Page 5 of Sly (Dragon Riders MC 5)
“Ugh. Don’t remind me. That reality sucks.”
I giggled. “Yeah. I already know that.”
“Well, if your life sucks so much, why don’t we spice it up a bit?”
I closed my laptop. “Now, you’re talking. What’s the plan? Gonna hit up some bars? Throw back a few shots? Maybe find you a nice girl who wants to take you home?”
He chuckled. “Not quite like that. I actually need a favor with work.”
I turned to face him. “So, the big bad police officer needs help, huh?”
“Shh. You can’t say stuff like that right now. All right?”
I blinked. “Oh, boy.”
“What?”
“One of those kinds of cases, huh?”
He sighed. “If you agree, I can’t really read you in. Not here. Honestly, it’s best that you don’t know the bulk of it. The less details you know, the better it’ll be for you if this op blows.”
I grinned. “You know damn good and well I’m already down.”
“I figured you would be after the shit you pulled as a kid.”
I shoved him playfully. “Hey, I never got hurt.”
“You could get hurt doing this, though. I want to be very upfront with that.”
I looked into his eyes and found no lies. “Whatever you tell me to do, I’ll listen. Okay? But I’m ready for anything to get me out of my own head and forgetting about my life for a little while.”
He nodded. “Then, it’s settled.”
I’d forgotten all about my job search. “So, do I need a persona? Do we need to brainstorm back stories or shit like that?”
He shook his head. “Just be yourself. You don’t need to do enough talking with the kinds of people I’m going to be around for you to need a backstory. You put a smile on your face, bat away anyone’s advances, and maybe break some hearts. Oh, and beer. They do a lot of beer drinking.”
“That must be terrible for you. You hate that shit.”
“Don’t you know it. But you can have yours and mine. How’s that sound?”
I smiled. “Sounds like you’ve got a partner in crime again.”
He stood to his feet. “Good! Wonderful. I’ll go let my boss know. In the meantime, though? You need to get ready. We’re leaving in a couple of hours for a massive party and a huge poker game I’ve been roped into by these guys.”
“These guys?”
He looked down at me. “No details here. We’ll talk about it when we’re in the car in a couple of hours. Now, get ready, and wear your best.”
Those two hours flew by in a heartbeat. But I did exactly as my brother asked. I pulled out a leather miniskirt I’d been trying to find an excuse to wear and paired it with an off-shouldered shirt that sat a bit baggy around my tits. You know, to keep a little bit spared for the imagination. I paired it with some bright red heels that matched the bra I wore, and since the strap of my bra would be revealed I also splashed on some red lipstick. After fluffing my hair out and sliding some hoop earrings in, I made my way for the living room where my brother had just gotten off the phone. And when he turned around, even he let out a low whistle.
“You do bring the heat, don’t you?” he asked.
I gave him a little twirl. “Glad I could assist.”
“So, that was my boss. I’ve got permission to show you pictures of who we’ll be encountering and dealing with.”
He handed me his phone and I immediately flipped through pictures.
“What are their—”
He placed his finger against my lips and shook his head. So, I kept my questions to myself. I looked back down at his phone and scrolled through pictures of a few guys, but there was one man that stood out. One tall, lean, mean-looking guy with ice blue eyes and the slightest, teasing little grin against his cheeks.
My heart stopped in my chest the second I saw his picture.
And I worried what that meant for me when I laid eyes on him in person.3SlyI watched in the doorway beside Ash as the guys at the table stared around at one another. When poker games got this quiet, everyone knew to shut up and watch. These men were deliberating. Attempting to read one another. And with the jackpot as high as it had ever gotten in the history of this game, I couldn't blame them one bit. Fifty grand was on the table for grabs, including two pink slips for bikes. I felt Ash’s intensity as he stared at the darkened corners of the room, making sure no one attempted to cheat or feed answers to another player at the table.
And me? Well, I had a great shot of Link’s hand.
Come on, no need to bluff, man.
Even though my task for the evening was looking out for Chains and this “person he trusted” so damn much, I was too enraptured with the poker game to realize someone had walked into the bar. Granted, it was a pretty busy night for us. The ruckus out in the bar and eating area covered up the cursing and shouting that had a tendency to take place at these games.
