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“Thanks, man.”
Red turned toward the sink, and Samson shoved a hundred bucks under one of the platters.
Lisbeth caught his eye. “You really are a nice guy.”
“Don’t let it get around.”
28
On the way back to Vegas, Lisbeth loosened up. She didn’t have Samson in a death grip, so she concentrated on melding her body with his and becoming one with the machine. Her hands drifted below his hips a few times, and she felt him flinch.
“You keep doin’ that, and I’mma lay this bike down,” Samson yelled over the Harley’s roar.
She giggled against the soft t-shirt stretched over his muscled back, and he squeezed her thigh. “You keep teasing me, and I’m gonna have to pull over and strip you naked on the side of the highway.”
“I’m going to ignore that challenge and make you wait until we get to my apartment.”
His rumbling laugh filtered through his chest. “Right, 'cause you know I’d do it.”
They pulled up in front of her apartment complex too soon, and when she dismounted this time, she wasn’t as stiff.
They wordlessly walked through the parking lot hand in hand, then down the path to her apartment. She pulled out her key and fumbled with the lock, impatient to feel Samson’s body all over her. Her desire for him equaled an unquenched thirst.
Lisbeth jiggled the key, but it refused to fit in the lock. She turned it the other way with the same result. She’d never had trouble with this key before and tried it again with no luck.
“The key won’t fit,” she said over her shoulder to Samson.
“Let me try.” He tried to insert the key, but nothing, then hunched down for a better look at the lock. “See these scratches. The lock’s been changed.”
“Why would— This doesn’t make sense. I paid my rent, so why … The rental office is closed on Sunday.” She dug in her purse for her phone to retrieve the landlord’s number. She swiped at her phone, and after a few rings, the number went to voicemail. Lisbeth left a message and disconnected the call.
“This is just great. I don’t know why they would do this, but I guess I’ll have to call a locksmith.”
“I’ll be right back.” Samson took off in a jog and returned a few minutes later with a small leather case resembling a men’s wallet. In another two minutes, he opened the door to her apartment.
“That’s both amazing and frightening at the same time. Crazy how fast you did that. Do I even want to know why you have those tools?”
Samson replaced the small tools and zipped up the case. “Probably not, and yeah, these cheap locks are shit easy to bust.”
Samson pushed the door wide, and they entered the small foyer, then the living area. “Oh, my God.” A wave of lightheadedness swept through her, and she gripped Samson’s arm. “What the hell?”
The entire living area and what she could see of the kitchen were trashed—furniture upended, cushions slashed, and lamps broken.
Lisbeth gingerly crunched over the shards in total shock and awe, making her way into the kitchen to find the same chaos. The tile floor was littered with smashed dishes and glasses. She heard Samson’s voice in the background, but she couldn’t concentrate on anything but the destruction surrounding her.
She backtracked into the living room and headed for her bedroom to face more madness. Her beautiful bed set was cut to ribbons and dresser drawers opened with tangled clothes strewn on the floor. Her laptop was cracked in half, sitting on her desk. She rummaged through the top drawer and found the wad of money Boa had given her for the party. They surely must’ve seen it but left it with her jewelry on top of the dresser.
She bit her lip as anger, frustration, and fear boiled in her gut. Lisbeth’s whole life, her business—everything was on her laptop. Who would do this and why?
She made her way back to the living room to find Samson mumbling into his phone. He quickly disconnected the call and enveloped her in his arms.
“Why would someone do this?” she mumbled into his chest.
“I think that’s obvious, don’t you?”
She pulled out of his arms and cocked her head. “What do you mean?”
“This wasn’t some random smash-and-grab, or they would’ve taken the TV and other valuables.”
