Chapter Four
Lola
Heat moves up my spine, flares across my shoulders, travels up my neck, and blossoms on my cheeks in a pink hue. Biting my lip, I dip my lashes and allow a curtain of hair to fall into my face, hiding me from the prying eyes at the other side of the bar. My heart pounds steady in my chest. My hand trembles a little when I pick up my drink and bring it to my lips. This is too reminiscent of last night. Taking a sip of the water, I slip a twenty across the bar and jerk my chin in thanks. “Leaving so soon?” The bartender offers a lopsided smile and a shoulder lift.
“Doesn’t mean the night’s over,” I tease, darting my eyes to the man who has been undressing me in his mind since I entered the bar and slipped onto the stool thirty minutes ago. A light misting of rain dampens my overexposed flesh when I step outside. I dressed to be noticed—and I was. Within a few seconds, the door behind me opens and the heavy scent of alcohol spills free along with the guy I came here for.
My shoes tap against the concrete as I take off into the night. A nervous energy spikes my bloodstream and my breathing accelerates. He’s close, his steps faster than mine now. Hands grab out, clutching my waist and pushing me into shadows. He spins me around, my back slamming against the cold brick of a run-down building. “You’ve been teasing me,” he growls, grinding his body into mine.
“What if I have?” I let the words cross my lips in a purr.
“You shouldn’t tease.” A wet stroke of his tongue leaves a trail up my neck. I allow him to have a taste before I push him away and slap his face. The impact stings my hand and leaves him gaping. “What the fuck?”
“I thought you liked to play rough.” I smile, lashing out again.
“Lola.” He bellows back, backhanding me across the cheek. I falter on my heels as my head becomes woozy. That wasn’t supposed to happen. Hands grab at me before I can regain composure and I’m slammed back against the wall, my head crashing against the unforgiving brick, sending a wave of nausea to my stomach. My ears ring as his body covers mine. Teeth bite into my shoulder as his hand dives roughly up my shirt, fingers finding my nipple and twisting. “I’ll show you rough, you little minx.”
“Ow! Time out!” I screech. He backs away, panting from the exertion, a broad smile on his face.
“You’re a freak, you know that, right?” he taunts, raising his brow.
Stroking my hair back into place, I grin. “I’ve been called worse.”
Rubbing his cheek, he frowns at me. “Why must you play these games?”
“Boredom?” I shrug.
“I can think of other ways to alleviate boredom.” He winks, hanging his tongue from his mouth like a dog.
“Walk me home. It can get scary out here at night.” I pout, holding my hand out to him.
Taking it in his, he twirls me under his arm and pulls me against his body. “The only thing scary out here is you,” he snorts. “But since I adore you, I’ll walk you.”
“I missed you.” I chuckle.
“I missed you too, my darling Lola.”
Chapter Five
Adams
“You look like you didn’t get any sleep.” Snow snorts, shaking his head. The precinct is busy and it’s doing nothing to lessen the headache throbbing in my skull.
“Unless you got something important to tell me, fuck off until I have my coffee. It’s seven pm, but our body clocks are all kinds of fucked up with the shifts we pull, so nighttime is my morning time. I tossed and turned for hours trying to get some sleep, hoping I’d wake up with a rational brain.
“I spoke with the wife. She made a formal I.D. and confirmed he was a violent son of a bitch. She bought the gun for her own protection, but he found it and took it from her.”
And thank god he had. If he hadn’t, the outcome of that attack could have been very different.
“Bartender says she left alone, and he didn’t notice Reese following. There was a camara across the street from the alley. It doesn’t show where the incident happened, but there was someone walking past who stopped before gunshots rang out, then he took off.”
“So, there’s a witness?” I urge, not understanding this pit opening up in my stomach. If he doesn’t collaborate Lola’s story, this could mean it’s not a simple self-defense case. They could want to file charges, question her, analyse the blood spatter on her clothes that are at my apartment and not in evidence where they fucking should be.
“It’s dark and hard to make out. We’re working on it, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.”
“I’m going to go get some real coffee.” I jerk my chin and head for the exit before he can question me on it. I never leave for coffee. I drink the shit here like everyone else. But I didn’t want him coming with me. There’s somewhere I need to be.
Ringing the bell, I wait for her to answer her door. I shouldn’t be here, I should let Snow deal with all this, I should forget I ever met Lola, but it’s too fucking late for that. She’s in my system, like a fucking virus corrupting everything, leaving nothing but this burning desire
