Chapter Fifteen

Adrian

 

She was fucking everywhere. Asleep, awake, the inbetween. Perrie dominated my thoughts to the point of fucking mind control. Every time I licked my lips, I tasted her. Every time I ran my fingers through my hair, I felt the softness of her blond hair. Every time I adjusted myself, I remembered the gentle yet sexy as fuck way she’d cupped my cock with her tiny hand against my warning.

She was taking me over, spreading through my veins like a fucking disease. Except there was no cure. Nothing to alleviate the symptoms of her.

If I were a smarter man, I’d have put a stop to us working together. But I wasn’t smart. I was fucking stupid, and I couldn’t quit her.

It was that simple.

I couldn’t quit Perrie Fox any more than I could quit screaming at the idiots on the field during football season.

Now, tonight, I had to go to work and watch her chat up a male prostitute because she was the only one who could. She’d know how to make herself available for his attention and weave it until she got the sweet spot. Then, we’d swoop in, and she’d give an anonymous statement to us and one to the court.

Easy.

Except after last night, I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to watch her essentially seduce another man.

I wanted to watch her be seduced by me.

“Hello? Earth to Adrian?” My sister waved her hand in front of my face.

I blinked, focusing on her.

“Oh, good. You’re back with the living.” She paused, a twinkle in her eye. “Who is she?”

“What?” I blinked again. “Who’s who?”

Amie smiled. “The woman who’s got you all in a twist.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

She leaned back and pulled her dark curls into a high ponytail. “I’ve been asking you the same question for five minutes. Zac asked if he could have a coffee like Dad and you said yes before I intervened. So, tell me. Who is she?”

“I said what to Zac?”

“Adrian.” She snapped her fingers only an inch from my face. “I will bug you until you tell me.”

“This is where your kids get their ability to bug you until you die from.”

“Win some, lose some.” Amie shrugged a shoulder. “Tell me.”

“Drop it.”

“I’ll bug you ‘til you die.”

“I don’t care.”

“Tell me.”

“No.”

“Tell me.”

“Her name is Perrie and she’s pretty and they work together and I like Lola!” Zac hollered from the doorway.

“Thanks, Zac!”

“Welcome. Do I get extra sprinkles on my ice cream now?”

Amie winked at him.

“Result!”

“Now you’re bribing my son?” I asked, staring flatly at her.

Unconcerned, my big sister stood and made her way to the fridge. She pulled out two bottles of water and when she sat down, slid me one. “I don’t care how I get my information, little bro. Someone has to provide it, and if that means I bribe your son, it means I bribe your son. I’m a hustler, what can I say?”

“You’re also a thirty-year-old woman who regresses to being three when she doesn’t get what she wants,” her husband, Dwayne, said dryly.

“Hello, darling. Thank you for your input.” She shot him a sweet smile. “It’s harmless questioning.”

“Yeah, well, I’m the one who has to hear your voice over and over, so harmless is relative,” I muttered.

“Ah, there’s the other three-year-old.” Dwayne grinned at me.

“If you weren’t my brother-in-law, I’d probably shoot you.”

He laughed. “Nah, you wouldn’t. I’d still be the only person who can keep your sister in line.” He kissed the top of Amie’s head. “I have to go to work. Be nice, Amie.”

“Or what?” She raised her chin in defiance.

“Or you can buy your own wine.”

“I’ll be nice.”

I had to remember that for future reference.

Dwayne disappeared out the front door, leaving us alone.

I looked out of the window. The kids played nicely together, and the sound of their laughter trickled through.

Was this how Zac played with Lola? Did he laugh this much around her?

“I’m sorry,” Amie said after a moment, looking in the same direction I was. “I don’t mean to be pushy, Ad. I just want you to be happy.”

“I am happy. I don’t need someone in my life to make me feel good.”

“No, you don’t, but I can see it. Plus, Zac? He needs a woman’s touch. Sooner or later.”

“He’s got you and mom.”

“Stop deflecting.”

I sighed, rubbing my hand across my forehead. “It’s complicated, all right? I picked Perrie up one night and let her go. Then, I pretty much blackmailed her into working with us to locate other hookers…”

“And you keep reliving the past.”

I clenched my jaw. “It’s different. She has a daughter. Her dad is dead. Perrie herself is estranged from her family. She’s not Katie.”

Pity flashed in her eyes before she beat it away. “Of course she’s not Katie. Katie was selfish and cruel, Adrian, and you know it. She didn’t deserve you and she didn’t deserve Zac. But that doesn’t mean you don’t see her when you see these prostitutes. You know you’re only doing this job for your own personal reasons.”

I slammed my fist on the table and stood up. The sound of her name was poison to me. Killed me from the inside out, even though I’d stopped loving her years ago. My dead prostitute ex had kept me snared in her web of bullshit until the day she died at the hands of one of her lovers.

I’d been numb then and I was numb now, but somewhere along the way, I’d reached total acceptance of her death. I was at peace with it, but not with what she’d done to me and to Zac.

“It’s…not the same.” I rubbed my hand through my hair and looked back at my sister. “Perrie is everything Katie never had the capacity to be. She worked that job to provide for her daughter, not because she needed the rush of the next shiny new drug or the constant attention to feel good about herself. But she’s still a prostitute, and she’s still the wrong choice in every way.”

“Is she the wrong choice?”

“What does that mean?”

“You’re beating yourself up over this, but maybe she’s not the wrong choice.” Amie capped her water bottle. “She sounds like she’s all alone in this world right now. A life she’s accepted because being a parent comes before anything else—something you know well.”

“I don’t know where you’re going with this.”

She looked at me earnestly, her eyes, a few shades darker than mine, holding nothing but understanding. “She’s alone, Adrian. Katie couldn’t even stay faithful to you. You’re judging one woman on another’s actions just because they have one thing in common.”

“Zac. It’s Zac, all right? He already loves Lola and they have this bond over their lack of two parents. He thinks Perrie is God’s gift—”

“While you’re waiting for the other shoe to fall.”

“While I’m unable to stay the hell away from her because something about her draws me in.” The admission tumbled off my tongue. There—it was the one thing I’d been desperate to say out loud, to admit, to get the weight off my chest.

I was to Perrie what a moth was to a flame.

Intrigued and desperate…And willing to get burned.

Amie sighed softly. “I get it, okay? I never want to see him—or you—hurting the way you did because of her. But maybe just take the rest of it away. Strip it all back, and don’t let the past stop you from living right now.” She opened her mouth to continue, but she didn’t. She shook her head and looked away.

“What aren’t you saying?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re a terrible liar, do you know that?”

“Only because you’re trained to spot my lies.” She gave me a hard look before she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and said, “I just…I feel like the longer you allow yourself to be afraid or you hold back because of her, the longer she controls you.”

I clenched my jaw. Not because I was mad, but because she was right.

Unfortunately, moving past that was much easier said than done.

 

***

 

I left my sister’s house a couple of hours later in only a marginally better mood. The kids had a lot more to do with that than she did. She kept flashing me looks, and I could have read her mind easily.

She pitied me. No matter how much she attempted to hide it, she pitied the hell out of me, and maybe it was the sisterly instinct or the motherly one, but she also hated that she couldn’t fix it.

Not as much as I did.

I wanted to fix it more than anything. I wished I could look at a woman and feel safe enough to let a guard down beyond anything sexual.

I was doing it with Perrie. When I looked in her eyes, I saw a lonely, afraid woman with a past full of heartbreak. I saw a woman who was just like me—hesitant to open her heart to anything. It was a double dose of everything I’m used to, so I was resorting to sex.

To the basest of attractions. To the thing that was easy to walk away from when it was all said and done.

She was my itch, and when I’d scratched her, I’d be over it.

I was lying to myself and I knew it, but the alternative was terrifying.

I pulled up outside her house and waited. Her sitter’s car was blocking hers in on the driveway, so I knew she hadn’t forgotten that I’d messaged to tell her I was picking her up.

I still couldn’t reconcile this neighborhood with all the things I knew about Perrie. She was so put together, something that was obviously reminiscent of her upbringing. She was truly a diamond in the rough in the life she’d been living for the past few years.

I wanted to know what had led her to this life.

I wanted to know why she’d been forced into this.

The door opened. Perrie stepped out with her back to it, dressed in a knee-length trench-style coat and high heels. Her tan legs shimmered in the evening sunset, giving away the fact they weren’t bare. Her fingers rested on the belt of her coat when she closed the door behind her, and she paused, almost as if she were taking a deep breath, before turning toward me.

Then, she stopped. Or I did. I didn’t fucking know, but I know something stopped.

Her blonde hair fell about her face in loose curls, barely skimming her shoulders. Her lashes were thick and dark, her eyebrows perfectly framing the brow of the dark brown eyes that met mine. Her lips were deep pink, thick and full, temptation and a warning all at the same time.

The tiny purse she clutched to her stomach belied the nerves that her steady steps hid. She was nervous for tonight. I knew her well enough by now to see that was what was bothering her.

“Just drive,” she said, slamming the car door behind her. She refused to make eye contact with me, and I had to wonder—was it because of last night?

“Good evening,” I said, starting the engine. “You seem in a great mood.”

She shot me a look that would make a weaker man shrivel up. “Don’t go there. Not tonight.”

The second she’d finished speaking, she turned and looked out of the window. Whatever it was that was on her mind, I definitely seemed to be a part of what was pissing her off. Then again, I also knew that this job was the last thing she wanted to do tonight.

Unfortunately for her, we had to talk about it.

“The bartender at the Haas called me about an hour ago,” I started, merging onto the main road. “Daniel Duvall is already there. Apparently, he has an appointment this evening judging from the short conversation they’ve had.”

“Mmph,” she responded.

I ignored it. “Because he’s there, you’ll have to go in first, by yourself.” I pulled a sheet of paper out of the door and handed it to her. “This is a floor plan of the casino. The circles are where we will be positioned. We’ll park in the underground parking lot instead of the valet in a minute so I can wire you so we know when to come in and arrest him if we get the opportunity.”

“You’re wiring me?” She looked at me.

“You can text me, but it might look suspicious if you do it immediately after he admits what he is. This way, we can get closer and jump on him straight away.”

Perrie sighed. “Fine.”

Boy. I really wasn’t her favorite person today.

We took the rest of the journey in silence. Under the hotel, I found an empty slot in the corner relatively close to the elevator and pulled into it. Perrie was slow to follow me out the car, and I’d already pulled the wire out by the time she joined me by the trunk.

When she didn’t remove her coat, I raised an eyebrow. “You need your coat off.”

“Um…Okay.” Her hand trembled a little as she undid the belt and moved to the buttons. She’d flipped from nervous to pissed and back to nervous before I could comprehend the change in her demeanor.

She peeled the coat over her shoulders, revealing a short, white little number that clung to her every curve. The neckline dipped, showing her cleavage, and the off-shoulder straps drew my attention to the way her neck bobbed as she swallowed, to the hollow of her collarbones, to the tiny freckles that dotted her shoulders.

Skimming her legs to mid-thigh, it just about gave away the lace tops of the stockings she was wearing. I clamped my teeth together, setting my jaw.

Perrie reached down and tugged down the hemline. “Can we get on with this?”

“Dress should be fuckin’ illegal,” I muttered. “Turn around. Now.”

She clutched the coat to her stomach and turned. I fitted her with the wire and waited for her to adjust it at the front so it wouldn’t be seen. Skimming her body to check it was invisible was a mistake. My cock pulsed and throbbed with desire as I ran my gaze over every inch of her.

I should have put Zac back to sleep last night and finished what we’d started.

It was fucking unbearable right now. I didn’t want her walking into the casino dressed like that—I wanted her bending herself over the hood of my goddamn car.

“What? Is there something on my dress? Damn it, I knew white was a bad idea.” Perrie smoothed her hands over her hips, looking down at the fabric.

I gritted my teeth. “Go. Before I change my mind about letting you do this.”

She peered up, eyes wide. Understanding flashed right before I turned away, and the rustle of fabric as she replaced her coat made me look out of the corner of my eye.

She swallowed. “Um, will you be coming in soon?”

I nodded. Sharply. “Ten minutes. Sam is on his way. Don’t look for us—we’ll be closest to you. If you move from the bar, we’ll be moving with you.”

Slowly, her head bobbed in understanding. “Okay. I’ll do my best.”

“Won’t be hard in that dress,” I murmured.

“What?”

“Nothing. Go. Now.”

She half-snorted as she turned away. She might have found it fucking funny, but I sure as hell didn’t. We’d seen Daniel Duvall at work—how the fuck was I going to be able to cope with the sleazeball putting his hands all over her body?

A car slowed as it neared Perrie, and a catcall echoed through the parking lot. “How’s it hangin’, hot stuff?” Sam’s familiar tone called out.

Perrie jumped, turning back to his car. A half-smile curled her pink lips, and her shoulders trembled. “Shut up, idiot.” She spun, waiting for the elevator, clutching her purse to her like it was a lifeline.

Sam laughed as he drove over to me. He pulled up in the empty space two cars down from me and got out. “Now, I’m not gonna lie, but I’d have let her go from my car, too.”

I snorted. “You should see what’s under the dress.”

His eyebrows shot up. “She dressed like some kinky bondage chick or…?”

“A dress that puts her on the cusp of being illegal. Half-tempted to arrest her just so nobody else could see her in it.”

“Possessive.”

“Frustrated,” I countered, adjusting my pants.

He caught the movement and barked out another laugh. “Is the ice man breaking down?”

I shook my head and leaned against the car. The ice man wants to get laid by the blond driving him crazy. The ice man would have fucked her if his kid didn’t wake up.”

“Oosh. Kids. What assholes. I’m so glad I don’t have a little cockblocker. Hey—you ever think about how ironic that is? Your cock created its own blockade.”

“Sam? Shut up.”

He held his hands up. “When are we going down there?”

I glanced at my watch. “Now.”

I’d told her ten minutes, but that was before I’d thought it through. Plus—Sam would shut his mouth when he saw what she was wearing. He could take the piss all he liked, but he had no idea what she really looked like.

We stepped into the elevator, and Sam popped some gum into his mouth.

“How did the briefing go?”

“Pretty straightforward,” he replied, chewing. “We identified the other targets. We’ve done so good lately that we can focus on who instead of how many. Chief’s impressed. I think he’s going to get our funding upped.”

I nodded. “Good news. What are the goals you laid out?”

“Our team’s goal is obviously DD,” he said as the elevator doors opened. “Legg’s team is in the Bellagio doing some recon there. Wyatt’s team is at the Golden casino with the aim of one since it’s a new location, and both Newton and Smith’s teams have a goal of one each. All in all, we should bring in four tonight.”

“Good.” I scanned the area, immediately searching for Perrie. I honed in on her black trench coat almost instantly by the bar. She was perched on a stool, eyes wandering around. Her familiar, almost signature strawberry margarita was slid across the bar to her, and she handed the tender a bill.

Sam nudged me. “Over there.”

We went to the empty table he’d picked out and took our seats. Here, we had a direct line of sight to the bar where Perrie was, and we could see the other side where Daniel was sitting. He had his back to the wall, and he was surveying the casino in a way that, to anyone else, would look entirely natural.

To me, I knew it wasn’t.

Sam tapped at his phone and looked at Perrie. She pulled her cell out, and I frowned.

“Did you just text her?”

“Yep,” he said, looking at his screen. “I told her I wanted to see the dress that has you acting like a thirteen-year-old with a hard-on.”

I stared at him flatly.

He grinned. “Kidding. I told her to get on with it.”

Watching Perrie, it was obvious she was trying not to look over in our direction. The tender brought her change over to her, and when she’d tucked it into her purse, she stood and reached for her belt.

I groaned, knowing what was coming.

Slowly, with her body turned in the direction of Daniel Duvall, she undid her coat carefully and slid it down her shoulders to reveal the dress that would be the death of me tonight.

I saw the exact moment he noticed her.

“Holy shit,” Sam breathed. “Now I feel like a teenage boy.”

“Yep.”