“This is Aria,” I said as I picked up the phone.
“That wouldn't happen to be your car at the police station right now, would it?” he asked.
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know, a friend has my car today. Hers broke down.”
“Uh huh. So, that wouldn't be you sitting behind the wheel of the car?”
I peered around. “Nope. Not me one bit.”
“Well, just in case it is you, I hope you’re not digging around for whatever story you think is unfolding.”
I closed my eyes and sank deeper into my seat. “You have my word that I’m not poking around. Just taking my week off, like it was given to me.”
He snickered. “Good, then. Make sure it stays that way, because what you do and the disturbances you cause reflects back onto the paper. Wouldn’t want to have to fire you because you don’t know how to present yourself in a professional manner. You came highly recommended from your graduating class.”
I wanted to wring that man’s neck. “I’m sure I did.”
He chuckled. “The Steel Scorpions and whatever they get themselves into leads to nothing but trouble. I’ve had to lay off people in the past because they couldn't keep their noses out of places where it didn’t belong. Learn from their mistakes, Aria.”
“I will,” I said flatly.
“See you in six days, then.”
And after that, my boss hung up on me.
Leaving me sitting there wondering what in the fucking hell he meant.
Learn from their mistakes?
What mistakes?
As I tossed my cell phone into the passenger’s seat, I wondered what would happen once I posted these men’s bail. I mean, would they even answer my questions? Would they just hail a ride from somewhere and leave me in the dust? I had to come up with a game plan before I walked in there and bought their freedom. And even then, would they show up for their court dates? Would I just be out that money?
“What the hell am I doing?” I whispered to myself.
I waited for about an hour before I went inside to check and see if they had a bail set yet, and all the front desk officer did was stare at me. I tilted my head and tried to wait him out, but after standing there for fifteen minutes without him so much as making a damn peep, I made my way back outside. In and out I went, trying to get someone to give me any sort of response. But every time I asked the question about their bail, I was met with nothing but silence.
Which only proved to me that police officers were just as corrupt as I figured they would be.
I ended up leaning back and taking a small nap before I jolted awake from a particularly terrifying nightmare, and as I looked around outside I saw two men that I didn’t expect to see. Two leather-vested men stood on the curb in front of my vehicle, grinning and staring through my windshield.
“Ah!” I exclaimed as I shoved my car door open.
And as I stepped out of my car, their names finally came to me.
“Fangs. And you,” I said as I nodded to each of them respectively.
Bender grinned. “So, she has a voice. It’s Bender.”
Fangs crossed his arms over his chest. “Hell of a nap, if I do say so myself.”
I furrowed my brow. “How long have you guys been standing out here?”
Bender checked his watch. “About twenty minutes now.”
I blinked. “How the hell did you guys get out?”
Fangs chuckled. “Why do you want to know?”
