by Anthology
“Well, can’t you use a credit card?” It was rare for Corbin not to jump at any opportunity to try to buy me expensive clothes.
“I’m going to grab myself a coffee,” he said, nodding toward a large café surrounded by umbrellaed tables.
“Then we can go after,” I said. “I wouldn’t mind something cold.”
“Not enough time, but I’ll buy you whatever you want.”
“Surprise me.” We both got out of the truck. “When do I need to be back here?”
“Sooner is better than later,” he said with what I thought was an inappropriately cryptic smile.
A large sporting goods shop anchored the corner of the shopping area. Hopefully they’d have something free of sports team logos.
Two guys walked by me. Neither one stared at my hair, or even seemed to notice me at all.
Whatever.
After buying a plain black baseball cap, I gripped the brim, rolling it tightly between my palms. It had been a long time since I’d worn a hat for fashion reasons. I hadn’t needed to once I’d discovered the magic of hair products.
Settling the cap onto my head, I returned quickly to the truck. Corbin wasn’t back yet.
I debated if it was worth meeting him in the coffee house. I didn’t particularly feel like walking over there, but if I made an appearance, at least I’d get credit for having been fast.
I pushed through the door and was surprised to find the café mostly empty. Corbin was waiting at the second counter, the one under a sign that said Pick Up Your Pick-Me-Up Here!
Behind the pastry display case, a cute brunette with a long, sleek ponytail practically bounced over to Corbin. She leaned on the counter, revealing a suspiciously large rack for a girl with almost no body fat.
As I watched, she cocked her head and began to toy with the end of her ponytail, and my relatively good mood began to waver. One of the few disadvantages of being with a man who looked like Corbin was having to deal with watching every moderately confident woman flirt with him.
He never flirted back. Well… He never had until now. I watched as he said something to the woman. She acted like she couldn’t quite hear him, tilting her head cutely and leaning in even closer.
I crossed my arms.
Corbin said something, and ok, he wasn’t technically flirting, but he wasn’t ignoring her, either.
The woman suddenly pushed away from the counter. She looked Corbin up and down. After a second, she spun away, went into the back and came out with an even more attractive woman with long, wavy blonde hair and a frankly stunning smile. I could say that about her smile because I was watching her flash it at Corbin.
Then she walked over. “How can I help you?” she was asking. I was too far away to hear, but I could read her slick, bright-crimson lips. Maybe, I thought, I should start wearing makeup every day. But running after criminals tended to melt off lipstick mascara, foundation, blush… everything.
Corbin said something to her as the brunette joined them. She leaned on the blonde’s shoulder.
“Can I squeeze by ya?”
I turned to see a heavyset man and a slender woman standing in the doorway behind me, and I became aware that the sound of traffic had gotten louder. “Sorry,” I said, moving to the side.
When I looked over again, the blonde was pulling a pen from where it was clipped to the V of her shirt. The movement dragged her collar line even lower for a moment.
If Corbin wanted to fuck these two women in the back of the coffee house, I had no doubt they’d be up for it. Back when I was single, I might have been, so I couldn’t blame the women. It still made me nervous, though.
The blonde grabbed a napkin, scribbled something down, and slid it over to Corbin. To my horror, he looked at it, nodded, and folded it in half.
I was stunned. In all the time I’d known him, I’d never seen him do anything like that. He was loyal—
Maybe this was part of my punishment. Maybe he planned to… what? Leave the napkin where I could find it? Try to make me jealous?
The brunette spun away—apparently she loved twirling—to wait on the couple who had just entered. Corbin finally turned around. When he saw me, I glared at him; I couldn’t help it.
Chapter Fourteen
Corbin grinned and motioned for me to come over, which I did. Reluctantly.
“Audrey, this is Aria.”
She smiled. I wanted to pull the brim of my hat down over my whole face. “Hi,” I mumbled.
“She’s been dating Chaew for a couple of months. He’s been trying to convince her to leave town with him.” He handed me the napkin. “The restaurant where they’re meeting at seven tonight, confirmed by him about an hour ago.”
Ok. So I was impressed, but I wasn’t about to tell Corbin that. “Did you get me a drink?”
Aria leaned back to study the behind-the-counter area. “Lemonade iced tea?” she asked, picking up a plastic cup, my name scrawled on the side. The brunette had spelled it incorrectly, then fixed it. I imagined Corbin telling her to get it right, and I smiled.
Corbin nodded, and Aria finished preparing the drink, then slid it across the counter.
“Thank you,” I said.
Aria nodded. “I was going to break up with Damon anyway,” she said to Corbin. “He’s kind of a dick, and I don’t want to live in Mexico. Plus most of the guys I date are in really good shape, like you.” Her gaze slid slowly over Corbin’s chest and arms.
Like I wasn’t even standing there.
Yeah, yeah, I got it. Plain girl wearing sneakers and an ugly baseball cap couldn’t possibly be with the hot, well-dressed man.
I looped my arm through Corbin’s.
Aria blinked in surprise, but she recovered quickly. “What do I do when Damon calls because I’m not at the restaurant? Maybe it’s better if I show up.”
“Don’t show up,” Corbin said. “We’ll likely grab him before he even realizes you’re not there, but if he does call, tell him you’re running five minutes late.” He pulled his arm away… only to slip it around my shoulders.
Aria nodded. “Good luck tonight.” She took a final look at Corbin, then disappeared into the back.
Corbin stared down at me. “Am I imagining things, or did you just stake your claim?”
“You’re imagining things,” I said, heading for the condiments so I could add sweetener to my drink.
Corbin laughed. “You don’t know my type at all, do you?”
“You have a type?”
He nodded once, his eyes fixed on me. “I do. Mouthy women who challenge me.”
“That’s not a type.”
“Let me ask you something. If I looked exactly the same, but I was stupid and unsure of myself, if I smelled like peanuts all the time—”
“Peanuts or penis?” I asked as I popped a straw through the lid. “Because that’s an important distinction.”
Corbin ignored my interruption. “Would you still be interested in me?”
“Yes,” I said. “I’m shallow. Plus I happen to like both peanuts and penises.”
“More deflection. Interesting.” Smiling, he held the door open, and I stepped into the fresh autumn day.
“Where are we going now?” I asked.
“The deal we made is that we share all information. You now have the same information I do, so I’m going to take you back to the office.”
I scowled.
“You can keep the napkin,” Corbin said. “I know the restaurant.”
I unfolded it and was surprised Aria hadn’t included her phone number along with the restaurant’s name. “Bamboo Garden? Where is it?”
“You know that car dealership that had the fire last winter?”
“No…” I said slowly, combing my memory. “Yes.”
“It’s the upscale Chinese restaurant across the highway.”
Now I remembered the sign. “Oh, a fancy place.” I sniffed.
“We can go whenever you want,” Corbin said. “I’ll pick out a ni
ce red dress for you.”
“Too soon,” I said with a shudder.
Corbin dropped me off at the office, kissing me goodbye before driving away, so I figured my earlier transgressions had been forgiven.
He’d probably bring it up the next time I wanted sex and he wanted to make me beg for it, but I wasn’t about to complain about that.
Rob was out… with Jasper, thank goodness. I looked up the case he was working on: one of those deadbeat dads who were too much the bread and butter of Stroop Finders.
Dad was out, too, gone home for the day.
I went into my office, closed the door, and turned on the computer. Twenty minutes later, I had several detailed maps of Bamboo Garden printed out.
The restaurant was in an area I tended to avoid simply because the surrounding traffic was so heavy. The county was supposed to be putting in stoplights but hadn’t done it yet.
I figured a team of me and Rob, Martin and Kat would be enough to grab Chaew.
After Dad’s lecture, it was tempting to round up the entire company, just to cover my ass in case Corbin won, but most of our employees looked like bounty hunters. Or cops. Large grizzled men who moved with an authoritative air. Chaew was already paranoid. If he saw a bunch of guys like that hanging out in the parking lot or sitting in the restaurant, he’d take off.
I considered that.
Chaew was careful, and someone had tipped him off after the baseball game. For all I knew, he had a description of Rob. He’d have to stay in the background.
Martin, too, with his long black ponytail. Anise had surely told Chaew all about his visit.
Leaning back in my chair, I stared intently at the wall, my mind racing. Kat and I would go to the restaurant, friends out for a nice dinner. Damn. That meant I’d need to change into something nicer than jeans.
Rob and Martin would have to stay out of sight, backup in case of emergency. I’d need to get them in place early. Very early, because something told me Chaew would be watching the area himself.
I reached for the phone.
Chapter Fifteen
When I went home to change, the condo was empty. Corbin had been back, though; the smell of coffee was too fresh to be from the morning.
I changed into a long-sleeved dark purple dress with a cinched waist. The skirt portion was loose and flowing. I picked out a fringed black purse, big enough to hold pepper spray, zip tie handcuffs, and my phone. I paired it with knee-high black boots. They didn’t have heels, so I’d be able to move if needed. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that.
It took me twenty minutes to get my hair looking acceptable, but whenever I remembered the look on Corbin’s face when I jumped into his SUV, I started laughing. All in all, it had been worth it.
Kat texted me: Downstairs.
That seemed fast for her to have gone home, changed and come out to get me, and when I reached the parking lot, I realized why.
She was wearing jeans and a T-shirt. “It’s what I had in the trunk,” she said grumpily. Kat was the epitome of no-nonsense, and she probably thought pretending to be best friends out for dinner was beneath her.
I tilted my head and squinted. “You can borrow a blazer,” I said.
“I’m half a foot taller than you.”
“Not mine.” And even though we were ahead of schedule, I added, “Drive.”
“Where?”
“The office. I’m driving over with you, and Rob and Martin will take their own vehicles.” Rob’s car and Martin’s motorcycle.
When I arrived, they were in the parking lot. To my dismay, Jasper was with them. He gave me his patented little wave.
We really didn’t need him underfoot, but I thought about what Dad had said. “Kat wants to borrow your blazer,” I told Jasper.
He pulled it off and handed it over. Kat shrugged and put it on. She looked better, borderline acceptable.
“News?” I asked Rob.
Jasper raised his steno notebook to get my attention. “Erin wasn’t able to get you reservations, but you can sit at the bar.”
“Thanks.” I consulted my watch, and for a moment I stared at it, remembering the morning Corbin had bought it for me. He really did treat me well.
“Audrey?” Rob asked.
I shook my head, snapping out of it. “Right now it’s ten minutes to five. The date is scheduled to start in two hours. My guess is that Chaew will show up thirty to forty minutes ahead of schedule.” I paused.
Originally, I’d planned to have Rob and Martin covering the main exit, but they’d have been too visible there.
“You two will be across the road,” I said. “There’s a construction site where the car dealership used to be.”
Rob nodded. I could imagine he was dying to know where Corbin would be during all of this. Well, so was I; we didn’t need any more variables or wild cards.
“What about me?” Jasper asked.
Flustered, I looked at him. “What about you?”
“I won’t be able to see anything from across the road. That’s a busy area.”
“You can’t come with us. It would be dangerous to lock you in the back seat with a desperate fugitive.”
He blinked slowly. “Guess I’ll drive myself.”
Sometimes I really wanted to strangle Dad. “You can’t sit in the parking lot. You’ll scare the target away.”
“I’ll sit at the bar.”
“It’s fine,” Rob said. “Let him sit at the bar.”
His T-shirt was hardly acceptable attire, but I threw my hands up. “Fine, but stay out of the way or I’ll stab you and dump your body where no one will ever find it.”
Jasper grinned. He wasn’t afraid of me. It was my fault—I’d been too nice during the stakeout.
“Let’s go,” I said, rolling my eyes.
At six, Kat and I were walking into the restaurant… along with Jasper. I didn’t even know how it had happened. He’d just… followed us in.
To our right were the bathrooms. Walking straight would have taken us to the restaurant, which was crowded but sedate, the lights dimmed. From where we were standing, I could only see a portion of the tables, which were covered in graceful white tablecloths and topped with candles and fresh flowers.
To our left was the host’s stand, currently unmanned. Behind it was the bar, which took up the entire left quarter of the building. It was far more casual: high-top tables, bamboo instead of flowers. It wasn’t as crowded as the restaurant portion. One of the tables near the window was available, and I hurried toward it to stake out the seat with the best view.
As we settled in, I became aware of the music, a jazzy version of the traditional Chinese CD always playing at the cheap lunch place Rob and I frequented.
The bartender delivered drink menus. Jasper picked up his. “What’s good here?” he asked.
“Don’t know. Never been.” I turned to look more closely at the restaurant’s layout. The bathrooms were by the entrance, across from the host’s stand. The dining room was surprisingly large, and every table was occupied. “I’ll be right back.”
I washed my hands in the bathroom and took the long way back. The only exits were the front door and back by the kitchen. The setup was perfect for trapping Chaew. Assuming Corbin didn’t grab him two blocks away or something.
A waiter carrying a tray with a pint of beer and two glasses of water reached my table moments before I did.
“Anything?” I asked after he’d left.
Kat shook her head.
“This is more exciting than sitting in the car,” Jasper said.
I wondered where the hell Corbin was, what he was plotting. I pulled my phone out of my purse and sent him a message.
“We should order an appetizer,” Jasper said. “Egg rolls?”
“I could eat,” I said. My phone buzzed with a text. It was Rob.
“Good news,” I said to Kat. Jasper tried to look at my phone, and I flicked ice water at him until he backed off. “Chaew just parked.” Blue s
edan, and Rob had given me the plate number, too. It was tempting to stare out the window and look for Chaew, but if the guy was fifty minutes early for his date, he was even more paranoid than I’d planned for. We needed to be careful.
Jasper sat up straight, his eyes gleaming. “So we run and get him, right?”
“Wrong,” I said. “We wait. He’s in a car. If a lone Girl Scout on crutches hobbled up to sell him cookies, he’d probably freak out and take off. And we can’t do car chases.”
“Why not?”
“Too risky for innocent bystanders,” Kat said. “We’ll get him when he leaves the car. Don’t go getting all excited. Chaew’s early. He’s planning to sit there and watch.”
“How did you become a bounty hunter?” Jasper asked her.
She shrugged.
Evidently Jasper realized that was the most he’d be getting, because he turned to me and said, “So, Audrey, how do you—”
“Not now. I’m working.”
Jasper pushed back from the table.
“You’re not going outside,” I said.
He shook his head. “Bathroom. Don’t do anything exciting until I come back.” Whistling, he went off.
Rob texted: C is heading for the door.
C?
Chaew? Or Corbin? But before I could ask for clarification, I heard a man’s voice, raised and angry.
“Is Jasper talking to Chaew?” Kat asked, nodding toward the host’s stand.
Dread knotting up my stomach, I turned.
He was.
Chapter Sixteen
Actually, talking wasn’t the best description of what they were doing. Chaew was in Jasper’s face, and as I watched, he shoved Jasper hard.
Jasper went right down.
Already I was out of my seat, running, Kat right behind me.
“This is a nice restaurant,” the host was saying over and over.
“It is now,” Chaew said. His gaze darted to mine, and he straightened, dropping his fists. “Sorry to disrupt you ladies.”