by now, but no. He had no idea why he’d imagined setting up today’s bust would change anything. Normally he wasn’t that optimistic. Now he was pretty damn certain the nickname would end up on his tombstone.
Most of the time, he didn’t give a rat’s ass. He did the job to the best of his ability. The more he was promoted, the more the idiots would hate him. Tough. He’d have a career he could be proud of. It had never been a popularity contest.
“Detective Flynn.” The caller ID gave no name or number. He’d just finished for the night after two hours of paperwork, and he was starving and tired.
“So, are you a police detective, a private detective or a consulting detective?”
Her voice was sultry, and if he’d been at a bar he’d have known exactly what she wanted. But as a cold call? “Do I know you?”
“Not yet.”
Huh. “Maybe we should start with why you’re calling me. If this isn’t a wrong number.”
“Definitely not a wrong number. I’m Aubrey, and I’m the lucky girl who got your Hot Guys Trading Card.”
“My Hot Guys…” That couldn’t be right. Mary had sworn that only one other person had seen the card, and that person was the printer. Even if somehow something had gone wrong, and his cousin hadn’t destroyed it as he’d asked, she would have told him. Warned him. “Aubrey…?” He clicked on his pen and turned to a fresh page in his notebook.
“I’m not going to tell you my last name. That would be silly.”
“Why?”
She huffed at him. “Some detective you are. Because then you could look me up online and find out everything about me before we met, and not only would that be no fun at all, it could be dangerous. For all I know, you could have a secret identity as a deadly villain.”
“You have my full name. And more, if you’re holding the trading card.”
“True, but I’m harmless. Mostly harmless. Occasionally harmless.”
“You’re not instilling me with a lot of confidence,” he said, only slightly surprised that he was grinning. “Besides, I thought I was supposed to get a call from Mary before we began this little adventure.”
“I guess it must have slipped her mind. Happens to me all the time. But as a show of good faith I’ll give you some details. I’m twenty-four. I’m a design graduate from Pratt. Well, not an official graduate. I didn’t finish three classes, but in my defense they were completely boring and who has time for that kind of nonsense, right? Anyway, I’ve had a lousy day at work. I was thinking you and I could get to know each other over a drink at the Session House bar. Do you know it?”
She was certainly confident for a woman who was lying her ass off. He wondered if the smidgen of information she’d given him was even in the ballpark of the truth. Although why would a liar try to justify not getting a degree? What could possibly be her game? “Yep, although I’ve never been there.”
“Well, it’s a very public bar, although surprisingly quiet for Manhattan. You can actually have a conversation there. Without shouting.”
“I don’t believe you. Bars in the city are required to reach a minimum of eighty-five decibels or we yank their liquor licenses.”
“Ah, a sense of humor. Excellent. You should’ve put that on the card. Wait, we yank their licenses? You’re a policeman. That must be exciting.”
“It can be.”
“I’d love to hear all about it.”
Nothing was kosher about this call, or her invitation. Mary had convinced him to try the dating club, sure he’d meet someone nice and steady, but that had been right before the Macy’s parade and the last thing he needed after that fiasco was to be on a Hot Guys Trading Card. Mary had taken care of things. She wouldn’t have lied to him. She was his favorite cousin.
The only thing to do was meet Aubrey at the bar. If Ms. No-Last-Name was half as enticing as she sounded, it might make for a hell of an interesting night. Mostly, though, he needed to get his hands on that card.
“Well, Detective Flynn?”
“I’ll be there in half an hour. How will I know you?”
“I’ll find you, Detective. Trust me.”
Liam smirked. Trust her? Not a chance.
Chapter Two
After the billionth time, Aubrey swore to herself she wouldn’t look at the door again. She managed to keep that promise for a whole thirty seconds. And this time it paid off. Liam Flynn in the flesh, wearing a long coat, black, stylish yet designed for real weather. Not that it mattered. He could have been wearing a bunny suit because there was nowhere to look but his face. And—plot twist—turned out he wasn’t photogenic. It was as if the picture on the trading card was of the smart twin.
All her clever opening lines were swept away on a wave of lust. Just looking at him made her nipples tighten and her tummy flutter, and there was definitely something going on lower down that she refused to think about. This wasn’t good. Not good at all. She was pretty sure a muse wasn’t supposed to make her feel this way. If anything she should have been immune to that kind of instant want. When she’d first arrived in New York, she’d worked part-time at a modeling agency and been around tons of celebs. Looks alone were definitely not enough to capture her interest. But there was something about Liam. He was hers. Or he would be if she could get her act together.
Maybe this was a test. It shouldn’t matter that he was an eleven while she was a seven. No reason to chicken out now. The truth was she was the kind of person whose looks improved up close and personal. In conversation, she was usually fearless.
She could use some of that bravura right now. A couple of deep breaths did squat so she threw back the rest of her vodka. The burn woke something up. This man was the answer to her problems and she wasn’t about to let the opportunity slip through her fingers.
Womaning up, she slipped out of the booth, squared her shoulders and began the long walk across the small bar. Three steps in, he looked at her. Just a glance at first, but his gaze returned a second later.
He couldn’t possibly know who she was. And still, the stare continued. As omens went, that seemed excellent.
“Aubrey,” he said, the moment she was in hearing range. It wasn’t even a question.
“Very good, Detective,” she said, stunned that her voice wasn’t three octaves higher because at this distance he was stupidly handsome. “How did you know?”
“The way you were looking at me, you were either Aubrey or dangerous as hell.”
“Who says I can’t be both?”
He opened his mouth to speak but seemed to change his mind. Instead, he grinned.
“So, what are you drinking?” she asked.
“Shouldn’t we find a seat?” He nodded at one of the
