five
. . .
Jensen
I turn around to the sound of my name and that’s when I see her. Unlike a couple nights ago, the raven beauty is in a pantsuit, with her hair pulled back in a ponytail. But she is still strikingly beautiful.
“This is Brynn,” Officer Gibbons says. I notice the way he is looking at her and how her nostrils flare as she does everything she can not to give him any of her attention. “Or Brynnlee Webster, her father owns this hotel.”
Stepping forward she holds out her hand. “You're the detective leading this investigation?”
“I am.” I’m not sure if she truly doesn’t remember me from the club or she is trying to forget. Both sit low in my stomach, like a fucking boulder.
“My father is on his way but until he arrives I’d like to be present.”
“Of course.” I motion for her to join me in the conference room that we’ve taken over as our headquarters.
“Make sure you say goodbye before you duck out, Brynn,” Officer Gibbons says to her back as she walks away.
“Forget kicking him in the nuts, if I’m going to get arrested for assault I may as well go big. Give me a hammer, I’m smashing those tiny balls of his.” The woman at Brynn's side glares at the officer.
“Friend of yours?” I ask Brynn more than the unknown woman but her friend is the one to respond. “You should truly start screening your officers better. I mean that man is a snake. I’ve known it from the very first word he spoke in my presence. Now here he is with a badge and I’m all for the men in blue, in fact I love a man in uniform but he, that pig, he shames the profession.”
I can’t help but chuckle.
“You must be the vicious best friend?” I ask before I can stop myself and she turns around blocking the doorway staring up at me.
“And you are?”
I could backtrack and wiggle out of this situation but as I contemplate my next move, I figure that this may be my chance to smooth over one of three metaphorical roadblocks or hoops.
“I’m the guy at the club.” I wait and slowly see as it dawns on her.
“The whiskey delivery?” She nods. “A detective, nice. Here I thought that Drew’s shakedown might have had you running for safety but you’ve seen some heavy shit.”
“I have.”
“Interesting,” she adds. “I had her half convinced that we should go back to the club, pull up your account and do a little investigating of our own. But here you are, almost like you fell into our laps. Exciting.” She shrugs.
“Besides the whole unnamed body upstairs thing.” Her smile fades.
“Oh yeah,” she scrunches her nose up, “besides that.”
Spinning around she continues forward into the room and I don’t miss the way she looks at Brynn and waggles her brows.
Of course Brynn scowls and returns her full focus back to Connor who is enjoying her company more than I’d like. When he lifts his gaze and finds me watching him, his brows furrow.
I may have shared my brief interaction with her and how I sent her a drink before leaving the club. I neglected one detail. “This is Brynnlee Webster, her father owns this hotel.”Connor offers an unnecessary introduction.
“I know,” I reply, still holding his stare.
“He knows,” her best friend adds with a little laugh.
“Taylor,” Brynn says in warning through gritted teeth.
“What?” This girl seems to have no shame. “We all wanted to know about the mystery man that bought you a drink then fled from the club. No need to dig through paid tabs, we stumbled right into his path without even trying.”
“Wait,” Conner interrupts, “this is the girl?” He points to Brynn, staring at me with a knowing smirk. “The woman that you said knocked the wind out of you and it took everything you had not to chase after her.”