Page 5 of Zero
“Agreed. The bad guys are getting more connected, more sophisticated. We have to change with them or how are we supposed to do our jobs?”
Justice raised his bottle and I tapped mine to his.
“I’m also happy with Crash teaching us parkour techniques.” Justice continued after a long drink. “It’ll help, especially in the countryside with how the terrain is set out.”
His sister and another waitress arrived with our food. When Bailey saw me looking at her, she lifted her chin. The waitress set my plate in front of me, winked and flounced off. I supposed she wanted me to watch her ass as she did. But I couldn’t take my eyes off Bailey and her plump lips, gorgeous cleavage, and the annoyance in her eyes every time our gazes locked.
“What’s the matter, darling?” I asked. “You don’t like me?”
“I don’t know you enough to care.” She bit back.
“Ouch.” I licked my lips, wanting to push her to see if she would give me a spanking. “Don’t worry, Hoshi. We have plenty of time to get to know each other. But I think the one thing you should know ahead of time is that, I don’t bite unless you want me to.”
“Are you going to let him talk to me like that?” She demanded of her brother before swinging to glare at me. “And don’t call me Hoshi. My name, if you must use it, is Bailey. Get it right.”
“I don’t know—wanna spell that for me?”
She stumped her foot, hissed at me, muttered something in Patois and stormed off. Her ass, I stared at until she was out of my view.
Justice laughed. “Can I ask a favour?”
“What’s that?”
“When she’s kicking your ass,” Justice said around chuckles. “Make sure I’m here to witness it.” He laughed harder.
That made me smile as I picked up my fork.
I was pretty sure she’d try kicking my ass at some point.
And I was pretty sure I’d enjoy it.
Chapter 2
Bailey
The day had started out perfectly. I woke before my alarm went off—in other words, I woke up peacefully. I opened the curtains to allow some natural light in rather than the harshness of the bulbs.
The morning was a little on the chilly side, so I kept the patio doors closed and turned on the stereo system. I waited until Gyptian began pouring from the speakers, before twirling around and sashaying off to the shower.
It was my best runway walk yet.
It was barely five in the morning.
It took me half an hour to shower, dress and poured myself the first cup of coffee. Even the drive to Bailey’s was a good one. I didn’t turn on the air conditioner. I merely opened all the windows, cranked the stereo and sang as loudly and off-key—of course—as I could.
By the time I let myself in a side door at my restaurant, the smell of jerk chicken and baked goods assaulted my senses. My mouth watered and my stomach growled.
“Sarge?” I called to my chef.
He was trained to cook by his grandfather. After his grandfather’s passing, he’d joined the military and thought he’d be there until retirement. Unfortunately for him, the fates had a different plan. Home again, he wasn’t quite sure what to do with the rest of his life. Then I opened Bailey’s and there wasn’t even a question of who would run my kitchen.
“Mornin’ boss lady!” Sarge called from the back.
I stashed my purse away and joined him while slipping into my apron. He stopped what he was doing to tie it for me.
I smiled.
“How are things?” I asked, peeking around him into the pot he’d gone back to stirring.
