Page 6 of Torched Spades
Forbidden apple.
As intent as I was on not falling down this rabbit hole again, I don’t put up much of a fight. Time reverses, and I’m back at the courthouse, the scene playing out as clearly in my head as if it were happening right in front of me.
I’d just finished giving my testimony at Natalie’s custody hearing when I saw him drive his fist into the wall. My clinical side told me to lower my eyes and keep walking—quickly. It warned me that man wasn’t just a can of worms; he was a box of snakes. Unfortunately, my feminine side, the one in a long-term relationship with silicone and Duracell, refused to listen.
Something about that man’s presence felt like a chokehold. Everything about him was dark, from his hair to his eyes to his heavy five o’clock shadow to his tan skin to his clothes… Even his voice sounded like rolling thunder.
The danger he exuded should’ve scared me. I should’ve run from it…fromhim. Instead, I ran toward both.
Which makes no sense.
Blinking the file back into focus, I slam it closed with a scowl. “Who the hellareyou, Becca Brennan?”
I seem to be asking a lot of questions today… None of which have answers.
“Dr. Brennan, your two-thirty is here.”
I jump as the intercom on my desk phone sparks to life.Great. Half an hour wasted with nothing to show for it but a pointless daydream about a nameless man.
Frustrated, I exhale and press a button on my phone. “Thank you, Meredith,” I say to my receptionist. “I’ll be right out.” Once on my feet, I skim my palms down my gray blazer, giving the hem a firm tug before making my way toward the door. “Here goes nothing.”
Greeting my patients and walking them to my office isn’t a power play. Most people are already on edge just being here. Coming to them is my way of leveling the playing field. I want to sit together and have a conversation, not Don Corleone their ass from behind a desk.
Painting on a bright smile, I step into the lobby where at least a dozen people sit with their faces shoved in their phones. “Johnny Malone?”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” comes a deep voice to my left.
I turn just as he stands. Long, muscular legs fill every crevice of his black jeans, leading up to a broad chest no T-shirt could contain. As I stare at the dark scruff painting his jaw, self-preservation screams at me to stop there.
Of course, I don’t.
My gaze rises to where two familiar black eyes glare back at me with the contempt of a serial killer.
This can’t be happening.
“You’reJohnny Malone?” I whisper, unsure why I’m bothering to ask. No one else is standing like an angry storm cloud ready to rain hell.
“Life’s a real kick in the balls sometimes, isn’t it?” Cursing under his breath, he starts toward the exit.
“Wait!” Without thinking, I grab his forearm, every eye in the room turning to watch the show. “You can’t just leave.”
He easily shrugs me off. “Watch me.”
We’re causing a scene. Hell, even Meredith is watching from behind her desk like we’re a live-action reality show. Letting him walk out would be the smart thing to do, but that damn chokehold is back, tightening with every step he takes.
Then a particularly unpleasant clause in his file flashes through my head. It’s a risky move, but at this point, I’m already all in…
My high heels sound like gunshots as I race to catch up with him. “Give me five minutes,” I say, slipping in front of him and blocking his exit. Lowering my voice, I add, “We both know if I don’t sign off on your paperwork, technically, you were never here. Correct me if I’m wrong, Mr. Malone, but ditching appointments violates the terms of your probation.”
“That’s a dirty play, Dr. Brennan.”
“Five minutes,” I repeat.
For a moment, I think he’s going to call my bluff, but then he steps back and makes a sweeping gesture for me to walk in front of him. It’s not meant to be gallant, but at least he’s moving.
Once we’re inside my office, I close the door and motion for him to take a seat. He glares at me, waiting until I relent and take a seat in the wingback chair across from him before finally perching on the edge of the couch.
Jackass.
