Helena Hunting - Inked Armour

He dropped a paper bag on the desk.

“What’s this?”

“I found them in the garage.”

One glance inside confirmed what I already knew: it was Tenley’s shoes. “I—uh—”

“Cassie thought it would be best for me to give them to you.”

“Thanks. If Tenley knew someone else found them, she’d be—” Embarrassed as fuck. I could feel the heat in my face.

“I’m glad you want to show Tenley what you’re working on.” His grin told me he knew exactly what had gone down in that garage. “For future reference, there’s a switch beside the door that heats the garage floor. Or next time, you could go inside and show her the whole house.”

Cheeky fucking bastard.

We were just about to round up the boys for dinner when the doorbell rang.

“That’s odd. I’m not expecting anyone else,” Cassie said, frowning as she looked at the time. It was almost seven.

“I’ll see who it is.” I tossed the pot holders on the counter.

Sarah was standing on the front porch, dressed in leggings and a sweatshirt that was so big it had to belong to Chris.

“I thought you had to work!” I stepped aside to let her in out of the cold. That was when I noticed she was wearing stilettos and fake eyelashes. She didn’t have a coat, either.

“I did.”

“Who is it?” Cassie called from the kitchen.

“It’s me!” Sarah called back.

At the sound of her voice Chris came out of the game room. “I thought I heard your voice! Come ’ere and gimme some sugar, sweetlips.”

He almost knocked me over in his quest to get to Sarah. He wrapped her up in a beefy hug. With her in heels they were almost the same height, and Chris wasn’t short. I averted my eyes when they started kissing in earnest. Hayden and I were probably just as bad. I guess I understood the “sweetlips” nickname better, though.

“How’d you get out of your shift?” Chris asked when he finally came up for air.

Cassie and Lisa had come from the kitchen to greet her, and Jamie appeared from the game room, pool cue still in hand.

“Sorry I’m not dressed appropriately,” Sarah said, smoothing her hands over her sweatshirt.

“No one cares how you’re dressed. Did you get the night off?”

“Um. Not quite,” she said hesitantly. She used his shoulder as a brace so she could take her shoes off.

“Did you quit? Please tell me you quit.”

Chris took her hands in his and peppered them with kisses, pulling her in the direction of the living room. He moved the cushions around when she sat down, ensuring she was comfortable.

“Sort of.”

“You sort of quit?” Chris asked, brushing her hair back off her face.

“Not officially. I went in with the intention of quitting because you were right: Sienna started to offer opportunities for . . . better tips.”

“Are you fucking serious?” Chris’s face turned a disturbing shade of red.

“Don’t worry. I said no way, which is why they cut my shifts. Anyhow, you know that creepy guy, Damien? The one you used to work for?”

“Damen?” The red in his face became more of a puce.

“Yeah. All the girls call him the Vulture.” She shuddered.

“Did he give you samples?” Chris interrupted.

Sarah nodded. “He offered a bunch of times. I only took them once, and that was a long time ago. I figured out pretty fast how he and Sienna worked the other girls.”

Sarah looked around, as if unsure how much she should share. Hayden and Nate had come out of the office. Hayden was standing behind my chair, and I wondered how much he’d heard. He leaned over and kissed the top of my head. Sarah’s eyes stopped on Cassie and then me.

“No one here is judging you,” Chris said softly.

“Okay.” Sarah leaned in and kissed him quickly. “So, things got weird when I went into the club. Max wasn’t on the door, and Jay, who’s like Sienna’s personal bodyguard, wasn’t at his post, either. In fact, no one was even manning that door to her office, which never happens. God. I’m rambling like crazy, aren’t I?”

She paused to suck in a breath before she barreled on. “I went in, thinking I was going to tell Sienna I was done and get my stuff from my locker, except she and that Damen guy were having it out. He was all up in her face. At first I thought maybe they were . . . well, you know . . .”

There were some coughs, and a gagging sound came from over my shoulder. Sarah made a face and shook her head. I didn’t want to think about what she’d walked in on in the past.

“But they weren’t. I’ve never seen Sienna so freaked out. I mean, she’s always freaking out about something or other, but this was different. She was way worse than usual. I heard Damen say something about the police, and I figured maybe they were getting busted, and I didn’t want to get stuck there—so I came straight here instead. That’s why I’m dressed like this.”

“You could wear a burlap sack and you’d still be gorgeous.”

While they cooed at each other, I turned to Hayden. “Do you think Officer Miller might have questioned him?” I’d recognized the name immediately.

Hayden looked pensive. “She said she was following up on leads. It’s possible. Probable, even.” He sat on the arm of the chair. I moved over and he dropped down beside me.

That got Chris to stop manhandling Sarah. “You think Damen might have been involved in what happened to your parents?”

“I don’t know.” Hayden rubbed his forehead. “I was with him the night they were murdered. The police questioned him back then.”

“Maybe they wanted another statement, because of the leads,” I suggested.

“Yeah. That sounds logical,” Hayden agreed. “Maybe I should call . . .”

“I think you should. That way you’ll know if it’s related either way.” I didn’t want this to ruin his night, but if he didn’t call, he’d probably fixate on it.

Hayden pulled out his phone and dialed Miller. She didn’t answer, so he left a message.

“She’ll call if anything happens,” I assured him.

“I know.” He kissed my shoulder.

Cassie broke the tense silence when she announced dinner was ready. It was a welcome diversion from the questions Sarah’s arrival had brought up. Conversation turned to lighter subjects as we made our way through the meal. After the main course, we cleaned up and returned to the comfort of the living room. Dessert would wait until later.

Hayden stayed mostly quiet, one arm draped around my shoulder, sipping scotch as I listened to accounts of previous New Year’s celebrations. I could tell a lot was being censored, whether for my benefit or Cassie and Nate’s, I didn’t know.

“So, Tenley, I hear you went to the house Hayden and Nate are renovating. What did you think?” Cassie asked conversationally.

I nearly choked on my wine. “I, uh—the garage is very spacious.”

“Mm. It is nice, especially the heated floors. What about the master bedroom? Once it’s remodeled, it’s going to be amazing.”

“We didn’t get that far,” Hayden interjected.

I could see him giving her a look in my peripheral vision. Everyone else was watching the exchange with interest. Cassie might be Hayden’s aunt, but they acted more like siblings. She wasn’t above embarrassing him when she had the chance, and me by proxy.

“Oh? That’s too bad. Well, it’s lovely. Very roomy. Almost the same size as ours, isn’t it, Nate? Definitely big enough for a king bed. I think that was one of the reasons Hayden was so interested in the property—that and the backyard. There’s a pool and a hot tub! How much did you get to see?”

“Cassie.” Nate elbowed her in the side.

“Yes, dear?”

Hayden was staring into his glass, his cheeks were pink, and he was fighting a smile.

Nate whispered something I couldn’t hear, but Chris was beside him, so he caught whatever was said. “Oh, man! That’s when your car got damaged? Tee, you are awesome!”

I was so mortified, I tried to use my hair as a shield.

“What happened to your car, Hayden? Is that why you’re driving that hybrid thing?” Jamie asked.

“It’s not a big deal. Chris is being overdramatic. It’s a scratch.”

“A huge scratch, and a dent,” Chris corrected.

Hayden pointed a finger at him. “What happened to keeping your mouth shut?”

“What’s this about?” Lisa asked me.

Sarah leaned over and Chris whispered in her ear. Her eyes went wide. “No way!”

“What?” came in a chorus from around the room, everyone looking at Chris.

“Don’t even think about it,” Hayden warned.

“Oh, I was meaning to ask, did you get your shoes back?” Cassie asked, smiling innocently at me.

“What do shoes have to do with anything?” Jamie asked.

I curled into Hayden’s side and gulped my wine.

“Christ,” Hayden muttered. “You suck, Cassie. Seriously.”

“They’re nice shoes. I wouldn’t want Tenley to think they disappeared.”

“I’m getting you back for this,” Hayden said to Cassie.

“You just try, little man. Watch what happens,” she teased.

“You wait for it.”

“Who’s ready for dessert?” I asked, but everyone ignored me. I drained my glass.

“You know, there’s an extra spot in our garage. Since you’re planning to stay the night, you could always park your car in there, Tenley,” Cassie said, her mischievous smile still in place.

Chris snickered.

Hayden shook his head. “You asked for it.” He looked at Nate, who was wore a horrified expression. He shook his head minutely at Hayden, eyes darting to Cassie and then back. “Nate, do you still want help installing that swing in your bedroom? I think we’ve got the right bolts this time.” Hayden grinned with satisfaction as Cassie’s mouth dropped open.