Marc (Bowen Boys, #4)(3)
Mia came back and said that one of his brothers was there to see him. He told everyone to find what they could on their victim and went to his office. He nearly left again when he saw Khan standing there.
“Have you found anything yet?” He shook his head and sat. “Damn it, Marc, you were supposed to find a vacation package for Mom and Dad over a week ago. What the hell is taking you so f*cking long?”
“First you only asked me to look three days ago. And, second, I’m still under the opinion that sending them away on a cruise while you remodel the house is a bad idea. Mom likes her house just the way it is.” Khan sat down and glared. “You can act like you’re pissed at me all you want, but Monica agrees with me. Mom is going to be pissed when they come back and find that strangers have not only been in their home, but moved things around as well.”
“What the hell am I supposed to do then? You tell me? Their house needs to be updated and modernized or it’s going to fall down on them one of these days.” Marc agreed with that and wished they’d just move in with Dylan and Jack as planned. But they were being stubborn and saying that newlyweds needed their alone time. They were both driving them all crazy.
“Why don’t you talk to them about your plans like we’ve been saying to you for weeks? This is going to make them mad anyway that you’re being highhanded.” Marc left off the “again” in favor of keeping all his teeth. “Mom’s still pissed at you for buying her and dad a new car.”
“After we had to go pick her up twice at the store I had to do something. Besides, when she takes the kids somewhere, she needs a more reliable car. And for your information, they both like it now.”
He knew they did. His mom just told him that morning that she was in love with the little SUV. Marc sat up in his chair and regarded his brother. He’d never seen him so relaxed before. Monica was good for him. Having a mate had the exact same effect on his older brothers. And he was happy for them. Jealous, too, if he was truthful about it.
Marc knew that he’d lost his chance at love a long time ago, as did his family. The female, Sonya Deed, a teenager he knew, had been his mate but had been killed in an automobile accident when she’d been seventeen and him only a year older. They didn’t love one another and had only kissed, but it had been enough to break his heart and close it off even after all this time.
“Look, Khan, talk to her. She might surprise you. I’m willing to pay for the cruise myself if you just let them know what you want to do and ask them for her input. They might surprise you.” Khan shifted in the seat and glared. “You can be grouchy with me all you want, but you know I’m right.”
“Monica said the same thing. She said that when they came back and saw the house, they might move away and not live in the area again. She said that’s what she would do if I was highhanded like that with her.” Khan got up to pace. “You’re right. Not that I’ll tell anyone I said that, but you are. I’ll talk to them tonight.”
After he left, Marc picked up the phone and called his sister-in-law. “Well, Mon, it worked. He’s going to talk to them tonight. Good job in giving him hell.”
Her laugher made him smile. “He might live a bit longer if he would just listen to me on occasion. I tell you that man is as stubborn as Caitlynne is on a good day.”
He agreed with her and told her he’d be over on Saturday if the case he was working on looked any better. “It’s an odd one. The woman was killed and someone tried to make it look like a big animal did it.”
“Probably her husband. I’m sure you checked, but see if she had any insurance on her. I’ve been tempted to do the same with Khan lately.” He told her that he had and there was nothing out of the ordinary there.
After they hung up, he went back to his meeting room and looked at the file. The husband was their first suspect, but he wasn’t even in town when it happened, and the house had been ransacked too. Marc knew that the only way he was going to get his solved was if he went there and looked around himself.
“I’m going to go to the crime scene for a couple of weeks, maybe. Will you be all right until I get back? And I swear to you I’ll hire the first person who looks like they can answer the phone when I get back.” Mia glared at him when he told her. “I have been trying to find someone you like.”
“I know you have.” She stood up and stretched her back. “I’m so tired all I want to do is lie down on this desk and sleep until I go into labor. I’ll keep looking while you’re gone and if I find someone, you can interview them when you get back.”
“If you find someone, hire them. I trust you. And you know what package and insurance whoever you hire will get, so go for it. Like I said, I trust you.” She nodded. “And if she’s single and pretty, make sure you tell them what a great boss I am and how much fun I am.”
She snorted. “Like you’d even ask her out. You’re like a hermit. It’s work, home, and work again. How you going to meet Miss Right if that’s the only places you go to see women?”
“I saw the woman I want and you got married to Jake. My loss is his gain, I suppose, but I think I see you more so it works out.” He grinned when she slapped his arm playfully. “Besides, I don’t have to get up in the middle of the night when the babies cry. I can just hear about it.”