She took a sip of her juice. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
That wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear. He placed his fork on his empty plate, braced his forearms on the table, and made sure she saw his serious-as-hell-expression. “But you’ll call me if you need anything, right?” he repeated adamantly.
She rolled her eyes at him, as if he were being ridiculous. “Yes, Officer Kincaid.”
Oh, yeah, he was definitely bringing out the handcuffs tonight.
* * *
The first stop Levi made was to the Sleepy Time Motel. Even in broad daylight, the place looked like a fucking shithole, but at least he was there early enough that there weren’t any junkies, prostitutes, or drug dealers hanging around yet. He parked his truck and headed toward the front of the motel and the single glass door with a hand-written note taped to the window that read, CHECK IN HERE.
As he stepped inside the tiny office that was more the size of a cubicle with a long, high counter dividing the room into two even smaller sections, a buzzing sound announced his arrival. The office was empty, and when no one appeared to help him, he impatiently pushed the buzzer on the counter until a side door opened and an unkempt, middle-aged man with long, stringy hair and a grungy beard came stumbling out, wearing just a pair of flannel pajama pants.
“Jesus, man,” the guy grumbled irritably. “I was on the toilet.”
He ambled up to the counter, bringing with him the strong, unpleasant scent of having just smoked weed. The dude looked stoned, but since Levi wasn’t here in an official capacity, he didn’t give a crap what the guy had been doing before he’d arrived.
“What do you want? Hourly or daily rate?” the man asked as he searched for something beneath the other side of the counter.
“Neither. I’m not here for a room.” When the guy narrowed his gaze suspiciously, Levi explained. “You have a guest staying here by the name of Sarah Robins. Room 116. She’s been here a few weeks.”
Before Levi could finish what he’d been about to say, the other man cut in with an annoyed look. “What’s with this chick all of a sudden? Since she’s been at the motel, I’ve never seen her with a john, and now you’re the second guy that’s come in here asking for her by name.”
Levi didn’t bother correcting the other guy’s assumption. He was too caught up in what the man had just revealed. “What do you mean I’m the second guy who’s asked about her? When did the other person come by, and what was his name?”
“It was late last night and I don’t know what the hell his name was. I didn’t ask,” he said testily. “I told him her room number, and that’s the last I saw of him. It’s not my job to keep track of all the johns that stop in here.”
Levi’s stomach twisted with sudden unease. Some man had been looking specifically for Sarah, and he knew damn well it wasn’t for the reasons this jerk was insinuating. So, who was the guy and what did he want with her?
“Last night, her room was broken into and she was robbed.” Coincidence? Levi had no idea, but he didn’t like the fact that the two incidences had happened the same exact evening.
“Yeah, my maintenance guy texted me this morning that the bathroom window was busted open, and when he went inside, the place was trashed.” The other guy looked Levi up and down. “You here to pay for the damages, then?”
Levi almost laughed in the man’s face. “No. I’m here to report the break-in and check Ms. Robins out of this . . . place,” he said, catching himself before a more derogatory description fell out of his mouth. “She won’t be staying here any longer.” Especially now that he knew that another man had come looking for her.
The clerk leaned insolently against the counter. “Yeah, well, if the damages aren’t paid for, then Ms. Robins can kiss her deposit, and the rest of her week’s payment for the room, good-bye.”
Levi smiled, and it wasn’t a pleasant one. No, this was an I’m going to kick your fucking ass and enjoy it kind of smirk. If the asshole thought it was okay to threaten him, then Levi had no qualms doing the same. It wasn’t Sarah’s fault that her room had been ransacked, and there was no way in hell Levi was going to let this prick cheat her out of money that was rightfully hers and that she needed now that her stash had been stolen.
Reaching into his pocket, Levi retrieved his wallet and flipped it open to show the pothead his shiny police badge. The guy’s eyes widened, and he immediately went pale and took a wobbly step back as an oh shit kind of look appeared on his face.
“Yeah, that’s right. I’m a cop,” he stated, his tone smug because there was no doubt that Levi now had the upper hand in the situation. “Do you really want me to file a report with CPD for the break-in and robbery to get Ms. Robin’s payment back? Because if I have to take the time to write up a fucking statement, I can guarantee that there will be more than a few other offenses on the report, including you being under the influence.”
“No, no, of course not,” he backtracked quickly, though he didn’t look happy about parting with the money. “I’ll just write a check for the reimbursement.”
No way was Levi accepting a bank check from this dump and risking the chance that it would most likely bounce. “I want it in cash.”
The guy’s bloodshot eyes glared at him. “I don’t have that much money on hand.”
“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” Levi boomed incredulously. “Did you not hear me when I said I’m a cop? I know that ninety-nine percent of your hourly rate clientele at this hotel pays in cash. Don’t dick around with me.”
The man’s lips pressed into a thin line of annoyance, but he wisely held back the scathing words he undoubtedly wanted to spew at Levi. Instead, he said, “I’ll be right back,” then disappeared through the side door again.
Levi glanced at the time on his phone, giving the guy five minutes to return before he went and got the goddamn money himself. Luckily, the idiot returned in four and a half and slammed down a handful of dollar bills on the counter in front of Levi.
“See, now that wasn’t so difficult, was it?” Levi asked pleasantly after he counted the cash to make sure the guy had included the rest of the week’s payment and the deposit.
It was all there, so his job here was done, though he couldn’t stop wondering about the other man who’d inquired about Sarah. He pocketed the money to give to her when he got back home and smiled at the angry-looking clerk. “Have a nice day,” Levi said sarcastically, and headed back to his truck.