Chapter 15 #2
“No, they don’t. Not unless you’ve got gray hair, a zillion wrinkles, and use a walking stick to get around.”
Cash just shook his head and walked around to get into the driver’s side. He started up the truck as Ralen got in. When they didn’t move, she turned to look at him, and he gazed pointedly down at her.
What was wrong?
“Seatbelt.”
Oops. However, before she could grab it to buckle herself in, Cash did it for her, his arm brushing against her breasts.
Do not react.
She thought about reaching into her backpack to get Snaggles, but decided just to leave him where he was for the moment. She was relying too much on him.
She turned to Ralen and tugged on his sleeve until he turned to look down at her.
“Were there any cameras where the m-man with the body was?”
“There was one,” he told her. “On that big building next to the bar. It was aimed right down onto the parking lot.”
Right. Well, that was good news, wasn’t it? So why didn’t he look happy?
“It wasn’t working last night, though,” he added. “Unfortunately, that ended up a dead end, and we couldn’t see any others. Brody’s going to try and see if there are other cameras that might have caught the car leaving. But it’s a bit of a long shot.”
She nodded. “Thanks for trying.”
At least she knew her sisters were all right. That was the most important thing, making sure that they were okay. She wondered how they’d ended up at the police station. Maybe they’d gotten arrested during the brawl. Why hadn’t she thought to check there?
“Brody is also trying to get access to the camera footage at the hotel where you’re staying. Unfortunately, the hotel isn’t cooperating with us,” Ralen added. “Ink wants to talk to you about whether you want to get the police involved.”
She rubbed her head. A few hours of sleep hadn’t really helped her. She couldn’t seem to think clearly, and she didn’t know what to do.
“How about we just concentrate on getting your sisters first?” Cash said to her. She nodded. Dotty would know what to do. Dotty always knew what to do.
They pulled up at the police station, and she reached down to undo her seatbelt, but Cash gently brushed her hand away.
Another shiver of pleasure ran through her.
She shouldn’t be able to feel like this right now.
Not with how exhausted and scared she was.
However, her body didn’t seem to get the memo that it shouldn’t feel aroused.
Cash got out of the truck, then reached in to scoot her along the seat and lift her down. Then he grasped hold of her hand once more.
As they walked towards the police station, Ralen moved to her other side. She felt like she was under some sort of protective guard. But rather than feel smothered, she felt safe. She glanced behind her as she felt someone walk up behind her.
Oh, great. Butch.
As they headed into the police station, she could hear someone yelling.
She guessed police stations weren’t the quietest places, not that she’d ever been in one that she could recall.
Then she realized that she recognized that voice.
She attempted to free herself from Cash, but he kept a firm hold of her.
“Dotty!” she called, but her voice broke and was too quiet to be heard.
As they turned the corner, there she stood. Somehow, even dressed in the same clothes, with no makeup and her hair not done, she looked as put-together now as she had last night.
Addie didn’t know how she did it.
Right now, she was facing off against a large police officer, her finger in his face.
“If you do not get out of my face, ma’am, I am going to have to arrest you.”
“You can’t arrest me,” Dotty yelled. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“You were told to leave the police station. You’re loitering and harassing us, not to mention making a nuisance of yourself.”
The man who spoke had come out of an office. He was a big man with wide shoulders, and an intimidating presence.
He was dressed in a nice suit, which was obviously tailor-made for such a large body.
Dotty put her hands on her hips and started tapping her toe. Uh-oh, that was a sure sign that a temper tantrum was about to erupt. “I am not going anywhere until you find my sister.”
“Your sister is just being processed and then she’ll be released,” the big man explained calmly.
Although she got the feeling he was on the edge of his temper.
“Not that sister, my other sister, my youngest sister. She’s missing.”
“And what makes you think she’s missing?”
“Because she’s not damn well here, is she?”
Uh-oh, she needed to do something, and fast.
She tugged at Cash’s hand, and he finally let her go so she could run toward Dotty. She tried to call out her sister’s name, but the words were stuck in her throat again. Dotty turned at the last second, relief filling her face as she saw her.
“Oh my God, Addie, where have you been?” Dotty demanded.
“Are you all right?” She took Addie by her shoulders, running her gaze all over her.
“You disappeared and we had no idea where you were. We didn’t want to leave the bar, but the police forced us out.
As usual, not listening to anything that anyone had to say.
Always thinking they’re right. Arrogant. ”
The big guy in the tailored suit crossed his arms over his chest. “Seems to me that you’re talking about yourself.”
Dotty gasped as Cash and Ralen walked closer.
Cash gently pulled Addie away from Dotty’s grasp. Her sister probably hadn’t realized it, but she’d tightened her hold on Addie’s arms to the point of pain.
Cash rubbed them softly. “Careful, you hurt your sister.”
Dotty turned away from glaring at the big man to look at Cash. Then her eyes widened as she stared at him, then Ralen, then Butch behind them.
“Who the fuck are you?”
“Dotty,” Addie whispered, glancing around. Her sister had always had a loud voice, and she was always very certain about what she said. There was no lack of self-confidence in Dotty. Sometimes, Addie wished she had just an ounce of it.
“Who are you, and why are you touching my sister?” Dotty demanded, ignoring Addie.
Addie swallowed, trying to wet her dry throat.
“These guys helped me,” she said quietly.
Dotty’s eyes widened. Addie wasn’t sure if it was because she was speaking out loud in front of other people or if she couldn’t imagine these guys helping her.
It might have been a bit of both.
“Helping you? How have they been helping you? How did you even meet them? Where did you go?” Dotty grasped hold of her chin. “And who the fuck hit you?”
She shook her head. And before she could try to answer, they heard another voice coming toward them.
“I really like your hairstyle. It suits you. And your uniform makes your chin look firmer.”
That was Monroe’s voice.
Relief filled Addie. Only she would try to tell a cop that his uniform made his chin look firmer.
“So, hey, I was just wondering, do you know where my sister is? She’s tall, has strawberry-blonde hair. Rather scary sometimes.”
Monroe and a police officer came into sight. The officer was staring down at Monroe with a look of wonder on his face. He seemed to be hanging off her every word.
That wasn’t unusual.
Monroe was so beautiful that she tended to dazzle everyone around her, men and women.
Monroe glanced around and finally saw them. “Oh my God, there she is! Wait, wait, Addie. Oh, shit. Oh, yes. Thank God.”
Monroe skipped her way over to them, enveloping Addie in an embrace.
“Oh man, I’m so glad you’re all right, babes.
I’ve been so worried about you. Dotty lost it outside that bar when we got kicked out and couldn’t find you.
Then the cops wouldn’t let us go back in.
When Dotty tried to shove past, I knew she was going to get arrested.
And I had to back her up because that’s what sisters do, right? ”
Monroe glanced around at them all with a wide smile, not seeming concerned that Addie was surrounded by three rough-looking, tattooed men.
“Then we both got arrested and ended up having to stay here for the rest of the night, which was just a few hours by the time everything wrapped up. We’re not still under arrest, though, right?”
“Of course we’re not,” Dotty said. “We did nothing wrong. The police wouldn’t listen to us, and they were trying to impede my investigation. I will be making a complaint about all of this.”
Investigation?
“You weren’t on an investigation,” the man in the tailored suit said. “You were creating problems and being a nuisance, and you’re lucky that you aren’t being charged.”
“Lucky? I had to spend the night in a jail cell,” Dotty said. “I don’t consider that lucky.”
“It was a holding cell, and you had it to yourself.”
“I would rather have been with my sister,” Dotty said.
“Well, we can still make that a possibility,” the man in the suit said. “Because I’m about this close to arresting you again.”
“On what grounds, Noah?” Dotty asked.
Noah?
“That’s Police Chief Wilbur to you,” he said. “I suggest you leave before I count to ten. Otherwise, I’m going to forget that I’m a patient man.”
Dotty opened her mouth, and both Addie and Monroe grabbed her by an arm and started to drag her backward. Dotty was taller than them both and outweighed them by a bit, but with the two of them working together, they managed to make her move.
“I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other again, Police Chief Wilbur,” Dotty called out.
“I sincerely hope not,” he said back.
“Dotty, you’re just so good at making friends wherever you go,” Monroe told her, smiling.
“Let me go,” Dotty told them. “I’m good now.” They let go of her and she turned, staring at everybody. “Right, does someone want to tell me who the gangster boys are? And why my sister has a bruised face and a bandage on her hand?”
Addie groaned while Monroe studied them all. Gangster boys?
“I resent that,” Ralen told her.
Uh-oh.
“We’re not boys, we’re men,” he added.
“These are my friends. They helped me,” Addie managed to get out. “They didn’t hurt me.”
“Addie,” Monroe said. “You’re talking while in public?”