by Geri Glenn
Walking into my apartment, I head right for the fridge, crack open a beer and make myself a sandwich. I’m just smearing a thick layer of mayo on a slice of bread when my phone rings. I instantly recognize the ringtone as the one I’ve assigned for my sister, Laynie.
Dropping the knife on the counter, I move towards my phone, licking mayo off my fingers. “Hello?”
“Hey Daniel! How are you?”
I smile at her easy tone, but my heart clenches just a little as I hear the proper words. My sister and I are close and I’ve always been protective of her. Years ago, Laynie and our brother Garrett had been on their way home from prom when their car was struck head on by a drunk driver. Laynie had suffered a head injury that had left her completely blind, and Garrett had died on impact. The crushing loss we’d suffered that fateful night had made our bond even stronger – but lately, things had been different. Laynie had met a guy and I don’t like him one bit. This new boyfriend of hers is a biker, and a criminal, and the worst man possible for my baby sister.
Laynie does what she wants though. She’s a strong woman and though she loves me, she does what she thinks is best for her, with or without my approval. I respect that, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.
“Hey Laynie. I’m good. What’s up?”
“Nothing, really. Just called to say hi.” She pauses and I wait, knowing there’s more. “Oh, and Travis and I went to Mom and Dad’s for the weekend. We just got back. Mom sent you something.”
I raise my brows. She took Travis to our parent’s house? I don’t say anything, not wanting to piss her off. “What is it?”
“I don’t know. I think it’s a birthday present.”
Rolling my eyes, I grab the plate with my sandwich, snag my beer then walk to the living room and sit on the couch. I arrange my supper on the coffee table and sit back with the phone still to my ear.
“Yeah. Probably. I’ve been busy lately and haven’t been by to see them.”
Laynie chuckles. “Yeah. She may have mentioned that once or twice.” I smirk, knowing that Mom probably whined about my absence the entire visit. “Anyways, since your birthday is in a couple of days she sent it home with us. She asked that we get it to you as soon as possible, so Travis is going to stop by with it in the morning. Will you be home?”
I cringe at the thought of that asshole even knowing where I live, let alone stopping by. “Yeah. I’ll be here.”
“Great!” Laynie sounds so happy — happier than I’ve ever heard her. Could it be that this asshole makes her happy? “And I was thinking! Since your birthday is in a couple of days, maybe you could come for supper?” She pauses for a moment and then sing songs, “I’ll make your favourite.”
I laugh. “Alright, I’ll come. But I want chocolate cake. And I mean real chocolate cake this time. None of that gluten-free shit you made me last year.”
Laynie’s musical laughter echoes through the phone, making me smile. “Deal.”
I finish up my conversation with my sister and then sit back to eat my supper. Flipping through channels, my mind wanders to Derrick Monroe. His sister seemed pretty worried about him, which makes me believe that she’s right and something is definitely wrong. I passed the case off to the Missing Persons Unit, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do a little investigation of my own.
Looking around my bare apartment, I decide to do just that. There’s a nightclub downtown where the Crips tend to hang out. There’s no reason I can’t go there myself, have a couple of drinks and maybe look around while I’m there. Maybe I’ll even see Derrick.
Nodding at my own decision, I put my plate in the sink and head off to the shower. It doesn’t take me long to get ready for a night on the town. A quick shower, shave and a splash of cologne and I’m off to the bar.
The line up outside is long for this time of night but it seems to be moving quickly. I only wait outside for about five minutes before the bouncer finally nods and lifts the rope, allowing me to enter the busy nightclub.
All around me, scantily dressed women squeal and laugh and dance and drink while the men stand around talking and looking tough while they down drinks of their own. Grabbing a drink from the bartender, I scan the crowd, instantly recognizing several gang members that are well-known to the police.
I’m just making my second scan across the room when I see her. Leaning up against a wall in the far corner, lips painted as red as her short, low-cut dress, is Gabby. And she’s talking to a Crip.
Gabby
Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. I was sure that if I came here, where I know the Crips like to hang out, I would figure something out… or at least see Tommy. Now here I am, dressed in one of my sexiest red dresses, talking to a total creep.
I’ve never been one to be overtly flirty. I’m a take-me-as-I-am kind of girl. I’m a hairdresser with a unique style that tends to draw in the women, but freak out the men a little. I make friends easy enough, but I’ve never mastered the art of flirtation. Standing in this loud and crowded nightclub, I’m completely out of my element.
I’d been standing by the bar for an hour sipping on my Singapore Sling and trying to figure out who to talk to when a man approached me. I had never seen him before but he seemed friendly enough, and I can tell by the blue he’s wearing and the tattoos on his arms that he’s a Crip.
Three drinks and a whole lot of lame pickup lines later, I’m no closer to learning anything at all about my brother, and I am now in a situation where I can’t walk away from this guy without making a scene. I look up at him and bat my eyelashes, hoping I look flirtatious and not like I have something stuck in there. He grins down at me, assuming I liked whatever the hell he just said.
Uh oh. What had he just said to me? Just then, he leans in close and wraps his arm around my hips, dragging my body into his. Fuck. His nose fits itself into the crook of my neck and I barely contain my yelp when his tongue flicks out, tasting my bare skin. Shit. Think Gabby! Think!
“What the fuck! Baby, I’ve been looking everywhere for you! What are you doing?”
I look up in surprise and am thrown backwards a little when tongue boy whips around to face whoever had spoken. Double shit. It’s Sergeant Lawson… and he doesn’t look happy. The guy I was with takes a step forward and pokes him hard in the chest.
“Who the fuck are you?”
Sergeant Lawson plants his feet and raises his eyebrow at him. He towers over the younger man and easily outweighs him by forty pounds of solid muscle. “I’m her man. Who the fuck are you?”
Tongue boy screws his face up and turns to give me a dirty look. “Fuck this shit, man. Stupid bitch.” He gives me one last sneer and then pushes past Sergeant Lawson and disappears into the crowd of dancing bodies.
I probably look like a complete fool with my eyes wide and my mouth hanging open, but I can’t help it. What the hell is he doing here anyway? And why does he smell so good? It hadn’t escaped my notice earlier today that he is one of the most gorgeous men I’ve ever seen in real life, but at the time I was pissed off and was focused on getting the missing persons report filed.
Now that I’ve had a few drinks and feel a little looser, I can’t help but notice how perfect those jeans mould to his muscular thighs, or how hot he looks in that green button-down shirt.
Sergeant Lawson’s eyes narrow on me. “Gabby? What the hell are you doing here?”
I stare at him a beat, my mouth still hanging open. “I, uh … ” Swallowing, I decide to stop looking at his body and start looking at just his eyes. Fuck. Look at how green they are. “Um… I just … ” I got nothing. In an attempt to salvage this situation and avoid looking like a stuttering fool, I shrug and just grin at him.
His jaw hardens and his eyes narrow further. “Are you out of your mind? You’re here looking for information on your brother, aren’t you?” I swallow again and nod. He shakes his head and glares at me. “You are out of your mind. Do you have any idea how badly this could have gone, Gabby? These guys aren
’t good people. They’re not just gonna tell you where he is! They could have figured you out! You could have been hurt!”
His anger confuses me. “I wasn’t doing anything dangerous. I was just trying to find out some information.”
“Not dangerous? Are you fucking kidding me right now?” He grabs my arm and pulls me close, his mouth close to my ear. “This bar is fucking crawling with gang members, Gabby. The same gang members that may or may not have done something to your brother. Use your head!”
My eyes widen and I yank myself out of his grasp. “Excuse me! I appreciate your concern, Sergeant Lawson, but —”
“Daniel,” he barks.
I stare at him, surprised by the interruption. “Fine. Whatever. I appreciate your concern, Daniel, but I’m a grown woman. I can take care of myself, thank you very much. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some people to talk to.”
He grabs my arm again. “I don’t think so, Gabby. You need to take a step back and let the police do their job. We are trained to deal with this shit. You’re not.”
As he talks, my anger grows, but I find it harder and harder to focus on his words. The room spins slowly and my skin starts to feel hot and clammy. When I look at him to give him my best glare, there is two of him.
“I can’t wait around for you la —” My words are cut off as my knees give out. Just as I’m about to hit the floor, Daniel wraps his arm around me, dragging me up to my feet once more. My head rolls loosely on my neck and I struggle to keep my eyes open. Something is very wrong.
“Gabby? Gabby!” I can hear him calling me, but the sound is muffled — echoing somehow, like it’s coming from far away. My eyes fall closed and no matter how hard I try, I can’t peel them apart again. The last thing I hear is Daniel calling my name.
Daniel
Last night did not go as planned. When Gabby collapsed, I caught her just before she hit the floor. She showed definite signs of being drugged. The date rape drug acts fast and, luckily for her, I came along before that greasy thug got his chance to touch her.
I made quick work of getting her out of that club and into my car. I didn’t know what to do with her. I knew that someone needed to keep an eye on her, so I just brought her to my house. She spent over an hour throwing up before I finally managed to get her into my bed.
Now it’s morning and I’m in the kitchen making breakfast, waiting for her to wake up. This is not good. She’s sleeping in my bed. This is not good. There’s no way I should have allowed things to get this personal with her, but what else could I do?
Thinking back to last night, I remember how fast my blood heated when I saw that fucker put his hands on her. It was all I could do to stay calm and not rip him to shreds. I’m pissed at her too. I know she wants to find her brother, but she’s obviously clueless of just how dangerous the Crips are. You don’t fuck with them without them fucking you right back.
A noise in the hallway breaks me from my thoughts and I look up just as Gabby peers cautiously around the corner. When she sees me, her eyes widen and I can hear her gasp from across the room.
“Sergeant Lawson?” She steps into the room and looks around, her dress wrinkled and hair tousled. Her eye makeup is smudged around her eyes giving her a slightly raccoon-type appearance. It doesn’t even matter. She still looks beautiful.
“Daniel. Call me Daniel.” She stares at me, nibbling on her lower lip. Breaking the silence, I raise my coffee cup. “Coffee?”
She curls her lip. “No thank you. I don’t drink coffee.” Her eyes scan the open concept living room/dining room/kitchen combo before coming back to me. “Um. Daniel? Why am I here?”
Sighing heavily, I stand from my spot and take a few steps towards her. “Well, I went to the club last night, hoping to get some information on your brother’s whereabouts when guess who I should see there. Any guesses?” Her eyes narrow but she says nothing. “That’s right, Gabby. I see you. Snuggled up with a Crip. And not just any Crip, but a Crip who was carrying a handy stash of roofies.” Her eyes widen in surprise and my anger grows as I talk, just thinking of how close she came to being hurt. “You’re lucky I came along when I did or you’d be waking up somewhere a lot worse than my place… if you woke up at all.”
“I was roofied?” I stare at her and nod, glad she’s finally getting that her move last night was crazy and dangerous. “Wow,” she says as she walks the rest of the way into the kitchen. “Thank you for helping me, Daniel.” I nod again, considering the conversation over. “I do appreciate it, but I’ll tell you right now, I don’t appreciate the way you’re talking to me.” I stare at her in surprise. “I was only there because sitting around doing nothing isn’t getting me anywhere. I can’t sit in that empty house another minute when I could be doing something to find my brother.”
I take another couple of steps towards her, until I am close enough to touch her. “I get that Gabby, but you need to think things through! You made a stupid move last night.”
Her eyes narrow, and her voice lowers. “Don’t you ever call me stupid.”
Sighing, I reach for her. “I didn’t mean it like that.” She jerks out of my reach and I groan, stabbing my fingers through my hair. “Look, I’m a cop. I know what I’m doing here. You shouldn’t have been there. Next time you try something like that, I won’t hesitate to redden your ass.” I don’t know who’s more shocked that I said it, but I meant it.
She frowns and glares at me. “You’re as big of an asshole as that Frank guy from the station!”
Her anger doesn’t phase me. The truth is, after saying what I said, I can’t get the image of her bent over in front of me, my reddened handprint shining bright on her pale skin. Before I get a chance to respond, a knock on the door breaks the tension. We both turn to stare at it, our argument temporarily forgotten. Who the hell could it be? It’s barely eight thirty in the morning.
Turning, I stride toward the door and look through the peep hole. Fuck. It’s my sister’s thug boyfriend. I forgot he was coming over. Pulling open the door, I ignore Gabby behind me, and hope to make this quick.
“Travis,” I greet.
He nods silently and holds out a wrapped package. I look up to see another man on a bike, idling at the side of the road. Bikers. Travis is a member of the Kings of Korruption MC and goes by the name Tease. I instantly recognize the man at the corner as Bosco, the King’s newest prospect. I’ve been profiling the Kings for over a year now, so it’s no surprise that I hate my sister being tangled up with this guy.
“Tell Laynie I said thank you,” I say.
He nods again. “Will do.” Turning, he takes a single step down the stairs to head back to his bike when Gabby rushes out the door, knocking me out of her way. She charges past Travis and heads straight for Bosco.
I watch in shock as she says something to him, her arms gesturing wildly. He stares at her in surprise, his eyes amused, before he shrugs and nods. Gabby throws her leg over the back of his bike and climbs on. I break out of my daze and hurry down the steps to the sidewalk. Just when I reach it, Bosco revs his motor and peels off down the street. I watch in anger and desperation as he carries her away, and am shocked even further when Gabby turns around and raises her arm, staring right at me as she gives me the finger.
A chuckle from behind me reminds me that Travis is still standing there. “Damn, man. You pissed that bitch off.”
“Where’s he taking her?” I demand, turning and getting in his space.
He smirks. “I don’t have a fuckin’ clue, man but you best take a step back. Whatever you did to piss her off is not my problem.” He steps around me and walks towards his bike. “Look. If you want, I’ll go to the clubhouse and see what I can find out, okay?”
I grit my teeth and nod, not wanting to rely on his help with anything, but not having much choice in the matter. Travis nods in return and climbs onto his ride, leaving without another word.
I stare after him, my mind racing. The Kings are notorious around here for being mo
re dangerous than the Crips. Hell, they’re the most dangerous club in the country. Surely Gabby wasn’t that clueless to think that she’d be safe with them. But she must be, because why else would she ride off on the back of a bike belonging to a King?
Gabby
Okay, maybe leaving with this biker wasn’t the best idea, but when I’d seen the Kings of Korruption logo on his leather cut, the idea came to me and I ran with it. Besides, Daniel was being an asshole. Admittedly, he was probably right, and I probably just proved him right again that I have a tendency to not think things through. It doesn’t matter though. I have been impulsive all my life. I know how to handle myself.
The bike pulls to a stop in front of a large building surrounded by motorcycles. The front part of the building seems to be a garage and there are several tattooed, hairy men milling about talking and working on cars and bikes. I look around in awe, taking it all in.
“You gonna get off the bike, Sweet pea?”
His voice startles me, and I swing my eyes to his. He sits in front of me on the bike, his torso turned so he can look at me, a smirk plastered on his handsome face. My eyes widen and I scramble off the bike, instantly aware of how dishevelled I look. My hair is still a mess, my makeup is likely smeared across my face from the night before and my dress is rumpled. He laughs at my awkward dismount and gracefully gets off himself.
“Come on, girl,” he says on a chuckle. He grabs my hand in his and starts walking towards a door near the back of the building. Bikers are everywhere and it seems every eye is on me as we walk.
“Um… ” Shit. I don’t know this guy’s name. “Sir?”
He turns and stares at me, bursting into laughter. “Sir? Alright, I can deal with that. What can I do for you, Ma’am?”
My cheeks flame. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.” I tug on my hand, attempting to pull it from his. “I think I’ll just go home, actually. Thanks for the ride, but … ” My voice trails off as I stare at where my hand is trapped in his.