However, this area was just as sketchy. I stopped, grabbed the gun from the duffle and tucked it into my hoodie pouch. At least I could defend myself in case some fucker tried to jump me. Again.
As I neared the corner of Oak and Jackson, I noticed a pickup truck was rolling up beside me and kept pace. I held my eyes forward, not wanting to provoke the driver or anyone else inside the vehicle.
Jesus, when it rained, it poured. I wasn’t surprised that more chaos was piling up onto my already shitty night.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the front passenger window slide down.
“Get in.”
I came to an abrupt halt as I recognized Decker’s raspy voice, and the truck also stopped moving. I slowly turned and stared at him for a long minute, not sure if I was truly seeing him or if my imagination was playing tricks on me.
“Get in the truck, Krew, or do I have to pull out my gun again? There’s no room for arguing in this neighborhood at three in the morning,” he ordered as he looked around the area. He was pissed. Why?
“I’m good.” I pulled out the gun. Decker’s nostrils flared, and his blue eyes turned icy.
“Put that fucking thing away, and get in the damn truck, K.” His clipped tone brooked no argument and I slid the gun back into my pouch. He sat in the truck, glared at me and waited.
I was too damned tired to argue—or to fight. Teke had drained most of it out of me. Besides, I wasn’t in the right head space to debate with this man. Not knowing where I was, or how safe the streets around here actually were, I got in. As soon as my door shut, Decker put the vehicle into drive and took off.
“What are you doing here? How did you find me?” I asked, while shoving the duffle down by my feet.
“My handler tracked your phone,” he growled, as though he was angry with me. “And give me that gun before you go shooting your dick off.”
“Your who? And no. I feel better keeping the gun.” I had a tight grip on the gun, which was still in my hoodie pouch.
“Never mind who.” He tilted his head slightly, until I was only able to see the part of his face lit up by the street lights we passed. The rest was hidden in the shadows of the dark cab. “Christ,” he muttered.
“Why did you track me down? Especially when you made it clear that you don’t want to see me again.” I tried to remain calm, but my fury built with every petulant word out of my mouth.
Decker turned his face fully away, adjusting his body before he blew out a heavy breath. “I never said that. I told you to leave, because I didn’t want to see you in jail.”
“That still doesn’t answer my question about why you tracked me down.”
“You’re the one who texted me. You’re the one who won’t leave it alone.”
“That’s right. Blame it on me. Such a typical Decker Moss move,” I snarled, like a hungry Rottweiler wanting the bone being dangled in my face. I wanted the real answers. “Stop playing games, Deck. Tell me the truth. Why did you track me down?”
Decker grazed his thumb across his lower lip, and my eyes tracked the movement. I swallowed deep, trying to tamp down the sudden overwhelming lust brought on by a vivid memory of those lips wrapped around my cock.
He met my eyes. “I missed you and wanted to talk,” Decker finally said in a low timbre. The tip of his tongue peeked out between his lips, and I shivered slightly. It seemed he was aching for me as much as I ached for him. But I wasn’t going to give in to my desire—no matter how desperate I desired his touch, until we got some things straightened out.
“You missed me and you wanted to talk.” I leaned closer to him and coldly said, “Okay. I’m here. Talk.”
“Fuck off. I said I missed you. That’s the truth. So don’t act like you haven’t missed me too,” he hissed, and pushed me away from him.
“Yeah?” I couldn’t hold onto my frown.
“Yeah.”
“Then where have you been all this time?” I asked, easing back to my side of the truck. “Why didn’t you reach out to me? How in the hell did you get into killing people?” I couldn’t stop—it was as if the dam holding back all of my questions had burst.
“Jesus fucking Christ, K,” Decker said with fierce intensity. “I need a drink.”
A chuckle slid out of me. “I need food. And since we have years to catch up on, let’s find a place to eat.”
Decker grumbled something under his breath before saying, “I saw an all-night diner a few miles back.”
“Let’s go.”
