Vance’s eyes changed again, they went soft and sexy and I felt my breath catch.

“I’ll do it.”

I didn’t realize my body was so tense but when he agreed I relaxed into him. His arms got tight and his hands drifted up my back, pressing me to his body.

“One condition,” he said.

Oh crap.

“What?” I asked.

“This second date is tomorrow night, you’ll be here and you won’t stand me up.”

“Okay,” I agreed instantly.

“That’s not the condition.”

Fuck.

“What?” I repeated.

“I take you out, after, I spend the night here. You don’t go out huntin’ drug dealers. You stay in, all night, with me, in this bed, na**d and when I make you come you say my name.”

My stomach plummeted again, it felt good again but still, I just stared at him.

I couldn’t promise that. “Crowe –” I started.

“Take it or leave it.”

I could just not believe this.

“I’m asking you to do something nice for a kid and you’re asking… you’re… I don’t believe you.”

“Maybe I should tell you somethin’ about me. I learned early you don’t do somethin’ for nothin’ and you get the best deal out of your end as you can. I want you. I want to taste you. I want to f**k you. I want to make you come and I want to hear you moan my name when you do so I know that you know it’s me who made you come. You don’t agree, I don’t see Roam.”

I frowned at him. “I think you might just be a bastard,” I snapped.

“Get over it,” he returned.

I stayed silent trying hard not to scratch his eyes out or knee him in the balls.

“Jules, you want it too,” he told me and even though he was right, it still pissed me off.

“All right, fine,” I clipped. “Tomorrow night.”

God, the things I did for my boys.

He rolled into me again, pushing me to my back and I glared at him.

“Is our talk over?” I asked irritably.

“Yeah,” he said but the change was over him and he was smiling at me. It was a small smile but a satisfied one.

“Good, then you can go.”

“In a minute.” His face was coming toward mine.

“No. Now,” I ordered.

“Not until I’ve had another sample.”

“Crowe!” I got out before he kissed me.

I pushed against him and tried to pull away but he rolled fully on top of me, pressing me into the bed and insisting with his tongue that I open my mouth. I resisted, trying to twist my head away but he didn’t stop. His hands were moving on my body when his head finally came up.

“Tomorrow night,” I said.

He didn’t say anything just looked at me with his eyes soft and sexy. His hand went under my shirt, sliding up the skin of my midriff and my body froze. It did this mainly because the tingles had started and the warmth of his hand felt nice but I was still trying to resist.

His head came back down again and his lips hit mine at about the time his hand cupped my breast.

My mouth opened in a gasp, his tongue slid in, my body melted, the tingles took over and Vance got his sample.

Chapter Six

Superheroes

After Vance got his sample, he kissed my mouth lightly a few times then lifted up and kissed my forehead then he was gone.

I lay in bed for awhile, recovering.

Then I lay in bed for awhile wondering how in the hell I was going to get out of tomorrow night.

I couldn’t sleep with Vance. Not only would he find out I was a virgin, I had no idea what I was doing (mainly because I was a virgin).

He was obviously good at it. I even knew a few women who knew firsthand he was good at it. How embarrassing would it be when I was not good at it?

I decided to think about it later, much later, after I’d jumped a plane to Nicaragua tomorrow afternoon and disappeared off Vance Crowe radar.

I jumped down off the bed, scattering and ticking off Boo who thought we were in for the night. I put on a chocolate brown turtleneck (as in, dark chocolate, almost black), matching cords, a deep brown belt and matching boots. The boots had low heels, they were comfortable and I could run in them. The best thing about the boots though, even with all that, they still looked killer (you couldn’t be a badass mother without killer boots, it was a rule).

I pulled back my hair in a ponytail and I was ready to roll.

Then I turned out the lights and I waited.

I didn’t put it past Vance to watch the house and then follow me.

After I figured he’d given up (if he was out there at all), I gathered my weapons, went out to Hazel and I took on the night.

* * * * *

My plan was simple.

Wreak enough havoc on the dealers and the suppliers of the dealers who made their sales in the places where the runaways hung out so that the dealers would eventually give up and find some other place to do business.

If the runaways followed the dealers, I would move to new turf.

I wasn’t taking on all Denver dealers, trying to shut down their business. I just wanted them to leave my kids alone.

I knew driving Hazel was stupid and I was considering dipping into the ever growing mortgage fund that Nick never touched and buying something for patrol that was less conspicuous than a red, cherry-condition 1983 Camaro. I just couldn’t find the time.

I patrolled and kept my eyes peeled for a tail. There wasn’t one.

Things were quiet. Some kids were out; it was cold, so not many. There weren’t any dealers around.

I was considering going to the bar where I’d seen Darius last night and watching him, or just giving up, packing it in and getting some needed shuteye when I saw them.

Martin and Curtis, two runaways from King’s. They were brothers, fourteen and twelve. They’d come in about a month after Park died and I knew it was because they heard about me (because of Sniff, everyone had heard about me).

They hit my caseload so I was working with them. They hadn’t told me much and didn’t spend the night at King’s but I was hoping for a breakthrough soon.

I watched as they ran out of an alley and down 15th Street. They were being followed by two dealers. I knew the dealers. They weren’t small time. They were serious players.

My heart started thumping and I followed them. The kids ducked into another alley and the dealers followed.

If I followed in Hazel, they’d see me. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad so I made a split-second decision.

Quickly, I parked on the street. I had my mace in my pocket, my stun gun and Glock on the seat. I grabbed the Glock, exited the car, left it unsecured, ran into the alley and hoped I wouldn’t pee my pants.