Playful, she swatted at him. “No, I’m not. Is that what you’re waiting for?”
“No.”
“Good. Because I work at the cigarette store.” After nodding toward the building, she again teased his chest. “But for you, I’m willing to skip a day.”
Pretending a reserve he didn’t possess, Rowdy glanced away—and damn it all, he didn’t see the man anymore. He scanned the street, the alleys...nothing.
“My goodness, you’re a big one, aren’t you?” She came closer until her body pressed to his, crowding him, making his senses go on the alert. “Wha’dya say, handsome?”
It’d be all too easy for a babe to hide a weapon. He wasn’t a fool, ever, not even for a sexy body and beautiful face.
“Sorry, honey, not today.” Hands on her upper arms, he eased her back a foot. “I’m waiting on someone.” To shore up that story, he checked his watch. “Hopefully, I haven’t been stood up.”
“A woman?”
“You are one nosy little lady, aren’t you?”
“I was just thinking that you could wait with me in the store.” Smiling, she leaned around to see his face and cajoled in a singsong voice. “It’s air-conditioned.”
“Hold up.” He used the excuse of retrieving his cell from his pocket to put even more space between them. On speed dial, he rang up Reese with the push of one button.
Reese answered on the first ring. “Rowdy.”
“Hey, dude, you coming or not?”
Not being an idiot, Reese caught on real quick. “Do you actually need me?”
“Yeah, sure. But, hell, it’s a hundred degrees here, with no shade to be found.” Rowdy smiled at the girl. “I’ve got a little sweetheart here offering to let me cool off in the...” Rowdy tipped his head at her. “Where’d you say you work, sweetheart?”
She smiled brightly. “The cigarette store.”
“Right.” Then back to Reese: “The cigarette store. You know the one, right by the...” He looked around as if he didn’t already know the name of the tattoo parlor by heart. “Killer Designz. Yeah, with a z.”
“Shit,” Reese said, understanding the silent message Rowdy conveyed. “I’m on my way.”
“All right, but make it quick. I have better stuff to do than wait around on you.” He smiled at the girl. “And she’s standing right in front of me.”
Reese didn’t find the humor in that. “Damn it, Rowdy, are you in any danger?”
“Nope.” To make sure that was true, he checked out the surrounding area again, but saw no one suspicious. “I’ll give you fifteen, and then I’m heading in with the lady. After that, you can damn well wait on me.”
Soon as he closed his phone, the little lady took his hand and started back-stepping toward the street, trying to haul him along with her.
“Not so fast, sweetheart.” Rowdy Yates did not get dragged away by women—at least, not women fully clothed and on a street corner. “Before I let you distract me too much, I need to give my buddy a few minutes to get here.”
She gave another pretty pout. “But he’s already kept you waiting, and it is hot out here.”
“True enough.” When he didn’t budge, she had to stop, too. “You should go on in. I’ll join you if I can.”
Undecided, she toyed with the end of her hair, shifted her feet, and finally opened her purse. “At least let me leave you my name and number.”
The way she said that seemed genuine enough. She looked and sounded the same as every other girl who wanted to get him horizontal. Maybe he was making a big deal out of nothing.
Then again, she was in this place, at this time, and it seemed awfully coincidental that she’d come on to him right when he wanted to follow the other guy.
She scrawled some info on the back of a receipt, but instead of handing it to him, she clutched it to her chest. “How do I know you’ll call?”
“Look at you.” He let his gaze linger on her impressive rack as he murmured, “I’ll call.”
That compliment had her beaming. “Better still, let’s set up something right now.” She traced a pink tongue along pinker lips. “How about...tonight?”
Fast work, but he’d play along. “All right. Sure.” No reason to make her suspicious. Not when she might have info he needed. “Where do I pick you up?”
“I’ll meet you. Is midnight too late?”
Figured it wouldn’t be that easy. “Tell me where, and I’ll be there.”
“The Drunken Dawg. You know it?”
Well, hell. Of course he knew it.
He’d just bought it.
His smile this time felt mean, but maybe she wouldn’t notice that she’d hit a nerve. “Yeah, that works.” He took the paper from her, glanced at it and shoved it in his back pocket. “Midnight, DeeDee. I’ll be there.”
Now that she’d gotten what she wanted, she turned to sashay away.
Rowdy focused first on how her shorts hugged a really nice ass, then dropped his gaze down the long length of those shapely legs.
And there it was, the f**king tattoo, not on her arm as expected, but down the back of her left calf.
Huh. So, sexy DeeDee wasn’t so enamored with him after all. At least he knew he’d found the right place.
* * *
REESE HATED LEAVING Alice on the heels of her getting that damned phone call. It left him antsy and angry, but Rowdy wouldn’t have pulled him away for anything unimportant.