bow as he accepts them from me. "Of course."
We walk to the inner garage door, and I click the opener.
A loud pop blasts in the corner by the outer garage door.
Mace tackles me and we topple over. My elbow hits the floor hard, and his weight presses me to the tile. "Get off me."
The scent of burned carbon wafts in through the door. He closes it with his foot. "You all right?"
"Yes. Get off me so we can go see what it was."
"You stay here." He climbs up and reaches for the door.
"No. Something just exploded in my garage. I'm not staying here."
He opens the door slowly and peeks around. The smoke has cleared, and there's no one in the street. We run out to the sidewalk, but no one is around.
"What the hell was that? You storing something in your garage that might explode?"
"No. It seemed like it was outside the door. It was like a firework or something."
"That was bigger than a firework." He inspects the dust and debris near the corner.
"We're not calling the cops." I don't want any more attention drawn to me.
He looks up at me and smirks. "I wasn't gonna call the cops."
"Good."
He laughs. I know it's odd for a cop not to call the cops, but I'm on leave and going rogue here. I don't want an even bigger investigation into me.
He stands up and brushes the ash off his hands. "We still going to the club?"
"Sure. Not gonna let a little firework stop me."
"Get in the car. We'll talk more on the way. Hold up." He drops to his stomach and looks under the car. He checks the bumper and the tires. I can't lay down in this dress, but I check the interior through the windows.
"It looks clear." He clicks the doors open, and we both get in. We stare at each other and catch our breath. "That was unexpected," I say.
He's quiet as he starts up the car, but his brow is furrowed and his shoulders stiff. As we pull out into the street, he asks, "Did you tell anyone else you were home except Griffin?"
"You think Griffin did that? It could've been set before I was kidnapped."
"True. This means someone is on to you. Possibly the person who kidnapped you or the people who have your missing person."
"Or they are one in the same."
"Could be."
"Someone wants me to stop investigating this case. You see why I can't stop?"
He nods. "This shit just got interesting."
***
We arrive at Dragon Lounge, and Mace was right. It would've been suspicious if I drove considering the outfits we're wearing.
He waves off the valet and parks himself.
"What's our plan?" I ask him.
"No plan."
"No plan?"
"Plans screw things up. Prepare for the unexpected."
That's the opposite of everything we learn at the academy, but he's all I've got right now. "I don't even know who I'm looking for."
"If he's here, I'll give you the signal."
"What's the signal?"
He shrugs. "You'll know when I give it to you."
"I'm not liking this." I grumble under my breath and get out of the car.
He comes around and puts a hand on my back which makes me shiver and tense. See? This is why we need a plan because I wouldn't have agreed to pretending to be with him, but it's too late. The valets have eyes on us, and there's a huge crowd. I tighten up my body and do my best to impersonate a girl who would be happy to be at a club with a giant rhinestone cowboy.
Mace attracts a ton of attention as he struts up to the entrance. From the looks on the female's faces, they'd be thrilled to walk up here with Mace at their side, but they don't know him and the evils he's capable of.
Mace works out a deal with the doorman, and we pass through the red velvet rope ahead of the line.
"How'd you do that?"
"I have connections."
With his hand on my back again, we make our way through the rows of high-backed booths. Illuminated dragons glow on the walls, and young people dressed in sleek clothes pack in around the bar and dance floor. The loud bass of the hip hop beat pounds in my ears. It's so loud, fighting it is futile. You have no choice but to let it vibrate through your entire body.
Mace must feel it too because he grabs my hand and smiles as he leads me to the bar. "What do you drink?"
"I don't drink."
He shakes his head