What Hides Inside: Bay City Paranormal Investigations, Book 2

Me If You Can
© 2010 LB Gregg
    Romano and Albright, Book 1
Lowly art gallery assistant Caesar Romano is freely out of the closet. Now he’d just like to get out of his Nana’s guest room. Everything—his reputation and his financial freedom—is riding on the success of tonight’s gallery opening. If only he could shake free of the past so easily.
A mysterious gatecrasher, Dan Green, looks like a promising addition to his pending new life—until Caesar’s ex shows up and suddenly the opening disintegrates into a half-naked dance melee. When the glitter settles, a missing sculpture of Justin Timberlake has Caesar up to his eyebrows in extortion, intrigue and a wild sexual adventure underneath, inside, and on top of a variety of furnishings.
As the cast of suspects piles up, so do the questions. Like who’s really blackmailing whom? And what does a stolen paint-by-numbers clown matter when Dan is so outrageously capable of blowing Caesar’s resistance to smithereens?
Warning: This book contains graphic language, sex, lies, intrigue, clowns, kleptomania, anal sex, oral sex, mutual masturbation, bad driving, good cooking, and the missing head of a Justin Timberlake statue. Not for the sour of disposition.
    Enjoy the following excerpt for Catch Me If You Can: “Hey. Take a look at this.”
    Dan was in the second bedroom, a guestroom as beautiful as the rest of the place. A four-poster kingsized bed took up most of the room.
    “What?” I grouched.
    The front door rattled and, horrified, I grabbed Dan by the jacket. “I knew this would happen.”
I dragged him toward the closet, but it was overflowing with neatly hung clothing and stacks of shoeboxes. I gaped in shock. “Ferragamo?”
Dan nodded toward the armoire. I shook my head.
We both stared at the bed.
There was a lot of clearance, given the thing had stairs. I lifted the bed skirt. “Slide under.”
The front door opened to the sound of Shep’s charming, lackadaisical voice as we scurried under the bed like the fearful intruders we were. I flipped the bed skirt down. There was barely three inches of space to see. Dan lay flat to better watch the hall, although what we would do if we were discovered wasn’t clear to me. I just closed my eyes and concentrated on not hyperventilating.
“Calm down, Romano.”
I peeked and Dan wasn’t paying attention to the crack of daylight. He watched me. I swear he was laughing. I nodded stiffly. I’d have to accept that I was a source of entertainment for the demented detective.
Shep’s voice got weaker momentarily—perhaps he’d gone into the bathroom or the kitchen, and another voice, this one female, filled the apartment.
“That’s Estelle. His agent,” I whispered.
She was loud. “I don’t care. You need to do as you’re told or this thing is going to fall through and this is a huge opportunity. You signed a contract, Mac.”
“I know. I don’t think anyone knows.”
“Everyone knows. You could have warned me last night. I had to listen to him rant for half an hour. That bastard will sue us both. Don’t fuck this up.”
They were in the living room. The sound of feet on the wood flooring came nearer. Unless Estelle wore fancy man shoes, that had to be Shep. He went into the room next to us. A door opened. He was changing maybe.
“I’ll deal with it. Caesar isn’t going to tell anyone. He hasn’t yet. And his family doesn’t care. No one else knows. I was circumspect. It was just a stupid thing I did in college. It was years ago. It didn’t mean anything.”
I nearly popped out from under the bed. Dan grabbed hold of my wrist. “Be still.”
Shep went on, “He was pretty insistent. I slept with him a few times, that’s it.”
I opened my mouth, and Dan’s hand slapped down to shut it. “Shh.” I nodded and his hand slowly slid away, his fingertips trailing my chin. Was he petting me?
The click of Estelle’s heels faded, as did Shep’s plodding, well-clad feet.
She snapped, “Who knew back then, Mac?”
“No one. No one except my cousin, Poppy. That’s it. And Ce’s family. That’s all.”
“No one since then, right? I need you to think about your answer because I’d rather be prepared to handle some kind of PR situation than get blindsided. A good offense is the best defense. I want full disclosure. You understand?”
“I…” Shep’s voice wavered, and my breath froze as hope reared itself. Would he do it? Could he? And then that spineless dick lied again. “No one. I’m