race with dread.
“Who’d be out here so late?” she asked breathlessly.
Lynx squinted into the dark and rolled his eyes. The headlights were blaring at them and making it impossible to see what kind of car it was, but he seemed to recognize it immediately and he got to his feet and grinned.
“Hey, boys,” he said cockily. “You must really miss me?”
A blue light rolled around inside the car and lit up the night before it shut off along with the headlights. Both the front doors opened, and two cops got out with flashlights and cuffs swinging from their belts.
Tammy swallowed hard and pulled her knees up to her chest. She knew the cops from around town, and she recognized them immediately from the diner. Lynx stood there holding his arms out, sucking on his cigarette and grinning at them with relish.
“Just thought we’d check in,” one of the cops said as he shined a light on Tammy. She tried to turn her face so she was hidden, but he clearly recognized her, too.
“Check in?” Lynx laughed. “Well, alright…”
He threw his cigarette butt on the ground and re-joined Tammy on the bench. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. The two cops loitered in front of them, shining their flashlights at the crate of beer and wine and then back on them.
“Ma’am, could we please see some identification?” one of the cops asked Tammy, and she felt herself wanting to shrink.
She looked up at Lynx who nodded approval for her to cooperate with them, so she reluctantly reached into her purse and pulled out her driver’s license. She handed it to the cop who had asked and watched him studying it carefully with the help of the flashlight. He looked from the card and to her again and again, before finally passing it back to her.
“You’re the diner girl,” he smiled. “I thought I recognized you.”
She nodded slowly but didn’t utter a word.
“Well, folks, just thought we’d stop by and say hi.” The cop’s tone was condescending and antagonistic, and she could feel the tension coming from Lynx. He was using all of his willpower not to explode with anger.
“Good night, officers,” he said through gritted teeth as the two cops backed away and opened the doors to their car.
“We’re always watching, Lynx… Remember that,” one of them said as he ducked into the car and slammed the door closed behind him.
As they backed away, Tammy breathed out a sigh of relief, but when she turned to Lynx, she could tell he was seething.
“What was all that about?” she asked with concern.
“Fucking pigs.” He breathed out through his nose as he reached into his pocket for another smoke. “They’re up our ass at the moment, that’s all…”
He lit the cigarette and dragged on it deeply. His demeanor had completely changed from before they had shown up, and Tammy could sense the night was over.
“Well,” she smiled, “I better be getting home…”
He looked up at her and they locked eyes. The intense blue pulled her in again.
“Sorry,” he said. “It’s been a long week.”
Tammy nodded and waited for him to join her. They walked back to his bike, and he lifted her on before he started the engine and took her home.
As they wove through the streets, Lynx drove slowly and purposefully, and this time the adrenaline she had felt earlier in the night was nowhere to be found. She clung to his hips and breathed him in. Even though the night had been fraught with emotion and unwanted intrusions, she had still had the time of her life.
When he pulled up to her driveway and helped her down, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him delicately on the cheek. He held onto her waist tightly and pulled her closer to him, his animalistic nature breaking through for just a moment as he pinned her against the bike and pushed himself against her. She could feel the ripples of his rock-hard muscles, and she gasped as he leaned in closer and kissed her so deeply it took her breath away. The
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