Page 78 of A Very Un-Shakespeare Romance
“Antacids.”
They shared a smile. “And here I thought you wanted a Benelli M3.”
“That too.”
Sheila gave a pretend swoon. “Oh, gun talk. That’s so sexy.”
It really was, he thought, as he stared at Lily and realized this could be the rest of his life if he wanted it. And he did. God help him, he really did. “Glad that’s settled.”
“I have a request for that equipment list too,” Tara said, garnering their attention. “I need a new wardrobe and a shirt that says Running Wild in rhinestones.”
Lily’s mouth twitched. “I’ll see what we can do, but I don’t think you’re going to complain about the wardrobe I have in mind. Or the accessories. We’re talking luxury brands with loud screaming labels. And wait until you see the car I have in mind that we confiscated from a drug dealer. Tara, you’re going to look like you’ve spent at least three hundred thousand dollars with your new boy toy on vacation.”
“Wow, you guys really mean living large.” She fluffed her unusually flat hair. “Oh, this is going to be fun.”
Lily rested back against the couch next to him, which felt not only right, but perfect. This wasn’t a woman who’d want him to have a different job. This was a woman he could talk cases over with—and she, in turn, could talk her cases through with him. Their passion for each other was as great as their passion for justice. God, he was getting cheesy. He put his arm casually over the back of the sofa, toying with the ends of her hair where no one could see. But deep down it all came down to one truth: she was his perfect partner.
“I think we’ve laid out the initial steps for everyone,” Lily said, very much in charge, a position that looked good on her. “Now, let’s go and catch some bad guys.”
CHAPTERTWENTY
Tim and Tarareturned to the house to play with the girls so Sheila could tell Billie about his so-called “surprise.”
Lily’s nerves were strung tight. Not only for Sheila but for Billie. Robbie insisted on staying in case his brother acted like a jerk. Sheila had only nodded with a fixed smile. Lily knew that smile. It was part of her poker face.
She dragged Robbie into the living room to give her partner and Billie a little privacy in the kitchen, which Sheila had decided was the best place to reveal her cover, joking about the kitchen island being a good barrier.
Billie rapped lightly on the patio door before slicking it open after being welcomed inside. “You part of this surprise too?” he asked, stopping short, seeing them.
Lily cleared her throat. “Sort of. My friend will tell you. She’s in the kitchen.”
“Great!” He craned his neck, heading that way. “Come out, come out, wherever you are.”
Robbie gave a low groan as Lily clenched her teeth.
“Hi, Billie,” she heard her partner say.
“There you are! I hear you have a surprise for me. Where is it?”
“It’s not a physical present,” Sheila responded, irony in her voice. “In fact, you aren’t going to believe it when you hear it.”
Lily heard her partner’s voice drop then, the kind of low mumble she gave when she was giving a field status. Professional. To the point.
“FBI?”After a moment, Billie’s deep belly laugh filled the house. “Summer too?”
Her partner must have nodded, because his laughter became louder. “Oh my God! You’re kidding! I didn’t know Feds could look like you two. Robbie must have lost his shit. Hey, bro? You need a diaper change in there?”
Lily looked over at Robbie, who silently shook his head as if to say he didn’t know how things were going to go down yet. But teasing was good, right?
“And you and—what are your names again?”
“Sheila Morales and Lily Meadows,” her partner answered factually.
“Right. Sheila. Good to meet the real you. So you followed us all the way from Boston, huh? And have been watching the whole time? God, I wish I’d known that last night when I played solitaire and kept an eye out. I’ve never been more worried in my life.”
Honest, Lily thought. No thread of anger in his voice. That was good too.
“You’ve got a gun, right?” he asked.
