The Do-Over (The Rooftop Crew Book 5)

by Piper Rayne

  “Maybe a few late at night.”

  She claps. “Then come. I’ll stop by and get you. Usually around seven or so. It’s at Blanca’s this Wednesday and she lives just down the hall.”

  “Don’t force her,” Knox murmurs.

  I wonder if he’d prefer that I didn’t associate with his friends.

  “Did I put a pillowcase over her head and drag her out of here? I’m asking.”

  Knox blows out a breath. It’s clear he’d rather not have me go, but Rian doesn’t seem like the type to accept the answer no.

  I say, “I’ll think about it.”

  “Okay. I promise we’re all nice. No mean girls or anything.”

  “So you guys don’t wear pink on Wednesdays?”

  Rian laughs and points at me, fixing her gaze on Knox. “I like her. A lot.”

  Knox’s eyebrows bunch again. I’m sure he’s never seen the movie Mean Girls. If he did, I’m sure he didn’t memorize the lines. “Bye, Rian.”

  Rian walks backward. “Where are you guys going?”

  Knox follows her until she’s outside the apartment door. “You wouldn’t know it.”

  “Okay, but we’ll be at Ink Envy later if you guys want to hang out.”

  “We won’t.” He waves and she pretends to pout, lingering by her door. Knox turns toward me. “Ready?”

  I grab my purse on the way over to him. He waits for me before shutting the apartment door and locking it.

  “Oh, I forgot.” He digs his hand into his pocket and retrieves a key on a keychain with a big K in pink rhinestones. “Here’s your key.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Yeah, the selection of keychains sucked, and I knew if I didn’t put one on it, I’d lose it.”

  “Ahh,” Rian says, but when Knox and I look over our shoulders, she covers her mouth with her hand and waves off an apology for eavesdropping.

  “Bye, Rian,” Knox says.

  “Bye you two. Have a great night.” She waves and gives a thumbs-up as if this is a date.

  Rian’s definitely the romantic of the group, and I see why Knox would want to bring her as a fake girlfriend. She’s got that innocent girl-next-door thing going.

  Knox doesn’t say anything but presses the elevator button. The entire situation feels like when you go on a date and your parents are watching from the porch until you’re driving away.

  The elevator doors shut. Knox’s scent from the apartment lingers here now too. Thankfully it’s only a few short floors before the doors open and he motions for me to exit first. He’s such a gentleman. I want to ask him what happened with him and Leilani, but I have to remember it’s none of my business.

  Outside the apartment, by the curb, are three motorcycles.

  “Middle one is mine,” he says. “That’s Jax’s, and that’s Dylan’s.”

  “All three of you ride?”

  He nods. “We all learned at the same time. Got our licenses the same day. A long time ago.”

  He takes the helmets off the bike and helps me with mine first. It feels kind of like I’m a bobblehead. Then he puts on his own and straddles the bike.

  He glances at me then at the back of the bike. “Just hold on to me. I’ll go slow at first. Lean into the turns, not away. I promise you’ll be fine.”

  I climb on behind him, but I’m trying to keep my distance.

  He laughs. “You need to move closer to me.”

  I inch up a little and lightly wrap my arms around his waist.

  He tugs me and my ass slides along the leather. “Closer.”

  He situates me so that my crotch is right up against his ass and my hands are locked around his middle. His leather jacket is soft, and I can’t help but wonder if Leilani was ever in this position. Then I mentally reprimand myself because of course she was. But she was probably able to inch her fingers up under the hem of his leather jacket and feel his abs.

  “Good?” he asks.

  I nod.

  He starts the bike and moves out of the spot by walking his bike backward. I startle as he accelerates forward, but I’m surprised by how much I trust him. After a few turns, I really get the hang of being a passenger on a motorcycle, and I’m just starting to enjoy it when we pull up outside a house I don’t recognize.

  Knox tells me to hang out by the bike while he climbs the broken cement steps up to a house I can’t believe Leilani would hang out at. Two shutters with chipped paint hang cockeyed. The front door has a giant wooden plank over where it looks like glass broke. Beer bottles and liquor bottles line the railings of the covered porch.

  I glance around the neighborhood. Most of the houses aren’t in the best shape and are in need of a little tender loving care, but none of them look like they need to be demolished like this one.

  Knox knocks and a woman wearing lingerie opens the door. What the hell happened to you, Leilani?

  I’m not sure what she says, but a guy comes to the door, glancing at me and back at Knox.

  Do these people know that Knox is a police officer? The way he stands on the porch with his legs spread wide and both arms crossed gives the persona of someone you don’t want to mess with. The man is talking to Knox, but his gaze keeps straying to me. If I have to hear one more time that I look like Leilani, I might throw up.

  Knox shakes the guy’s hand, and the man hangs around the door while Knox walks down the stairs.

  “Not here,” Knox says, climbing back on. “We’re headed to a bar now.”

  “Who is that? Is this a drug house?”

  Knox laughs. “When was the last time you talked to Leilani before she called wanting bail money?”

  I get the feeling maybe I don’t know Leilani very well at all anymore.

  Five minutes later, we’re at a bar with a bunch of motorcycles parked outside. Most of the people wear leather, and even though it’s late fall, most of the people are hanging out around their bikes rather than inside. My eyes scour the area. I had no idea Leilani hung out with motorcycle peeps, but I guess if Knox rides, maybe they’re his friends.

  “What’s up, Five-O?” a guy with a woman on either side of him says to Knox. He blinks a few times, noticing me at Knox’s side. “You’re back?”

  Knox blows out an annoyed sigh. “She’s not Leilani, but we’re looking for her. Have you seen her?”

  “No.”

  Knox looks at me and nods toward the bar. “Let’s get a drink while we’re here.”

  “Okay.”

  The guy puts his leg out in front of me, stopping me. “Are you her sister?”

  “No. We’re just both Polynesian. I’m guessing all you see is our skin color?” I don’t keep the bitterness from my voice.

  His gaze skates over my body with a creepy smirk, and I inwardly shiver from whatever he’s thinking. He says, “I guess Five-O does have a type.”

  Knox kicks the man’s foot out of the way and grabs my hand. “I think you have your hands full, don’t you, Noose?” He nods at the women by Noose’s sides.

  “Always room for one more.” A girl dangles a cherry in front of him and he tips his head back, plucking it off the stem, his eyes on me the entire time he chews. “Let me know if Five-O doesn’t treat you right.”

  Knox tugs a little harder and I catch up before he climbs the stairs. The bar is dark and dingy and there’re more bikers throughout. Finding a table by a dartboard, Knox puts me so my back is to the door and he faces it. He raises his hand, and as though we’re the only people in the place, a waitress comes over immediately.

  “What do you want?” he asks me.

  “Um… a beer?”

  “Beer?” Knox asks.

  I think I’ll look weird if I order wine or some girly drink. Part of me thinks I should ask for whiskey neat.

  Knox holds up two fingers. “Two Modelos.”

  “So Leilani hangs out here?” I scour the room, not understanding my friend at all. I thought she was all about righteous causes and saving the world.

  “Yeah, the
re’s something you need to know about your friend.” Knox almost always looks serious, but right now, there’s a tortured look on his face.

  I try to prepare myself for whatever he has to tell me since it would appear he knows her way better than I do. Maybe way better than I ever did.

  Chapter Ten

  Knox

  Kamea looks so out of place in this bar. It’s not really my scene either, but Leilani liked the image of biker chick for a while, so I humored her. Pretty soon she had us joining a dart team here. That’s how I met Noose.

  As I sit across from Kamea, I’m not sure how to explain to her that her friend isn’t always about the causes. Leilani duped me into thinking the same thing, but truth is, she’s a trend chaser. Willing to get involved in anything she thinks makes herself seem cool, which is probably why I always thought I could save her. Make her realize her worth as a person and be who she is, not who she thinks others want her to be.

  “What do you know about Leilani?” I ask, trying to figure out where I need to start.

  Kamea shrugs. “She’s for animal rights, she eats vegan…”

  I’m a little relieved that’s all Kamea really knows because it means they weren’t all that close. Which oddly makes the fact that I kind of wish this was a date and not a search mission easier for me to accept. Not that I’d date Kamea. She’s still linked to Leilani.

  “The first house we went to is Jeff and Katie’s. Katie met Leilani when they worked at an animal shelter together. Jeff and Katie are potheads and probably dabble in more. When I couldn’t find Leilani, I used to find her there, just chilling during the day. This bar? We stopped for the food on a Sunday afternoon, then she dragged me here every weekend I was off for two months straight because she wanted to do the various charity rides for causes. I think this new stunt with the paintball is just another cause she feels nothing for but wants to belong to.”

  The waitress comes over and sets down the two beers.

  After she leaves, Kamea asks, “What are you saying?”

  “I used to think she was leaving me to go do good in the world,” I say. “Every time I was with her, she’d have some new charity or cause, whether it be animals or child abuse or whatever.”

  She sips her beer and it’s clear from her pursed lips she’s not a beer drinker. “I don’t see why that’s bad.”

  I sip my own beer. “It’s not bad per se, but Leilani floats around this world finding groups of people fighting for some cause they truly believe in. She’s not necessarily about the fight as much as she is about fitting in. It took me a long time to realize that.”

  “Are you sure you’re not just jealous because she didn’t pick you?”

  Her comment has me drawing back. I wait a moment to compose my thoughts, something I learned on the force early on. I couldn’t be that smart-mouth kid I was growing up.

  “No, I’m not jealous. I’ll be honest… I had wished things were different with Leilani, but I’m over that now. She uses people. She infiltrates a group, usually finds a way to get to the top of the ladder, then when she’s bored or she thinks someone has figured her out, she bolts. Moves on to something else or just disappears.” I gulp down my beer, wishing I wasn’t having a conversation about the woman who took my heart and tore it in two.

  Kamea twirls her beer bottle back and forth. “I’m sorry she hurt you.”

  “This isn’t about me.” I slide out of my chair, digging cash out of my wallet.

  “What are you doing?” she asks, her innocent doe eyes questioning.

  “We’re leaving. I was wrong. I can’t help you find her. I want nothing more than to forget her. And though I am over her, you giving me that sappy look like my dog got ran over by a semi isn’t working for me.” I throw a twenty on the table, but she puts her hand over mine and squeezes.

  “I’m sorry.”

  I slide my hand out from hers, mostly because it’s giving me thoughts I shouldn’t have about her. “Don’t be. I’m just sick of no one believing me. Shit, I’m sure my friends think you’re the one to help get me over Leilani, but why do people think I’m lying?”

  “If you sit down, I think I can help you with that.” Kamea shrugs and her eyes shift to the vacant chair across from her.

  I huff and sit down. “What?”

  “You accepted her back so many times from what I heard.”

  “Who told you that?”

  She picks at the label of her beer. “Jax did.”

  “Motherfucker.”

  “In his defense, I think he assumed I knew because just like everyone thinks you aren’t over Leilani, everyone thinks she and I are close because I paid for her bail. But we aren’t. I knew you left the bar with her that night, and she told me a little bit here or there when she was around, but I had a hard time piecing it all together.”

  “Remind me to thank Jax.”

  “I’m glad he told me.” She looks at me with a look I’ve gotten from a lot of women in my life. She was thinking maybe there was a chance with us. “I mean, if you had just dated her that one time…” She shakes her head. “Never mind. Anyway—”

  “What were you going to say?”

  She picks at the label again. “You’re so strong, outwardly, and you seem to keep a lot inside. I think people assume that if you fell so hard for her, that’d be a hard thing to get over.”

  I sip my beer. “It was. I was a mess for a long time, but the longer I thought about our relationship, the more I realized she used me. In a weird way, I feel like she used me as her stability, a constant she could come to when her life grew so out of control she didn’t know where to go.”

  “That’s not a bad thing.”

  “It is when I wanted more. I was all in with her. I was willing to change careers for her.” I huff and down the rest of my beer. “I was a fool.”

  She places my hand between hers. “I’m sorry you were hurt, and if you say you’re over her, then I believe you.”

  Her touch is soft, and I like it a lot. “Thank you.”

  “And you don’t have to help me. I doubt we’re going to find her anyway. I have to figure this out on my own. And I shouldn’t be staying at your place either. You and Jax are so nice to offer, but it’s probably not a good idea.”

  I don’t say anything because I’m not sure what’s right. “And you don’t have to go to the retirement party with me.”

  She doesn’t look up. “I don’t mind, and I owe you for last night. But I’ll start figuring something out with the other stuff.”

  “Kamea,” I say. She looks up with an expression of surprise, and I think it’s because I rarely call her by name. I actually haven’t called her anything because I’m afraid to get too close to her. “Just stay at our place until you get your feet on the ground. We have the room and we don’t need the money. Honestly, these two places were my top ideas for finding her. I’m worried you’re never going to see that bail money again.”

  It’s easy to see Kamea isn’t the type to overstay her welcome. As soon as she can afford it, she’ll leave. I’m more worried she’ll leave before she can afford a place.

  She sips her beer which I’m sure is still practically full. “I don’t know.”

  I glance to my right then look back at her. “Wanna play for it?”

  Her eyes follow my line of sight to the dartboard. “Play for what?”

  “To see if you stay with us.” I stand and take the darts off the board, then I place the three red ones in front of her. “Whoever scores higher, wins.”

  “I’m actually playing you to see if I get my way and can leave your apartment?”

  I laugh when she puts it that way. “I guess so. What do you say?”

  “Well.” She gets up. I love that she’s already game with hardly any convincing. “I should let you know that I’ve played before.”

  “Well, crap then. How about two out of three?”

  “Perfect.”

  I put out my arm. “Ladies first.”

 
She steps up to the line and throws the first dart, hitting the wall instead of the board. I chuckle behind her.

  “I need to warm up, it’s been a while,” she says.

  I toe the line of tape that’s coming up from the dirty floor, aim my dart, and decide at the last minute to play a little game with her. I hit the board but not on any points.

  She narrows her eyes slightly but steps up for her second turn. She shoots it and actually scores, a double twenty. She jumps, her eyes wide as though she can’t believe it. “Whoa!”

  “Why do I feel like I’m about to be hustled?”

  She falls back down to her heels and puts on a serious face. “Why would you think that?”

  I laugh. She’s fucking adorable. Anyone who thinks she looks like Leilani is insane. Her personality is so different, and it’s a nice change from any girl I’ve dated recently. “I don’t know.”

  I step up and don’t really try but still manage to score a triple three. Nothing that will keep me in the game.

  “That means I’m winning right now, right?” She hops up to the line and leans forward with her dart poised at the board, suddenly a lot more invested.

  “Yep.”

  I’m not even sure she hears me as she moves the dart forward and back a couple times. She eventually releases the dart, and my eyes remain on her until she beams. I check the board. The dart sticks to the seventeen.

  “I hit one!” she says.

  “You did.” I can’t fight the smile from my face. I kinda wish she was mine so I could kiss her right now.

  “Okay, hotshot, let’s go.” She signals for me to take my turn.

  I throw the dart and I’m happy when I land a double one.

  Her eyes narrow as she figures out the math, then she jumps up and down. “I won, right? I won?”

  I nod, and her hips sway from side to side as her head bops. She’s so happy and I am too, even though I lost on purpose. Which I never do.

  Then she stops. “We have to play again?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay, loser first.” She’s still happy when the waitress comes over. “Oh, I’ll have…” She leans forward. “Do you have anything kind of girly?”