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Wouldn't you know it, the caramel cow answered instead. "Guardian division. Jack Parnell's phone."
"Sal, it's Riley. Where's Jack?"
"In a meeting with the Director. What do you want?"
For you to get back into whatever annoying coffin you crawled out of. I cleared my throat, and said, "I need a car and clothes at my current location."
"You lost your clothes?" Amusement crawled through her cool tones. "Though I suppose it wouldn't be the first time. You wolves do tend to get careless about such things."
"Maybe, but not this time. It was done to prevent me working a case."
Sal sniffed. It was a superior sound if ever I'd heard one. "I've located your call position. We have a car in the area and I've sent an order for them to pick you up. They'll take you home to retrieve some clothes."
Better than nothing. Though if the increasing edge of amusement in Sal's voice was anything to go by, she wasn't being as helpful as it seemed. "Can you transfer me to the following cell number?" I reeled off Jin's number. "I need to call my target and explain why I'm late."
"Consider it done, wolf girl. I shall tell Jack of your predicament."
And enjoy every moment, undoubtedly. "Tell him it was Quinn, and that I'll report once I make contact with my target."
She didn't answer, just transferred the call. As I waited, a teenager walked by and almost broke his neck doing a quick double take. I gave him a wave and he grinned, his feet seemingly glued to the spot as he got out his cell phone and began dialing. Given the grin, I very much suspected it wasn't the cops he was dialing, but his mates. I suppose it wasn't every day a teenage boy found a naked woman standing in a phone booth. What were the odds I'd soon have an audience?
I smiled and, as he pointed the phone at me, gave him a thumbs-up. The answering wows and ahs were audible even from where I stood.
"Hello?" fin's easygoing tones came online, and I snapped my attention back to my job. "Jin, it's Riley."
There was a brief pause, the squeak of a chair, then footsteps and a door opening. Then he said, "Hello, dear Riley."
His voice had dropped several levels, and slid across my skin as smoothly as silk. A warmth that was part desire, part trepidation flooded my senses, as if just by speaking he could call to the wildness within me.
"When you didn't answer your phone," he continued, "I began to fear I'd scared you off."
"I'm not that fragile." Despite the fact that accurately described my state when I first woke up. "I misplaced my phone, that's all."
"Ah. I'm glad you rang, then." He paused, and I heard voices in the background. One male, one female. Accompanying them was a slapping sound that sounded an awful lot like a leather belt against skin.
And given the business cards I'd found, it probably was.
"I'm afraid when I couldn't get you earlier," Jin continued, "I agreed to work. But we could go out afterward, it you like."
"I'd like," I said absently, trying to tune in on the soft noises behind him. The slapping sound was now accompanied by soft sounds of distress rather than enjoyment, and there was something about it that just snagged at my instincts. "Where would you like to meet?"
"I'm not entirely sure what time I'll finish here, as we've a bit of work to do yet."
Yeah, and I was betting it wasn't serving customers alcohol.
"I could just wander into the club and wait for you to finish."
Though if he was at the Hellion Club, I was backing out. Slapping and biting and even being restrained I could handle, but torture and humiliation just didn't rock my sexual boat.
"I'm not at the Cattle Club."
I swore internally. What was I going to do to get out of the date tonight? There was no way on this green earth I was going to go anywhere near the Hellion Club. I wasn't that damn dedicated to the job.
"I'm at the Hunter's Club," he added.
Curiosity stirred. The Hunter's Club was a fitness club, so what sort of exercise had people making choking noises? "Well, I can come along and watch all the pretty men exercise while I'm waiting for you."
"Or you could come along for a massage and spa treatment. On the house."
