Page 58 of Castling the Rook (Checkmate 3)

Jay shrugs and lies back against the couch. “Dude’s still got a dick, she’s hot, he wants to fuck her.”

“He’s married!”

Smiling, he closes his eyes and rests a hand on his expanded belly. “Dude’s old and married, but he’s still got a dick. Guarantee I’m right, and if you let him, he’d go to town fuckin’ your lily-white ass.”

“Shut up, stranger. Eat your damn soup! Riley, how does the stranger in your house know my ass is pale?”

“Because he’s a cop with an addictive personality and a nasty case of ADHD. He pays too much attention to everything else except what he’s supposed to be focusing on, but don’t worry about him, he’s not a threat for you. Fly back here tonight, and I’ll make sure he’s gone before you land.”

“No fuckin’ loyalty,” Jay grumbles. “Girl flies in and dicks are flying all over the place. Can’t a dude die in peace?”

“Not if Dee’s coming back to town.”

“I’m not coming this weekend, sorry.” Quieter, she lets out a sigh like she’s getting comfortable on her couch. “I’m in my living room all alone, Riley.” She lets the silence hang for a long minute. “Want me to describe my home? It could be like you’re here with me.”

“Sure.” If she’sthatbored, then I’ll oblige. “I can talk all night, Dee. Tell me everything.”

“Close your eyes.”

“Okay.” I lift my feet to the coffee table and glance across to Jay as his breaths even out and his eyes flutter closed. “They’re closed.”

“I have one bedroom, and the living room and kitchen are one room.”

“Okay.”

“I have a little box TV, because I don’t much like TV and I’d rather spend my money on concert tickets and flights to see Lindsi and my babies.”

“What was the last concert you went to?”

“Umm… Red Hot Chili Peppers maybe. And I have tickets on my fridge for an Anne-Marie concert for next month. I wonder if Ed Sheeran will go to sing that song with her?”

Jay begins sleeping on my right. He only ate a tenth of what I served, and none of the bread, but it’s more than he ate yesterday, and his skin isn’t as gray as it was, so I don’t care. He’s gonna be okay, he’s gonna retire and get a regular job, then he won’t die of a drug overdose like he almost did last weekend. “I dunno, but maybe Ed is touring somewhere else right now. He probably won’t have time.”

She sighs. “I was afraid of that, but who knows, I won’t write it off until the concert is finished. Do you even know who Anne-Marie is?”

“Nope.”

She giggles. “Whatever. So box TV, no channels. The fridge is only ten feet from my couch, because my apartment is tiny, but it’s not so bad. Less steps I have to take.”

“Convenient.”

“Right?” She laughs. “Only one bedroom, but this is the same apartment Lindsi and the kids shared with me for years. It was tight as hell.”

“Bet it was.”

“We made it work,” she sighs nostalgically. “Id hate to share my space with an idiot. No house, not even a massive one, would be enough space. But I could share a shoebox with my cousin and her babies for the rest of my life and it would be okay.”

“You’re kind for having them.”

“Nah.” She groans and makes me think dirty things, when in reality, she’s probably just kicking her shoes off. “I missed the hell out of their first few years when she was with her abusive ex, so when she came home, I was so happy. We had a new bed brought in and shoved into the corner of the living room. The babies shared the bedroom, and Lindsi and I shared the living room. It was fine. Hey, where’s Nope? He went quiet.”

I glance over and shake my head at his wide open mouth. “He fell asleep. He’s not feeling so well, so I let him sleep whenever he wants.”

“Who is he?”

“A friend.” Standing, I tuck my cell between my shoulder and ear and push him down until he’s flat on the couch. Tossing a blanket over his body, I flip the lights out and head through my house to close down for the night. Dishwasher on, lights out, I head toward the hall. “He’s a cop, a really,reallygood cop and friend, but he’s sick at the moment, so he’s crashing at my place.”

“You’re not scared of catching his germs?”

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