“The apartment I had set up caught fire. Until I find a new one, I’ll get me a hotel.”
Vic frowned. “Where did you stay last night?”
“Drake was nice enough to let me crash on his couch.”
Vic glared over at Drake suspiciously, before looking back at her. “How did Steve take the news?”
She shrugged, “As well as expected. I don’t want to talk about it right now. I just want to throw myself into my training.”
“That’s the girl I remember,” Vic smiled and patted her on her head. “Have you had a tour of the place yet?”
She shook her head, “We just got in.”
Vic glanced at Lexi, “Honey, could you take Jinx and give her a tour? I need to give out the assignments.”
“Sure, no problem. Come on Jinx, I’ll show you all the best areas.”
Jinx glanced back as she followed Lexi down the stairs leading to the basement. Vic had pulled Drake into his office. She wondered what they were talking about.
“So, you just got into town last night?” Lexi asked.
“Yeah.”
“You’re staying with Drake for how long?”
“I’m hoping some time today I can arrange a hotel room.”
“You could stay with me and Vic. We have a spare bedroom.”
The thought of watching them be all handsy and possibly hearing their lovemaking was not a pleasant thought. “Thanks, but I really want to find my own space.”
They got to the bottom of the stairs; there were two long hallways. Lexi motioned to the right. “There are cells down that way to hold the perps until the authority picks them up. Down this way, they have a full gym for workouts and even a small shooting range.”
Jinx noticed a big metal door. “What’s that?”
“Their back door, as Vic likes to call it. They can transport dangerous perps in and out this way without taking them through the offices upstairs. Lexi stopped at a set of lockers. “These lockers are where you can store your personal stuff, and there are bathrooms back there.” They proceeded to the gym.
“Wow, this place is much bigger than I thought.”
Lexi nodded. “It is. Vic and Jagger worked really hard to build this up. I’m proud of them.”
There was a certain tone to Lexi’s voice, almost like a warning. “I’m proud of them too. When I first met them, they were working for someone else. They would talk about having their own place constantly. They were always so encouraging to me. I’m grateful for the opportunity to finally get to work with them.”
“I just don’t want anything oranyoneto jeopardize this for them.”
“I’m not here to cause trouble.”
Lexi narrowed her eyes. “You’ve had five jobs in the last three years. I heard that you had quite the track record as a juvenile.”
Oh, someone had been checking up on her. Lexi was smart and sexy. She could see why Vic was attracted to her. Jinx smiled easily, “I haven’t had any encounters with the authority since I was sixteen. All the jobs I took on were to help support my mom when my grandparents got sick. I’m a friend, no threat to them or to you.”
Lexi breathed a sigh of relief, then looked guiltily at her. “Sorry, I’m a bit possessive. It’s not something I’m used to.”
“I love Vic and Jagger as brothers. They were there for me at my worst, and encouraged me to find a dream for myself.” Jinx turned in a circle in the gym and looked around. “This is all I’ve ever wanted. It may be stupid and dangerous, but it’s all I’ve thought about for the last ten years. My grandparents are gone and my mother is finally on her feet again. This is my time to follow my dream.”
“I’m sorry about your grandparents.”
“I’ve had a few years to grieve. They would want me to get on with the living.”
