Chapter 13
CHAPTER
THIRTEEN
Haze
Willow looks furious. While I’m glad to hear that she and what’s-his-face are no longer an item, I still don’t like him just popping in here unannounced. Especially after she just dumped him. It’s a little presumptuous, and it’s making me want to hunt him down and punch him in the face.
Still, the way he looked pissed off — then scared — was enough for me to feel temporary satisfaction.
“Glorious?” She looks so sweet when she’s furious.
“Yeah, what do you care? You just dumped the guy, who, by the way, shouldn’t be gettin’ access to you this easily.”
“I forgot to tell the guys we’re not dating anymore,” she says, her hand still on the door.
I dust her hair back off one side of her face. “No time like the present.”
She knocks my hand away. “I can’t believe you just did that.”
“We just did that.”
“Don’t be a smartass.”
I thumb behind me. “Don’t blame me. You’re the one who dragged me in there.”
“Did you really have to say that to him? Jesus, Haze. I was trying to let him down gently, and you come bulldozing in here with absolutely no filter.”
I shrug. “Why not? Sounded like the asshole just isn’t gettin’ the hint.” I give her a pointed look.
Her eyes widen as she points at me. “Don’t even think about it.”
I feign innocence. “About what?”
“You know what.”
“Sorry, Captain, but I don’t work for you.”
“The last thing I need is the MC getting involved in my personal affairs.”
“It isn’t the MC, it’s just me.” I grin. “Now don’t you go gettin’ all pouty.” I pinch her chin. “Save some of that for later.”
“In your dreams.”
“Your place or mine?”
“Go away.”
I shake my head. “No can do. I’d love to stay and chat, but I’ve got work to do. Don’t worry though, Princess, I’ll be back.”
“Ugh.” She shoves me out the door but all I can do is laugh.
I’m the happiest I’ve ever been right in this moment, and not just because I got laid, but because for the first time in a long time I know she feels it too. What we have is special.
I never should have walked away and let her go, it’s one of the biggest regrets of my life. But that was then. This is now. If she thinks this is just about getting off, then she can think again.
My little spitfire is still in there, and I’ll be damned if I’m ever gonna let a creep like Connor get near her ever again.
She. Is. Mine.
“He’s clean,” Sawyer says an hour later. “But a little too squeaky clean if you ask me. I have a hunch if I dug any deeper, we’d find some shit.”
He’s back with a fresh report on Connor Miles.
Seriously, with a name like that, it’s no wonder Willow dumped him.
He’s not just a drip, but a bore to go along with it.
The only things this guy has going for him is that he’s from a wealthy family, and he drives a nice car.
I think a visit may be in order because dicks like him just don’t seem to get the hint.
“Good, do that. It’s always the squeaky clean motherfuckers that are the pits of society. Hack into his phone, in fact, I might send him a message of my own, just in case he didn’t get the hint from Willow’s rebuttal.”
Sawyer laughs. “Wow, big words, I think hangin’ around Willow is havin’ a good influence on you. You almost sound smart.”
“Laugh now, fucker, but just remember who pays your wages.”
“Yeah, yeah, like I could forget.”
He hangs up, and Brew glances at me. “We’re not seriously takin’ this babysittin’ job?”
I frown. “You saw and heard what I fuckin’ showed you, what do you think?”
“What I mean is, since when can’t Willow look after herself? If you ask me, you and fuckface Sinclair are askin’ for trouble when she finds out. Women always find shit out, especially a detective.”
“You think I like keepin’ this from her?” I fire back. “But I have no choice. What if this sicko is some fuckin’ serial killer or some shit? You saw the note and what he wants to do to her. This is no joke.”
“Do you see me laughin’? What I mean is, Willow needs to know, that way she can be on alert. Keepin’ somethin’ this big ain’t gonna help your cause.”
I know he’s right, but Cameron will kill me if it gets back to her.
I decide to make a promise right here and now.
“If she asks me again what I’m doin’, I’ll tell her.
All of this is to keep her safe, remember.
It’s not because I want anythin’ to happen.
Sinclair may be a lot of things, but he’s not gonna willingly put his daughter in jeopardy. ”
“I wouldn’t trust that bastard as far as I could throw him,” Brew tells me, and while I agree with that, I also know her dad is protecting her in a roundabout way.
“Me either, but we’ve been through this before. I gave him my word, and I’ll make sure there’s an extra set of eyes on her at all times.”
“How convenient.”
“She’s back into me,” I say. “So don’t get your pretty little panties in a twist over it.”
He gives me a look. “Since when?”
“Since today in her office.”
“You sly dog.”
“Nothin’ sly about it, she initiated it.”
“And you’re tellin’ me because?”
I sigh. “Because it might make you shut the fuck up about us gettin’ back together. It’s happenin’.”
“Right, when hell freezes over. Willow isn’t the same girl you fell in love with.”
His words hit me harder than he could know and I look away. “I know… She’s better.”
“You know what I mean,” he goes on as if I’m dumb. “She’s harder now, not just in a cop way.”
She’s always been a hellcat, but I know what he means. “Seein’ what she sees all day long will do that to a person.”
“I get that, just this time, bro, you need to be sure you know what you’re doin’.”
I glance at him. “I know what I’m doin’.”
“Good, because I’m not gonna deal with another five years of you mopin’ around like a little bitch, got me?”
“Says you, the man who couldn’t be tamed until Erica came along.”
He shrugs, unashamed. “I met the right woman and everythin’ changed.”
I hear his words, and I also feel it somewhere deep inside. “Do you think I was a schmuck for leavin’?”
“Yes, and if I were her, I’d make you beg.”
I roll my eyes. “I did it to set her free, you know the reasons why.”
My brother, for all of his annoyances, is my best friend. I tell him everything. He was one of the few people aside from Logan who were rooting for us. He likes Willow, and Brew doesn’t like anyone.
“Yeah, and it was stupid.” Trust him to give it to me straight. “And I’m tellin’ you now, if she finds out you and her dad are conspirin’, shit’s gonna hit the fan.”
“I’d hardly call lookin’ out for her wellbeing conspirin’,” I say, aggrieved. “We both know what an asshole her father is, but I very much doubt he’d come to me if this wasn’t a dire situation. If it has him worried, then that makes me worried.”
“I get that, just be careful.”
“I’m not afraid of Sinclair.”
Brew sighs, then flicks my ear with his finger.
“Ow! What was that for?”
“I meant Willow, dickhead. She’s the one you have to be afraid of.”
More truth to his words, but it isn’t anything I don’t already know. “It’ll be fine. I’m doin’ a job, and that’s my cover story. If I wanted your opinion, I’d ask for it.”
He snorts. “Nah, you’ll get my opinion whether you want it or not, asswipe. I just don’t get a good feelin’ about Sinclair.”
“That’s because he’s an asshole,” I remind him. “I’ll keep tabs on him, in the meantime, we’ve got work to do.”
“So Willow took the news of us gettin’ the fake job well then?”
“It’s not exactly fake,” I say. “We are doin’ security work, it’s just a little more niche than a normal job.”
“Is that what you’re tellin’ yourself?”
“Fuck off.”
“You sound like a fuckin’ chump,” he sighs.
“Better than lookin’ like one.”
“Hilarious.” Brew scratches either side of his beard. “You’re fucked.”
I don’t need him to tell me that, I already know.
“What do you mean, she’s not allowing visitors?” I say to the concierge.
Of course, my girl’s apartment block is like Fort Knox, which I’m not unhappy about, with a serial nut on the loose, this is good. I’ll tip the doorman later, but right now, I’m pissed.
“She left specific instructions,” Jacob shrugs. Somehow, life has hardened him to such a degree that my patch doesn’t seem to evoke the fear it should have.
“Which are?” I prompt.
“Do not let anybody up.”
I try her number again, then leave a message.
“Honey, it’s me. Your husband. If you don’t call down to the desk in the next three seconds, they’ll be re-writing the First Amendment here when I cut out Jacob’s tongue.
” I glance at Jacob, whose eyes go a little round.
I make a ‘just kiddin’ gesture as I shake my head.
“And he’s about to call the cops, so hurry the fuck up. ”
A few moments later, the desk phone rings and Jacob picks it up. I drum my fingers on the counter, glancing up at the security camera. “Hello? Yes, Ms. Sinclair.”
“It’s Mrs. Dawson,” I mutter. I doubt she changed her last name back to her maiden name, but now I need to check. I know she always went by Sinclair in the force, but her legal name was Dawson.
“I see. Yes, ma’am, of course.” He hangs up.
“We good?”
Jacob doesn’t like me, that much is certain. “Captain Sinclair just informed me that the list of do not disturb visitors doesn’t apply to you, Austin Dawson, right?”
Of course she’d use my real name. “Perfect.” I smile. “Hey, and no offense with the tongue comment. Captain Sinclair tends to bring out the worst in my patience.”
He swallows hard. “I see.” Oh, yeah, he just wants me gone.
“I’ll need to get upstairs,” I remind him.
“Of course.” He comes out from behind the desk as we head to the elevator. I’m glad I need a fob to even get in the building as well as the elevator, but the fact I don’t have one is becoming increasingly annoying. So is Willow’s disappearing act this weekend. “There we are.”
“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” I pull out a fifty-dollar bill and tuck it into his top pocket. “For keepin’ her safe. We’ll talk after. My wife’s protection is of the utmost importance, and I’m gonna need to know who’s comin’ or goin’ around here, got me?”
His eyes grow wider as the doors close before he gets time to answer and I begin my ascend to her floor.
Nope, this won’t do. I need my own fob and a key. How am I supposed to keep my woman safe when I can’t even get in the building?
I crack my neck from side to side, then pull my phone up when I hear a text ping.
Wife
I’m in the gym. For the record, Jacob is a good guy, I know you threatened him
I smile to myself, ignoring that last comment.
Me
Perfect. We can work out together
I push the button for the gymnasium, which is before her floor. Seeing my wife in her cute little workout gear might be more than I can handle, but I’m here for it.
Wife
Don’t start any trouble, Aust, I mean it
Me
Me, cause trouble?
Maybe my wife knows me better than I give her credit for.