Page 336 of The Trouble With Bad Boys

“Then, you can’t even help your clients who count on you?”

She withered. “I wish I could.”

Disliking the detective’s insistent tone, and seeing Lara’s distress, Dominic stepped forward. “I’m no financial expert—that wasn’t my arena in the Military Police—but the Feds likely froze all account transactions. There’s nothing Lara could do. Maybe reach out to your contacts at the CBI?”

“Yeah, I suppose so. Y’all have a good night.”

As they walked toward the front of the building, Dominic wrapped his arm around her and squeezed her shoulder. “I know that was hard. You did great back there.”

Weary to the bone, she leaned into him. “I hope it helps.”

“Your statement gives you the ground you need to stand on. It’ll be worth its weight in gold when your boss faces charges in a courtroom. You did the right thing.”

She nodded.

Beside her, he froze. “Your only connection is a burner phone. Rally needs a legit contact. Hang tight, I’m going back to give him my card so he can reach me any time.”

Glancing over her shoulder, she watched her self-appointed protector take strong strides down the hallway. Dominic had always been so good at identifying the crux of an issue and dissecting it until something overwhelming became manageable.

God, she admired him. That had never faded over time. If anything, this experience solidified how amazing he was in her mind. Ever the brave, valiant avenger.

Don’t fall for him again.

The thought made her chest ache.

Yet how could she not?

How could she keep her heart walled off when he inspired the same feelings he had when she’d tumbled head-over-weak-knees in love with him as a teenager?

During the three months they explored their secret attraction, his forbidden kisses had given her the first taste of passion she’d ever known. She’d never forgotten how he’d made her feel back then—the stroke of his finger against her leg during the ride to the station had made her weak with desire all over again.

Despite the constant trail of cute girls that forever hounded him in high school, lounging poolside in bikinis under the hot Las Vegas sun—somehow, he’d made her feel important to him. For one magical summer, the tough, sexy bad boy had wanted her. His attention had made her feel special, important, worthy of devotion from her ultimate crush.

Later that same summer, she’d moved away from Las Vegas with her mother, after her parents divorced. Mother and daughter had made a fresh start in quaint, quiet Springfield, Colorado. She hadn’t kept in touch, part of her suspecting that if she had, he would inevitably break her heart. Her parents’ divorce had been devastating enough, she didn’t need more wreckage heaped on her fragile emotions. But her secret yearning for Dominic never entirely went away.

Needing some air, she tucked her hands into her coat pockets and stepped outside the police station doors. She inhaled, welcoming the bracing chill of the October evening.

From the corner of her eye, she watched as a rusty black pickup truck swerved into the station lot. It wove through the parking lot before coming to a stop in front of her. The vehicle idled, the old engine sputtering and spewing unpleasant exhaust fumes.

A man wearing a gray baseball cap tucked low exited the driver’s side. She nodded in acknowledgment without a second thought.

As his shoes scraped the ground with irregular movements, he came toward her. Too close.

Her pulse kicked up.

Something’s off about this guy. The corners of her eyes tightened.

When he didn’t veer off his direct approach, she instinctively turned toward the building.

Suddenly, he attacked her.

The moment she opened her mouth to shout, his hand clamped over it, muffling any sound. He seized her from behind, propelling her toward the truck cab.

Oh, hell, no. She resisted his menacing grip, grappling with all her might.

They struggled, his size and force overpowering her. She clawed at him desperately, digging in her nails.

As he reached for the passenger door—did he plan to push her inside, kidnap her?—she used his hold to lift her legs and kick her boots off the side of the truck. They crashed to the ground, and she landed heavily on top of him, causing him to bear the brunt of the fall. He grunted and gasped as if the impact had knocked the wind out of him.

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