Page 74 of Riding Hard

He lowers his head, his mouth touching mine. He doesn’t deepen the kiss. His lips only brush across mine before he lifts his head, a smile playing on his mouth. “Yeah, I won’t be saying or even thinking about that again.”

And that’s how our conversation ends. I realize that we’re going to be okay. He knows what happened and what I haven’t said. He’s pieced it all together, but he’s not afraid. He’s not scared.

CHAPTER

SIXTY

LOOT

ONE WEEK LATER

“I can’t believe I’m going to shake down someone for a gambling debt,” I state.

There is a moment of silence before Speed chuckles. “No shit. I guess it was bound to happen, considering we live near Vegas, but gotta say, I’m disappointed we aren’t the ones keeping it all.”

“You wanna go into the loan business?” I ask.

He shrugs a shoulder, then he shifts his attention back to the building in front of us. “You gonna be the one to run the books?”

The thought of doing any more paperwork than I already do makes me want to scream. I don’t tell him that, though. Instead, I snort before I lean back and start to speak. My words come out, and the truth is behind every single one.

“Fuck that,” I bark. “I got enough paperwork to do, drowning in it, and I fucking hate that shit. I don’t need another fucking job to do here.”

Speed snorts. “Then I guess I’ll just be the muscle, because I got no desire to do an ounce of paperwork. I can barely write my own name.”

Shaking my head a couple of times, I throw my leg off my bike. He’s a liar. Speed is smart. It’s how he got his road name. He’s a fuckin’ nerd, and his brain works at lightning fucking speed.

“You ready for this?” I ask.

“Fuck no,” he says, then he jerks his chin in my direction. “Let’s do this.”

We walk together, one foot in front of the other. This is a twenty-five-thousand-dollar collection. Once a quarter for the next four months. I can’t even imagine borrowing a hundred grand for gambling purposes. I could buy something that would generate income for decades instead.

What a fucking waste.

“What kind of business is this?” Speed asks as soon as we step into the lobby.

It’s pretty fucking fancy. There are people walking around in suits, on their phones, and also in small groups, like they’re super fucking important. Everyone is busy being up their own asses, or up someone else’s ass.

My gaze shifts over to the reception desk, which is long and tall. There’s a huge gold sign affixed to the wall behind the four secretaries who sit behind said desk. I read the large sign before I turn back to Speed.

“Law firm,” I state.

There is a moment of silence, then Speed snorts. “Law firm with some hotties up at the front.”

Without another word, he makes his way toward the front counter, but I don’t need to go there. I know exactly where this guy’s office is. He’s one of the partners. And he’s going to have a nice, cushy corner office somewhere up high.

Walking over to the large directory sign, I look for his name. He’s on the top floor, no office space given, which means he’s got the whole top floor. Seems like maybe he can pay his bill but is fucking choosing not to at this point.

“You’re trying to get up to the top floor?” a voice asks beside me.

Turning my head, I look over to see a woman standing next to me. I don’t say anything as I stare at her, wondering who she is. I don’t ask her, though. There’s no reason for it.

“Yeah,” I say before I clear my throat. I don’t know what to say. But it doesn’t matter because she continues.

“I can get you up there, but I’m not sure if I should.”

“You shouldn’t,” Speed’s voice grinds out. “I got access already.”