Twice as Hot (Tales of an Extraordinary Girl #2)(58)

"Tell me it wasn't Memory Man, Belle."

Sometimes it sucked to love a man who was good at putting clues together. "So you want me to lie?" Crack.The top half of the steering wheel detached from the bottom half.

"He called me, too," I added. Might as well disclose the full truth, now that our channels of communication were so open.

Like a child who'd just been told he couldn't play with his favorite toy anymore, Rome tossed the decimated piece on the floor.

"Jealous?" I asked hopefully.

"Hardly."

He was, I thought, trying not to grin. He really was. His breath was sawing in and out and his teeth were grinding together. That was more than just anger, and what sweet progress it was! This was the Rome I knew and loved. A man who wanted me all to himself, who hated for other men to even glance in my direction. Sounded Neanderthal, but I loved it.

In the past, boyfriends hadn't cared who looked at me or even what I did with the person doing the looking. I'd been a kind of backup plan for them, easily discarded when something better came along.

To Rome, I'd always been that something better, and he'd wanted to cherish me.

"We're being pulled over, ladies," he suddenly said. "Let me do the talking."

"What!" Sherridan shouted. "Why? You weren't speeding. At least, not that much." I rubbed my palm over my chest, my heart once again fluttering wildly. "Think they know we - " Rome gave a single shake of his head. "They'd have guns trained on us if they suspected. They're just taking names, finding out who was out and about in this area during the shootout." The car slowed, then came to a halt altogether at a curb in front of a sprawling two-story house.

Once again I found myself watching a scene play out through a rearview mirror. The black-and-white car door swung open. Booted feet hit the ground, and then a short, stocky male was unfolding himself from the car and standing.

I groaned when his rough, weathered features came into view.

"What?" Sherridan and Rome demanded in unison.

"I know him." And that was not a good thing! "I bet he's trying to catch us riding dirty."

"Wait. You know the policeman?" Rome asked, brow furrowing.

"Yeah. A girl never forgets her first arresting officer."

Sherridan snapped her fingers, anger flaring in her navy eyes. "So we're about to have a face-to-face with K. Parton?"

"You know him, too?" Rome demanded.

"Well, Belle was driving my car, and I had to bail her out. Get ready to meet the antichrist, my friend.

This guy likes to treat innocent women like hardened criminals."

"You were arrested?" Rome turned the mirror so that he could have a better look at the man approaching. "For what?"

Rome had once done a background check on me, so he already had this info at his fingertips. Rehashing it did not equal fun. "I had an expired license. No big deal." Now he blinked over at me. "You're kidding. There are violent felons out there, and he booked you for a damn license violation?"

"Yep. I was on my way to a job interview. Of course, I never made it so I didn't get the job. And I would have nailed that interview, I just know it. I've always been good at those." I should be, anyway.

I'd sat through what seemed like thousands of them.

"Kill him," Sherridan commanded of Rome.

Officer Bastard, a.k.a. Officer Parton, advanced on the car with strong, sure strides. What were the chances I'd run into the devil twice in a lifetime?

Who knows? Maybe he'd changed. Maybe he'd -

He stopped in front of Rome's window and I was given a full, unobstructed view of him. Oh, no. Little Partie Wartie hadn't stopped loving himself, that much was obvious by the proud tilt of his chin and the superior gleam in his eyes as he lifted his sunglasses. Clearly, he still considered himself God in that dark blue uniform.

Funny, but just then he reminded me of Lexis.

Don't get me wrong. I had nothing against cops in general. We worked in a similar field, so of course I respected what they did. But people who were so in love with their own power drove me batty.

I had the power to destroy families, armies. I mean, I could fry this man with a fireball. He'd scream and he'd suffer and he'd die. But while the thought morbidly pleased me, I wouldn't act on it. I didn't think myself better than him - well, than everyone  - because of what I could do.

That was the difference between us.

Rome opened the driver-side window and rested his elbow on the rim. "What's the problem, Officer?

Was I speeding?"

Parton tapped a pen against the pad of paper he held. "License and registration." His gaze traveled over me, but it was clear he didn't recognize me. Unlike last time, his lips did not curl in distaste.

At this rate, I was going to develop a complex. Was I that forgettable?

He looked Sherridan over next, paused to admire her for a bit, then studied the jacked-up steering wheel. He didn't ask, to my surprise, but he had to wonder.

Rome gave him both with a nervous laugh. I knew that laugh was faked. Nothing made Rome nervous.

Look how he'd handled those shooters. Not even a moment of hesitation.

"You live in the area," Officer Parton said, looking over Rome's information. "Where you headed?"