Part 9 (1/2)
TUESDAY, 4:45 P.M.
Senator Frank Hoffman leaned back in his leather chair and looked at the guns hanging on his wall. Each one had a story behind it. Some stories were more interesting than others.
His eyes focused in on the antique revolvers. His collection. His pride and joy. Guns like the 1894 Colt Bisley. Or the .44 caliber Wild Bill Hickok's ”Dead Man's Hand” 1851 ”Aces & Eights” Black Powder Revolver. Thirty-four different weapons in all. He'd invested a small fortune in them.
He looked at his desk, clear of everything except the piece of paper with the words.
IT'S NOT OVER.
”Sir?”
Frank jumped and looked up to find Ian, a faithful employee of two decades, standing in the door. ”What is it, Ian?”
”You asked for the car. It's ready.”
”Oh, right. Thank you.”
”Do you wish me to drive you somewhere?”
Ian, always ready, always available. ”No thank you, not today.”
Ian inclined his head in acknowledgment, turned on his heel, and left.
Frank reached out and picked up the note one more time. Simple block letters. A simple message that he more than understood.
Time was of the essence as the election crept closer.
As he slipped the note into his drawer, he stood and grabbed his suit coat from the back of his chair. When his phone rang, he paused, debated whether to answer it or not, then sat back down and grabbed the handset. ”Well?”
”The plan is in motion.”
Frank paused. ”What is the plan, exactly?”
A low chuckle reached his ear. ”I don't think I'll share that. I'm not sure you would approve.”
”Will this plan find Jillian?”
”Of course. That's the goal, is it not?”
”Then I approve.”
11.
TUESDAY, 6:04 P.M.
Serena juggled the grocery bag into the crook of her left elbow, reached up with her right hand, and knocked on Dominic's door. Her eyes scanned the surroundings behind her.
Driving over here, she could have sworn someone had been following her. But now, with the sun still s.h.i.+ning and children playing catch in the yard across the street, she felt silly, paranoid. Still jumpy after what had happened to Howard. Sadness invaded her. She wished she could have saved him.
The door opened and Dominic grinned down at her. ”Welcome.”
Shoving the sadness away, she smiled. ”Thanks.”
Dominic took the bag from her and motioned her in. ”What's all this?”
”We're going to have a little contest.” She followed him into the kitchen.
”A what?”
He started pulling items out of the bag and Serena suppressed a smile. ”A pizza contest.”
”Ah,” he said as realization dawned. ”You're going to make a pizza and we're going to see what's best-takeout or Pizza a la Serena, right?”
”Yes.”
He chuckled. ”There's about an hour backup on pizza delivery tonight. You get yours ready and I'll set the oven to heat up when you need it.”
”Good. That'll be a fair and square win.” She grinned as she gathered the supplies and got to work. She'd already prepared the dough, so it only took a few minutes to spread the sauce, cheese, and toppings and then pop the concoction in his oven.
Dominic set the oven to turn on in half an hour, then cast a sideways glance at her. ”You're crazy.”
She smirked. ”We'll see who's crazy when you taste my pizza.”
Still laughing, Dominic herded her into the den area.
Surprise hit her as she entered. Comfortable and bright, thanks to the large window on the opposite wall, it wasn't the typical bachelor home.
Tasteful curtains, cla.s.sy oriental rugs, and comfortable navy blue furniture filled the room. The flat screen television mounted on the wall opposite the couch told Serena how he spent some of his downtime. But the thing that caught her attention was the train circling the perimeter of the room just above her head.
The scent of fresh mint filled the air. ”Alexia helped you do this, didn't she?”
He laughed. ”A little. It's not fancy, but the rent was right and the air-conditioning works great.”
”It's really nice,” Serena said. ”Love the train.” She watched a few seconds and said, ”The detail is incredible. Even down to the little puff of smoke from the engine. Amazing.”
He smiled, a gleam of pride in his eyes. ”Thanks.”
She could see Katie sitting on the couch, her nose buried in a file. At Serena's entrance, she looked up and said, ”Hey.”
Hunter had the recliner and Alexia had made herself at home on the floor in front of the fireplace.
Serena looked around her and lifted a brow. ”It looks like a dozen filing cabinets exploded in here.”
Dominic returned to the den area and nodded. ”I got permission to bring this home. I have more room to spread out and it's more convenient if I want to work on it in the middle of the night.”
Serena wondered what that last comment meant. Did he have trouble sleeping? It wouldn't surprise her considering his line of work. Sometimes her job kept her up nights too.