Free Ace-High Flush by Patricia Green Page A

of the chairs in Gabby's basement. That reminded him of spanking her there, and brought on a smile.
    "Is something funny?"
    "No." He schooled his face into something more appropriate.
    "I have some mug shots here on the computer. Do you mind looking at them? We brought a guy in last night who fit the description of one of the perps you saw, so we're getting him into a lineup. That takes a while to get organized, so if you could look at the pictures while we're setting things up..."
    "Yeah. I'd be glad to. I want those guys caught."
    The detective indicated the swivel chair in front of the computer monitor. "Why don't you sit here?"
    "Sure." Ace examined the pictures carefully and thought maybe he could identify one of the thugs. Maybe it was the one with the watch cap. He'd clocked the guy with a punch to the jaw, so he'd gotten a good look at him, but without the cap it was hard to be sure. The detective was happy to take it all down, however. Ace was dismissed to a waiting room until the lineup was ready for him.
    While he was waiting, Ace pulled out his phone and listened to his voicemail. Trey had called to let him know they were going to be in town. His youngest brother had made the reasonable assumption that they were going to be missing each other, since Ace had been scheduled to fly out this afternoon, but when Ace called him, he seemed relieved to find him still in town.
    "Save me from shoppin', brother."
    Ace grinned. "Liv's got you carryin' packages, hm?"
    "Worse. She's meetin' up with New York girlfriends and they're gonna have lunch and go shoppin'. Liv wants me to tag along, but damned if I'm gonna play rooster at a hen party."
    "I hear ya. I have to deal with the police for a while longer, but how 'bout if I call you around lunchtime and we can find a baseball game on the tube at one of the bars around here?"
    "Sounds like a plan. Good luck."
    "Yeah. Thanks."
    Ace waited almost an hour, and by the time they called him to come to the little dark booth with its one-way window, he was impatient and bored. Worse, none of the fellows lined up for his scrutiny looked like any of the guys from the night before. That suggested that he might have to do this again. He couldn't help but wonder why being a good Samaritan was so much hassle. It was little wonder that people were so hesitant to aid their fellow citizens.
    The detective was unapologetic, and asked Ace if he'd please stay in town for another day. Ace pointed out that he had obligations in Texas, but agreed to one more day. He wanted to spend more time with Gabby anyway. She had grown on him. He knew he was going to miss her once he was back at the ranch. Miss her badly.
    Trey was waiting at the bar when Ace arrived. They sat together and had a few beers, watching the Yankees play while the lunch crowd came and went.
    "So did you ever find Gabriella Appleby?"
    "Uh...yeah."
    Trey turned to face him. "There's more. I can tell."
    "Yeah, well...we've been sort of datin'."
    Trey's dark eyebrows shot up. "Datin'?"
    "She doesn't care that I'm the same age as her parents."
    Trey grinned and slapped Ace on the back. "Lucky man!"
    Ace nodded and smiled, but he was forcing it. The more he thought about dating Gabby, the more difficult the realization that it was temporary became. He was compelled to make a difference in her life—sometimes by spanking the naughtiness out of her—but mostly he just wanted to see that spark of interest in her eyes. He couldn't see that from Texas. "She's a good kid."
    "You say that like it's a bad thing."
    He nodded and drank some of his beer. "I wish I liked her a little less."
    Trey made a choking sound, and Ace thumped him on the back. "You okay?"
    A nod.
    "It's not just sex?"
    "Well, there is that, but that's not all of it. She's fun and perky, has a decent sense of humor. She likes animals. She tolerates me pretty well."
    "She's a cute little thing, too, huh?"
    "Yeah. It's the whole package."
    Trey eyed him until Ace became