kind of takes the pressure off of us for the rest of the competition, doesn’t it?”
Bob frowned. “You may look at it however you choose to, but I’m not taking this so lightly. I’ve got a friend in Charlotte who owes me a favor. I’m going to have him dig into Ms. Lance’s background, as well as check to see if her suspicions are true about Luigi and the Charlotte pizza makers.”
“Don’t burn any favors you might need later on down the road on our account,” Maddy said. “In the end, it’s just not all that important.”
“If it matters to you, it impacts me,” Bob said as he started to leave a tip. The waiter spied what he was doing, and then quickly returned it to him. “Thank you for the intent, but it has all been taken care of,” he said, “gratuities included. Have a pleasant evening.”
“Thank you,” Bob said, and we all echoed it.
“Well, ladies, you have an hour and a half to kill before the next competition. Care to share it with us?” David asked.
“As tempting as the offers sounds, I’m afraid that I’ll have to decline,” Bob said as he glanced at his watch. “I’m due in court soon.” He kissed Maddy good-bye, and after he was gone, David grinned at us both. “That suits me just fine. Now I get the both of you to myself.”
“Be careful what you wish for,” Maddy said with a grin. “Besides, I think I’m going to stretch out and rest before we get started again. Luigi arranged for us all to have rooms, and I mean to use mine.”
“If you don’t mind, David, that sounds great to me, too,” I said.
My boyfriend just laughed as he shook his head and said, “I can’t believe that I was just shot down twice in two seconds. If I didn’t have an overinflated ego, something like that might sting a little.”
I kissed him, and then gently shoved him away. “Don’t worry. I’ll make it up to you another time.”
He grinned broadly now. “That sounds great to me. You know me. I just love rain checks!”
We took the elevator upstairs to our rooms after David left us, but we didn’t make it inside right away.
There was something much more interesting than a nap going on in the hallway, something that neither one of us was willing to miss.
Chapter 5
“Y ou’ll do what I tell you to do, or believe me, I’ll make you suffer for your disobedience,” we heard Luigi say somewhere down the hallway. All of the contestants were staying close together on the same floor, along with Luigi and his employees, Jack Acre and Frank Vincent, so he could be talking to anyone.
I grabbed Maddy’s arm and pulled her into the small room where the ice machine and a vending machine stood. I didn’t want him to see us just yet. After all, we might learn a great deal more about the man if he didn’t know that we were listening in.
“Who’s he talking to?” Maddy asked me softly.
I shrugged. “Whoever it is hasn’t replied, at least not loud enough for me to hear them. It could practically be anybody.”
There was a moment’s silence, and then Luigi said, “I’m not playing around here. If you cross me, I promise you that you’ll live to regret it.”
I peeked around the corner as far as I felt comfortable going, but I still couldn’t see anyone. The only way the conversation made any sense at all was if Luigi was standing in the hallway outside of someone else’s room, and they were still inside. But who could it be? I leaned even farther out, and suddenly felt Maddy pulling me back. “We don’t want him to know that we can hear him,” she said.
I reluctantly agreed, though I was still straining for a clue about who Luigi was threatening.
I was about to poke my head out once again when I heard footsteps approaching quickly. I motioned to Maddy, and then forced myself back into the corner, where hopefully Luigi wouldn’t spot me. Maddy followed suit, and I thought we’d be safe, unless the man had a sudden yearning for ice or soda and decided to take a detour
Bob frowned. “You may look at it however you choose to, but I’m not taking this so lightly. I’ve got a friend in Charlotte who owes me a favor. I’m going to have him dig into Ms. Lance’s background, as well as check to see if her suspicions are true about Luigi and the Charlotte pizza makers.”
“Don’t burn any favors you might need later on down the road on our account,” Maddy said. “In the end, it’s just not all that important.”
“If it matters to you, it impacts me,” Bob said as he started to leave a tip. The waiter spied what he was doing, and then quickly returned it to him. “Thank you for the intent, but it has all been taken care of,” he said, “gratuities included. Have a pleasant evening.”
“Thank you,” Bob said, and we all echoed it.
“Well, ladies, you have an hour and a half to kill before the next competition. Care to share it with us?” David asked.
“As tempting as the offers sounds, I’m afraid that I’ll have to decline,” Bob said as he glanced at his watch. “I’m due in court soon.” He kissed Maddy good-bye, and after he was gone, David grinned at us both. “That suits me just fine. Now I get the both of you to myself.”
“Be careful what you wish for,” Maddy said with a grin. “Besides, I think I’m going to stretch out and rest before we get started again. Luigi arranged for us all to have rooms, and I mean to use mine.”
“If you don’t mind, David, that sounds great to me, too,” I said.
My boyfriend just laughed as he shook his head and said, “I can’t believe that I was just shot down twice in two seconds. If I didn’t have an overinflated ego, something like that might sting a little.”
I kissed him, and then gently shoved him away. “Don’t worry. I’ll make it up to you another time.”
He grinned broadly now. “That sounds great to me. You know me. I just love rain checks!”
We took the elevator upstairs to our rooms after David left us, but we didn’t make it inside right away.
There was something much more interesting than a nap going on in the hallway, something that neither one of us was willing to miss.
Chapter 5
“Y ou’ll do what I tell you to do, or believe me, I’ll make you suffer for your disobedience,” we heard Luigi say somewhere down the hallway. All of the contestants were staying close together on the same floor, along with Luigi and his employees, Jack Acre and Frank Vincent, so he could be talking to anyone.
I grabbed Maddy’s arm and pulled her into the small room where the ice machine and a vending machine stood. I didn’t want him to see us just yet. After all, we might learn a great deal more about the man if he didn’t know that we were listening in.
“Who’s he talking to?” Maddy asked me softly.
I shrugged. “Whoever it is hasn’t replied, at least not loud enough for me to hear them. It could practically be anybody.”
There was a moment’s silence, and then Luigi said, “I’m not playing around here. If you cross me, I promise you that you’ll live to regret it.”
I peeked around the corner as far as I felt comfortable going, but I still couldn’t see anyone. The only way the conversation made any sense at all was if Luigi was standing in the hallway outside of someone else’s room, and they were still inside. But who could it be? I leaned even farther out, and suddenly felt Maddy pulling me back. “We don’t want him to know that we can hear him,” she said.
I reluctantly agreed, though I was still straining for a clue about who Luigi was threatening.
I was about to poke my head out once again when I heard footsteps approaching quickly. I motioned to Maddy, and then forced myself back into the corner, where hopefully Luigi wouldn’t spot me. Maddy followed suit, and I thought we’d be safe, unless the man had a sudden yearning for ice or soda and decided to take a detour
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