Distraction (Underground Kings 3)

“No problem,” they all agree as I take a seat in my chair, and they head for the door.

“And guys, if Maggie’s here, make sure she doesn’t get into any kind of trouble,” I add, hearing them laugh as the door closes behind them.

Pulling my cell out of my pocket, I press send on Justin’s number and wait for him to pick up. Justin is not only a friend of mine, but he’s a computer guru who is somehow able to find shit out that I’m sure would scare our biggest government agencies. He not only works for Kenton, doing intel and searches; he also runs an online group called the Winds of the North, a group of online hackers and activists who help to shut down terrorists and extremists through their websites.

“Seven-Eleven,” he greets after the second ring, making me chuckle, but his next words make me see red and cause my blood to boil. “You sent my gift away from your house without a word. What the fuck, man? She was paid for and everything.”

“You motherfucker,” I roar, feeling the pulse in my neck beat against the collar of my shirt.

“What?” he asks casually.

“How the fuck did she get into my house, Justin?”

“I let her in,” he mutters like duh, which only serves to piss me off even more.

“Maggie is the one who opened the door and found her there,” I whisper, because otherwise I’m going to blow the window out of my office. I swear if he was in front of me, I would kill him.

“Did you and Maggie sort your shit out?” he asks, and I pull the phone away from my ear and look at it, wondering how the fuck this guy is able to do the shit he does when he’s obviously stupid as fuck.

“Me and Maggie are none of your fucking concern.”

“I’m taking that as a yes. So you can just tell me thank you.”

“Why the fuck would I tell you thank you, motherfucker?”

“I helped you guys get past your stupid issues, and now you’re together,” he says, the smile evident in his voice.

“Maggie was roofied. I didn’t know that shit, and we got together while she was drugged. The next morning, she took off on me and went to her old apartment. I waited outside her place and must have fallen asleep for a second, because when I opened my eyes, her car was gone. She got home before I did, and when she walked in, there was a random piece in our house. So please forgive me for not fucking telling you thanks for your fuck-up.”

“What?” he whispers in distress.

“Yeah, now you’re getting it,” I growl, standing from my desk so I can pace the floor of my office.

“Fuck, man, is she okay? I saw her on the feed for her apartment, but I just thought you guys had a fight. I wanted to help, man. I swear I never would have done that shit otherwise.” Hearing the genuine concern in his tone does a little to alleviate the anger I’m feeling, but just a little.

“She’s fine now. Yesterday, fuck no she wasn’t okay, and thank fuck she believed me when I said I didn’t know who the chick was in the house or how she got there.”

“I’ll tell her it was me.”

“What the fuck is that going to do?” I roll my eyes and rub my forehead.

“Okay, good point,” he mutters under his breath.

“From now on, keep to your profession, ‘cause your matchmaking skills are lacking severely.”

“Got it,” he agrees.

“You owe me, man, and I expect you to pay up,” I tell him. Normally, I pay Justin for his services, but this one is going to be on him.

“Anything, just tell me what you need.”

“I need you to find me whatever you can on Eva Locklear. She works the bar here at the club and—”

“You think she has something to do with your girl getting drugged?” he asks, cutting me off, and I hear him typing through the phone.

“They’re friends, but she’s the only one who would have had a chance to do it. I watched the tapes, and no one else had an opportunity.”

“Got it,” he mutters, distracted.

“Have you found out anything new on Maggie’s sister?” I question, sitting back down.

After the men broke into Maggie’s apartment, looking for her sister, I put in a call to Justin to see if he could find out anything on her whereabouts. His search came up empty-handed; she didn’t have any cards in her name and wasn’t working, and her friend she hung out with was a dead end as well.

/>   I couldn’t honestly give a fuck about the woman, but until she turns up and cleans up her mess, Maggie is in danger. Plus, I know it’s hurting my woman that her sister is in danger, and that’s enough for me to put my own personal feelings aside to look for her.

“Nada, she’s still ghost, and it’s been two weeks since I’ve seen her on the camera I put up at the apartment.”

“Fuck.” I run a hand through my hair.

“I’m in Vegas, and I’ll be here for a few days, so I’ll see if I can find out anything on the street about her.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

“No problem, and I’m sorry about your girl.”

“Thanks, man,” I grumble. If Justin was anyone else, I would hunt his ass down, but I know him and know that in his fucked up way, he really thought he was helping.

“I’ll message you what I find.”

“Sounds good.” I hang up and look at the clock. “It’s gonna be a long fucking night.”

Walking into the house, the light in the foyer is on, and I smile, knowing Maggie left it that way so it wouldn’t be pitch black when I walked inside.

Walking toward the kitchen, I stop in my tracks when I find her asleep on the couch with a book held loosely in her grasp. Taking the book from her, I set it on the coffee table then sit on the edge of the couch and run my finger down her cheek. Her eyes open slowly, and she looks confused for a moment then smiles softly.

“Hey,” she whispers, bringing her hand up to my jaw.

“Hey,” I whisper back, taking her hand, kissing her fingers, which curl around mine.

“I fell asleep,” she tells me and I grin.

“I see that. Did you eat?”

Rolling her eyes, she sits up and mutters, “Yes,” and I lean forward, kissing her before pulling back and searching her face, loving the way her eyes soften every time my mouth leaves hers.

“I didn’t eat. Do you want to hang in the kitchen with me while I find something?” I ask.

“I made dinner. It’s in the oven on warm.” She smiles, pushing my hands away as they make their way under the edge of her shirt.

“You made dinner?”