Cops - A Duology Read Online Free Page B

she leaned on the jamb and crossed her ankles.
    Dick stared at her a long time. His brows came together. “Do what?”
    “Handle your case?”
    “I’m another step closer to giving the family resolution.” His grin was crooked.
    Helpless, she smiled back in return. The shitty turns that her life had taken weren’t his fault.
    Indiana looked him up and down. She knew he was hot, but the way his shirt stretched over a solid chest and his jeans clung to muscular thighs…A visceral appreciation formed for the way this man was built. He looked better out of his clothes; or his shirt, at least.
    “Is it too late to finish my tattoo tonight?” He leaned in close.
    She had the sudden urge to skim her hands through his hair. Faint lines etched the space between his brows.
    Indiana made a fist. This man could mean bad news for her. She had a hearing soon, and the kids were only in her custody temporarily. If the courts deemed her unfit, she would lose them.
    Dick waved his hand in front of her face. “You still with me, Dirty?”
    “Only my friends call me that.” He didn’t know her that well.
    She narrowed her eyes. “I need to get home.” Even though her babysitter was a trusted neighbor, a nice older woman, she didn’t want to take advantage of any situation.
    “I’ll double the payment.” He crossed his arms, stretching his shirt tighter.
    “Sixteen hundred dollars? Are you desperate?” She couldn’t keep the disbelief out her voice.
    The money would go a long way to supporting the shop and increase her cut of the profits. She might actually be able to make another payment to her lawyer before he dropped her again. The cutthroat motherfuckers were expensive. “Give me a minute.” She turned and strode toward the phone.
    The click of the door closing made her tighten her hold on the bat. She stabbed the buttons on the phone. She was caught between hoping her babysitter would tell her no to leaving the children another few hours, and a little excited that the woman might say yes.
    She was bipolar; she had to be.
    There was something about the man she wanted to know more about. She peeked at him through her lashes. He didn’t have an answer, yet he already pulled his shirt off. It was folded neatly in the chair. What was it about the guy that made her lose her common sense?
    As the call connected, she twisted to gaze at the clock behind her. She would be out of there by midnight at the latest. All she needed to finish was the rolling clouds behind the Buddha and shade in the color.
    Dick moved drawing her attention back to him. He had his back to her and she peered at the play of muscles as he picked up a magazine from the rack bolted to the wall.
    “Hello?” Her babysitter’s quiet voice floated through the line.
    “Ms. Berkstrom, I am sorry to be calling again. I know I should be there to pick up Calista and Caivin, but I have a last-minute appointment. Would it be oaky if I picked them up late?”
    “They’ve already fallen asleep. A few more hours won’t hurt them, but if you keep calling you’re going to wake them,” the older woman gently chided. “It’s been so long since I listened to babies’ laughter. Of course they can stay. Knock on my door when you get home.”
    Elation made her skin tingle. “Thank you, Mrs. Berkstrom.” She replaced the handset in the cradle and looked over only to meet the clear green gaze of Dick. “You’re in luck. I can finish your tattoo.”
    “You, umm, don’t really need that bat.” He held his hand up, palm side forward, and gestured for her to move in front of him. “Lead the way.”
    “A woman has to protect herself.” She shrugged and ambled down the hall.
    “You have nothing to worry about from me.” He hung back, allowing her to get a few steps ahead of him.
    “Right now, you’re probably the most dangerous person I know,” Indiana muttered as she stepped into her room, set the weapon in the corner, and strolled to the supply closet to