Curling my hand back around my drink, I swallowed the rest of it in one tilt. The burn down my throat met the burn in my veins and together, they flooded my body full of fire. Angry. Fucking. Fire.
When I first became an agent seven years ago, I was bright-eyed and ignorantly bushy tailed. If I’d have known then that all this job would get me was a polluted liver and days spent chauffeuring some entitled princess around, I’d have considered a career as an accountant like my mom wanted me to more seriously.
I threw cash on the table and snatched up my ‘for a good time call’ napkin. My blushing waitress would have to wait a day or two, but I’d be back for her. I hadn’t fucked anyone since that bartender last month, and she was obscenely boring between the sheets. My waitress went red just talking to me, and I’d bet money I could get the rest of her body the same color if we had just five minutes alone.
The whole drive over to the LAPD, I cursed my job, the god-awful drivers around me, and most of all, my boss’s fucking daughter. Scarlett. She was the one Special Agent Avery didn’t keep pictures of in his office. He had pictures of his wife, his son, and one of him getting some bullshit award.
But no Scarlett.
I only saw her once and that was years ago. I had no idea what she looked like now, so when I got to LAPD, I was relieved they knew what I was there for. Good to his word, Special Agent Avery told them I was coming, and the guy who signed her out to me gave me a nod of good luck.
“She’s got a mouth on her, doesn’t she?”
I fucking loathed small talk. “Don’t know. Never met her.”
His mouth formed an O. A twinge of humor caught on his mouth before he twisted it shut instead of saying whatever smartass remark he had prepared.
“She’s back this way.” He jutted his head towards the back, and I followed behind.
Avery’s daughter apparently made quite the impression on this guy. A pretty shitty one too.
Arrests, bad first impressions, and a mouth that impressed even LA’s finest. No wonder Agent Avery didn’t promote Scarlett as his daughter back at headquarters. That was a man who preferred all things in his immediate vicinity squeaky clean, and this Scarlett sounded downright filthy.
“What’d you guys pick her up for?” I asked as we walked.
“Arson.” He let out a curt chuckle. “She’s not the brightest. She was standing right in front of the house when we got there. The arrest was easy.”
We stepped into what looked like the common area for the precinct, officers scattered around with their packed lunches and coffees, but not one was touching their food.None of them gave us their attention when we walked in either. All eyes were on a closed door against the far wall, and in two seconds, I found out why.
“You have got to be kidding me.” A female’s voice cut across the room, loud and furious and holding every officer’s attention in the room.
“Ms. Avery, please calm down.”
Ah, found her.
“I’ll calm down once you arrest me again! I did it! You fucking caught me red-handed.”
“It’s out of our hands. Governor Ricks has agreed to drop all charges.”
“Because my dad pulled his tricks like he always does,” she gritted out, “but I burned down a government official's house! It’s gone. That’s hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. You have to arrest me.”
“Not according to your father.”
There was a pause.
“This is bullshit!”
And then a crash.
The door the argument was held behind yanked open, and a fiery redhead walked out.
It wasn’t a natural red. Her hair burned like a rose on fire, scorched at its natural dark roots. Her lips donned the same color, spewing out venom at every passing officer. Her poison hit each of them smack dab in the face, but it didn’t stop their eyes from following her ass as she stomped her way out of the office.
This woman was on fire in every way but literally, and the heat of her blaze curled the hair on my forearms the closer she got to me.
“Ms. Avery. This is the agent who will be escorting you home today.” Green eyes cut to the officer who led me back here, and I’d never seen eyes that could speak ‘fuck you’ so loudly before.
It was kind of admirable.