Any Day Now - Lani Lynn Vale Page 0,54

Tonight, we’ll have a preview of what’s to come tomorrow when you get off and don’t have to go to work the next day,” I teased.

There was a long moment of silence and then he said, “Be right back,” before I heard him moving.

I bit my lip as I navigated the streets of Cop Row. I raised my hand and waved at Derek, then Nathan who was running down the road and had rivers of sweat pouring off of his skin.

He didn’t wave back like Derek did. He gave me a chin lift.

I came to a stop at the road that would lead to Kilgore just as Adam said, “You seriously just made me hard in front of today’s command leader.”

“What does ‘today’s command leader’ mean?” I asked curiously.

“Foster and Bennett switch off being our babysitter of sorts. They go with us on SWAT calls, tell us what we do and don’t need to get done. Make sure we have all our necessary hours in training that are required by the police department. Glorified grown men babysitters.” He chuckled.

I accelerated and glanced in my rearview mirror, surprised when I saw a car following closely behind me.

I turned back to focus on the road in front of me just as I said, “So, I’ve gotta go to work now. But I’ll see you tonight? You’ll ride home with me?”

I heard the growl in his voice as he said, “You’re just gonna drop what you want to do tonight and tomorrow into my lap, and expect me not to hear details? Or drop it?”

I grinned. “I was just worried about you. I don’t want you to go back to work uncomfortable.”

He muttered a curse under his breath. “I’ll see you tonight, Amelia. Be ready.”

With that, he hung up and I felt nerves start to roll their way through me.

Not bad nerves, either.

Good nerves.

Being slightly uncomfortable about where this was leading me, I didn’t once look at the person driving the car behind me. Not when he followed me to work. Not when he followed me to my parking spot. And not when he watched me walk in as I daydreamed of my night to come.

***

“Listen,” I said to the waitress. “We don’t have any more of that scotch. He and his buddies cleaned us out. I have these listed here, or nothing.”

The waitress sighed. “This is a pushy party. I’m so sorry, Amelia.”

I grinned. “It’s fine. But yeah, good luck. I don’t even know why they want the expensive shit. It tastes like gasoline.”

Shrugging since it was my last day and my give a damn was seriously busted, and all I could think about was when Adam would be arriving, I went back to manning the bar with Nadine.

Together we worked seamlessly, handing out drinks, fulfilling orders from waitresses, and cleaning up after ourselves.

“Is it just me or is this place busier than normal?” Nadine asked.

“It’s busier,” I agreed. “Not sure why, either. It’s Thursday night.”

There was a commotion at the door, and my eyes automatically went to the front of the room where the entrance was located.

What I saw did not make me happy.

Rogan entered with a smug smile on his face.

He jerked his chin in his bodyguard’s direction and said something at the front entrance. Moments later, he started to make his way toward me.

Or the bar.

But my bet was on me.

“You need to go,” he said. “The temporary restraining order means you need to stay at least one hundred feet away.”

Funny enough, despite saying words to my face, nothing came out of my mouth.

Hilton, his bodyguard, narrowed his eyes at me, almost taunting me.

I then turned to my girl who agreed to do all the talking when Rogan came in tonight.

“This is her place of business,” Nadine said. “You are the ones that showed up here, so you need to leave.”

“She can’t talk for herself?” Hilton jeered. “She needs you to do all her talking for her?”

“Not usually, no,” Nadine said quietly. “But you know just as well as I do that her talking to Rogan would give him grounds to call the police. Now, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like you to leave.”

“I’m not going anywhere!” Rogan boomed, walking up to the bar and making himself known.

I pulled out my phone and sent a text to my dad and then to Adam.

Both replied, but my eyes were glued to the man in front of me who was looking all hot and bothered, and definitely not in a good