Page 73 of Renegade

“Mike Sullivan, are you trying to get into my panties?”

I damn sure was.

Sex with her was like nothing I’d ever experienced. She was constantly checking in with me to make sure I was enjoying it as much as she was and it didn’t seem to matter how many times I assured her that I was, she was certain that she was lacking. She’d once insisted that it couldn’t be as good for me because,“I don’t even know any tricks.”

She knew enough to turn an ass hound into her man though.

When I didn’t answer, she continued, “I’m going to take your silence as a yes. And, in that case, my answer is okay.”

I beamed. “That’s my girl. You text me the minute you’re done and I’ll fake a fucking heart attack if I have to.”

She gave a soft chuckle. “You got it, Tex.”

“You started drinking without me? Fucker.” David slid in the booth across from me and I quickly ended the call. He looked homeless—his hair hung down around his chin and his beard looked to have remnants from his last few meals hanging out in it.

I tried not to stare. “Hey man, good to see you. I just got here a little early and ordered a Guinness while I waited.”

He grabbed the drink menu and eyed it suspiciously. “So, who were you on the phone with—the fuck buddy of the week?” I clenched my jaw.

He just lost his marriage…he just lost his marriage…

David didn’t notice and continued, “Damn. Maybe you had it right all along—if you just screw around, then you never have to worry about getting your heart broken. Cause I gotta tell ya, this fucking sucks.”

The server came and took his order and he went back to staring straight through me. I wanted to tell him I’d been talking to Lauren, but he was in really bad shape, and gloating would’ve been in poor form.

“So—she won’t see you, but is she still seeing him?”

He stiffened. “I don’t know—I guess I just assumed she was keeping us both at a distance while she sorted everything out.”

I nodded before taking a drink and scanning the menu, “I know I asked when you first told me, but did you ever suspect she was screwing someone else?”

He went quiet for a few minutes and stared at the table, before responding, “I never saw anything out of the ordinary. Looking back on it though, the signs were there.”

It was the first time in the entirety of our friendship where I had nothing to say. We’d slipped into an uncomfortable silence when a woman with blonde hair walked up.

She smiled questioningly. “David Greene?”

He nodded and I saw it coming before she ever even reached into her handbag.

Fuck.

She thrust a large manila envelope into his hands. “You’ve been served.”

He placed it down on the table slowly, as if it contained anthrax. “Fuck!” He roared and the restaurant went silent.

Jesus Christ.

He jumped up and grabbed onto the edge of the table, shaking it violently, and taking in ragged breaths. I’d been around him long enough to feel justified in worrying that he was about to launch it across the room.

I stood up and placed my hand on his back. “David, I need you to keep it together—at least until I can get us out of here.”

His teeth were clenched together as he answered, “I’m fine. Don’t I seem fine?”

I choked back laughter and grabbed my wallet before throwing a twenty down on the table. He’d crossed over into bat-shit crazy territory. For good measure, I held up my badge to keep them from calling the police and dragged his ass out the front door.

Once we reached his truck, I spun him around. “Man, I know she picked a really shitty way of going about this, but you need to calm down and go talk to her.”

His eyes narrowed. “Go talk to her? Really, Detective? That’s the best idea you’ve got? I’m pretty sure that talking to me is the last thing she wants to do as she just had me served.” He stepped around me and climbed into his truck.

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