She let her eyelids go heavy.“Have you seen it?”
Oh yeah, they’d seen it.The young cop blushed red, but the older one’s eyes narrowed.Roxie’s antenna went on the alert, worried that she’d pushed the act too far, before she saw the hint of a smile on his hard face.
She decided to take a chance she probably shouldn’t.“In fact, my sisters have been begging me to have the sign company cover me up better.”
She waved a hand in front of her face.“I’m so embarrassed.”
“No, no.Don’t be,” the earnest young cop said quickly.He hadn’t been able to tear his gaze away from her chest ever since she’d crossed her arms.
“Sisters?”the older cop asked.
Just as she’d hoped he would.
She turned around a picture on her desk to face him.Smiling at the officers now were three happy brunettes with brown eyes, slender figures, and matching pearly whites.
Crew Cut frowned.
“Wow, you all look so much alike,” the newbie said, his brow furrowing.
Roxie stroked her fingers over the top of the photo’s frame.“That’s because we’re identical triplets.”
The grizzled cop let out a grunt.In some galaxy, it might even have been considered a laugh.
“Identical…” The younger man was not following.
Roxie met the older cop’s gaze.He really was sexy in that tough, don’t mess with me, sort of way.Humor definitely lit his eyes.He knew what was what, but he also knew his time would be better served investigating some of the scroungier drinkers out in the main bar area.“We can’t prove it was her,” he explained to the younger man.
“But… it was probably one of them…”
The sunny expression slipped from Roxie’s face, and she planted her hands on her hips.“It was me.”
“We’re going to let you go with a warning,” the veteran said right over her.
Roxie was tired of flirting and acting as if she wasn’t in the mood to rip out a wolverine’s throat.There was no way she was going to drag her sisters into this mess.Cam would have a freaking fit, and Zac would put up with ribbing for months.
“But…” The young pup was dying to up his arrest record.The intent was clear on his face.
She’d judged the two poorly.She never would have made that mistake if her head was on right.
“Stay away from the billboard, Ms.Cannon,” Crew Cut said.Shaking his head, he took the notebook out of the trainee’s hand and stuffed it back into the kid’s chest pocket.
“But…”
“Yes, sir.”Roxie knew when to take a cue.She smiled her most beatific smile, the one she saved strictly for cops who let her off.“I appreciate that, Officer.”
She rounded her desk and opened the door before he could change his mind.Crew Cut was ready to go, and she wasn’t going to stop him.“I’m sorry if I inconvenienced the two of you, having to drive out here.”
She was already ushering the pair through the kitchen and back into the bar.The smell of bar food and beer permeated the air.The beat of the music got louder, and the bass notes were joined by a hard-driving melody when they stepped through the swinging doors.
Crew Cut looked around the bar.“No worries.We’ll probably be back later.”
Roxie sent out warning messages with her glare as she cut through the crowd with her police escort.No doubt about that.The feel of the place was energized, but it wasn’t the celebratory mood of the night before.The bar was cruising for a bruising tonight, she could feel it, but she wanted any altercations to happen off the premises.
Turning, she smiled at Cobalt City’s best.“Please come back sometime during your off hours.I’d be happy to—”
The words cut off when she spotted someone glowering at her, someone who took her day from bad to craptastic.The blondGQmodel wannabe took a step towards her with fire in his eyes, but she stopped him with an abrupt “zip it” gesture.
“Buy you a drink,” she finished, plastering that smile back on her face.She looked quickly at their badges.“Officers Kern and Russell.On the house.Skeeter?”
