LITMIR.BIZ

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me, bro. What’s the deal? Before when I found you back by the rest room, you looked like you had the girl hemmed in back there. Since when did you start giving criminals advice and helpful hints?” Jason’s inquisitive gaze was all cop as he slid into the booth.

      He couldn’t even pretend his behavior wasn’t odd. He had no idea why he’d followed her to the rest room, waited for her to come out and tried to talk some sense into her. And then for a brief moment he had thought of what it might be like to kiss her. Hell, he’d had to restrain himself from halting her mouthy retorts with his lips, his tongue and his teeth.

      Lawrence shrugged, shaking off his thoughts of placing his mouth on hers. “Can we change the subject?”

      “Hell, no, not now.” Patrick leaned back and gave him the once-over. “You’ve been staring at that girl ever since they walked in. And now baby bro says she’s a criminal? What’s the deal?”

      “I don’t know what the deal is. All I know is she’s setting off my alarms. And I’m going to keep my eyes on her. And for the record, we don’t know if she’s a criminal. The only thing we know is she’s from California and she’s currently here with a couple of ex-con, gang-banger, suspected drug dealers.”

      “Birds of a feather, bro, birds of a feather.” Jason took a swig of his beer.

      “I don’t think she’s a criminal. She looks sort of sweet and maybe a little spicy…But she doesn’t seem like a criminal.” Joel tilted his head in contemplation.

      “She may seem sweet and innocent. But she’s a woman and that means she’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing, a barracuda.” Patrick frowned.

      Lawrence watched as the McKnights and the woman, Minnie Samuels, left the bar. If he didn’t think his brothers would have given him a serious ribbing, he would have left, too, and followed them. But he knew his brothers. Most of all he knew what he would say to them if the situation were reversed and one of them had become suddenly obsessed with some sexy, sassy-mouthed little hood-girl.

      He decided he couldn’t possibly be attracted to her. He just wanted to make sure she was okay. He’d keep an eye on her until he found out more about her and figured her out. Then he’d know if she needed saving…or jailing.

      Chapter 2

      Detective Lawrence Hightower was a pain in her behind. He irritated her no end and she was halfway tempted to go downtown to the Paterson Police Department and file a complaint. She would have, too, but the Los Angeles Police Department was looking for her for questioning about her brother’s murder. So how could she? That alone kept her from blowing the whistle on Lawrence Hightower.

      It had been almost three weeks since her initial encounter with him, and she’d seen him in some capacity almost once a day for the past twenty-one days. It made no sense. He was watching her like a hawk. There had to be a rule, or a law or something…

      She thought about it as she watched her clothes spin around and around at the Laundromat.

      She’d been in Paterson for almost two months. The McKnight twins had a nice way of being protective and still allowing her to have her space. At first, one of them was constantly at her side. However, it became harder and harder for them to pull that off with their work schedules. The only jobs the twins could get with their records were temporary construction jobs and kitchen jobs washing dishes in restaurants. She could tell they were really trying to turn their lives around. And she felt sad that her brother hadn’t been able to do the same thing before he died.

      As much as she adored the McKnight twins, she was glad for the time she had to herself away from their tiny apartment and their big-brothers-always-hovering routine. Even if she had to take the time at the Laundromat, at least she had it.

      “Excuse me, you wouldn’t happen to have a cigarette I can borrow, would you?”

      Minerva looked up to see a petite, fair-skinned woman with beautiful wavy black hair streaked with strands of gray pulled into a ponytail that hung down her back. A bright red scrunchie held the ponytail and her front tooth was chipped. She looked like she might have had a hard life at one time, but the gleam in her eyes hinted that nothing had stolen her joy. For some reason the woman made Minerva think of her own deceased mother.

      “Sorry, ma’am, I don’t smoke.” Minerva smiled at the woman. She seems nice enough.

      “Ma’am? Girl, please, I’m too fresh and too cool to be anybody’s ma’am. My name is Carla by the way.” She grinned and sat down next to Minerva. “It’s good you don’t smoke. It’s a nasty habit. I quit smoking myself. But every now and then, I need a cigarette.” She glanced over at a tall, handsome man with salt-and-pepper hair putting clothes in the machine. “This old man I got decided we aren’t smoking any more at all and won’t let me have an occasional cigarette. You believe that?” Carla rolled her eyes playfully and shrugged.

      Minerva laughed. “My name is Minnie.” For some reason she couldn’t imagine anyone trying to tell this woman what to do.

      “Girl, these men will try your patience for real.” Carla let out an exasperated sigh.

      “You gonna just sit over there while I do all the work?” The tall, handsome man called over as he placed the coins in the machine.

      “I like watching you work.” Carla winked at her man.

      He shook his head as he smiled.

      Minerva laughed at the antics between the older couple and again she felt a pang of sadness. She tried to call up the visual image of her own parents. It was getting harder and harder to remember.

      “Hello, Carla. Minnie.” A deep voice pulled her away from her memories.

      Her heart started beating double time in her chest at the sound of his masculine baritone. She looked up to find Detective Lawrence Hightower walking into the Laundromat. Since he was not carrying any clothes and looked like he was on duty, she had the feeling the good detective wasn’t there to wash a load.

      “Hey! If it isn’t my second favorite Hightower cop.” Carla laughed. “Hey, Gerald, you better watch out. The po-po is here.”

      “You know him?” Minerva spared a caustic glance at the detective before turning to Carla.

      “He’s my son-in-law Jason’s brother. He’s cool people. A little too moody and he-man for my tastes, but he a’right.”

      Lawrence frowned as he stared at them and rubbed his jaw in contemplation.

      “Awww…don’t be mad, Hightower. You know I’m too much woman for ya anyway.” Carla laughed.

      “Do you know this woman, Carla?” Lawrence eyed Minerva suspiciously as he asked the question.

      “Who, Minnie? Yes, this is my new girl.” Carla glanced from Lawrence to Minerva. “Why you asking?”

      “How well do you know her, Carla?” Lawrence leaned against the washer and folded his arms across his chest.

      “Is there a problem over here?” Gerald walked over and stood in front of Lawrence. “How’re you doing, Lawrence?”

      Minerva’s dryer stopped and she got up to get her clothes out. No way was she going to sit there and listen while the annoying Hightower cop talked about her as if she wasn’t right there in front of him.

      Jerk!

      She emptied out her dryer and rolled her laundry cart to the back table to start folding, while mentally calling Lawrence Hightower every kind of idiot she could think of. Was the man so determined to arrest her for something, anything? Was he willing to provoke her until she slapped him upside the head to get her on assaulting a police officer? That must have been his plan.

      As she placed her folded laundry in the big red sack she’d purchased for transport, she wished the sheets and blankets would hurry up and finish drying. She didn’t bother going back up front because she could still hear Hightower’s

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