Page 61 of Dark Secrets

James pressed a lazy kiss to her shoulder and sank into his chair, pulling her into his lap before they both fell over. “A careful analysis of what drives you out of your fucking mind.”

She laughed and leaned her head back against his chest. “You’re an awfully quick study.”

“You”—he nibbled her earlobe—“are my favorite subject.”

“Maybe we should stay home.” Delaney squirmed in his lap while he traced the shell of her ear with the tip of his tongue. “We could study some more.”

“Let me take you out. I want to.” It surprised him how much. “But don’t expect to get much sleep tonight.”

“Mmm,” she murmured. “I have a great boss. He’ll understand if I’m a little late for work tomorrow.”

Grinning, James set her on her feet and tugged her jeans and panties back up over her hips before giving her ass a squeeze. “Lucky you. I still want you to wear something you bought today. But don’t tell me which one. I want it to be a surprise.”

“Deal.” She leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to his lips before scooping the bag off the floor and jogging upstairs.

He listened to her go, scrubbing a hand over his face. Taking her out into public was a risk. Addy and Clara knew, and Reagan might have suspected, but as far as he could tell, he hadn’t become the subject of syndicate gossip. If he wanted to keep it that way, they should really stay home instead.

But he didn’t know how much longer they had together. How much longer she would notice things like him coming home covered in dirt and carrying a gun everywhere and not ask questions. The minute she did, he’d have to end it. If he had to ultimately lose another woman to this life, then he deserved to have a little taste of normal with her before he had to let her go.

ChapterTwenty-Six

He waited in the back corner of the parking lot, his truck wedged between the dumpster and a wooden fence separating a back patio area belonging to the restaurant next door from the lot. He’d been sitting there for hours, slumped down in his seat, pretending to be asleep but carefully watching the back of the building.

There was only one other car in the little employee lot, and the last server had left about thirty minutes ago, so he didn’t think he’d have to wait much longer. He was determined to get the answers he came for.

After spending several more days in Indianapolis talking to restaurant owners and narrowing his search in the database, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this son of a bitch had given him the runaround. Call it a hunch or a gut feeling or whatever the fuck, but he couldn't ignore the sensation that he’d been had.

Abandoning Indianapolis, he’d spent two days driving through a snowstorm to find his way back to Ann Arbor and then another two days sitting on the restaurant to make sure he could identify the guy’s car and some kind of regular hours. He must be the owner because he’d been there open to close both days and was the only one who never left to take a break.

The client had paid his monthly invoice and told him to do whatever was necessary to find this girl as soon as possible. He intended to do just that. Starting with getting some real answers out of this guy. And if the man didn’t have any fresh information, at least he would feel better for taking his frustrations out on someone.

The back door opened, and light spilled out over the pavement. He sat up straighter and tracked the man’s path over the roughly plowed lot toward his vehicle. The newer Jeep was parked under a security light, but the parking lot was shielded from the street by a privacy fence and a couple of shade trees.

“Hey there.” The man whipped around, keys held out in front of him like a weapon. Then recognition lit his eyes, and he relaxed a bit. His first mistake. “Remember me?”

“You’re the guy looking for his sister, right?”

“That’s right.” He shifted to block the man from view of anyone who might wander past the narrow opening to the lot.

“Any luck down in Indianapolis?”

Without warning, he lashed out with a sucker punch to the gut, cracking his neck with a satisfied grin when the man doubled over and wheezed.

“I think you and I both know I didn’t find anything.”

“What the fuck, man? I told you maybe she didn’t want to be found.”

He reached down to grip the man’s shirt and hauled him back to a standing position. “I remember. But see, I got a hunch you weren’t being totally honest with me about her.” He shoved another fist into the man’s stomach. “My hunches are usually spot on.”

“You’re insane,” the man sputtered. “I told you everything I know about her.”

The next punch connected with the man’s jaw and had his head snapping back violently. “Unfortunately for you, I don’t believe you. What’s her name?”

The man swayed on his feet and then made a half-hearted attempt to rush him, but his grip was weak, and he could tell the motion made him dizzy. He brought his knee up into the man’s groin, and he made a strangled sound in the back of his throat before dropping to the ground.

He crouched down and gripped the man’s hair, lifting his head out of the dirty snow. “You hippie freaks can’t even fight back around here. Now. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. I’ll enjoy myself no matter what you choose.”

“Fuck you. That girl is scared, and now I know why. I’m not telling you shit.”

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