“How long was Beau supposed to stay here?”
“They gave him two years’ probation.”
“Was he supposed to stay here for those two years?”
“Pretty much.” Shepperly said. “You can petition the court to change your living requirements, but you need a legitimate reason. Most of those reasons fall under parenting duties. Last time I checked, Beau didn’t have any kids.”
“He did run with powerful friends,” I pressed. “At one time, he was sleeping with influential women. What would happen if he managed to convince one of those women to intervene on his behalf?”
“I guess anything is possible, but that’s not what happened to Beau,” he replied. “He just took off because he got sick of the rules.”
“How long ago was that?” Eliot asked.
“About three weeks. It might’ve been a month. I filled out the proper paperwork, packed up the stuff he left behind, and then I filled the bed. Places like this are at a premium because if you don’t end up in a smaller environment you end up in a bigger one ... and that’s like being back in prison.”
“People like the freedom associated with your place,” Eliot mused. “It makes sense.”
“That’s the only reason people enjoy putting up with this dump,” Shepperly agreed, his eyes landing on me. “Is that all? I have to get back to my show.”
“Not quite.” Something occurred to me. “You said Beau left some things behind. I don’t suppose we could go through it?”
“Then I’ll definitely miss my show, so no.”
“Unless you watch your show and leave us alone to do our business.”
“Um ... I’m pretty sure that’s against the rules.”
“We won’t tell if you don’t.”
Shepperly sighed. “Fine. If this comes back to bite me, I’m going to be really mad.”
“I don’t blame you.” Eliot dug in his wallet and came back with a thin stack of twenties. “It’s our little secret.”
Shepperly brightened considerably. “You’re on.”
And just like that, we were in.
12 Twelve
“You didn’t have to bribe him.” I waited until Eliot and I were alone with Beau’s abandoned items to let my disdain be known. “I didn’t ask you to do that.”
Eliot reached into the box. “I figured it would make things easier.”
“But ... it was a waste. He was going to let us in here anyway.”
“He was. He was also likely to report us if he suddenly got uncomfortable. That won’t happen now because we’ve made him complicit in this.”
I rolled back on my haunches and regarded him, impressed. “That was diabolical.”
“I learned from the best.”
“I’m sad I didn’t come up with that idea.”
“That makes two of us.”
I hesitated and plowed forward. “I’ll pay you back when we get home. I mean ... that was your money.”
The look he pinned me with promised retribution if I kept on this path. “You know, when we’re married, it’ll be our money.”
I bit back a sigh. The statement was pointed and hit its target ... hard. “I just meant that you went above and beyond.”
“That’s not what you meant.” He went back to digging in the box. “There’s not much here. Clothes, what looks to be a Bible with some notes in the margins, and some playing cards. That’s it.”
I snagged the Bible from him. “Maybe there’s something in the notes.” I kept my voice low. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I just ... you’re always going out of your way to help me.”
“That’s how a relationship works.” He didn’t sound particularly angry, but his tone was prickly. “I love you, so I want you to have the things you need. You’re supposed to feel the same way for me.”
“I do, but you do everything for yourself. I never help you.”
“That’s not true. You help in your own way. I don’t tend to need help at work all that often, but I seem to remember a time or two where you volunteered and ran the register because I was having staffing issues.”
“That’s not the same thing as paying off a source.”
He smirked. “Probably not in your head, but it is in mine. Listen, I insisted on being part of this adventure. I want to be with you when you do things like this. You’re an interesting woman who sticks your nose into dangerous business. I’m fine bribing him.”
“But ....”
His voice took on an edge as he wagged his finger in my face. “I don’t want to hear anything about my money. We’re getting married. We’ll be mixing finances even more than we already have. We already own a house together. The rest is simply a natural progression.”
I studied him for a beat. “We have to talk about that further at some point. I’m not used to spending anybody’s money but my own.”
“Okay.”
His easygoing response threw me. “Okay? You’re okay with it?”
“I am. You asked like an adult, stated your opinion, and you have a legitimate problem with it. I still maintain we’ll be sharing household funds, but we can talk about it.”
I was naturally suspicious. “That seems far too easy.”
“Well, that’s how I feel.”
“Okay.” I flipped through the Bible, frowning as I tried to read some of the notes. “A lot of this is nonsense, but some of it might be useful. I’m taking it.” I shoved the book into my pocket. “You’re right about the rest of this being useless.”
“Does that mean we can get out of here?” He looked hopeful.
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Good.” He leaned in and gave me a short, hard kiss. “I know this is hard for you, but it’ll be okay. You might not think you’re built for this, but I know better.”
“You know better, huh?”
He grinned. “When it comes to you, I know it all.”
“That’s going to get annoying at some point.”
“You’ll live.” He gave me another kiss and then pulled me to a standing position. “Let’s find Cal and tell him we’re heading out. I don’t want to leave him hanging or searching this place for us. I’m pretty sure this is a thankless job.”
I was certain he was right. I let him lead the way back through the house. We didn’t have to find Shepperly’s living quarters, though, because the sound of raised voices on the front lawn tipped us off that the house monitor was already engaged ... and it didn’t sound like he was happy.
“There are rules, Van,” he announced as we slipped through the door onto the sagging porch. “I don’t make the rules, but I know for a fact I supplied them to you when you got here. You have to live by them whether you like it or not.”
Van, who towered over Shepperly by a good six inches, flexed his rather impressive biceps as he regarded the house monitor. To his credit, Shepperly didn’t flinch. I very much doubted this was his first go-around with an unruly tenant. “And what if I don’t like the rules?” the big man gritted out.
“Then you’ll have to leave.”
“And I suppose you’re going to make me.”
Eliot snagged the back of my shirt and directed me to his left side. I’d been so busy watching the show I hadn’t noticed the way his muscles tensed. I shot him a curious look, but his attention was focused on the two men.
“All I have to do is place one call and you’re out of here,” Shepperly warned. “The rules are very clear. I don’t understand why you’re having such a hard time with this.”
“And I don’t understand why it matters,” Van hissed, leaning closer to the man who held his fate in his hands. Upon closer inspection, his head looked like a bowling ball and he appeared to be missing a neck. “All you have to do is mind your own business. That’s all I’m asking.”
“And all you have to do is follow the rules.” Shepperly refused to back down. “The doors on this house close at seven. You know that. It’s almost nine o’clock.”
“If I’m not al
lowed to crash out, then I won’t be here for roll call in the morning,” Van pointed out. “If I’m not here for roll call, then my PO will find out ... and that’s not good.”
“A PO is a parole officer,” I offered to Eliot helpfully. “That means he did hard time.”
“Thanks,” Eliot gritted out, irritation evident. “I never would’ve figured that out.”
Slowly, Van tracked his eyes to me. “And who are you, little girl?”
I didn’t much like his tone. “Avery Shaw.”
Eliot groaned. “You don’t have one single survival instinct, do you?”
I pretended I didn’t hear him.
“I didn’t know Shepperly was arranging deliveries.” Van winked at me, creepy rather than flirty. “I have to say, the perks of this place are looking up.” He turned to the house monitor. “If I can keep her, I’ll be on time.”
Shepperly looked more tired than offended on my behalf. “You’re already out. You missed curfew. I can’t let you inside. That means you’ll miss count tomorrow morning ... and you know what that means.”
Van took a menacing step toward Shepperly. “It means they’ll send me back. I ain’t going back.”
Eliot took advantage of Van’s distraction and gave me a little shove toward the edge of the porch. The idea of jumping made me frown. I wasn’t known for being graceful and I could only imagine how I might land. With visions of twisted ankles in my head, I fought his efforts ... and lost.
“You know what? Fine.” Van threw his hands in the air and shifted. “If you want to play it this way, we’ll do it. I’m taking her with me. I might as well go out in style.”
It took me a moment to realize he was talking about me. “Yeah, I’m good.”
Van’s reach was long and his fingers were already brushing against my hair when I registered he really meant what he said. Eliot shoved me again, this time harder, and I stumbled off the porch as Eliot launched himself at an enraged Van.
I grunted as I hit the ground. When I sat up, I found Eliot grappling with Van ... and it looked as if he was losing. Eliot was a big man compared to me, but he was normal sized. Sure, he was built and worked out, but Van probably weighed at least fifty pounds more ... and he was using that to his advantage now.
“Son of a ...!” Eliot landed on the opposite side of the porch with a terrific thud. He looked dazed, which shifted me into protective mode when Van started moving in his direction to give him another shot.
“Hey!”
Van jerked his head in my direction, his eyes wide, nostrils flared. It was almost as if he’d forgotten about me. “What?”
“I thought you wanted me.” I wasn’t really sure how I should approach this situation. Talking my way out of trouble had become a way of life, so I went with that. “If you hurt him, I won’t go with you.”
Van cocked his head. “What if I make you go?”
“You can’t make me do anything. I’m Avery Shaw.”
“We’ll just see about that.” He started toward me, which was my plan, but I wasn’t sure what to do once he got to the bottom of the steps. I could hide in Eliot’s truck, but that wouldn’t stop him from turning right around and going after Eliot again.
“I think we’re going to have a good time together,” Van offered, flexing his fingers. “I love a mouthy chick.”
“Then you’re going to love me.”
“That’s the idea.”
I didn’t like the way he was looking at me, as if he’d been on the Keto diet for six months and I was the last bag of potato chips to feed his PMS. “Listen ....”
“Oh, I’m done listening.” Van’s smile was evil. “I’m a man of action, Blondie. I think you’re going to enjoy it when I show you just how close to a superhero I can be.”
I needed a distraction. “What sort of superhero are we talking here? I tend to be a Marvel girl myself, but only because DC keeps screwing up their movies. I’m a big fan of Wonder Woman ... and Captain Marvel ... and, well, Thor. You don’t look like Thor, though.”
“Come here, my little pretty,” Van hissed when he reached the bottom of the steps. “I have something I want to show you.”
I was profoundly certain I didn’t want to see anything he had to offer. I should’ve started running. Instead, I ran my mouth, per usual. “You look like you use steroids. I’ve heard steroids make it so a dude can’t perform. I’m betting that happened to you, huh?”
Van was slow, but not so slow he didn’t catch on to the fact that I was calling his manhood into question. He was no longer smiling. “How about I show you just how good things are working?”
“Avery ....” Eliot pushed himself to a standing position on the porch. “Run. Don’t just stand there.”
I had a plan, but I couldn’t very well tell him that. I readied to kick him where the steroids had already probably wounded him, but it never came to fruition. As he reached the spot where I would’ve unleashed my foot, a figure hopped in from my left and drew his attention.
The first thing I saw was a mass of blond hair. The first thing I heard was a triumphant shout. The first thing I smelled was burning ... something.
Things happened fast. I registered that Sabrina had appeared out of nowhere and cut off Van’s angle of attack. I also registered that she had what looked to be a Taser in her hand and she’d pressed it to the big man’s arm, giving him a full jolt and causing him to go rigid.
My mouth dropped open as Van hit the ground, his eyes rolling back into his head. As quickly as the excitement started, it was over … and I had trouble wrapping my mind around what had happened.
“Don’t worry,” Sabrina announced, turning to me with a wide-eyed smile. “I totally saved you. You’re fine.”
THE COPS WEREN’T FAR BEHIND SABRINA, and Jake was one of them. He swooped in twenty minutes after the responding Detroit police officers had taken over the scene — and he didn’t look happy.
“I’m going to kill you!” He jabbed a finger toward me but headed for the officer in charge, one Detective Andrew Mahorn.
“He’s going to have to get in line,” Eliot groused. He sat on the back step of an ambulance and watched as a paramedic moved a finger in front of his face. “I’m definitely going to kill you first.”
“Hey, I didn’t ask you to take on that guy. I had everything under control.”
The look he shot me was withering. “You had nothing under control. Did you even have a plan?”
“I was going to kick him in the nuts.”
“And when that didn’t work?”
“I was going to bite him or something. The point is, I had everything under control.”
“Right.” Eliot grimaced. “The only reason you’re still standing — and me by extension, because that guy would’ve killed me if I jumped on him — is because your intern came loaded for bear.”
That was not what I wanted to hear. “She’s not my intern.”
“She saved you.”
“She ... has good timing.” That was the best I could muster. Honestly, I didn’t want to even acknowledge that much. “She got him on the arm, too. That was ... good.”
Eliot narrowed his eyes. “You owe her a thank you.”
“And I think that a job well done is thanks enough.”
“Avery.” His voice was low and full of warning.
“Fine.” I didn’t want to interact with the girl — she was flirting with two officers who thought she was the sweetest and bravest thing they’d ever crossed paths with — but I knew Eliot well enough to understand he wouldn’t let it go. “I’ll thank her. Will that make you happy? All I care about is making you happy.”
“Keep it up.” Eliot nodded when the paramedic asked if his hearing was okay. “Your punishment will be even harsher when we get home if you’re not careful.”
“Maybe that turns me on.”
Even though I was certain he was trying to keep a straight face, his lips quirked. “Just thank her and we’ll get out of here.”
The second part sounded good, so I swiveled, determined, and ran smack into Jake. His expression was even darker than Eliot’s ... if that was even possible. “What are you doing here?” I blurted out, taking over the conversation before he had a chance to utter a single word.
“I have an alert set on your name,” Jake gritted out. “If any cop in the county stumbles across you doing something stupid, they’re supposed to call me.”
“We’re not in Macomb County.”
“No, but the Detroit Police Department was willing to play the game too. They seemed amused when they called to tell me what happened.” His eyes drifted to Eliot and he was momentarily abashed. “Is everybody okay?”
“I’m fine,” I offered.
“I was asking about Eliot.”
Eliot chuckled. “I’m fine, too. He knocked the wind out of me when he threw me across the porch, but I’m fine.” He looked to the paramedic for confirmation. “Right?”
“You should be fine,” the paramedic replied, packing his bag. “You should take it easy tonight if you can. Go to bed early.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Eliot intoned. “I plan to take it easy. I even have a nurse on staff who is going to provide for my every need.”
I didn’t have to ask who that was. “I can’t believe you have an alert set on my name,” I groused at Jake. “That’s an invasion of privacy.”
“I don’t care.” Jake folded his arms over his chest. “I want to know what you’re doing here.”
“I don’t have to tell you what I’m doing,” I countered. “Last time I checked this was still a free country.”
“If you want to leave, you’ll have to tell me.”
“Um ... not going to happen.”
Frustration positively rolling off him, Jake turned to Eliot. “Do you want to tell me?”
Eliot looked conflicted. “Sorry. This is her deal. You’ll have to take it up with her.”
“Well, fine.” Jake pasted a Joker-like smile over his face. “How about this? You’re not leaving until I know what you were doing here. I’ll take you into custody if I have to. How do you like that?”
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