Page 34 of Love Above Law

"I did. You didn't show up for your shift last night."

The woman crosses her arms over her chest and pops her gum. "I called in and told Dana I was sick."

I don't even know this woman and can smell her bullshit a mile away. My thoughts must be all over my face because the scowl that was directed at her boss is now being directed at me. Taking this as my cue to leave, I go to step around Mr. Kross but I'm halted when the woman sneers. "Who is she?"

"This is Leyna. She's your replacement. You no longer work here. Gather your belongings from the back and Andrew will see you out." Just as the words leave Mr. Kross's mouth, Andrew appears from behind the bar, his face a mask of indifference.

"What the fuck, Dare. You can't fucking fire me," she sputters.

"I believe I just did. I'm done with you not showing up for your shifts, and when you do come to work, you're fucked up. I have zero tolerance for drugs, Courtney. You know how I run my business. The people I cater to don't come to my club to be served by coked out wait staff. There are no second chances here. You want to work at the kind of place that will overlook your extracurricular activities then take your ass six blocks north of here to The Luxe Lounge and dance for dollars. Now don't make me repeat myself. You have five minutes to get the hell out of my club. Unless you'd like to prove me wrong by pissing in a cup."

Well, this situation is awkward. I came here for the job, not the drama. The look on Courtney's face says she's about to combust. When I cut my eyes to Dare his face looks bored, but his eyes say he means business.

"Fuck you and your club, Dare. You'll regret this," Courtney spits before stomping across the room and out the door. With a nod, Andrew retreats behind the bar the same time Dare peers down at me with amusement. "Welcome to Rumors, Leyna."

I smile, "I'll see you Friday, Mr. Kross."

"It's Dare, and I look forward to it," he says before turning on his heel and makes his way back up to his office.

Sending a wave over my shoulder toward Andrew, I walk out of my new place of employment with a smile on my face. Glancing down at my watch, I notice it's almost noon. Instead of heading straight home I decided to go down to Pikes Place for lunch. Zipping my coat, I pull the pink beanie from the pocket and place it on my head. Once I reach the market, I buy some fish and fresh vegetables to cook for dinner. I even pick up a little extra since Kai eats with us most nights.

As I'm paying for my purchase, the tiny hairs on my arms stand and an eerie feeling of being watched crawls up my spine. Cutting my eyes over to my right and then my left, I search the crowd. Not seeing anything or anyone who would set off alarm bells, I go about my business. On my walk back to the apartment, the uneasy feeling continues to linger. Twisting my head, I look behind me to see if I'm being followed, when all of a sudden someone bumps into me, knocking my bags from my hand.

"I'm so sorry," I apologize to the blonde standing in front of me with her hands on her hips and a glare on her face.

"You need to watch where you're going," she scorns.

Straightening my back, I match the blonde's stance. "Look. I said I was sorry. There's no need to get nasty." I don't know who this woman is, but I don't play that shit. I've admitted fault and apologized. She needs to move along. The woman continues to eye me as if I'm no better than the gum on the bottom of her shoe. Once she realizes I don't intend to drop and beg her for forgiveness, she flips her hair over her shoulder and walks away. Gathering my bags from off the ground, I continue my trek back to the apartment.

Later that evening, I'm finishing dinner when Lex strides through the front door. The first thing I notice is how tired he looks. "Hey, beautiful."

"Hi, you look beat. How was your day?"

"Oh, you know. Just another day at the office."

I have a feeling the last thing Lex wants to do is talk about work. The tension radiating from his body says it was anything but, so I change the subject. "Well, dinner is almost done. Why don't you go clean up and we can eat."

Moving in my direction, Lex pushes up on me, backing me against the kitchen island. Placing his palms on the counter, he cages me in. My breath catches and my heart rate spikes. The minty scent of his breath fans across my face when he speaks. "I love knowing that you're here waiting for me when I get home from work. Seeing your gorgeous face at the end of the day makes all the shit I see on a day to day basis disappear." Lex kisses my cheek then pushes off the counter and stalks down the hallway, disappearing into the bedroom.

"Dios mio."

17

Lex

It's early. I've been up-all-night thinking about the homicide case. Needing to clear my head I change into my gym clothes. This new case has had my mind clogged for the past twenty-four hours. I keep going back to the young woman's features—like I'd seen her before.

The only time I was able to push aside the image of the victim was last night when I walked through, the front door to Leyna preparing dinner in the kitchen. I find myself wanting moments like that with her.

Before heading out the door, I step up to my bedroom and crack the door open to check on Leyna. I've gotten to where I feel the need to do this every morning before I leave for the gym. By the time I return she's never around, but there is always a freshly brewed pot of coffee waiting for me in the kitchen. She may not know it, but all the little things she does doesn't go unnoticed. She makes it impossible not to love her, which is why I made reservations at SkyCity. Tonight, I'm taking my woman to dinner. I suppress a chuckle when Leyna lightly snores in her sleep, then quietly shut the door. Locking the apartment door, I take the stairs down to the lobby.

Entering the gym, I head straight for the treadmill to get in a short mile run to warm up my muscles before hitting the weights. Increasing the speed, I find a steady pace and settle into my stride. Slipping my earbuds in, I hit play on my cell getting lost in the music.

Drenched in sweat, I pull my shirt off as I walk down the hall to the apartment. With my shirt tossed over my left shoulder, I unlocked the door. From the foyer, I have a straight line of sight to the balcony, and the doors leading out are wide open. "Leyna?" I call out.

"I'm out here," she answers quickly.

Stepping outside, bitter cold hits my skin instantly reminding me of the fact I'm wet and shirtless. There she is, wool socks pooled around her ankles, my sweatpants hanging loosely around her waist because they are too big for her, and the quilt my Nonna made for me years ago wrapped tight around her body.