Squeezing her, he said, “Both.” He set her away from him. “You two might want to sit down again.”
Alarmed, Tabby said, “What are you going to do?”
Before he could get exasperated, Vanity stepped in. “Don’t be silly, Tabby.” She urged his sister into her seat. “Stack’s not going to do anything. Nothing bad anyway. I think it’s just that he has something important to tell us.” Keeping one hand on Tabby’s shoulder, Vanity tipped her head at him. “Something to do with that phone call?”
Always so astute. “Yes.” He held Vanity’s chair out for her, waited for her to take it, then seated himself. “You both know some yahoo jumped me.”
“Two yahoos,” Tabby said.
Vanity kept quiet.
“Two,” he confirmed. “We’ve been keeping up with them, but so far that hadn’t gotten us much. They claim they don’t know who hired them, but if the guy made contact again, they were supposed to let us know.”
Both women listened intently.
“Then this morning,” Stack said, “I got a call from Leese.” He explained about the woman, and with every word, Vanity looked more enraged. Interesting. He’d seen many emotions from her, but not that one. Tabby, for the most part, didn’t seem to be getting it. Laying it out there, Stack said, “By the description, I think the woman is Whitney.”
Tabby gasped. “That bitch. I never did like her!”
With a very different reaction, Vanity said, “But that would mean...” She glanced at Tabby, then shook her head and fell mum again.
Stack took his sister’s cold, trembling hand. “Sis, you know Phil and Whitney have remained...friends.”
Going blank, all expression wiped clean, Tabby watched him. “What are you saying?”
She’d already been through a lot today, but she needed to hear it all. Stack collected her other hand, holding both. “If the woman is Whitney, then it’s probable that the man she says is instigating all this is—”
“Phil?” Tabby gave a nervous laugh. “Don’t be silly. Phil is too lazy to plan anything like that.”
Stack refused to release her when she tried to pull away. “Whitney told Leese that the guys weren’t just hired to rough me up.”
Vanity wrapped her arms around her middle.
Eyes flaring wide, Tabby said, “Oh, my God. You’re saying they were supposed to kill you?”
“That’s what she said. No idea yet if it’s true.”
The laugh turned hysterical. “And you think Phil was behind it? That’s insane!”
Typical of Tabby, anything inconvenient got denied. “I’m going to run down some leads today to see what I can find out.” Stack gave her hands a gentle squeeze. “I’ll also give Phil a call, and hopefully he’ll make this easy. When I thought he was still with you, I planned to stop by and talk to him face-to-face. Now he might be able to dodge me.”
Tabby groaned. “Don’t hate me, okay?”
Softer, Stack said, “Never a possibility.”
She winced. “I demolished Phil’s phone.”
Releasing her, Stack sat back. This just kept getting better and better.
Tabby rushed into frantic explanations. “I paid for that phone! It was under my name, my plan. I told him to get his own damn phone. I didn’t know...didn’t know that all of this was happening.”
Shit. Stack blew out a frustrated breath. “You have any idea where he might have gone?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m sorry. He sometimes claimed to help a friend at a bar, not that I ever saw any money from it, and I don’t know what bar.”
“Or what friend?”
Smothered in guilt, she flattened her mouth and fought off renewed weeping. “I’m sorry. Phil and I...our lives haven’t been in sync for a while.”
Because she’d been working and Phil had been loafing. Stack rubbed the back of his neck. He had to get it together. For his sister, for Vanity. “It’s okay,” he lied. It was far from okay. “I’ll figure out something.” What, he had no idea.
Vanity curled a hand around his biceps. “Shouldn’t you talk to the police?”
“Yeah.” His thoughts churned, then settled on a single course. Mind made up, he announced, “I’m going to talk with Whitney first.” At least she should be easy to find. And maybe she could lead him to fucking Phil.
Vanity dropped back in her chair. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
Alarmed, Tabby said, “What are you going to do?”
Before he could get exasperated, Vanity stepped in. “Don’t be silly, Tabby.” She urged his sister into her seat. “Stack’s not going to do anything. Nothing bad anyway. I think it’s just that he has something important to tell us.” Keeping one hand on Tabby’s shoulder, Vanity tipped her head at him. “Something to do with that phone call?”
Always so astute. “Yes.” He held Vanity’s chair out for her, waited for her to take it, then seated himself. “You both know some yahoo jumped me.”
“Two yahoos,” Tabby said.
Vanity kept quiet.
“Two,” he confirmed. “We’ve been keeping up with them, but so far that hadn’t gotten us much. They claim they don’t know who hired them, but if the guy made contact again, they were supposed to let us know.”
Both women listened intently.
“Then this morning,” Stack said, “I got a call from Leese.” He explained about the woman, and with every word, Vanity looked more enraged. Interesting. He’d seen many emotions from her, but not that one. Tabby, for the most part, didn’t seem to be getting it. Laying it out there, Stack said, “By the description, I think the woman is Whitney.”
Tabby gasped. “That bitch. I never did like her!”
With a very different reaction, Vanity said, “But that would mean...” She glanced at Tabby, then shook her head and fell mum again.
Stack took his sister’s cold, trembling hand. “Sis, you know Phil and Whitney have remained...friends.”
Going blank, all expression wiped clean, Tabby watched him. “What are you saying?”
She’d already been through a lot today, but she needed to hear it all. Stack collected her other hand, holding both. “If the woman is Whitney, then it’s probable that the man she says is instigating all this is—”
“Phil?” Tabby gave a nervous laugh. “Don’t be silly. Phil is too lazy to plan anything like that.”
Stack refused to release her when she tried to pull away. “Whitney told Leese that the guys weren’t just hired to rough me up.”
Vanity wrapped her arms around her middle.
Eyes flaring wide, Tabby said, “Oh, my God. You’re saying they were supposed to kill you?”
“That’s what she said. No idea yet if it’s true.”
The laugh turned hysterical. “And you think Phil was behind it? That’s insane!”
Typical of Tabby, anything inconvenient got denied. “I’m going to run down some leads today to see what I can find out.” Stack gave her hands a gentle squeeze. “I’ll also give Phil a call, and hopefully he’ll make this easy. When I thought he was still with you, I planned to stop by and talk to him face-to-face. Now he might be able to dodge me.”
Tabby groaned. “Don’t hate me, okay?”
Softer, Stack said, “Never a possibility.”
She winced. “I demolished Phil’s phone.”
Releasing her, Stack sat back. This just kept getting better and better.
Tabby rushed into frantic explanations. “I paid for that phone! It was under my name, my plan. I told him to get his own damn phone. I didn’t know...didn’t know that all of this was happening.”
Shit. Stack blew out a frustrated breath. “You have any idea where he might have gone?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m sorry. He sometimes claimed to help a friend at a bar, not that I ever saw any money from it, and I don’t know what bar.”
“Or what friend?”
Smothered in guilt, she flattened her mouth and fought off renewed weeping. “I’m sorry. Phil and I...our lives haven’t been in sync for a while.”
Because she’d been working and Phil had been loafing. Stack rubbed the back of his neck. He had to get it together. For his sister, for Vanity. “It’s okay,” he lied. It was far from okay. “I’ll figure out something.” What, he had no idea.
Vanity curled a hand around his biceps. “Shouldn’t you talk to the police?”
“Yeah.” His thoughts churned, then settled on a single course. Mind made up, he announced, “I’m going to talk with Whitney first.” At least she should be easy to find. And maybe she could lead him to fucking Phil.
Vanity dropped back in her chair. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
