by Bex Dane
Huh. If she's on leave from work, she probably shouldn't be hunting down cases. "Bending the rules, are we?"
"Just this one case. It's too high-profile to give up on, and it'll help restore my credibility when I get back."
"And what makes you think I'm the man to do this?"
"I know you followed me."
That gets my attention. "How'd you know that?"
"I heard you tell Cutter over the phone."
All right. I thought she spotted me while I was tracking her. I'm an old pro. One of the best bounty hunters out there. No way she saw me. "I did track you because you showed up at my family's place, looking all innocent with your navy blue headband, but you were suspicious as hell. Reappearing in my life the same night a fight happened to break out? I had to see what you were up to."
"So you know where I went. Take me back there. Help trigger the memories. I know they're in there just below the surface." She steps closer, and the neediness in her big brown eyes is incredibly tempting again. This girl is a cop, and she hates me. It must be so hard for her to lower herself to my level and ask for help.
Back on her porch, Griffin is standing inside the open doorway looking on with curiosity, but I don't think he can hear us. I keep my voice down just in case.
"No." It's hard to say to her, but I seriously need to make my escape and get back to work.
"Please."
God. Her begging reaches down to my dick and squeezes. "No. I did the right thing. I got you home safe. Now I check out and hit the road."
She sets her brow, ready to battle. Cute. "What can I offer you to make you say yes?"
"Oh you want to negotiate? Okay. How about you let me park my truck in your garage of love?"
She stares at me blankly, her mouth opening slightly. "Park your truck in my… Eww. No." Her head flinches back and her brows smash together. "I'd rather bathe in Brussels sprouts than see you naked."
"Really? You don't like Brussels sprouts?"
"They are the seed of Satan."
"No they're not." They aren't my favorite, but they aren't the worst veggie out there. "Cauliflower is much worse than Brussels sprouts."
She shakes her head. "Your vegetable preferences don't matter. Dr. Darby suggested revisiting the places where the memories first occurred."
"Revisiting?"
"Yes. Here's my offer. You take me to all the places you saw me go, and I'll forgive you." She crosses her arms over her chest like she's a genie in a bottle who has granted me three wishes.
"You'll forgive me?"
Griffin walks down the steps toward us, and I tilt my head to alert Loralei to keep it quiet.
"Something wrong?" he asks in his nasally twang. Dweeb.
"No. Just go, Griffin. Thanks for checking on me, but I'm fine really."
He gives me the once over, trying to look cool. "Okay. You call me if you need me."
"Sure." Her tone says she's placating him. She'll never call him. Now me, she said she "needs."
Griffin walks to a black Lexus and glares at us as he takes off, and I can't help but smirk at her and her lameass ex.
"Let's go back inside and talk." She walks away, and I'm looking at her ass, which is nice and round, just like I like 'em.
Talking is worse than cauliflower to me, but she's got some interesting stuff on the table, so I'll take the bait.
Back inside, she pulls out a wooden chair for me at her kitchen table. "Would you like something to drink?"
"Just talk." I take the seat and lean back.
"Okay." She counts on her fingers. "I estimate I've forgotten the time period between October ninth and November fifteenth which overlaps with the time that you followed me."
"That seems… accurate." I thought memory loss would be less specific, but she's the type to keep track of it to the day. "I only followed you for two days after the fight. The rest of the time, you're on your own."
"That's okay. I'll take any info you have. So here's the deal. You take me back to all the places I visited, and I'll forgive you for what you did to my dad."
I stare at her for a long time trying to process her schtick here. "Your dad did that to himself by skipping bail on drug charges and not paying his child support."
She growls and turns to the fridge. She comes back with a bottle of water and smacks it down on the table. "He shouldn't have had to die over some missed payments."
I take the bottle and start to open the cap. "He didn't die because of me. Is that what you think?" She's more unhinged than I thought.
"You put him in prison." She seriously blames me for her dad being a drug-addicted loser?
"He had warrants. I delivered him. The shit that went down after that was out of my hands." I thought this was obvious.
"He wouldn't have even been in prison if it weren't for you, and he wouldn't have killed himself."
"That's a stretch there, Lola." I'm not even sure if the guy killed himself. There's rumors he was taken out.
She freezes and stares at me. "My dad called me Lola."
"Then I'll stop." I take a sip of water.
"No. It's fine."
"So, say I take you on the Lola Bay Area Tour, and you forgive me, you leave me and my family alone forever?" Her plan sounds ridiculous to me, but also tempting. It would give me more opportunities to mess with her head and something to hold over her if she continues to show up at Twist Cabins.
"Yes." She smiles like she thinks she's making progress.
"And what if I don't forgive you?"
Her brow draws together. "Forgive me for what?" I don't buy her innocent act for a second.
"Don't play me, girl. Let's start with the retaliation for hauling in your dad."
Her lips sputter, and her eyes glow with mischief. "You didn't like the glitter dildos on your truck?"
"No."
She laughs. "What about the plastic wrap? I thought that added a nice touch."
"I let you have that because I did dupe you to get to him. I understand why you were angry."
"You didn't just dupe me. You took my virginity and then arrested my father before I was even dressed!"
"I don't see it that way." I take a sip of water and make her wait while I swallow it.
"How do you see it?"
"I admit I did come to the party to find out more about your father. Once I saw you, I wasn't thinking about him at all. I was thinking you were the prettiest girl I'd ever seen."
Her breath hitches. "You were?"
My nod and wink causes her to turn away stiffly. She paces to the fridge and comes back with another water bottle. She's cute when she's flustered. "We talked. I knew before you told me you were a virgin. There was this unique pureness about you. Something untarnished and treasured." I remember her big doe eyes, shiny hair, and painted nails. Her dad took care of her. She was sheltered from all the ugliness of life. Traveling with him on his road show of positivity.
"So you decided to take it?" The water bottle crinkles and deforms under the pressure of her clenching fist.
She's trying to goad me into fighting with her, but I'm not taking the bait. I know the best way to diffuse this. "Let's say you were color-blind your entire life, and all you ever wanted was to see blue with your own eyes. You'd heard of blue. People had told you blue was beautiful like the sky, but you'd never seen it yourself. What if someone offered you a chance not only to see blue but touch it? The catch is you'd only have one precious moment to hold the sky. Would you do it?"
She stares over my head, her eyes unfocused, her lower lip falling slightly. "I would," she whispers.
"So would I. Blue was as impressive as I always thought it would be. Then I went back to my black and white life. I had a job to do. I brought your dad in. End of story." I shrug and take a sip of water. I didn't intend to share that much detail with her, but now it's out there.
Her lips slowly close and flatten into a firm line. She shakes her head, and the fire is back in her eyes. "It wasn't the end of
the story for me. My dad went to prison. He killed himself. He was in debt. I had to unenroll from Stanford and start working. I fought like a dog and clawed my way back to earn everything I have now." She motions around her place, but it's mostly empty apart from her maritime decor.
"I don't see how any of that is my fault." I screw the cap back on the water bottle.
"Of course you don't." She sits opposite me at the table and roughly jerks her water bottle open.
"No matter what I did, you crossed the line later when you broadcast my parents' location."
"I didn't do that."
"I have proof you did it. My family is still sour on you for that." My mom could've been killed because of her stupid vendetta. "Then years later, you come up to my parents' place and gossip with the neighbors? Why? You can't let it go? You holding on so hard to vengeance?"
"I didn't know it would blow up into a huge fight." She shakes her head.
"Yes you did. You're not stupid. You calculated the whole thing. I asked around. I know you told Jareth that Cutter pulled a knife on Pepper. You set off a chain of events that caused a huge group of bikers to come up to Twist Cabins and challenge us. We were outnumbered. I saw you sneak out after the fight."
"I can't believe you recognized me after all these years."
"I'd recognize you for the rest of my life." My voice softens.
"Really?"
"On the helicopter, I knew it was you as soon as I got the hair out of your face."
"Wow."
I'm telling her too much. Everything I reveal is a weakness she can use against me later. "Don't be flattered. It's because you're a threat to my family. I protect my own."
She stays quiet because she knows she's in the wrong, and we've reached the end of this conversation.
"Anyway. I don't see anything in this for me. You forgive me, but I still hate you." I stand up and walk toward the door. I need to get back to work and get out of this nightmare.
She follows me. "Fine. What do you want in return?"
I smirk and peruse her tits. They are quite nice, pert and round. I've been alone in the Mojave for a month, and I'm parched.
"No way. No parking your truck in my garage of love." She crosses her arms over her chest.
I lean down and speak quietly in her ear. "Just imagine. It could be like the first time. You moaning my name, riding me like a cowgirl, sucking every inch of my body like I'm cotton candy."
She gasps and pulls away. "You remember that?"
"I've got it memorized." I tap my temple. One of the best nights of my life.
"It wasn't that great. You're a figment of your own imagination."
"Sure." I scoff at her futile lies.
She looks like she's about to say something, but she snaps out of it. "I'm not sleeping with you, Mace. You take me where I need to go, I forgive you. That'll be huge for me because I've hated you for a long freaking time. I don't give a frick if you forgive me or not, but I won't retaliate anymore. That's the offer on the table. Take it or leave it."
You have to admire her spunk. She's the one who needs something from me, and she's acting like she has the upper hand.
I plop down on her anchor couch and make a point of loudly smacking my boots on her glass coffee table. "Deal. Do you need to rest first?"
She sputters like she's surprised I agreed to her stupid plan. "No. I'm fine."
"Then go get ready." This is probably a very bad idea, but I'm enjoying teasing her, and I like the challenge of getting her in bed again. She should know better than to dare me.
"Where are we going?"
"We're going to a nightclub. Dress appropriately." I pull out my phone and wave her off with my hand. She's fun to mess with, but I'm done with all this talking.
She growls and stomps into her bedroom.
I've got her off her game, and I'm enjoying it.
I dial up Helix, my fellow bounty hunter.
If I'm gonna recreate that night at Dragon Lounge, I'm gonna need him to do me some favors. I'll owe him again after this, but it'll be so worth it to watch Loralei react.
Chapter 4 Dragon Lounge
Loralei
Two hours later, I emerge from my bedroom and find Mace still sitting on my couch with his feet on the coffee table.
The clearing of my throat causes him to rise to his towering six-foot-seven height.
Holy crap. He's changed his clothes too. He must have had them in his truck. Camel-colored suede pants wrap around his trunk-like thighs and flare out at the bottom above chocolate cowboy boots. Fringe from a matching suede jacket dangles from silver star buckles. Several layers of jade and crystal pendant necklaces hang on jute strings around his neck. Hair loose and skull rings on display, he seems like he's just returned from an adventure at a bohemian cowboy tower of doom and yet he looks delicious. Somehow he pulls it all off. The man is a walking house of style and, unlike me, it's effortless.
His gaze traverses my all-black ensemble of pencil skirt, blouse, and pointy heels.
He shakes his head. "Try again. Think inner lioness."
"What do you mean?"
"You're stepping over to the dark side to interrogate criminals wanted for… What's your case about?"
I intentionally didn't tell him. He finally asked. "It's a missing person."
His eyebrows arch, and he purses his lips like he's impressed. What did he think it was, shoplifting? I wouldn't break all the rules and keep pursuing this case if it wasn't something big.
"Male or female?"
"Female."
He nods and turns back to the couch. His outfit is even more spectacular from the backside. "Wear what you wore last time."
"What did I wear?" I hate having to ask Mace questions like this. I should know exactly what I wore because I would've picked it out carefully.
"A slinky leopard strappy thing with fuchsia lace." He motions toward me from head to toe.
Wow. For someone who hates me, Mace is freakishly observant of my clothes and remembers details of what I wore.
"That's my nightie!"
He shrugs. "Whatever it takes, right? And change your shoes too. They had a thicker, higher heel, and the toes weren't so witch-like."
"These are not witch-like, but okay. I have other shoes."
He plops back on the couch and crosses his long legs at the ankle, huge boots sticking up into the air. "I bet you do."
What does he mean by that?
***
I can't believe I'm about to walk out into my living room and stand in front of Mace Twist in a nightie and leopard heels. I bought these for a Halloween costume when I was younger and they are incredibly uncomfortable, but the heel is high and the front is a rounded wedge. Definitely more lioness and less witch-like.
Shoulders back, head high, here we go. Mace turns and stands slowly with his gaze glued to my dress.
"Better?"
His attention sweeps over my breasts—which I spent extra time pushing up while ensuring proper nipple coverage—then stops on my shoes.
A warm glow simmers in his eyes, and his lips curl up slowly. "Rawr. That's it. Inner lioness has come out to play." His raspy voice giving me a vivid compliment makes my tummy twirl, but I can't let it get to me. Yes, I look good. He's a man. It's normal for him to react. I'm dressed for the part. So is he.
"Shall we go?" This mutual inspection has lasted long enough. Let's get some work done.
"Give me the keys to your Maserati." He holds out his hand, palm up.
"Uh, no."
"I'll drive."
"No. Not my baby." I worked my butt off to buy that car. Not giving Mace Twist the keys. Nope.
"It won't get a scratch. You can't drive in those shoes anyway."
"I'll take them off."
"We're gonna roll up at the Dragon Lounge, and you're gonna get out barefoot and put your shoes on? Might as well wear your badge and carry a red siren over your head. Give me the keys." He steps closer and I step back.
Should I give him a shot? Maybe this would be a good chance to see if I can trust him. "Fine. I actually lost my keys. Let me get the spare."
I feel his eyes on my back as I pull the spare keys out of my office desk. "Don't go over the speed limit or get pulled over. I don't want anyone from work to see me like this."
He nods and bends at the waist in a bow as he accepts them from me. "Of course."
We walk to the inner garage door, and I click the opener.
A loud pop blasts in the corner by the outer garage door.
Mace tackles me and we topple over. My elbow hits the floor hard, and his weight presses me to the tile. "Get off me."
The scent of burned carbon wafts in through the door. He closes it with his foot. "You all right?"
"Yes. Get off me so we can go see what it was."
"You stay here." He climbs up and reaches for the door.
"No. Something just exploded in my garage. I'm not staying here."
He opens the door slowly and peeks around. The smoke has cleared, and there's no one in the street. We run out to the sidewalk, but no one is around.
"What the hell was that? You storing something in your garage that might explode?"
"No. It seemed like it was outside the door. It was like a firework or something."
"That was bigger than a firework." He inspects the dust and debris near the corner.
"We're not calling the cops." I don't want any more attention drawn to me.
He looks up at me and smirks. "I wasn't gonna call the cops."
"Good."
He laughs. I know it's odd for a cop not to call the cops, but I'm on leave and going rogue here. I don't want an even bigger investigation into me.
He stands up and brushes the ash off his hands. "We still going to the club?"
"Sure. Not gonna let a little firework stop me."
"Get in the car. We'll talk more on the way. Hold up." He drops to his stomach and looks under the car. He checks the bumper and the tires. I can't lay down in this dress, but I check the interior through the windows.
"It looks clear." He clicks the doors open, and we both get in. We stare at each other and catch our breath. "That was unexpected," I say.