Cold Blooded by Bernard Lee DeLeo Read Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Bernard Lee DeLeo
Tags: thriller
Grace had already lost it and was howling in laughter while trying to repeat his threats to Tim. She didn’t come back on for a minute.
“Okay, Nick, head home, watch your back.”
“And you’ll have an ‘I Love Dad’ tattoo on your ass, and…” Nick heard Grace losing it again and then the disconnect. He handed the phone back to Rachel, who had been playing Hangman with Jean on a sheet of notebook paper.
“That sounded like a very strange conversation,” Rachel noted.
“Can we go now?” Jean asked.
With Mother and Daughter both looking at him almost with the same expression, the resemblance was startling to Nick. The blonde hair tied back coupled with light blue eyes made him smile. “This is like traveling with the Double-mint Twins.”
Rachel laughed but Jean looked at him as if he had just landed from outer space.
“C’mon, we can go now. The good part is we’re not all that far from my place.”
An hour later, Nick pulled into his driveway, stopping where he could carry their bags into the house easily. Rachel gasped as motion detector security lights came on and she saw the huge Victorian house with a white picket fence.
“I’ve never seen anything like this.” Rachel stepped out of the Malibu and stared up at the house front. Is there a place for Deke in the back?”
“If he’s housebroken and doesn’t chew on furniture, he can stay inside. I do have a fenced-in backyard he’ll like. I’ll check my security system and then we’ll go inside. I’ll haul in the luggage after I let you three in.”
Nick led them up the stairs in front to his porch where he checked and then deactivated his security system. He left the door open so Deke could rove around his small front lawn while he unloaded the car.
“Oh my God.” Rachel stared around her. “This is gorgeous.”
“Thanks.” Nick pointed straight ahead. “The kitchen is in there and there’s a bathroom on the way. I’ll go check my upstairs security cams before I unload the car.”
Nick jogged upstairs and did a room by room search. He never left the house without locking away all his gear in a small vault within the safe room downstairs. After making sure the safe room upstairs could be shown and all else was in order, Nick went downstairs to begin unloading the Chevy with Deke dogging his every step. When the luggage was inside, Nick went into the kitchen, where Rachel and Jean sat in a comfortable but awed silence.
“We can take whatever necessary bags you need upstairs now and you two can unpack the rest tomorrow,” Nick offered. “Help yourself to anything in the cupboards and refrigerator.”
“Nick…this is too much.”
“Too much what?”
“We’ve never stayed in a place like this before,” Jean said. “Not even in New York.”
Deke ‘grumpfed’ and laid down on the kitchen floor, head on paws.
“Deke doesn’t look that impressed so follow his lead. Pick out the bags you can’t sleep without and I’ll take you to your rooms.”
Other than having Carol and Dan over, Nick had never had anyone inside his house. He did his own housecleaning and gardening. Rachel and Jean picked out a couple of bags to take with them upstairs, and followed Nick to their adjoining rooms to the right of the staircase.
“You two can fight it out as to who sleeps in which room,” Nick joked. “I’m down at the other end of the hall if you need me.”
“Where do you usually write?” Rachel asked, after Jean called first and ran into the room on her right.
“I have a balcony you probably noticed from below. Normally, I do most of my writing out there. I take my notebook computer along everywhere I go when I’m on my home turf, so if I get some inspiration, I have the tools along with me to work. Lighthouse Avenue is my favorite walkway and the beach is usually my destination.”
“I don’t know what to say. I envy you.”
Nick gestured with his hands. “I love this place. Would you like to see the
“Okay, Nick, head home, watch your back.”
“And you’ll have an ‘I Love Dad’ tattoo on your ass, and…” Nick heard Grace losing it again and then the disconnect. He handed the phone back to Rachel, who had been playing Hangman with Jean on a sheet of notebook paper.
“That sounded like a very strange conversation,” Rachel noted.
“Can we go now?” Jean asked.
With Mother and Daughter both looking at him almost with the same expression, the resemblance was startling to Nick. The blonde hair tied back coupled with light blue eyes made him smile. “This is like traveling with the Double-mint Twins.”
Rachel laughed but Jean looked at him as if he had just landed from outer space.
“C’mon, we can go now. The good part is we’re not all that far from my place.”
An hour later, Nick pulled into his driveway, stopping where he could carry their bags into the house easily. Rachel gasped as motion detector security lights came on and she saw the huge Victorian house with a white picket fence.
“I’ve never seen anything like this.” Rachel stepped out of the Malibu and stared up at the house front. Is there a place for Deke in the back?”
“If he’s housebroken and doesn’t chew on furniture, he can stay inside. I do have a fenced-in backyard he’ll like. I’ll check my security system and then we’ll go inside. I’ll haul in the luggage after I let you three in.”
Nick led them up the stairs in front to his porch where he checked and then deactivated his security system. He left the door open so Deke could rove around his small front lawn while he unloaded the car.
“Oh my God.” Rachel stared around her. “This is gorgeous.”
“Thanks.” Nick pointed straight ahead. “The kitchen is in there and there’s a bathroom on the way. I’ll go check my upstairs security cams before I unload the car.”
Nick jogged upstairs and did a room by room search. He never left the house without locking away all his gear in a small vault within the safe room downstairs. After making sure the safe room upstairs could be shown and all else was in order, Nick went downstairs to begin unloading the Chevy with Deke dogging his every step. When the luggage was inside, Nick went into the kitchen, where Rachel and Jean sat in a comfortable but awed silence.
“We can take whatever necessary bags you need upstairs now and you two can unpack the rest tomorrow,” Nick offered. “Help yourself to anything in the cupboards and refrigerator.”
“Nick…this is too much.”
“Too much what?”
“We’ve never stayed in a place like this before,” Jean said. “Not even in New York.”
Deke ‘grumpfed’ and laid down on the kitchen floor, head on paws.
“Deke doesn’t look that impressed so follow his lead. Pick out the bags you can’t sleep without and I’ll take you to your rooms.”
Other than having Carol and Dan over, Nick had never had anyone inside his house. He did his own housecleaning and gardening. Rachel and Jean picked out a couple of bags to take with them upstairs, and followed Nick to their adjoining rooms to the right of the staircase.
“You two can fight it out as to who sleeps in which room,” Nick joked. “I’m down at the other end of the hall if you need me.”
“Where do you usually write?” Rachel asked, after Jean called first and ran into the room on her right.
“I have a balcony you probably noticed from below. Normally, I do most of my writing out there. I take my notebook computer along everywhere I go when I’m on my home turf, so if I get some inspiration, I have the tools along with me to work. Lighthouse Avenue is my favorite walkway and the beach is usually my destination.”
“I don’t know what to say. I envy you.”
Nick gestured with his hands. “I love this place. Would you like to see the