LET THERE BE BLOOD
Sterling didn’t lookat me as I slid into the passenger seat of his unmarked car. The plush, buttery leather hugged my ass closely and for the first time, I considered upgrading from my little Honda Civic. It’s not like I didn’t have the money. This thing must have had all the bells and whistles that my car lacked, and then some.
“When we get there, you don’t say a goddamn word. You listen to me if I tell you to do something and don’t make yourself a nuisance.”
“Yes, daddy.” I sneered in his direction, watching his face go from pink to purple as he held his tongue.
“Don’t do that,” he finally said through clenched teeth.
“Why?” I asked. “Can’t control yourself?”
“No, I can’t. Not with you. I don’t think my coworkers would appreciate me bending you over the side of the patrol car and leaving handprints on your body.” His knuckles turned white on the steering wheel, and I knew he thought about spanking me.
“Where are we going?”
Sterling took his eyes off the road for a split second to address me properly. “The Renaldo hotel. The twelfth floor. Tally said it’s the penthouse suite. Supposedly it belongs to the Renaldo’s, or specifically, the son of the owner.” Looking back at the road, Sterling’s jaw clenched like he was grinding his teeth.
“Not David?”
“Oh, you remember this one?”
How could I forget? David and Isaac were my latest conquests if you didn’t count my boss and the two Incubi who’d recently entered my life. I thought about the news piece about David’s alleged fling with Isaac and cringed. Did that mean the other man was next? It was too hard to think about. “Yes, I remember him. You act like I'm some kind of whore, Sterling. You know as well as I do, I have to feed. It’s not like I sleep with random men for fun. Hell, I would rather stay home with my cat and binge watch true crime shows, but a girl’s got to eat.”
“You don’t have to do that anymore. You have me. We can sustain each other.”
“Change the subject,” I said, looking out the window.
“You said you’d consider it if I took you,” he spat.
“And we haven’t even arrived yet.” This man was infuriating. I couldn’t imagine a life with him, even if I did want to settle down. Then his scent hit my nose like a brick. His arousal washed over me like a summer rain, clinging to my flesh, penetrating through my pores. He was looking at me, staring at me as if he’d devour me whole. “Is it something I said?”
“Every time you run that smart mouth, I want to stick my dick in it.”
Police cars ahead blocked the street. The flashing red and blue lights came from everywhere at once, encapsulating us. “There are so many people here.”
“It’s a murder scene. What did you expect?”
“Listen, I watch a lot of TV.”
“Oh, good grief. Tell me you aren't one of those girls who likes to Netflix and chill, or whatever it is people say.”
I snickered. “You don’t really know what that means, do you?”
“Darlin’, if it means anything other than vegging out in front of the tube, I don’t want to know.” Sterling pulled the car close to the curb and killed the engine. “Remember, do what you’re told and stay the fuck out of the way. And I don’t need any retort from that, just do it.”
He unclipped his seat belt and paused with his hand on the door as I sucked in a breath to spout a witty comeback. When I saw the serious look in his eye, I swallowed my words and decided to save them for later. It could wait.
Detective Tally waited on the sidewalk when we exited the vehicle. “Who's the chick?”
“Don’t you worry about that,” Sterling said in a thick Louisiana drawl. “Give me the scoop.”
Tally nodded. “Same as the rest. Bullet to the brain. Suite is clean. Far too clean for what happened in there. Weapon wasn’t left behind. There’re no casings, no fingerprints that we’ve found. Oh, but I did snag this when the ME wasn’t looking.” Tally handed Sterling a baggy with the word ‘evidence’ emblazoned on it. “They were in the same place as the rest. I knew you’d want to have first crack at them.”
I craned my head to try to see what the bag held when Sterling cracked it open, but he was too fast. “Anything else I should be aware of?”
“Well, there was one other thing,” Tally chuckled. “But I’m not telling unless you introduce me to this beautiful lady you’ve dragged along with you. Please tell me she is your cousin.”
Sterling’s face flushed. “A man was murdered, and you’re making jokes.”