Page 41 of Ballistic

A lithe form strolled up to the driver’s side door, and when she bent forward, her tits popped over the top of her uniform she’d unbuttoned to her cleavage. Her eyes scanned me head to toe, before she backed up a step. “I’m gonna need you to step out of the vehicle, sir.”

“C’mon, Nan—”

“Now, sir.”

Dax tilted his head back against the headrest and let out a harsh breath through his nose.

I wanted to ask him what the hell was going on, but he opened the driver door and stood against the car. In the next breath, his back slammed into the back passenger window, and as I watched the cop’s hands slide down over his shoulders to the small V of his waist in the worst pat down I’d ever witnessed, realization dawned on me, along with a small twinge of jealousy. When her hand disappeared to the front of him, I twisted back around in my seat.

She must’ve been a regular hookup for him, the way she so easily went through the motions, as if they’d role-played the shit, or something. Which wouldn’t have bothered me near as much, if I weren’t so anxious to get to the strip club and get some fucking answers.

That urgency needled me again. We didn’t have time for whatever she had in mind, feeling him up like a kid at a petting zoo.

I set my hand on the door to exit the car, but at the same time the driver side door flew open and Dax fell back into the seat. Arm stretched, gripping the steering wheel with white knuckles, he sat there until the cop retreated back into her cruiser and passed alongside the two of us.

Once she’d taken off ahead, he blew out a breath, shaking his head as he fired up the vehicle. “She’s an old friend, is all.”

“I think the term you’re looking for is fuck buddy.”

The angry expression on his face brought a smile to mine. I didn’t know what it was about pissing the man off that elicited a small bit of excitement in me, but something warm and fuzzy moved through my blood when his brows dipped and those plump, kissable lips of his suddenly thinned. Reminded me of a little boy getting teased about liking a girl.

“So, did you tell her you didn’t want to drop trou in front of your girlfriend, or something?” I snorted, kicking my feet back up on the dash, hoping to make him squirm some more.

“No, I told her I wasn’t comfortable having my baby sister watch us.”

“You’re an asshole.”

“And you’re a brat who needs her ass spanked.” As soon as the words had flown out of his mouth, he flinched and threw the car into drive, pulling out of the lot.

“I won’t touch that one.”

“Good, let’s not talk anymore.”

“But just so you know?”

“I thought we weren’t talking.”

“I’ve had my ass spanked. It was exhilarating.”

His throat bobbed again, and when he rubbed his hands across his jaw the way I’d come to learn he did whenever he was frustrated with me, I turned my head to smile.

* * *

Woody’s had to be the seediest looking place in the entire city. If the X’s and number of times Girls had been plastered on the building was any indication of how seedy, the place could’ve grown an orchard of debauchery.

Dax parked in a back lot, through which I guessed the talent entered the building. He tossed his wallet into the glove compartment, where a gun lay atop the napkins stuffed inside.

“You’re not taking that in?” I asked, stealing another glance at the place located smack on the shit side of town.

“Don’t need cash when I come here. Owner’s a buddy of mine.”

“No. The gun.”

“Don’t need that, either. Anyone fucks with you here, they’ll be lucky to walk out in one piece.”

“So, you’re like the mafia, without all the power and prestige.”

Dax shook his head, exiting the car. “Something like that.”