Chapter 11
Might quit my job to focus on summer.
— Atlas to Pepper
ATLAS
“ Light’s green, you can go.”
I glanced at the woman in my rearview mirror, who just so happened to also be in the back of my police cruiser with a set of iron bars between us, and said, “ Would you like to drive?”
“ Sure ,” Pepper offered, batting her eyes at me.
She looked adorable in her little hotel concierge outfit.
I almost hated that I had to arrest her in it.
All I could think about as I placed the cuffs around her wrists was I should be doing this in the privacy of her bedroom.
I narrowed my eyes at her. “ Too bad. You’re under arrest, remember?”
She rolled her eyes heavenward. “ You do realize, right, that I was doing the Lord’s work?”
I mean, sure. I agreed that maybe she was doing the right thing.
However , the way she was going about it was completely wrong.
“ You were giving out sensitive information to those women,” I said.
“ I was not,” she lied.
To my face.
She hadn’t admitted to a single thing.
Ultimately , it was her word against the hotel’s.
“ Regardless of whether you admit to that or not,” I said as I took a right-hand turn into the police station. “ You were still trespassing and refused to leave the property.”
Which she knew damn well and good was true.
“ That’s where I live,” she countered.
“ Not anymore,” I said.
“ You have to post a notice of eviction.”
“ You’re living at a hotel. The same rules don’t apply,” I shot back.
“ They apply,” she replied mutinously.
We arrived at the station, and I was unsurprised to find a couple of my brothers in the back waiting for my arrival.
“ This is going to be bad,” Auden said. “ Maven’s going to murder you.”
“ Maven will understand that I’m doing my job,” I said as I opened the back door.
“ Maven won’t understand. You’re deluding yourself,” Pepper countered. “ What are you even doing in uniform? I thought you were some fancy pants that only worked SWAT now. Do you even know how to do this part of the job anymore?”
“ Watch your head,” I said as I all but yanked her out of my car.
Jesus , the woman sure knew how to infuriate me.
“ Police brutality,” Pepper sneered.
“ I’ll take her.”
The silky-smooth voice of Sage had me glancing up, and my insides wilting slightly.
I felt guilty as fuck for sleeping with her sister, and I’d been avoiding her like the plague.
“ Um , no,” Pepper countered. “ I think you can stay the hell away from me, or I might have to sue the department when you’re done abusing your power.”
“ Yes , let’s continue to make up more tall tales.” Sage rolled her eyes.
She clenched her fists, though.
Pepper stumbled on the curb as she went to step up, and only my quick reflexes kept her from taking a tumble to the concrete.
The only problem was, when I caught her, it put her bare front to mine.
And when she felt my unfortunate hard-on, she smirked. “ Is that for me?”
I forgot everyone was around when I said, “ Of course it is. Want a repeat? Arresting you is one of my fantasies, after all.”
I’d thought I said it quietly.
But apparently, I hadn’t.
“ I knew it,” Quaid cried. “ Where did I fall in the betting pool? Who won?”
Quincy pulled out his phone and said, “ Ande . She was the one to guess this set of days.”
“ I’m sorry, but what did you just say?” Sage asked quietly.
Too quietly.
“ Ruh -roh.” Pepper snorted. “ Danger , Will Robinson .”
I winced and looked at Sage , expecting hurt.
What I found there was calculation.
Irritation .
Rage .
Infuriation .
Hurt was nowhere in sight.
I handed Pepper over to the booking officer as soon as I got inside, reluctant to let her go.
But since this wasn’t my wheelhouse, I did what I was supposed to do.
Then went in search for Sage .
I didn’t find her.
I did, however, find my brothers.
“ What are you all doing?” I asked, then looked over to Quincy . “ Why are you even here? You work at Sunnyvale now.”
“ I’m here for dinner with Dad ,” he explained. “ Remember ?”
I groaned. “ Yeah , now I do.”
“ I can’t believe you arrested your future wife.” Gable came through the door, looking rough.
“ She’s not my future wife,” I grumbled.
“ Yes she is,” Garrett said as he joined the huddle, Boss , his K -9 partner, at his heels. “ This is going to be talked about at every single family event for the rest of our lives.”
I groaned.
That’s when Dad joined the party.
“ You arrested Pepper ?” Dad asked first thing.
I closed my eyes. “ It was my job. This is all Quaid’s fault for begging me to work today, anyway. This should’ve been someone else’s shift.”
“ Uh -oh.”
I looked over to see Auden placing his phone to his ears.
He winced and pulled away, then said, “ Hang on.”
He handed me the phone, and I took it with the upmost reluctance.
“ Hello ?” I answered shortly.
“ Tell me you did not arrest my employee,” my sister-in-law and twin’s wife, Maven , ordered.
I contemplated the ceiling for a few long seconds before saying, “ It wasn’t like I had the choice.”
“ You had the choice,” Maven countered. “ You just don’t like her, so you didn’t try.”
She might have a point.
I didn’t like Pepper Solomon .
At least, that was what I kept telling myself.
The lines were definitely blurring, though.