“You are officially off my invited guest list.”
“How are we supposed to build that bookshelf you want if you lock us out?” Bo laughed.
Oy, he had a point, and they owed me big time for this.
“Ok, after you build the bookshelf you are officially off my invited guest list.”
“What about the other list of things you need repaired in the house?”
“I’ll hire someone,” I threatened.
They inhaled sharply and it felt as if the air had been sucked from the room. I knew better than to threaten them with a competitor, ‘cause idiot brothers or not, they were the best in town. But I was pissed and had to make a point. I had to deal with Dallas (wishful thinking) because of his partner and I didn’t need the hassle he was sure to give me for their childish behavior.
“No one touches that house but us, and you know it. We didn’t spend a year remodeling it to have some amateur fuck something up,” Bo growled as we made our way out of the laser tag room.
“It’s not your problem anymore,” I explained in anger. I had to stick to my guns with these two or they’d walk all over me.
“Jesus, Nicola, we were only testing the guy to see if he was worthy of you, you don’t have to go off half-cocked.”
“Worthy of . . . worthy of me!” I shouted. “I have to deal with that man for my book and now you’ve put me in an embarrassing position. He wasn’t giving me a “look” other than one of hatred, for God’s sake.”
Bo was grinning at a point over my shoulder, which irritated me to no end that he wasn’t listening to me, so I turned around to see what he was looking at and saw Dallas marching toward us with a phone pressed to his ear.
He barked out, “Keep everyone out until forensics are on the scene, I’ll be there in twenty.” He swiped his phone off as he stopped in front of us and I forgot to breathe. He glared at my brothers for a moment while I stepped back and out of the way of the fireworks I figured were coming. Instead of fireworks, he stunned me beyond comprehension.
“This shit you just pulled all evening, I get it. But just so you know, if I wanted her, you wouldn’t have stopped me. Are we clear?”
The twins had been grinning at Dallas as he started to speak and when he was done, they were full-on smiling. When he was through with my brothers, Dallas turned, ignoring them both, and walked right up to me. I held my breath for what came next and he didn’t make me wait long. He leaned in, pinned me with those honey-colored eyes, and growled, “You aren’t goin’ on a ride-along with anyone but me do you hear me?” Before I could answer, he reached up, grabbed my neck, and jerked me forward, slamming his mouth over mine. The kiss was hard, brief, but had the desired effect—it left me speechless.
When he pulled back, he added with a gentle voice, “And just so you know, you won’t be able to stop me either.” Then he winked, grinned, and tugged my ponytail before he turned on his heels and left me standing in a state of shock.
“That’s the look,” Finn chuckled as he walked up next to me and threw an arm around my shoulders.
***
Death had a smell beyond that of rotting flesh. You could smell the victims’ fear right before they took their last breath. That was running through Dallas Vaughn’s mind as he stared at the mutilated body of Melissa Webster. She lay on the floor of her living room, dressed as if she’d just returned home from work when she was attacked. Her eyes were still open, staring lifelessly at the ceiling, and even though her face had softened with her untimely death, Dallas could still see the terror in her eyes.
Dallas had arrived on the scene before his partner and surveyed the body with rookie Sian Davis. Davis had been assigned to his department three weeks earlier and was wet behind the ears when it came to dealing with the sights and smells of a brutal murder.
“There's so much blood,” she whispered to no one
“How are we supposed to build that bookshelf you want if you lock us out?” Bo laughed.
Oy, he had a point, and they owed me big time for this.
“Ok, after you build the bookshelf you are officially off my invited guest list.”
“What about the other list of things you need repaired in the house?”
“I’ll hire someone,” I threatened.
They inhaled sharply and it felt as if the air had been sucked from the room. I knew better than to threaten them with a competitor, ‘cause idiot brothers or not, they were the best in town. But I was pissed and had to make a point. I had to deal with Dallas (wishful thinking) because of his partner and I didn’t need the hassle he was sure to give me for their childish behavior.
“No one touches that house but us, and you know it. We didn’t spend a year remodeling it to have some amateur fuck something up,” Bo growled as we made our way out of the laser tag room.
“It’s not your problem anymore,” I explained in anger. I had to stick to my guns with these two or they’d walk all over me.
“Jesus, Nicola, we were only testing the guy to see if he was worthy of you, you don’t have to go off half-cocked.”
“Worthy of . . . worthy of me!” I shouted. “I have to deal with that man for my book and now you’ve put me in an embarrassing position. He wasn’t giving me a “look” other than one of hatred, for God’s sake.”
Bo was grinning at a point over my shoulder, which irritated me to no end that he wasn’t listening to me, so I turned around to see what he was looking at and saw Dallas marching toward us with a phone pressed to his ear.
He barked out, “Keep everyone out until forensics are on the scene, I’ll be there in twenty.” He swiped his phone off as he stopped in front of us and I forgot to breathe. He glared at my brothers for a moment while I stepped back and out of the way of the fireworks I figured were coming. Instead of fireworks, he stunned me beyond comprehension.
“This shit you just pulled all evening, I get it. But just so you know, if I wanted her, you wouldn’t have stopped me. Are we clear?”
The twins had been grinning at Dallas as he started to speak and when he was done, they were full-on smiling. When he was through with my brothers, Dallas turned, ignoring them both, and walked right up to me. I held my breath for what came next and he didn’t make me wait long. He leaned in, pinned me with those honey-colored eyes, and growled, “You aren’t goin’ on a ride-along with anyone but me do you hear me?” Before I could answer, he reached up, grabbed my neck, and jerked me forward, slamming his mouth over mine. The kiss was hard, brief, but had the desired effect—it left me speechless.
When he pulled back, he added with a gentle voice, “And just so you know, you won’t be able to stop me either.” Then he winked, grinned, and tugged my ponytail before he turned on his heels and left me standing in a state of shock.
“That’s the look,” Finn chuckled as he walked up next to me and threw an arm around my shoulders.
***
Death had a smell beyond that of rotting flesh. You could smell the victims’ fear right before they took their last breath. That was running through Dallas Vaughn’s mind as he stared at the mutilated body of Melissa Webster. She lay on the floor of her living room, dressed as if she’d just returned home from work when she was attacked. Her eyes were still open, staring lifelessly at the ceiling, and even though her face had softened with her untimely death, Dallas could still see the terror in her eyes.
Dallas had arrived on the scene before his partner and surveyed the body with rookie Sian Davis. Davis had been assigned to his department three weeks earlier and was wet behind the ears when it came to dealing with the sights and smells of a brutal murder.
“There's so much blood,” she whispered to no one
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