Chapter 28 – Josie
Chapter Twenty-Eight
JOSIE
“HIYAA!” I turn, doing a karate chop, and pretend to hit Bam in his stomach. “Bam!” I add. “Get it? Because you’re Bam.” He shakes his head at me as though I’m exasperating. His eyes say differently.
“All right, rebel, keep walking.” He gives my ass a small smack. Andy laughs.
“That was so cool,” I tell them. “I have never witnessed anything quite like that. It was movie style.” Bam’s hand cups the back of my neck, tugging me close to his side. “Is it okay to say that was hot? Because it totally was.”
“I don’t tend to get turned on when Niki is bashing someone’s face in,” Bam says, making me snort a laugh.
“I got all this energy now. What’s next?” The adrenaline running through my body has me feeling like I could do anything.
“You tell us.” Niki sends a glance my way.
“I really don’t know.” That took some of the air out of me. “This is all a mess. It makes my head spin.” We all fall in step together. I don’t hear the sirens any longer.
“Whenever I have an issue with anything I’m working on for school or what not, I go back to the beginning if I’m lost,” Andy offers. Not a bad idea. It’s better than stalling out.
“So Cole. We need to figure out who killed him.” I’m pretty sure it was Cole that disappeared first, but it felt like they happened close together, so who really knows at this point?
“Back to Cole.” Bam nods.
“We at least know he’s dead for sure.” I laid eyes on his body.
“But who wants him dead if not the Pipe people?” I think it might be safe to cross them off the suspect list. Normally the most logical answer is the correct one, but it might not be this time.
Every time I think we’re making some headway, we end up at a dead end.
“Did he date anyone?” Andy asks. “I never paid attention to that stuff.”
“Not that I know of.” I click my tongue. “You know, I think I zeroed in on the pippers—”
“Pippers?” Niki shakes his head, but I can tell he’s slightly amused. I keep going.
“Because they are just logical. I mean, of course people will just assume it’s a local gang thing. What if that’s what they want people to think?”
I swear it’s as though a lightbulb goes off inside my brain. We’ve been looking in the wrong direction. There must be something we’re missing. Everything is too obvious. We really do need to go back to the drawing board.
“Why don’t we head back to our place?” Bam says, referring to the place he and Niki share sometimes to sleep. “Put our heads together to see which direction we go from here.”
While I want to figure this out tonight, there’s adrenaline coursing through my body still from all of the excitement earlier. That combined with being so close to Bam currently has me wanting to be alone with him.
“It’s late. I think we should all get some rest and start fresh tomorrow. That sound good to you guys?” I focus my attention on Andy, trying to wink at her so she gets the hint that I want to be alone with Bam.
“Is something wrong with your eye?” she asks, totally blowing up my spot. I’m sure my wink was terrible, though, so I can’t lay it all on her.
“Is there?” Bam stops walking to turn me to face him. “Which eye?” He looks as though he is ready to deal with any loose eyelashes bothering me.
“There is nothing in my eye. I was winking,” I admit.
“At who?” A mix of hurt and, I think, anger shows on his face.
“Simmer down now.” I pat his chest and then rub the spot. “I was winking at Andy.”
“Oooh, my bad.” Andy finally catches on. “But yeah. We got books to read.”
“You want to be alone with me, rebel?” He pulls me flush to him.
“Don’t be getting a big head now.” I try to sound tart. “Well, I mean, you do have a big head.”
“I can’t,” I hear Andy say through a laugh. “Her jokes are so bad they’re good.” I keep my attention on Bam, staring up at him.
“Don’t listen to her. I’d never joke about that head.” I fight my own laugh.
“All right, we’re done talking about my dick in front of people,” Bam says before he picks me up and tosses me right over his shoulder. “Text you tomorrow,” Bam tells them before he starts walking, I’m guessing in the direction of the Jeep.
When we’re almost there, he puts me back down onto my feet. “I’m sorry I talked about your dick to people.” I wasn’t trying to be crude, only teasing.
“Rebel, I don’t want you talking about my dick because I don’t want anyone thinking about what you do to my dick. Then they might picture it, and I’d have to kill them.” This time his face is stoic.
“Oh.” That shouldn’t be sweet, but I’m strange. “We can’t have that. Need them for the story.” I lick my lips. “But we’re alone now. Am I free to talk about it?”
“You’re free to do more than talk about it, rebel.” He gives me that sexy smirk of his before leaning down to take my mouth in a kiss.
I get lost in it for a second, the throb between my thighs growing. I need him.
“How fast do you think that thing goes?” I break the kiss, nodding toward the Jeep.
Bam doesn’t even bother to answer. He picks me up and places me into the car and climbs in as quickly as possible.
Turns out it goes pretty darn fast.