Sweet & Sour (Skylar Wolfe Mysteries Book 5) Read online

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  Mariana Thorn Books

  To Kelly you have been one of my biggest fans since the beginning. Thank you. This one is for you!

  The sun beat down on the jeep as I waited for Levi outside the bank. Tapping my foot against the dashboard, I leaned back and closed my eyes. Ever since Levi had been shot two weeks ago, I’d had to drive him around. It was annoying. I wished Aiden had let me shoot the bastard that had hurt my cousin. Locking me up in jail until they had caught him was a low blow. What I didn’t say to anyone was that he was probably right to do so. That’s what annoyed me the most. We hadn’t spoken since that night.

  Taking a few calming breaths I let my mind wander to other things. Happy things. I was just sitting there minding my own business, when the door was whipped open and some moron pointed a gun in my face.

  “Give me all your money, bitch,” he yelled.

  I squinted at him in the bright sun. “Excuse me? Did you just call me a bitch?”

  He blinked at me and had a confused look on his dirty, scruffy face. “Give me all your money!” His hand shook the gun in my face.

  “Or what? You’re gonna shoot me?” I mocked him.

  “Yes.” He didn’t sound so certain.

  “No, you’re not,” I informed him.

  “Yes, I am.” He was growing frustrated.

  “You can’t.” I nodded at the gun.

  “Why not?” he asked.

  I pointed at the gun. “The safety is on.”

  He looked down at the gun. That was all that I needed. I kicked him in the groin and got out of the jeep in one motion. I picked up the gun from where it had slid over the hot pavement.

  Levi walked over from the bank entrance shaking his head. He looked down at the moron rolling on the ground screaming in pain.

  “What’s going on?” Levi asked.

  “He called me a bitch,” I responded.

  “Dude, you shouldn’t have done that. She hates being called a bitch,” Levi said down at the guy on the ground.

  “Oh, he also tried to rob me at gunpoint. You should call Cory to pick his ass up. There are cameras in the lot so it should all be recorded.”

  “On it.” Levi took out his phone and made the call. It wasn’t long before sirens approached.

  A sigh of relief escaped me when I saw Cory and his partner get out.

  “What happened this time, Skylar?” Cory asked as he approached.

  I pointed to the guy on the ground that was still screaming in pain. “That moron called me a bitch.”

  “That’s hardly a crime.” Cory was attempting not to laugh.

  “Fine he pulled a gun on me and tried to rob me. It’s probably all on the surveillance camera. It should have caught the whole thing.” I pointed to the camera that was on the light pole.

  “Seriously Skylar, you need to stop beating up men just because they call you a bitch.” Don was attempting to snap the handcuffs onto the guy.

  “Yeah, yeah. It was only one hit and wasn’t even that bad. I swear he is just being a big baby.” I rolled my eyes.

  “We haven’t seen you around the station much. How have you been?” Cory asked while his partner got the man into their cruiser.

  “Just been busy with other stuff,” I mumbled. I didn’t want it to get out that I had let Aiden lock me up for a night. I was still fuming about that.

  “Well, it’s been boring without you. The lieutenant is grouchier than a bear with a thorn in his paw. The whole place needs a good morale boost.”

  “How about you guys stop by for a movie tonight?” I asked. I knew he was trying to pry out the details, but I would not give in to him.

  “Sounds fun. I better run in and see if I can get those tapes. I’ll give you a call when we get off tonight.” He waved as he trotted toward the bank.

  Don came over after securing the guy. “We will need you two to come in and give a statement.”

  “Do I have to?” For me that was whining and I hated whining. Damn it, Aiden had turned me into a whiner. This is all his fault, I determined.

  “Yes. You two can follow us in. I promise it won’t take long.” Don was trying to soothe me. I could tell he wanted to ask questions, but he knew better than that.

  “Fine. Come on, Levi, let’s wait in the jeep until these two are done.” A headache was beginning to grow behind my eyes. In fact, my whole body ached for some reason. I put it out of my mind.

  “I think what you need is a case. It’s been weeks since we’ve gone on a case.” Levi climbed in the passenger seat.

  I got in and blasted the air conditioning, the humidity was killer today. “It’s not my fault something hasn’t come up.”

  “You also haven’t been going out and looking for it either. Come on, Skylar, you have to get over this. It happened, let it go. You and I both know you would have done the same to him if the roles were reversed. He was just trying to protect you. You weren’t in a sound mind.”

  I sent him a glare and backed out of the space. I hated when he said what I was thinking. I would let it go, eventually. Maybe.

  It didn’t take long to reach the station. It annoyed me that I was being forced to come here when I wasn’t ready yet. What I hadn’t told anyone was that I’d been having nightmares about what happened. That was the real reason I hadn’t taken any cases. A touch of fear had reached into my consciousness that had never existed before. I hated it. I didn’t want to get involved in another case until I got rid of it. We still hadn’t figured out how the bastard had gotten both Levi and me in the first place. It bothered me more than I could express.

  With a heavy sigh, I exited the jeep. Levi followed me into the station. The cold air blasting us as we entered. I sneezed.

  “Bless you,” the clerk said.

  “See Levi, I’m allergic to here. Maybe I should just go wait in the jeep.” I turned to go, but Levi stopped me.

  “Oh no you don’t. You just had a little sneeze that is not reason to leave. Let’s get this over with.”

  I stuck my tongue out at him and followed him to Cory’s desk. He wasn’t there yet, so I sat down in his chair and spun it around. I hoped that Aiden wasn’t around. I sneezed, Levi handed me a tissue. I sent him a glare, convinced I was allergic to being near Aiden.

  “Oh Skylar, I’m so glad you’re here,” a soft voice with a heavy accent said.

  I knew that voice. I slammed my feet to the ground to stop the spinning. “Mae what are you doing here?” She was the wife of the owner of my favorite Chinese restaurant. My stomach growled just thinking about it.

  “Oh Lou is missing, I’m so worried.” She started crying.

  Damn, that means no fried rice. Today just sucks.

  “What do you mean Lou is missing?” I got up and went over to her.

  “He didn’t come home last night. I left early because I had a headache. I went straight to bed. When I woke up, he wasn’t home. I went to the re
staurant he wasn’t there either. I don’t know where he’s gone.” She was sniffling.

  “You are here to report him missing?” I asked.

  “Yes, but they said he hasn’t been gone for twenty-four hours yet. I don’t know what to do.”

  “I’ll help you. Let me just finish up here and I’ll meet you at the restaurant.” I covered my mouth and sneezed again. What the hell was I sneezing for?

  “Bless you. Oh, I am so glad you will help. I know you will find my Lou,” she said.

  “Now go on, I’ll be there soon.” I shooed her out the door as I saw Cory coming in.

  “Thank you so very much.” She went out of the building.

  “What’s going on there?” Cory asked.

  “Lou is missing. It’s my case, so don’t worry. I’ll find him before our movie night tonight. Hopefully in time to get some fried rice out of him.”

  “Skylar, a man is missing. You shouldn’t be thinking about food,” Levi said.

  “Oh, whatever, I’m hungry. Why don’t you run over and grab some subs while I finish here?” I gave him my best smile. He just rolled his eyes and walked out.

  “Now what do you need from me, Cory?” I sneezed again. This has to stop.

  “Are you getting sick?”

  “No, I never get sick. I’m just allergic to being here.” That had to be the answer.

  “Right. Well, I need you to sign these statements here.” He spread the papers on his desk. It didn’t take me long to sign them all.

  “If that’s it, I’ll be running along. It looks like Levi is back with my food. I’ll see you tonight at my place. Call when you get off work.” I waved as I walked out the door.

  I ate my sandwich while I drove. “I bet Lou is at some poker game or something.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “It just seems like a good excuse is all. Why else would he be missing? I doubt he has enemies. Do you have any more tissues? My nose is running.”

  “No, use a napkin. Skylar, are you coming down with something?”

  “I don’t get sick. Bugs don’t attack me, they know better.” If I didn’t think I was sick, then it wouldn’t be true.

  “Right, and that is how it all works.” He rolled his eyes at me.

  I sneezed again and wiped my nose on the hard napkin. My nose was irritated. “We need to stop and get me some nice soft tissues with that lotion junk. I don’t want a red nose. I can’t have a red nose. It will clash with my hair.”

  “If you are sick we should go home,” he said.

  “I. Am. Not. Sick. I’m just allergic to stupidity and I’ve had to deal with a lot of it today. Oh, this store should have tissues right?” I pulled into the grocery store parking lot. I didn’t usually do the shopping. Levi liked to do it. Mostly because I couldn’t cook.

  “Whatever you say, Skylar.” I could tell he was laughing at me.

  I sent him a glare as I pulled into a parking spot and was glad he chose to stay in the car. At least I was glad until I stepped into the store. I didn’t know where anything was. I looked around and noticed the signs at the top of all the isles. Perfect. I read them until I found the one I wanted. Then I happily skipped over to the isle between sneezes. I really hoped I wasn’t getting sick. I hated being sick.

  Damn it! Why does there have to be so many choices. I mean who would get the not lotiony kind. I let out a heavy sigh as I read all the labels until I found the ones I wanted. At least it looked like the ones that Levi usually bought.

  I was just dodging around some young mother with a basket full of kids when I ran into a wall of muscle. My heart sank. I didn’t have to look to know who it was. His hands came up to my arms to steady me.

  “Easy there, Skylar. What’s the rush?” Aiden asked.

  “I have to find a missing Chinaman, not that it’s any of your business. My favorite fried rice is on the line.” It fell out of my mouth before I could stop it. Damn it, maybe I was sick. I sneezed again.

  “Are you feeling okay?” he asked.

  I finally looked up at him and glared. “What do you care?” I was about to push him away and get out of there when another voice stopped me.

  A beautiful dark-haired girl about my age came around the corner pushing a cart. “Hey, Aiden, I found all the stuff we need for the evening,” she said excitedly when she saw Aiden.

  I looked between the girl and Aiden. My blood ran cold and it felt like someone stabbed me in the chest.

  “Um, thanks, Zoe,” Aiden mumbled.

  “I have to get back to Levi,” I said as I rushed away. I heard Aiden call me, but I didn’t turn around. I couldn’t.

  “So that was Skylar?” I heard the girl ask. I was too far away before Aiden answered.

  Tears pricked my eyes as I went through the self-checkout line. I couldn’t handle talking to people.

  Once I paid for my tissues, I practically ran back to the jeep. I checked my pocket looking for the keys.

  Levi poked his head out. “The keys are in here. What’s wrong?”

  “Maybe I am sick,” I mumbled.

  “What happened?” he insisted.

  “Nothing.” I started to sniff.

  “Skylar, are you crying?” he asked.

  I bit my lip and did everything I could to push my emotions aside. “Of course I’m not. I never cry. Don’t be ridiculous. Let’s just get to Lou’s and see what happened to him. Then we can get to our moviethon tonight.” I put the jeep into gear and drove out of the lot.

  “If you say so,” he said. I could feel his gaze on me studying me. I knew I wasn’t fooling him, but there was no way I would ever tell him. I never cried over men and I was not about to start now, I decided.

  I drove straight to Lou’s without saying a word to Levi. He kept glancing at me with a concerned look on his face, but he said nothing. It was only a few minutes from the store. I pulled in to find a huge closed sign across the door. My mood darkened even more. I would have no fried rice to make me feel better. Whoever was responsible for Lou’s disappearance was so going to get it. Mae was out front waiting for us.

  I parked the jeep, grabbed my box of tissues, and went to join her. I kept having to wipe my nose. It wouldn’t stop running. I noticed I was feeling achy all over too. I started shivering even though it was near ninety degrees out. Levi didn’t say a word as he walked next to me. I could feel him wanting to though.

  “Come in, let me get you something to drink.” Mae ushered us into the restaurant. It was eerie. No smells were coming from the kitchen. The place felt empty.

  She led us to our favorite table and went to get us some sodas. When she came back she was carrying a giant bowl of soup. Where did she get that from? She set it in front of me.

  “You are sick. Eat this. You will feel better.” She gave me the look that I knew better than to argue with. I sipped on the soup while I listened.

  “So explain what’s going on?” Levi asked.

  “My Lou did not come home. I cannot find him. He is not answering his phone either.” Worry etched lines into her face.

  “Don’t worry I’ll find him,” I said. I mean come on, my fried rice was depending on it. The soup was making me sleepy.

  “His car is still parked in the lot out back,” she said.

  “Let’s go take a look then.” I stood and swayed a little. Then I pasted a smile on my face and went to the back parking lot.

  I saw his old car. It was in good condition Lou always took very good care of his possessions. I looked at the ground as I approached. When I was a few feet away from the car I saw a discoloration on the ground. I leaned down for a better look. My heart sunk a little, it resembled blood stains. Of course I couldn’t be sure without tests.

  I looked up and met Levi’s gaze. He understood what I found without me saying a word. That was good. I didn’t want Mae to know that I suspected it was blood. After standing up, I walked around the blood and went to the car. It was undisturbed. Whatever happened Lou never made it to hi
s car. My head was pounding and it was making it difficult to think.

  “Have you tried contacting his friends or any family?” I turned to Mae.

  “I tried all his friends I could think of.” She was wringing her hands in worry.

  “Does he have a cellphone?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Can you give us your phone information? If we can access your account we can see all calls he made and get all his contacts,” Levi said.

  “Oh, okay,” she said.

  “Come with me you can give me everything we need. Then we will go start our search.” Levi started leading her away. I looked around some more, not finding anything. My head was getting worse and all I wanted to do was take a nap.

  As soon as I walked in the door I went straight for the couch. I didn’t have the energy to even make it to my bed. I kicked off my flip-flops and fell onto the couch. I felt like crap on a cracker.

  “Can I get you anything?” Levi asked.

  “Death bring me death,” I mumbled.

  “Right, I’ll get you something to help you feel better,” he said.

  “You’re going to poison me. That’s okay I’d welcome death.”

  “I am not going to poison you and you are not going to die. I’m sure it’s just a cold. You rest and I will start looking into Lou’s phone.”

  “It’s okay if I die because I may never get fried rice again.”

  “Don’t be melodramatic, Skylar.” He was making noises like he was going through the cupboards.

  “I’m not being melodramatic. I’m dying.”

  “I think that’s hardly likely. Here take this.” He handed me a spoon and some liquid poison.

  “That stuff tastes horrible. Don’t you have any good tasting kind?”

  “Come on, Skylar. I’ll turn on your show for you and get you a blanket and orange juice.” He tried to convince me.

  I sat up and took the stuff from him. He held out a glass of water while I took the medicine. “That stuff is nasty,” I complained.

  “I know, but it will make you feel better. Now, lie down and rest. I’ll get some work in and you can nap.”

  “Okay.” I yawned. He handed me a blanket and pillow, then turned on my favorite show I drifted in and out of sleep.