Dino by Jaime Lewis
Chapter Twenty-ONE
Arianna felt a migraine coming on. She rarely got them, but when she did, they were excruciating. It probably stemmed from all of the stress she was under in the past few weeks, and her conversation over the phone with Special Agent Chris Hurts wasn’t helping the matter.
He had called for two reasons. One was to apologize for the video debacle on television last night. According to Chris, that had come entirely out of left field, and they were still trying to track down the source of it, considering the FBI had confiscated all the tapes from the show organizers. And, the second was to offer her the permanent position that she had wanted in the Forensics department with Sam—which she graciously declined.
“I told Scarborough and Frey that you wouldn’t return when the time came. Damn!”
“Yeah. It’s too bad because I really enjoyed working with Sam and his team. But with everything happening around here and dealing with my dad’s issue, I just don’t see myself leaving.”
“What’s wrong with your dad?”
She explained what happened to him, and after she was finished, he became quiet—so quiet that she thought she got disconnected from him.
“Chris?”
“Yeah, sorry. You said it was cyanide poisoning?”
“That’s what the doctors said.”
“And the police? You’re sure they are investigating, right?”
“They are. I spoke with the detective today, and he said that they’ve already spoken to a few people but have ruled them out as suspects.” One had been Victoria—her alibi already checked out, so she was in the clear. Arianna still suspected that she was up to something. She still hadn’t been by to see Paul yet.
“I see,” Chris said, but Arianna sensed there was something he wasn’t telling her.“Chris, we’ve known each other for a good two years. You’re someone who I trust and respect. But right now, I get the feeling you aren’t being totally honest with me.”
He snickered. “Damn, we sure are going to miss your talents around here.” He sighed. “There’ve been some developments around here.”
She stopped what she was doing and sat down at the kitchen table. “What kind of developments?”
“Nothing has been confirmed, so what I’m about to tell you is pure speculation at this point. Understood?”
“Got it.”
“Remember Travis Gabbert?”
How could she forget that bastard? Even though she never met the man, he managed to put a significant dent in her career single-handedly.
“I do,” she answered bitterly.
“As you know, he was let go by the agency. He never returned his laptop that was issued by the bureau and still the bureau’s property. When our IT guys remoted in to clear the device, they found some startling things.”
“Startling?”
“There was a file that contained a document that had a single list of names on it. Names of individuals who Gabbert had a conflict with some time or another during his time at the bureau.”
The hairs on the back of her neck started to rise. “Do you mean like a hit list?”
“That is the part we aren’t sure of. We’ve got investigators poking around and who want to question him, but he seems to have disappeared.”
“What do Gabbert and this list have to do with my dad though?”
“Your dad’s name was on the list.”
“What?!” she asked as her voice rose.
“Gabbert wasn’t a fan of your father, especially when Paul was personally brought in the bureau by the Director of the FBI at the time to take over a case.”
“Wait! You’ve lost me. What do you mean my dad was sought after by the Director of the FBI?”
“You didn’t know?”
“Know what?” She anxiously said into the phone.
“Arianna, your dad at one time after his time in the military, was a contractor for the FBI.”
She was quiet for a moment as she held her head in her hand; her migraine was now off the charts. This news shouldn’t come as a surprise to her because she had always suspected him of being involved in some sort of government activities. It’s just that the FBI wasn’t one of the alphabet agencies that had crossed her mind.
“So, I’m assuming my dad pushed Gabbert off the case.”
“Yep. But Arianna, it wasn’t just any case. It was Elias Barros.”
Her head snapped up; migraine be damned. “Are you talking about—”
“Demitri’s dad?
“Yes.”
Now it was all starting to make sense why Gabbert wanted to sabotage the Barros case in Rome, along with filing the false complaint. It was all he could do to take out his frustrations with her dad out on her.
“Chris, be honest with me. Do you think Gabbert had anything to do with poisoning my dad?”
“Honestly, I don’t know for sure. Without us knowing his whereabouts, it’s hard to tell. Can you send me the detective's name and phone number who’s working your dad’s case? I can talk with them.”
“Of course.”
Arianna had never met the guy, so she didn’t know what he looked like. “Do you have a picture of the guy that you could forward to me? That way, I can keep an eye out.”
“Sure. As soon as I hang up, I’ll send it. If you think you see someone who even resembles him, you call me. Okay?”
She swallowed hard. “I will.”
They said bye, and she disconnected and set the phone down. Jesus, what else could go wrong? She looked at her watch. She still had an hour or two before she usually went to the hospital. Her dad was still in a coma, but when she called earlier, the nurse had said he moved a couple of fingers during the night.
She got up to go to the garage. There were a few more boxes she wanted to go through. Right now, she had enough stuff that she wanted to get rid of that she could host a garage sale when the weather warmed up. She picked up the scissors and was about to slice open another box when the doorbell rang. Nigel started to go crazy and ran to the door. One thing was for sure; he was protective of his home. The only person he never barked at was Dino. That was probably because Dino always had treats with him.
She wondered if it was the mail carrier. She had been expecting a certified letter from the state regarding Bayside’s business license renewal.
Once she got Nigel settled, she opened the door and was shocked to find a sheriff's deputy and another man dressed in a suit standing there. Neither one looked like they wanted to be there.
“Hi, can I help you?” She greeted them.
The guy in the suit spoke first. “I’m Henry Crane from Walford Bank. Our institution holds the mortgage on this property.”
“I don’t understand. What does this have to do with me? I don’t know Mr. Avery personally. I’m just renting his house.”
“I’m sorry to inform you, Ms. Roland, but Mr. Avery neglected to pay the mortgage on this property, and the home was foreclosed on.”
“What does that mean? I paid Mr. Avery six months of rent in advance. I have a signed lease.”
The guy looked remorseful. “I’m sorry, but the bank already filed all the paperwork, and they don’t want to sit on the property. Notices were sent to Mr. Avery weeks ago about the sale. The house has been in foreclosure for quite some time now.”
“So, what? That means I’m out of a place to live?”
“I truly am sorry. The bank has agreed to give you forty-eight hours instead of the usual twenty-four hours to clear the premises. I’ll leave this paperwork for you.” He handed her a document that was stapled, and she looked at it—an eviction notice.
She looked back up at him, and even the Sherriff standing next to him looked mad that she had gotten the wrong end of the deal.
“You can go down to the police station and file a report because what your landlord did was against the law. He took money from you, knowing he wasn’t going to own the house much longer.”
She nodded her head. She would definitely be doing that.
“If you have any questions, I left my business card with the documents. Or, if for some reason you need a little more time, give me a call. I’m sure we can work something out since you have been cooperative, and it appears you’re a victim as well.”
“Thank you. Umm…what about the keys? Should I leave them somewhere?” She started to laugh, and not because it was funny. The situation was just unbelievably messed up. She didn’t know what to do.
“Once you leave, the bank will have the locks changed, so you can throw them out, leave them. It doesn’t matter.”
“Okay. Well, thanks. I guess.”
“Again, I’m sorry about this.”
“It’s not your fault.”
She watched the two gentlemen walk down the steps and toward their cars. She closed the door and walked over to the couch and sat down. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her head on them. Nigel joined her and laid down next to her.
With everything going on, she wasn’t going to be able to find a place to live and move everything in within forty-eight hours. She couldn’t go to her dad’s because there was no way she was living under the same roof as Victoria. She could move everything to storage and stay in a hotel until she found a place. No, that wasn’t going to work either because she had Nigel now, and there was no way in hell she was giving up that dog. Ugh!
◆◆◆
Dino had seen a County Sherriff’s SUV pull into Arianna’s driveway, followed by another vehicle. He waited by the front window and watched as both men got out of their vehicles and walked to the front door. He couldn’t see Arianna, but he could see the men and knew they were talking to her. The one guy in the suit handed over what looked like papers before they both left. They were there for just a short time. Once they left, he walked over to make sure everything was okay.
He knocked on the door and heard Nigel bark. When Arianna opened the door, he knew from the blank look on her face that something was wrong.
“Hi. I saw the Sherriff’s vehicle and wanted to come over and make sure everything was okay,” he told her as she opened the door more to let him in.
He walked in, and she closed the door then handed him a packet of papers.
“I just got served this.”
He read the top line. Eviction Notice.
“What is this?” he asked.
“Exactly what it says. Apparently, Mr. Avery screwed me over.” She told him everything, and he had to bite the inside of his cheek so he wouldn’t go off. He was pissed.
“So, when do you have to be out?”
“Because I was cooperative, they gave me an extra twenty-four hours, so I have forty-eight hours to be out. I can’t go to my dad’s because of Victoria. I thought about a hotel just until I can find something, but I have Nigel.”
Without even thinking and before she said anything else, he blurted out, “Move into my place.”
She stared at him like he just had the most ridiculous idea, and maybe it was, considering the circumstances between them right now. He honestly didn’t know what they were. But he was going to be damned if he let her stay in a fucking hotel.
“Your place?” she asked, in a tone that sounded like she didn’t believe him.
He shrugged his shoulders. “Why not? I have plenty of room. You’d have the one side of the upstairs to yourself. Plus, I’m dog friendly.” He grinned, and she cracked a small smile.
She nibbled on her bottom lip, and he knew she was considering it. “I have a lot of stuff. I can move most of it to storage. I just need basic necessities for a few days.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Does that mean yes?” he asked, hoping it was. He knew this could further complicate things—living in the same house with each other, but it was the right thing to do. This wasn’t her fault, and she didn’t need the extra hassle on top of everything else she was dealing with.
“Okay. For a few days.”
He stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. Not only because he wanted to, but because she needed one.
◆◆◆
Nine hours later, and feeling like she had been run over by a truck, Arianna plopped down on the couch in Dino’s living room with the other ladies. All of the guys were in the kitchen, sitting around the table.
Arianna couldn’t believe that every single one of Dino’s teammates stopped what they were doing and came to help them. It brought a smile to her face, and she was proud to call them her friends.
“I can’t thank y’all enough. I never would’ve been able to get everything moved today.”
Bailey took the seat next to her on the couch. “I can’t believe that a-hole rented you the place knowing it was being auctioned off.”
Neither could Arianna.
“That is just about as low as someone can go. I’m glad that Deputy from the Sherriff’s office explained several options you have to go after the guy.”
“Yeah, but it’s doubtful I’ll get my money back.”
“Still, he needs to be punished. He stole from you, amongst other things.”
Alex handed Arianna a Coke Zero. “Where are you going to look?”
“I have no idea. Right now, I’m just thankful that Dino was kind enough to offer me a temporary place. I’ll start looking around tomorrow and see what’s out there.”
Tenley smirked as she held one of her beautiful babies, Kelsey. Autumn was holding her twin sister, Kensi. “Are you sure Dino meant the offer to be temporary? I mean, it's obvious you guys are great for each other.”
Arianna played with the soda can. She wasn’t sure how to respond to Tenley, though Tenley was right—they were perfect for each other. “I think Dino has some things he needs to work out before anything serious happens.”
“Well, our house is always open, and we, too, have plenty of room,” Alex told her, and Arianna appreciated her generosity. She’d play things by ear.
Arianna glanced over and smiled. “Thank you.”
“Okay, now that we got your living arrangements taken care of, tell us what it was like to be a lingerie model,” Mia said with some excitement in her voice.
“Oooo…yes! Please do tell. And by the way, I googled you after we heard, and I have to say, you are a natural. Would you ever consider doing it again?” Bailey asked as she sipped on her iced tea.
Arianna laughed. “No. My modeling days are done and over with. The fashion world can be a cruel and dangerous place if you don’t have the right guidance.”
“What about the FBI? Have you thought about going back if they offer you the job?”
Arianna looked at Tenley. “They did offer it to me. This morning, actually. Right before all this shit happened.”
“And…” Alex asked, looking like she was on pins and needles waiting for the answer.
“I said no. It was hard, but in the end, there’s too much going on around here. Plus, I don’t know what’s going to happen with my dad.”
“Do you like what you did at the bureau?” Alex asked her, and Arianna wondered where Alex was taking this.
Arianna didn’t answer right away, because she wasn’t sure how to explain how she felt about her job.
Alex continued, “Look, when I first met Ace and the others somewhere on the other side of the world, I was going through a rough patch. I was confused about where I wanted to take my future. It was Potter who finally asked me if I enjoyed what I was doing.”
“And what did you tell him?”
“I told him that I enjoyed the aspect of helping others, but at the time, I wasn’t enjoying how I was helping people. It took a lot out of me both mentally and physically.”
Arianna thought about it for a moment and then answered. “I love working in forensics, but I don’t think I want to continue doing it for the bureau. I have a disconnect with them because of everything that went down during and after my assignment.”
Alex smiled. “Well, I can tell you there are multiple places here in Virginia Beach who could use a forensic expert.”
“We may have to talk later,” Arianna told her.
Arianna looked at Mia. She had meant to talk to her about Grace that worked at the clinic.
“Hey, Mia. What’s the story with Grace?”
“Grace, from the shelter?” Mia responded, and Arianna nodded.
“Not much. She’s pretty quiet for the most part and doesn’t talk about her personal life. I know that she doesn’t have any family around, though I have seen her have lunch with that attorney running for Senate. He and his wife are huge donors to the shelter. Why?”
“Dino and I ran into her on New Year’s over at the air base. We were both concerned, considering how late it was and that she had ridden her bike there by herself. She mentioned that she goes there all of the time.”
“Hmmm…That’s not good. I know she doesn’t have a car.”
Arianna told the ladies how she invited Grace to come to the bar and hang out with them one night. Mia’s eyes got wide.
“Her birthday is coming up in a few weeks. Why don’t we plan a small party at the restaurant for her? Nothing too wild or extravagant.” Mia glanced over at Alex and raised her eyebrows. Alex loved planning parties but had a habit of going a bit overboard at times. “Low key, like dinner and cake.”
“And, maybe just a few balloons?” Alex said with a laugh and a slightly guilty look on her face.
Alex’s idea of a few balloons would probably result in a balloon arch or something.
“Do you think she’ll come?”
Mia smiled. “I’ll convince her.”
From there, the conversation turned to Mia and Stitch’s upcoming wedding that was happening in just a couple of weeks.
Soon after, everyone left, and it was just her and Dino. They both stood in the living room.
“You good?” Dino asked her as he stood next to the couch with his hands in the front pockets of his jeans, looking mighty scrumptious if she said so herself.
“I am. Though it does feel a little weird.”
“I don’t want you to feel weird. I want you to feel comfortable here. Make yourself at home.”
She took a deep breath and exhaled. She’d love to make herself at home in his house. Not only was his house gorgeous inside and outside, but he was what made up most of the home.
He stepped toward her, and her heart rate increased. Her palms felt sweaty, and she wiped them against her jeans.
Was he nervous? Giving him a little nudge, she squeezed his hand, letting him know it was okay to be nervous.
“I guess what I’m trying to say is that I want to make this work.” She quirked her eyebrow. “I’m totally screwing this up.” He went to walk away, but she wasn’t letting him off the hook that fast. He was running, but she was done chasing.
“Dino, look at me.” He turned and looked down toward her. God, she would love to be inside his head right now to know what battles he was fighting because she’d be the first on the front line to slay the demons holding him hostage.
“You are not screwing anything up.” She smiled at him, and he pulled her close for a hug. She closed her eyes as she laid her head against his chest.
“I want to make us work.” He admitted, his chin resting on the top of her head. She smiled.
“Me too.” She whispered.
He released her and stepped back so he could look at her. “I need a little bit of time, though. There are some loose ends that I need to tie up before I can move on. I know that probably sounds ridiculous, but—”
She cut him off when she stood up on her tip toes and kissed him. It wasn’t a sloppy kiss. It was a soft, gentle, lingering kiss that she melted into.
“I’m not going anywhere. When you’re ready, you know where to find me.” She smiled and kissed him one last time before calling Nigel and heading upstairs to get ready for bed. She just hoped he didn’t take too long to sort out whatever it was he needed to.
◆◆◆
Arianna rolled onto her back and looked at the clock on the table next to the bed. The large red numbers read 2:47 am. She stared at the ceiling fan above the bed, hoping that it would put her to sleep by watching the circular motion. She let out a big sigh when that didn’t work. After climbing into bed, she hadn’t been able to shut her mind off, which made it impossible to fall asleep. She tried reading one of her romance books until she had to put it down because it pissed her off. At least the character in the book got a happy ending and ended up with the love of her life. Barf!
Since then, she had been tossing and turning and not because she couldn’t get comfortable. The mattress was freaking amazing, it molded to her body. With everything going on in her life right now, and her brain was overloaded.
She threw the covers back and got out of bed. Nigel was sound asleep. She tip-toed to the door so as not to wake the beast. She peeked out the door into the hallway, and it was quiet. All of the lights were off except for the little plug-in lights Dino had throughout the house. She quietly made it down the stairs and into the kitchen.
She knew Dino kept some over-the-counter meds in the cabinet next to the refrigerator because she saw him take a bottle of aspirin from there earlier. Hopefully, he had some nighttime meds. All she was looking for was something to help her fall asleep. She smiled when she opened the cabinet and saw the liquid bottle of potion specifically for sleeping.
She read the bottle and poured the dosage into the little plastic cup, then downed it. She coughed, hating the taste of the syrupy concoction.
After washing the cup and putting everything back in its spot, her stomach growled. She hadn’t eaten much when everyone was over, and they had ordered pizza and sandwiches.
She opened a few cabinets looking for something to nibble on—something preferably sweet. After snooping in several of them, she struck out. Okay, the man was in shape and seemed to eat somewhat healthy, but he was a man. He had to have some snacks hidden somewhere. She padded over to the pantry, and her lips slowly curled into a smile as she opened the door. Apparently, Dino had a sweet tooth. Eyeing the package of double chocolate chip cookies, she snagged them off the shelf and tore into the package, not caring how loud the crinkling of the plastic was. She pulled one out and popped the whole thing in her mouth, and closed her eyes. They were the chewy ones she loved. She took a couple more and put the package back on the shelf.
She backed out of the pantry then turned to sit at the table when she was startled by the large, shirtless man standing a foot or two behind her. She screamed and threw her hands up in the air but doing that sent her cookies in her hand flying through the air.
Once she caught her breath and made sure she didn’t need a change of underwear, she leveled her gaze on him.
“Jesus Christ! How about warning me next time you decide to sneak up on me.” She sunk down in one of the chairs at the kitchen table. Her poor heart felt like a jackhammer inside her chest.
When she looked back up and saw the amusement in his eyes and the slight twitch in his lips, it lit a fire under her ass.
“You think this is funny? You could have given me a heart attack. Not to mention you ruined my snack, dammit.” She looked at the cookies on the floor and stuck her lip out in a pout. “I really wanted those cookies.”
Dino couldn’t take it anymore and barked out a laugh which riled her up even more.
She stood up, but when she did, she got a really good look at him. He looked sizzling in the navy-blue silk pajama pants that hung low on his hips. Her tongue literally rolled out of her mouth and hit the floor, just like the cartoon characters. So Mr. Badass has a very, very sexy side to him.
“What?” Dino asked, standing in front of her with his hands on his hips. His muscles every so often would flex, and she found herself squeezing her thighs together. The hint of a smile playing on his lips made her realize he was instigating.
“What?” She asked, repeating his question. He was clearly distracting her. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him. Her gaze lowered down his body to his stomach locking in on that sexy as sin V muscle that led below his waistband.
He chuckled and took a step toward her and swiped his thumb across her lower lip, then gave her a sexy grin that made her want to giggle like a little school girl and melt into the floor.
“You had a little bit of drool there.”
She blinked her eyes then her mind registered what he said. “You ASS!” she yelled, stomping away as he doubled over in laughter. Oh, she’d make him pay for that. She had an entire arsenal of the sexiest lingerie in the world that she could choose from. Let’s see who would be drooling once she slipped into one of her sexy numbers she wore on the runway.
She felt Dino on her heels as she climbed the stairs. When she got to her room, she turned around and came face-to-face with him. She could see the desire in his eyes. He wanted her. Well, guess what buddy? Not tonight.
She held her hand up as he went to take a step toward her, and he stopped.
She shook her head. “If I didn’t get my snack, you don’t get one either, and she slammed the door in his face.”
She leaned back against the door and heard him mumble something under his breath as his footsteps could be heard, retreating back toward his room.
She put her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. She was going to have to make it up to him. But she’d let him suffer a little bit first.
With a smile on her face, she crawled back in bed and curled up on her side. The meds she took were starting to work, and she closed her eyes until she gave in to sleep.
