TWENTY-SIX
Garrick was going stir crazy. He couldn’t stand being immobile, so he wasn’t. Ginger wanted him on his back, and he wanted her on hers.
They’d reached an impasse.
Which was why he’d gone to church that morning. He needed out of the house, and it was the perfect excuse. Blake didn’t want him there, instead preferring him to stay at home and be a lump, but Garrick had never been good with following stupid directives.
He was his own man, and so he went.
Ginger wasn’t happy about it, but after a lot of back and forth, she’d recognized that he wasn’t going to back down, so she did.
The smartest thing she’d ever done, as far as he was concerned, just further proving to him that she’d make a good ol’ lady. She knew when to push and when to relent.
He’d made a mistake.
He was in pain, the meds not quite as effective when he was up and moving, pushing his limits.
And he was definitely pushing them.
Trying not to show how bad he felt, Garrick put on a strained smile and motioned Ginger over to the couch. “Come sit with me.”
Raising her eyebrow and pursing her lips, she failed to restrain her smile as she did as he requested. “What are you up to?”
“Nothing this time, promise.”
She caught on right away. “You’re in pain.”
“It’s not that bad,” he assured her. “Just get over here so I can hold you.”
She looked at him skeptically as she settled against him. “No funny business.”
Garrick folded her into his side, only wincing a little as her lithe body pressed up against his injuries. How much longer before they stopped hurting? Dammit, he was tired of feeling this way. “Telling me what to do only makes me want to do the opposite.”
“Mmm, maybe that’s what I was going for.”
Garrick’s brows reached into his hairline. “Is that right.”
“Hmm, guess you’ll never know, since I’m dead serious,” she teased.
Garrick wanted to laugh, but he wasn’t willing to risk it. “You’re a bad girl, Red. When I’m feeling better again, I’m going to spank you.”
She sighed. “Promises, promises.”
“I like to think of them more as threats.”
“I always knew you were a bad man,” she tossed back. “How bad is it? And don’t lie to me.”
With a statement like that, he knew she already had his number and the question was just a formality, so he didn’t try to sugar coat. “Could be better, babe.”
She sat up, turning to look at him with concern. “Want me to get you your pills?”
He hated the way they made him feel: foggy and tired. “No, I’ll live.”
She studied him for a moment, and she couldn’t hide the emotion lingering in her eyes. It made him wonder just what had gone through her head when he’d been shot. But he didn’t figure he’d ever get the full answer, not enough to satisfy his curiosity. The only thing that would do that would be if he’d been there to see it with his own eyes.
“I’m really glad you’re still here,” she said sincerely. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”
Garrick’s brows drew down tight over his eyes, and he reached out, grabbing the hair at the base of her head in a tight fist. He never wanted to see her looking at him like that again. “You have my word, babe.”
Sucking her bottom lip between her teeth, she nodded. Everything inside of Garrick switched gears in that instant, and all he could think about was tasting those lips, feeling that body. Screw the pain. He’d risk permanent damage if he had to just to feel her under him again.
“Get over here, Red.”
She leaned in, following his lead, and he used his grip on her hair to draw her the rest of the way. When her lips touched his, Garrick barely restrained a pleasured sigh.
It felt like forever since he’d tasted her plump lips rather than just that morning.
He slipped his tongue inside, licking at hers in a slow dance that fueled his body with endorphins. His cock grew instantly hard, and the little purr that came out of Ginger’s throat told him she’d noticed.
And she ended the kiss all too soon.
“We’re not doing this,” she said firmly.
Garrick tried pulling her to him again, only to meet with resistance. “Why not? I need you, babe, and you need me too. I can feel it.” Her skin was flushed with desire, her eyes filled with need. She wanted him, he could practically smell her arousal, and he wanted her. He didn’t see the problem.
Leaning away from him, she shook her head. “It doesn’t matter what I want. You need more time to recover or you’re going to hurt yourself more.”
“I’ll be fine,” he argued. His cock jumped against his thigh, seconding that. “I need inside you, Red.”
“I need you, too, Garrick, but we should wait.” She stood up in a huff, and Garrick knew that he’d lost the battle before it’d ever begun. “I want some ice cream. Do you want anything?”
He grunted, disappointment making him grouchy.
When he didn’t respond, she said, “Such a diva, I swear. I’ll bring you some chocolate.”
Garrick scowled at the television. He was not a diva.
***
Talia was surprised when she got the phone call. It wasn’t every day that her boyfriend’s ex-lover came knocking, wanting to have a private meeting.
Especially because the last time they’d had any interaction, it hadn’t been good. Bambi was a former agent, and after failing to report in, the agency had sent Talia in to find out what was going on. Talia had soon found out the woman had gone native, and soon thereafter, Bambi quit in favor of the club life. Now, here she was, reaching out for some unknown reason, and Talia wasn’t sure what to make of it.
As she walked up to the strip club entrance, nodding to the bouncer guarding the door—a new Spartan prospect from the looks of it—she thought back to the last time she’d seen Bambi.
It was in Tucker’s room at the compound, and Bambi had been pissed as all get out to learn that she’d been there. At the time, the woman had staked a claim on Tucker, despite him telling her on multiple occasions that they weren’t an item.
Tucker had been a bit of a player—okay, a lot of a player—when she’d met him. She wouldn’t have been surprised to find a bedpost covered in notches, but for some reason, he’d latched onto her.
They had a connection that defied all odds, something that, try as she might, Bambi hadn’t been able to break. It had caused some contention among the two women, to say the least.
So, Talia was, understandably, a little on edge.
What did the bitch want, and why was she being so nice?
The phone call an hour earlier replayed in her mind as she scanned the floor, searching the tables for the familiar face.
“Talia? Hey…um… I don’t know if you remember me…”
She snorted. How could she ever forget? She was the sole reason Talia had been brought into the Spartan world, and they’d nearly come to blows over her man. The woman was and always would be a threat, even if there was no chance in hell that Tucker would ever look her way again. Bambi was not someone she wanted to ever see again, but that phone call…
“Talia?”
Her head snapped around at the softly spoken voice, and when her eyes landed on the source, she had to force herself not to glare.
The bitch still looked good, if not a little overdone. Her hair and makeup had always been a bit much, just shy of slapping it on with a trowel. Talia didn’t wear makeup often, and she kept her hair short and simple, but today she’d tried to look good.
She still felt she came up a tad short though.
Sitting at a corner booth, Bambi stood as Talia approached, a hesitant smile on her face. “I wasn’t sure you’d come.”
“I said I would,” Talia remarked as she marched past Bambi and slid into the seat opposite her. “Enjoying civilian life?” she asked, realizing how catty she sounded. She just couldn’t help herself.
Bambi’s lips pinched. “It’s been better, honestly.”
Talia sighed, unwilling to keep up pretenses. “Say what you have to say. I don’t have long.”
That was a lie. Since Tucker hadn’t come home yet, and it was the weekend so she had the day off. She was more than available. She just couldn’t stand being home staring into empty space while her mind wandered.
She’d just end up driving herself crazy over where Tucker was and what he was doing, if he was okay, etcetera, etcetera.
It pissed her off that he was cutting her out like this. She wanted to fight with him, argue her points, make him see things from her perspective, but he had simply left. And she was so not okay with that.
So, her little bit of revenge? Meeting with Bambi, who he’d expressly forbidden to cross Spartan property until further notice, due not only to her foul attitude but her long-standing connection with the FBI. She’d destroyed trust while losing his respect and patience, which were both hard things to get back.
The woman was essentially no-man’s-land. She could just imagine how angry Tucker would be if he knew she was sitting here with her now, in a strip club of all places.
He’d lose his mind.
Which was exactly why she’d agreed to the meeting.
Bambi twisted her fingers on top of the table, which made Talia sit up and take notice. Despite their limited interactions, she hadn’t taken her for the nervous type. Something was wrong.
“I, um… I don’t know where to start,” she said hesitantly.
“From the beginning would be good.”
Bambi’s eyes met hers, and she nodded. Licking her lips, she said, “Well, someone came to me the other day and said some stuff that, um, that well, scared me, to be honest.”
Flattening her hand on the table, Talia asked, “Who is this someone?”
“Frank,” she said bluntly. “He said I needed to get a message to you.”
Talia’s heart had started to race, and she felt the shot of adrenaline like a punch to her system. “Why is Frank contacting you? Is he in some kind of trouble?”
Bambi glanced around. “Yeah, he is.”
Talia wasn’t happy. What the hell? She hadn’t heard from Frank since…well, since he up and quit the bureau. He’d always been a bit shady, she felt, and now that she was sitting across from Bambi, a woman she didn’t trust any farther than she could throw her, she was even more suspicious.
What could he possibly need to tell her? And why had he gone to Bambi? Granted, he’d been both their former partner, but still…
She sat forward, eager to hear whatever Bambi had to say. “What did he want?”
Licking her lips again, Bambi continued. “He’s in trouble. He has information you need. Something that concerns the brothers.” Her eyes widened, staring directly into Talia’s. “That’s the only reason I contacted you. The brothers have done a lot for me. I care about them, and if there’s something going on that involved them, and I can help…” She trailed off.
Yeah, Talia didn’t need to hear any more to fill in the blanks. The woman probably still had delusions of getting back with Tucker.
That was never going to happen.
But this thing with Frank? That’s what really had her worried. What did he mean he was in trouble? She didn’t necessarily like the guy, and they were far from friends, but as a former colleague, she did care.
“Did he tell you anything else? Why he’s in trouble, details of any kind?”
Bambi was already shaking her head. “All he said was that he needed to talk to you in person, that the phones couldn’t be trusted. Whatever he’s mixed up in, it sounds big. He wants you to meet him at the park, you know the one?”
The only park Talia could think of was at the center of town. It was a community project complete with a small playground and a veggie garden to teach the kids about food, as well as responsibility not only in life but to the planet. Plus, it was the perfect spot to ensure the kids were safe when they played—everyone could keep an eye on them. It reminded her of what her grandma used to say about it taking a village to raise a family.
“Did he say a time or day?”
Bambi pulled out her phone from her clutch and pressed the home button, the screen glaringly bright in the dark club. “Now, actually. He’ll be waiting for you by the old willow tree.”
Talia’s brows pinched together. She knew the spot. It was the only willow tree left in a good mile span. There was a bench that had been placed beneath it, providing the perfect place for a secret meeting—no one would see them.
Her worry grew, and she was glad she had brought her service weapon along.
“Anything else I should know?” Talia asked, her suspicion rising. “Like why he contacted you, of all people?”
Bambi’s eyes narrowed, and that attitude Talia was familiar with came to the fore. “You know we used to work together, so I guess he thought I could be trusted, which I can.” The “clearly” in that statement was left unspoken.
Talia’s brows popped up, the “yeah right” left unspoken.
“Look, all I know for certain is whatever he’s into, I don’t want any part of it. I have my own problems to worry about without getting mixed up into whatever the hell you two have going on.” She started scooting out of the booth. “But I’ll tell you this. If you hurt Country…”
Talia stared up at her, the threat in her eyes unveiled. She dared her to finish that sentence. When she didn’t, Talia stood up too. “Tucker is my concern, not yours. And since you clearly still don’t understand that, I’ll tell you this. Stay out of our lives. You’re not welcome here.”
Bambi’s nose turned up. “Believe it or not, I have my own life to worry about. But that doesn’t stop me from caring, and I do care. So, watch it, is all I’m saying. Be good to him.”
Talia sneered. “You’re right, I don’t believe it.” Because it was obvious that the little bitch still had a flame burning for him, and Talia wasn’t going to entertain that bullshit for another second.
Turning on her heel, she marched off, calling over her shoulder, “Thanks for the info!”
Punching the door open, she ignored the startled reaction of the bouncer and stormed across the parking lot to her car, nearly throwing herself into the driver’s seat.
Frank had better have a damn good explanation for this. And a hell of an apology for putting her in front of that piece of trash too.