Tough Guy: A Hero Club Novel by Jamie Schmidt (the reading list .TXT) 📗

I gawked at her in surprise. I hadn’t expected her to defend my club.

Eleanor listened intently to what her daughter was saying and then she gave a huge sigh. “You need to leave.”

“Ask her about Lisa,” Jackie hissed.

“Right.” Eleanor closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. “Have you seen any of your coworkers while you’ve been there? Zeke or Lisa?”

“She might know her as Broadway,” Jackie reminded her.

“Lisa or a Broadway. You have?” Eleanor nodded at Jackie.

Jackie clutched my arm. “Is she okay?”

“Is she all right?” Eleanor repeated into the phone. She listened for a minute and then nodded at Jackie.

Jackie bit back a sob and then threw herself into my arms. I had to stand up, otherwise the chair would have dumped us on the floor. “She’s all right,” Jackie repeated and squeezed me tight. “I’m going to kill her.” Jackie thrust herself away from me. “Can I speak to her?” she said to Eleanor with a mock sweetness.

I’m not sure what Eleanor saw on her face, but she recoiled back from it. “Is she with you?” she asked her daughter.

Eleanor shook her head. “She’s not there.”

“Can I speak to Dee?” Jackie emphasized.

Eleanor cleared her throat. “Darling, Lisa’s sister is here and she’s very worried about her. Would you like to talk with her?” After a moment, Eleanor handed the phone to Jackie.

“Hi, my name is—” Jackie didn’t get to finish her sentence. She tensed and then her knees wobbled. I quickly came up behind her and wrapped my arms around her. She was shaking. “Okay. Okay. I will. Thank you.”

She handed the phone back to Eleanor. Turning in my arms, she looked at me and shook her head. “We’ve got to go.”

“You got it.” I was more than ready to get out of here.

“When can you come home?” Eleanor asked her daughter.

“Let’s go.” Jackie tugged on my arm and made for the door.

“Eleanor, it’s been real,” I said. “Dee is not going to be rehired. She can work at Denny’s for all I care.”

“I think that’s for the best,” Eleanor said, looking up from her conversation to sneer at me.

When we were back in the car, Jackie let out a small scream of rage.

“What’s going on?”

“Lisa was bartending at the Moondust Cherry Ranch two weeks ago.”

“They give room and board?”

“I doubt it. Not unless she was doing things other than bartending. Anyway, she’s no longer there. We’re still two weeks behind her. Dee wants to talk with me tomorrow, though.”

“Why not tonight? We’re only a couple of hours away.” I gripped the steering wheel. I was up for a drive.

“She’s got a full plate tonight. She’s not quitting her job and coming home. She didn’t want to tell her mother that.”

“She’s an adult.”

“So’s Lisa, but at least Dee answers the phone when her mother calls. I’m not telling my mother that Lisa decided to become a hooker.”

“We don’t know that she did.”

“No,” Jackie sighed. “We don’t, but why else would Dee want to talk to me in person unless it was to tell me something awful?”

“Lisa could have gotten another bartending gig.”

“Or maybe she decided to become a personal escort for the mysterious guy.” Jackie groaned. “I’m not sure I even want to know anymore. I just want her to call our mother. I’m still going to drive out there first thing.” She turned to me. “You’re coming with me, right?”

I wanted to, but I had to meet with Grier in the morning. “I can’t do it first thing. Can we go after lunch?”

“You don’t have to go with me,” she said, with a disappointed smile.

“Yes, I do. Please wait for me.”

“Are there a lot of whorehouses in Pahrump?”

I hesitated. “Yeah.”

“And you knew that when Zeke’s sister mentioned where Zeke was going?”

I could sense the danger in the air. She was pissed and wanted to take out her anger on someone. I turned on the car.

“Answer me, Miles.”

Squinting through the windshield, I looked around for security cameras. It didn’t look like the gated community had any in the inner parking lots. Good. I drove deeper into the complex and pulled into what was probably a resident’s parking spot. I wasn’t planning on being here long. I turned off the car.

“Miles,” Jackie said in a louder voice. “Did you know—?”

I wrapped my hand around her ponytail and pulled her head close to mine, cutting off her sentence with a hard kiss. Thrusting my tongue into her mouth, I pushed my hand up her shirt. Cotton bra. I smiled against her lips. She struggled for about half a second and then she tugged up my T-shirt.

Jackie traced her nails over my chest, digging in slightly against my abs. Pulling her head back by her ponytail, I sank my teeth lightly against her throat and she whimpered.

Kissing up to her ear, I growled. “I suspected. I didn’t want you to be upset if it turned out to be nothing.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m not mad at you.”

“Wait for me tomorrow before going up to see Dee?”

“I haven’t decided.” She smirked.

I kissed her again, sliding my lips over hers. I was deliberately rough, and she ground her mouth just as hard against mine. I pulled her hair again and she panted out a whimper. The sound went straight to my cock.

“Are you going to wait for me?” I asked again, pulling her ponytail to tilt her head back.

“You’re starting to convince me,” she said, her eyes glazed over with passion.

“I guess I’ll have to try harder.” I went back to her mouth because she was irresistible.

Jackie fumbled with the button and zipper on my pants.

I reached up under her skirt and got a handful of granny panties. I chuckled. Jackie groped inside my underwear and pulled out my cock. “You want something?” I said, my voice husky. I leaned my head back on the headrest and enjoyed her firm strokes.

“Don’t forget to pull my hair.”

My eyes went wide as she leaned over and engulfed me deep in her throat. My fingers tightened