NERO: Alliance Series Book One

“Well, if you hadn’t missed our appointment yesterday morning”—Abdul adjusts one of the many stacks of papers on his desk—“we wouldn’t need to do these all today.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I was busy,” I growl.

My realtor sighs. “Fine, fine, I’ll drop it.”

“Appreciate that,” I say flatly.

“Well, the good news is, I’ve rescheduled the showings for this afternoon. I have the three properties you said you were interested in, plus another two that I think fit your needs. And they’re all in the districts you requested.”

“Good.” I push out of the extremely uncomfortable chair across from Abdul’s desk.

He may be the best in town, but my patience is thinner than usual today. I consider telling him why I was late this morning, that choking a man to death with his own finger altered my schedule for the week, then decide against it.

“I’ll see you in a couple of hours,” he calls after me, as I stride out the door.

But I’m no longer listening, because now I have a little time to spare, and it’s been too long since I’ve laid eyes on my Sweet Girl.

Flipping my blinker on, I turn down the block Payton works on, and remind myself that I’m not going in.

It’s mid-morning, and the early rush should be over, though it seems like there’s almost always a couple of customers in the shop.

My foot depresses on the brake as I come even with Twin’s Café, but the afternoon sun is glinting off the glass of the large windows at just the wrong angle, messing with my view of the interior.

I tighten my grip around the steering wheel.

I should leave. I didn’t make any promises to her. Never said I’d call.

And I can go back to that empty apartment across the street from hers tonight and see her that way.

I don’t need to go in.

A car pulls out of a metered parking spot just ahead of me, and my foot lifts itself off the brake.