Page 23 of Under Pressure

“Like a bull,” Delta corrected his friend and turned to leave. “I’ll see you in two weeks.”

“I’ll find out,” Warren called after him as Delta made his way away down the alley. “I always do.”

Delta cocked his head over his shoulder and casually grinned. “Be my guest.”

Exiting the dark space, Delta rattled his keys in his fingers, coming into the bar’s parking lot. Today, he hadn’t taken the truck. Jumping on the back of his Harley, he inserted the keys and revved.

Warren was onto him and wasn’t going to let up. That wasn’t his style. Delta admitted to himself that he had a choice. Show Warren what he’d taken when he’d broken into the lab—or hide it, fall on his sword or wait to be found out.

Chapter Ten

Spinning through Bakersfield, Kendra listened to the directions blasting through her car’s console. She’d just finished doing what she needed to do, but dusk was setting in. She was vibrating with anxiety. It was much later than she’d wanted to be out, but the stopover at home had taken longer than she’d planned. Though that was par for the course these days.

Kendra’s life had significantly changed over the past year, between pregnancy and delivering her son. Before she’d come back to work about a month before, she had hardly left the house except for hospital appointments and groceries. She didn’t know if it was in her head, but she swore that people had seemed to look at her funny when she’d had that big pregnant belly and no wedding ring.

It’s like they’d known—and she’d felt that shame, that guilt. She’d let it happen to her.

She rolled down the road in the unfamiliar city, wondering what she’d do if the DNA results weren’t the ones she was hoping for? She had left the sample with her trusted colleague at the Bakersfield lab—someone she knew would keep things discreet. It was a good thing they had the equipment to finalize what her lab had started.

Letting out a deep, forced breath, hands gripping the steering wheel, she reminded herself that she just had to be patient. They’d regrow the DNA string via the optimizer and assess. Were there irregularities or not?

She found her way into the downtown core, finally parking in the hotel lot. Gazing into the drab lobby, her stomach sank. It was one of those last-minute discount hotels, but now, she found herself questioning if she should even bother. Sure, it was late, but shouldn’t she just drive home? God, she wanted to just be with her son. She felt so stretched being away from him. But home was hours away, and text messages from her sister reassured her that her baby was happy as a clam.

The memory of being spun off the road and nearly crashing down the Malibu hillside flashed to the front of her mind, causing her hands to tremble. Her tired brain grew dizzy momentarily, making up her mind for her. As much as she’d rather be home, it would be safer to spend the night. She wasn’t fully recovered from the crash, emotionally or otherwise. Traversing back through the rocky ridges between Bakersfield and Malibu seemed like a bad idea. She had to think about more than one life now.

Kendra got out of the rental, throwing her overnight bag over her shoulder as she marched on the darkened pavement toward the hotel entrance. In strappy sandals, girlfriend jeans and a relaxed, white-knit top, she blended in with the up-tempo young people moving around the sidewalks as they found their way to whatever nightly entertainment they had planned.

At the side of the hotel, she paused, suddenly getting that weird feeling that someone was watching her. An eerie sensation climbed up her body, and instinctively she whipped out her cell phone. Covertly glancing around, her heart pounding, she prayed it wasn’t real.

Kendra swiveled her head around, analyzing her surroundings. There was no one, and nothing suspicious presented. She was alone on the edge of the small hotel parking lot, which was framed by other downtown buildings. Still, she couldn’t deny the prickles running up her back. Someone was watching her.

Am I imagining things? She tried to calm herself, taking in a deep breath. Bitterly, she recalled Delta’s warnings and his suggested deal.

“He’s just playing games,” she muttered, trying to reassure herself. “Selfish prick.”

Accidents happened all the time in the Malibu hills, she told herself again and again. No one was trying to drive her off the road. She couldn’t play into Delta’s hands. There was nothing to be scared of. Delta hadn’t shown her any evidence that she should be worried, but he had shown her evidence that he was willing to use her. Who knew what his agenda was?

Kendra forced the chilling feeling to pass as she observed a young couple stopping in front of the hotel, not far from where she stood, to kiss passionately. It was the type of moment that would be sweet to anyone in love and agonizing for anyone in heartbreak. The man playfully tucked the woman’s hair behind her ear, adoring her and loving her. The moment the woman’s engagement ring glinted in the light of the streetlamp, Kendra flinched.

She fell against the concrete side of the building, instinctively deploying her Lamaze breathing. Her ring finger felt as lonesome as she’d been, going through pregnancy and childbirth alone. The doctor had been so confused. What did she mean, her husband wouldn’t be attending? She wasn’t married. Did she even know the father?

The couple on the street released from their kiss, whispering privately. It both sickened Kendra and drove a need deep inside her. It was in that split second that she finally admitted that she had to let go. Delta, like an addiction, got her so high and made her so low. All year long she just couldn’t stop thinking about him and feeling so damn angry.

She watched the couple continue walking up the street, nearly craning her neck to see them go. Distant tropical music slipped into her senses from the very direction they walked, and her focus drifted to a lively tiki bar. Maybe she should trade one addiction for another? Maybe she should get drunk, call him and tell him everything. Or maybe she should just say ‘fuck it’ and grab a pina colada. It really had been a day.

And so that was exactly what she decided to do.

Within ten minutes, Kendra found herself letting her ponytail out and releasing her blonde locks over her tan shoulders as she leaned over a tiny, sticky bar, sipping on a delicious, fresh pina colada. She loved a bar that used real coconut, and that hipster joint was all over it. The sweet taste of the beachy drink lingered in her mouth as she flipped through her phone, muting every friend on social media who was showing off engagement pictures. She had to take care of her own mental health.

“Rough week?” the bartender laughed as he approached her, his green eyes twinkling. She leaned back, wondering for a second if he was flirting.

“You could say that.”

Then he slung two shots of tequila on the bar top. “On the house.”

She sucked in her breath, shaking her head. She didn’t want to be rude—but she hadn’t had shots of tequila in a long, long time. That wasn’t her speed. He leaned over the bar, waiting for her to drink. Picking her shot up, she clinked her glass to his and sucked it back for no other reason than to not be so damn stiff for just one night.

“From around here?” the bartender followed up, wiping down the bar top.

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