Up in Smoke - Tessa Bailey Page 0,5
weapons or to give a woman pleasure, they were always at the ready. Being on the receiving end of her come-ons without being able to touch would be pure torture. She tested his restraint while simultaneously demanding he exercise more than ever. No, he needed to set aside his fascination with her and focus on the job. This one would drive him straight out of his mind. It wouldn’t be the first time he didn’t get what he wanted. He’d survived every time. He’d survive without having the girl beneath him. Probably.
But God help anyone else who tried to get her there.
Connor gripped the edge of the chair and reeled back the irritation produced by that thought. His attention landed on the presumed captain who’d interrupted them before he could get a satisfying taste of the girl. The man looked slightly perturbed, but the faint frown lines between his eyes gave Connor the impression he looked like that most of the time. He was splitting his attention between Connor and Fire Girl, looking more than a little fascinated.
“See something interesting, Captain?”
The other man took his time answering, opening up a manila folder and thumbing through some paperwork, although he looked suitably impressed by Connor’s deduction. “That’s how you talk to your new boss?”
“I do when he’s late.”
“I have a city to run.” He threw an irritated glance toward the door. “Not sure what everyone else’s excuse is, but I intend to find out.”
“Maybe they were delayed by your goons at the front desk.” The girl spun her chair around in a circle. “And I don’t have bosses. Merely oppressors.”
Derek didn’t blink. “You’re free to leave at any time, Ms. O’Dea.”
O’Dea. Connor tried not to show a reaction to that piece of information. Across the table, she tossed her pink hair and laughed. “If I wanted to leave, I’d be halfway back to Florida by now.”
“Yes, I’m aware of your specialized skill. It’s why you’re here.”
She spun around again. “I love when my reputation precedes me.”
Florida. Specialized skill. Connor didn’t have time to ponder what exactly Derek meant by that before another girl walked into the room. Marched, actually. She tucked her short jet-black hair behind her ears again and again, curious brown eyes landing on all three of them in the space of a heartbeat. “They took my laptop at the front desk. I want it back.”
“Have a seat, Ms. Banks.”
“Polly. Polly Banks.” she corrected, taking a seat beside O’Dea. “Since we were all blackmailed to be here, we should dispense with formality.”
“I like her.” O’Dea reached over and released Polly’s hair from behind her ear. “Can we keep her, Daddy?”
For someone who didn’t like to be touched, she sure liked to be on the other end, didn’t she? If they hadn’t been interrupted, would she have touched him? Where? Connor was distracted by his leading thoughts when a man hobbled into the room. He wore an oversize sweater, fisherman’s weave. A wide-brimmed hat was pulled down low on his forehead, and he tipped it at the two girls. When he reached the chair beside Connor, he practically fell into it with a groan.
Connor sent Derek a questioning look, but the man just stared back levelly, a hint of a smile on his mouth. “Meet Austin Shaw. He’ll be joining you on the squad.”
Polly hummed. “At least the Chicago PD aren’t ageists, in addition to being thieves.”
“What she said,” O’Dea chimed in. “Cool hat, Grandpa.”
“Thank you, dear.” Austin’s voice wavered with age. “I’ve had it years. It was an anniversary gift from my wife, Martha. You likely weren’t even born the first time I wore it.”
O’Dea’s hands fluttered in a series of claps. “We’re keeping him, too.” She smirked at Connor. “You’re the only one I’m not sure about yet.”
“Fooled me,” he growled.
Derek cleared his throat and the room went silent, a fact that annoyed Connor even more. This guy might be a captain with the Chicago PD, but that didn’t mean shit where he came from. He was just another man ruled by the almighty system. Connor knew all too well how the system could hang you out to dry if you didn’t play ball its way. “You have no choice in who you keep. Let’s get one thing straight right away. This is my squad.” Derek encompassed them with a look. “I picked the six of you out of hundreds for a reason. As soon as the final two get here, we’ll talk about what it is.”
Huh. That’s