My stomach twist felt a little better at the wink but my eyes got blurry.
Then a knock came from the backdoor.
“Jules?” Nick cal ed from there.
“We’re in the living room,” I cal ed back.
* * * * *
I swung into the black Explorer next to Luke.
Luke stared at me.
“Ready,” I informed him, buckling in.
“You wearin’ purple pants to a takedown?” he asked, eyes on my thighs.
I looked down at my cords. They weren’t purple, as such.
They were more like a lavender-ish gray. I also had on my black cowboy boots, a black belt, a dusty gray, thick knit, long-sleeved tee with a hood and my black leather blazer.
The hood of my tee was over the back col ar of my blazer.
I thought my outfit was kickass, especial y putting it together after two in the morning with only five minutes to do it.
One look at Luke said he didn’t agree.
“Just drive,” I said.
He drove but he drove with a grin on his face.
We went to the old Stapleton airport area. Not the ritzy part that had been redone, the shitty part that hadn’t.
“What’s the deal?” I asked on the way.
“Skip. High bond, means the bondsman’s out a whack if we don’t pul him in. Name’s Warren. Total scum. He’s a dealer and a pimp. More the second, keeps his girls high and workin’ for him doin’ the first. You know him?” I shook my head. “No,” I said.
“I got a taser for you,” Luke told me. “Please tel me you got your gun somewhere in those purple pants.” I pul ed it out of my back waistband and showed it to him.
“You need a holster,” he said to me.
I nodded thinking of going shopping at Zip’s tomorrow night. A holster would be dead cool.
“Ike’s on him. Says he went into a house and hasn’t come out. Cal ed backup. Warren’s a mean motherfucker and usual y not far from his gun.”
I nodded again, rethinking my excitement at a ride-along for a takedown.
We stopped in a not-so-good neighborhood. The second Luke cut his lights, my door was thrown open. I jumped and twisted in my seat.
“Calm, Law,” the man said and since Luke didn’t shoot him or anything I figured he was one of the good guys.
He was Vance’s height, bald, lean and wiry and from what I could tel in the dark, black with light skin. He had a kil er tattoo slithering up his neck from the col ar of his black tee.
“I like your tattoo,” I told him.
“You haven’t seen it al yet,” he told me.
He’d said “yet”.
Hmm.
“Do al of you guys flirt rather than just talking like normal people?” I asked who I assumed was Ike.
“Mace doesn’t flirt,” Ike told me, stepping out of my way so I could get down.
“I don’t flirt either,” Luke added coming around the back of the Explorer, attaching a ful y loaded gunbelt to his hips.
I whirled on Luke. “You’re the King of Flirt! You flirt al the time.”
Luke’s eyes sliced to me. I could feel them hot on me in the dark.
“Maybe you wanna cal Warren. Tel him we’re waitin’ out here to take him down. Give him a good chance to load up his gun so he can blow our brains out?” Luke asked after my outburst.
Okay, so maybe I was a bit loud.
“Sorry,” I whispered.
I looked at Ike. Ike was smiling.
Damn.
I was screwing up my first takedown.
“He’s got a couple women in there and Barry White’s playin’. He can’t hear a thing,” Ike informed us.
Ike and Luke looked at each other. Al of a sudden they seemed pleased about something.
Then Luke’s eyes cut back to me. “Keep quiet and stay behind me,” he ordered. I nodded and he handed me a taser. “We try for alive when we’re bringin’ ‘em in. Dead is a last resort,” Luke went on.
Yikes.
I nodded again. Then we moved in.
As we approached a house a couple doors down from where Luke parked, Ike disappeared, vanishing into the night. Luke walked right up to the door, bold as brass and something about the way he did it was way, fucking, cool.
I could hear Barry White crooning inside the house.
Luke shoved me to one side of the door. I had my gun stuck into my waistband at my left hip and the taser in my hand.
Luke pounded on the door and shouted, “Bond enforcement.”
Then after waiting about three seconds, Luke put the sole of a boot to the door by the handle and it popped open. Then he disappeared inside. I fol owed him.
It was dark and I could barely see but Luke moved through the house liked he’d been there hundreds of times before. I kept my eyes on his back and moved behind him.
There was dim light coming from a hal way, the source of Barry White. We went down the hal way and then into a room lit with candles and lamps with scarves over them.
Luke stopped just inside the door silent, stil , watching.
I moved to his left to look.
“Euw! ”
Yes, that was me and I said it loudly. I couldn’t help it. On the bed were two skanky, skinny women, so skinny, their ribs showed. Both needed to shampoo their hair in a major way. They were naked and working on a big, fat, hairy, naked white guy. Hairy as in hairy. He was covered in hair to the point that you could cal it fur.
The inhabitants of the bed ceased their writhing and groaning, sucking and kissing and looked up at us.
“Bond enforcement,” Luke announced but I could tel even though my eyes were riveted to the bed in frozen horror that Luke was laughing.
Before I knew what was happening, the big, hairy, naked white guy moved. He was fast for a big man and he came off the bed like a shot.
At me.
I didn’t have time to blink. I just lifted up my taser and shot him.
He immediately went down with a thud and I was pretty certain most of the furniture in the room jumped when he landed.
Wow.
I added a taser to my mental Zip’s Gun Emporium shopping list.
Breaking into my mental list-making, one of the naked skanks shouted at me, “What the fuck you doin’? You can’t come in here and taser Warren. Who the fuck you think you are?”
Then she came at me, body parts jiggling, lanky hair flying.
My taser prongs were in Warren so I dropped it. She gave me the same opening as Jermaine had done, ready to scratch my eyes out. I grabbed her wrist, flipped her and she landed on her back. I heard her breath escape in a whoosh when she hit the floor.
“Aiiiiyeeeee!” the other skank screamed, coming at me too.
I hadn’t recovered from the first skank. So I planted my feet, dropped my shoulder when she got close and rol ed her over my back. She flew over me, arms and legs pumping and landed on the floor.
I pul ed my gun out of my waistband and trained it on them two-handed.
“Don’t move,” I ordered.
They stared, eyes wide, at my gun.
I glared back. “Stupid skanks,” I muttered under my breath.
I felt a presence beside me and I looked over at Luke.
His eyes were on the skanks. Then he looked at me and a slow smile spread on his face.
“Babe,” was al he said.
Ike moved in on my other side. He was looking at the skanks and the prone body of Warren. Then his eyes moved to Luke.
“Lee’s recruitin’. Should we get her an application?”
* * * * *
Luke told the skanks to dress Warren and without a word they did as they were told. Then Ike cuffed and shackled him. They loaded him up in Ike’s Explorer and Ike took him to the station. Luke and I went to my house. I let us in.
My blood was stil pumping at my triple takedown. I wanted to be cool about it but I was pretty fucking pleased with myself.
I switched on a lamp, dumped my
blazer on the chaise and smiled at Luke.
“Want a beer?” I asked brightly.
He watched me. “Jazzed?” he asked, one side of his mouth going up in his sexy grin.
I nodded.
His eyes cut to the ratty workout bag that was stil where Tex dropped it, incongruous in my fancy-ass living room.
“Tear gas,” I answered his unspoken question.
Luke looked at me again then he shook his head. “The smel ?” Luke asked when he was done shaking his head.
“Burned brownies. I’m trying to teach myself to be domesticated.”
“Smel s like you’re failing.”
I shrugged, stil smiling at him.
He kept looking at me.
“Beer?” I asked again.
Slowly, eyes stil on me, Luke’s grin faded.
“I don’t want a beer,” he said.
“Coffee?” I asked, cocking my head to the side.
“No,” he replied.
Something had changed in the room, the air had started crackling. Before I could put my finger on it or do anything to disburse it, Luke was so in my space, he was my space, arms around me, mouth on mine, kissing me.
Instinctively I put my arms around his neck. He walked me back, hands moving up my sides, across my back, over my ass, al this time his tongue in my mouth. I felt my thighs hit the arm of the couch and we both went over and down, Luke control ing the fal with an arm out. Then his body settled on mine.
My heart was pumping with adrenalin and excitement both at the night’s activities and the couch activities.
He was good with his mouth, different than Vance, less intense, more titil ating, almost teasing. His lips were always there but his tongue was playing with mine, giving me a taste of something hot then disappearing when I wanted more, making me go after it. Eventual y his mouth disengaged from mine and went down my neck and his hands went up my shirt. I shivered and returned the gesture, liking the feel of the skin and muscle of his back.
His tongue was doing things behind my ear that felt good and I liked it, wanted it, wanted him.
And then just as quickly as I realized that, I didn’t want it.
Then I kid you not, I started crying for the first time since Auntie Reba died. I couldn’t have helped it if I tried but I didn’t even try. I was just too tired of holding them back.
I turned my head, put my lips to his neck and said quietly,
“Luke.”
At the sound of his name, his tongue stopped and he turned his head to look at me. He watched me for a few seconds while the tears slid down the sides of my eyes.
Then he said, his voice soft and not angry, “Not normal y the reaction I get, babe.”
My hands left the inside of his tee and one arm wrapped around his waist, the other hand went to the back of his head.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
He didn’t answer. He rol ed to the side, back to the couch and pul ed us up so we were ful -on the couch. He kept his arms around me and I pressed my cheek to his chest. I took deep breaths and after a few minutes control ed the tears.
After I’d done that, I tilted my head back to look at him.
“You want a beer?” I asked, voice stil quiet.
He used his thumb to wipe the tears from my face and when he was done, he kissed my nose. Then he said,
“Yeah.”
I nodded, pul ed away, got up and got us both a beer.
When I walked back into the living room, the TV was on, the sound low, some action movie with explosions was playing. I gave him the beer, sat down beside him and yanked off my boots. When I settled back into the couch, he pul ed me into his body, arm around my shoulders.
Boo jumped up and I lifted my legs to the couch and curled into Luke’s warmth, head on his shoulder. Boo settled in the space between us and I stroked him.
I wasn’t afraid I was giving mixed messages. Instinctively I understood that Luke knew the score, knew I needed not to be alone and was offering me that and nothing else.
It was kind. It was huge. It was as un-badass as it could get and therefore even more badass than ever.
I’d never forget it and I’d always be thankful for it.
I drank my beer. Luke drank his. I put the empty bottle on the pub set and watched the movie.
Then I fel asleep cuddled into Luke.
* * * * *
“Babe,” Luke said low. I opened my eyes and looked up.
He’d reclined on the couch and I was tucked into his side, my back against the couch, my head on his chest.
“Bed,” Luke said.
I nodded.
We got up and he walked to the door taking me with him, arm around my shoulders. He stopped at the door, kissed my nose and looked at me a beat. I bit my lip.
“Jules,” he said.
“Yeah?” I asked.
He stared at me a moment before answering. “I was He stared at me a moment before answering. “I was playin’ a game,” he told me.
It was my turn to stare at him. Somehow that hurt and I didn’t need any more of that. I had way, way too much of that.
“Now,” he went on, “I don’t know what the fuck I’m doin’.” Oh my God.
Neither of us said anything. There wasn’t anything to say.
Then without another word, he was gone.
I locked the door behind him, armed the alarm and got ready for bed in the bathroom.
I settled in bed, Boo curled into the smal of my back.
I felt sadness seep through me, no anticipation, no hope.
I knew Vance wasn’t breaking in.
I worried about Luke and me. I liked him, he was cool and he was funny and in an alternate universe I knew something would have happened.
It couldn’t, not now.
I was in love with Vance.
How did that happen?
I lay in bed knowing I was hugely fucked. Somehow my life had gone total y out of control. The Fortnum’s gang of Rock Chicks had adopted me. The Nightingale Investigation Team had accepted me. Luke wanted me.
And al of this had Vance tied up in it and that hurt me.
I definitely needed to round up Roam and Sniff and get my ass to Nicaragua.
I pul ed a pil ow to my stomach, hugged it close and tilted my head to stare at the moonlight.
With effort I forced my mind to stil .
Then I fel asleep.
Chapter Nineteen
Hush
I was certain I was awake though I hadn’t opened my eyes and I knew with a sleepy body scan that I couldn’t be.
There was heat at my back and a weight on my hip. It was ful -on heat, definitely not Boo. I snuggled backwards into it figuring if I was going to have a good dream, I was going to go for the gusto.
The weight at my hip moved, slid up to my waist then down, curling around my bel y. The heat behind me was solid. Both I knew were no dream.
My eyes opened.
Then I turned.
Vance was in bed with me.
He was awake, very awake and staring at me, face blank. I was also now very awake and staring at him, face probably not blank.
My heart had stopped. I felt something crawling through my system, something weird, good mingled with bad.
Fear and hope.
“What are you doing here?” I whispered.
I had turned within his arm. It was stil around my waist, hand curled into my hip against the bed. When I asked my question, his fingers bit into my hip as they tightened.
“Had duty in the surveil ance room last night,” was Vance’s mysterious answer.
I blinked at him. Then I remembered.
Oh my God.
The cameras.
How in the hell was I always forgetting the cameras?
“Crowe –” I started, my heart beating now, double time.
“I did not like what I saw,” Vance interrupted me, his voice underlining his words and a shiver slithered across my skin at his tone.
“Crowe –” I began again.
“He touches you again, there’s gonna be a problem.” The tone of his voice, if it could be believed, was deteriorating and I got the distinct impression there already was a problem.
Um.
Yikes.
“Crowe –” I tried again.
“I want to know you understand me,” Vance kept going.
“Crowe –”
“Do you understand me?” he asked. He sounded supremely pissed off now and edging toward impatient.
“Please listen to me –” I started.
“None of it. Watchin’ TV together. You curled up to him on the couch and definitely not his tongue in your fuckin’
mouth and his hands up your fuckin’ shirt.” His voice was getting dangerous or, I should say, more dangerous and his face was no longer blank.
“If you’d just –”
“Jules, do you fucking understand me?” He was keeping his control but I could tel just barely. I could tel this because his eyes had gone hard and his mouth had gone tight.
That was it.
I sat up and shouted, “Shut up, Crowe!” He came up with me, face like thunder, eyes flashing and I knew he was ready to blow.
One look at his face and I thought, fuck it. It was now or never.
I stood next to my barking, snarling Rottweiler, ripped the plastic off a big, huge, juicy steak with a thick, meaty bone in and threw it to him. He nabbed it in mid-air, settled down and started gnawing.
Then I pounced.
And final y I surprised Vance Ouray Crowe.
In the beginning he thought I was going to fight him.
Couldn’t real y fight someone with your tongue in his mouth.
Wel , you could but it wasn’t my style.
I was al over him. My hands were al over him. My mouth was al over him.
He was naked which, if I wasn’t in desperation mode to get him to shut up and pay attention to me, I would have thought was kind of brazen considering the fact that we were over.
Instead I thought it was good. A time saver.
When he realized I wasn’t attacking him, his arms went around me with a force that squeezed my breath out of me and that was it.
It was hot, heavy, lots of everything like we hadn’t seen each other in three years rather than three days. I got astride him and lifted up, pul ing my nightie over my head while he watched. When I was done, he rol ed me over and tore off my underwear.
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