One Touch More (3 page)

How many times had she stared at this phone number on her screen? Tabitha's hands began to shake and she twined her fingers together to keep them still. One phone call shouldn't have been so hard to make—after all, she'd done it before in the interest of protecting her brother—but it was Joey's promise to bring Seth down with him that kept her from dialing the phone. Empty threats weren't Joey's style. No, the asshole had tremendous follow-through. Both Seth and Tabitha knew that he had enough evidence gathered against her brother to put him in jail for a good decade at least. Joey was one of those rare sleazeballs who actually had brains enough to keep himself out of trouble.

By getting others to do his dirty work for him, he reaped all of the benefits of being a slimy criminal while keeping his hands marginally clean at the same time. It was Seth's bad luck that he'd trusted Joey, and Tabitha's own stupidity that she'd turned a blind eye to what he was doing until it was too late. Despite kicking him to the curb, Joey was a permanent fixture in her life. He wouldn't let her quit her job, and unless she wanted to see her brother thrown in prison, she had no choice but to let him use the hotel as a front for his dealers to sell their drugs from.

Not exactly the life she'd imagined for herself.

Closing the browser window, Tabitha clicked the icon for the hotel's NiteVision property management software and typed in the name Damien Evans. His reservation popped up and Tabitha scanned the information he'd provided. He'd rented a single. No additional guests, so he was presumably unattached. She hadn't noticed a ring, anyway. He gave a California address, so definitely not local, and he didn't use a company credit card, so he probably wasn't traveling on business.

“Trouble,” Tabitha reminded herself as she exited NiteVision to focus on the food order. Damien might be the embodiment of her perfect man, but the trouble Joey had brought into her life was more than enough proof that she needed to lay off of bad boys for good. She let out a derisive snort. At the rate she was going, she wasn't going to be
laying
anyone anytime soon. The past year of celibacy hadn't been too bad. No man? No problem. One less complication in her life. She needed to focus on finishing school, anyway, and getting Seth on the straight and narrow for good. Tabitha didn't have time for a relationship right now.

“Tabs?” Dave poked his head into her office. “Do you have a sec? Night audit accidentally double-booked a room, and neither of the guests is willing to take a double instead of the suite.”

She'd take trauma victims and sick kids any day over angry hotel guests. Though if Joey got his way, it wouldn't matter if she was an RN or not, she'd never get the opportunity to put the degree to use. “Yeah, I'll be right there.”

Angry guests might not have been her idea of a pleasurable distraction, but at least she wouldn't be worrying about Joey. Or the tattooed bad boy she couldn't seem to get out of her head.

Chapter Three

For the past week Damien had been trolling the local bars, eavesdropping on conversations, keeping his eye out for potential targets. Tonight, he was at Liquid, one of downtown's newest “it” places. The Boise PD's Bandit task force had given him the name and background of a well-known dealer they'd busted a couple of weeks ago. And with the guy currently spending time in the Ada County jail, Damien was free to name-drop a little.

“So, how you know my man Tanner?” The guy shooting pool—Damien was pretty sure his name was Joey—took a swig from his bottle of Budweiser before leaning over to aim his stick.

“We did a stint together up at Sheridan. 'Bout five years ago.”

“They throw guys into the federal pen for holding a couple of ounces of weed, huh?”

“Nah,” Damien replied, taking the bait. He would have been surprised if Joey hadn't tried to test him. “But they do when you get pinched with fifteen pounds of Salmon River Quiver in your trunk.”

Joey made a quick pocket shot and straightened, leaning against the table while his buddy lined up his stick for a bank shot. “That ain't no shit, man. Fucking Tanner. I told that stupid motherfucker he was gonna get caught hauling all that weed around in his car.” He laughed as though reliving a fond memory. “I heard he got picked up again last week. Fool doesn't know how to be discreet.”

Damien took a sip from his 7 and 7. “That's the fucking truth. I'm not even gonna try to bail his ass out this time. I'm outta work because of him, and even if he does get out, I'm done with his ass. He'll have way too much heat on him after this.”

“You looking to sling?”

This was why Damien always hit up potential connections in bars. Get enough liquor in a guy's system and he did most of the work for you. It took half the time to earn someone's trust when he had a fifth of Jack coursing through his veins. He had a feeling that everybody was Joey's best friend and confidant when he got shitfaced. “Could be. You have product to move?”

Joey flashed him a crooked smile. “Could be.”

Damien had broken the ice; now it was time to back off. If he pressed for more information or acted too eager, it might make Joey suspicious. From here on out, all Damien had to do was play the part and wait for Joey to come to him with an offer. Lucky for Damien, Joey had an ego. The cocky ones were always easier to hook. Way too eager to show off and throw their weight around. It worked to his advantage though, so Damien wasn't about to complain.

Damien drained his glass and ordered another, plus a couple of beers for his new friends as they racked up the balls for another game. He was still a little on edge from his last session with Dr. Meyers. It really fucked up his mind-set when he had to get too in touch with his emotions. Especially since he'd confessed to her during their last session that he wanted out of undercover work. He was ready for a real life and some fucking stability for a change. Maybe even a relationship. His mind wandered to the hotel manager and his fingers curled around his glass in a tight grip. He couldn't wait to see her again.

“Hey, Joey, your ex just walked in.”

Damien's curiosity got the better of him and he turned to where the gazes of the two men had zeroed in on a couple of women with their backs turned, making their way toward the bar. Beside him, Joey set the pool cue down on the felt table and took a long pull from his beer, his eyes glazing over as he stared. Seedy sons of bitches like Joey were part of the reason why Damien was itching to get out of undercover work. He almost felt sorry for any woman unfortunate enough to get his attention, but then again, considering the type of guy Joey was, Damien assumed his ex couldn't be that much classier.

“Damn, dude. Tabs still has a fine ass. I can't believe you're not hittin' that anymore.”

Damien cast a quick glance at Joey's friend. He was a class act.

“Bitch is more trouble than she's worth,” Joey replied. “But she does have a fine ass.”

The ogling was beginning to make Damien feel more than a little uncomfortable. He liked to admire a beautiful woman as much as the next guy, but Joey and his buddy were simply leering. Nasty.

“So get this.” Joey leaned in conspiratorially. God, Damien hoped the dude wasn't about to tell him some kinky sex story. “Tabs works at this hotel a few blocks from here. Before we broke up, I got her to let me use a suite on the weekends to do business out of. I can move twice the product with no nosy-ass neighbors wondering why there's always so many cars parked at my place. Plus, I'm not shitting where I eat. The cops aren't going to ever find anything at my place, so I'm clean. Sweet setup, right?”

Yeah, it was. Which proved that Joey wasn't quite as stupid as Damien had initially given him credit for and that he was definitely the guy he'd been looking for. “If your name is on the registry, the cops can trace you that way, though.”

“I got that covered, too. I use the name of a fake roofing company and I only pay cash. Tabs is the assistant manager, so she handles the reservations and she can cover my tracks if I need her to. I'm telling you, man, it's fucking brilliant. I'm bringing in twice as much coin as I used to.”

Well, Damien's opinion of Joey's ex just dropped another ten points. “All it takes is a nosy guest or a too-loud customer to bring a hell storm down on you, though.”

“Truth,” Joey remarked. He turned his attention back to the pool table and picked up his cue stick to break. “I don't dick around with my clientele. You can't keep your shit straight, I don't sell to you. Period. Plus, no one is allowed to use on the property. They've got to take that shit somewhere else. Tabs is trained. If anyone complains, she comps them a free night or some shit to make them happy.”

Joey's friend butted in. “Yeah, until she graduates and quits that place.”

“She's not allowed to quit and she knows it. Besides, at the rate she's going, she's not gonna graduate for another year or more.”

The smart-ass yukked it up from the other side of the table and Damien made it a point to get the guy's last name. He'd be running a background check on his ass the first chance he got. “You worried that her boss might catch on?”

“Not really. My crew always comes in when she's on shift. When we check out in the morning, my guys are dressed like they're ready to hit a job site. My roofing company”—he waggled his brows—“is a regular customer there. And the IdaHaven treats their regulars really well.”

Damien's heart stuttered mid-beat and his breath stalled out.
Damn it
. “Did you say the IdaHaven? Dude, I stayed there last fucking week. Crazy.”

“You really ought to see the operation in action, man,” the friend—Tony something—piped in again. “It's a thing of beauty.”

“I'd like that.” The words left his mouth mechanically, but Damien was already scanning the crowd for the woman Joey had identified as his ex.

“I bet you would.” Joey smirked before turning to his buddy. “Hey, jackass, it's your turn. What in the hell are you waiting for?”

Damien all but ignored the game as his gaze found a petite blonde with a crooked bobbed haircut. Tabs. Tabitha. Obviously a nickname for the hotel manager he'd met a week ago. Disappointment soured his stomach at the realization that not only had his first impression of her been wrong, but that she was an accessory to a crime. Granted, his only interaction with her had been that one time, but he'd felt a connection. And that didn't happen to Damien often. He tipped back his glass and drained the fresh 7 and 7 in a couple of guzzles. What had he expected? He was on assignment, for fuck's sake. It's not like he had time for dating, and even if he had, no woman in her right mind wanted damaged goods like him. He'd straddled the line between criminal and cop for far too long. And now, there was nowhere he fit in, and no one with whom he truly belonged.

 

 

“Is Joey still staring at us?” Tabitha sat with her head bowed, allowing the short strands of her hair to curtain her face. “I swear to God, Lila, if he doesn't leave pretty soon, I'm out of here.”

“Relax.” Lila grabbed her gin and tonic as well as Tabitha's vodka soda and pulled her friend away from the bar and closer to the dance floor. “If he looks this way again, I will kick that sick bastard square in his nuts. That'll get him out the door.”

Tabitha chanced a quick look behind her at Joey and his friend Tony, who'd gone back to playing pool. Her step faltered as her gaze landed on the hulking form of Damien Evans, the star of her dreams and her every waking fantasy for the past week. Her heart took a nosedive into her stomach and a burst of anxious energy dumped into her bloodstream. She'd recognized him in an instant, her body perking up like a flower under the sun at the sight of him. But her reaction withered the moment realization sunk in. If he was hanging out with Joey and Tony, Damien was definitely up to no good. What was wrong with her? She was a total loser magnet. If she was attracted to a man, you could bet he had a criminal record—or was at least on the road to having one. And the worst part of seeing him with Joey wasn't that it proved he was just another slimeball. It was that he didn't look even a little out of place. In fact, with his bulky frame, tattoos, and the deep, serious crease marring his brow, he gave off the vibe that he was an even higher level of criminal than Joey and his idiot friend, which was saying something.

Most of Joey's friends made Tabitha's lip curl when they walked into the room. As though all of the showers in the world could do nothing to wash the layer of slime and nastiness from their bodies. Despite his rough exterior, Damien lacked that oily, clingy dark aura. Tabitha reconsidered her earlier assessment of him. It wasn't that Damien appeared to be the most seasoned criminal of the group. Rather, he was without a doubt the most dangerous-looking man she'd ever laid eyes on.

And why did that make her heart beat a little faster? Heat the blood in her veins? Why in God's name would that turn her on even a little? There was clearly something seriously wrong with her. Tabitha suspected that beneath the tattoos, the shaggy light brown hair that was meant to look unkempt, and the stubble of his jaw—which was more like a ten o'clock shadow than five—was a complicated man who fought with his demons because he wanted more than the life he'd found himself in.

Yeah, right
. Tabitha turned her attention from the pool table and focused once again on Lila. That romantic, optimistic outlook was what had gotten her into trouble in the first place. Always giving people the benefit of the doubt, looking for that silver lining on even the darkest of clouds. She'd been convinced that Joey was a good guy beneath his rough exterior and poor choices. How wrong she'd been. And now, after they'd been broken up for almost a year, it was Tabitha who was losing sleep over the fact that he was still a fixture in her life, while Joey reaped the benefits of having her in his.

She guzzled her drink in a few swallows. Boise was small as cities went, but it still pissed her off that she couldn't even go out for the evening without running into her ex. She refused to let him scare her away, though. If Lila could blow reality off in favor of a good time, so could Tabitha.

“Incoming, two o'clock,” Lila said close to her ear.

Tabitha's stomach clenched at the prospect of having to make small talk with a guy. She'd sworn off the bar scene as a means to meet men after the nightmare that was her relationship with Joey. “Not interested.”

Lila ran her fingers through the length of her straight, auburn hair. “You've got to get back in the saddle sometime, Tabs. You haven't dated in a year. I'm sexually frustrated on your behalf.”

“Coming from the woman who hasn't dated in almost as long.”

Lila flashed her a lopsided grin. “But that's not to say I haven't been looking. I just have a very strict catch-and-release rule. Unfortunately, the dating pool has been full of minnows lately. I'm baiting for shark.”

That was the truth. Lila wasn't shallow by any means and the woman was as shrewd as they came. Sure, she let her dad pay her rent, but Lila had plans for her life, and with a business degree under her belt, she was ready to launch a line of to-die-for handbags in the next year. Likewise, she wasn't about to waste her time on a man-child who aspired to nothing more than working minimum wage jobs and camping out on his buddies' couches. She was looking for a partner. An equal. But just because she'd baited for shark, didn't mean she wasn't doing a little sport fishing for some of those minnows in the meantime.

“What's up, ladies? Can I buy you two a couple of drinks?”

Mister Two O'clock stepped up to them, all charm and smiles. Tabitha had to admit, he was sort of cute: blond, blue eyes, clean-cut and wearing a nice dress shirt and slacks. Her gaze wandered to his feet, because a guy's shoes said a lot about him. Leather loafers. This one might actually be gainfully employed. Huh. Wonders never ceased.

“Well, aren't you a cutie,” Lila said with a slow smile. She extended her hand and he took it in a brief shake. “I'm Lila.”

“Charlie.”

He didn't do anything cheesy like kiss Lila's hand, earning him a couple of points. Tabitha accepted his proffered hand and said, “Tabitha. Nice to meet you.”

“Okay, girls. What are we drinking? I had a stellar day at work and I need someone to help me celebrate.”

Lila's gaze warmed. It didn't take much for Tabitha to make the decision to back off and let her friend take the lead. Maybe the currents had changed and the bigger fish had finally come to the surface from the deep water. “Ooh, tell us all about it.” Lila snatched a tall, circular table that skirted the dance floor and made room for Charlie in-between her and Tabitha.