Chocolate Chip Cookie Conundrum (Murder in the Mix Book 32) by Unknown (the lemonade war series .TXT) 📕

my kid, Jimmy. And you know I love to spoil my kids.” He nods my way. “Expect a new car to show up in your driveway—as soon as it’s official, of course.”

“Hear that, lot?” Carlotta bumps her hip to mine. “The good stuff’s gonna come rolling in. You better be a Lazzari if you know what’s good for you.”

“Whatever I am, the results are already in.” By a miracle in its own right, these two men have already been tested.

Jimmy points my way. “And you’re gonna be a Canelli,” he says it like a threat.

“Speaking of threats, thanks for calling off the hit on my husband. Lord knows we’ve got enough to worry about these days.”

“Who says I called it off?” He squints my way with suspicion.

My mouth falls open. “Well, nothing’s happened in so long. You know, none of that dancing with bullets business you pulled last month. I figured you had a paternal inkling and called off the dogs.”

Jimmy’s brows crawl up his forehead like a couple of furry gray caterpillars. “I told you last month, Carlotta Junior, I can’t let anyone get away with disrespecting my family, dead or alive. Just to be fair, if someone moved your corpse, there would be heck to pay, too. The hit is still on, but we’ve had resistance.” He nods to Luke. “At first, I thought it was you, but it’s someone far more cunning, far more wicked.”

Luke nods. “The Morettis.” He looks to Carlotta and me. “That’s what this meet and greet was about. We’re getting ready to handle them. And as soon as we do, the hit is back on.”

“Et tu, Papa Lazzari?” I ask and he offers an apologetic shrug.

“If we don’t look out for our family, who’s gonna do it?” he counters.

I gag on my next words. “So help me God, Jimmy, if I turn out to be your daughter, you had better call off that hit or there’s going to be a bloodbath in the Canelli family by one of their own.”

Jimmy’s ears pique with amusement as both Jimmy and Luke burst out in a belly laugh.

“That’s my kid talking.” Luke wags a finger my way.

“That’s my kid.” Jimmy winks over at me. “Tell you what, Carlotta Junior. You turn out to be my kid, I’ll call off the hit. But in retribution for doing who knows what with Florenza’s dead body, I expect a pass for my men when they filter through his courtroom. Unless, of course, he heads to the clinker. In that case, you might want to keep the hit. It might be easier on him.”

“Duly noted.” I’m suddenly elated about the idea of becoming a Canelli.

Luke touches his finger to the side of his nose. “Tell you what. If you’re my kid, I’ll put out a hit on old Jimmy here. Once Jimmy kicks the bucket, all hits are null and void.”

“Duly noted again.” All sorts of crazy thoughts start going through my head.

“You’ll both have to be at the studio this Friday for the results if you don’t mind. The show tapes at one in the afternoon. I can hardly wait to see which Italian stock I come from.”

“I’m busy.” Jimmy is the first to renege.

“Same goes for me.” Luke follows suit. “But fill me in as soon as you can.”

Carlotta jumps in front of me and pulls her shoulders back. “You’ll both be there or you’re never getting another bite of this.”

I’d laugh, or swat Carlotta, but both Jimmy and Luke seem to be taking the bait.

“I’ll be there with bells on,” Luke says while doing this weird thing with his upper lip.

“I’ll be there first, hot stuff.” Jimmy winks her way.

“Come on, hot stuff,” I say as I give the men a wave. “We’ve got to hit the bakery and then the Wicked Wok.”

“Gotta run, boys!” she shouts after them. “We’re having a last supper at the house tonight.”

“Those are the best,” Jimmy calls out.

“Have a good time.” Luke gives a friendly wave.

“Half of that B&B is as good as my mother’s,” I pant as I speed us through the seedy establishment.

“I’m rooting for Luke,” she says.

“Carlotta, if anything, you should be rooting for Jimmy. He’ll call off the hit on Everett.”

“Face it, Lot, Jimmy is right. The hit will be a mercy killing where he’s going.”

“Everett isn’t going to prison,” I hiss as if trying to convince myself in the process.

Mayor Nash runs through my mind and I feel a pang of guilt.

But I push all of my prospective fathers out of my mind for now.

The only father I want to focus on tonight is Everett.

Here’s hoping we’re not about to celebrate his last supper.

Noah

Jimmy Canelli.

After work I head straight to Red Satin and I don’t get five steps out of my truck before I see a couple of familiar faces heading this way, and one of them lights up my face the only way she knows how.

“Freeze,” I say. “You’re both under arrest.”

No sooner do the words leave my lips than both Lottie and Carlotta scream as they toss up their hands.

A laugh bumps from me. “Sorry, girls. I couldn’t help it.” I head over and pull Lottie in and sink a kiss right over her forehead.

“Noah Fox, you are the worst!”

She swats me so I go for another kiss, this time on her cheek. Lottie always holds the scent of vanilla whether or not she’s in that bakery and I let the scent permeate my lungs for a moment.

“What are you doing here?” she asks with a look of suspicion in her eyes.

“You first. And where’s Lyla Nell?” I’m suddenly fearing for my baby daughter, and no matter what that test says she’s exactly that.

“At home with Everett.” She frowns a little as she says his name. I know she’s worried about him. Heck, I’m worried about him.

“Yup.” Carlotta slaps me on the shoulder. “Sexy’s imprinting himself over her gray matter in hopes she’ll remember him once he’s at Club Fed.”

I wince just