Aphrodite Needs an Alibi (Aphrodite Needs a Clue Book 1)

by Regan Claire

  He bites his lip and steps closer, eyes zeroed in on my cleavage. I guess he doesn’t mind.

  “How about we go outside. You know, to talk. It’s just so loud in here,” I say. Now his eyes are on my mouth, entranced. I know that look, and I know right now I could make him do the chicken dance if I ask sweetly enough. He’ll definitely come outside with me.

  “That sounds great,” he says, nodding his head.

  I turn around and lead the way outside, pausing briefly when he smacks my butt because I’m trying not to turn around and smack his face.

  We walk out the door, and as soon as we do he throws an arm over my shoulder and his hand starts to wander. It takes everything I have to continue leading him where Rhys told me, without getting groped, and without letting him know he’s pissing me off. Finally, I can’t take it anymore and shrug his arm off.

  “I’m just trying to keep you warm, baby. It’s chilly out here.”

  “Believe me, I’m plenty warm.” I try to sound alluring instead of annoyed. “Besides, we’re almost to my car where we can have some privacy.”

  We’re in the parking lot now, and pick up the pace. My shoulders are stiff: I’m expecting Rhys to pop out any second even though we’re still a couple of rows away from where he told me to meet him.

  “You slut!” a shrill voice yells out, and before I can place where it came from, I hear a loud crack when I’m smacked in the face. There’s a blur of motion as Mick pushes whoever owns the hand that just hit me.

  Needs Some Control

  “What the hell, Charlotte. Back off.” He’s pissed, but I am too. We’ve both been smacked in the face by the same woman tonight, because I now recognize the figure whom Mick knocked to the ground as his until-recently girlfriend. “Are you okay? Did she hurt you?” His voice is tender asking me this, a big turnaround to the way he just spoke to Charlotte.

  “It didn’t feel good, that’s for sure.” My hand is on my cheek, which is hotter than Hades. Mick is in front of me, caressing my face like it could erase the handprint I’m certain is there. That chick has one helluvan arm on her. I’m almost impressed.

  Charlotte doesn’t return the sentiment—the sight of Mick touching me enrages her. “You home-wrecking whore!” she screams like a banshee then barrels towards me like a linebacker. “Stay away from him!”

  Luckily Rhys appears out of nowhere and steps in front of her before she can try to tackle me. Which is good, because my shoe selection would have made it impossible to outrun her, and Mick seems to have the response time of a blind possum.

  “Whoa, what’s all this about?” Rhys asks with a calm and steady voice, both hands held in front of him like he’s dealing with a wild horse.

  Or a rabid dog.

  She makes a move to get around him, but Rhys side steps with her before she can make a move.

  “Everything okay?” he asks me. I don’t get the chance to answer, because I’m suddenly wrapped in the strong embrace of a criminal thug.

  “Don’t worry. I’ve got you,” Mick tells me, his arms gridlocked around me like they alone can protect me from his crazy girlfriend. The side of my face is squished against his chest, but I can just see from under his arm.

  “I think it’s okay now, Mick. You can let go.”

  He responds by tightening his hold.

  “Uh, I’m a little stuck here,” I call out, hoping Rhys can hear my muffled plea.

  Craning my head as far as it’ll go in this position, I see Rhys look over his shoulder to see what’s happening. Charlotte takes his brief lapse in watchfulness to lunge at him. This time I see something glittering and sharp in her hand and I gasp. Rhys is on it though. He grabs her arm and twists until she’s down on her knees. He keeps twisting until the knife in her hand clatters onto the ground next to her. Holy shit, she had a knife.

  Rhys kicks it far away. Charlotte is whimpering, but Rhys shows no signs of letting go.

  “How ‘bout you let the pretty lady go now. Charlotte can’t hurt her now,” Rhys calls out.

  I hold my breath. Mick loosens his grip and I feel some of the tension leave his body, but he doesn’t let go completely.

  “What are you going to do to her?” Mick asks. I wonder if he’s just curious or actually concerned. Either way, his arms are still wrapped around me and I’m not really sure what I should do about it.

  I should have asked for more money.

  Rhys doesn’t answer, only pulls out zip ties and ties them around her wrists.

  “You look familiar,” Mick says, eyes narrowed on Rhys.

  “That’s because he’s the effing bondsman, you idiot.” Now that Rhys doesn’t have to hold her arm back to keep her restrained, Charlotte has found her voice.

  “What?” Mick finally lets go, but I’m afraid he might bolt. I put a hand on his forearm.

  “Yeah, take a good look at him. He was waiting here for you. Your skank led you right into a trap!” Unfortunately, Charlotte is making a lot of sense to Mick, judging by the furrow in his brow and how tense his shoulders are.

  “Is that true? Did you lead me here to get me arrested?” This time Mick is grabbing me by the forearm. He’s squeezing so tightly that a small whimper escapes. I sense the violence in him, and for the first time tonight I’m scared. I shake my head no, but he’s not looking at me. His attention has been drawn to the direction where the faintest sound of sirens can be heard.

  He looks back at me, squeezes tighter and jerks me a little. I put my hand on his, trying to pry it off with zero success. I’m going to have a wicked bruise tomorrow.

  “You’re going to regret getting your girlfriend involved in this,” he tells Rhys.

  “Not as much as you’ll regret it if you hurt her.” Rhys is standing awfully still, and I can feel his energy change. The very air feels dangerous now, and I’m standing right in the middle.

  “That’s right, just stand here comparing dicks while the cops come to arrest you. You’re such a freaking moron. I hope you rot!” Charlotte yells, breaking the smallest bit of the spell.

  “April, just hold him for a couple more minutes if you can. The cops will be here soon.”

  Is Rhys under the impression that I am holding onto Mick? I mean, my hand is on his and everything, but less in a “stay here, bad guy” and more in a “get it off, get it off” kind of way.

  Stupid or not, Rhys’s words do remind me that I can grab hold of Mick. I don’t stop to think, because he’s loosened his grip and is going to run as soon as he figures the best direction to go. I don’t have time to do something as smart as think. I unlock a tendril of my core and wrap it around Mick.

  “You’re not going to leave, are you?” I ask him, my voice soft and compelling. Mick isn’t moving. He just stands there, looking at me with wide eyes and shallow breaths.

  “I have to go. The cops are coming.”

  I take a step closer to him, directly into his personal space. “You want to leave me?” I take my hand that isn’t already touching him and place it over his chest. His heart is racing, and I can sense his feelings: his want. I close my eyes for a moment because it feels good. Crap, what did I do? Have I pulled too hard?

  He licks his lips and leans in closer to me. “No, I don’t want to leave you.” Flashing lights are down the road, and his eyes dart in that direction. “But I don’t want to go to jail.”

  “Keep going, April. They’re almost here,” Rhys tells me.

  “So you’re going to run?” If I keep him talking, maybe I can keep him here without pushing more of my power into him.

  He nods his head. “Will you come with me?”

  Charlotte laughs hysterically. “Do you hear yourself?”

  Rhys does something, pulls her arm further maybe, and Charlotte takes the hint. She doesn’t say anything else.

  The police are so close that their flashing lights are making me feel queasy. Mick stiffens back up, his fear of being arrested at odds with my influence on him. I squeeze his arm now.


  “Stay with me,” I tell him. The cars are almost close enough to park.

  Mick looks at me a moment, but the police cars park at the front of the parking lot and he starts to pull away.

  “Mick,” I say, this time with force in my voice, then reach a hand up to touch his face to pull his gaze back to me. “Mick,” I say again. “Stay with me.” This time it’s a command. His face leans into my hand, rubbing against it like a cat on a post. Adoration fills his features, and my stomach turns. The police are out of their cars. I see them walking down the lanes with their flashlights out and tasers armed.

  “Okay, I’ll stay with you,” he relents.

  An officer approaches. “Sir, you need to release the woman.” He’s talking to Rhys, who is still holding onto Charlotte.

  “Sure thing.” Rhys gets up, but continues to hold onto her arm. “But I’d like to report an assault with a deadly weapon, since she just tried to stab the lady. And that guy over there has a warrant out for his arrest.”

  There’s a flurry of movement as one officer grabs the girl and the other makes his way close to where Mick and I are standing, one hand at his hip.

  “Micah Foley? You need to come with us. You’re under arrest.”

  “I have to stay here,” Mick tells them, as if that’s a good enough reason to resist.

  “Sir, you’re under arrest. Please put your hands up and walk away from the woman.”

  Mick shakes his head no. “I have to stay here!” He looks over at me. “Don’t worry, I’ll stay with you.”

  I turn to face him, real slow so the cop doesn’t think I’m up to something. “You have to go with the officers now.”

  He looks confused. Crap, I should have said something else to get him to wait with me.

  “But you told me to stay with you… you don’t want me here anymore?”

  Or maybe I just used too much oomph trying to get him to listen. What am I supposed to do?

  “If you don’t go with them, they’ll have to take you by force. April might get hurt if that happens,” Rhys says. I don’t know if what he’s saying will hurt or help the current situation, but I’m at a loss.

  “I won’t let anyone hurt April,” Mick sounds outraged by the idea. “I can protect her.”

  Actually, he sounds fully capable of getting himself shot by an officer of the law tonight.

  Because that’s exactly what we need.

  “Yeah, you were doing a bang up job when your girlfriend here was running at her with a knife,” Rhys says.

  Mick looks lost, with wide eyes and shallow breaths. He’s scared. His grip on my arm is tight again, and I have no idea what his frantic thoughts are coming up with to get out of this situation.

  “Stop talking! You’re making it worse,” I call over to Rhys.

  The other officer has finished putting Charlotte in the squad car and is back. He’s younger than the officer who has been keeping a watchful eye, but he seems aware that Mick is a cornered animal, and he is equally unwilling to escalate things.

  “Ma’am, are you okay?” the young officer asks. Mick jumps at his voice, then pulls me behind him like the officer is after me instead of him. Shit. What in the world am I supposed to do? I do my best to look around him and see both officers take another step forward, then another. I guess the older cop has just been waiting for his partner before trying to arrest a guy who’s clearly going to resist. That makes more sense. If I can keep Mick distracted until they’re close enough, maybe they can grab him before he has a chance to do anything stupid…er, stupider.

  “Hey.” I grab his hand on my arm and squeeze to get his attention, then grab his shoulder to try and turn him to face me. He shifts so that he’s now sideways, still between me and the officers, but able to turn his head and see me while keeping the police in his peripherals.

  “Don’t worry, I’m staying with you,” he tells me. Cheese and rice, this is why I don’t use my powers anymore.

  “Sir, we need you to step away from the woman with your hands up.”

  Mick drops his hold on me and rears back, and I know he’s going to lunge towards the cops. Since I’m right behind him, and don’t want to get tased, pepper sprayed, or shot by accident, I can’t have that happen.

  “Mick!” I say it louder than I should. “Look at me!” I put force in the words. He looks at me. I take a deep breath. “You need to stay calm okay? Everything is going to be okay if you stay calm.”

  “I won’t let them take me.”

  I put every ounce of softness and comfort I can muster into my words. “But I need you to. I need you to go with them.” His face contorts, like he’s fighting something. “Mick,” I say it sharply. He stops. “If you care about me, you have to go to them, okay?” I’m going to throw up.

  He shakes his head. “But why?”

  “Because it makes me sad that you’re on the run from the cops.”

  Mick is stock still, like the idea of him causing me sadness is a shock.

  “So if I go with the cops, you’ll be happy again?” he asks.

  “Yes, because you’ll be doing the right thing.” I nod and smile. “You want me to be happy, don’t you?” I ask, keeping full eye contact and using my sweetest voice.

  He nods his head. “Yes. I’d do anything.”

  I hate this.

  “Okay, then put your hands up so these police officers know you aren’t going to try to hurt anyone, and let them take you so you don’t have to keep hiding. That will make me happy.”

  Mick does what I ask, and within minutes he’s in the back of another police car.

  “Are you the guy who called us in?” the younger officer asks after Mick was safely away.

  “Yes I am.” Rhys pulls out a badge of some sort. “I’m Rhys Martin.”

  “Bounty hunter.” The officer says it like a curse. “You know you won’t get paid since we’re arresting the guy.”

  The other officer, the older one, gives Rhys a nod. “Nice to see you again Martin.” He directs his next comment to his partner. “This one’s not bad for a weekend warrior.”

  “I’m touched, Officer Warren. I’m the bondsman, so I save money when you guys bring’em in. You’re welcome for doing the hard part for you.”

  Officer Warren laughs. “Who are the girls?”

  “The one in your rookie’s car is Charlotte. She’s the girlfriend. Be careful with her, she has a bit of a temper.”

  “If she’s the girlfriend, who’s the blonde?” Officer Warren asks.

  Normally I take offense at people talking about me like I’m not here, but I’m battling my emotions right now and I’m afraid I’ll cry if I try to talk before I get a handle on them.

  “This is April. She’s a friend of mine, and is just helping out.”

  “Does she have a license?” the young cop asks.

  “No, and as you pointed out, you guys arrested the fellow so she doesn’t need one for being a good samaritan,” Rhys says. “Besides, it was a coincidence she was here—she didn’t know I was on the job and the guy took a liking to her. Could happen to any pretty girl with a guy like that.”

  “Maybe not any pretty girl, but I can see why our skip got distracted,” Warren says.

  All three men look at me. I resist the temptation to flick them off.

  “Okay gentlemen. I think I owe the lady a drink. Warren, let me know if anything interesting happens with these two, all right?”

  We watch as the officers get in their cars and drive away. Rhys isn’t saying anything, and neither am I. The silence is uncomfortable. Any second Rhys is going to look over at me like I’m a freak or a monster or, at the very least, a tease. What I did isn’t natural—at least, it’s not natural for people who aren’t me.

  Rhys finally turns to me and breaks the silence. “I’d say you held up your end of the bargain.”

  “Uh. Yeah, I guess I did.” I prepare to see disapproval in his face, or horror, because my use of powers felt so obvious. I’m met with a grin.
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br />   “You did a great job. It was sticky there for a minute, but you were impressive. You kept your cool and didn’t let him get away.”

  “What? You don’t think…” what do I say? What if he didn’t notice anything weird? “You don’t think that was cruel? I led him on. Isn’t that wrong?”

  He’s looking at me like he’s searching for something. Maybe just the right words; I don’t know.

  “I’m not the right person to ask about what the moral high ground is, but from where I’m standing, a man who makes a living hurting other people is in jail tonight because of you. I’d say that’s a win,” he says.

  “But…” but what? But I used my powers and forced him to stay with me? Made him want me, adore me? I went too far. I only intended to make him want me, like a prize or something. I pushed too far and put some heart feelings in him. Rhys doesn’t know that though. How could he? Besides, the feelings Mick has right now will go away with time, so long as he doesn’t see me around.

  “Look, April. We all have our own little gifts. It’s okay to use them. So, you can make a guy turn to putty in your hands. That’s not a bad thing or a good thing, just a thing. As long as you aren’t taking advantage of people, I say you’re fine. And tonight you’re even better than fine, because you did a little good with it. But like I said, no one has confused me with being a role model for morality.” He shrugs.

  I chew on his thoughts for a minute. Maybe he’s right. Maybe I don’t have to cut myself completely off from using what I have, maybe I just can’t abuse it the way I used to.

  Maybe I could do some good with it. I smile, because I really like the idea.

  “I don’t have the cash I owe you on hand, but I can pay you tomorrow. Just give me your number and I’ll call you beforehand.”

  “That’s fine. It’ll have to be after work. Speaking of which, I probably need to head home myself to get some sleep.” I take his phone and punch in my digits.