Page 55 of Renegade

“I—I can’t imagine what he’s going through,” I said quietly, still seeing Lauren’s body bruised and broken.

I’d seen a lot of shit, both in the club and as a cop, but imagining her like that was by far the most painful thing.

I knew what my problem was. I’d been here before. I’d get hung up on a woman, but once I fucked her, things went back to normal. I was going to have to put some effort into this and get her to let her guard down. Once I got inside of her then I could get her out of my head.

“You look like you’re lost in thought over there. What are you thinking about?” I blinked and there she was in front of me again, healthy and watching me with a curious expression.

And three, two, one…

I cleared my throat. “I was just imagining how I would react if it were me and I got a call that you were hurt.”

Her green eyes narrowed, waiting on me to turn it into a joke, but I kept my face blank. When she realized I wasn’t going to laugh, her lips parted and she exhaled softly, “Oh.” Then she glanced down at her watch. “It’s getting late…”

I set the coffee mug aside and scooted closer to her. “Did you think about what I said?”

Looking into her eyes, I tried to calculate how many dates it would take me to seal the deal.

She looked like a five-dater. Usually, when I spotted a five-dater at the bar, I’d run the opposite way. My life was too fast-paced to commit to anything for more than a night.

The five-dater expected flowers—roses to be specific. She wanted to be wined and dined at the nicest restaurants in the city. She’d wear something with a plunging neckline, but kiss you goodbye at the door. In her mind, she was banking on the guy getting attached before she gave it up.

I was a good detective in a lot of areas.

I leaned in just close enough that I could feel her breathing in and out. Her eyes widened, but she pushed her lips into a pucker. When our lips were just about to touch, I whispered, “Please give me a chance.”

She nodded, clearly rattled to have me so close. “O-okay, but this is exclusive, right?”

I nodded, “Of course.”

Wait, what did she mean by exclusive?

Ah, fuck.

What had I just agreed to?

Lauren

Two Weeks Later…

Just as Mike and I were coming together, David and Elizabeth were falling apart spectacularly. Apparently, a couple could make it through a car wreck and the wife’s subsequent amnesia, but not through the reveal of dual infidelity and the fact that the husband’s mistress was now pregnant.

“Can you believe it? He found out she was pregnant and just drove through a red light! Then, he tried to act like it hadn’t been his fault.”

Dr. Mulloy nodded. “Well, honey, he was probably trying to get you out of the picture so he could marry her free and clear.”

Elizabeth looked stricken by the thought and then began sobbing.

Again.

And this would be the last time I offered to host a girl’s happy hour at my apartment. I’d thought it would be a good way to blow off some steam from work, but once Dr. Mulloy found out, she’d insisted on joining us.

“Lauren, do you have more cheese? We’re running low in here.” She waved the near empty platter at me as though I were a waitress in a restaurant.

I wrestled it from her hands and went into the kitchen to add more. I’d really wanted to announce that I was going on a date with Mike tomorrow, but the conversation kept reverting back to Elizabeth and her failed marriage.

I kind of hated her right now.

Don’t get me wrong, she was my best friend and I couldn’t imagine losing my memory in a car wreck and being forced to rely upon other people to remember the past, but she’d brought this on herself—whether she remembered it or not.

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