“What if your friends don’t want to give you information?”
“There’s no reason for them not to, Pink.”
“Maybe.” Staring out the window, Izzy thought about Flynn and his interactions with the people he worked with.
He’d done everything except mark her in front of his coworkers. He’d been especially adversarial with Maddox and the blond sergeant. His behavior confused her. He didn’t want to associate with her because of what she did and had done. But then he acted like he had some unspoken claim on her in front of the task force.
“When was the last time you and Sergeant Jackson had sex?”
“A year ago, and it was once,” he snapped.
Pink laughed bitterly. “Keeping to that 'I don’t do mornings’ mantra.”
“It wasn’t like that.”
“Tell me how it was, then?”
Flynn glanced at her like, really? Crossing her arms over her chest, she stared at him. She wanted to know. The sergeant was pretty. Probably a knockout if she let her hair down and wore something soft and sexy instead of that ugly blue pantsuit.
“I was working violent crimes. Bank robberies to be specific. Sonia had just been promoted to sergeant and was on the SFPD arm of the team. We were hot on the trail of a serial bank robber and had an idea when and where the next hit would be. Sure enough, as we pulled up in an unmarked, the bad guys were fleeing. I was driving. It was a high-speed pursuit through the streets of San Francisco. They crashed, we got them. On our way back in, we made a pit stop. End of story.”
“Wow, cop love is so romantic.”
Flynn chuckled despite the topic. “There was nothing romantic about what we did. It was a de-stress mechanism. Nothing more.”
“I’d say it was a little bit more than a mechanism for Sergeant Jackson. I saw the way she looked at you when we walked in. She wanted another Special Agent treat.”
“Doubtful.”
“More like highly probable.” But Izzy let it go. She knew the look of a woman who wanted a man. She’d seen it on her mother’s face every time her father walked into the room. “Your friends didn’t seem surprised in the least to learn Alex was my sister. Why weren’t they?”
“In this business you learn not to be surprised by anything, and if you are, you don’t show it.”
“Is that why you hide the fact that you still want me?” Izzy had never kept her mouth shut for decorum’s sake. Why start now?
Flynn’s knuckles whitened. “I want to make sure you’re safe.”
“Your friends don’t seem to have a problem taking on the protector role, so why not step aside and let one of them step up, since I embarrass you.”
“You don’t embarrass me.”
“But you’re embarrassed by me.”
“I’m not embarrassed by you, Isadora! Now leave it alone.”
A small tic erupted in his cheek. Wisely, she sat back and stopped poking the tiger.
Without further conversation they continued to her house in Oakland. Instead of parking on the street this time, Flynn drove up into the empty driveway. Charlie was gone. So much for that yummy lunch he’d promised. It was pushing four; she forgave him for not sticking around. Flynn put the car into park, Izzy opened her door and said, “Thanks for the lift.”
As she took her keys out to open the back door, she heard the driver side door slam shut. “Let me go in first,” Flynn said, stepping up behind her and taking the key from her hand. In his other hand was a gun. Suddenly shit got real.
Nudging the door open with his foot, his gun held up, he said, “Stay here until I clear the house.”
Izzy wasn’t too stupid to live; she nodded and stood back, allowing him to do what he had to. Several moments later he was back and ushered her in. He slid the gun back into the belt holster at the small of his back she just now noticed, shut the door behind them, and locked it.
“Thanks, you can go,” she said, dropping her purse onto the kitchen table.
A sheet of paper fluttered to the floor. She picked it up. It was a note from Charlie:
Hey sweets, I figure by now that hunk of burning love has gotten down on his knees and begged for forgiveness. I hope you gave it to him; he’s a once in-a-lifetime guy if he managed to take his pride out of his dick. If none of the above occurred, color me the worst best friend in the world. Steven called hysterical because I hadn’t come back last night. I calmed him down, but you know what a drama queen he is. Shoot me a text if you need me to pick up any pieces and I’ll drag my queen north and we can eat popcorn in bed and watch our fave movie, To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, together.
Xoxoxo
C
Izzy was grinning when Flynn came up behind her.
“Everything all right?”
“Peachy,” she said, crumbling the paper and tossing it into the trash can near the sink. She turned around and leaned against the counter, acutely aware that it was the same exact place where just the morning before Flynn had given her a most amazing orgasm. Damn, how had it all gone to crap in less than twenty-four hours?
Life challenged her on so many different fronts. It seemed like she could never catch a break. But it only made her more determined to carve out her own path and live life on her terms, not the universe’s. Because the universe was a bitch.
Deciding to give Flynn some payback, Izzy hopped up onto the counter. Leaning back against her hands, she crossed her legs at the ankles, raised her brows at Flynn, who hadn’t moved, and said, “So you can leave now.”
“Where’s your roommate?”
“Santa Cruz.”
“I don’t feel comfortable leaving you here alone.”
“I’m a big girl, Special Agent. I have dead bolts on each one of the doors and locks on each of the windows. I have a kubaton I know how to use and a few slick self-defense moves. ”
“That won’t stop anyone who wants to get in here.”
“Would it stop you?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.
“No.”
“What would stop you?” she asked, then quickly answered, “Oh, wait, your ego.” She laughed caustically. The hurt still stung deep. Damn him for lighting her up only to snuff her out.
Hopping off the counter, she strode to the door, unlocked it, and then opened it wide. “We’re done here, Flynn, please leave.”
Flynn didn’t move. He wasn’t leaving, but he didn’t have a good reason to stay, not one she would accept. If he was officially assigned to the task force he could say he was watching out for her, but his SAC nixed that because of what he’d done to the arrogant CEO at the restaurant. “You’re too close to the crack, Ryker. Your involvement could hinder the investigation,” Mills had told him earlier. Flynn didn’t argue, because it was true.
His cell phone rang. He took it from his pocket. It was Justin.
“Ryker.”
“Where are you?”
“At Miss Fuentes’s place. I just dropped her off.”
“Stay there, we’re en route.”
Flynn glanced at Pink, an unsettling feeling in his stomach. He moved from the kitchen to the living room and onto the front porch. “Who’s we?”
“Me and Price.”
“Why you and Price?”
“I want to discuss using Miss Fuentes as a UC at the club. If she agrees, Price will handle her.”
Anger flared. “Bullshit! You gave me your word you’d only tap her for information.”
“I need more information, information only she can get, and to get it, she needs to go back to the club and work it.”
“No.”
“What’s the problem here, Flynn?”
“The problem is she isn’t trained. The problem is if she’s turned loose in there, she’s going to get hurt. And I have a big problem with that.”