I didn’t even blink. It cost me but I didn’t even blink.
Fuck, he had kids.
Fuck, that killed.
“Ten miles over,” I offered.
“Five miles,” he countered.
“Seven.”
He grinned and I didn’t blink again but that killed too. With me, he used to grin a lot, smile a lot, laugh a lot. Even so, each one was precious. He’d been beautiful. All of those transformed his features so he was magnificent.
Age and scars hadn’t changed that. Not even a little bit. He still had great, even, strong white teeth. Fantastic lips. Strong, expressive features.
Magnificent.
“Deal,” he grunted and moved to my girl.
I moved to her too and juggled my breakfast (even though it was past noon) in order to get in. With the coffee between my thighs and the toast between my teeth, I started her up and pulled out maybe a hair faster than was needed.
That said, that was how I usually pulled out.
“Jesus,” Creed muttered.
I bit back a smile, changed gears, shot forward on a screech of tires then took a bite out of my toast and drove one handed.
“Right, catch me up,” I ordered.
“You first,” he replied.
I glanced to the side.
Shit, Tucker Creed was sitting beside me in my car.
Shit!
I buried that and asked, “Me first, what?”
“You first. I’m ride-along, maybe it would be good to know what I’m ridin’ into.”
“Hit The Retreat. Check in at the office. If there’s time, check in on Serena. After that, Knight,” I told him.
“You still on The Retreat job?” he asked, exposing just how much he’d looked into me which meant just how often he’d followed me.
I’d never tagged a tail.
Damn.
“Man, I’m always on The Retreat job,” I informed him. “Every third ass**le who cheats on his wife takes his bitch to The Retreat. My ass is in the parking lot there so often, management suggested they paint my name in a parking spot so it’ll be reserved.”
“Not good for business, a PI’s name in a parking spot,” Creed muttered.
“That’s why I declined. That’s me, looking out for the local adult resort.”
I heard his chuckle and it was different than I remembered too. Not just deep and smooth, the rough was in it. It made it sexier. A lot f**king sexier.
Shit.
“You ever been there?” he asked.
“Where?” I asked back.
“The Retreat,” he answered.
“Partner, were you talking in your sleep thirty seconds ago?”
“I meant as a client, not an investigator.”
Oh yeah, I had. Rubber mattresses. Fake silk sheets. Velvet comforters. Mirrors on the ceiling. Hot tubs in every room. “Environment chambers” where you could f**k in a gentle rain, breeze or both. Swings. Love machines. Steam rooms. Twelve channels of p**n . Rooms available at matinee rates.
I’d so totally been there.
“So we are talking about our pasts?” I asked and he was silent. “Advice,” I went on. “You feel like an adventure, call the top in the environment chamber. Seems like it’d be awesome but that water hitting your face all the time is distracting.”
That got more silence, which worked for me because it meant he shut up.
It stopped working for me when it went on a long time. He had a month of a possible hostile takeover of Knight’s business to catch me up on and he couldn’t do it in sign language when my eyes were on the road. This was because I couldn’t see his hands and I didn’t know sign language.
I glanced his way again, mouth open to say something then I glanced straight ahead and shut my mouth.
I did this because his stubbled jaw was tight and his head was turned slightly to look out the side window.
Unhappy thoughts. Unhappy thoughts I did not give one shit about.
“Rule,” I said quietly into the car. “You don’t wanna know, don’t ask.”
“Deal,” he muttered immediately and that killed too.
I knew why. For some reason, it f**ked him up that I’d had experience of The Retreat. Why this would be, I did not know. He disappeared on me and he’d done it nearly sixteen freaking years ago. He couldn’t think I’d been holding out, pining for him all that time. He’d looked into me, he knew I didn’t. At first, I didn’t have a choice. Then, I did and I sure as f**k took advantage of it.
I wasn’t going to think about that either.
“You wanna fill me in on what you’ve learned for the last month?” I asked as I kept moving us toward The Retreat.
“Yeah,” Creed answered. “You know Drake Nair?”
“Yup,” I replied.
“You know who he is to Knight?”
“Been in Denver awhile, Creed, and almost all that time, I’ve known Knight.”
“So you know Knight stole his stable and his club right out from under him.”
“Yup,” I repeated.
“And you know he’s back in town.”
“Didn’t until last night but yeah, Knight filled Rhash and me in. Rhash already knew. He flew under my radar. Nair’s half ass**le, half moron and since most people can’t think very well with their ass, even though they try, he’s not much of a threat so can’t say I pay a lot of attention to him.”
“Asshole with money gets other people to think for him,” Creed replied as I took a turn onto Colfax.
“This is true,” I muttered before switching gears and shoving the last bite of toast in my mouth.
“Been watchin’, Nick hasn’t got near him. Nick doesn’t keep good company, though. He’s not doin’ blow all the time now but he doesn’t have great friends. Been too busy and, without a partner, only had so much time, couldn’t make a connection. That doesn’t mean the connection between Nick and Nair isn’t there.”
“Right,” I said through a full mouth then finished chewing and swallowing before I asked, “Now tell me what else has kept you busy.”
“Makin’ sure you and Rhashan Banks are clean.”
My head whipped to the side and I stared two full seconds before I looked back at the road feeling like I’d been punched in the gut.
I thought he’d looked into me because that was what I’d do. I had a prospective partner pinned to me, I’d know him inside and out before I got anywhere near the job.