I carefully slide behind the hot steering wheel. With even more care, I gingerly put my seatbelt on. I pull out of the parking lot and notice one of Moon’s black Caddies across the street. It pulls out and follows me.
I take a few turns and enter the I-17 on-ramp. The Caddy stays a safe distance behind me until I take the Peoria turnoff and head into Ghetto Center. That’s not actually the mall’s name, it’s just what it’s known as. Off the road that circles the mall there’s a large store that’s been vacant for years. It went out of business ages ago and no one ever moved in. This isn’t the nicest neighborhood. I drive into the parking lot. The Caddy pulls up beside me and Moon opens the back door. Gomez is driving and he isn’t looking at me.
I pop the locks and Moon opens the passenger door.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he asks before he shifts his body inside. He’s not wearing a jacket and he’s a bit more disheveled than I’m accustomed to.
I’m more than ready for this macho thug game. “I’m working a case. What the fuck are you doing following me?” I don’t think he’s prepared for me to throw his shit back at him. He’s seen me at my weakest. It’s time he knows what I’m made of.
He looks up like he’s asking God to intervene. Tiny dots of sweat show on his neck, and the collar of his shirt is damp. I swear I won’t lean over and lick his skin no matter how bad I want to. When he turns back to me, his eyes are stormy dark. “You are playing with fire and this is not a game.” He says it slowly, almost like I’m a child.
I give my own clipped response. “I’m quite aware that two people are dead. The information about Dixon Connor should have come from you. If I don’t have all the cards in the deck, then someone is cheating. My job is to investigate Kennedy. I’m being paid to do that and you won’t stop me. Just because we fucked like rabbits last night does not mean I stopped doing my job.”
Moon leans into me so I can see the flare of his nostrils as he tries to gain control of his temper. “This is not a game of cards. You were almost killed. I can’t do the things I need to do if you insist on placing yourself in danger. The last place I need to be seen right now is in the Sunnyslope district.”
Ha, really. “Why Moon? How many people do you plan to take out in that district? How many cops do you plan to kill? Do you think that because I fucked you that I’ll just stand by while you take out cops? If you want me out of the way, you’ll need to play your game a little rougher.”
He reaches out and grabs my hair, bringing my head forward before I can stop him. I wince and it pisses me off. His lips slam into mine and our teeth clang. His other arm is at my back and pulling me into the kiss. This isn’t how I wanted this argument to go, but I’m unable to tear my lips away. I return his angry kiss, tit for tat.
He’s pulling my hair, and I’m squeezing his bicep and digging my fingernails in. My other hand is clenching the steering wheel. Moon is frustrated, and this is no playful kiss that turns deep. He fucks my mouth and I fuck his back. I have no idea how long the kiss would have continued if my cell phone hadn’t rung.
I pull back and Moon releases my hair. I dig the phone from my pocket while Moon groans in frustration. It’s Terry. I answer and tell him before he can identify himself that I’ll call him back in a few.
“Where the hell have you been?” he yells before I disconnect.
I give Moon my death stare as I slide my cell back into my pocket and pull his out. I go into Settings and sure enough they haven’t changed since I was forced off the road. “You’re tracking me with the phone.” I change the settings and slide the phone back into my pocket. I should give it back, but I have a feeling I’ll need it again.
“You don’t want to play it like this, Madison.”
I can’t help but wonder if steam floats from my ears. “A few minutes ago, this wasn’t a game. Now you accuse me of playing. You can’t have it both ways, Moon. I’m on a case. I don’t need a babysitter. I need information.” I suck in air and throw out the thought that’s tearing through my insides and destroying me. “Did you have Connor killed?”
A split second after the words leave my lips, he’s ready to explode. I lean back in case he decides to grab me again. He sees my retreat and I almost feel bad. I don’t actually think he would hurt me. What I don’t expect is for him to turn away, open the door, and climb from the car. He doesn’t look back, and I’m left feeling like I screwed up. Gomez finally gives me a look as he pulls away. His look says I fucked up majorly.
I pull out my phone and call Terry.
“You scared the shit out of me, Mak, and then you hang up on me. What the fuck is going on?” He’s still yelling and my head is beginning to hurt.
“I need to meet you and I can’t go to your office. We need to talk.”
“Listen, Mak. You’re off this investigation. Keep the money I’ve given you, but stay the hell away from this entire district. You understand me?”
Not him too. Am I just the little woman who can’t handle it when shit goes down? Moon and Terry seem to think so. I’m so angry, I hang up on Terry again. Fuck him and fuck Moon. I won’t be led around by my nipples. I was a cop for fuck’s sake. A cop does not retreat. We run toward danger.
I ignore the phone when it rings again and pull out onto the main road. I head toward Sky Harbor International Airport. I need answers and Moon following me isn’t going to help me get them. I park the rental car inside terminal parking and take a bus to a car rental agency outside of the terminal. I’m not stupid, and the chance that Moon has a way of tracking the rental car is too high. I need a car that he can’t follow because now it’s time to go on the offensive.