She stopped in her tracks. He stopped, too. Ten feet separated them. He watched the rapid rise and fall of her shoulders and knew she was fighting back emotion. He hated himself at that moment for scaring her.
Slowly, she turned and faced him. God, she was beautiful. She took his breath away. The breeze ruffled her soft hair, her big sea green eyes so full of emotion, they chipped away at him. Her full pink lips trembled slightly and that killer body of hers stood rigid with pride. She was dressed in a pair of low-slung black jeans that were stylishly distressed with thin cuts across the thighs and knees. The long-sleeved pink shirt she wore embraced her curves in a soft, flattering way, exposing one creamy shoulder. Self-consciously she pushed the sleeves down as if to protect herself from what he was sure his face and body language screamed it wanted. Her pink toes peeked out from the wedge sandals she wore. She looked good enough to eat.
“I don’t like you, Flynn Ryker. You’re a mean elitist who doesn’t keep his word.” Taking a deep breath, she continued. “You hurt me. I don’t want to see you ever again.” She took a step toward him. “Do you understand that?”
His heart thudded hard against his ribcage. He nodded. “Yes.”
“Good,” she choked back, then turned, and continued toward the street.
She was hurt and she was pissed; no way was she going listen to anything he had to say when it came to her personally. Go directly to Plan B. “I kept my word about helping you find Alex,” he called. “That’s why I’m here.”
She stopped again. His heart slammed painfully against his chest as he strode toward her. “There are some people I want you to meet,” he said, his voice quieter.
“What kind of people?” she asked without turning around.
Flynn stopped an arm’s length behind her. If he got closer, her body heat would lure him into her spell. “The kind that can help you find your sister.”
She turned around, eyeing him warily. “Really?”
Tension tightened his muscles as if he could repel all of the things about her that drew him to her. He didn’t like it, but damn it, at least with the task force involved, she’d be safe if she wouldn’t listen to reason. Though Flynn knew she wouldn’t. Not until she found her sister.
“Yeah, really.”
Swallowing hard, she nodded. “Where are these people?”
“At the Federal Building.”
Raising her chin, she said, “I’m just a lowly cocktailer who flashed your buddies, Flynn, why did you change your mind?”
“I gave you my word.” And it had become personal to him.
“Do you really want to introduce me to your friends? Aren’t you afraid I’ll taint them? Taint your reputation?”
“Stop it,” he bit off.
“Have any of these people seen my boobs?”
“Yes, damn it, and I don’t like it.”
“Then why do it?”
“Because your safety is important to me.”
“A strip club server’s safety is important to a society man like you?”
“Stop it, damn it! You’re not some piece of trash.”
“I’m glad you finally realize that, Flynn.”
Her words sucked the fight out of him. She was right. He was an asshole. Extending his hand toward the other side of the parking lot to his car, he said, “If you’ll accept a ride from me, we can go now.”
“Okay, Flynn,” she exhaled, her voice shaky. “But that’s all. You stay away from me afterward.” When she stalked past him, he stood rooted to the ground, as he allowed her scent to die away and her words to penetrate.
His request to officially join the task force had been denied, which meant, once he handed her over to the task force, there would be no official need for him to see her. The thought of that didn’t sit well with him.
As she moved to the passenger side of the car, and he still hadn’t moved, she turned to look at him. “Do I have to drive myself?”
Shaking his head, he said, “No way.” And headed toward her.
As she slid into the car and got situated, Flynn closed the door behind her. Get her in and out, then take her home and get the hell out of Dodge.
As he put the key into the ignition, she shot him a questioning look. “No way as in you don’t think I could drive this baby, or no way, I’m ego man so I have to drive?”
“No way, as in you don’t have a driver’s license.”
“How’d you know that?”
He grinned. “FBI.”
“You looked me up!”
Putting the car into gear, he backed up, made a sharp turn, and headed for the street. “Of course I did. That’s my job.”
“Your job is to look up every woman you have sex with?”
“No, my job is to look up every woman who tries to drug me for blackmail purposes.”
Folding her arms across her chest, she huffed back into the seat.
“You Googled me,” he said calling her out. “Turnabout is fair play.”
“Whatever.”
Flynn grinned again, happy they were back to a more amicable tone. “You look cute when you pout.”
“Shut up.”
He laughed and turned onto O’Farrell.
“Who are these people we’re going to see at the Federal Building?”
“All you need to know is that I’m introducing you to a group of individuals who, through their efforts in another arena, may be able to help you locate your sister.”
“Your FBI buddies?”
“I can’t tell you too much, Pink, so don’t ask.”
“Why not? I admitted trying to drug you and why. I told you about my sister.”
He glanced at her, all humor gone. “Because if you were tortured or beaten into revealing sensitive information, lives could be lost.”
“Who would torture or beat me?” she asked, her voice shaking.
“No one, if I have anything to do about it.” He meant it, too. Her continued association with the club was bullshit. “I told you, you’re working for dangerous people. I wasn’t lying. You need to allow the authorities to handle what’s going on there and stay clear of Surf’s Up.”
She shook her head vehemently.
Damn stubborn woman.
“I told you, I have an in the authorities don’t have. I won’t give up until I have Alex home safe and sound. Besides, the ‘authorities’ don’t even know to care about Alex because she hasn’t been reported missing!”
There was that. Again, it made no sense to Flynn. “Why would your father not report her missing?”
She shrugged, but answered candidly. “Probably because she’s become a blight on the Chastain name. He’s probably happy she’s not working the strip club anymore.”
“Maybe he made sure she didn’t resurface?”
Pink gasped and looked over at him, wide-eyed. “He’s up for reelection next year!” She chewed her bottom lip and shook her head. “But he loves Alex. I could understand him wanting to get rid of me, but not Alex.” As soon as she said the words, he saw the color leach from her face.
“What is it?” he urged. Something had triggered in her mind and she was obviously unwilling to share it. That meant trouble.
“I—um, I’m not sure.”
They entered an underground parking lot. Flynn badged the guard, then slid his ID card through the terminal. The metal gates swung slowly open. Driving through and up to the second level, Flynn parked in his usual spot, reserved for when he had business in the city.
As he helped Pink out of the car, her hand was trembling. The urge to pull her into his arms and tell her it was going to be okay was strong. When her body naturally gravitated to his, he reached for her. But she shook whatever it was off and pushed away from him.
“Tell me what you’re not sure about,” he quietly urged.
Her face scrunched as indecision and fear played out across her features.
“Trust me to help you,” he said softly.
Nodding, as if coming to a decision, she looked up at him, determination written all over her lovely face. “This morning at the bus stop, a white van came racing around the corner from my house, it drove up on the sidewalk, and gunned straight for me. I jumped out of the way. Right after that the bus pulled up. By then the van had circled and drove by the bus.”