Lauren

October 2015

 

 

“Don’t drop it down like that. You’re flinching,” Jimmy held my Glock in his hand. “Let’s try group shooting again. We need to improve your accuracy.”

After seeing the way Jimmy reacted at the gym, I’d asked him to train me. I carried a gun every day, but my first instinct wasn’t to reach for it during signs of trouble. My instinct was to run away. When I’d asked him where he learned to shoot, he vaguely told me that he’d had a government job.

So, he’d been working with me during my lunch breaks since late July, and it was obvious that there was still a lot of work to be done. I seemed to always anticipate the shot, which left me tense, completely missing my mark every time.

 When Mike and I decided to try and work it out, I’d thought that maybe he would help me, but I was quickly reminded that the man had absolutely no free time. In fact, by week two, I was starting to wonder what had possessed me to agree to another chance.

I never saw him. It was like he just needed to know that I was there, and maybe that was enough for him. I yearned for more though. He only seemed to put in the effort when our relationship was on the line. Otherwise, it was business as usual. Relationships needed to come with mandatory performance appraisals. Without them, we were just collecting pink slips before the termination.

“Lauren? Are you listening?” Jimmy patted my arm, breaking me away from my thoughts.

I nodded. “Sorry, just got a lot on my mind. I’m ready.”

“Distracted shooting is—”

“Deadly shooting,” I finished for him. “I know, but I’m focused and ready now.”

I chose to come during lunch, because the range was less crowded and Mike was always busy. He hadn’t exactly had the best reaction the night he saw Jimmy at Torch’s house. Never mind the fact that Jimmy had only come by because I’d wanted to thank him for helping me.

He was never going to be Mike’s favorite person, so I hadn’t told him about our lunchtime trysts.

“Okay, holster your gun and let’s get moving. You’re still too slow on the draw. I’ll time you for this so that we can get a baseline.” Jimmy got out his stopwatch and I cleared my mind before taking a deep breath.

I hadn’t told Mike, or even Jimmy, the real reason behind my need to be a sharpshooter. I’d been alone in a small room with Mike’s father and based on what I now knew about him, I never wanted to be in a situation like that again unless I was completely prepared.

We never talked about his family or past after that. I wasn’t sure I would’ve been able to remain conscious for it. The scary thing was that I prided myself on being a good judge of character and never once had I gotten the impression that Jamie was going to hurt me, even when he pulled his gun.

Once I knew who he was, I’d only seen a father who cared about his son and was committed to finding out who took my mother from me.

This was why I needed Jimmy’s help.

I couldn’t even trust myself anymore.

“You’re late...again,” Sandra said from behind me as I put my purse down on my desk. “I tried calling you, but you left your phone here.”

I hadn’t been taking my phone in case Mike got the urge to track it. The last thing I needed was for him to show up and see me with Jimmy. This way, he just thought I was working through lunch. I turned around and gave her an apologetic smile. “I’m so sorry. I had an appointment that ran over—”

“Every day for the past month? I swear, Lauren, your ability to handle your role here has decreased drastically since January,” she began ticking items off on her fingers. “Late payments, missing orders, payroll errors, and the inability to get to work on time. What has gotten into you? I’m supposed to trust you with my practice, but you’re running it into the damn ground!” Her voice remained quiet, even as she hissed the words at me. 

I cringed. I had been slacking off and I needed to get my shit together before I ended up unemployed. “Look, Dr. Mulloy, things have been difficult for me...” My voice wavered and she immediately closed the door behind her.

“What’s wrong?” The look in her eyes was so genuine, and I was so sick of keeping it all to myself that I let the words come tumbling out of my mouth.

“My mother died in January and then Mike and I broke up. It’s just been really hard trying to manage it all.” I brushed away a stray tear and she squeezed my hand.

“I lost my mother last year. I know how you feel. I’m still working through it myself.”

I frowned. “Last year? When? I didn’t even know.”

She took her free hand and patted my arm. “Honey, that’s because I never let it affect my work life. I have a practice to run. So, I attended her funeral on a Sunday and flew back late that night to be in clinic Monday morning. We all make sacrifices.”

I hated her a little bit more in that moment.

Minimizing my grief just because she coped differently than I did. It was as if she thought she was better than me because of it. I’d bet anything that they hadn’t found her mom with a needle in her arm on a dirty street either.

I shoved down my feelings of indignation and instead responded with, “Well, with the exception of one Tuesday in May and the Friday I requested off, I’ve shown up every day. I’m handling it the best I can.”

She nodded, as if she were placating a child. “Of course you are, honey. It would just be really helpful if you could handle it and keep the office running smoothly at the same time. Now, what’s the problem with your ex? I thought you’d moved on from him.”

“I don’t know that there’s such a thing as moving on, Doc. He’s it for me.” It felt good, saying it aloud, in spite of the distance I’d felt between us. 

Sandra pursed her lips. “Look, I don’t know how to say this. I guess I just think that you should move on—he’s not worth it.”

I protested, “That's not really something that I need advice on—”

She sighed, “I fucked him, Lauren.”

The room suddenly felt smaller than it actually was. “Excuse me?” I squeaked out. Hadn’t I known the man was a whore?

I’d known and blatantly ignored it. When had they been together? Was it after he brought me breakfast? Was that why he never showed up at the office again?

Oh my god, this room was sweltering.

I began unfastening the top buttons on my blouse, while fanning my face.

She nodded. “Yeah, he and I were together in Galveston...the night you were feeling sick. He saw me in the bar and one thing led to another.”

Goddammit!

The one thing I’d held on to for all these years—the one thing that had been pure. I’d measured every man up against the man he was on the beach—and he’d gone from what we shared to her bed?

I pulled the trashcan out from under my desk and leaned over it.

“See? Now, don’t you feel better getting that out of the way? Okay, for the afternoon—the new patient at three goes to my church, so obviously we need to discount their visit. And, I’m going to need more time for that permanent filling at three-thirty, so move what you need to move to accommodate that. Did you order those new burs I showed you?”

I nodded, even though I hadn’t. She told me to stay in the room that night—told me that I’d hate myself for having a one-night stand. And then the bitch had gone downstairs and fucked my Jack.

Mine.

He would’ve come looking for me had she not shown up. We might’ve had the last five years together—everything could’ve turned out differently had she not played me to get laid. My stomach twisted and a bead of sweat formed along my hairline. He’d been inside of my boss.

Sandra stood up and patted my arm. “Okay. You go ahead and get composed. I’m gonna get in my op.”

I nodded again and sat staring dumbly at my computer screen. I’d reached a crossroads. If I stayed, then I was spineless. And if I left? Well, I was unemployed. I had to decide which was worse.

I continued staring at my computer as the screen saver switched from mountains back to beaches. Then, I pushed away from my desk and grabbed my purse and my cell phone.

Elizabeth said my name as I walked by her desk, but I refused to stop. I kept on until I was standing just outside one of the op rooms.

“Sandra?” I called into the room and she turned away from the patient and toward me.

“Yes?” She smiled.

I glared at her. “I’m leaving.”

The smile faded slightly. “Another appointment?”

I shook my head. “No. Like for good. I quit.”

She laughed as Dara watched me uncertainly. The patient was on enough nitrous that I doubt he even knew I was standing there. “C’mon, Lauren. Enough joking—we’ll talk in a minute, okay?”

I growled, “You fucked up my world. So, now I’m fucking up yours. Find a new office manager!”

Sandra’s mouth fell open while Dara worked to cover the patient’s ears. Then, to drive my point home, I flipped her off. Her eyes were as wide as saucers and she began sputtering excuses as I hit the back door. The gray sky fit my mood perfectly.

I got into my car and screamed until my throat burned. I was unemployed. I didn’t even know where I was headed when I left the parking lot. I just needed to drive until my head cleared.

Maybe I’d go to Austin and see my dads—Isaac might know of some work in the area. I had nothing keeping me in Lubbock anymore. It was refreshing, really. I wasn’t tied down.

A cry ripped from my chest, immediately followed by laughter. I was fine—it was better to know before I did something crazy like give him a second chance, right?

Everything we’d shared had been a lie. Mike hadn’t fallen in love with me that night on the beach. He’d fallen in Sandra’s vagina.

One hour turned into three, but my mind was still as dark as the sky outside. I took a detour outside of Winters that led me down a dirt road and away from the highway. I’d panicked for a moment before remembering that I truly had nowhere else to be.

I was just existing for the time being.

The sky grumbled and big fat raindrops began to pelt the windshield, obscuring the road and forcing me to turn on the wipers. The dry earth couldn’t handle the deluge and the dirt road became a mud pit within minutes. I sped up, somehow convincing myself that I could outrun the storm and make it back to the highway.

That thought ended as a giant rooster flew up from the road right in front of my car. I didn’t think. I just reacted and jerked the wheel to the right. The tires left the road and dropped down into a bar ditch, high-centering my car.

I lost all traction and muddy brown water began flowing into the passenger side of the vehicle.

“Oh, fuck. Shit. Help!” I yelled to the dashboard as the car lurched hard to the right before coming to a complete standstill.

I glanced around for a house or gas station, but I had officially stranded myself in the middle of nowhere. Freeing my cell phone from the pocket of my purse, I saw that I now had no service either.

Hadn’t there been a signal just a few minutes ago?

“Okay. Don’t panic,” I told myself as I panicked.

I couldn’t stay inside the car and hope that help showed up. I hadn’t passed a single vehicle for the last hour and a half. I’d be out here for days and by the time someone came upon my car, there’d be nothing but a waterlogged zombie where I now sat.

I shuddered at the thought and peered up at the sky. There didn’t appear to be a break in the storm coming anytime soon either and if I didn’t start walking, then I was going to be spending the night out here.

That was almost scarier than me turning into a zombie.

I threw open the driver’s side door, using my foot to hold it open, as I gathered up my purse and climbed out. The mud on the side of the car smeared across the back of my skirt and calves as my heels sank down into the muck.

I let out a cry of surprise at the cold before bending down to save my shoes from drowning. They were my best pair—I’d gotten them on clearance at Dillard’s and I was not about to give them up to the storm from Hades.

I pulled them off and tossed them back onto the floorboard of the car. Hopefully, they’d still be there when I made it back.

If I made it back.

I shivered again and began walking ahead of my car. The damn rooster was embedded in the grill of Isaac’s BMW 5 Series. I didn’t even want to think about how badly that conversation was going to go—most children at least had the decency to wreck their parent’s cars when they were teenagers.

Lightning lit up the sky, quickly followed by a booming clap of thunder. About a mile in, I began ugly crying. The urge to call my mother was overwhelmingly strong. So much so, that it damn near took me to my knees. I was soaked to the bone and at one of the lowest points I’d ever been in my life.

Was it too much to ask for me to just have some semblance of normalcy?

My big toe caught a stray rock and I howled, “Shit!” before picking it up and hurling it at the sky.

“Red, where in the hell do you think you’re going?”

I turned around slowly at the sound of his voice, convinced I was going to find some spirit impersonating him. That was going to be how I died out here. Not from exposure, but from fright.

Mike had the driver’s side door open on his pickup truck and was standing up on the chrome cab step with concern etched on his face.

I shrugged. “I don’t even know anymore.”

The door slammed shut as Mike jumped down and came over to me, the rain soaking his hair and suit. I tried to ignore the way the material clung to his skin. He pulled me into his arms and asked, “What happened?”

I laughed wildly. “I quit my job after I found out you fucked my boss. So, now I’m unemployed and running away to see my dads.”

His body stiffened and he moved back. “I can explain,” he began.

I chuckled maniacally again. “Of course you can. You can always explain away the wake of damage you leave in your path, can’t you, Mike? I can’t do this with you anymore—just when I think I’m coming up for air, you’re shoving me back under!”

He ran his hands through his wet hair. “Don’t do this, Lauren. Don’t run away because it’s not perfect—”

“Not perfect?” I screamed. “Not perfect is you forgetting our anniversary. Not perfect is having to cancel dinner plans. It’s not you fucking a woman I despise because I didn’t show up to meet you. I thought that night meant something!”

Mike threw his hands up in the air. “It did mean something, goddammit! I fucked up—I know that. What she and I had was just sex, but you stayed with me for years. Shouldn’t that count for something? I never once cheated on you!”

I smacked his arm, stinging my hand. “You son-of-a-bitch! It should count for something? How could you go to her after what we had?”

My screaming had dissolved into sobbing again. This was about so much more than Sandra. I knew that I couldn’t voice my real question—how could you leave my mother to die after everything we had?

Had it only ever been a big thing to me?

He gave me a warning look before growling, “Don’t you hit me again.”

I slammed the palms of my hands into his chest and he stumbled back. “Why? Are you going to hit me back like your dad hit you?”

I immediately drew back and covered my mouth in horror, but the words were already out there. I tried reaching for him as he backed away.

“Mike,” I started, but he shook his head. “Mike, please. I’m sorry!”

His jaw clenched and I could see his pulse jumping in his neck. He opened his mouth and then closed it again before shaking his head angrily. “I witnessed my first murder on my eleventh birthday. My father killed a woman right in front of me—didn’t understand why I wasn’t in awe of him.”

I felt sick and started to apologize again, but he stopped me. “I’m not finished. When I was eighteen, I got jumped. My old man was so afraid of me turning into a pussy that he forced me to learn how to fight like he did. I hit the kid with an uppercut and he fell back, cracked his head on a curb. I fucking killed him with one stupid, unlucky punch. I called my mom and do you know who she sent to bail me out?”

I nodded. It all made sense.

“She called my father. He and the club took care of it. Now, I’m nothing more than a crooked cop on a MC payroll because of a mistake I made at eighteen.”

I covered my mouth to stifle my sobs. He’d sold himself to his father’s biker gang before he’d even had a chance to go straight.

Mike continued, “I’ve done a lot of fucked up things in my life and you’re right, I may be no better than he is. I’ve covered up a lot of shit for the wrong people, but what I have with you is real and I have never once faked my feelings. I am so far from perfect and I feel like I ruin you just by looking, but I am not letting you run away from this.” He dropped to his knees in the mud. “Forgive me. You have to forgive me, Lauren. Please. Forgive me. Forgive all of the fucking stupid things I’ve done to hurt you.”

He kept repeating the words until something inside of me broke. The armor surrounding my heart gave way, leaving me exposed.

Raw.

Two broken souls—who’d had their childhood stolen from them and been forced to resort to other means to survive.

Were we really all that different?

The rain battered our bodies, yet cleansed our souls. He knelt in the mud in front of me and for the first time, I saw him—truly saw him.

The man behind the badge.

The scared boy behind the cocky man-whore.

And I knew that there would never be anyone else that made me feel like he did—whose scars mirrored mine so perfectly.

No one had ever seen the real Mike Sullivan. Until now. And I could keep running away every time we had a problem or I could stand by my man, at the gates of Hell, ready to fight anything that came our way.

As a team.

I’d hesitated in forgiving Monica, but if I had it to do over again, I would’ve willingly handed it over immediately if it meant more time with her.

His face ran with a mixture of tears and rain and with the decision made, I reached out and wiped them away. My voice faltered as I gave him what he needed most. “I forgive you.”

He buried his face against my belly and mumbled, “I wanted to keep you out of it all. It’s too fucking much to burden someone with.”

My hands slipped down to his jaw and tilted his face up toward mine. “I swore to love you in the gray areas. Tex, it doesn’t get any grayer than this.”

He was back on his feet in an instant, scooping me up and carrying me back to his truck. He popped open the door and set me down on the leather backseat before climbing in after me. “I had to get you out of that rain—you’ll get sick.”

I smiled. “And where’d you get this sound medical advice?”

He rubbed away the moisture on his splotchy face and grinned. “Abuelita—the woman’s better than any doctor. My shoulder was giving me trouble last week and she rubbed Vick’s all over it. Worked like a charm.”

That sounded like my grandmother.

Mike leaned forward and cupped my neck in his hand. “I almost had a fucking stroke when I saw you leaving Lubbock—I thought—” He grew quiet and I realized what it was that he thought. That I’d been taken—like Elizabeth. Like Katya. Like my mother. In that moment, I was so damn grateful that he’d insisted I download the Find My Friends app—without it, I’d definitely be on my way to becoming a zombie right about now.

He leaned in until our noses were touching, breathing me in. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, Red.”

All of my anger had evaporated out there on the road. A tear fell onto my cheek as I nodded. “Me too. I thought I was going to die after hitting that rooster. He just came up out of nowhere.”

Mike’s mouth twisted into a smirk. “Rooster? Darlin’, that was no rooster. Was it flying around?”

I nodded. “And then it came right for me.”

He chuckled. “Yeah baby, if it’s the same thing that’s hanging out on the front of your car, that’s a turkey buzzard. Roosters can’t fly.”

“Oh,” I replied.

His eyes dropped down to my mouth. “Can I?”

When I nodded, his hand tightened around the back of my neck, pulling me in closer. His mouth pressed against mine, tentatively at first, before becoming more urgent.

It reminded me of showing up at his house after my car was bombed. We’d ripped each other wide open, needing to let the pain bleed out. This time though, we were rebuilding everything we’d lost since January.

Mike kissed me so hard that my head fell back, hitting the window with a soft thud. His stubble scraped against my skin, but instead of fighting it, I welcomed the pain.

Where I was still shivering from the rain, Mike’s body radiated heat, and I found myself trying to burrow into him. He was like my own personal heating pad. My top lip fit perfectly against his bottom one. And, it sounded impossible, but his mouth reminded me of something that I’d never even experienced before—home.

His kiss only reiterated everything he’d said out in the rain and I wanted to make it work. To make us work. No matter the cost.

He pulled back and said, “I’m an addict—after everything that happened with us, I fell apart. Hard liquor. Coke. I was hellbent on self-destructing. The thing is, I was able to get clean and walk away from all of my vices—except one. You. You’re an addiction that I’ll never be able to kick; and Darlin’, no matter how many times I think I’ve sobered up, I will relapse again and again until I take my last breath.”

I sucked in a soft breath as my eyes misted over and cupped his cheek in my hand. “I only ever wanted you, Mike. Not some version of you that was acceptable to society, but you. All the messy and broken parts.”

His mouth flattened into a thin line and tears ran down his face. “I want to take care of you, Red.” At the look on my face, he amended, “Fuck, I know you can take care of yourself, but you shouldn’t have to—not anymore. That’s my job.”

I had taken care of myself; to rely on anyone else was just begging for trouble. Was I capable of putting my wellbeing in someone else’s hands? I knew then that I at least wanted to try.

I nodded and whispered, “Okay,” and the final wall came down. I was vulnerable and still bore the wounds of my past, but I felt it. He was piecing me back together with his love and I only hoped that I could do the same for him.

I wrapped my hand around the back of his neck, guiding him back down to my lips. With his forehead resting against mine, his hands found my hair. Mike wound the strands around his fingers, yet his mouth never left mine.

His tongue pressed lightly against my top lip and I grinned before opening up to him. The hands that had found my hair so fascinating were now furiously undoing the buttons on my blouse and pulling it off of my shoulders. Our kiss had gone from lazily snacking to hangry in a matter of seconds.

I reached out and began loosening his tie, while simultaneously removing his light gray suit jacket. “You in a suit, even if it is covered in mud, is so incredibly hot,” I murmured against his cheek.

His tongue darted out and licked along my jawline before he growled, “Yeah? Let’s see how hot it gets you, baby.”

My bra joined my blouse on the floorboard and then Mike’s hands were on my skirt, unbuttoning and unzipping until I was left in just my panties. He pulled them to the side before easily pushing two fingers inside of me.

“That’s my girl,” he praised, as he moved them in and out. My walls worked to grip his fingers tightly, yet he still pulled away before pushing them back in even deeper, forcing me to accommodate him.

His lips moved impatiently against mine as if we’d been apart for years, while his fingers worked me up into a frenzy. With a pant, he broke away and his head dropped down to my chest. His lips hovered over my left nipple, each warm exhale sending shivers throughout my body.

My eyes closed involuntarily as he sucked it into his mouth, his teeth closing lightly around me. When he curled his fingers inside of me, my back arched, but I remained pinned in place with his teeth. His hand moved again and I saw stars. I bit down on my lip, but before I could get there, he pulled his hand free. Cold metal closed around my wrist with a click and my eyes flew open in surprise.

“Mike? Did you just cuff me?”

His eyes had a wicked glint to them as he answered with a smirk, “Just in case you get cold feet and decide to run on me again.”

I didn’t protest; if anything, it just made me wetter. Even more so when he looped the cuffs through the handle at the top of the window and placed them on my other wrist.

“That’s a damn good look on you, Darlin’.” Even I could appreciate the sight of me with my chest thrust out, nipples hardened into stiff peaks.

“Please,” I whispered.

That grin came back. “Please what, baby?”

I pushed my thighs together, trying to ease the ache. I was about to have a serious case of lady blue balls if he didn’t do something soon. “Please,” I tried again. “I need you inside of me.”

Mike removed his shoulder holster and began unbuttoning his shirt almost casually. By the time he got down past his navel and the light blond hairs began peeking through, I was straining against the cuffs, craving the feel of his skin beneath my hand. Happy trail indeed. He slipped it off and I admired the canvas of ink and muscle that greeted me. The sight of him never got old.

He undid his belt slowly and I groaned my disapproval.

“Patience, Red. Good things are worth the wait,” his eyes softened as he looked over at me and I relented. The way he stared at me—like I was a small child who’d just performed my heart out in the school play. I never wanted to be considered cute or adorable—I’d insisted on being taken seriously. Until him.

It couldn’t have been more perfect if I’d planned it—the rain beating steadily against the glass and him sliding those slate gray slacks down his muscular thighs.

His erection jutted up toward his stomach, demanding my full attention. The cuffs rattled against the plastic handle as I instinctively moved to reach for him. I didn’t have to wait long before he was kicking his boxer briefs into the floorboard and rubbing the tip of his cock up and down my slit.

A shudder wracked my body and my mouth dropped open in both orgasm and shock.

How?

I looked up at him in awe and he reached down to run his middle finger through my wetness before spreading it down his shaft. “That was fucking hot, Red. Daytime sex is mandatory now.”

I gave him a drowsy nod. I’d have agreed to anything at this point. The tinted windows had fogged up, giving us the illusion that we were in our own private cocoon. Safe from the world and all of its problems.

Mike cupped my ass in his hands, shifting me until the head of his dick was positioned at my opening. “I wanna fuck you bare. I need to feel you around me.”

It wasn’t a question, but a demand, and I found myself nodding again. I knew there were reasons that it wasn’t a good idea, but in the moment, none of them seemed to stand up to his logic.

He needed to feel me.

Nothing else mattered.

He kept stroking the base as he worked his way in and I let out a mewling whimper. I knew that he was holding back, trying to ease my body into it, so I forced out, “Just fuck me, baby.”

That was all the invitation he needed. He surged inside of me, filling me to the point that I thought I might black out. I let out a hoarse cry when he bottomed out.

Mike growled and began making long strokes inside of me. The cuffs clinked together loudly as my walls squeezed around him while my breath grew shallower.

“Mike…Mike…I’m…” My words cut off, as did my breathing. Our bodies were slick with sweat and the inside of the truck began to feel like a sauna, but we never slowed down. His skin slapped loudly against mine, pushing me to the brink and then over, again and again.

Just when I thought I had nothing left, his mouth sought mine. Plundering. Taking. I willingly handed everything I had to give over to him before locking my legs behind his back, drawing him in further.

I thought he’d hit every pleasure point until his hands snuck in between our bodies, squeezing my breasts. First one, then the other, as his thrusts became more erratic. Those same hands moved up behind my shoulders, forcing my body further down on his, as he came inside of me with a loud growl.

“Fuck,” he groaned against my ear.

It was enough to send me over the edge with him. Mike clung to my body, our breathing labored, as we both floated back down to earth.

“I fucking love you, baby,” he said softly.

Before I could answer him, there was a gentle rap at the window behind us. I yelped in surprise and tried to cover myself, but the handcuffs refused to budge.

Mike wiped some of the steam off of the glass and looked out before muttering, “Fuck. Here.” He tossed me his suit jacket and it hit my chest before falling down to my lap.

“Um, Tex?” I questioned.

He pulled his boxers back up distractedly. “Yeah, Red. Just throw that on and button it.”

I cleared my throat. “Mike? I, uh, can’t really move here.”

He looked over and his eyes widened. “Shit, the key is around here somewhere. Okay, uh—look up.” I did and he held the jacket up under my chin before directing me to look down again.

The only thing keeping me covered was the power of my neck to chest action right now. Mike hurriedly buttoned up his shirt and rolled down the window, still in his boxers.

“Hello,” he called cheerfully to a man in an oil covered t-shirt and farm supply hat.

The man narrowed his eyes as he took in the handcuffs. “I stopped by to see if you needed help getting the car out. That storm came up while I was out on my tractor.” His eyes cut over to me again.

“Good afternoon,” I smiled widely, trying to look like I wanted to be in cuffs.

He reached for a cell phone and backed away. “I’m just going to make a quick call.”

I expected Mike to pull his badge, but he didn’t. “Mike?”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Red, we’re gonna have some explaining to do when the Winters Police Department shows up here in a minute.”

“Then pull out your badge,” I hissed.

Mike gave me a wry smile. “Darlin’, I’ve been accused of whipping out my badge any old time I need to get myself off the hook. I say we just wait it out and maybe the boys headed our way will have an extra set of keys for those cuffs.”

I shook my head. “No! You get me out of these cuffs right now, Mike Sullivan. I’m not even playing with you! So help me god, if you wait for the police to get here, I will lose my shit.”

He frowned. “But using my badge is taking advantage, isn’t it? I don’t want to do the wrong thing.”

I went to kick him, but he was faster. He easily wrapped my foot up in his hand with a chuckle. “Watch it there, Red. I saw your gorgeous pussy when you did that. You don’t want me getting hard again right now, do you?”

“Mike!” I snarled. “Get me out of these goddamn cuffs and tell that poor man not to call us in!”

“Please?”

“Please,” I growled.

He gave me a dopey smile and pulled his pants back on before jumping out and going after my would-be rescuer. Poor guy probably thought I was being trafficked.

The man reluctantly made his way back over to the truck a few minutes later with Mike’s arm slung around his shoulder. “—Yeah you can do anything you need to do to get a confession out of a prisoner. Even mouthy little gingers like this one.”

The man shook his head in surprise. “I never imagined they gave you free reign like that.”

“They don’t,” I responded dryly.

Mike shook his head and rolled his eyes at his new friend. “I wouldn’t listen to anything Grand Theft Auto over here has to tell you. She’s gonna be going away for quite some time with the charges I’ve got against her.”

“Well, let’s get that car pulled out so you can tow it and her back to Lubbock—unless…” He trailed off while staring at me wolfishly. The only things missing were the cartoon eyes bugging out of his head and a tongue that rolled out like a red carpet.

I shuddered and Mike immediately stiffened, his hand digging into the man’s shoulder. I could tell it was causing him pain as his head began dipping lower and lower toward the affected side.

“You know, Farmer Brown, I think we’re good with just the tow. You touch her and that’s assault. You don’t have a badge.” Mike’s voice had a joking tone, but his eyes looked murderous.

“You got it, man,” he winced. “I’ll—ow—I’ll just grab the tractor now.”

He stumbled off and Mike dug around on his key ring until he found the one he needed. “Let’s get you out of those cuffs and fully dressed, Darlin’. Before I have to kill someone.”

I relaxed my head and let the jacket fall. “Thank the lord. I thought I was going to be stuck like this forever.”

Mike unlocked my wrists and gently pulled my arms into his, getting the blood flowing again. “Goddamn, Red. If I thought we had more time, I’d ask for round two right now.”

I slugged him weakly in the bicep and smirked, “Just get me out of here, Tex. Before that farmer tries to jump my bones.”

His booming laughter filled the back of the truck as he helped me back into my underwear. “No duh—I’ll get you back to your crib before he decides that you’re all that and a bag of chips. Can’t have Old MacDonald getting’ jiggy wit’ it.”

Mike had just managed to work a lot of nineties references into one sentence. If I would’ve had more feeling in my arms, I could’ve hit him again.

“You know, Red? You’re pretty phat. P.H.A.T.”

I sighed. It was going to be a long three-hour ride home.