Page 17 of Out of Control

I chanced a glance at Blake as I shouldered past him to the door. His fists were clenched and his eyes were dark and fiery. His tongue darted out to lick his lips as his eyes met mine, but I was already turning back to the exit, rushing outside to my car.

Only once I’d driven a couple blocks down the street did I let my fingers reach up to my mouth, feeling the impression he left there. It wasn’t a physical mark, it wasn’t intentional, but it impressed me nonetheless.

seven

Lucas

Icouldn’t let her just walk away from me. I needed her.

But she was already climbing into her car and driving off before I could make my feet carry me toward her. It was too late. I had to get control of myself.

I just needed her to cooperate with me. This wasn't the first time she showed up in the middle of my case. There’s no way it was a coincidence a second time. She had to know something. I had no legal recourse to bring her in and force her to answer my questions, but playing nice just seemed to back fire.

This case was a fucking shitstorm, but I needed to clear it to finally get out of the Organized Crime division. Anybody could work to bring down mob bosses, but I was needed on the CACHTU; my skills were carefully crafted and maintained to be of the most use in that specific unit. The victims and their families needed me to be there, finding them before it was too late or at least bringing the monsters that hurt them to justice.

Athena had to stop fucking around so I could put the Morellis behind bars and prove I was worth the promotion. If she just gave me what I wanted, I could close the case and put all this behind us. I had to focus.

My vibrating phone took the heat out of my rush of anger. I pulled it out of my pocket, seeing a call from Mark Rosenberg coming through.

“You have shit timing,” I greeted him. “What do you got?”

“I’ve got a hell of a lot of information about your newest obsession. Athena Kane, based out of Seattle, Washington. Pretty blonde,” he added, not knowing she’d gone brunette in the last twenty-four hours.

“Come pick me up and tell me about it in person.”

“Do I want to know why you’re stranded all the way out here at a shitty diner?”

“The food was good enough,” I defended aloud. The food was fucking delicious, actually. “I was bribing Athena Kane with food to tell me what she knew about the Morellis.”

Mark raised an eyebrow. “What did she say?”

“She didn’t give me shit. It was pointless.” Except now I knew her favorite diner.

“Well, maybe what I found will help you a bit more.”

“Let’s have it.”

“She’s a criminal defense lawyer up in Washington.”

Criminal defense? A lawyer? No wonder she didn’t want to say shit. She probably spent half her time telling her clients to shut up and not implicate themselves. “She any good?”

“Oh yeah. She’s with a pretty impressive firm up there and in the running for partner. No idea why she’s down here interacting with us losers, though.”

A lawyer who took Krav Maga classes. There went my insane theory of a foreign intelligence agent on a spy mission. Good thing I never said anything out loud.

“She said her mom died. Told me she’s packing up her stuff and tying up loose ends.”

“I can check on that. Nothing about it on her social media.”

“You looked her up online?”

“Well, yeah. I couldn’t go digging very far in official channels without a warrant. She hasn’t really done anything wrong.”

Yet.

“No, not that I’m aware of. She’s just really…suspicious. And frustrating.”

“Yeah, I bet she’s frustrating you alright.”

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