1
JAKE
“In a quarter mile, take exit 81 for US-231 North toward Murfreesboro.”
“Yeah, yeah. I hear ya,” I mutter to my GPS, checking my mirrors before I switch lanes. “Who needs a fuckin’ woman when I’ve got you to nag me relentlessly?”
I’m not always such an asshole. I’m just cranky as fuck. After close to eleven hours on the road, I’m exhausted, hungry, and more than fucking ready to be out of this car.
I’ve been alone, with only my GPS for company, since first thing this morning when I finally got a lead on a possible location for Adam’s long-lost sibling. Eager to see if the lead would pan out, I packed a bag, booked the first available vacation rental I could find, and got my ass on the road. I barely took the time to stop for gas on my way out of town.
This case has been a major headache from the start, but Adam came to me for help, and I won’t give up until I find this mysterious sibling of his. Adam is my client, but he’s also someone I consider a friend, and after helping him in the past, I know how important his family is to him. When he learned his deadbeat father wasn’t his biological father, he called me. He knew I could get him answers and hired me to find information on the man who contributed to his DNA. It should have been a cut and dry case, but it turned up more questions than answers. I never imagined I’d still be searching for those answers more than a year later.
Adam’s sperm donor, Luis Hernandez, was a real piece of work, a lowlife of epic proportions. He had numerous skeletons in his closet, and even more buried in the backyard, but with me on the case, they never stood a chance at remaining hidden. I uncovered all his dirty little secrets, including the fact that he had a bad habit of fathering children and walking away. Adam took the news better than I thought. He was happy to learn he had siblings. Well, half-siblings, technically, but that technicality is insignificant to Adam. Family is family.
The first sibling was easy to find. Coincidentally, he lived right there in the small town Adam had recently moved to. There’s more to it, but the details aren’t important. The second came out of nowhere, surprising even me. But the third… well, the third has been a little more complicated. The information I’ve been able to find on Adam’s third sibling has been scarce, and conflicting. It seems like every new bit of information I uncover completely contradicts what I thought I’d learned. I’m honestly not even entirely sure who the hell I’m looking for at this point.
Until this morning, the only concrete detail I had to go on was a name.
Riley Ashton Rose.
I may be a private investigator, and I’m damn good at what I do, but at the end of the day, I’m still bound by the law. There’s information out there that I can’t get my hands on legally. I’ve never needed to resort to illegal measures to close a case. I won’t start now, no matter how much more complicated this case may get.
This morning, I managed to get a tip-off of the last-known address for one Riley Ashton Rose from a reliable source.
Now, I’m a man on a mission.
Letting the monotone voice from my GPS continue to guide me to the address, I cruise through Murfreesboro and take in the city along the way. The sun is beginning to set, so I won’t be doing any investigating tonight. I’m not one to creep around after dark unless I have no other choice. I do want to check out the neighborhood though because I need a plan moving forward. I may have jumped in my car on a whim, but even I know something like this requires planning and patience. It’s not as simple as knocking on the door and asking for Riley. I wish it were. But if there’s one thing I can conclude from all my research so far… it’s that Riley Rose doesn’t necessarily want to be found. I’m going to have to resort to other methods.
Scoping out the neighborhood, I form a solid plan in my head and decide to start early tomorrow morning. For now, I need to check into my rental, take a long, hot shower, and get a good night’s sleep. But first, I need to get something in my stomach.
Typing in the rental house’s address on my GPS, I decide to find a restaurant along the way to grab a bite to eat. The house has a kitchen, but I’m not up for shopping for groceries and cooking after being on the road all day. I mentally add a trip to the grocery store to my list of things to do tomorrow.
About a mile from the house, I stop at a red light. Bright pink and white lights catch my eye, drawing my attention to a small strip mall. The bright lights illuminate the painted windows of what looks like a tattoo parlor. Closer inspection confirms my assumption, when I see the name of the shop painted in unique lettering among the cherry blossoms on the glass. Not looking to get inked today, so my gaze drifts down the strip, landing on the neon sign for a Chinese restaurant, and my stomach rumbles.
Chinese is it.
I hit my turn signal and pull into the lot, parking in an empty space in front of the restaurant. Dragging my tired body from the car, I stand up straight and bridge my hands above my head, bending side to side to stretch my stiff muscles. My back pops and I groan in relief. Reaching back into the car, I grab my wallet from the center console and slip it into the back pocket of my jeans. As I move to shut the door, something niggles at my senses, prickling at my awareness.
It’s a feeling I know all too well.
Someone is watching me.
Closing and locking the door, I look around without being obvious, but I don’t see anyone. Unbothered, but still on alert, I make my way to the restaurant.
I reach for the door handle, but before my fingertips meet the cool metal, it opens, and I stop, momentarily frozen where I stand.
Her laugh gets my attention.
Her beauty gives me pause.
Her smile… her smile steals my fucking breath.
Blinking myself out of my stupor, I let my eyes greedily take in her features.
Shoulder-length light blonde hair. Smooth, porcelain skin. Perfectly sculpted brows. A wide mouth with plump, pouty lips I’d love to trace with my tongue. I bite my lip to hold in a groan when I look at her physique. Tall and slender, subtle curves. Tatted and so damn tempting. A ripped-up band tee shows off the colorful tattoos decorating both her arms, and her jeans look practically painted on her mile-long legs.
She’s gorgeous.
Extremely fucking gorgeous.
Reaching out again, I grab the handle to hold the door for her as she backs out, saying goodbye to whoever she was conversing with. She turns slightly, stopping in her tracks when she notices how close I am. Her pretty hazel eyes meet mine for a fraction of a second, widening almost imperceptibly before she lets them trail down my body at a languid pace.
Damn, girl.
Still holding the door, I slip my other hand in my pocket and let her look. She could have been the one watching me before. Even if she wasn’t, she’s getting a damn good look now. If I were a different man, I might feel a little violated at the thorough eye-fucking she’s giving me. I crack a grin. She doesn’t bother trying to hide the fact that she’s checking me out. Biting the inside of my cheek, I mask my amusement and clear my throat, waiting for her eyes to come back to mine. When they do, I lift a brow. She lets her eyes sweep over my body one more time and gives me a coy smile.
“Thanks, handsome.”
With that, she turns on her heels and struts down the sidewalk. Scrubbing my hand across my jaw, I chuckle and watch her go. As much as I hate that she’s walking away, I damn sure don’t mind the view as she leaves, her tight little ass swaying back and forth like a pendulum. Hypnotized, I bite my lip and keep my gaze locked on her until she stops, throwing one last look over her shoulder. She winks and disappears through the door to the tattoo parlor.
Letting the door to the restaurant close, I stand outside on the sidewalk, staring at the door she went through. Fuck. Chinese food doesn’t sound nearly as appetizing as it did five minutes ago. I’d much rather have a mouthwatering little blonde than anything the restaurant has on the menu. It’s all I can do to resist the urge to skip dinner and go chase dessert.
But I’m not here for a good time.
I’ve got a job to do.