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“You know I do.”
“And you want to become a detective so you can right the wrongs and all that?”
My lips twitched at her words. “In a nutshell, yeah.”
“Good. You want my advice?”
“Yeah, I do.”
For some reason, I trusted Maddie’s judgement and talking to her again just solidified that. She wasn’t a cop or a criminal, but her opinion meant the world to me.
“Give it to me, master.”
“That’s Mistress to you. Oh, even better Mistress of Knowledge.”
“Okay Mistress of Knowledge, what’s your advice?”
“What? Oh, right. My advice is for you to treat everyone you’re not sure about, Beck and the old dude sidekick of hers, Charlie, Savannah, everyone. Treat them all like fucking perps.”
“Perps? Did you just say perps?”
“Tease all you like, Jamie, but I watch enough true crime that I’m familiar with the lingo. I’m probably more cop than you are at this point.”
She was joking. Of course, she was joking.
“Very funny,” I shot back.
“Who’s joking?”
“Maddie,” I groaned.
“It’s the truth whether that hurts your law enforcement sensibilities or not, Jamie. Treat them like perps.”
“So treat everyone with suspicion?”
“No. One of the things I’ve learned by observing the Ashbys is that knowledge is the real power. The more knowledge you have, the more you can use it to gain even more knowledge. So use what you have to get a little bit more. Find out what makes Agent Beck tick and your life might get easier by increments. Just an idea.”
“So, wait a minute. Your advice is to dig into the background of a federal agent?”
“Why not? You don’t think she dug into your background to see if she could find anything to hold over your head? I’m sure she’s looked into you.”
“You sure you haven’t met her before?”
“I haven’t had the pleasure, thank fuckness. But I did overhear Kat say that Beck thinks the Ashbys killed her father. Maybe that’s the kind of intel you can use to make your life a little easier, and if not easier, more bearable.”
“Thanks Madds. You’re the best.”
“I am pretty great, aren’t I?” Her tone was serious but she ruined the effect by laughing. “My pleasure, Jamie. Always.”
“Go out with me, Maddie. On a real date. Get all dressed up and let me pick you up. The whole nine.”
Silence fell on the other end of the call, and suddenly, I was nervous. Did I misread the situation? “If I get dressed up, can I drive myself?”
“You can drive over to my place, but I’m driving, Madds.”
She let out another throaty laugh. “Me man, me drive on date.” After another round of laughter, she finally agreed. “That works for me. Make sure you wear something sexy for me, big boy.”
Before I could say another word, the crazy woman ended the call.
With a smile and a renewed sense of what I needed to do, I jumped back on my bike and rode just for the fucking pleasure of the ride.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Madison
“I can’t believe I bought a new dress for a date.” Sure, it was a date with Jameson, technically our first date, but still, I bought a new dress. And what’s more? I spent three hundred bucks on the dress! I could afford it and then some, but aside from the bridesmaid dress I wore for Maisie’s wedding, this was the most expensive dress that had ever caressed my body.
I fucking loved it.
The fabric was soft, and the shopgirl said it was luxe, whatever the hell that meant. She said it was all right to try something other than a little black dress. I smiled at that good news because the deep blue dress had caught my eye from the moment I spotted it in the display window. It clung to the few curves I possessed, and the soft fabric highlighted my boobs and made me look petite everywhere else. I looked at myself from all angles in the full-length mirror with a satisfied smile.
“Damn, I’m hot,” I said with a smile. Still in awe that a man like Jamie asked me out. I’d never—in my whole life of trailer parks—had a man so deliciously amazing lust after me.
I’d found a pair of sexy black heels and figured it couldn’t be a bad thing to look sexy and touchable on a first real date with Jameson.
I looked good. Sexy. Like really fucking hot, for the first time in my whole damn life, and I couldn’t stop smiling. The only thing that could have made this night better was if Molly was here to see me looking like this. To give me advice, to point out a few strands of straight hair I’d forgotten to curl in back or remind me that I needed to do my lipstick right before leaving.
But she wasn’t here. Not yet anyway.
A knock sounded on my door. “Come in,” I called out.
“Hey Maddie,” he started to say when he walked into my room and then stopped in his tracks. “Damn girl, where are you going all dressed up?”
