War had assured her that his office would be open and waiting. She wasn’t sure how he was going to respond to her case. But she was ready to remind him of just how much he owed her. And you couldn’t turn away a person when you owed a major debt, could you?
“Come in.” A gruff voice called.
She twisted the knob and went inside, only to find herself in some kind of lobby. An empty lobby. Biting her lip, Ali hesitated for just a moment, then she hurried forward on her quest. She found another door, one partially open, that had TROUBLE FOR HIRE PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS etched on the glass. Ali squared her shoulders and pushed that door open. “Thanks for meeting me.”
The chair was turned away from her, but she saw the back of War’s dark head. He was staring out the window. He must have been watching her approach. The PI office was on the second floor of the historic building. The first floor was for Armageddon, War’s bar. The bar was completely deserted right now, another reason why she’d been so eager for their early morning appointment. She wanted to keep this visit as quiet as possible.
“I sure didn’t think I’d ever be one of your clients.” She shoved her hands into the back pockets of her jeans and rocked forward nervously. “But desperate times have called for, you know, desperate measures and all that.”
He hadn’t spoken.
“I’m out of options, and I could really use a friend.” There. Truth. “I’ll pay whatever you need, but I am in some trouble—”
The chair swiveled toward her, slowly, and her words froze. Her throat seemed to close up as she stared at the man sitting in that lush chair. A man who was very much not War.
Oh, no. A thousand times, no.
But, yes, it was Jinx who gazed back at her. Jinx who had the same dark, thick hair that War possessed. Jinx who had broad shoulders and a build just like War.
Jinx…who was very much not War.
He didn’t flash his killer grin. His bright blue eyes didn’t twinkle. Instead, he stared at her with an icy gaze and with an expression that was both savage and angry.
She backed up a step.
He rose. Put his hands on the desk. “Who…” Jinx began in a voice so cold and chilling that she was surprised icicles didn’t immediately cover the desk. “Who the fuck wrote the word ‘Slut’ on your car?”
That was the first question he had?
She shook her head.
“Who, Ali? Because the fucker is gonna pay.”
This was…She released the breath that she’d been holding. “Where is War?”
“Getting coffee and the damn donuts that he likes for breakfast.” His hands remained on the desk. “I told him I would take care of you.”
She looked over her shoulder. “I’ll just…wait for War.”
“You’re getting me.”
Her head whipped back toward him. “Uh, listen up, bossy. I came for War. I have a private matter to discuss with War. So I’ll just be doing that, thanks.”
He shoved away from the desk. Stalked around it. Headed for her. She retreated, a quick, fast retreat that had her ducking out of the doorway, slipping back into the hall, and darting to the lobby. When Ali realized that she was practically running from Jinx, she stopped. “This is ridiculous.”
“I don’t find it funny at all.” He’d followed her.
She waved toward him. “You’re not a PI. I’m here to hire a PI. So I’ll just wait in the um…lobby.”
He shook his head. “Wrong, sweets.”
“Excuse me?”
“I am a PI. A new hire of War’s. Odin and War brought me onto the team. Turns out that if your PI office stops two crazed killers, you are suddenly in ever so high demand. War had so much work he needed more staff.”
She stared pointedly at the empty lobby, then looked back at Jinx.
He shrugged. “The clients aren’t all here now. But trust me, we have plenty. So many that it turns out War and Odin are both already committed to other cases. If you want help, then you will be getting me.”
This could not be happening.
He waved toward the office. “So why don’t you come back inside, have a seat, and tell me what’s going on?”
She hesitated.
“What’s the hold up? Are you afraid that I’ll bite?”
He had before. Sensual bites in an experience that she couldn’t forget. “It’s a bad idea for you to get involved.”
A muscle flexed along his jaw. Then he closed in on her. “Why?” Jinx bit off. “Why can’t you trust me to help you when you are obviously scared to death? You’ll go to some criminal in a rundown bar before you turn to me?”
It…wasn’t like that.
The lobby door opened.
“So we fucked,” Jinx announced loudly.
Oh, hell. War had just walked in. Juggling coffees and a box of doughnuts. At Jinx’s pronouncement, he jerked to a halt.
“We fucked and we both came so hard that we wrecked the bed,” Jinx continued roughly.
War snapped his mouth closed. Ali squirmed.
“Then you ran away,” Jinx accused.
Her spine snapped straight. “I didn’t run away. I had a case—”
“Now you’ve got something happening that scares the hell out of you. You need help. You need me. And baby, that’s exactly what you’re going to get even if you can’t stand me any longer—”
Can’t stand him? Why would he think that? She dreamed about the guy nearly every night!
“You made it loud and clear you want no part of me, but you don’t have an option. You’re in danger. So much danger that you come slinking in here—”
“I did not slink!” She’d never done that a day in her life.
“You want to send me far away, but that shit is not happening. You want a PI? Then you have—”
“You’re in danger!” Ali exploded, driven to the absolute edge. Jinx always did this to her. Ripped away her careful control. Pushed her too far and too fast. “I’m trying to protect you, you jackass! The same way I’ve been protecting you for months!”
He blinked at her. “Say that again?”
Oh, no. She almost slapped her hand over her mouth. But it was too late. The words were out. Her secret was out. Ali could tell by the gleam in Jinx’s bright blue eyes that there would be no going back.
Ali cleared her throat. “I, um…” Her gaze darted to a watchful War. “I’d like some coffee, please.” She snatched a cup from him. Mostly to give herself something to do and some time to think.
“Ali.” War offered her a faint smile. “How about you go in the office and wait for us a moment? I need to update Jinx on a client situation.”
Sure, yes, anything to get away from Jinx for a moment. She nearly flew back into the office—the one she’d fled from moments before—and Ali kept her death grip on the coffee.
***
The door slammed behind Ali. Jinx stared straight ahead even as her angry words rang through his head. “You’re in danger! I’m trying to protect you, you jackass! The same way I’ve been protecting you for months!”
“I hired you because I thought you were a people person.”