Page 13 of Stitched Up Heart
“Got a break. Wrapped it up early.”
“Get the bad guys?”
“Always.”
Jase stared up at the ceiling fan as it spun in a slow, hypnotic circle. “Fuck. I need to go get my truck.”
“Had one of the guys drop me at the bar. Brandon said you took a cab, so I grabbed your truck.”
“’Preciate it.”
Chris paused in the process of scooping grounds into the coffee maker. “Did you get her number?”
“Fuck. No.” Jase put both hands over his face, scrubbing his beard and running them up into his hair.
“Did you get her name?”
Jase dropped his hands to the arms of the recliner and glared. “Yes, jackass, I got her name.”
“Her whole name?” Chris asked.
If Chris weren’t such a good friend, he’d knock that shit-eating grin off his face. “She mentioned it at one point.”
“But you don’t remember it.” Chris started to laugh. “You’re screwed, then.”
“I’ll call Tim, see if he can do anything.”
“You’re really going to call your brother to track down a chick? Must have been one sweet pussy.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever blown my load that hard in my life.” He adjusted his shorts as his body responded to his memory. “And don’t refer to her as pussy again.”
“I said sweet pussy.”
Jase growled.
“Chill, dude, I’m just giving you shit. Must have been one hell of a ride though, to have you this strung out over a chick leaving the morning after. Hasn’t been your MO in a while, bringing home a woman you just met in a bar.” He reached into the fridge to grab some eggs before turning back to Jase.
“Shit, I don’t know what the hell it was. It was just…different. The way she handled herself last night. You know how we can be, especially when we’re drinking. Loud and obnoxious.”
“You mean drunken jackasses.”
“Yeah, basically. She and her friend didn’t blink. Just rolled with the punches. She didn’t take anyone’s shit.” Jase trailed off as he rested his head against the back of the chair. “Christ, I sound like a chick.”
“Keep it up and I’ll have to confiscate your man card,” Chris said, pointing a spatula at him. “You really want to find her?”
“Dude, I just said I was willing to call my brother and deal with the ration of shit he’s going to give me because I’m asking for a favor. Yeah, I want to find her.”
“Well, I might be able to help you.”
“How’s that?” Jase pushed out of the chair to grab a cup of coffee.
“She seemed familiar.”
Jase closed the cabinet door hard. “Familiar how?”
“I haven’t slept with her, if that’s what you’re thinking. She looked familiar. Maybe on a deployment? It’ll come to me.”
Jase gave him a small head nod.
