Angelina Bonaparte Mysteries Box Set Nanci Rathbun (i love reading books txt) 📖

will be Bermuda shorts on you, and Wukowski’s will drag on the ground. But I can give you some clean boxers and the usual toiletries.”

“Needs must,” he said.

I turned to Adriana. “My guest suite has the basics.” When I handed her a gown-and-robe set, ivory charmeuse trimmed with black lace, her eyes went wide. One way or another, I was determined to introduce Adriana to nice lingerie. Tonight, the gown and robe. Tomorrow, maybe some lacy panties. Who knew what could happen after that?

Chapter 17

Power is standing strongly in your own center and living from your heart.

—Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy (pen name SARK)

The next morning, I found a pair of satin low-rise boy-cut panties, beige with a lacy café-au-lait overlay, still with tags on them. Feminine, but not too sexy. There was nothing I could do about her bra, since my cup size was larger than hers.

Bobbie had coffee brewing when Adriana and I appeared in the kitchen doorway. She clutched the borrowed robe tightly closed.

“I’ll grab a quick shower and shave,” Bobbie said, looking away from Adriana. What a gentleman!

“I hope you slept well, Adriana.”

“I did.” Her hand moved slightly over the robe. “I never had anything this nice to sleep in, Angie.”

“Glad you liked it. During the lean years, when my ex established his legal practice, I learned to make do. I’m still not extravagant, but I do treat myself a bit. I save, of course, but there’s no sense living in misery when a few small luxuries are within reach.” I wanted her to understand that she didn’t need to perpetuate her parents’ lifestyle. The lingerie was a chink in their Scrooge armor.

She considered my words while doctoring her coffee. I put a slug of cream into my mug and settled at the table. “So, here’s my plan for the day. First, I’ll call Bart to check in and find out what he knows about the bank account transactions. Next, I’ll call a PI who owes me a favor and ask him to canvass the area, to see if anyone is keeping this building under surveillance. If Mack spots anyone, I’ll get in touch with Tony. His people will clear the area. Then we’ll get dressed and go out for breakfast.”

“Why can’t your PI friend ask them to leave?”

She was so innocent! “Tony’s guys are not constrained by legalities the way my PI acquaintance would be, but I trust Mack to find anyone who’s out there. Tony’s muscle is just that—muscle. Not noted for their high IQs.”

“I see. I suppose if someone followed Bobbie here and waited outside all night, he doesn’t have good intentions.”

“Exactly.”

I left a message for Bart, asking if the “account information was available.” Then I placed the call to Mack and we finished our coffee. “I know you didn’t come prepared to stay overnight, Adriana. I can offer you some new underwear, but I’m afraid none of my clothes will fit. My pants would be high-waters and my skirts would be scandalously mini on you.”

I brought the panties into the guest bedroom and laid them on the comforter.

“Ooh,” she said on a long exhale. “Those are so pretty.” She blushed as she ran a single finger across the lace. “My friend Jennifer kids me about my ugly underwear. Mama always told me that a lady doesn’t wear sexy things.”

I snorted. “These aren’t that sexy, Adriana. But even if they were, what’s wrong with a woman dressing to please herself and her man? After all, nobody else would see them.” I decided to go a step further. “It’s kind of fun to know that under your sedate clothing, you’re wearing a cute bra-and-panties set.”

After a moment, she smiled. “I can see that. It’s not like I’m flashing the world, right?”

“Right. Feel free to use the shower. There are toiletries in the bathroom vanity.”

The phone rang as I stepped out of my shower. No ID. I wrapped a towel around myself and answered.

“Angie.” Mack’s deep baritone voice bordered on bass. “I found a guy sleeping in his car, half a block from the front door of your building. Another one, awake, at the garage entrance.” I walked into my bedroom and grabbed a pen and notepad from my night table as he rattled off the plates, makes and models of their cars. “I didn’t spot anything else in a three-block radius. Want me to roust ’em?”

“Thanks, Mack, but I think I’ll call some muscle for that. I want them to think twice before they put me under surveillance again.”

“Muscle. Nice for you to have contacts like that.”

Mack was a dour Scotsman who worked solo and, as far as I knew, lived solo. “Sometimes yes, sometimes no,” I responded.

“So, we even?”

“You bet. In fact, you’re a bit ahead. If you ever need a favor—some muscle, for example—let me know.”

“Will do.”

He hung up without a goodbye. A man of few words, Mack.

I called Tony Belloni and asked for an inconspicuous car and some help with the guys who were staking out my building. “Nothing extreme, Tony. I mean…well, I need them out of the way, but still breathing.”

“Capisco, Angie. Nothing major. My guys will say they’re security for the building and got a call about suspicious lingerers. We’ll rough them up a little and send them on their way. And I’ll have a nice Family sedan at your building in thirty minutes. No worries.”

I gulped. But it had to be done, for my team’s safety. Wait a minute! When did I start thinking of Bobbie as part of my team? I never had a team before, although I had resources to call on. I felt the heaviness of taking responsibility for another person’s safety, but also the lightness that comes from sharing a load. Hmm, maybe an apprenticeship would be a good thing.

I finished my morning routine, wiped down the bathroom surfaces and made the bed. When I approached the open door to the guest suite, I could hear Adriana talking to herself. “No, that’s