Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 104185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Eventually, I’d have to believe him.
I forced myself to sound indifferent. “Okay.”
“Okay?” His expression was skeptical.
“Yeah, okay. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take my shower.”
Alone, the voice in my head added.
14
JASON
The thought of joining Laurel in the shower burned so hot, the fire of it made my mind go blank.
My brain was already a fucking mess. The last thing I needed was the image of her wet, gorgeous body underneath my hands kicking around up there. I’d tried to retract my statements from the back seat, to get my professionalism back on the rails. It seemed to have worked, but she hadn’t reacted the way I’d expected.
I was so distracted by her I had to shampoo twice during my shower because I couldn’t remember if I’d done it the first time. How the fuck had they found us at the gas station? No one had been following us when I was driving; I was damn sure of it.
I shaved and dressed and left Derrick in charge while I went to procure lunch for the three of us. There was a restaurant within walking distance of the motel, and I hurried inside, only to realize I’d forgotten to ask Laurel what she wanted.
Fuck, I was worthless.
“Give me an order of the healthiest thing on your menu,” I said to the host.
It came out more aggressive than I’d meant, and I was sure I wore the same dark and menacing scowl I’d learned from my mother, because the welcoming smile drained from the young man’s face.
I felt bad about that. It wasn’t this guy’s fault I was an asshole. I’d been shot at. My partner had been shot at. And Laurel . . .
The moment the two men in the sedan had sprayed bullets across the side of the SUV, I felt real panic for the first time in a very long while. I was sure she’d been hit when I jumped in on top of her, and the relief that swept through me in the moments after had disabled my ability to control my emotion.
While I waited for the order to be prepared, I watched as the host directed the waitstaff to rearrange the main dining area. There was a banquet room in the back, and one by one they dragged the heavy tables squealing across the hardwood floor.
It did absolutely nothing to improve my mood. A headache was forming at the back of my skull, making my eyes burn, and I snatched up the plastic bags of food as soon as they were offered to me, ready to get the hell out of there.
Of course, that meant returning to her.
I wanted to groan when she opened the door to her room because she looked so good. Her hair was still damp from her shower, but she’d twisted it up into a bun. The bruise around her neck had faded significantly since I’d last noticed it.
Soon that evidence from Frey would be gone, and it couldn’t happen fast enough for me.
“Lunch,” I said, depositing the Styrofoam container in her hands. “Bill’s going to want to take our statements when he arrives, so if you could eat quickly, that’d be helpful.”
“Got it.” She nodded and the door swung shut in my face, leaving me standing there with my own lunch in hand. I’d assumed we’d eat together, but no.
Serves you right.
I told the disappointment brewing inside me to fuck off.
There was a steady stream of various agencies through Laurel’s room after Bill showed up. Derrick and I gave our statements and filled out the paperwork for firing our service weapons while on duty. And then finally, after what had seemed like a hundred hours and not just four, I was allowed to join Laurel while Bill gave us an update.
She barely glanced at me when I came in.
It made me feel insignificant. Like she allowed me to be there only because it was necessary. As if there were no connection between us and only business. I’d asked for this, and sure-as-shit, she’d given it to me.
And I hated it.
So, I leaned up against the dresser directly across from where she sat on the bed so her gaze would naturally go to me.
“Here are the sheets on the two men from the gas station.” Bill passed one to Derrick and one to me. “They lawyered up before we got much out of them, but both have ties to Goran Markovic.”
“Who’s he?” She folded her legs under herself and shifted on the bed so she was facing Bill and didn’t have to look at me.
“He’s a particularly nasty Serbian mob boss. His eldest son, a real gem in comparison to his father, is currently on trial for negotiating the sale of illegal arms. Driskell was the first judge to preside over the case.”