole different thing.

  There was a clunking noise outside, like a car shifting out of gear.

  Liv froze, her eyes locked on Ryan.

  “Hide!” Ryan hissed, turning off her flashlight, grabbing Liv’s, and heading out of the kitchen.

  Oh shit. Liv could handle the fallout, but if Ryan lost her job because of something stupid Liv had suggested, she would never forgive herself. “Here.” there was a small closet off to the side, underneath the stairs on the opposite side of the door. It was unlocked, thankfully, and opened quietly.

  In the movies, it always seemed like two people could fit into a regular-sized closet with little awkwardness. Let Liv tell you, it wasn’t like the movies. Since Liv was the smaller one, she ended up with both her legs on Ryan’s lap. At least her butt was on the ground.

  They closed the dark closet door almost completely. The flashlights were off now, and Liv focused on keeping her breathing as quiet as she could.

  The door screeched open. Did the person have a key? They hadn’t locked the door.

  Oh god. Their car was there. Someone probably knew they were inside the house.

  “It’s okay.” Ryan’s words were almost impossible to make out, but then her hand cupped Liv’s face, sending warmth spiraling through her.

  Even in this situation, all Liv wanted to do was turn her face into Ryan’s hand and inhale her smell. She remembered it, just as it had been all those years ago. Evergreen with a hint of the fruity perfume she liked. A strange combination, but one that was uniquely her.

  It was hard to hear what the intruder was doing. Not that it was the proper term, given that they were technically intruders too, but she wasn’t about to squabble about proper terminology. Instead she leaned forward, trying to get some relief for her aching back.

  She could feel Ryan’s body moving against her as they both struggled to get comfortable without hurting themselves or making any noise. Liv moved forward just a bit, then realized what she was facing was Ryan’s collarbone. Who needed physics in a closet?

  Ryan’s hand touched her face, and there was a question in the touch. Liv inhaled sharply, even though she knew they had to be quiet. Then Ryan’s hand was guiding her head to meet hers, and their lips touched for the first time in a decade.

  The heat that had been building in her middle exploded, surging through her veins like a wildfire on crack. It was all she could to do stop herself from grabbing Ryan and kissing her like mad. Only the thought that they were currently possibly being stalked by a murderer stopped her.

  Not that it stopped Liv from kissing Ryan with everything she could. Murderers were so overrated.

  Their lips moved together, tongues barely touching. Liv felt for the top of Ryan’s shirt, trying to undo the buttons in the dark and probably popping one or two off. She didn’t know exactly what she was going for, but damnit, she wanted to feel her.

  Ryan’s hands met hers, undoing a button or two and shoving Liv’s hand in her shirt towards her bra.

  She was so warm. Liv shivered, her mind spinning, her hand sliding down into the cup of Ryan’s bra. She could feel Ryan shifting, trying to get closer, get more of Liv’s hand on her skin.

  Then the blaring of a car alarm sent both of them flying backwards. Or as much as a jolt could in such a cramped space.

  “Shit,” Liv hissed. She scrambled for her pockets, looking for her keys. It was the damn key fob and its alarm button, she would have bet on it. It was the only thing that could make so much noise.

  She finally dragged it out of her pocket and quieted the alarm, but it was silent in the house now. Had the intruder left when the alarm went off, or were they still there?

  Footsteps dashed down the stairs and out the door, and a car started a few moments later. “They’re gone,” Liv murmured, half disappointed and half pleased. Her mind was too scrambled by everything that had happened to make any sense of it quite yet.

  “We’ll see.” Ryan was more cautious.

  They sat there awkwardly in the closet, their hands now mostly to themselves. Liv’s heart was pounding, but not in a bad way. She could feel the warm flush she got when she was aroused spreading from her cheeks to her neck, and there was little more she wanted to do at that moment than pull Ryan back towards her and finish what they had started.

  The thought sat heavy in her heart. She had loved Ryan from the moment they had first kissed at sixteen, and twelve years later, she still loved her. What she didn’t know was what to do with those feelings.

  Liv wasn’t sure what to say. I’m sorry? Nothing? Crack a joke? She was not an expert when it came to humor. Not that she couldn’t be that way with Ryan, it was just —

  “Liv.” Ryan’s voice was whisper-soft.

  Liv turned to look at her, and the warmth and tenderness in Ryan’s eyes made her stomach simultaneously melt and flip over in fear. How could someone’s love both thrill and terrify her? Maybe that was what love did on its own.

  But it wasn’t something she was willing to contemplate, not at the moment. There was a better time and place. A much later time, and maybe a much different place.

  “Breathe.” Ryan’s voice was commanding now.

  Liv exhaled in a rush, suddenly aware that she had been holding her breath. She half-closed her eyes, focusing on breathing and restoring oxygen to her body.

  “There you go.” Ryan reached over and squeezed her shoulder, letting her hand linger there.

  Liv let herself relax a touch into the sensation of Ryan’s hand against her. It was soothing. “I’m sorry,” she said finally.

  Ryan passed her thumb over Liv’s shoulder in an acceptance of her apology, and then slowly, tentatively pushed the closet door open. The soft creaking echoed in the quiet house.

  “I think they’re gone.” Ryan exhaled in a rush. “Careful, though.”

  Not sure how to extricate herself, Liv ended up crawling out of the closet to get off of Ryan before she could stand. Her back cracked as she stood, and she let herself stretch.

  She turned to look at Ryan, who was lit in the dim moonlight. Her shirt was still rumpled, the buttons undone from when they had kissed. Liv flushed and turned away. She wasn’t a blushing teenager, she was a woman. But she still wasn’t sure how to handle what they had.

  “Let’s go look and see if they took anything.” Ryan seemed to notice her discomfort, buttoning up her shirt and providing work as a distraction.

  Liv was grateful. They would have to talk about it but at least it wasn’t going to be right now.

  They headed back into the kitchen, their footsteps soft. Liv tried to remember if they’d pushed all the cupboards back closed before they had fled
to the closet. She thought so.

  “I think they were looking for something,” Liv said, pulling open the drawers and noticing that some of their contents had shifted.

  “Too bad we didn’t get a good look at them.” Ryan grimaced.

  “Or a look at all,” Liv added.

  Ryan nodded, and handed Liv the flashlight back. “Anywhere else do you want to check?”

  Liv hesitated, then shook her head. “I’m not sure it’s worth it,” she said reluctantly. “What if they come back?”

  Ryan nodded her agreement. “They could come back with reinforcements.” She frowned. “Hopefully they didn’t recognize the car.”

  “I don’t get into town much, besides work.” Liv considered the question.

  “But if they recognize the car, they could go after you.” Ryan looked at her, her tone serious.

  A flash of alarm washed over Liv before she brushed it off. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Don’t be alone, Liv.” Ryan held her eyes. “You don’t have to call me, but I don’t want you going anywhere alone.”

  “Okay,” Liv agreed, just to get Ryan to stop asking about it.

  “Please.” Ryan’s voice was soft now. Pleading.

  “Please talk to me, Liv. I love you.” The same pleading tone was in Ryan’s voice a decade ago.

  Liv wanted to curl into a ball, wanted the world to fall apart outside her. She loved Ryan, she did, but she couldn’t talk about it. She couldn’t talk about the thing that had pulled her so far away from the one she had loved. She was on her own, and she knew it. She trusted Ryan, but her mother didn’t. No one could find out what was going on with her family.

  Why was Liv taking the easy way out and listening to her mother? She didn’t know. Maybe she was a coward. Maybe she was scared and didn’t want her life to change.

  The memory flashed away as fast as it had come, leaving Liv shakier than she would have liked.

  “We should probably get out of here.” Ryan looked around the area, her stance strong and protective.

  Liv wanted so badly to reach out and hug her, but she held herself back. Later, she told herself. They could talk about it later.