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ChapterTwo
Isolde
“You crashed into a building,” The stern voice of my boss reprimands me over the phone, and I wince at his tone.
“It’s not like I chose to. He practically ran me off the road,” I remind him, and feel justified when he goes silent.
“This can’t get to the press. You’ve already almost been made. Did you get the tracker on him at least?”
“Yes,” I answer, my eyes glancing around at the people around me. Once the guy from the restaurant called the police, fire trucks and ambulances also showed up. The sirens and flashing lights caused a disturbance, and locals in the area decided to drop by and see what happened. “I need just a little longer here in Candy Cane Key.”
“You have the time,” He sighs, “Just don’t cause any more damage. If we get intel though, that he’s off the island, I’ll be calling you in right away.”
“Got it, Sir,” I end my call and hand it back to one of the officers on the scene, who I suspect is the chief of this small town force.
“Everything okay, then, agent?” He asks and his brow rises. “How do you want to handle this?” He motions at the scene around us and I can tell he is concerned. What I have learned about the town in the time I’ve been here is that they are a pretty close-knit community. This incident will be all over their news tomorrow, and any chance I had of lying low in the area is demolished.
I didn’t mean to end up in this town. My main office with the department is in Atlanta, Georgia. I’ve been working on my current case for a little over a year. To say I’m in deep is an understatement. It's what I’ve always wanted though. I’ve been dreaming of being an undercover agent since I first started on the force five years ago. I live and breathe the badge, and get immense satisfaction in keeping the world safe and a better place with men like Adam Lamott and his higher up boss, Demitri Delcot, off the streets. Adam has been testing me since I first started working in Demitri’s club. He’s a lackey at best, but he does have a good eye on him. He doesn’t trust me, and he shouldn’t. My sole purpose for being in his path is to take down Demitri’s smuggling of artifacts and narcotics into the country. Which is how I ended up in Candy Cane Key to stake out the ports and bay area with Adam. Well, before he tried to run me off the road for doing his job better than him.
“I’ll go talk with the family again,” I tell the Captain while pulling the blanket one of the EMTs had given me closer around my shoulders.
I walk on shaky heels towards the tall, burly man standing off to the side of the building. If fate had other plans for our meeting, this man was someone I would have found attractive. He’s well over six feet tall, broad, with the face of an avenging angel. It's his eyes though, that really got me. Dark, chocolatey brown with lashes that match his dark hair; both long and thick. Unfortunately, his lips are set in a scowl, which ruins my initial attraction to him. He’s assessing the damage as the officers start to tape and board the window for the night. I notice the other woman who was at the scene is on the phone, and she looks tearful. They’re both wearing white t-shirts with the emerald- green logo of the restaurant on the front.
“Hi,” I start with the guy, and feel my insides shake a little when he turns his piercing dark eyes on mine. I can see a flash of shock on his face when he notices I’m not actually being hauled away in a cop car. “I’m really sorry, again. Is there anything I can do?”
His eyes wander over me from head to toe and my blood boils with the condescending look he’s giving me. My own eyes narrow on him while I fight to remain civil. I did just crash into his place of work and could have harmed both of them. Even though it wasn’t intentional on my part. Fucking Adam. When I get my hands on him and seal this case up nice and tight, I’ll make sure he knows this little stunt is part of his punishment. Just because I’m a woman does not mean he can mess with me and get away with it.
“No,” He shakes his head and starts to walk away from me. I don’t know why but I can’t take that this man is mad at me. The guilt I feel might be misplaced, but it's there all the same.
“Please,” I tell him, walking his way, my hand lands on his arm. The minute my skin touches his, my fingers tingle, his gaze lands where I’m touching him and the frown on his face slightly melts away. I feel like I just got burned, and yank my hand away from his skin. “I understand that this is devastating, and I’m sorry it happened. It was not intentional and I am willing to do anything to help fix it.”
His brow quirks and he looks around at all the damage before his eyes settle on the car that is responsible. The maroon sedan, my rental for the few weeks I will be here. The front is crunched and the paint scratched. “Do you have an extra thirty grand laying around?”
My eyes widen, “Not on me.”
“Then you’re no help,” He shrugs again and his eyes go back to being icy. “The window alone is going to be around that much. That doesn’t include the labor, building and painting that needs to be done.”
“I could pay you in installments,” I offer, my gaze not straying from his, no matter how mad he is. I refuse to back down as well.
“Until you leave the island and go back to mommy and daddy’s estate?” He cocks his head to the side, and I feel like I’ve been slapped.
My jaw pops open. Never has anyone talked down to me this way, or made so many assumptions about me that are completely wrong. “Listen,” I glance at his name tag, “Roman. I’m not sure what I did, or said, that gave you the impression this was intentional, or that I would have myparentsbail me out. I’m a grown fucking adult. This was an accident. I will gladly pay you back, or help fix whatever is needed while I am here in town. And as you so eloquently put it, when I do leave the island, I will continue to pay you back with my own hard-earned money. Don’t let the dress fool you.”
Even though my hand shakes, and everything in me says to punch this macho-man in the mouth, I somehow manage to give him the small slip of paper I had written my name and number on. Granted, it's my alias name, but the number is mine. With a final lift of my brow and slight head nod to his female companion, I turn on my heel and head over to the police Captain who is more than happy to bring me back to my rented room. I do not give Roman another backwards look. If he really wants my help I guess he’ll call. If I don’t hear from him then I’ll just turn in the damage report to my superiors when I get back. That was an option all along, but it feels more impersonal. I also don’t want the town hating me while I still plan to do business here. Because despite the fact that Adam tried to cause me harm tonight, my case still has to go on.
ChapterThree
Roman
Iturn her little slip of paper over in my hand again and glance at the phone wondering if I should make the call. With it being this close to Calzone Day, and all the work that we’re being set back if I would have to hire out, she could be really useful to me. Becca Reynolds. The girl was a spitfire, and I only feel slightly guilty about how I chewed her out. Unlike my sister who has been glaring daggers at me all day. She thinks I really over reacted.
“Roman Mohagen!” My momma’s voice pulls my attention. Glancing over at the front door I see her standing with her shopping bag full and her apron flung over her free arm. “Come into the kitchen, we need to talk.”
Her lips purse and I can only guess she’s heard some of what happened last night. “Coming,” I call to her and watch as she walks into the kitchen, huffing away, before I follow her in there.
“Someone's in trouble,” Rumer mumbles under her breath, but I see the way she also grins. She’s enjoying it, they all are.
I duck into the kitchen and mom glares at me. I cross my arms over my chest, refusing to back down. I was not completely wrong to be as upset as I was yesterday. “Hi, Momma,” I kiss the woman who gave me life on her cheek right before she slaps her hand on my shoulder.
