Free The Ringer by Amber Malloy

papers, she hadn’t heard a peep out of any of the Lockland clan.
    While she turned over the last twenty-four hours in her head, the car came to a stop in front of a luxury high-rise. They got out and headed inside the building. She was not a detective by a long shot, but she couldn’t help but be bothered by the coincidence of her decoy job and running into Jax.
    This morning she remembered the weird message she had received from Honey Pot’s decoy service. At first, she hadn’t thought anything of it, but after everything that happened, she had to confess something about it troubled her. The nameless voice had been unrecognizable. Usually the decoys were instructed to make contact with their security detail before they met with the cheating husbands. Once or twice, her security had called off the date or been late, but this time they’d told her to go straight to the mark in the bar.
    The more she examined the events of that night, things just didn’t add up.
    Jax led the way to the elevator bank without a single soul around to question their presence. No bellmen were on duty. With the expensive black granite desk and brass overlays, the building was definitely snazzy enough to warrant someone at the front desk.
    Stuck in the puzzle of their predicament, she tried to flip, turn, and examine all the angles. A tingle along the base of her neck broke her concentration. She found Jax staring at her.
    The beginnings of a lopsided grin inched his furrowed brow upward, erasing the serious expression of concern he’d sported all morning.
    She tried to shake off the mushy feeling in her gut, but the moment he bumped his pinky into hers, she was a goner. Jax hooked his fingers with hers. They stepped onto the elevator together, and Lane smiled at his downright cuteness.
    “Excuse me.” A woman covered in dirty coveralls and a baseball cap joined them before the cab doors shut.
    “Max,” he muttered. He hit the button for the top floor. “You wouldn’t have been outside the building now would you?” he asked, his voice hardening as he went in full-cop mode.
    “Not since you got me this nifty gift.” She lifted her pant leg to reveal a home arrest ankle bracelet.
    “I doubt it,” Jax told her.
    Curious, Lane tried to catch the woman’s face out of the corner of her eye but couldn’t make out anything discernible. Her cap covered her everything above her nose, and her clothes were too baggy.
    “Is he here?”
    “To bail his baby brother out of trouble? Of course he is.”
    “Jealous?” he grunted.
    “Nope, delighted.” Her tone dripped of syrup.
    The cab’s doors opened inside of a suite, offering them a palatial oceanfront view of Miami. An entire wall of panoramic windows overlooked the majestic Atlantic Ocean. Once Lane focused on her surroundings, she was struck dumb by the condo.
    Light, calm colors welcomed in the tantalizing sight from the outside. A condo that floated above the clouds. She imagined Cloud City from Star Wars was an apartment in Miami.
    The woman yanked the hat off her head, allowing a cascade of blonde hair to fall free. “Honey, look who I found!” She moseyed out of the elevator first.
    Jackson Thornbird’s clone walked into the room. The only difference was this guy had a clean-cut appearance. His shorter hair gave him a distinguished air. He offered them a genuine smile before he gathered the blonde who was covered in dirt into his arms. The good-looking man didn’t appear to care about his expensive suit.
    “You didn’t give him a hard time did you, Maxie?” He gave her a kiss.
    “Of course she did,” Jax interrupted before she could answer. “Lane, this is my brother, Nate, and his fiancée, Maxie.”
    The crazy dynamic of power and money all in one spot was more than a bit intimidating. She gave a shy wave to the room.
    “Oooh, so you’re the decoy?” Maxie flipped her hair over her shoulder, giving her full attention to Lane. Shocked by her beauty, her breath hitched