Page 2 of Bounty Hunter's Obsession

“How much?” I ask.

“The fees as of today are 3850 and go up about 450 a day.”

My ears are ringing from the anger rising out of the pit of my stomach. There’s no hesitation because something in those beautiful green eyes tells me she needs someone looking out for her. It’s not my job, but I need it to be.

I hand the guy my debit card. He eyes me for a minute before taking the card and swiping it. It takes a moment, but it goes through, and he fishes through a draw to hand me a pair of keys. After pointing it out to me, I head over to her tiny sedan.

It’s awkward trying to shove my 6’2 frame inside the front seat. I have to push the thing damn near into the trunk before driving it off the lot. I stop at my own car to make sure it’s in a good parking space because the last thing I need is for that shit stain to get his hands on my ride. After I feel good about leaving it there, I hop back into her little Corolla.

I fish through the glove compartment and center console. There’s a few check stubs for Tony’s Tata’s. It’s a strip club and it angers me almost immediately as I pull up her arrest info again. That’s the place that got raided.

The way I see it. I can head to her last known address or Tony’s. I decide to try her place first, but after driving nearly 20 minutes out of town, I can see the yellow crime scene tape all over the front of the house. What the hell is this sweet angel into?

My stomach growls and I decide to look for somewhere to eat instead of heading to the strip club she worked at. Making my way back to Conklin County, there’s a small diner with a near-empty parking lot that screams for me to stop and at least grab a burger with some fries.

Scents of fried onions, fire-grilled meat, and coffee waft through the air as the bell rings when I step inside the place. There’s a wall of booths to my right and a row of stools bolted to the floor in front of the counter across from them. A woman shuffles behind the counter with a hairnet and chipper voice.

“How ya doin’, sugar? Take any seat ya like. Halo will be out in a minute to get ya order.”

I nod a thank you to the woman and pick a booth at the rear of the diner. It must be fate because a blur of blonde curls comes zipping out of a swinging door. She doesn’t see me, but I spot every inch of her thick frame. My mouth waters like she’s on the menu.

The steady thud of my pulse increasingly drowns out every noise in the diner, and it feels like we’re the only people here. She speaks to a few other customers sitting down, topping off their coffee before making her way over to me with a huge smile.

“Evening, sir. What can I get for you?” There’s a hint of raspiness to her voice. I can hear how it would sound as she pants my name while I pound her sweet pussy into oblivion, but I need to focus dammit.

After clearing my throat, I give her half a smile. “Bacon burger, fully loaded. Fries. Large sweet tea.”

“Big guy like you might need a nice steak on the side.” She’s trying to upsell me. I like it.

“What else do you think a guy like me needs?” I want to know everything about her and her opinion of me matters far too much for a simple stranger. Logic doesn’t play here. My body, my gut, it’s all telling me that she belongs to me.

She bites the bottom corner of her lip, raising an eyebrow as if she’s giving it some real thought, but I know this spiel. Still, I wait for her recommendations.

She shifts her stance to put a hand on her hip as she tells me, “Honestly, I think you’d love the T-bone, side of hash, fried egg. We can saute some spinach, onions, and mushrooms if you need something earthy on the plate too.”

“I’ll take that and the burger, but box up the burger to go.”

Halo flashes me a grin sweeter than sin before turning to put my order in behind the counter. The food arrives and there isn’t a single moment where I think, ‘I should haul her ass in.’

It’s more like hauling her ass into my bed and never letting her leave. How is she tangled up in this mess with Tony’s?

The answers to my questions will have to wait as she sets the bill down on the table after I finish the hearty meal. I pull out the keys and set them on the table to fish through my pockets for my wallet. When she comes back to grab the cash, she stops, staring at the keys on the table. It’s only then I remember the keys to her car are beside mine.

Before she can say anything, I tell her, “Halo, now. Hear me out.”

“Who the fuck are you and why do you have the keys to my car?”

2

HALO

Dark, intimidating brown eyes stare up at me. Thin lips set against a square jaw, high cheekbones with a five o’clock shadow are moving, saying words to me, but I can’t hear him. All I can focus on is the soccer ball keychain with my name engraved on it, dangling from my keys. The keys tomycar.

“Halo, are you listening?” His question is soft as he pulls a piece of paper out of his wallet and hands it to me. My hands are trembling as I unfold it to read what it says. It’s a receipt. The receipt to the impound lot where my car was towed.

“How did you get this? Who do you work for? Are you one of Tony’s guys?” I can hear the anxiety creeping into my voice as I start glancing around the diner, waiting for more goons to pop out.

“Halo, can you please sit down?” He extends a hand for me to sit across from him, which I take more as a command than a request.

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