Page 14 of Hot Cops

“I completely forgot. You have a message. Perhaps it’s from your friend.”

“Hallelujah.” She took the slip of paper from the man. “Do you know when this was left?”

“Some time last night. It was here this morning when I came into work,” the clerk replied.

“What does it say?” Aaron asked.

“Says he doesn’t need his return-flight ticket. Shit.” Riley looked at his wrist. “Do you have a watch? What time is it?”

“A little after two.”

“Damn. So much for the plane tickets. My flight left at one-thirty.”

“You weren’t flying home today regardless,” Aaron said. “Honeymoon boom-boom, remember? What else did Trev say?”

Riley skimmed the note and cursed.

“He’s not going back to Baltimore. Says he and Bella are going to get married.”

“He’s already married,” Aaron said.

“Yeah, well, brainiac Trev has apparently forgotten that little fact.”

“Johanna will flip out.” Aaron glanced over his shoulder, afraid saying the woman’s name would conjure her out of thin air. “I guess it’s a good thing Trev decided to pull this shit out of town. There’s no way Jo got any of her hunting rifles on the plane.”

“Yeah, but it’s Vegas. What do you think the chances are she could buy a gun…or ten?”

Aaron frowned. “I don’t want to be the one to break this news to her. The woman is unstable on a good day. Pregnancy isn’t going to help that. Besides, if she starts crying again?—”

“Well, don’t look at me. That crazy bitch already tried to take my head off today with a baseball bat.”

“So the game plan stays the same. We find Trev.”

Riley sighed. “I knew you were going to say that.”

“She’s having the man’s baby. They deserve a chance to work out their differences, Riley.”

“You know, this ‘protect and defend’ philosophy you live by really gives me a pain sometimes.”

“You love me and you know it.”

“I guess so, but this honeymoon totally sucks so far.”

He laughed, pleased to see her beginning to soften toward the idea of their marriage. “I’ll make it up to you. Promise.”

“So, Mr. Responsible, where to now? Seems to me we’ve hit a wall.”

“Not really.” Aaron took the note from Riley’s hand and pointed to the logo on the stationary.

“Sal’s Sex Shop? You aren’t planning to visit Sal, are you?”

“Worth checking it out and we can kill two birds with one stone,” he said.

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You insulted my honeymoon.”

“So?”

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