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The light has turned red above me, and a semi is the only vehicle sitting at it. Another car is pulling up beside him in the lane closer to me, and I turn to it- only to realize it’s a fucking police cruiser.
No, not any police cruiser. Derrick Lindman is in the driver’s seat.
Our eyes meet, and I make a snap decision.
I start crossing the street as he’s still coming to a stop, making quick steps toward the semi. Out of the corner of my eye. Derrick is putting the cruiser in park and jumping out. I run for the semi’s driver side door.
“Please sir!” I cry out, waving an arm so he looks down at me standing beside his massive truck. “Hey! Can I catch a ride with you?”
I glance at the driver long enough to determine it’s a very tired scarecrow of a man. He looks me up and down a little too thoroughly. There’s a sudden energy to his previously tired face that I don’t like. Nope, no thank you, I’m notthatdesperate. I take a step back, and see Derrick coming at me. Fuck, what now?!
I panic, and I run.
CHAPTER 16
Derrick
Goddamnit,she’srunning?!
It’s been a minute since I’ve been involved in a foot chase, but she’s in heels and I take a run every morning and every night with my dogs. Raleigh makes it all of halfway down the block before I’m on top of her. Her heels clatter against the pavement, the sound sharp in the quiet street. I reach for her arm- but she suddenly veers to the side, throwing herself into a narrow alley. I almost shoot past her, my shoes skidding on the cracked sidewalk.
Are you fucking kidding me-
My hand instinctively goes to my walkie-talkie, but I flex my hand instead, forcing myself to keep chasing her. The thought of calling for backup makes my stomach churn. I’d rather be hit and backed over by the semi truck I passed than deal with the fallout from that.
Besides, this alley doesn’t even connect to the street. She’s running blindly. As she rounds the corner ahead of me, I hear her gasp a curse when she hits the dead end- a solid brick wall, looming high above her. I nearly crash into her as she spins to escape.
Again, I reach for her, and this time she throws herself away from me so violently she stumbles, her feet slipping out from under her and she falls right on her ass. She lands hard on the ground, breathless, her palms scraping the rough pavement. The sound of her fall reverberates in the confined space. For a split second, everything stills- and all I hear is her labored breathing and my pounding heartbeat.
What the fuck is happening right now? The last thing I knew before I fell asleep, we were both completely glutted on sex. I’d kissed her first, yes, but she’d joined in with equal energy. At no point did she give any sign that she wasn’t having a damn good time.
Then when I wake up, I’m alone in bed, it’s dark, and there’s an engine running in my garage. By the time I pulled some pants on and got to the door, my Corvette was gone, and only one person could be responsible.
And now, she’s so opposed to being touched by me that she’llrunfrom me and throw herself on the ground to avoid me.
“I’m not going back with you, Derrick!” she cries out, scrambling to her feet. “Leave me the fuck alone!”
She might as well have slapped me.
All I want to know iswhy. Why was she here with Silver earlier? Why did she throw herself into sex with me if she actually wants nothing to do with me? Why steal my car? For revenge? For fun?
At the same time, I know it’s a useless question to ask. She’ll lie about any involvement she has with Silver because it’s mafia business. And it doesn’t matter why she rejected me after the most intense sex of my life, because it really shouldn’t have happened and should never happen again. As for my car-
God, why’d she have to steal the fucking Corvette? What the fuck did she do to it? At least the cruiser could be replaced on the department’s dime.
“The hell I will,” I say. I’ve hardly run at all, but my anger is enough to make my breathing heavy. “You stole my fucking car!”
The fact she doesn’t even try to deny it tells me she’s not sorry. Instead, Raleigh holds out her hand, even though she’s still standing several feet away. She’s reaching for something, but it’s not me. “Give me back my phone,” she demands, nonsensically.
Wait, her phone? Where the fuck is that coming from? She was standing outside Cooper’s for god knows how long before I found her. Did she go inside for a drink and a half first?
“I don’t have it,” I tell her evenly. “Either you do, or you lost it somewhere. Now come with me.”
She crosses her arms tight over her chest. “Are you actually going to arrest me now?”
At this point, I’dloveto, but we both know I can’t because her brother is Thomas fucking Warwick.
“Justdo what I say, Raleigh,” I order, my jaw clenched.
