Nightshade

1

"H e wants a date. As in, he’ll bring flowers when he picks you up, and will angle for a goodnight smooch or more at the end of the night. And trust me, V, you need to get more."

I looked up with a scowl, just in time to see Parker launch a bag of silk rose petals directly at me. I slapped it out of the way, my reaction purely reflex, honed by the best. Your mind is permanently in the gutter.

No, if my mind was permanently in the gutter, I would have told you to blow off dinner and proceed straight to the…

Girls! Gran shook her head and made a beeline for the back of the shop and the comparative safety of her office. I do not want to hear any of this! Her voice was stern, but she was shaking with quiet laughter as she disappeared.

Sighing, I looked around the interior of Pistils. There was no mistaking that Jackson Piedmont’s visit earlier had little to do with the flower arrangement he’d ordered for a client, and everything to do with asking me out to dinner. I’d managed a flimsy excuse about having guests in town, and he’d gracefully taken the hint.

Hey. Parker was suddenly next to me, her arm around my shoulders. You know I’m just teasing you, right?

Yeah, I know.

Vivian, Jack’s asking you out on a simple date. A friendly date. And you never know, it might end up being one of those situations where you find out that kissing him is like kissing your brother. That would solve everything.

I lifted an eyebrow. You do remember who we’re talking about, right? Drop-dead gorgeous, talented architect, old-money family, senator’s son? Hell, if he had a sister, she might not mind kissing him when you consider the total package.

Parker shuddered. Eww. And thank you so much for putting that image in my head.

I felt a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth. Serves you right. Besides, it’s too soon for him, even if he doesn’t realize it. I didn’t have to remind her about the gruesome murder of Lisa Piedmont two months prior, that was a night burned permanently into our brains. He’s on the rebound, pure and simple, and I don’t want to be a rebound.

She shrugged and began dry-mopping the immaculate hardwood floors that glowed in the late afternoon sun. "Well maybe he needs a friend, someone to talk to. You’re the one that he remembered being at the house that night."

I slipped behind the counter and started counting out the cash sales from the day. P had queued up some old Fiona Apple tunes on the stereo, and we both fell silent, lost in our own thoughts. Gran ran a tight ship, so there was little to do at closing time except lock up, cash out the register, and print out the next day’s orders. I found it calming, allowing me to think more clearly about the two men who were currently vying for space in my head.

David, the man I couldn’t have because I’d die before I dragged him down into the disgrace I’d suffered.

Jack, the man I felt guilty for being attracted to because I was, just a little. Maybe more than a little. But he was certainly working through some serious baggage of his own. Hell, I still had baggage after years, and I wasn’t sure it would be healthy for either of us to ignore it.

I’d tried though, God knows I’d tried. As the months turned to years, I’d tried to accept that everything David and I had shared would become a sweet faded memory, locked away in a far corner of my heart.

Aside from a smattering of casual encounters, usually as double-dates with Parker, there had been only one other man since I’d left David in D.C. Parker and I practiced regularly at a local private gun range and ended up being friendly with quite a few of the guys who shot there. Mike Adams was a genuinely good guy, a lieutenant with the Savannah police department, divorced with no kids, suitably impressed by and respectful of my Army cover story, and handsome to boot. When he’d asked me out to dinner, I couldn’t think of a reason to say no, especially since technically, he was totally my type.

It still took Parker spelling out a lot of her Hard Truths to prevent me from canceling on him. We’d had a good time, though, and I genuinely liked him. After two more dates we ended up back at my apartment, Parker out on a date of her own.

On the surface, it had been wonderful. He was a gentleman, but liked being on top, and he hadn’t gone all clingy or caveman on me afterward. I didn’t regret it, especially after Parker later pointed out that I wasn’t a nun, I wasn’t married, and that I deserved to be loved and cherished, even if it was only physically and for one night. But despite that, I’d felt guilty leading him on, and told him so as gently as I could the next time we went out. He was a better person than me; he kissed me and said that whoever held my heart was a lucky man, and then treated me as a friend at the range when we saw each other again.

Bottom line was just… he wasn’t David. Even though I couldn’t have David.

I was apparently very good at self-sabotage.

Gran’s sweet voice cut through my thoughts. Girls, you need to leave now if you’re going to make that appointment with the Torrences.

Looking at my watch, I grimaced, then looked up at Parker. It was time to head out for an appointment that had absolutely nothing to do with flowers. Want to drive over together?

She glanced down at her Pistils polo and brushed off a few stray bits of petals and greenery. Yeah, may as well. We’ll call this our ‘undercover’ look.

Although our paths had never actually crossed, everyone in Savannah knew who Portia and Talia Torrence were; they’d been known as the Torrence twins from the day they were born. Both inheriting and marrying into immense fortunes, they’d been heavily involved in charity functions throughout their lives, and not simply by signing checks. They rolled up their sleeves and got to work right alongside the volunteers they’d recruited. Talia helped to build Habitat for Humanity homes, right down to pounding nails, and Portia served meals to the homeless at a shelter she’d founded, did the dishes, then sat down to chat with the people who came in for a hot meal. These were women who actively walked the walk instead of just donating money as a tax write-off, and they were greatly loved by pretty much everyone who knew them.

They definitely had my respect, even from afar.

And now a voicemail from Jack Piedmont’s mother, Regina, had us visiting the famous twins, and not for a floral arrangement… they wanted to talk to the owners and private investigators of P&V, Inc.

Parker whistled as she turned off the street and drove carefully between elaborate wrought-iron gates. We’re in high society now.

No kidding, I murmured, looking around as we pulled into the courtyard. Since the passing of both their husbands, the twins had lived together in the Torrences’ ancestral family home, an enormous antebellum property in a city where space was at a premium. A tradition of passing it down only to blood descendants, not their spouses, had kept the property in the family for almost three hundred years.

We’d had more than our fair share of well-to-do clients, but they were normally what Gran delicately called new rich, as Savannah’s older families tended to keep their scandals to themselves. The Torrences had been one of the founding families of the city, and it didn’t get much more old money than that. This was wealth on a scale neither of us had ever experienced, and the only way they’d ever have heard about us was through Regina Piedmont.

We parked in the brick courtyard as we’d been instructed, next to an immaculate silver Bentley, and Parker looked down at her Pistils polo again. Yeeeahh, now I’m kinda wishing we’d gone home to change first.

Into what? I gave her a friendly punch in the arm. Our ballgowns, Cinderella? Just pretend you had my job overseas… I was in disguise constantly.

So what are we in disguise as?

Private investigators posing as florists. I opened my door. Come on, let’s go.

Only a few minutes later, we were seated in a parlor with an heirloom tea set in front of us, an elaborate chandelier over us, and surrounded by what were probably millions of dollars in priceless antiques. Regina Piedmont was already there, but stayed quiet as the Torrence twins immediately made us feel welcome.

So kind of you both to make time for us, and so quickly too! Talia was the eldest by two minutes and was definitely the talker. I’m sure you’re wondering why we’ve asked you here, though, so we can save the small talk for later.

I liked her already.

We are eighty-three years old, but we’re spry as spring chickens and we’re ready for a bit of adventure. When our husbands were alive, God rest their souls, we traveled the world. But we never went anywhere that wasn’t utterly predictable. It was always Paris, London, and so on. We thought it was a miracle when we convinced them to fly to Hong Kong. We want to go off the beaten path, we want to see things that all the young people get to see! All those adventures we see on the Travel Channel! The kind of places you’d go if you were staying in a hostel instead of the Ritz.

That sounds like a wonderful idea, Parker encouraged.

So to get down to brass tacks, when we started planning this epic adventure, our children and grandchildren, well-meaning though they may be, just about had a conniption fit. She threw her hands into the air. We’re too old! What if something happened? Suppose we broke a hip or two while climbing a mountain?

I couldn’t help it, an undignified snort of laughter escaped me at Talia’s theatrics. She smiled warmly at me. That was our reaction too! But to ease their minds, we agreed to hire traveling companions. Someone to make sure we get safely back to the airport should we suddenly turn senile overnight and wander off.

So, you don’t want us as private investigators, Parker started slowly.

Correct. We don’t have any mysteries to solve…

Well, at least not at the moment, but give us some time! Portia finally cut in, rolling her eyes and smiling mischievously. My granddaughter-in-law is in one of your self-defense classes, Parker, and our neighbor’s son took Russian lessons from Vivian a while back. His mother told me that you speak quite a few languages, fluently. When our dear friend Regina told us that Jackson whole-heartedly recommended you, we knew we’d found what we were looking for: two young ladies to keep us out of trouble.

We’d of course cover the cost of your accommodations and meals, as well as any other expenses that may arise, Talia said quickly. And as for your salary, considering it would virtually be a round-the-clock job, we were thinking… She proceeded to rattle off a number that almost knocked me off the settee. It was exponentially more than Parker and I would make in a year of private investigation, and we were doing pretty well for ourselves.

If that’s not enough, please do say so, Portia insisted, mistaking our stunned silence for hesitancy. We recognize that we’ll be taking you away from your business for several weeks, and so of course we wanted to compensate you for that as well.

Parker and I exchanged glances before I finally replied. It’s very kind of you to think of it. And your offer is more than acceptable.

Talia clapped her hands together. So you’ll do it?

Is it all right if we have a few days to consider it first? There was no way I was making a decision of this magnitude until I’d dissected it with Parker, in private.

Oh, of course! Would you be able to come back Sunday? We leave in a month.

Sunday works for us.

Please do come by for lunch, shall we say noon?

There was something I had to know before we got their hopes up too high, and I took a deep breath, mentally crossing my fingers. Where exactly do you intend to travel?

Well, we want to do a bit of wandering through Eastern Europe, Talia answered, and my heart hiccuped before going into a sickening free fall. We’ve both been to the United Kingdom, France, Spain and Italy… the usual places more times than we can count. This time we were thinking about starting in Poland and working our way south. Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, everything between there and Greece. We’d like to end up in Greece. We’d hoped to start with Russia and then Ukraine, but we’ve been advised…

The political situation in those two countries isn’t stable enough that I’d recommend a vacation there for you, I interrupted. Not now. Maybe some time in the future, but not now.

The twins nodded reluctantly, in tandem. We’re disappointed, of course, but as we said, we want an adventure, not outright danger. When you come back on Sunday, we’ll have lunch out in the garden and start making plans!

Parker smiled and thanked them, I was trying too hard to concentrate on maintaining a pleasant expression on my numb face. The twins rose and, with more effusive farewells, quickly left the room. Regina Piedmont remained seated, her giant green eyes studying us. Jack resembled her so much, the likeness was startling.

I asked Talia and Portia for a moment alone with you, she said quietly, as we both sat back down. I haven’t had a chance to properly thank either of you, to begin with. Jackson told me everything about Lisa hiring you to… She shook her head. "I hate to speak ill of the dead, but Lisa was a very selfish woman. To try to set him up like that, when all along she… and it ending up with him almost being killed. Regardless, your resourcefulness and professionalism is commendable. Not to mention your discretion; I’d heard of your investigation business well before any of those events happened, but I’m a fortunate woman, Randall has never once given me cause to suspect him of anything.

I love Portia and Talia like family. Well, we actually are distantly related, but that’s neither here nor there. When they asked me if I could recommend anyone who might be able and willing to travel with them, you two were the first ones to pop into my head. They’re very dear to me, and luckily they didn’t put up much of a fight when their children insisted they have someone accompany them on this grand tour of theirs. They need companions, but also advocates, guides and, if necessary, protectors. Do you understand what I’m saying?

I was taken aback by her words, my mind going a mile a minute. Even if she wasn’t admitting it, there was no chance in hell that Regina Piedmont would have recommended us without having done some extensive vetting of us both. Her husband was a U.S. senator, it would have been child’s play to find out that I’d worked for the CIA.

We understand, Parker’s sober words cut through the whirling of my thoughts. And we appreciate your faith in us.

You’ve earned it a thousand times over. She stood, and we did likewise. Thank you both, truly. I think I’ll join you for lunch on Sunday as well. The twins won’t mind me inviting myself over, and their lunches are too tempting to pass up.

That’s a lot of money, Parker said, finally breaking the silence we’d maintained until we were several blocks away from the mansion, as if there were microphones and cameras in the dangling Spanish moss.

Yeah.

So, V? She blew out a long breath. Do you want to do it?

Do you?

Of course! Not to sound like a materialistic brat, but that’s more money than we’d make chasing down cheating husbands and peeping Toms in three years. That’s a pretty nice nest egg for each of us. Plus, I wouldn’t mind touring Europe on someone else’s dime.

Yeah.

She raised her eyebrows. "So, is that a yes?"

I took a moment before replying, trying to kill the anxiety that had my stomach doing backflips. Can I answer that question tomorrow?

Of course. I’m teaching back-to-back classes tonight, so I won’t be in until after ten or so. That’ll give you time to think.

That night I thought about it until my head hurt, finally giving into sheer exhaustion and snatched a few hours of sleep. Parker hadn’t come back in until late, and I let her think that my closed bedroom door meant that I’d already gone to bed. It was her turn to open Pistils the next morning, and I waited until I heard the front door close and lock behind her before I got up.

In the bathroom, I stared at myself in the mirror, into the dark-ringed gray eyes that had earned me the nickname Ice Queen back in high school. I didn’t want to admit it, but I was avoiding my best friend.

Chickenshit isn’t a good look on you, Carmichael.

I’d told Parker a great deal about the Atanasovs after that night when we’d cornered Angelus Atanasov in the Piedmonts’ home, but I’d left out an entire world of details. Things that would only worry her, and there was no point in both of us carrying that burden. I hadn’t been able to admit it to her, but as I faced myself in the mirror, I admitted it: I didn’t want either of us going to Europe. Ever.

But I knew that the Torrence twins were counting on us being a package deal, not a one-woman show. I also knew that the obscene amount of money they were offering to pay us was a windfall that we had no logical reason to decline.

When I got to Pistils, it was already busy, and Gran immediately sent me right back out on four deliveries. When I returned, I tackled the register, freeing up Gran and Parker to assemble the arrangements that were selling like hotcakes that day. It wasn’t until two hours before closing when things slowed down enough to allow me to slip out the back door, onto the small loading dock.

I leaned against the back of the building, then slowly slid down until I was sitting with my legs stretched out on the warm concrete. God, why couldn’t the Torrence twins have decided to start their bucket list adventure with Asia, or South America? I would have agreed without a second thought. But Eastern Europe? I shuddered involuntarily and pulled my legs up, wrapping my arms around my knees. I felt like an animal caught in a trap.

As on-edge as I was, I almost jumped a mile when the back door opened and Parker stepped out. She looked like a million bucks, a happy glow in her cheeks after squeezing in a phone call to Carter Conlin less than an hour before, a brief moment stolen in between customers. A long-distance relationship was a rough thing to maintain, but she and Carter seemed absolutely dedicated to making it work, even for the short amount of time they’d been dating.

She slid down to sit next to me. Hey.

Hey yourself.

Gran’s busy buttering up a bride-to-be and her mother, so we’ve got a minute. What’s up?

She didn’t have to elaborate. From the day that we’d both been born, we’d shared an unexplainable ability to communicate without words. Our mothers had been best friends, and would put us together in the same crib to nap, only to find us snuggled closely together as though we’d truly shared one womb.

Granted, that was before my mother became a raging alcoholic and neglectful piece of shit, but nothing ever could or would shake the bond that Parker and I had. And I knew better than to lie to her, especially over something like this.

I closed my eyes and tilted my head back against the wall. I don’t know if I can do this, P.

Okay. Her voice was completely lacking in condemnation, but she was also waiting for more.

When they… when I was fired, they put a three-year hold on my passport. That hold supposedly expired a few months ago, but when it comes to red tape and bureaucracy, I’m not holding my breath that they bothered to lift it.

Can you reach out to see if they did?

Yeah, there’s a big passport agency in Atlanta, they should be able to tell me what the status is. But if it hasn’t been lifted, I have no idea how long it would take to get the CIA to give the thumbs-up. I am so far down on their priority list, I’m not even a footnote.

She shook her head. "We need to get it fixed, ASAP. You know me, I’ll try anything once, but serving as a companion, interpreter and bodyguard for not one but two filthy-rich old ladies in that part of the world is not something I can do on my own. I don’t speak any of the languages. Let’s call the passport agency right now, find out what we need to do."

P, I’m also not really in favor of traveling around those parts of Europe, I interrupted. "There are a lot of people that I’d rather not run into. Actually, that’s an understatement, I’m terrified of running into them."

She reached over to take my hand and then squeezed it. I thought you said that mobster is in prison.

He is. But I… I exhaled slowly. "P, there is so much, I don’t even know where to start. But I can tell you that for a time, every bad guy in Bulgaria knew exactly what I looked like, and I had a price on my head."

Whoa. Okay, yeah, I guess there’s definitely a lot more to that story than you can tell me right now.

Especially with Gran here. Let’s talk about it tonight, all right? And if I can’t go, I’ll do everything in my power to find someone else to go with you.

She shook her head again. "Not to be all melodramatic, but I don’t want to go without you. I’m not trying to guilt trip you, but we’re a team. Could I kick the snot out of some dudes if they got handsy with the twins? Yeah, of course. But I don’t know ‘fuck off’ in their language. Or languages, rather."

I’ll tutor you, I promised. Insulting their mother works in every language. Although I might be rusty, you could end up accidentally propositioning someone.

Stop trying to distract me! She did smile a little. Besides, they didn’t say anything about going to Bulgaria, so you should be fine. Right?

It’s a small world over there, P. Too small for me to be gallivanting around under my real identity.

Yeah, but… She cut herself off abruptly as we both heard the light tapping of Gran’s footsteps approaching the door. A few seconds later, she pushed it open and popped her head through the crack.

Everything out here okay, sweet peas?

We both scrambled to our feet, and I rubbed my sweaty hands against my jeans. Everything’s fine, Gran. We’re talking about the Torrence sisters and their vacation plans.

Hmm. Parker told me all about it this morning. Not much to discuss, is there?

I don’t like the idea of leaving you here to run the shop alone for almost a month, Parker said reluctantly.

I wouldn’t be alone. Cheryl asked me yesterday if she could pick up a few more hours since she’s paying for her sister’s baby shower. I’m sure she’d jump at some full-time shifts while you’re gone. Gran smiled sweetly and reached out to pat my shoulder. You don’t have to make a decision for a few days, Vivian, go home tonight and sleep on it.

I leaned forward to kiss her cheek. I know, Gran, and I will.

2

That night, after Parker made us each a White Russian to bolster my courage, and ward off a heart attack on her part, I told her as much as I could. I told her about posing as Velichko Atanasov’s daughter for so long, about the two kidnapping attempts, about the men I’d killed. I did leave out everything that I wanted her to have plausible deniability about.

When I was finished, she sat back, playing with her straw. "Wow. I mean, ‘wow’ doesn’t even come close to covering it, but I’m at a loss for words right now. You really did live a whole life over there that I didn’t know about."

"It’s a lot to drop on you all at once, and I’m sorry for that. But I want you to know why I’m so hesitant to go on this trip with you… if my passport is even still valid."

Thank you for telling me.

P, if it were anywhere else in the world, I’d be on it. The money alone is… I shook my head. "I mean, we don’t need it, but being able to salt away that much money is an incredible opportunity. We’d be operating so much deeper in the black overnight. And you heard them talking about maybe going somewhere else next year… three or four weeks a year, every year, for that much money?"

I won’t say it didn’t cross my mind, she admitted. They’re going to single-handedly fund our retirement accounts.

I’m going to take Gran’s advice and sleep on it. I promise I’ll give you an answer tomorrow.

Like she said, we’ve got a few days. She looked at her watch. It’s too late to start a movie now, so do you mind if I ask you a couple more questions?

Sure, go ahead.

I saw a missed call from Jack Piedmont on your phone. Did you change your mind about that dinner date?

Nosy!

I prefer ‘observant,’ thank you very much, like a good little private investigator. So what’s going on?

Nothing is going on, I said firmly.

Did you call him back?

No.

Why? He might have been ordering more flowers for his mom or something.

He’s got the shop number for that.

She huffed a little. Okay, fine. So it’s about David, then?

I closed my eyes, wishing I’d never told her how David had asked me to come and stay with him in London. Parker wanted me to be happy no matter what, and she would have packed my bags herself if she thought it would make me happy. That’s even more complicated than the Jack Piedmont thing.

I saw the way he looked at you, I…

That’s not in question, I interrupted. It’s just about the logistics. I still don’t even know if I have a valid passport, and the Brits will laugh in my face if I try to apply for a visa.

She made a sour face. Real life, goddamn it. Always getting in the way.

I’ll pay you to needlepoint that onto a pillow.

Ha ha, I don’t needlepoint, so you’ll have to ask Gran.

I threw my slipper at her. When pigs fly. I’m going to bed, we can talk more tomorrow.

We gave each other our customary hug before we parted and headed to our separate bedrooms. As for a good night’s sleep… well, it was a long, long time coming. As it always was.

Over coffee the next morning, I squared my shoulders and dove in. Okay. I’ll do it.

Parker eyed me cautiously. What changed your mind?

"The money. I figured that saying no would be like tearing up a winning lottery ticket just because you know greedy relatives will come out of the woodwork. But I need you to promise me that if I ask or tell you to do something while we’re over there, you’ll do it, no questions