Page 17 of Clap Back (Carter Brothers)

“You know all the towing companies in the area?” she asked as she settled into the seat.

I leaned my hip against the frame as I said, “You wouldn’t believe the number of cars we have to have towed.”

She wouldn’t, either.

With wrecks, illegal parking, and arrests, I used a towing company at least four times a shift.

But before I could tell her any of that, my phone rang again and I answered it.

“Carter,” I greeted the unknown person.

“Hey, Auden, it’s Travis Hail,” Travis greeted me.

“Hey, Trav. How’s it going?” I asked, absently reaching for the string that had loosened on the hem of Maven’s cut-off shorts.

Goosebumps broke out on her leg as my knuckles brushed the skin on the outside of her thigh.

“It’s going good,” he said. “Dante told me that you were looking for a car. I looked up all the ones we towed from the police department parking lot and found only one. An SUV.”

I blew out a breath. “Yeah, that’s the one I’m looking for. A red Grand Cherokee?”

“That’s it,” he said. “But since I was the one who did the tow, and I didn’t get a good vibe on the chief of police putting up a fuckin’ sign and then getting pissed when someone was already parked there, I towed it to the woman’s house who it was registered to.”

A grin split my lips. “Awesome. Yeah, it’s my girl’s car. And long story short, she was parked in the same exact spot I’d been parked in before she’d gotten there. She delivered a bunch of baked goods for the department and left her vehicle there while we went fishing. Chief’s her dad and has a vendetta against her.”

“Sounds like an asshole move,” Travis said. “Anyway, I have to get back home. I’m only covering up here because the manager is sick with the stomach bug. Like I said, dropped the car off at her house. I put it in her driveway. Cute place, by the way.”

“Thanks, brother. I appreciate all your help,” I said.

Travis said, “Welcome,” and hung up just like his brother had.

I rolled my eyes, then shoved my phone back into my pocket.

“Your car was towed to your house,” I said. “Travis got a shit feeling from your dad when he saw the sign being put in. Decided to tow it to your place and not the impound yard.”

Maven’s shoulders deflated. “Good. That’s one less thing I have to worry about this weekend.”

I fingered a lock of hair—a big curl—and said, “Your hair’s falling out of your ponytail.”

She pushed it out of her face, and her cheeks went pink. “I sleep hard.”

I knew.

She’d fallen asleep in my lap, and her hair had fallen out of her ponytail one corkscrew at a time.

“I saw,” I teased. “Now where are you taking me to dinner?”

Her eyes started to twinkle as she said, “Originally, I was going to take you to my place and make some dinner. But I have to admit, sitting there reeling in four fish really took a lot out of me. The thought of cooking anything makes me want to break out in hives. So I’m open to suggestions.”

The thought of heading to her place sounded fantastic.

“How about we still do that, and I’ll order pizza?” I suggested.

Her eyes went soft as she said, “Perfect.”

Fifteen minutes later, we were pulling up into an older part of Dallas where all the original homes started. All the houses were shotgun style, and very cookie cutter. However, everyone in the neighborhood had found a way to make their home unique. And none of them looked trashy or run down.

“That one is mine,” she pointed to a black house. “You can pull into the driveway.”

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