Nick’s arms automatically clasped her close. She buried her head in his chest, relishing in his strength, his comfort, and his security. It felt so good there for a moment she didn’t want to leave the shelter of his embrace.

Then she noticed the man standing behind Nick. She sucked in her breath, her eyes widening at the sight.

Nick glanced over his shoulder as he reluctantly loosened his grip on Darcy.

“Oh, yeah, meet my brother Nate. He’s a cop, too. Gangs division.”

She recognized him then. The man with long, straight hair who had been with Nick at the bar that night. He waggled his fingers and nodded at her.

Darcy was taken aback by his handsomeness. He looked much like his brother but with a hipper vibe. Where Nick was dressed in his usual dark suit, which looked great, Nate wore faded jeans and a tight black T-shirt over his rock-hard physique. His eyes were as frosty blue as his brother’s, but Nick was clean shaven, and Nate sported a lush, trimmed moustache. While their hair was almost identical in color Nick wore his in an almost military cut while Nate’s was lush, sun-streaked and long and loose around his shoulders.

She really preferred Nick’s looks, despite Nate’s obvious sexiness. But what the hell was she doing? Now was not the time to be comparing the brothers’ sexiness. Good Lord, it must be shock. Yeah, that was it. Shock.

“Tell me exactly what happened, Darcy.” The sound of his voice brought her back to reality.

“Oh, okay. Oh, Nick, I was so scared. I’d just finished with the last trick-or-treater. Wow, she was a real heartbreaker. So cute, about five years old. Her mom told me her dad had been killed in a drive-by shooting last week. She cried, I cried, her mama cried.” She knew she was babbling but couldn’t seem to stop herself.

“Darcy, what happened to the window?” He looked towards the broken glass that lay scattered on the floor.

“Oh, yeah, well, I had just come in and shut the door and turned off the porch light. I was just standing here thinking when bam! There was this great big crash and glass flew everywhere. The rug caught on fire, but I used the extinguisher and got it out. Then I called you.”

“Where exactly were you when the window broke?”

“I was standing right here.” She moved into the living room just a couple feet from where the pumpkin lay. “I was just thinking, and then everything exploded.”

“Okay. Why don’t you go wait in the kitchen? I’ll look around, and I’ve got backup on the way. Oh, looks like they’re here now.” Nick looked out at the flashing lights that pulled up out front as they cast eerie shadows against the wall.

Darcy agreed and slipped quietly out of the room as Nick opened the door for the other officers. She sat at the kitchen table and wrapped her arms around her chest as the shakes began to take over. A wave of nausea swept over her, and for a moment she felt faint.

“Hey, how you holding up?” Nate walked in to join her and sat across the table.

“I’m starting to fall apart I think,” Darcy confessed. “Damn, I don’t want to be wrapped up in all this.”

“I understand. Nobody wants to get caught up in this kind of mess.” Nate’s voice was solemn. “But sometimes things happen that we just can’t control. I’m interested in your situation, too, because Pasquale is definitely involved in the Bad Ass Banditos gang. He’s a big man in charge. He’s into a lot of bad stuff.”

“So I’ve heard. I just can’t figure out why he came after Papa.”

“It wasn’t Papa they were after. It was his son.”

“What? Rico?” Shock ran through her body as his words sank in. Rico seemed like a quiet, hardworking guy. He’d always been straight and kept his nose clean as far as Darcy could tell.

“Rico wasn’t what he seemed. He was into the dark side. He dealt drugs. He laundered money through the restaurant. He was also greedy. He tried to pull one over on the Banditos.”

“Rico? Are you sure?” She had trouble envisioning the young man with the receding hairline and bulging midline involved in such underhanded dealings.

“Positive. We’d been planning on busting him a day or two after he was killed.”

Darcy sat and let his words sink in. It seemed so impossible.

“Darcy.” She jerked as she heard her name called and looked up to find Nick entering the room, the pumpkin clutched in his gloved hands. Without a word he held it up and let her read the message that was carved into the orange flesh:

 

SHUT UP BITCH

 

Her breath caught in her throat as she read the words. There was no doubting the message she was being sent.

She stared at the orange globe. The words sank in and sparked a flame of anger. How dare they threaten her. She’d now been attacked in her own home, and that pissed her off.

She felt her spine stiffen. She looked straight into Nick’s eyes and uttered, “Let’s get this bastard.”

He returned her gaze, and a grin spread across his face. “That’s the plan, ma’am.”

 

Crime scene investigators scurried around gathering what little evidence there was. When she was given the go-ahead, Darcy started cleaning up the scattered glass. Nick and Nate found a large sheet of plywood in the garage and nailed it up over the gaping hole in the wall. Finally, Darcy went to the kitchen and put a pot of coffee on, and they gathered around the table for a well-deserved break.

“You guys must be hungry. Have some cake. I just made it this morning.”

Both men accepted a piece of the flaky chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and dug in with enthusiasm. Darcy poured the coffee and finally collapsed into a chair herself.

“Now comes the big question. Is there anyone you could stay with tonight? I don’t think you should stay here alone.” Nick paused in enjoying his cake to eye her seriously. “It’s not safe.”

Darcy’s mind immediately flashed to Sophie, but unfortunately, she was out of town. There was no one else that she could think of. She had some friends from her former job, but she wouldn’t feel right asking them to put her up. She shook her head reluctantly.

“There’s only Sophie, and she’s away this weekend.”

“I really don’t like the thought of you staying here by yourself.”

“I’ll be fine.”

A look of skepticism crossed his face.

“No, I will. I’m a big girl.”

“Not that big.”

Darcy shot him a hot glare while Nate grinned as they debated.

Darcy was about to make an angry retort when her cell phone rang. She pulled it out of the pocket of her witch costume. She glanced at the caller ID, expecting it to be Sophie, but instead it was a number she didn’t recognize.  She followed an instinct and put the phone on speaker before answering. Her voice sounded questioning as she said, “Hello?”

“Did you like my little present?” A slimy voice came across the line, and Darcy’s eyes grew wide. Nick and Nate both came to attention, their spines stiffening.

“Who…who is this?” Darcy stammered.

“Who is this?” he mimicked. “Lady, I’m your worst nightmare.”

“What do you want?”

“I want you to keep your mouth shut, got it?”

“About what?”

“Don’t get smart. You know I’m talking about what happened at Papa’s Place.”

“How do you know I know anything about it?” She couldn’t believe she was bold enough to ask the question.

“I know everything. There are no secrets from me.”

“You sound pretty sure of yourself.”

“I am. I have my ways. I can find out anything.”

“Then you ought to know I won’t have a choice in the matter. I’ll get subpoenaed even if I don’t voluntarily testify.”

“Okay, play stupid, bitch, and see where that gets you. You don’t have to tell them anything. You forgot, that’s all.”

“I…I’m not a good liar.”

“Well, you better learn fast, lady, because if you don’t, you’ll be dead. Got it? If you testify against me, you’ll die. And it won’t be an easy way to go.”

His voice was a hiss by the time he stopped talking…and then he was gone.