Jake, p.1
Jake, page 1
2020 Piper Davenport
Copyright © 2020 Trixie Publishing, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States
Jake is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Cover Art
Jack Davenport
CONTENTS
Copyright
Acknowledgements
Back Blurb
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Epilogue
Primal Howl
Book List
Reading Order
About Piper
Dogs of Fire Spin-Off
18+ for language and sexual content...
She walked into my precinct, a jail break on her mind.
With more money than God, she was out of my league, but I didn’t care.
I knew I’d never let her out of my sight.
She would be mine and I’d move heaven and earth to make it happen.
For Susan
Love you to the moon and back
#bestneighborever
Addison
FRIDAY MORNING, I was awakened by the phone buzzing on my nightstand. I rolled over with a groan and checked the caller ID. Layne. Layne Celia Silver has been my best friend since she transferred into my exclusive private school in the sixth grade. She’d been given a special scholarship due to her family’s financial situation and the shrew girls (we’d named them that because they were way worse than mean girls) clocked her the second she walked through the doors.
Layne was gorgeous. G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S. As in, soft, curly red hair, a smattering of freckles over her nose that was cute as hell (as my brother said all too many times), hazel eyes, and, when she hit her teens, she developed a curvy figure which was all too often noticed by the wrong people.
As if beauty wasn’t enough, Layne had a quick wit and an even quicker mouth. Plus, her name was cool as hell. Although she rarely stood up for herself, she fought for everyone else: me, the janitor being harassed by the shrew girls, random dogs locked in hot cars on sunny days, bugs about to be squished in the hallway. And while this kept her from belonging to the “in” crowd, it made me love her even more.
And now she was calling me at 9:59 in the morning.
“Um, hello, no calls before eleven on Fridays. You better be in a ditch somewhere with a broken leg.”
My best friend groaned into the phone. “I just got fired.”
I sat up. “What the hell? Why?”
“Why do you think?” she confirmed.
“Come over.”
“I’m already here.”
“Well, then use your key and come in. Why are you not already inside?”
“Because I didn’t know if you had your gun in its safe, or next to you, and I didn’t want to be fired and dead!”
I giggled. “Gun is in its safe. Come on in.”
I slid out of bed and wrapped my silk Armani robe around me. I could walk around half-naked in front of Layne, but she’d already been traumatized enough for one day.
I hustled into the living room and pulled her in for a hug. “He’s a dick.”
“I know,” she said, her stoic nature working overtime.
“You can cry you know.”
“I’m not going to cry over that asshole!” she snapped. “I might drink bleach later, a nice 2015 Clorox, but I won’t cry!”
“Okay, lady.” I forced myself not to laugh as I raised my hands in surrender. “Coffee?”
“Yes,” she breathed out. “Coffee. STAT.”
“You should have been a nurse,” I mused as I grabbed pods for my Keurig.
“Why?” she asked.
“Because you have the lingo down.”
“Shut it.” Layne gave me her I-will-stab-you-in-your-sleep eyes, and I smiled.
“Nurse Layne. I wonder if you’d be anything like Nurse Jackie. Let me see your eyes. Are your pupils pinned?”
I heard a quiet snort and turned to see her biting back a smile.
“I totally beat your record!”
We’d had an unwritten contest for as long as I could remember that whenever one of us was having a bad day, the other one had to get her to laugh. Layne could usually get me giggling within minutes; however, I just beat her best time, so I did a happy dance around my kitchen while I’m sure she plotted my murder in her mind.
“Let’s go out tonight,” I suggested, handing her a cup of coffee.
“Um, hello. No job, no money.”
“I’m paying.” I smiled. “Or Daddy is.”
My father was, how do you say... absent? So when my parents separated, he gave Arlo and me credit cards to use whenever we wanted. Even after my parents reconciled (for appearances only, let’s be honest), Daddy insisted we keep the cards “for emergencies.”
Arlo never touched his; as a highly skilled attorney, he didn’t need to. Me? I hadn’t quite found myself. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I did nothing, but planning fundraisers and events for Mother and Daddy isn’t what I ultimately wanted to do with my life. I was good at it, but it wasn’t my bliss. Of course, using Daddy’s money whenever I wanted to did bring a certain measure of joy. Also, considering I did the work for less than most event planners would charge, I let my father assuage his absent-parent guilt when I needed cash for retail therapy... or bar hopping.
“Addie.”
Before I could respond, my phone buzzed. “Oh, look, it’s my brother.”
“Don’t answer,” Layne demanded.
“Hey, Arlo.”
“I’m killing you in my head,” she hissed.
I gave her a sassy smile and focused on my brother. Arlo was two years older than me and besides Layne, my best friend. It had been the two of us against the world (or our parents) forever—still was, to be honest. Then along came Layne, using her sharp wit and small-town charisma to carve her way into the position of (her words) third wheel, although, admittedly, she provided just the balance we needed.
We’d had more fun than three kids should legally be allowed to have, until she and Arlo caught the feels for each other and started acting more like two stooges.
“Hey, sis,” Arlo said.
“What’s up, favorite brother of mine?”
“Can I swing by and grab that portfolio I asked you to look over?”
“When?”
“Like, now?”
I glanced at Layne and she glared at me, shaking her head. She must have heard Arlo’s question.
“Ummm...”
“I know it’s before eleven, but it’ll only take a second. I can just let myself in, but wanted to call in case your gun wasn’t in its safe.”
“What is with everyone and my gun?” I snapped. “I wouldn’t just shoot somebody willy-nilly.”
“Bobby Moore,” he said at the same time Layne asked, “Who the hell says willy-nilly?”
Bobby Moore, my shooting instructor, had made the mistake of trying to flirt with me while teaching me to shoot. I almost shot his leg off when I threw my hand up in frustration because he kept distracting me. In the end, the bullet went through his jeans, just grazing his calf, and that’s when I realized he’d never be the man for me. He was way too weak... blubbering like a sissy because of a minor flesh wound. I still shuddered thinking about what a wimp he was, and Arlo loved to remind me. Gah! I hated weak men.
“One time,” I replied. “And it barely broke the skin.”
Arlo chuckled. “Sure, we’ll go with that. Did I hear Layne?”
“Yep,” I said, stepping away from the laser-beam glare Layne shot me. “She says ‘hey.’”
“I hate you,” Layne breathed out, and I blew her a kiss.
“I’ll see you in a bit.”
“Sounds good,” I said, and hung up.
“Addison Angeline Allen, don’t you turn your back on me,” Layne demanded.
“More coffee?” I asked and slid a mug toward her.
“Please tell me your brother is not on his way here.”
“You couldn’t possibly want me to lie to you, could you?” I asked. “Layne, you know I’m not that kind of girl.”
“Just because you’re like a cute little blonde-haired, blue-eyed demon whose good intentions are sure to lead me straight to my own personal hell, does not get you off the hook! He c an’t see me like this, Addie. I’m so...”
“Are you kidding me? Right now is the perfect time for him to see you. You’ll tell him what your boss did and he’ll swoop in and drag the asshat to court, saving the day and forcing you to finally admit you’re in love with him so the two of you can get married and give me lots of gorgeous nieces and nephews.” I was, admittedly, a hopeless romantic.
“You think you got this all figured out, don’t you?” Layne asked.
I nodded enthusiastically. “I’ve even found you the perfect dress.”
Looking defeated, Layne collapsed on the sofa and stared at the ceiling. “You don’t get it, Addie. I want Arlo to see me as an equal... as someone he’s chosen to love because of what I bring to the table. Not because he has to rescue me like some damsel in distress, getting harassed by my pervert of a boss.”
I put my hands on my hips and stared her down. “You’re an idiot, you know that? Arlo has been in love with you since—”
“Since when?” Layne interrupted. “Since that stupid “Seven Minutes in Heaven” game when I threw up in his lap? I’m sure that made quite the impression. Not my best moment, Addie.”
I cracked a smile, shaking my head at the memory. “That was years ago, and you—”
“Can still barely talk to him without losing my lunch,” Layne finished for me. “Admit it, Addie, I’m a lost cause.”
“So you like the guy so much it ties your stomach in knots. It’s... it’s sweet.”
“I barf on him and you call it sweet?”
I rolled my eyes, ignoring her. “When he finds out what your boss did to you, he’ll—”
Arlo picked that very moment to walk into the living room. “What’s going on with your boss, Layne?” he asked, without missing a beat.
Layne’s cheeks reddened and she bit her lip. When Layne didn’t answer his question, he turned to me.
“Addie?”
“Her boss is a douchebag,” I replied. “He’s been hitting on her since she started there, and when he finally realized it wasn’t going to happen, he fired her.”
Arlo’s eyes hardened and the muscles along his jawline rippled as he turned his gaze back onto Layne. “Is that true?”
Layne swallowed. “Not... exactly.”
“Layne!” I admonished.
When Layne didn’t elaborate, Arlo walked over to the sofa and sat beside her. “Tell me.”
Layne sighed. “There were some discrepancies with the budget. I brought them to his attention and he informed me they weren’t my concern and ordered me to keep my nose in my own job. But they affected my job because I couldn’t add his expenses without plunging the budget into the red, so I... I took my issue to his boss. Next thing I know, Kirk-the-Jerk is helping me pack up my desk under the watchful eye of the security guard. Like I would take anything that reminded me of Bridge City Property Management Company, eeeeeencorporated.”
Arlo arched an eyebrow. “So he wasn’t hitting on you?”
“Uh... well... let’s just say that wasn’t the reason I was fired.”
“More like it wasn’t the reason he gave you,” I countered with a huff. “Seriously, Arlo, you should hear some of the things this Kirk douchebag has said to her. And the other day, he actually patted her on the ass! Can you imagine? Don’t you think she should—”
“Not important right now,” Layne said, casting a hard glare at me. “Addie, you’re not helping.”
I glared right back at her. “You can’t let him get away with that crap.”
Arlo grabbed my hand, forcing my attention back on him. “Layne, if your boss did or said anything inappropriate, you have options for—”
“For never getting a job in this town again?” she asked, tugging her hand from Arlo’s and pacing. “As much as I would love to do a solid for women everywhere and nail Kirk’s balls to the wall, I have to think about my future here. Do you have any idea what a sexual harassment case does to a woman’s chances of employment? I need to work, Arlo. I had a plan and I was...” Layne paused, shaking her head. “It would be less detrimental to my career to kill him than it would be to sue him.”
“Great, I’ll get my gun,” I said, heading for the safe.
Always the voice of reason, Arlo lunged to wrap me in a hug, effectively cutting off the route that would begin my murder sentence. “I get what you’re saying, Layne. I don’t like it and I wish I could change your mind, but I understand why you don’t want to go after your boss. He’s definitely not worth those consequences.”
I snorted. “We can hide a body, Layne.”
“You say that like you’ve done it before,” Arlo accused.
I raised my hands. “I will neither confirm, nor deny...”
“To be clear, we’ve never bagged a body then weighted it down with twenty-pound cinderblocks before throwing it in the river, watching it sink and never be seen again.” Layne winked at me and then sighed. “Arlo’s right, though, Addie. I don’t want to spend any more time or energy on Kirk. I just want to drink my feelings away this weekend, and then Monday morning I’ll put on my big girl panties and update my resume.”
I forced myself not to hug her. “You’re amazing and awesome and super-duper incredible, so you’ll find something quickly. I know you will. I’ll help you go through job listings this weekend.”
“Thanks, Ad.”
“Tonight we party, though,” I said. “On me. Arlo, wanna join us?”
“Can’t, Sis. I’d love to stick around and make sure you two don’t end up in the hospital with alcohol poisoning, but I’ve gotta get back to work. And I have dinner with a client tonight. But call me if you need anything.” He released me to grab a file off the coffee table. Then he hugged Layne and walked out the door.
“That bit about the body in the river was clever,” I said. “A little terrifying, but clever.”
Layne shrugged. “I’ve been reading mafia novels.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re so weird. No reading tonight, though. We’re gonna go out and make sure you forget all about that sleazy boss,” I said, then clapped my hands. “All right, let’s get this party started.”
We drank mimosas for breakfast.
Addison
The buzz of my cell phone dragged me away from my dreamy make-out session with Charlie Hunnam, and when I glanced at my alarm clock, I swore. “Someone better be dead,” I answered.
“Addie,” Layne rasped. “I’m in jail.”
I rubbed my eyes and frowned. “What the hell do you mean, you’re ‘in jail’?”
“Kirk the...” Her voice cracked.
“Kirk-the-Jerk?” My blood pressure spiked. “What’d he do this time?”
“He was right outside my apartment this morning and—”
“What?!” Had he been there all night? Layne was so wasted, she wouldn’t have noticed if she’d stumbled over him to let herself in. I wanted to shake her for insisting that the limo driver didn’t need to walk her to her door. “I don’t care how independent you think you are, from now on Jimmy is walking you all the way to your apartment, you hear me?”
She sniffed.
Something was seriously wrong. I softened my tone and asked, “So why are you at the jail? Filing a restraining order?”
“Not exactly.”
“Then what, exactly?” Seriously, sometimes trying to get information out of Layne was like getting a rectal exam. Tight and unyielding.
“Addie, Kirk’s dead.”
“Dead?” The word refused to set in. “As in, figuratively?”
“No. Dead as in literally, and I’ve been arrested for his murder. I need an attorney. Like yesterday.”
“Shit, you’re serious?” I sat up. “That’s crazy.” And complete bullshit, because my bestie was smart. If she was going to kill anyone, she’d call me and set up an alibi.
“Unfortunately, yes. I’m at the Multnomah County Detention Center. Do you think Arlo will help me?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course he’ll help you. We’ll both be right there.”
“Thanks,” she whispered.
“Hey, it’s going to be okay,” I promised.
“Okay. I’ll see you soon.”
She hung up and I dialed Arlo. He didn’t answer so I was forced to leave a voice mail. “Arlo, Layne’s been arrested. I need you to meet me at the MCDC, ASAP.”
I hung up, took the fastest shower in history and, after haphazardly throwing clothes on my body, grabbed my keys just as my phone rang. “Hey, Arlo.”
