As I pull up my Harley and park it next to the curb, I see his silver SUV standing in front ofFinesse.
The rain has finally let up, but the wind is still chilly, to the point where it actually bites into the skin on my face and arms as I make my way over to the man leaning against the side of his car.
Christopher Solo – former sheriff of Riverside County – is not only Jayce and I’s mentor, but he’s also the guy who saved our lives almost two decades ago. He pulled us out of the mud and made us who we are today, and honestly, Ilovewho I am today. I’m content with the life I live, the things I do. And if it wasn’t for the man standing before me, I’d be nothing but a stained memory against the countless others out there.
“I got your texts,” I say by way of greeting as I come to a stop in front of him.
He’s a polished motherfucker, that guy. With pressed black dress pants, a cream shirt tucked inside said black pants, grey hair slicked back, along with a thick stubble to match, he’s as put-together as they come. But then again, he always dresses like this, so tonight shouldn’t be an exception.
He straightens, then moves in to give me a one-armed hug, which I return.
“Christ, Dor,” he mutters, then moves back to give me a scowl. “You smell like pussy.”
I chuckle. “It’s a hard one to resist, trust me,” I tell him. “And so is the woman who owns it.” My thoughts immediately go to Cignette, to the way she’d looked at me; the way she’d felt against me. To the way she’d kissed me, and the way she’d surrendered to me.
The little defiance she’d showed was strategic – because she wanted to see how far I’d push myself, andher, before she finally gave into me.
I like it – this little game of ours. It’s maddeningly addicting, and it keeps me wanting more and more of it.
Solo rolls his eyes. “Don’t tell me you’re losing control over acunt, Dor.” His blue eyes narrow a little as he assesses me. “Because you and I both know you’re way better thanthat.” He glances down, then behind me, and clicks his tongue. “She gave you a souvenir as well, it seems,” he muses, speaking of Cignette’s shorts in one of my back pockets.
“Careful,” I warn him, then grit my teeth. “You’re still a man, Solo, even under all those lavish clothes – all flesh and blood and bones.”
He laughs dryly around a shake of his head. “She’s got you real good, hasn’t she?”
I contemplate how to answer that, because truth be told, I don’t know if I have a proper response to that question.
“That’s a TBD kinda situation right now,” I say.
Solo laughs again, and this time, I join him.
What Cignette is doing to me is confusing on multiple levels, but like I said: it is adherent enough that I wanna see where it leads me.
I never said I was mentally sane, did I?
I shove my hands into the front pockets of my jeans and jerk my head at Solo. “So, why’d you wanna meet this late?” I ask him.
“What, now I can’t even meet with my favorite protégé whenever I feel like it?”
I scoff. “If Jayce hears that somehow, he’ll end you before anyone else gets a shot.”
He grins, and it’s so fierce that it makes my veins hum. I know what he’s about to say, and I’m all but high on the anticipation of it.
“We’ve been assigned 3 kills,” he announces. “Maybe Jayce’ll have a little mercy on me when he hearsthat.”
Fuck yeah.
I match his grin. “You just gave my boner a fucking boost, man,” I say.
His lips twitch. “Thought you’d have already scratched that itch with your…lady.”
“Screw you.”
He chuckles. “She left you to fend for yourself, then. Pity.”
I fold my arms across my chest. “I don’t appreciate you being so interested in her.”
“That so?” He gives me a sharp smirk.
