Page 50 of Oblivion

I ignored the accusatory thumb aimed at me. “Ride of your life, baby. But seriously, hurry the fuck up already. You know where we’re going?”

And just like that, the jovial conversation dissipated. We could spin bullshit all day, but our job would always take precedence.

Tate held up his keys. “Let’s roll.”

Jackson’s expression turned stern. “Let me know what you find.”

I winked at him. “You’re my number one speed dial.”

“Jesus!” He ran a hand over his smirk while I hustled Tate to the door.

I all but propelled him across the parking lot and wrenched the handle off his Hummer through sheer impatience.

“Hey! Go easy on the merchandise. This ain’t no Chevy!” he exclaimed.

“Sorry, man. This case is making me twitchy.”

“Why?”

“Just is,” I snapped.

Tate’s Hummer ate up the seal as we sped onto the street. Talk about driving something a little excessive for city streets.

“You know this broad?” he asked casually, shooting me a long glance before turning his attention to the road.

I sighed and scrubbed a hand through my hair. “You promise to keep a secret?”

He snorted. “Do I look like a fucking Girl Scout to you?”

When I maintained my silence and hardened glare, Tate shot me another look and rolled his eyes.

“Fuck,fine.I won’t breathe a word. Spill, brother.”

I shifted my focus to the traffic around us. Anything to redirect my attention while telling Tate a small portion of my story.

“Not long before I declined a re-enlistment, I went to Vegas for the weekend with my team. You know how it goes: twenty-four hours of drinking and dirty sex.”

“Now that Ido,”he drawled with a smirk filled with filthy memories. “So, Penelope…”

I snorted. “Was my personal entertainment for the night.”

Tate’s jaw went slack and he gaped at me with wide, brown eyes. “You tapped that!”

“Watch the fucking road, man!” I grabbed theholy shithandle above my head as Tate slammed on the brakes.

“Phew,” he breathed out. “That was close.”

I scowled. “I’m not really in the mood to have my nose broken by an airbag today.”

His snigger filled the cab. “So, you’re hell-bent on finding her so you can have at it again? Get in a second round while you have the chance?”

“Fuck you!” I spat, irrationally provoked from the way he spoke about her. “I’m here for the same reason you are: this is myjob.It’s just a little more personal this time.”

Tate whistled and accelerated through a yellow light. “I think I just came up with an idea on how to get us the hotel security footage.”

My eyes narrowed. “How?”

He chuckled and twitched his head to the side. “You just need to roll with it.”