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“I’m sure it’s just a misunderstandin’. This car—” I stopped, remembering just in time that it was a felony to reveal anything about the vehicle after running it through the database. “Never mind. Just confirm the tow yard address and your driver’s license number and you can get on with it.”
“All right,” he drawled. “But if I see ya on the street, ya better let me in on whatever you’re not sayin’ on this here recorded line.”
He went on with the info I needed without giving me time to reply. And thank goodness, too, because my reply would’ve been no. I wasn’t about to get in trouble for giving Shifty information about a vehicle that could get me fired from the only place in town willing to hire me.
When I hung up the phone, I turned to face Hope again. “Mind if I take a quick break? I gotta call Riley.”
Hope gave me a thumb’s up over her shoulder as she read a criminal history report to an officer over the radio, so I grabbed my cell off my desk and headed into the break room. Head down, I dialed Riley as I went.
Which, of course, meant I hadn’t been watching where I was going… and that was how I wound up running smack dab into a uniformed brick wall.
I knew it was him the second my forehead connected with the radio clipped to his vest. The scent of cinnamon and pine wrapped around me like a hug, and I bit back a scream of frustration.
“You okay?” Adam asked as I jumped back. He lifted a hand as if to steady me, then dropped it.
“Peachy.”
He narrowed his eyes at my forehead and winced. “Might have a bit of a goose egg tomorrow.”
I ground my molars. “Lovely.”
“Is there a Skittle for that?”
“Really?”
He shrugged. “Just askin’. Should I make a joke about it bein’ dangerous to text and walk?”
He edged around me with one hand casually perched on his duty belt, his body angled toward mine as he backed away. I hated how much his casual movements made my belly flip.
“Not if you value your life,” I tossed over my shoulder as I kept walking.
And I was glad for it, too, because the sound of his laughter had a smile forming on my lips. It didn’t seem to matter how much I despised the man. His laugh? I’d loved it the first time I heard it, and I loved it now.
“Hello? Pais?”
I jumped as I stared down at my phone. Somewhere during that crash-landing into Adam, I must’ve placed the call to Riley and hadn’t even realized it. I brought the phone to my ear and apologized, slumping into a plush leather armchair the second I entered the break room.
“Riley, please tell me you didn’t hide that brand-new, birthday Bentley on private property.”
Riley groaned. “Please don’t tell me it got towed.”
“Of course it got towed!” I exclaimed, rising from the chair to pace the small room. “You parked it behind the dang grocery store!”
“I didn’t know where else to put it that she wouldn’t find it!”
While he was right that Aubree would have no reason to go behind the grocery store and discover the completely over-the-top birthday present I’d ordered her at Riley’s request, I still couldn’t believe he didn’t think that plan through.
“You’re lucky it was towed and not stolen,” I said, shaking my head. “And why the heck did you pay a boatload of extra fees for it to be delivered to the house today only to stash it behind the Dash ’N Go?”
“Well, I realized there had to be a more fun way to give her a dang car for her birthday than havin’ it show up on a big ol’ truck in front of the house.”
“And that’s what you came up with?” I deadpanned.
“No! I just needed a minute to figure out a plan.”
“Well, while you were figurin’ out your plan, Shifty was callin’ it in.”
“Think I’ve got time to run down there and stop him before he loads it up?”
