Page 101 of Sinful Crimes for the Artistically Inclined
Joe laughed, Percy was well-satisfied with the progress, and he made his move swiftly before the conversation could meander back over shaky ground. Sadly, despite his best effort, his hand was caught and pushed away. “Percy, we have to leave the hotel room sometime.”
Percy flopped back with a groan.
Then came the, “Are we even going to discuss the zombie situation?”
“No, that’s for another chapter,” Percy mumbled.
“Another what?” asked Joe.
Percy pushed the question away with a swish of careless fingers. “Another—I mean—the next—the next thing we do. Whatever it is we do next. We’ll talk about it then.”
Joe eyed him suspiciously, then tentatively asked, “Okay, but we are going to do something about the zombie thing?”
“Soon.”
“How soon?”
“Soon.”
Now it was Joe who, with a sigh, leaned over to kiss Percy’s shapely cheek, but even then he only spoke common sense at him. “I feel like Althea probably wants to get home and get on with her life.”
Percy gave a slight, somewhat childish shrug. “Presumably she’s been missing for years. What difference will a day make?”
“Maybe we should ask her how she feels about that?”
“If we must. Let’s finish breakfast, then I’ll call some criminalsand get her passport sorted.” He rolled onto an arm to look at Joe. “Then we’ll go for cocktails.”
“Percy…” But this smile was irrepressible.
“Then the beach,” Percy insisted. “And somewhere nice for dinner. And I’ll fly her out tomorrow.”
“And we’re just going to pretend we’re not being hunted by an evil princess with who knows how many undead in her thrall?”
“That’s exactly right.” Percy grinned his infuriating grin.
It was ridiculous. It was desirable. It was Percy all over.
“All right,” said Joe, pushing Percy’s thick hair back from that one handsome eyebrow with the scar. “Let’s have a proper holiday. Just for today. You need it.”
“You need it, too.”
Joe slipped his body a little closer, while Percy remained quite still, yet quietly expectant, as, by the second, Joe’s eyes became more and more appreciative of the immaculate form, thoroughly clothed, against his own bare skin. “Well, since we’re on holiday, maybe we can spare another half an hour…”
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
GIORDANO’S BAR
It was somewhere approaching midday when Percy and Joe finally found their way downstairs to the lobby. Percy hadn’t told Joe yet, but all his phone calls to either Althea or Leo that morning had gone unanswered. He’d discovered that around nine a.m., the pair left word for Percy with reception that they would be going shopping. This was something Percy had approved in advance, allowing a four-block radius of the hotel, as Althea had, physically, no more to her name that day than he did. But given that Althea was a wanted person, Percy had assumed Leo would have the good sense to bring her back to the hotel, and to Percy’s lax supervision, as quickly as possible.
He checked his watch again under the guise of straightening a cuff so as not to reveal any concern to Joe, but then he heard a laugh from the adjoining bar, where his darkening gaze immediately settled. Percy made a path towards the sound.
“Cocktails already?” asked Joe.
“I’m meeting an associate here,” said Percy. Which was true. He had called his favourite criminal, Luca, with whomhe’d had a long and relatively trusting relationship, and that was, ultimately, what finally brought them both downstairs.
Yet that laugh tinkled again, sounding exactly like a drunk teenage girl.
Joe caught it this time, quickening his pace, even as Percy slowed his.
