Page 26 of The Last Ride

“Has she called the police?” Liam asked, scanning the map.

“She indicated that the police don’t take her seriously because of her profession.” Which pissed me off. A woman was being stalked. It was their job to investigate it and catch the bad guy. Not put her on trial because her profession didn’t fit in a neat, tidy box they understood.

Liam grinned like mad as he asked, “She’s still a stripper?”

“She owns a strip club now,” I clarified. I wasn’t going to mention that she did still strip. Because her job wasn’t the point of this exercise. It was the fact that she was being terrorized.

“Which one? We might have gone there a time or two?” Owen asked with interest blazing.

“Madame X Gentlemen’s Club,” Wyatt told them with a straight face. Smiles broke out around the table. And yeah, the name said it all.

“And what do you need from us?” Roman asked.

Wyatt took over. “Ben plans to stay behind and help Moira with this problem. However, Lucas, James, Aiden, and I are heading north to deliver letter number two. We need you to be—”

“Ben’s backup. Got it. How can we help?” Roman had always been perceptive. He’d been our sniper. The man could hit the most unlikely targets. And that ability helped him see the big picture better than most.

“Come to the strip club tonight and help us monitor things. Search for anyone paying too much attention to the comings and goings at the club. We think, or really Moira believes, the culprit is likely one of her patrons. And then continue to back me up after the others leave tomorrow,” I explained.

“You’re asking us to join you guys for a mission at a strip club. Count me in,” Liam responded with a shit-eating grin.

“We’ll be there. And will assist in whatever capacity we can for the duration of this op.” Roman was the unanointed leader of their ragtag group.

“We appreciate it. Now, if any of you know any reliable police officers who will ignore what she does for a living and will actually take this case seriously, I’d like an introduction.” Because in order for me to move on, the stalker needed to be behind bars. The sooner, the better.

Owen nodded thoughtfully. “I know a guy. He was Air Force, but he’s a decent sort and is one of the best at his job.”

“Call him. Ask if I could speak with him about this case.”

“Will do.” Owen pulled out his cell phone. “Contacting him right now. He’s good about responding relatively fast. But will let you know what he says as soon as I hear back.”

“So is Moira stripping tonight too?” Liam asked with a lascivious smile.

I balled my hands into fists beneath the table. His interest irked me, made me feel territorial. Like I wanted to rip off Liam’s head for even imagining Moira without clothes on. We’d only shared a single kiss, and this was my response. How would I be responding if the kiss had turned into more than that? “Doubtful. But I’m sure there will be plenty of strippers for you to drool over.”

“What time do you want us there?” Roman asked me.

“Eight. Things don’t really get hopping until later. We’ll have to watch our drinking while making it appear as if we were drinking a lot.”

Roman nodded. “People get sloppy around drunk folks.”

“You should know,” Owen teased.

“This coming from the minute man himself.” Roman rolled his eyes.

And for the first time since getting the call about Evan, I laughed. I laughed so hard tears streamed from my eyes.

“Please. I know how to show a woman a good time,” Owen stated with a furious scowl at the ribbing.

Liam interjected. “Yeah, for a whole two minutes. Why do you think I always find them in my bed afterward? Because someone has to show a lady a good time.”

I hadn’t realized how much I missed these fellas. It was good reconnecting with them, even if it was out of necessity. But then, we were like the Musketeers, one for all and all for one. When one of us needed help, we dropped everything to step in for the assist. It’s one reason I loved being a SEAL. It was a brotherhood that didn’t stop just because someone retired.

But seeing how settled and happy these guys were gave me and my tired soul hope for the future, that I had a future beyond being a SEAL. Not that I knew what that future entailed. But it was nice to know that I had options.

12

It was odd having an entourage follow me to the club. I didn’t really know what to think about Ben’s declaration that they were coming with me because of the stalker. He was protecting me. And it was unsettling.

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