Fatal Series 00 - Fatal Destiny

of me. They all match yours.”
    “All right then, which one do you like best for him?”
    “I like them all, or I wouldn’t have brought them to you.”
    “Just for the record—you’re no help at all.”
    Shelby giggled. “I beg to differ.”
    Sam looked the rings over again and kept coming back to the first one—classic and elegant, but not flashy. Just like him. “This one.” She held it up for Shelby.
    “Excellent. Now what would you like to have engraved inside?”
    Sam blanched. “ Engraved? I have to engrave something?”
    “Well, it is customary.”
    “What did he put in mine?”
    Shelby rolled her eyes. “Stop asking me that stuff.”
    Sam rested her hand on her weapon. “I could make you tell me.”
    “No, you couldn’t.”
    “You’re awful ballsy, Tinker Bell. I gotta give you that.”
    “I have to be to manage you.”
    A knock on the door interrupted them. “Unless you’re Stahl, enter.”
    Freddie entered. “Definitely not Stahl.”
    “What’s up, Cruz?”
    “I can come back when you’re not busy.”
    “Help me out here—what should I have engraved inside Nick’s ring?”
    “You haven’t decided that yet?”
    “Thank you,” Shelby said. “A man after my own heart.”
    “You’re too old for him,” Sam said, earning a glare from Shelby. Returning her attention to Freddie, she handed him the ring she had chosen. “You like this one?”
    He took it from her, examined it from every angle and held it up to the light. “Yep. That works.”
    “So what do I put inside?”
    Shelby reached into her bag and withdrew yet another piece of paper. “Here are some suggestions.”
    Sam scanned the list and passed it to Freddie. “Nothing really jumps out at me.”
    “Personally, I like ‘Someone to watch over me,’ because you certainly need that,” Freddie said, which got him a scowl from his boss and a snort from Shelby.
    “If you don’t have anything productive to add, hit the road,” Sam said to her partner.
    “I need to talk to you about Gardner when you’re free.”
    “Give me five.”
    “Good ring choice,” Freddie said on his way out. “Nick will like it.”
    Shelby leaned in to whisper to Sam. “He hasn’t RSVP’d for the wedding yet.”
    “Huh?”
    Shelby shrugged.
    Sam couldn’t imagine why Freddie hadn’t replied to the invitation. “I’ll talk to him.”
    “Now, about the inscription…”
    “I think I know what I want,” Sam said, feeling embarrassed. “It’s kind of hokey, but it works for us.”
    Shelby reached for a pen. “Ready when you are.”
    “How about, ‘You’re my home. Always, Samantha.’”
    Shelby looked up at her, clearly startled.
    “What? That’s stupid, isn’t it?”
    “Not at all.” Shelby wrote it down. “In fact, I think it’s just right. I’ll get the ring over to the engraver.” She got busy gathering up her belongings. “We should be all set now.”
    “What about Scotty’s gift to Nick? The Fenway Park cake? That’s good to go, right?”
    “I was over there earlier to check on their progress. It’ll be fabulous.”
    “Scotty is so excited about that.”
    “With good reason. Nick will love it.”
    Thinking about the other gift she’d procured for Nick and Scotty made Sam smile. She couldn’t wait to give it to them on Friday. “Shelby?”
    “Yes, ma’am?”
    “You did a great job of keeping the crazy away from me. I appreciate that, and I’m sorry if I was a bit of a handful.”
    “I meet a lot of brides and grooms, but every so often I get to work with a couple so absolutely perfect together that it’s my pleasure to do whatever it takes to ensure their day is every bit as perfect as they are for each other.” She leaned in to squeeze Sam’s hand. “I’ll see you Friday, and don’t worry about a thing.”
    “I won’t,” Sam said, taken aback by Shelby’s compliment.
    “Get those vows written,” Shelby called over her shoulder as she left in a cloud of pink.
    “Oh my God,” Sam moaned, dropping her head to her desk once again. “ Vows! ”
     
    “What’ve you got on Gardner?” Sam asked Freddie.
    “I dug into some of his priors, and it seems nothing ever sticks to him. He’s managed to plead his way to probation for charges that should’ve gotten him locked up for years.”
    “You’re thinking he’s pulled this intimidation thing before.”
    “Seems possible.”
    “Except we can’t exactly go around interviewing former assistant U.S. attorneys about something