Excerpt

Lori Ditmer slowed her ten-year-old Volvo to a crawl. She hated winter when she had to come home from work to a dark house. Shadows peeked from every corner. Leafless trees spread their skeleton limbs to the blackened sky. It was the beginning of one of those nights when anything could leap out at you. And that’s what Lori was afraid of.

She closed in on the driveway leading to the single-story duplex she co-owned with her best friend for life, Theo Grady. All was dark here too, except for headlights coming her way. Lori paused before turning in. If the vehicle was anyone other than Theo, she was getting the hell out of here. As things stood, she had no intention of leaving her car, much less crossing the threshold of that house until he got home. Not now. Not tonight. It might look safe—there wasn’t a sign of another car anywhere—but Lori knew how determined certain people were. Just because you couldn’t see them outright didn’t mean they weren’t there.

Loriheaved a sign of relief when she saw Theo’s dark blue pickup pass under the lone streetlight. He was home. They could face this threat together, just as they’d planned. He’d have her back; she’d have his. No one else could appreciate the depths the enemy would go to but them.

He spun the window down as he pulled up beside her. “Any sign yet?”

She shook her head. “They’re in there. I just know it.”

His chocolate brown eyes looked past her to the darkened house beyond. “Me, too. It’s been too quiet these last few days. There’s no way they’d miss an opportunity like this.”

Long fingers gripped the steering wheel with the same desperation Lori felt. “We could always hide out at a hotel.”

His lips lifted in a half-smile with his humorless laugh. “If I thought for an instant that would stop them, I would.”

Lori glanced at the house. He was right. They’d find someone to hunt them down. They’d proven long ago they had spies everywhere. “Let’s get this over with. If we split up—”

“No. We stick together. It’s our best defense. If we humor them, we might survive.”

Theo was right. Their united stance had never failed before. But today was different. The stakes were higher.

She waited until he backed up and turned into the driveway before following. They cut their engines, turned off their lights, and stepped out of their vehicles with precision timing, as if they choreographed it. Lori allowed herself a wry smile. They’d been down this road before. Of course they were in perfect tune with each other.

They stood side by side at the head of the driveway, silently debating their next course of action. They were dressed for the night—dark blue jackets over matching T-shirts and sweatpants…even their running shoes were dark. Winding sidewalks led from either side of the driveway to their respective front doors.

“Which way?” he asked.

“I doubt it matters. They’d have all the entrances covered.”

“We need better security.”

Lori snorted. “As if that would stop them.”

“Yeah…I know.” He pressed his hand against the center of her back. “Let’s go. The sooner we get this confrontation over with, the sooner we can get some peace and quiet.”

Lori echoed that sentiment. It’d been a long, grueling day, made doubly tense knowing the confrontation awaiting them.

Their footsteps melded into one sound as they made their way to her front door. There was no sense being stealthy. Those inside would have been on the watch anyway. Lori cocked her head to one side. Was that skittering she heard inside? Whispered voices? Smothered giggles?

Theo flashed her a look from the corner of his eye as he reached for the screen door—he’d heard it too. His world weary sigh confirmed that. The squeak of the hinges betrayed their location. No doubt now…they were seconds from entering the trap laid.

Lori seated the key in the lock. “I so don’t want to do this.”

“Me either. Just get the door open and I’ll hit the light. That might give us some edge.”

She gave him a single nod and twisted the key. He snaked his fingers into the crack of an opening, flicked on the overhead lights, and shoved open the door.

“Surprise!” Family and friends leaped from their hiding places.

Lori and Theo weren’t amused.

“Happy Birthday!” a chorus of voices ran out.

Theo bent close to Lori’s ear. “Just as we suspected. We’re victims of a drive-by party.”

She flashed him a pained look as their mothers converged on them. And here it started…the pressure. Lori could recite the words verbatim. “You’re thirty years old. When are you going to—”

“Happy Birthday, sweetheart.” Her mother wrapped her in a tight hug.

“Were you surprised?” Betty Grady stood on tiptoe to hug her son.

Theo gave Lori a wink as he wrapped his arms around the tiny woman. Lori could never believe three strapping sons had come from someone so little.

“You bet,” he said. “How long have you had this planned?”

How could you not like a man who let his mom have her fun? Lori never ceased to be shocked that some woman hadn’t snatched him up a long time ago.

“For months!” Betty steered him toward the couch.

There was a flash of panic when Lori thought the Moms meant to separate them. Then her mom pointed her in the same direction, threading her through the throng of guests. There were pats on the back, hugs as they went, and then she and Theo were pushed unceremoniously side by side onto her sofa. A huge cake weighted down the coffee table. The words “Happy Birthday, Lori and Theo!” were emblazoned in deep indigo on the white frosting—just like the twenty-nine other birthdays she and Theo had shared. There was just one exception…there were no presents cluttering the area.

Lori felt some of her tension lessen. At least they’d finally listened about something. The last thing either of them needed was more stuff crowding the stuff they already had.

Theo’s dad clapped his hands. “I’ll start the grill.”

Her father darted for the kitchen. “I’ve got the chicken strips all marinated.”

Only their dads would dare an outside barbecue in the dead of winter. At least the weather was clear, even if it was a little cold.

“Wait!” The Moms threw up their hands. Silence descended. People froze, then craned their necks for a closer look.

“Uh-oh,” Theo muttered.

Yep, Lori felt it too. Presents. Sure enough the Moms whipped out two small boxes from under the coffee table. One was wrapped in pink foil; the other in blue.

Lori’s spirits sagged with her shoulders.

“Mom…” Theo protested even as he reached for the little box.

His mother waved the words away. “It’s just a little something for fun. Nothing serious at all.”

“We promise,” her mom added.

There wasn’t any choice. Arguing would exhaust them and refusing would hurt feelings. Like the dutiful youngest children they’d always been—to a point—Lori and Theo stripped the paper down to a black satin box. The words “Madame Rue’s” were stamped in gold on the lid.

“Isn’t that the weird little place on 34^th and Vine?” Theo asked.

“Open it,” the Moms ordered.

“Geez, Mom, take the gun away from my head.” Lori wiggled the lid off. A tiny vial of golden liquid was nestled in cotton. The number 9 was etched into the glass.

“What’s this?” Theo plucked his vial from the container and held it up to the light.

“It’s just for fun,” Betty replied, shifting her gaze away.

If that wasn’t a sign of duplicity, Lori didn’t know what was. Even her mother wouldn’t look her in the eye. Something was up.

“It’s an…elixir,” she tried next.

Theo’s oldest brother, Wayne, snorted. “Give it up, Mom. Tell them the truth.”

She flashed him a dirty look, then sighed. “All right. It’s a love potion.”

Theo pinched the vial between his thumb and forefinger. “Number 9, I suppose.”

Lori’s mother nudged his knee. “Chill out. It’s just a joke. You two are always complaining that we nag you too much.”

And they did. The two mothers just couldn’t understand that a romance between their children wasn’t going to happen. Lori and Theo had been friends all their lives. Best friends. They did everything together and always had. They thought alike, they could finish each other’s sentences, they bought this duplex together, they even worked together. But romance wasn’t going to happen. Oh, they’d talked about it, especially during the dry spells. But it never went any further than that.

“We thought you’d get a kick out of it,” her mother said. “A nice laugh.”

“And I suppose you’d like us to drink this right down like good children?” Lori asked.

“Yes,” they replied together.

Squinting his eyes, Theo studied the contents. “How do we know what’s in this? Where did you get it? Is it a narcotic? What are the side effects?”

“For crying out loud.” Wayne slugged him in the shoulder. “Can you stop analyzing stuff for one night?”

Theo shot him a glance from the corner of his eye. “Never.”

“It’s colored sugar water,” Betty said. “For entertainment purposes only. Just drink it.”

It seemed they were putting a lot of pressure on them for entertainment purposes.

Her mother squatted down to their level. “If you drink it, we promise we won’t pester you tonight.”

Lori leaned forward. “If we drink this, you promise to never pester us again.”

Theo chuckled. “Now that’s a deal I can live with.” Hand posed on the stopper, he shifted his gaze between the two women. “Well?”

They didn’t like it. Lori could tell by their tight lips. It felt like minutes ticked by while everyone waited for their decision—the final battle of wills. Finally, the Moms nodded and uttered a single word, “Agreed.”

“This stuff better not make me sick,” Lori said, pulling the stopper as Theo did.

They took a sniff. It smelled like water. Lifting the vials, they clicked them together with a simultaneous, “Cheers,” then downed the liquid in one gulp.

“Tastes like water,” they said together. “Jinx, you owe me a coke.” They followed that up with a playful slug to each other’s arm.

“Now can we get to the food?” Theo asked. “It’s been a long day and we’re starving.”

Whatever tension that had existed in the room vanished. Victory looked like it was theirs tonight. Finally…freedom from the constant nagging. Lori had a feeling the truce wouldn’t last long. Nothing could stop their mothers.

Theo cupped her knee, giving it a little shake. “Want a beer?”

“Sure.”

After a squeeze, he pushed away and walked over to his portion of the duplex flanked by his older brothers. The trio certainly had their father’s build—tall, broad-shouldered—which made the logistics of their conception even more amusing.

Lori stared at Theo. Odd how the light brought out the red in his dark brown hair. He did have the nicest looking butt of any man she’d ever known. She liked a man with a great butt. You could grab those cheeks in your palms and haul him to you real tight. Or dig your heels in the clefts at the side and ride…

“So…how was your day?”

Lori shook her head clear and blinked up as her brothers plopped down on each side of her. She couldn’t think straight, much less put two words together, not with the image she just conjured up in her head. Now these two made her feel…cornered. Mom might have backed off with nagging, but Tommy and Danny? No way. They were happy, married with children, and wouldn’t rest until Lori was as well.

“Just another day in high school gym class, followed by basketball practice. Excuse me, I think I’ll help Dad with the grilling.” Cold air. That’s what she needed. That ought to shock her back to normal.