by Katie Ruggle
Although Warrant got to his feet reluctantly, he perked up as she headed toward the dog park and walked willingly at her side.
“When are you going to come work for me, Pax?” John asked, catching up easily.
“Never ever.” She paused and then added for good measure, “Ever.”
“I offer a really good health insurance plan,” he said in the tone of someone dangling candy in front of a toddler. The sad thing was that Molly would’ve been tempted by that…if this were anyone but John. She enjoyed being a bail recovery agent more than she’d ever expected, but the paperwork involved in owning a business was much less fun. There was no way she’d ever accept a job from John, though. Forget a week—she’d murder him before she completed her first day.
“Good for you.” As they drew closer to the dog park’s gate, Warrant trotted in front of her, eager to get inside. Molly’s phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out to glance at the text. Showtime. Get over here. She held back a smile at the perfect timing. Sometimes things really did work out beautifully, even when John was sticking his nose where it didn’t belong. “Here. Hold him a second.”
She tossed the end of the leash to John, and he caught it automatically. Turning, she jogged toward the road. In front of the ice cream shop, the runner who’d been peering wistfully through the window now looked to be flirting with a scruffy-looking white guy in his midthirties.
As Molly paused by the side of the road to let a car pass, she typed Donald Cooper, ice cream shop on Walnut St. NOW and sent the text before glancing behind her. She couldn’t hold back a smirk. John was trying to follow her, but Warrant had put on the brakes. He’d plopped his fluffy hundred-pound butt down in front of the dog park entrance and braced his front legs, refusing to move. That’s right, baby, she thought gleefully. Earn your expensive dog food.
“Don’t you want to go with your mama?” The distance between them made his voice faint, but Molly could still hear John’s cajoling words. “I bet there’s some bacon over there. Wouldn’t you like some bacon? Mmm…salty and meaty?”
A laugh escaped Molly as she glanced at the text that had popped up on her phone.
On our way from Clayton and Fifth. ETA four minutes.
Four minutes is doable, she thought, jogging across the road while adopting her game face. “Felicity!” she said, the last syllable rising in a well-practiced squeal as she trotted over to the runner to give her an exuberant hug. “I thought that was you.” Keeping an arm around Felicity’s back, she turned toward the man who was not even trying to hide the way he was checking her out. She gave him a small smile that he returned with a leer.
“Are you two twins?” he asked.
“Just sisters,” they chorused, before bursting into practiced giggles.
Molly kept her expression as dumb and happy as possible. “Who’s this?”
“This,” Felicity said, “is Donnie. I dropped my apartment key without realizing it, and he picked it up for me. The stupid tiny pocket in these shorts is useless.” She flipped the waistband of her shorts over, revealing the small inside pocket and a smooth, bronze patch of hip. Donnie’s gaze locked onto the exposed skin, and his eyes bugged out a little.
“That’s so sweet of you, Donnie,” Molly cooed.
“It’s so sweet.” Felicity tossed her glossy, dark hair over her shoulder, and Donnie’s eyes followed the movement as he swallowed visibly.
“You should buy him some ice cream as a thank-you.” Molly gave him an approving smile, carefully not looking over his shoulder. Surely four minutes had passed by now.
Pouting a little, Felicity said, “I’d love to, but I left all my money at home.”
“I have money.” Molly patted her pocket. “You can pay me back later, Fifi.”
Felicity gave her a quick, covert glare at the hated nickname, but the expression disappeared as quickly as it arrived, replaced by a beaming smile. “Thanks, Moo!”
Hiding her grimace, Molly accepted that as well-deserved payback.
“I should…” Donnie trailed off as he glanced over his shoulder, his whole body going stiff as he saw the approaching sheriff’s deputies. “Shit! Gotta go!”
He bolted.
“Wait!” Molly tried to grab his arm, but he slipped past her outstretched hand.
“Sorry, ladies!” he shouted over his shoulder. “You can buy me that ice cream some other time!”
Sharing an exasperated glance with her sister, Molly took off after him, Felicity close behind. “Way to be stealthy, Deputies!” she called back over her shoulder before focusing on the chase.
“Why do they always run?” Felicity grumbled as they sprinted past a Mexican restaurant followed by a bank, weaving between people who were trying to enjoy the early fall day. Donnie shoved through a group of young teens, ignoring their protests, and disappeared as the boys clustered back together. Molly muttered a breathless curse as she jumped into the road to skirt the group, not rude enough to knock the teens out of the way as Donnie had done.
“Hey!” one of the boys called, puffing out his narrow chest as he trotted after them. “What’s the hurry? Stop and talk to us.”
The others in the group laughed and made oooh noises. Mentally thanking the universe that she only had to deal with sisters, Molly didn’t break stride as she barked out, “Get back to school!”
As Felicity choked back a laugh behind her, the boy deflated and returned to his hooting group. Molly barely noticed his retreat or her sister’s amusement, completely focused on finding which direction Donnie had run. A yelp from a middle-aged man as he stumbled sideways caught her attention, and she dashed in his direction. Spotting the back of Donnie’s blond head, she called out, “This way!” and took off after him again.
Up ahead, two moms faced each other, chatting as they leaned on their baby strollers, blocking the sidewalk completely. Molly sucked in a worried breath, concerned that Donnie would plow right through, sending the babies flying, but he went into the street to go around them. Molly started to do the same, but a garbage truck barreled toward her, and she returned to the safety of the sidewalk. She was going too fast to stop, so she jumped over the front wheels of the strollers.
Behind her, she heard Felicity calling apologies to the furiously shouting moms, but Molly focused on Donnie’s back. He was fast, the slippery doofus.
“Why do they always run?” Felicity asked again as she lengthened her stride to pull level with Molly.
“Because they know they’re going to jail?” Unlike her sister, Molly was already sucking air, and she cursed her love of pastries and hatred of exercise for the hundredth time. “At least…you’re wearing…appropriate clothes.”
“Could be worse,” Felicity said as they chased Donnie across an empty lot. “You could be in a dress and heels, like when we crashed that wedding to bring in the maid of honor.”
“True.”
Donnie darted sideways, grabbing the edge of a recycling bin and pulling it down behind him.
“Someone’s been watching too many movies!” Molly shouted at his back as she dodged around the tipped bin. “Are you going to run…through an open-air market next?”
Except for a frantic glance over his shoulder, Donnie didn’t reply. He took a sharp left turn between two large Victorian houses, and Molly skidded in the dry dirt as she tried to follow. Her feet slid out from under her, sending her down to one knee and her hands. Tiny pebbles bit into her palms as she grunted, pushing herself back up to her feet without missing a beat.
The fall had only cost her a second or two, and she took off after Felicity. Determined to bring Donnie in, Molly increased her speed, her legs churning even faster until she started catching up to her sister. They wove through yards, skirting evergreens and even a cupid-bedecked fountain that looked much too tempting. Molly’s lungs heaved with effort, her skin slick with sweat and gritty
from salt and dust. She knew she was reaching the end of her endurance, so she pushed herself to go just a little bit faster, knowing that they had to bring down Donnie within the next few seconds or he would get away.
Her molars clicked together at the thought. There was no way she was going to let Donnie escape. Not after all of this. Her latest burst of speed shot her past Felicity, who glanced at her with a bared-teeth grin. The crazy woman loved foot chases. If Molly had any energy to spare, she would’ve rolled her eyes.
Instead, she focused on the sweat-soaked back of Donnie’s shirt. Digging deep, she slowly closed the gap between them until they were only ten feet apart. Giving her another hunted glance, he turned abruptly and headed for a six-foot wooden fence enclosing someone’s backyard. Molly and Felicity groaned in unison.
“Not it,” Molly said quickly, just before Felicity said it.
“But I’m in shorts and a sports bra!”
She sighed, her heaving lungs making it come out in an uneven rush. “Fine. I’ll do it.” Although Molly would much rather be the one who gave her sister a leg up rather than dropping into a stranger’s backyard, Felicity had a point. Molly’s T-shirt and capris were slightly more suited to hurdling a fence.
Donnie didn’t slow down as he approached the wooden barricade, using his momentum to haul himself up the side. Driven by the intense desire to avoid doing the same, Molly scraped up the very last of her energy and surged forward, leaping up to latch her arms around his waist. Her weight unbalanced him, and his grip on the top of the boards slipped, sending them both tumbling to the ground.
Molly hit the sunbaked earth first, grunting as the air was driven out of her lungs from the force of the fall. Although she managed to twist slightly so that his entire weight didn’t land on her, he’d still pinned her right arm and shoulder to the weedy ground. Then Felicity was flipping him over, and Molly was free of his weight.
Rolling over and pushing to her knees, Molly blinked a couple of times to orient herself. “You good?” she asked, and Felicity gave her a fierce grin. Her knee was pressing firmly into Donnie’s spine, and she had a strong grip on his hand, using it to twist his arm behind his back. Donnie was swearing and muttering, his words muffled by the thick thatch of weeds his face was shoved into.
“Never better.”
“I’m not,” Donnie whined. “Who the hell are you?”
With a breathless chuckle, Molly stood up and did a quick inventory, checking for any injuries of her own. Although her shoulder was throbbing where Donnie had landed on it, she knew there was no major damage done. She’d just be bruised and sore for a few days.
The two deputies ran toward them, barely winded, and she raised her eyebrows. “You were slow on purpose, weren’t you?”
“I’m admitting nothing.” Maria winked at her as she and her partner, Darren, took over, allowing Felicity to climb off Donnie. “Just think of it as a measure of trust in you. We knew you’d run him down. You always get your guy.”
“Besides,” Darren said as he cuffed Donnie’s hands behind his back, “this way you really feel like you earned the payout.”
“I’m fine with not earning it,” Felicity said, and Molly nodded in agreement. “If we’d ended up having to go over that fence, I would’ve been annoyed.”
“I’ll leave the acrobatics to you youngsters,” Maria said, helping Donnie to his feet.
“Youngsters?” Molly exchanged a skeptical look with her sister. “What are you? Thirty?”
“Thirty-two.”
Rolling her eyes, Molly fell in behind the trio as they headed back in the direction of the park. “Okay, Grandma.”
“No one read me my rights.” Donnie’s voice was a winded mix of complaint and triumph. “That’s illegal. I’m going to sue you all.”
“We’re only required to let you know your Miranda rights if you’re being questioned while in police custody,” Maria explained with more patience than Molly could muster after that chase.
“We never have to read you your rights, dummy.” From Felicity’s gleeful tone, she had just about as much sympathy for Donnie as Molly did. “We’re not cops.”
“I can’t believe you played me like that,” Donnie whined from his spot between the two deputies. “That’s why I don’t trust chicks.”
Darren gave him a look. “How were you not suspicious when they started paying attention to you? Those two are way out of your league.”
Molly tuned out Donnie’s indignant sputters and turned to her sister. “Thanks for getting here so fast after I texted. How’d you sneak away without Charlie tagging along?”
Felicity grinned. “I asked her to help me clean the garage. That’s the one thing she hates more than paperwork. There’s no way she’ll go out to check if I’m in there. She’ll be too worried that I’ll make her help.”
“Genius.”
“Yep.”
As they reached the ice cream shop, a shout from across the street caught Molly’s attention. When she turned her head and saw John and Warrant, both looking equally stubborn and annoyed, she pressed her lips together to hold back a laugh.
“Talk about genius.” Felicity sounded just as amused as Molly felt. “You finally figured out a way to ditch Carmondy. Nice one, Molls.”
“Thanks. I just wish he’d give up on following me around and chase his own skips.”
Her sister’s eyebrows bobbed up and down comically. “I’ve told you about a thousand times why he’s really always trailing after you.”
“Not that again.” Molly groaned. This was a regular joke that Felicity—all of her sisters, actually—teased her with, but it was as far from reality as it could possibly be. “He wants me to work for him. Since I keep refusing, he wants to steal my skips out from under me. That’s all there is to it.”
“He’s in loooove,” Felicity cooed, and Molly jabbed her sister in the side with her elbow. “How have you not realized this? He basically has cartoon hearts where his pupils should be whenever he looks at you.”
“Hush.” Even though Molly knew it wasn’t true and that her sister was just trying to get a rise out of her, the running joke still made her squirm…mainly because the teeniest, tiniest, stupidest part of her felt a ridiculous surge of hope.
Although Felicity smirked at her, she did fall silent, to Molly’s relief.
“Would you mind finishing up with Maria and Darren?” Molly asked. “I need to retrieve our dog.”
“Sure.” Felicity jogged to catch up with the deputies, who were ushering Donnie around the corner to where they must’ve parked their squad car.
“You’re my favorite sister!” Molly called after Felicity before crossing the street. Her pace slowed as she neared John and Warrant, their twin accusing stares making her feel a bit guilty, even as she had to bite back a grin.
“Thank you for holding him,” she said, taking the leash. “I just had to take care of something.”
Instead of yelling about getting ditched, however, John’s attention ran over her grass-and-dirt-stained clothes and settled on the scrape on her forearm. His eyes narrowed. “What happened?”
She flapped her hand to dismiss his concern. “I just didn’t feel like climbing over a fence today.”
“That makes no sense.” He eyed her carefully, as if searching for other injuries. “You okay?”
“Of course. All in a day’s work.” She couldn’t help smiling at him. No matter how aggravating John Carmondy was, it was kind of nice having someone worry about her.
She quickly nipped that thought in the bud. If she allowed herself to get mushy where John was concerned, he’d start stealing jobs from her left and right. Even worse, if she didn’t stay on her guard around him, she’d end up agreeing to work for or with him, and one of them would surely end up dead in short order. It was important for their continued safety that she resist any urge to
soften toward her biggest rival.
“You are hurt, aren’t you?” His voice was full of concern as he took a half step closer, as though ready to administer first aid. Molly didn’t find the idea of John’s big hands on her as repugnant as she should have. In fact, the thought of him taking care of her, of letting her lean against his broad chest as he checked her scrapes and bruises was almost…nice.
That thought brought her back to reality, and she turned sharply away, tossing him a muttered “bye.” That was why it was important to not let Felicity’s insinuations take root in her brain. Molly had to be careful, since she had a bad habit of playing the sucker for a pair of puppy-dog eyes and a sob story. Although she’d been forced to develop a hard shell when she and her sisters started their bail recovery business, there was nothing she could do about her soft, marshmallowy center. She was pretty much stuck with that.
“Remember,” she muttered as she strode toward the dog park, Warrant happily trundling along at her side now that he was finally, finally getting his way, “that way leads to death or prison.”
“What?”
She turned her head to see that John had tagged along. His scowl had softened, and a corner of his mouth was even threatening to twitch upward again. “I was talking to Warrant.”
“About death and prison?”
“He’s a good listener.”
“I’m sure he is.” John matched his pace to hers, as if they were a couple taking their dog for a walk. Molly tried to speed up, but his long legs easily kept pace, and before long she was the one getting sweaty and breathless.
Slowing down again, she gave him an exasperated look. Since she had four younger sisters—and a mom who acted more like a kid than any of her offspring ever had—Molly knew her glare was on point. “Why are you still here?”
For some strange reason, that question banished the last of his scowl, and he grinned sunnily at her. There was no sign he’d ever been annoyed or concerned. “It’s a beautiful day. Why wouldn’t I want to spend it in the park?”