And then…
“No, Dutch, fuck…” She took in a huge breath and screeched,“YOU!”
After that, she started marching toward his back door.
Oh no.
She was not going to go and fuck his mission to get Carlylesome justice.
He began walking toward her, stating, “We are not done.”
She whirled on him and declared, “Wesoare.”
He stopped two paces away and he didn’t even attempt todisguise the disgust in his tone when he asked, “You think you got moral groundto stand on here?”
“Yeah, Dutch,” she said sharply, taking a long stride tohim, and he braced because she was noticeably so pissed, it was sparking theair, zapping his skin, and he thought she was going to shove him.
She didn’t.
She halted so fast, she swayed and kept talking.
“Because I cannot fuckingbelievethat youthought…because I was temporarily a bitch.Because I thought I was in a careercrisis.And granted, me taking that out on you was totallynot okay.Even if you have nofreaking clueany of the other shit that’s goingon in my life, not just with my job, but with mysister, and…and…whatever.I cannotbelievethatyouwould believe that I would dosomething so low and scummy as what you’re accusing me of doing.”
“So what were you doing there?”he asked.
“Carlyle is investigating his father’s murder.”
“No shit?”
“And my guess is, I was there for the same reason you werethere.I was trying to find the guy Carlyle was talking to so I could figureout what connection he had to what happened that night so I could tell the copsand then they’ll have a lead.And that might mean finding Carlyle’s father’smurderer.”
He didn’t believe her, which was why he drawled, “Right.”
But then…
Shit.
She stared at him a beat, still pissed as shit, before thatslid out of her face, and fuck…
The hurt shone clear.Hurt she could not be faking becauseit shimmered in the wet gathering in her eyes.
“You know, Carolyn is using Jagger,” she whispered.
He wasn’t expecting that, and both her words and tone madehis chest get tight.
“What?”he whispered back.
“He gives her money.She’s got, I don’t know, four, fiveguys on the hook that come and go depending on who’s up next to give her a loanand who needs a break from her asking.She says she’ll pay it back.Ask yourbrother.But I’ll bet she hasn’t paid back a dime.”
Dutch could not believe his ears.
But champagne tastes, he knew Carolyn had those, she didn’thide it, tricked out the way she always was.
What he couldn’t believe was that Jag was falling for thatshit.
“And I’m worried,” she went on, “because the other guys arejust guys.But he’s a biker.And pardon me for thinking it, but I’ll bet, womanor not, good guy biker or not, you don’t fuck over a biker.And for years,she’s been fucking over your brother.I don’t think he’s too dumb to get it.Ithink he likes her and thinks he’s helping her out.But it’sgonnaget old and then he’sgonnawonder where his money is going.Which is to designer shoes, handbags, Diormakeup palettes and a nasty little relationship she’s got going with cocaine.And depending on how much he’s given her, who knows what his reaction will be.”
Cocaine?
