Resisting (Dirty Cops #1)

Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

Rowan

D ammit. That’s the third time I’ve spilled something tonight. Pretty soon my manager is going to pull me aside and have a talk with me.

I really need to get my act together, but I’m running on no sleep and hell of a lot of mixed-up emotions over what Ryker said to me last night…and what we did—right before he went straight into the witch’s bed. Asshole. What did he think I was going to do? Wait my turn? Wait until my mom was finished sucking his cock and then let him crawl into my bed and give him a second round? No fucking way!

I left and ended up driving around until the sun rose this morning. Until I could no longer keep my eyes open. Then I parked in the school parking lot and got a few hours of restless sleep. I wasn’t going home until I was positive Ryker was gone. And now, I’m a fumbling mess.

Thankfully, though, it’s time for my break. I need a giant cup of coffee and a moment to clear my head. I take my filled mug and head into the break room. I pull out my phone and see that there’s a text from Hunter and a missed call from Myrah along with a text from her, telling me to call her as soon as I can.

I’m curious as to what Hunter has to say after last night so I open it before giving Myr a call.

Hunter : Parents just told me they’re going out of town for a few days. Come spend the night with me. There won’t be any stepfucker around to interrupt us. I need it, Row.

In other words, “come over and suck my cock.” Yeah, no thanks . This is the first time Hunter’s asking me to stay over at his house, but it’s only because his parents aren’t there to see him with the trash. Meanwhile, I know for a fact that everyone else sleeps over at his house all the time, girls included.

Man, he’s such an asshole. They all are. Hunter’s an asshole for using me for sex. The snotty bitches are assholes for thinking I’m some kind of lower-class citizen just because I was born without privilege. My mother’s a monster witch whose evil knows no bounds. And Ryker…he’s an asshole for thinking he can date my mom, then slip it to her young daughter on the side. The only one who isn’t an asshole is Myrah. She’s the only person in this shitty-ass town worth a damn.

I quickly send Hunter a text back, saying “NO THANKS,” wanting to make sure he knows I got his message and that I’m not interested, then I dial Myrah’s number. I haven’t had a chance to fill her in on everything that’s happened over the last two days. Although…I’m not sure what to tell her. She’s going to think I’m a freak for falling for a guy twice my age who happens to be my mom’s boyfriend. Actually, maybe I shouldn’t tell her anything. Maybe I should keep this secret to myself. It’s not like anything’s going to happen with Ryker anyway.

As soon as she picks up, Myrah starts talking a mile a minute and I barely get a hello in. Apparently, her brother Knox is worried about the creeper cop that’s been following me around, and wants to send a friend in to act as my personal bodyguard. I’d been so bogged down with thoughts of Ryker, I’d completely forgotten about the other asshole in my life. The one who’s stalking me.

“I just have one question, Myr. Is this friend of your brother’s an ex-con?”

I can hear the hesitation coming through the line and I know that’s a yes. “He is, Row, but Knox trusts him. And I trust my brother. He’d never put you in harm’s way. Promise.”

That’s good enough for me. Myrah’s the only one I trust in this world. And it honestly doesn’t matter whether the guy was in jail or not; he’s probably a better man than the creeper cop who’s been pulling me over for bogus reasons.

“Please tell Knox I’m grateful for his help,” I tell her. “By the way, how was it seeing him?”

It’s been six years since he was sent away to prison, and today was her first time going to visit him. Her asshole stepfather didn’t want anyone in their family associating with the “criminal scum,” even though, Knox was set up and is innocent. But Myr is eighteen now and gets to decide for herself, and she’s no longer going to let anyone stand in her way from seeing her stepbrother.

“It was…um…good.”

Um…good ? That’s all she’s going to give me. She’s usually the master of details, my little chatty Kathy who replays every moment of her day, every conversation word for word, but suddenly, she’s being awfully tight lipped. I want to know what it was like walking into a prison. Were the men scary? Has her brother changed? Was he shocked by how much she’s grown up? When he went inside, Myrah was only a kid, now she’s a woman. One fierce, sexy, beautiful young lady who dreams of becoming a mechanic.

“Hey, Row. Jared is having a party tonight and made a special request for me to bring you. You want to go with me?”

And now, she’s changing the subject. Maybe it was difficult seeing him in that place and it’s too hard to talk about. Or maybe, she’s still processing everything and will tell me later. I can totally relate. I’m still processing my shambles of emotions and am not ready to admit that I have feelings for a man old enough to be my dad, and that in some fucked-up way I want him to be my daddy.

“Definitely,” I agree. “I’ll go anywhere so I don’t have to face my mom and Ryker tonight.” Hooking up with Jared may be exactly what I need to stop the perverted fantasies from flooding in. Although, as the thought pops in, so does the truth. I don’t think anything is going to help me forget that sexy, dominant man, or the way I feel when I’m around him.

“Ryker?” she asks, clueless as to who I’m talking about.

“Yeah,” I say, feeling guilty that I’ve been keeping my best friend in the dark; we usually tell each other everything. “I haven’t had a chance to tell you, but apparently, my mom has a new boyfriend.”

“Another boyfriend?” She’s as shocked as I am. Wonder what she’ll think when I tell her who it is.

“Yep. Remember the two guys who were seated in my section on Thursday night?”

The line goes silent as she tries to recall, but it isn’t long before she remembers. Not only were they the only table of two men seated in my section that night, but they were the hottest guys to ever walk into the steakhouse.

“Oh yeah, the two older hot guys.” Her voice is dripping with doubt that that’s who I could be talking about, but she’s got it right.

“Yeah, well, the older hotter one is apparently dating my mom.” Just saying the words out loud feels like a knife wound to my chest.

“Hold the freaking phone!” she shouts, matching my exact reaction when I first laid eyes on Ryker. It seems impossible that a witch like my mother could get a man like him, but again, I have to remember that she saves her bitchiness for yours truly .

“I don’t get it either,” I tell her. “But a few nights ago, I had the joy of listening to them fuck all night long. Then last night he brought dinner over, and my mom threatened me before he arrived so I had no choice but to play along.”

The reminder of their hot and heavy night together twists my gut, but I push past the turmoil of my emotions and keep filling Myrah in on the last two days, giving her the abbreviated version of what went down last night. Leaving out the details of what happened after Ryker kicked Hunter out, skipping the part where he rubbed me between my legs. I refuse to admit that I’m attracted to my mom’s boyfriend. And I definitely won’t be admitting that a part of me wouldn’t mind if he stepped in as a father figure.

My manager passes by the door of the break room heading to his office and it reminds me of the time. After the way I’ve been performing tonight, I definitely don’t want to be late returning from break.

“Shoot. My break’s up, Myr,” I grumble, wishing I had more time to get my shit together. “I get done at nine, then just have to swing home to get changed. Do you want me to come get you?”

“Nah,” she says. “I’ll drive tonight. That way if the creeper cop is out, he won’t spot your car.”

Shit! She has a point. I really do need to be more careful. At least, until Knox’s friend arrives and I have someone watching my back. For a brief moment last night, I was actually considering putting my trust in Ryker and asking for his help, hoping that he’d step in and look out for his little girl. But that’s never going to happen now. I won’t be asking him for anything. And the next time he comes over, I won’t be staying either.

“Hey, Rowe. As soon as we hang up, text me that cop’s plate number.”

“Will do. See you in a bit,” I tell her. I may not know the dirty cop’s name, but I did write down his license plate. Just in case.