Private Dick Casefile 01 - Lily White Rose Red

woman with hundreds of people dancing right outside the door.
    He reached for her, intent only upon his plan, wrapping his big hands around her vulnerable throat, and started to squeeze.
    Lily was a good student; she remembered what I’d taught her. She clasped her hands together and thrust them upward between his, her shoulders breaking his hold and pushing his hands away.
    By then I was there, ready to take over.
    I guess I had something to prove both to myself and to Big Billy.
    His gun was safely stowed inside his buttoned-up jacket, so I didn’t pull mine, either. I’d take him with my hands, and damn the six inches he had on me.

    Lily White, Rose Red: Grey Randall, Private Dick Casefile #1
    183

    I grabbed the back of his jacket and yanked him away from Lily.
    He was quick for a big man, and he turned to find out who was behind him. I knew he had the advantage of reach on me, so I braced my hand on the marble counter and leveraged a foot up to kick him in the balls.
    He twisted away, and I caught his hip. He grunted and bent over, bringing himself closer to my height.
    Before he could straighten up, I grabbed his wrist with my left and hung onto him so he couldn’t dodge the full force of my blow as I punched up under his jaw, following it up with a quick chop to his throat.
    He gagged and put both hands up to his neck, leaving his torso unprotected. I planted my hand on his chest and drove him back against the wall. He gave a gurgling scream that caught my attention, because I hadn’t pushed him that hard. He brought his fists down, and I could see I wasn’t the only one willing to fight through the pain. I had to make this quick, or he would have me.
    I feinted a right hook at his jaw, and when he covered up, I nailed him in the middle of his chest with a short jab, right over his heart.
    He screamed loud that time and slid down the wall, gasping in pain.
    “Lily, your gun.”
    “I’ve got him covered,” she said in a raspy voice I hadn’t heard from her before.
    I glanced over my shoulder to see her aiming the gun at his head with both hands outstretched in front of her. “Hold that thought,” I instructed her.
    I pulled Billy’s tie off, much like he’d done to me at my office. In fact, I liked the parallel so much, I ripped his shirt open, scattering the buttons everywhere, just to drive it home that our positions had been reversed. Now I was in the driver’s seat. He tried to kick me, and he had long legs. He might have tried again until he heard the click as Lily cocked her gun.
    “I wouldn’t try that again, Captain,” she said grimly. “You present a tempting target, and I’ve never been one to resist temptation 184

    CATT FORD

    too vigorously.”
    We were both staring at the bandage on his chest when the door opened and Max Hamilton walked in, except he wasn’t Max Hamilton.
    He was clearly attending our private party as Mr. X, his face cold and implacable. His two goons, Brownie and Stevens, followed him inside.
    Hard behind them was Phil Martin. I’d never seen him look so grim. He shot one quick glance at me, but then he went back to helping Mr. X
    glare at Captain Woods.
    Clearly, despite my insistence that Phil Martin be considered as one of the suspects, someone had told him what was going on. The look on his face told me that to Max and Lily, there was no doubt he’d earned the right to be there as one of them, to look Marguerite’s killer in the face. To tell the truth, I was so glad it turned out not to be him I couldn’t be too pissed.
    If it hadn’t been for the situation, it might have given me a laugh to see Mr. X and his muscle standing around in the dainty ladies’ room, especially with such menacing faces.
    Celestine and George came back in and took their places behind Brownie and Stevens. No one gave them a second glance, like they had a perfect right to be there. And Celestine had accessorized her ensemble with a gun, holding it steady on Captain Woods.
    I put out my hand to rip off the bandage, and Big Billy made a grab to block me.
    “Hold it, Woods,” Mr. X commanded in a voice that sent shivers up my spine.
    Apparently it didn’t do much for Big Billy’s temperature, either, because he froze in place.
    At that moment the door opened again, and a society dame stood there staring at us all stuck in place. The look of shock on her face was priceless. It didn’t take her long to scope the scene before she backed out and fast. Brownie moved to