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I know how he’s going to make it up to me tonight.
But for the first time ever, I question if it’s going to be enough.
Chapter Three
Decker
After checking into the hotel, I grab my keys and go for a drive to get something to eat and scope out the town. I know this is work, but it feels good to get away, and it’s almost like a little mini vacation. Come to think of it, I can’t even remember the last time I had any kind of break—it’s been all work, no play for me ever since I graduated the police academy.
I end up on the beach for sunset, coffee in hand and a smile on my face as I watch the waves crash on the sand, the sun disappearing in front of my eyes. This career change for me is more than just gaining freedom—it comes with a whole new perspective on life, and a little self-care for me. I needed this.
“Hey,” a pretty redhead says to me, waving as she approaches. She’s wearing a green bikini, her lips painted in gloss. “You here alone?”
“Pretty sure that’s supposed to be my line,” I tease. She takes that as an invitation and sits down next to me.
Getting women has never been an issue for me. Finding one that I can really, truly connect with and want to stick around? Whole different issue. I know how I come off, and how people see me. A woman once told me that I’m the kind of man you enjoy but never keep. I didn’t know what to think about that, but I guess she was right, because I’ve never been kept. They see the confidence, charm, the smile, the green eyes that can get me anything I want, and they judge me from that. But there’s a lot more to me, which most people wouldn’t know. I’ve always been a jokester, but underneath I’m a deep thinker, and I like to relate to other people on that level.
“Equality,” she replies, nodding toward the water. “Want to take a dip?”
I shake my head. “I have to get back to work. Thanks for the offer, though.”
I walk back to my car and drive back to the hotel. Enough playing around. This isn’t a vacation. I’m here for a reason, and her name is Cara.
* * *
It’s not exactly appropriate to hang around a school, but that’s where I find myself come Monday afternoon, parked just outside the gates, watching as people come in and out. I personally don’t know why anyone would want to be a high school teacher, but props to them, because someone has to do it and I’m glad it’s not me.
I look down at the DMV picture I have of Cara. She’s an attractive woman. Extremely so. Warm brown eyes, smiling right at me, long, lush brown hair and her lips upturned at one corner. I find myself wondering how she will react to finding out that she has a half sister. Or maybe she already knows and doesn’t care. Some people aren’t so friendly with certain sides of their family, and the fact that she took her stepfather’s last name makes me think she isn’t too close with her own biological father.
She apparently has a boyfriend who is a biker; I saw his name on the deed to her house. I hope that’s not going to be an issue for me and he’s not going to cause any problems. I’m here today to make sure I have the right woman, and to figure out the best way for Constance to approach her.
I must admit it was a little bit of a surprise when I realized Cara knows someone I know. What do they call it? Six degrees of separation? But I should’ve put two and two together when I found out who her stepfather was—Adam “Rake” Ward, an infamous member of the Wind Dragons MC. My ex-partner’s wife, Clover, is a “princess” of the Wind Dragons, something I gave Felix shit about when I first met him.
I saw a photo of Cara on Clover’s social media and called Felix, leaving a message. I let my phone fall onto the leather of the passenger seat when I see her walking to her car. She’s dressed with all class in a black blouse, tailored pants and heels. Her hair is down and reaches her waist. It’s the first thing I notice about her. It’s beautiful.
She drops one of the folders she’s holding in her hands, mutters a curse, and picks it up, juggling her bag, phone and keys. My lips twitch. She’s amusing to watch, that’s for sure. “Rapstar” by Polo G plays in my car, and I mouth the words as I wait for her to get into her Mercedes Benz and drive off.
And then I follow her.
We drive for a couple of minutes and then she stops at a park, but doesn’t get out of her car. She sits there and does something on her phone for a few minutes, and then gets back on the road.
Okay, that was weird. She must have just stopped to send a text or something, but she could have done that before she left the school.
Women are unusual creatures.
I stay a few cars behind her and follow her through the city. When we get to the house she owns with her boyfriend, I can tell it has high security by the electric gate out the front. No one is coming to this woman’s house who isn’t invited, that’s for sure.
I park across the road in front of one of her neighbors’ houses, hoping they aren’t home, but if they are I’ll just pretend I’m lost and trying to figure out directions. I like to think I’m always one step ahead, but when Cara crosses the road and comes over to my car, I have to admit that this has never happened to me before.
She knocks on my window. I roll it down, intrigued.
It’s then I notice her reaching into her bag, holding something in there. “Why are you following me?” she asks, anger filling her eyes.
“I have no idea what you are talking about,” I say to her, flashing her a charming smile. “I’m lost and looking for directions on how to get back to my hotel.”
“I saw you at the school and then I noticed you following me to the park, and now here,” she replies, pursing her lips at my answer. “I’m not stupid.”
Clearly.
