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“You absolutely should have.” She leaned back in her chair, never taking her eyes off me. “I trust that’s a mistake you won’t make again.”
“No, Zora.” I didn’t even try to keep the exasperation from my voice. “I’m not a complete dumbass. Now, while I realize you’re looking out for Willa, you’ve pushed me as far as I’m going to let you. I fucked up. I freely admit that. And I’m going to fix my fuckup. But I’m still the vice president of this club and you’re an old lady. That gives you liberties, but enough is enough.”
She stood so suddenly her chair rolled back several inches. Then Data’s tiny wife marched up to me and poked a finger into my chest hard enough to make me pay attention. “Wrong. It’s not nearly enough, Cyclone. Not nearly enough.”
Chapter Five
Willa
I couldn’t sit still. They’d put me in a holding cell with a couple other women, but I was the only one who seemed on edge. The other two were watching me with smirks on their faces.
“I take it you’ve never been arrested before?” one of them asked as she popped her gum.
I shook my head without looking at her. “No. But that’s not the problem,” I muttered. While it wasn’t exactly what I’d call comfortable sitting in a county jail, I’d rather stay here for days -- weeks even -- than face Cyclone. The good news was if he was coming to get me himself, it would be several hours at minimum before he got here. I just wanted out of here so I could wrap up in a big fuzzy blanket and contemplate my life choices.
“You afraid your daddy’ll whup your ass?” The other one grinned like it was all some kind of big joke.
I snorted. “If only.” They looked at each other. One of them rolled her eyes, but I tried not to look at either of them. “My dad’s the least of my problems.”
“Willa Norvac?” A woman in a light brown uniform approached the cell.
“Yes, ma’am.” I stopped my pacing and turned to face her. There was no way Cyclone could have gotten here this fast.
“Your bail’s been posted, honey. Come with me.”
“I… but I can’t drive. The state trooper who brought me in said my license was suspended immediately until I had my court date.”
“That’s correct. The person who paid your bail also paid for a cab to a hotel until someone comes to pick you up. You can check with the hotel when you get there, but I’m pretty sure your room’s taken care of, too.”
I nodded. Maybe Cyclone had sent my dad after all. One could hope. “Thank you.”
She opened the cell door and I stepped out. Once the door slid shut, I followed the woman to the processing area once more. She handed me the bag with my things and instructed me to do an inventory. When I’d finished, I signed a form to take possession of it all and she escorted me outside. The taxi was waiting.
“Have a better night, honey,” she said with a gentle smile. “Just make sure to slow down and pay attention from now on.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I didn’t point out that I wouldn’t be driving for the foreseeable future. “Thank you.”
Once I was inside the taxi, we sped off. The guy tried to make small talk, but I was doing my best to stave off a panic attack. If I could hold it together for a little while longer, I could fall apart in private.
“Seems like you had an eventful evening.” The guy grinned. He glanced at me every now and then through the rearview mirror. I didn’t respond. Couldn’t respond, not and keep my composure. I was trembling where I sat thinking about the coming confrontation. How was I going to get through this? I was sure I was making it out to be worse than it really was, but honestly, my emotions were off-the-charts chaotic.
The driver pulled up under an awning for a chain hotel. Nothing fancy, but reputable and nice. “Here we are.”
The guy had continued to chat the whole trip. Even though I hadn’t said much, he hadn’t seemed to mind. Thank God it was only a fifteen-minute ride. By the time I stepped out of the cab, I was so wound up I felt like my hair was standing on end.
Sure enough, I had a room reserved and a payment method on file. Someone -- presumably at Bones -- had reserved a suite. Two rooms with one king-size bed and a sleeper sofa. Which meant Cyclone -- or whomever was on the way -- was planning on staying in the same room with me until they’d rested and were ready to head back. I was still holding out hope he’d give in and send someone else. The reminder I’d have to face someone soon didn’t ease my anxiety.
I’d packed some clothing, but everything was in a suitcase -- in the trunk of my car. Even though I couldn’t change clothes, I still wanted a shower. I felt grimy and dirty.
The bathroom was spacious and had both a shower and a deep, jetted tub. For the first time since I’d been stopped by that police officer, I started to calm down slightly. The simple prospect of a warm bath in a jacuzzi where the jets could pound my aching muscles for a while was welcome.
Being careful not to get the water too hot, even though I really wanted the temperature as hot as I could stand it, I ran the bath and stripped while the tub was filling. I’d just turned off the water when my phone trilled from the bathroom vanity.
I ignored the call, letting it go to voicemail. Whoever it was would leave a message if it was important. But the phone rang again. And a third time. Which was when I realized I was going to have to answer it because the caller wasn’t going away.
I cringed when I saw Bohannon’s name on the screen. I hadn’t had a chance to change the contact name from Bohannon to Cyclone yet. He was the very last person I wanted to talk to right now. I thought about turning my phone off but knew doing so would only get me in more trouble than I was already in. God knew I didn’t need more trouble. I was in over my head as it was. With a sigh of resignation, I picked up the phone -- which was now starting on the fifth call -- and answered it.
“Hello?”
