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Then, there was Maddie. Sweet and sassy, Maddie. Goofy and unexpected and so damn wonderful I didn’t even see her coming. She was a breath of fresh air when I needed one, and a hot, exciting woman when she wanted to be.
She was great, and we were good together, but we were doomed from the start. She was, for all intents and purposes, an Ashby—or at least, an Ashby ally.
Maddie had a certain sense of loyalty to them, whether she realized it or not, but she hadn’t hesitated to provide me—willingly—with information she thought I might find useful.
It was a fucking mess, but I wasn’t ready to give it up yet. And I could just hear my mom’s voice in my head. Don’t go borrowing trouble, son. Trouble finds its way in good time. Always.
My mom was a very smart woman. Especially dealing with my dad all these years.
I pulled my bike over to the side of the road to text Maddie.
Jameson: You up?
Shit. That sounded like a booty call, didn’t it?
The phone rang immediately in my hands and I answered just as quickly. “That depends on whether or not this is a booty call.”
A bark of laughter escaped, right there on the side of the road, at her playful words. “I was worried it might sound like a booty call.”
“I’m up for a booty call but it sounds like you have something on your mind. What’s up, Officer?”
I let out a small sigh and smiled as I leaned against my bike. “Who says there’s anything wrong?”
“Just me and the sad bastard tone of your voice. I know I’m right, so let’s just move ahead to the part where you tell me what’s on your mind.”
“Everything is just a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. Does that make me sound like a pussy?”
Maddie laughed, and I could just see her shaking her head at my words. “Nope. You wish you were a pussy. Pussies are strong and resilient, and right now you sound like a weak ass ball sac. But the good news is that things worth having are usually hard. You want to be a cop, right?”
“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 judgment 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 thing I’ve learned from 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. 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 saying 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 fit of laughter, she finally agreed. “That works for me. Make sure you wear something sexy for me, big boy.”
