ONCE UPON A MIDNIGHT

Throw Linda from the Train - Sneak Peek!

CHAPTER ONE

Harley

THE PHONE PEALED and Addison’s hand reached out to hover above it. She said we shouldn’t answer on the first ring, lest we come off as desperate, so we held our breath and waited for the second ring. As soon as it started, she snatched up the receiver and held it to her ear.

She took a breath before answering, “Linda and Lynda Detective Agency.” Her voice sounded professional and inviting, as it should, since she’d been practicing for the past three days. I couldn’t blame her for her excitement, though. This could be it...the first assignment for our business.

Addison sighed and shook her head at me. “No, there is no John Watts here,” she said. “I don’t care if he gave you this number last night, this is our business line, and he’s not an employee. Stop calling this phone number!” She slammed down the receiver and put her head in her hands.

I did an Internet search for John Watts in the Portland, Oregon area, coming up with fifty-nine possible matches. “Maybe our first job should be finding this guy?” I suggested.

“Probably not a good idea,” Addison countered. “If I ever get my hands on him, I’ll show him debt collectors are the least of his problems.”

I understood exactly how Addison felt. We’d worked hard to get where we were, and every wrong-number phone call only pointed out the absence of real ones. And neither of us could understand why people weren’t calling. Our agency logo was etched into the glass on the door, we had cute business cards, matching cherry-wood desks, new phones, fast laptops, a kitchenette with an espresso machine and a mini-fridge, healthy plants, and even a cozy reception sofa.

Our office was immaculate, with high ceilings, custom crown molding, and floor-to-ceiling windows that gave us a much-coveted sixth-story view of downtown Portland. We’d each taken five hundred hours of pre-licensing education, paid the fees, passed the necessary exams, and had our valid investigator license. At Addison’s insistence, I’d even gotten my concealed carry permit, a holster, and a cute little Glock 19 Gen4, nine-mm Luger, which came standard with a fifteen-round magazine. Addison had offered to up the ammo to the seventeen- or thirty-three round magazine, but I reminded her I was a small town girl who’d been hunting since I could walk. If I couldn’t take out a threat with fifteen rounds, I deserved natural selection type consequences.

So...we had a gorgeous, well-positioned office and our state-mandated qualifications, but what we didn’t have, was clients. We’d been open for a total of three days, and had so far clocked twenty-four hours sitting on our asses in ergonomically-correct chairs. I’d checked local papers and Craigslist ads for potential clients so many times my laptop browser was suggesting dating sites. Feeling defeated, I closed my computer, laid my head on the desk, and stared at the phone, willing it to ring. 

 “Nobody’s gonna hire us,” Addison announced, voicing my worst fears. The wheels of her chair spun against the hardwood floors as she stood and walked to the window. “And I bet it’s Jake’s fault. He blackballed us. I know he did.”

I died a little inside, dreading yet another spiraling Jake conversation. Addison had a complicated relationship with a Portland police detective by the name of Jacob Rowe. Complicated because they were both bossy and stubborn, and nobody had told Jake the number one rule about being with Addison: don’t tell her she can’t do something.

Almost five months ago, Jake had come to Addison’s house to let me know I’d been exonerated for murder charges. I left him and Addison in a room together for five minutes. No joke, five minutes maximum. The next thing I knew she was beating on my door, all hopped up on righteous indignation and ranting incoherently. By the time I got her to sound a little less Tasmanian Devil and a little more like the beautiful, intelligent, charming heiress she is, we were dressed in business suits and sitting in an office, waiting our turn to make a deal with the real devil. Okay, not the real one, but for the record, Bruce Allen has been known to sprout horns on occasion.

Addison’s father steepled his hands, leaned back in his chair, and listened intently to her proposal before not so politely declining to take on the financial responsibility of two inexperienced private investigators. Addison has never been one to take no for an answer, and she dug her heels in, guilt-tripped, and threatened to blackmail her own father. Besides, technically, it was her money. She had received the next settlement from her trust fund on her twenty-fifth birthday, but it hadn’t funded yet. It wouldn’t for about a week and she wanted access to the money immediately. She was basically asking her dad for a bridge loan and I thought for sure he’d have security toss us out on our designer-suited rears, but instead, he conceded. And judging by the slight upturn of his mouth, I’m pretty sure he was proud of her. He made a phone call to move the money into her account while Addison and I headed out to begin the three-month process.

By the way, squeezing five hundred hours of education into less than five months sucks. But we did it. We even have the certificates on the wall to prove it.

“Well Jake can suck it, because this is gonna be the most successful detective agency in Portland. We’ll be solving so many crimes, the mayor will have to cut back the police force,” Addison seethed. “We just need to figure out a way to get our feet in the door. We need marketing and credibility. How can we get reviews and recommendations without solving a case?”

So far, the only case we’d solved was mine, and I didn’t think anyone would hire us based on a review from one of the investigators. Besides, I’d been shot and shot at, and Addison and I had both broken at least one law during my case. So if I was being honest, I couldn’t give us more than a solid C.

“Think.” She crossed her arms and leaned against the window. “There has to be something we can do.”

Addison wasn’t known for her patience, and this three-days-and-still-no-clients thing had to be eating her up inside. After my exciting case, she’d been expecting a life of mystery and intrigue, whereas I’d been dreading the likely possibility of more hospital visits and legal fees. Turns out neither of us were getting what we expected.

“I’ve gotta find a way to get Jake to ease up so we can get some clients,” Addison said.

This thing between her and Jake was starting to worry me. “Do you really think our lack of business is Jake’s fault?” I asked.

She nodded, still staring out the window.

Bracing myself for what proved to be an entertaining explanation, I asked, “How do you figure?”

She tore her gaze away from the window long enough to frown at me. “He’s well-connected and afraid for our safety. I bet he called everyone and told them not to hire us.”

“Everyone, huh?” I asked, hoping she’d come to her senses and hear how crazy that sounded.

Instead, she nodded.

Time for a different approach. “So you’re saying you think your busy detective boy toy dropped everything to go through the Portland phonebook, in order to block our business.”

Her chin rose. “Jake is resourceful and determined. I’m sure he thought of something.”

I made cuckoo bird noises, because it sounded nuts, but she did have a point. If Jake could possibly figure out a way to keep us safe, he would.

“Well, if it’s not my boy toy, it’s yours. Ashey’s probably up to something as well,” Addison announced.

The mention of Addison’s brother formed a lump in my throat. It had been three days since I’d heard from Asher, and I had no idea if our newly-forming relationship was going to survive our most recent fight. But I refused to give in, and I would not cry.

As if sensing my battle to keep it together, Addison turned and studied me, her expression softening. “Oh, Harley…”

“Don’t do that,” I warned. We were both hurting, and I didn’t want her sympathy. All I wanted was Asher’s support and to make this business a success so I could feel less like a loser sponging off my best friend, and more like a contributing member of society. So far I was zero for two.

She squared her shoulders and went back to the window. “Right. All the more reason we need to prove them wrong.”

Before I could comment further, the front door opened and Asher walked in wearing his normal workday tailored suit and oxfords. His hair was perfectly styled, and the sexy things his five o’clock shadow did to his face made me want to wrap myself around him. It had been four days since we’d gotten into the first official fight of our budding relationship, and although I missed him like crazy, I wasn’t ready to face him again.

“Ashey,” Addison said by way of greeting. She and Asher had always been pretty tight, but after his blatant lack of faith at our career path, she was almost as upset with him as I was.

Neither of us invited him in, but he stepped across the threshold and closed the door behind him, smirking. He held a brown paper bag in his hands that smelled faintly of teriyaki. “Addie. Harley.” His gaze swept over the office. “This place looks great.”

“Yep, Addie did a great job,” I said, popping my laptop back open like I had something important to do and wasn’t the least bit interested in his sexy self or the mouth-watering scents coming from his bag.

“You’re both still mad at me?” Asher asked, stopping between our desks.

Without taking my eyes off my screen, I replied, “You haven’t exactly been the supportive Asher Allen we both know and love.”

“It’s not his fault,” Addison said to me. “There’s clearly something in the water turning our men into overprotective assholes.” She glared at her brother, and then went back to staring out the window.

Asher chuckled. “Okay, I probably deserved that.”

Addison huffed. Then her entire body tensed and she reached for her jacket. “He’s here.”

“Jake?” I asked.

“Yeah. He’s taking me to lunch. And I swear if he tries to talk “sense” into me one more time, I’m gonna make him eat his badge.”

“I’d like to see that,” Asher said.

She glared at him again. “I’m gonna meet him at the elevator. I don’t want him bringing his negativity into our office. Harley, be strong while I’m gone. Don’t give in to the charming wiles of this one. Solidarity.”

“Love you too, Sis,” Asher replied.

She blew us a kiss and stepped out of the office. The door closed behind her, and her heels tapped on the wood floor, heading toward the elevator. Awkward silence filled the room as I tried desperately to find something resembling work to do on my laptop.

“I brought you lunch,” Asher said, setting the bag on my desk. “Bento from one of the food carts. I don’t know how good it is, but the guy barely spoke English, so that’s a good sign, right?”

My stomach growled in response. “You brought me roach coach food?” I asked. Portland had some of the best food cart eats on the planet, but Addison refused to put anything in her body that came from the mobile kitchens she not-so-lovingly referred to as roach coaches, and I rarely ventured out to them alone.

Instead of answering me, he picked up the bag and headed toward the reception sofa, where he unloaded containers of food onto the coffee table. Each one smelled better than the last, making it impossible to focus on my laptop.

“I didn’t know what you’d want, so I got beef, chicken, vegetables, rice…” He added a little container to the stack. “And extra sauce.”

There was still an unmended bridge between us, but I had to hand it to the guy…he was trying. And I was hungry. While he laid out paper plates and plastic silverware I swallowed back my pride and stood. He patted the couch, inviting me to sit beside him.

I wanted to, but first I needed to make sure my having lunch with him wouldn’t be seen as submitting to his ridiculous insistence that Addison and I give up on our career. “What’s all this?” I asked.

Asher frowned. “Bento. From one of the food carts—”

“No, I mean I haven’t heard from you for four days, and then you show up with lunch? What’s going on?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m an Allen, and despite the deep disappointment such actions would bring upon my family, I’m trying to apologize. Will you please come sit by me?”

Fighting a smile, I joined him on the sofa and he scooted closer to me until our knees were touching. Warmth spread up my leg from the contact. He took my hand in his and gave it a little tug. Wondering what he was up to, I looked into his eyes.

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking over the past few days,” he started. “Your case was pretty rough on me. Knowing you had to spend a couple nights in jail was one thing, but seeing you in that hospital bed…twice…” He shook his head. “That was brutal.”

I opened my mouth to say something, but held up a hand.

“Let me finish. I know you and Addie have worked really hard to get where you are. I realize you’re both intelligent, capable women who often surprise those of us who foolishly underestimate you. And I’m sorry for being such a douchebag.”

I couldn’t help but smile.

He squeezed my hand. “But I can’t turn off this thing inside me that wants to protect and take care of you, so I’ve been racking my brain and searching for ways for your business to succeed without putting your lives in danger. Being a criminal defense attorney, I sometimes need the services of private investigators, but they’re throwing some pretty high profile cases at me, and I…I can’t.”

Again, I started to argue and he cut me off.

“Some of the criminals they have me working with wouldn’t hesitate to harm anyone caught snooping in their business. I know it’s not fair or right, but if I sent you two on a case and you got hurt, I’d never forgive myself. I’m just being honest here. But I do have another option…a friend from law school who recently started his own practice, and he’s looking for a PI. It wouldn’t be anything glamorous. You’d probably spend most of your time hiding out and snapping photos of people cheating on their spouses. But it would be a good way to get your foot in the door and build references.”

I could barely believe my ears. Asher…my sexy, funny, sweet, loving, protective Asher…was putting his reputation on the line because he believed in us. A lump formed in my throat.

Clearly mistaking my inability to speak, he hurried on, “Not glamorous, but you would be catching cheaters, which would give new purpose to Addison’s life.”

It was no secret how much my bestie despised people who felt the need to cheat on their significant others. She’d probably shoot them if it wasn’t illegal.

“So, I didn’t know if you guys would be interested, but my friend’s name is Ethan Sinclair. I gave him your office number and he plans to call later this week.”

Even though Asher was concerned about our safety, he did believe in us. And he wanted to help. My eyes stung, burning away all the worry and frustration I’d felt over the past months. Addison was right, we could do this, and I wouldn’t even lose Asher in the process. I threw my arms around his neck and squeezed him close.

“Thank you Ash. You have no idea how much this means to me. How much it means to both of us. Addie is gonna be over the moon.”

He chuckled, the sound rumbling his chest that was still pressed against my own. “I know. I’m pretty much the best brother and boyfriend ever.”

Boyfriend. It was the first time either of us had put a title on our relationship. I leaned back so I could study his expression and make sure he wasn’t messing with me. The sincerity in his eyes did crazy things to my stomach. “Boyfriend, huh?”

In answer, he closed what little distance there was between us, kissing me senseless. I was practically on top of him when the door opened. I jumped away from Asher and straightened my top as Addison walked in, mumbling something about Jake getting called away for work. Then she froze, looked from us to the uneaten food on the table, and glared at me.

“I told you not to cave!” she said.

“Relax, Sis,” Asher said, reaching for my hand again. “I was simply telling Harley about the referral I just gave you.”

Addison’s eyes lit up. “Referral?”

I giggled, unable to control my giddiness. “Yep. I hope you’ve got a good camera, Addie, because we’re gonna go nail some cheaters.”

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Dial L for Lynda - Sneak Peek!

CHAPTER ONE

Addison

FRIDAY MORNING, I was awakened by the phone buzzing on my nightstand. I rolled over with a groan and checked the caller ID. Harley. “Um, hello, no calls before eleven on Fridays. You better be in a ditch with a broken leg somewhere.”

My best friend groaned into the phone. “I just got fired.”

I sat up and gasped. “What the hell? Why?”

Harley Linn James had been my best friend since she transferred into my exclusive private school in the fourth grade. She’d been given a special scholarship due to her family’s financial situation and the shrew girls (we’d named them that because they were way worse than mean girls) clocked her the second she walked through the doors.

Harley was gorgeous. G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S. As in, soft, curly red hair, a smattering of freckles over her nose that was cute as hell (as my brother said all too many times), hazel eyes, and when she hit her teens, she developed a curvy figure which was all too often noticed by all the right people...and many of the wrong ones too.

On the flipside of all of her beauty, there was a quick wit and an even faster trigger with her mouth. Although she rarely stood up for herself, she fought for everyone else: me, the janitor being harassed by the shrew girls, random dogs locked in hot cars on sunny days, bugs about to be squished in the hallway. And while this kept her from belonging to the “in” crowd, it made me love her even more.

And now she was calling me at nine-fifty-nine in the morning because her asshat of a boss had fired her. And I’m pretty sure I know why she was let go—because despite his many advances, she wouldn’t sleep with him.

“Why do you think?” she confirmed.

“Come over.”

“I’m already here.”

“Well, then come in. Why are you not already inside?”

“Because I didn’t know if you had your gun in its safe, or next to you, and I didn’t want to be fired and dead!”

I giggled. “Gun is in its safe. Come on in.”

I slid out of bed and wrapped my silk Armani robe around me. I could walk around half-naked in front of Harley, but she’d already been traumatized enough for one day.

I hustled into the living room and pulled her in for a hug. “He’s a dick.”

“I know,” she said, her stoic nature working overtime.

“You can cry you know.”

“I’m not going to cry over that asshole!” she snapped. “I might drink bleach later, a nice two-thousand-fifteen Clorox, but I won’t cry!”

“Okay, lady.” I forced myself not to laugh as I raised my hands in surrender. “Coffee?”

“Yes,” she breathed out. “Coffee. STAT.”

“You should have been a nurse,” I mused as I grabbed containers for my Keurig.

“Why?” she asked.

“Because you have the lingo down.”

“Shut it.” Harley gave me her “I will stab you in your sleep” eyes and I smiled.

“Nurse Harley. I wonder if you’d be anything like Nurse Jackie. Let me see your eyes. Are your pupils pinned?”

I heard a quiet snort and turned to see her biting back a smile.

“I totally beat your record!”

We’d had an unwritten contest for as long as I could remember that whenever one of us was having a bad day, the other one had to get her to laugh. Harley usually won; however, I just bested her, so I did a happy dance around my kitchen while I’m sure she plotted my murder in her mind.

“Let’s go out tonight,” I suggested, and handed her a cup of coffee.

“Um, hello. No job, no money.”

“I’m paying.” I smiled. “Or Daddy is.”

My father was how do you say...absent? So when my parents separated, he gave Asher and me credit cards to use whenever we wanted. Even after my parents reconciled (for appearances only, let’s be honest), Daddy insisted we keep the cards “for emergencies.”

Asher never touched his...as a highly skilled attorney, he didn’t need to. Me, however? I hadn’t quite found myself. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I did nothing, but planning fundraisers and events for Mother and Daddy isn’t what I ultimately wanted to do with my life. I was good at it, but it wasn’t my bliss. Of course, using Daddy’s money whenever I wanted to did bring a certain measure of joy, and since I did the work for less than most meeting planners would charge, I let my father assuage his absent-parent guilt when I needed cash for retail therapy...or bar hopping.

“Addie.”

Before I could respond, my phone buzzed. “Oh, look, it’s my brother.”

“Don’t answer,” Harley demanded.

“Hey, Ashy.”

“I’m killing you in my head,” she hissed.

I gave her a sassy smile and focused on my brother. Asher was two years older than me and besides Harley, my best friend. It had been the two of us against the world (or our parents) forever...still was, to be honest. Then along came Harley, using her sharp wit and small-town charisma to carve her way into the position of (her words) third wheel, although, admittedly she was the axel and we were the spokes.

We’d had more fun than three kids should legally be allowed to have, until she and Asher caught the feels for each other and started acting more like two stooges.

“Hey, sis,” Asher said.

“What’s up, favorite brother of mine?”

“Can I swing by and grab that portfolio I asked you to look over?”

“When?”

“Like, now?”

I glanced at Harley and she glared at me, shaking her head. She must have heard Asher’s question.

“Ummm...”

“I know it’s before eleven, but it’ll only take a second. I can just let myself in, but wanted to call in case your gun wasn’t in its safe.”

“What is with everyone and my gun?” I snapped. “I wouldn’t just shoot anyone willy-nilly.”

“Bobby Moore,” he said at the same time Harley asked, “Who the hell says willy-nilly?”

Bobby Moore had been my shooting instructor and he’d made the mistake of trying to flirt with me while teaching me to shoot. I almost shot his leg off when I’d thrown my hand up in frustration because he kept distracting me. In the end, the bullet went through his jeans, just grazing his calf, and I realized he’d never be the man for me. He was way too weak...blubbering like a sissy at the minor flesh wound. I still shuddered thinking about it, and Asher loved to remind me.

“One time,” I replied. “And it was just a flesh wound.”

Asher chuckled. “Sure we’ll go with that. Did I hear Harley?”

“Yep,” I said, stepping away from the laser-beam glare Harley shot me. “She says ‘hey.’”

“I hate you,” Harley breathed out, and I blew her a kiss.

“I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Sounds good,” I said, and hung up.

* * *

Harley

“Addison Angeline Allen don’t you turn your back on me,” I demanded in the most threatening tone I could conjure.

“More coffee?” Addison asked.

I slid my mug toward her. “Please tell me your brother is not on his way here.”

“You couldn’t possibly want me to lie to you, could you?” she asked, looking appalled. “Harley, you know I’m not that kind of girl.” Then she beamed me her signature, hundred-watt smile, reminding me why I could never stay mad at her. She was like a cute little blonde-haired, blue-eyed demon whose great intentions were sure to lead me straight to my own personal hell.

“He can’t see me like this, Addie. I’m so…” Destitute, jobless, beaten, pathetic; none of the adjectives I could come up with did my situation justice.

“Are you kidding me? Right now is the perfect time for him to see you. You’ll tell him what your boss did and he’ll swoop in and drag the asshat to court, saving the day and forcing you to finally admit you’re in love with him so the two of you can get married and give me lots of gorgeous nieces and nephews.”

Addison was also a hopeless romantic.

“You think you got this all figured out, don’t you?” I asked, preparing to crush her dreams.

She nodded enthusiastically. “I’ve even found you the perfect dress.”

And I bet the glamorous creation would cost more than I made in a year. I needed to derail this train before it flattened the pennies left in my savings account. Don’t get me wrong, when it came to Asher, Addison and I had the same goal in mind–I’d marry her smart, funny, kind, handsome big brother and have his babies—but I intended to make my own way in this world first. I was working on a plan to dig myself out of the hole I’d been born into so I could climb up to his level, but losing my job would take me back to square one. And at twenty-four-years old, and acutely aware of my biological clock ticking toward thirty, I didn’t want to start over.

Feeling defeated, I collapsed on the sofa and stared at the ceiling. “You don’t get it, Addie. I want Asher to see me as an equal…as someone he’s chosen to love because of what I bring to the table. Not because he has to rescue me like some damsel in distress, getting harassed by my pervert of a boss.”

She put her hands on her hips and stared me down. “You’re an idiot, you know that? Ash has been in love with you since—”

“Since when?” I interrupted. “Since that stupid “Seven Minutes in Heaven” game when I threw up in his lap? I’m sure that made quite the impression. Not my best moment, Addie.”

She cracked a smile while shaking her head at the memory. Some people got sweaty hands or stuttered when they were nervous. Turns out I threw up…all over the boy I’d spent my entire life crushing on. Epic.

“That was years ago, and you—”

“Can still barely talk to him without losing my lunch,” I finished for her. “Admit it, Addie, I’m a lost cause.”

“So you like the guy so much it ties your stomach in knots. It’s…it’s sweet.”

I barf on him and she calls it sweet. See? Hopeless romantic.

“And when he finds out what your boss did to you, he’ll—”

Asher picked that very moment to walk into the living room. Of course he did, because I was having the best day ever.

“What’s going on with your boss, Harley?” he asked, without missing a beat.

My cheeks heated as my eyes sought him out, wondering what else he’d overheard. Asher was suited up for the day. Probably Armani, since both he and Addison had a penchant for the designer. He had the same blond hair as his sister, but his blue eyes had an intenseness to them that always managed to steal my breath away. He was currently rocking a short beard that added a layer of ruggedness to his posh handsomeness, taking him to yet another level out of my league. Hell, now that I was jobless, we weren’t even playing the same sport. I sat there in my clearance-rack skirt and blazer, acutely aware of the small run in the back of my nylons, wishing I could blend in with Addison’s leather sofa. When I didn’t answer his question, he turned to Addison.

“Addie?”

“Her boss is a douchebag,” Addison replied. “He’s been hitting on her since she started there and when he finally realized it wasn’t going to happen, he fired her.”

Asher’s eyes hardened and the muscles along his jawline rippled as he turned his intense gaze back onto me. “Is that true?”

I swallowed. “Not...exactly.”

“Harley!” Addison admonished.

When I didn’t elaborate, Asher walked over to the sofa and sat down beside me. “Tell me.”

The heat of his body did crazy things to my pulse, but I forced myself to woman-up and face him. “There were some discrepancies with the budget. I brought them to his attention and he informed me they weren’t my concern and ordered me to keep my nose in my own job. But they affected my job because I couldn’t add his expenses without plunging the budget into the red, so I…I took my issue to his boss. Next thing I know, “Kirk the Jerk” is helping me pack up my desk under the watchful eye of the security guard. Like I would take anything that reminded me of that place.”

Asher arched an eyebrow. “So he wasn’t hitting on you?”

“Uh…well...let’s just say that wasn’t the reason I was fired.”

“More like it wasn’t the reason he gave you,” Addison countered with a huff. “Seriously, Ashy, you should hear some of the things this Kirk douchebag has said to her. And the other day, he actually patted her on the ass! Can you imagine? Don’t you think she should—”

“Not important right now,” I said, feeling my cheeks heat up as I cast a hard glare at her. “Addie, you’re not helping.”

She glared right back at me. “You can’t let him get away with that crap.”

Asher grabbed my hand, forcing my attention back on him. “Harley, if your boss did or said anything inappropriate, you have options for—”

“For never getting a job in this town again?” I asked, emboldened by my frustration. I tugged my hand away from his, stood, and started pacing to work out my energy. “As much as I would love to do a solid for women everywhere and nail Kirk’s balls to the wall, I have to think about my future here. Do you have any idea what a sexual harassment case does to a woman’s chance of employment? I need to work, Ash. I had a plan and I was…” I paused long enough to swallow back my emotions, reminding myself that crying wouldn’t solve anything. “It would be less detrimental to my career to kill him than it would be to sue him.”

“Great, I’ll get my gun,” Addison said, heading for the safe.

Always the voice of reason, Asher lunged to wrap his sister in a hug, effectively cutting off the route that would begin her murder sentence. “I get what you’re saying, Harley. I don’t like it and I wish I could change your mind, but I understand why you don’t want to go after your boss. Regardless, he’s definitely not worth those consequences.”

Addison snorted. “We can hide a body, Harley.”

“You say that like you’ve done it before,” Asher accused.

Addison raised her hands in the air. “I will neither confirm, nor deny...”

“To be clear, we’ve never bagged a body then weighted it down with twenty-pound cinderblocks before throwing it in the river, watching it sink and never be seen again.” I winked at Addison and then sighed. “Asher’s right, though, Addie. I don’t want to spend any more time or energy on Kirk. I just want to drink my feelings away this weekend, and then Monday morning I’ll put on my big girl panties and update my resume.” And with a little luck, I’d have my college loans paid off right about the time I hit ninety.

Addison’s expression softened. I could tell she wanted to hug me, but was thankful she didn’t, because I could barely hold onto my tears as it was. “You’re amazing and awesome and super duper incredible, so you’ll find something quickly. I know you will. I’ll help you go through job listings this weekend.”

“Thanks, Ad.”

“Tonight we party, though,” Addison said. “On me. Ashy, wanna join us?”

“Can’t, sis. I’d love to stick around and make sure you two don’t end up in the hospital with alcohol poisoning, but I’ve gotta get back to work. And I have dinner with a client tonight. But call me if you need anything.” He released Addison to grab a file off the coffee table. Then he hugged me.

Asher had been one of my two best friends for years, and his arms felt safe and familiar, like a lighthouse directing me out of my current storm. I laid my head on his shoulder and breathed in his scent, content to let him hold me while tears stung my eyes. I wished I could stay like that forever, but all too soon the rest of my body picked up on his nearness, increasing my pulse and launching my stomach into a triple-tuck flip with a half-twist.

I started to pull away, but Asher gave me one last squeeze, whispering, “I miss you” against my cheek. Then he released me and headed out. I watched his very impressive backside disappear out the door before turning back to Addison.

“That bit about the body in the river was clever,” she said. “A little terrifying, but clever.”

I shrugged. “I’ve been reading mafia novels.”

Addison rolled her eyes. “You’re so weird. No reading tonight, though. We’re gonna go out and make sure you forget all about that sleazy boss. Which reminds me, I finally figured out a way to deal with my own sleaze problem.”

Because Addison was gorgeous and at least three tax brackets above the average working guy, she was often hit on by greasy gold-diggers who wanted to get their hands on her daddy’s money. Yes, male gold-diggers were a real problem for her, and just like their female counterparts, they had no shame. Many of our conversations had been interrupted by men, shirts open to their waists to thrust their ripped chests into Addison’s face like she was some kind of bitch in heat who wouldn’t be able to stop herself from rolling over and showing her who-ha at their manliness.

Right. But no matter how many cheesy pickup lines they tried to sell to Addison, they couldn’t seem to buy a clue that jobless, pretty-boy scrubs weren’t her type. And sometimes the overly-confident jerks were really hard to deflect, forcing Addison to get creative.

The last time we’d gone out some douchebag who oiled his chest—not kidding, he was shiny and reeked of baby oil—wearing an open blazer and skinny jeans wouldn’t leave our table until she gave him her number. Seeing no way out of it, she scrawled some fake digits on a napkin and handed it over. He took two steps away from our table, called the number, then turned to freak out on Addison for throwing him a fake. As if his pretty face and stacked body entitled him to her number.  

“Good. What’s the plan?” I asked.

She grinned. “This time I’ll use a real fake number.”

“Come again?”

“Well, I set up another phone line, so I just need to record a voicemail for my fake name and bam! Problem solved.”

I scratched my head. “So you’re paying a monthly line fee to give guys a fake number?”

She nodded, still grinning. “Genius, right?”

I was thinking more along the lines of expensive and unnecessary, but I could see where it would be useful. “You sticking with the name Lynda?” I asked.

Both Addison and Asher called their navigation systems Linda. I’d made the mistake of asking why once, and had gotten some long, drawn-out answer that boiled down to neither of them knowing. It was just something they did. So when Addison gave out a fake name, she used Lynda. Using her navigation system’s name was her little inside joke way of telling people to get lost. and writing Lynda with a “Y” instead of an “I” was like telling them to get lost with a flourish on the tail. Which pretty much summed up why she was my best friend. 

“Of course,” she said, grabbing her phone. “Then whenever we’re having a crap-lousy day we can dial in and listen to the messages. It’ll be like our own little reality show. We’ll call it Clueless Scrubs.”

Despite my own crap-lousy day, I couldn’t help but laugh as Addison set up an extra-breathy message on her new voicemail. “You know…” I grinned. “If your dad ever cuts you off, I think you could have a real future as one of those phone sex operators.”

She threw her phone at me. Then, knowing exactly what I needed, my bestie clapped her hands together and said, “All right, let’s get this party started.”

We drank mimosas for breakfast.

* * *

I was sleeping off the worst hangover of my life Saturday morning when loud pounding woke me up.

BAM BAM BAM!

Before I could even get my bearings, the door of my studio apartment burst open and two police officers filed in with their guns drawn.

I sat up and tugged my comforter around me, instantly sobering up by at least three margaritas. “What…what’s happening?” I asked.

Neither spoke. The Hispanic cop kept his weapon trained on me, while the blond scoured the small space, checking behind my sofa, searching the closet, and peeking under my bed before he paused in front of the bathroom door. He swore, then squared his shoulders and entered. I heard the shower curtain slide over its rod before he reemerged.

“It’s clean. Let’s take her in.” He turned and spoke into his radio, but I was too freaked out to pay attention to what he said.

“Take me in? To where? For what? What’s going on?” I asked.

“We need you to calm down, ma’am. We need you to come with us down to the station for questioning,” the Hispanic cop said.

His declaration was the opposite of calming. Heart thundering against my chest, I asked, “What?! Why?”

Instead of answering, he tugged me from my bed, revealing my tank top and panties. The blond kept his gun on me while the Hispanic officer gathered clothes and sneakers and tossed them on the bed. As soon as I dressed, he handcuffed me. When he tugged me past the bathroom door I peeked in. Dark streaks ran across the floor, the wall, and the shower curtain.

“What the hell?” I asked, leaning back as they shuffled me forward. “Is that…is that blood?”

No answer.

Why is there blood all over my bathroom?

We stepped out into the hallway where the Hispanic handed me off to a female officer. She tugged me forward, around two more cops who were roping off the area with yellow crime scene tape. I looked past them to see the body of a man propped against the wall, only steps from my front door.

I recognized the rumpled dark suit, thinning brown hair, and beady little eyes immediately.

But the knife sticking out of his chest was new.

* * *

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