Don't Go There (Awkward Love Book 5)

by Missy Johnson

  “How could you be so stupid?” Alberto rants, smacking Louis across the head.

  Julian spots me and waves me over. I walk over there, no idea what’s going on, but it’s big. I sidestep closer to Julian and shake my head. His eyes shine as he laughs.

  “What the fuck is happening?” I mutter.

  “God, man, where do I even start?” He chuckles.

  “Uh, the beginning?” I suggest with a smile.

  He nods. “Right. So, Alberto and Louis are in some pretty deep shit. They’ll both be going to jail for a long time. The best part?” He grins at me. “Louis is the one who put them there.”

  “Do I dare ask how?” I smirk.

  “The woman on top of Louis? She’s a Madame who’s been working with Alberto and Louis, helping them bring in illegal women, who in turn work off their debt,” he explains.

  “Holy shit,” I mutter.

  What I’ve been trying to do for three years, Louis does in one evening?

  “Okay, and why is she on top of him?” I shake my head. “Actually, I’m not even sure I want that answered.”

  He grins. “Because his dick is glued inside her.”

  “Yep.” I squeeze my eyes closed and cringe. “Definitely didn’t need to hear that.”

  “When the paramedics arrived, they asked her for her insurance, she freaked out and confessed everything.” He smiles, looking happier than I’ve seen in a long time. “Apparently, she’s got enough evidence against both of them to put them away for a very long time.”

  Fuck me.

  I laugh, because there’s nothing else I can do. This is too crazy to actually be happening. I barely slept at all last night. I was so worked up, trying to figure out a way to bring Alberto down and I came up with nothing. But somehow, his own son has managed do it for me.

  “So, the glue. Was that you?” I grin.

  He makes a face. “God, no. Even if I knew what they were up to, I’d never have had the balls or stomach to pull that off.”

  “Then who?”

  “That would be me.”

  I turn around. Marco smirks at me. Marco? Wow. The shocks keep coming.

  “You switched it?” I say, my lips twitching. He nods.

  “When Louis bragged to me that he was tapping his father’s mistress—”

  “She’s Alberto’s mistress?” I cut in with a laugh. “God, this keeps getting better. Or worse. I’m not sure which.”

  He grins. “Anyway, when he told me what he was doing, all I had to do was switch out his supplies with some glue and hope that the threat of deportation would make her confess everything.”

  I laugh and rub my forehead.

  “What I don’t get is why?” Julian asks, shaking his head. “What did you get out of it?”

  I look at Marco, because I’m curious about that too.

  Before he can answer, the elevator doors open and Lola storms into the room. She walks straight past us and over to Louis, her long, dark hair hanging halfway down her back.

  “You stupid fucking idiot.”

  She screams at Louis, hitting him repeatedly over the head. Even Alberto is trying to calm her down, which is amusing on its own. I glance at Julian. All traces of humor disappear as he stares darkly at his fiancée.

  “Are you and Lola…?”

  “I’m not sure,” he admits. “Do you think she knew anything?”

  I watch her for a second, not sure what to say to him. The way she’s reacting? I think she did, but I don’t know how much. She’s more upset that he got them caught than horrified her brother and father were forcing women into prostitution.

  “It’s hard to tell,” I finally say.

  He’s silent for a moment, then he walks over and grabs her hand. She glares at him, her eyes flashing.

  “Can we talk?” he asks.

  “Talk?” she repeats, laughing in his face. “What’s there to talk about?”

  “Are you kidding me?” he laughs.

  “Jesus, Julian, take the fucking hint,” Lola rants, throwing her arms up. “You’re the last thing on my mind at the moment.”

  “We’re getting married tomorrow.” He frowns at her. “Even if it’s not today—”

  “Not today?” she laughs. “Try not ever. You think this marriage was real? Of course it wasn’t. I said yes because I had to, because my father was right all along about him being a cop. Keep your enemies closer and all that?”

  I freeze, because she’s glaring at me. Julian frowns and glances my way, then he laughs.

  “What? He’s not a cop,” he says, dismissing the idea as ridiculous.

  “Really?” Lola snarls. “Are you sure about that?” She sighs and takes a deep breath. “Just go, Julian. You really don’t want to be anywhere near this family when they start digging a little deeper.”

  “You want me to go? Fine. I’m gone.”

  He turns around, his glare leveling on me. I shift awkwardly.

  Shit.

  “He doesn’t look happy. I’m guessing he didn’t know you’re a cop?” Marco asks.

  I glance at Marco, still struggling to figure out how he fits into all of this. He gives me a sympathetic smile.

  “If it's any consolation, I know how you’re feeling.”

  Then it dawns on me.

  “You’re undercover too.”

  He nods. “I’ve been working this from the other side, gathering evidence against my uncle.”

  Julian stalks over to us. He glares at me.

  “You have some explaining to do,” he mutters, his voice dark.

  I walk over to where Julian sits, resting his head in his hands. I feel for him. I really do. He’s angry, upset and embarrassed and he’s no doubt going to be firing all of that at me. I sit down, my body tense. Fuck, this is messed up. He looks up and glares at me, his eyes dark.

  “I should’ve told you—”

  “You’re damn right you should have told me,” he growls. His head lifts and his eyes meet mine. “Did you know she was playing me?”

  “God, no. Not for a second,” I promise him. “If I knew that, I would’ve …”

  “What?” he snaps. “Lied some more?”

  I stare at him, wishing I could explain this to him. But how do I put it into words when nothing is going to make up for it? Saying sorry isn’t going to undo this mess. And at the end of the day, it doesn’t change the fact that she was using him. Sure, that’s not my fault, but if it makes him feel better to blame me, then he can put this on me as much as he wants.

  “I’m sorry,” I say, shrugging helplessly.

  “Yeah,” he mutters. “I’ve been hearing that a lot …” He sighs, takes a deep breath and then looks at me. “So. You’re a cop. Fucking hell, Fre…Adam. Are you going to arrest me for smoking weed that time last month?”

  I chuckle. “No. You’re good.”

  He nods, then sits forward. “Why didn’t you tell me? I thought we were close.”

  “We were. Are,” I say, stopping to correct myself. “This had nothing to do with trust,” I say to him. “If Alberto thought for a second you knew anything …” I stop for a moment, gathering my thoughts. “If anything happened to you because of my selfishness, I never would’ve forgiven myself. Telling you would’ve been just that. All it would have achieved was making me feel less guilty.”

  He nods, then stands up. I watch him as he slowly saunters off, not sure whether to go after him or not. Then he turns around.

  “I need some time to get my head around everything,” he says. “I’ll call you.”

  “Sure. Hey Julian?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I know you’re angry, I just want you to know if you need to talk about anything …” I pause, not sure whether to bring it up or not. “I know the baby must be a huge shock and now this crap with Lola … I’m here for you if you want to—”

  “Lily’s pregnant?” he mutters.

  I stare at him, watching his forehead crease in confusion.

  Oh fuck
.

  “I’ve got to go,” he says, fighting to control his tone.

  He turns on his heel and stalks out.

  I trudge back down to my room, taking my time, because I’m not looking forward to telling Katie about my fuck up. She’s going to kill me, because Lily will probably kill her.

  She’s waiting for me by the door. She smiles as she takes hold of my hand and pulls me inside.

  “Where’s Lily?” I ask. “And Darcy?”

  “Julian came back and wanted to speak with Lily. He said Alberto has been arrested?”

  I nod. “That’s great, right?” She frowns at me. “Why don’t you look happier?”

  I sit down. “Because I fucked up,” I say flatly.

  “How?” she asks.

  I tell her everything.

  “Ouch,” she says, laughing after I finish relaying the events of the evening.

  “Yes.” I nod. “Let’s just hope the charges stick.”

  “Seriously?” she groans, biting back a smile. “You and your corny jokes.

  “If that impressed you, then you should hear my pickup lines,” I grin.

  “As you can tell, I’m dying to hear this,” she mutters, laying on the sarcasm.

  I wink at her. “Would you like to sit on my face, so I can eat my way to your heart?”

  She bursts out laughing.

  “What? It worked.” I pretend to be hurt as I defend myself.

  “I’m sure it had nothing to do with the fact that you’re a young, sexy guy with a killer body that girls would be falling over themselves for anyway,” she assures me.

  I smile and raise my eyebrows.

  “Now I’m sexy, huh?” I glance down at my chest. “Killer body?”

  “I didn’t mean … I just …”

  She grunts as I laugh, then I pull her closer to me and wrap my arms around her waist.

  “So, Katie Harris, want to let me make your dreams come true and let me take you out somewhere?” I ask, kissing her on the mouth. “You free tonight?

  “Sure.” She grins. “I guess I can stay an extra night.”

  She smiles as I kiss her again.

  “How can I refuse an offer like that?”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Katie

  It’s Sunday night, my last night in Vegas, before I catch a flight home early tomorrow morning. It gets me back before my afternoon classes and the exam which I haven’t studied for. It’s been such a big few days that I feel like I need a vacation. Adam reaches across the table for my hand, entwining his fingers in mine. I look up at him and smile.

  “You’re obviously loving my company.” He raises his eyebrows at me. “I’ve spoken to you about a dozen times and no response. Everything okay?”

  I nod and smile.

  “For some reason, I don’t quite believe that smile is genuine,” he teases.

  “It is,” I assure him. “I’m having fun …”

  “But?”

  “The idea of going home …” I laugh, not even sure what I’m trying to get at. “I don’t know. I guess I’m not looking forward to getting back to my life as much as I thought I would be.”

  “There’s an easy fix to that. We’ll stay a few more days,” he suggests with a grin.

  “As much as I really want to say yes, work and school …” I say, wincing. “Even one extra day is pushing it. I have an exam tomorrow afternoon,” I admit.

  “Then maybe you should’ve stayed home and studied?” he murmurs.

  “Where’s the fun in that?”

  “Does cleaning crime scenes really help you?”

  “Sure, it does,” I say with a grin. It fits perfectly with what I want to do.”

  “So, forensics, huh?” he murmurs. “Nice.”

  I wait for the backhanded comment that usually follows, but it doesn’t come.

  “What, no sarcastic retort?” I tease.

  “Not all my comments are filled with sarcasm,” he protests. Then his eyes sparkle. “But, if forensics fails, you’ll always have a career to fall back on. I hear songwriting pays well…”

  “Oh, shut up,” I growl.

  “What? Hey, don’t be embarrassed.” He lets out a low whistle. “You’ve got some real talent there. Some of those lyrics brought a tear to my eyes. I was laughing at the time, but it’s still an accomplishment, right?”

  “You’re such an idiot,” I say, laughing.

  “Maybe. But it’s true. That performance opened many doors for you. And not just the sexual ones. Although … how do you feel about Alabama Hot Pocket?”

  “I don’t even know what that is.”

  I just know I’m going to regret admitting that.

  “It’s the art of allowing a guy to shit in your vagina, then having sex with him.”

  “That’s a thing?” I blurt out before I can stop myself. “And why would you tell me this just after I’ve eaten dinner? Actually, why would you tell me that at all?”

  “Yeah, it’s a thing, but don’t worry, I’m not about to proposition you.” He chuckles. “The last time I did that, they banned me.”

  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure they’d draw the line at that.” I giggle.

  Adam laughs. He looks around and then leans closer to me.

  “Don’t tell him I told you this, but right after Lily, Julian started seeing this chick. It was going well, until she invited him over for a hot pocket. He assumed she meant the frozen kind you eat.” He chuckles. “Let’s just say it wasn’t a meal she had spent all day prepping.”

  “Oh God, I’m going to be sick,” I mutter, laughing.

  “Yeah that was pretty much his reaction, too.” He laughs. “My point is, always keep yourself open to new possibilities.”

  “After that story, I’m not sure I want to.” I shudder. “But thank you for your career advice. Maybe if the whole cop thing fails, you can become a career advisor?” I suggest sweetly.

  “Hey, that’s a great idea,” he says. “That video really embarrassed you, didn’t it?”

  His serious tone makes me want to give him an honest answer.

  “It’s more the fact that she sent it out to every single person on her contact list.” I sigh. “People I have to now go home and face.”

  He laughs. “But you faced me. If you can do that, then the rest will be easier. You need to stop worrying about what other people think or it’s going to rule your life. Loosen up.”

  “And let me guess, you’re just the person to loosen me up?”

  He laughs loudly. “I thought I’d already done that. But seriously, when was the last time you did something really unexpected?”

  “Um, singing the song I wrote for you when I was fourteen?” I remind him. “Not even four days ago?”

  He laughs. “That doesn’t count. And anyway, so what if you made a fool of yourself. You looked hot doing it.”

  “Why doesn’t it count?” I ask.

  “Because Lily did the text fail. Not you.”

  “But I made it in the first place,” I remind him. “That has to mean something, right?”

  When he doesn’t say anything I speak up again. “Fine then. What are you suggesting?”

  His eyes twinkle. “Karaoke?”

  I snort. “Ha. Nice one. I’d rather marry you through a drive thru, manned by Elvis. That wasn’t a proposal, by the way.”

  “No, it sounded more like an insult.” He chuckles. “Don’t rush to correct me, or anything.”

  “If we do ever end up getting married, you just know our wedding has to be a karaoke reception in the middle of Vegas, right?” He grins.

  “That we fly to?” I tease.

  “No thank you.” He grins at me. “Speaking of which, how are you getting home? Can I tempt you into a road trip?”

  “I don’t know,” I tease. “Who in their right mind would drive the seventeen hours home?”

  He shakes his head. “You’d have to be crazy …”

  After dinner, we head back to the hotel.

  “A
ny word on Alberto and Louis?” I ask him.

  “They’re pleading guilty. I have no idea on sentencing, other than it will be a lot.”

  I shake my head, I still can’t believe how well this all worked out. He takes my hand as he opens the door and smiles at me. We go inside his room and I stand there awkwardly, my heart racing. Why do I feel so nervous? Maybe it’s because he’s a cop, or because it might be our last night together? I shiver.

  He’s a cop. All that control. And force…

  “So,” I say. “You’re a cop.”

  He smiles at me. “I thought we’d established that already?” He smiles.

  “We did. I just had a few questions.”

  “Like …?” he prompts.

  “Like do you have any handcuffs?”

  He laughs and pulls me closer. “Actually, I do.” He grins at me and leads me over to his bed. “And they just happen to be in that drawer.”

  “Convenient,” I say with a grin.

  He leans over and kisses me. I groan, my heart racing at the feel of his touch. He kisses my neck, then slips a finger into my panties, pushing it deep inside me. I groan as I ride his hand, my body tensing as he works me.

  And then I stop. My ears have to be deceiving me. My eyes widening in shock.

  Oh no he didn’t.

  “Are you freaking kidding me?” I growl. I sit bolt upright and glare at him as he walks over to the couch, my cheeks going red as his phone continues to ring. “You set it as your ringtone?”

  “What?” he asks with a laugh. “Oh, you mean this?” He shrugs. “At least I’ll never wonder again if it’s my phone ringing.”

  I launch myself off the bed and stalk over to him. He laughs as I try to wrestle it off him. He’s stronger than me, so he easily has me pinned against the couch, leaving me out of breath and even more annoyed. I glare at him, my heart pounding.

  “If anything, you should be flattered.”

  He smirks at me and holds my hands above my head, his body pressing against mine. He stares at me, the corner of his mouth twitching into a grin as he inches closer to me. Close enough that I can feel his warm breath rushing past my lips. I reach down, rubbing him through his jeans. I smile as he starts to stiffen and press my lips against his.