Chapter Ten #3
“I literally just followed the sound of your scurrying,” he says. “What are you doing?”
I would have assumed at this point he knew me well enough to figure that out. “Being nosy, of course.”
“Is this a habit of yours?”
“Well…yes…”
“Just every time you come into someone’s house, you just rifle through all of their personal belongings after they’ve graciously let you stay in the house?” he asks.
“You’re making me sound like a dick, but yes,” I say. “I just…wanted to be nosy. Sue me.”
“Screw you?”
“No. Sue.”
“I’d rather screw you,” he says.
“Ha! No. I’m sore as hell. But you can suck my cock.”
“Can I?” he asks as if he’s excited.
I take a step toward him and lean against him. “You sure can,” I say as my cock seems to realize I’m talking about it.
“I never thought you’d ask,” he jokes as I watch him bite his bottom lip absently.
It makes me want to suck it and lick it and my cock starts to harden at the thought.
“Whenever I think about kissing you, I’m just not sure where to go.
It’s like…you’re so far down it’s hard to find you.
” He demonstrates by patting the air much closer to my stomach than my head and all desire for him dissipates.
“You’re not as funny as you think you are.”
He grins, and I lean up on the balls of my feet and gently press my lips against his.
Lane’s hand slides into my hair, pulling me closer to him until I can feel his body through his clothes and can tell that his cock is just as interested as mine.
I wrap my arm around his shoulders as I try to pull him a little closer to my level.
When he gives in and lowers himself, I let my hand slide down his stubbly cheek.
His lips part and I feel the touch of his tongue against my lip before sliding against mine.
I can taste mint and a hint of coffee on his lips as his tongue dances against my own.
I pull back and nip his lip where he’d licked earlier.
I want to touch him, touch more of him, but I can tell he’s being tentative touching me.
He doesn’t want to hit my bruises or hurt me, but at this moment I’m not sure I care.
Lane pushes me back against the desk and a picture sitting on it teeters for a moment. Lane’s mouth is harsh and addicting against my own as we fight for dominance.
Suddenly, Lane jerks back.
“What?” I ask, but he holds up a hand to shush me.
“I heard something. I think Reed’s home,” he says as he withdraws from me, causing me to let out a disappointed groan.
I quickly close the drawer I had been peeping in and rush after him into the hallway. Copper watches me with accusing eyes so I pet his ears and he quickly forgives me for being nosy.
When I walk into the living room, Mick is standing with his iPad and is flicking through it. I have to keep myself from glaring at him in anger since he had interrupted us.
“What are you guys up to?” he asks.
“I accidentally paused the show, and now I’m trying to force Felix to be of some help and fix it,” Lane says. “I had to find him first.”
Mick looks up from his iPad as I stare at what he’s doing on it. It looks like he’s looking at mail, but I can’t see it very well from this angle.
“I see. James wants to meet with you tonight at the department. He has your suitcase and stuff as well,” Mick says as he sets his iPad down on the footstool.
“Great,” Lane says. “I’ll go get a shower.”
“Can I go with you guys?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
“No,” Lane says before heading toward the bathroom.
Grumbling, I slump down on the couch and pick up the remote.
Mick returns with a beer and sits down in the recliner. “You want one?” he asks as he nods at his beer.
“No, thanks,” I say.
“Are you and Lane dating?” he asks curiously.
“No, I don’t think I could date him. His charming personality would be too much,” I say. “Too sickeningly sweet.”
Mick laughs. “Yeah…sure…” His grin falls. “I hate seeing him like this.”
“He’s fine,” I say. “He’s just paranoid that everyone is judging him or feeling sorry for him or something.”
“Yeah…it’s just hard not to, I guess,” he says.
“I know,” I say as Copper walks up to me. I scratch his ear. “He’s not allowed on the couch?”
“No,” he says as he picks his iPad back up. From this angle, I can see the screen as he types his password in with practiced motion.
“But he’s a cutie pie. How can you say no to this sweet little face?”
“Easily,” he says as he looks over at me.
I stare at him for a moment and watch as his serious expression shifts to a smile. The smile is quite genuine, but there’s still something about it.
“He chewed up my last couch. This one he can just stay off,” he says as he tips his beer back against his lips.
“I’m sure it was an accident,” I say.
He laughs as he lowers his beer. “Sure.”
I start watching a movie as Lane comes down and the two get ready to go.
“If you get hungry, feel free to eat whatever you’d like for supper,” Mick says.
“Alright, thanks,” I say as I watch them leave. As soon as they’re gone I pat the couch. “Come up here, Copper.”
The dog stares at me with his big brown eyes.
“Come on. He’s mean,” I say.
The dog uncertainly watches me before setting a foot up on the couch.
But as soon as I reach for him, he quickly withdraws it.
I reach down to him when I hear a ding. I look around for the source of the noise before noticing Mick’s iPad.
I pick it up, but nothing shows on the main screen, so I try to open it.
It needs a password, but since I’m nosy as hell, I’d seen him type the password in earlier.
8214
As soon as the iPad opens, I click on Messages. He must have his phone connected to his iPad because he has an entire list of messages. There’s one unread one from a number he doesn’t have in his contacts. I click it open and read the most recent text.
I’ll have someone take care of the kid.
Kid? Does he have a kid?
I scroll up to the previous text that was sent from Mick.
What do I do with the kid still at my house?
Oh… I’m the kid.
I scroll up to the start of the conversation from today.
Mick: I’m not getting any information out of Price. You sure he knows?
Unknown: He knows. Bring him tonight.
Mick: Where?
Unknown: 512 Queens Street. Come around back. We’ll make something happen.
Mick: What about the kid?
“Fucking told you so!” I yell, and Copper flees in terror.
“Copper. I told Lane that Mick was a dick but no! No one listens to me. Let’s go,” I say as I check the iPad.
It has 3G, so I input the address into the maps and run for the door.
I stuff my feet into my shoes and grab the dog leash hanging by the door.
There’s a set of keys hanging near the dog leash, so I grab them before snapping the leash onto Copper’s collar. “You can come with me, baby.”
He wags his tail and follows me outside. I rush over to the garage and let myself through the man door. I head over to the car hidden beneath a cover while praying that it runs. I pull the cover off and look at the beauty beneath.
“Bet he’ll have a fit with your dog hair all in here,” I say as I open the car door and direct him inside.
He hops in eagerly and wags his tail as he looks over at me.
I toss the iPad on the dashboard as I realize that I have to get out of the car to open the garage door.
After searching the garage over, I finally find the button and press it.
It slowly opens as I climb back into the sports car and start it.
The noise of it roaring to life startles me.
I couldn’t sneak up on a deaf grandpa with this thing!
I press down on the gas and we shoot out of the garage so quickly, I nearly wipe out the mailbox. We leap the curb and jump out onto the road as the dog claws onto the seat.
“Sorry, bud,” I say as I reach over him and grab the seat belt. I yank it over his body and strap him in as he stares at me like I’m crazy. “I feel kind of like a badass,” I tell Copper. “I’m just so excited to shout, ‘I told you so’ at Lane’s face, you know?”
Copper doesn’t know because he’s too busy trying to figure out how to get out of the seatbelt.
I follow the GPS that is telling me that I’ll be at my destination in thirty minutes. I’m driving above the speed limit, but they have a good fifteen to twenty minutes head start on me.
I quickly slow down as I see a cop heading my way and pretend to be a normal civilian until he passes before pushing the car up to seventy. The engine roars like a lion, and I feel like a predator.
As I near the destination, I realize that I haven’t caught up to them as I had hoped.
I’m not sure if they’re taking the same path or if I’ve flown right by them at some point since I can’t quite remember what color Mick’s car is.
Now I am only three minutes from my destination and I’m starting to feel a bit queasy.
My prior moment of badassery is starting to drift away now that I realize that I don’t know what the hell I am doing.
I mean, seriously? I’m just going to go in and do what? I didn’t even grab a knife! I have a paranoid dog that looks like it’s going to be carsick, a car that costs way too much money for any man just working in law enforcement, and an iPad.
Wait a minute…
The glove compartment! In all action movies, there is a requirement for a fully loaded gun to be inside.
I pop open the glove compartment praying there is at least a rocket launcher in there or something, but no! Some Arby’s napkins and a Now That’s What I Call Music! CD that must have been from the Stone Age because there’s no possible way people still listen to those things.
“We’re going to die, Copper,” I say.
He wags his tail in agreement.