Page 21 of Royally Bad

Sammy walked around the corner, sparkling high heels swinging in her hand. My heart pulled side to side; I wanted to laugh. I could have rolled on the floor and made the whole room stare at me.

She spotted me. Her rich green eyes flipped from uncertainty to molten lava. It was the sort of look reserved for roadkill stuck to the tires of your brand-new Corvette. Pulling her dress layers over her full hips, she spun to face the thick man behind the front desk.

“Hey,” she said. It took him a minute to look up from his newspaper. “I need my things.”

Yawning, the cop raked his bored eyes over her. “Name?”

“Sammy Sage.”

The plastic box he dropped on the counter contained a purse, some earrings, and a cell phone. He pushed some yellow papers at her as well. “Your car was taken to an impound lot, info is on there.”

Sammy dug through everything, shoving the items into her purse. “Excuse me.” Tapping the counter, she waited until the large man was staring at her again. He looked as uninterested as ever. “There’s some stuff missing.”

“What stuff?”

“Two checks, both made out to me.”

His face remained frozen. “Confiscated.”

When I saw her pretty features twisting, I felt a stab of guilt. “Why would they be confiscated?”

“They’re part of an ongoing investigation.” Shrugging made his jowls shake. “Sorry, ma’am. Until someone decides they’re clean, you can’t have them back.”

Bristling, she took a deep breath ... and then she just rubbed between her eyes. “Fine.”

She took that well.I changed my opinion the second she faced me. Every bit of rage she’d muted for the clerk, she was pointedly stabbing at me with it. “Jail was kind to you,” I said with a half smile. “You didn’t even get any pen-cap tattoos. Or are they just hidden somewhere sweet?”

Sammy adjusted her dress as she turned pink. “I didn’t want to see your face again. But now that you’re here ... I’ve got some things to say.”

Pushing off the bench, I stuck my hands in my pockets and wandered closer. We stood in a way that seemed casual, but I was intentionally blocking the one exit out of the station. She had things to say? So did I. “Sammy, listen. I’m sorry as hell about what happened this morning. It was all a misunderstanding.”

She looked me up and down. “Everything the detective said to me, was it a lie?”

My smile cracked just a hair. “I don’t know what he said. I wasn’t in there.”

“But you do know.” Her head tilted, sending a cascade of disheveled hair down her elegant neck. “It’s in your face. You’re too comfortable in here. This isn’t your first time getting arrested.”

Ah, shit.“Sammy, whatever Detective Office Space said back there, it doesn’t matter. That’s why you’re walking out, and whyI’mwalking out.” Leaning closer, I took a quick, short breath. Even with sticky sweat on her, Sammy smelled intoxicating. “Give me a chance.”

“I’ve got something else I’d love to give you,” she grumbled. “You’re lucky my father raised me so well.” Her hand fisted at her side, clenching and releasing over and over.

“Are you thinking about punching me? Careful, Ilovetough women.” I couldn’t stop my grin. “So your dad taught you manners, huh? Is he also the one to thank for your good looks, or is that your mom? Either way, I’d definitely like to shake his hand.”

Sammy’s eyebrow twitched. “Get out of my way.”

Turning sideways, I motioned with my arms. “Sweetheart, you’ve got all the right in the world to walk out of here. But I think you’ll want to listen to what I—hey!”

She’d lowered her chin and passed me by so fast that the air stirred the fringes of my hair. Weren’t people supposed to let you finish a sentence? “Just hold up!” I followed her out into the early afternoon. “Sammy, hear me out! I’m trying to explain what went wrong back there!”

Pulling up short, she whirled on me. “What went wrong was me letting myself get mixed up with you.”

Iknewnot to do it, but ... sometimes, I don’t know why I do the things I do. I was a secret to even myself. “Think about what a story it’ll make for our kids.”

The edges of her eyes filled with fine lines: steel swords aiming right at me. “You’re such a jackass.”Shit!Why couldn’t I resist making stupid jokes? “Sammy, wait!” Laughing to ease the mood, I followed her as she walked along the chain-link fence with her phone in hand. The front of the police station was quiet, cars shining in their parked spots. “Seriously, I’m sorry. Let me explain myself. I’m not a bad guy, honestly.”

“You really want to explain what happened?” Without facing away from her darkened phone, she glanced at me. “Why did Francesca’s wedding get raided?”

“Because some asswipe orasswipes,plural, are jealous of my family. You saw my estate, is that so far-fetched?”

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