Emily
BY THE TIME I got my emotions under control, I was halfway home. Before I could go home, I needed advice, and there was only one place I could go to get it these days, my grandma’s. And I definitely couldn’t go there wearing Link’s shirt. Speaking of which, it smelled amazing. I stopped for a light and slid it over my nose. Metal, leather, man, just like Link. Like a junkie, I took another hit before dropping it back into place. Yep, I’d be sleeping in it tonight. Tapping my steering wheel, I pondered about how truly screwed I was.
Screwed. What an appropriate term. Although, to be fair, what Link and I had done was more like fucking. It had been primal and savage, and exactly what I needed. The sex was awesome. Amazing, even. It was what had happened afterward that now screwed with my head.
“I’m not lookin’ for a slut, babe. I’m lookin’ata fuckin’ queen.”
What the hell did that mean? Outside of his obvious research, Link barely knew me. How did he know whether or not I was a queen? I could be a slut as far as he was concerned.
And was I really arguing my value down in my mind?
Clearly needing to focus on something other than Link for a while, I stuck my bluetooth in my ear and dialed Jayson’s cell. It was only four p.m., so technically he should still be at the office, but on days I didn’t have any in office appointments I let him forward the phones and work from home if he wanted. I’d missed a phone call from him about an hour ago, about the time Link had me slammed up against the wall.
Blushing, I forced myself to stop that train of thought before it picked up speed and ran me over.
“Hey girl, hey,” Jayson answered. “How did everything go in the biker orgy den?”
“First of all, I didn’t see any orgies and it’s not really a den. More of an old fire station.”
“Please tell me it still has the fireman’s pole and that they’re looking for a cute little boy toy to cast off his inhibitions and pole dance in front of a room full of horny bikers.”
“That conjured up all sorts of images I do not need in my brain.”
Jayson laughed. “Don’t be salty. I’d save one or two of them for you.”
I couldn’t unleash Jayson on the Dead Presidents. Those poor bikers would never know what hit them.
“You’re a ridiculous human being. I went to interview bikers, not to find you man flesh.”
“You’re an excellent multitasker,” he pointed out. “You could have done both, but fine, talk business to me. What did you find out about big, dark, and handsome?”
“Apparently, Havoc is up for sainthood. Everyone loves him. He only pummels sleazeballs who deserve it. Have you heard anything from the PI?”
“He hasn’t found the girl who went missing, but he hasn’t exactly come up empty-handed. Turns out Noah Kinlan is quite the dirty little boy. Last October, one of the girls at U-Dub made a formal complaint about him. Claimed he slipped her something and date raped her.”
Great. A repeat offender. Sucked for his victims, but it could make my job easier and get Noah locked up for a while. “What happened to the case?” I asked.
“Within days, she withdrew the complaint and dropped out of college. The PI is trying to locate her.”
“Good. Keep me posted. If he comes up with an address, I want to be the one to approach her.”
“One more thing, but in light of the new information from the PI, I want to preface this by saying I don’t think you should do it.”
“Please don’t tell me you’re getting in on this alpha male, tell Emily how to live her life and do her job gig, too,” I deadpanned. “Seriously, Jay. I cannot handle one more bossy man in my life right now.”
He sighed. “This isn’t me being bossy. This is me selfishly loving my job and not wanting my employer to end up hacked up, stuffed into a weighted barrel, and thrown into The Sound.”
That was another image I didn’t need in my head. Forcing back a shudder, I joked it off. “I’m too classy for the Puget Sound. When my body gets hacked up and stuffed into a weighted barrel, I’m requesting somewhere warm and tropical like the coast of Fiji or Hawaii.”
“You’re not funny, Em, but because I know you’ll make me tell you… Becky from Mayor Kinlan’s office called. The mayor would like to schedule a meeting with you to go over his son’s case.”
“The mayor himself? Not his attorney?”
“That’s what Becky said.”
Interesting. “What did you tell her?”
“That you have a very busy schedule. I requested a few days and times that the mayor is available and told her I’d cross reference them with your schedule and get back to her tomorrow.”
