CHAPTER ONE
"Where the hell have you been?"
My eyes widened at the gruff sound of my step-father's voice. He loomed in the doorway of the living room. Arms crossed, he glared down at me. So much for sneaking back into the house…
"Out," I said, deliberately vague. "Why?"
"It's two in the morning, Allie. Your curfew is midnight."
I rolled my eyes. "Seriously, Rex? I'm eighteen. I'm in college. I don't need a curfew."
"Is that so? Well, last time I checked, I pay your tuition. I keep a roof over your head, food on the table and designer clothes on your back. You drive a car I bought with gas paid for by the credit card I gave you. All I ask in return is what, Allie?"
I huffed with annoyance. This wasn’t the first time we'd had this argument. It likely wouldn't be the last. "That I go to class every day, make good grades, keep up with my chores and obey the curfew rule."
"Is that so hard?"
"Apparently it is," I grumbled.
"Don't be a smartass, Allie," he growled in that trademark Texas twang. "You're not too old for me to toss across my knee."
I snorted with amusement. "Rex, I've never let anyone beat my ass. I'm not about to start tonight."
"Keep up that sass and we'll see." He stepped into the entryway and extended his big hand. At nearly five inches over six feet, Rex was an enormous man. Broad shouldered and well-built, he cut an impressive figure, especially for a homicide detective. I figured his intimidating size worked well on all the slimy citizens who crossed his path. "Give me your purse."
"What?" I stepped back and hit the door. Clutching my purse tightly to my chest, I shook my head. "No way, Rex."
"Allie, I'm not going to ask you again. Give. Me. Your. Purse."
I could tell he wasn't going to back down on this one. He'd gone into full-on cop mode. Shit. Shit. Shit! "Look, Rex, I'm pretty sure I have the right to privacy."
"You want the right to privacy, sugar? Move into your own apartment. Pay your own bills." He wiggled his fingers. "Give me the purse."
Sighing with frustration, I reluctantly handed it over. In a minute or less, my ass was going to be grass. I swallowed hard when he snatched my hand and inspected the stamp on my skin.
"The Sixer Club?" He sounded pissed. "You're a minor. How the hell did you get in there?"
"Well…"
He dropped my hand. "Save it. I have a feeling I'm about to answer that question myself."
My chest constricted and my gut twisted with anxiety. Rex popped the latch on my silver clutch and unceremoniously dumped the contents onto the entryway table. He pushed them around the table top. His fingers lingered on the condom I carried. "I'm glad to see you're being safe."
"Yes, sir." I figured now was the perfect time to bust out the good manners.
"Too bad you're not being smart." He picked up my fake ID. "Where did you get this?"
"Um…"
Rex pinned me in place with a stern gaze. "You know I can have you arrested for this? It's illegal, Allie. Hell, you could be buying this from some asshole who funds terrorism or works with a drug cartel."
"What? No way! It's just from some guy on campus."
"Some guy on campus?"
I nodded. "I got it from a girl in my government class who knows this guy."
"A girl who knows this guy?" He parroted my reply in disbelief. "That's the best you've got?"
"It's true. I just texted her a picture of me and gave her some money. Two days later, I had a new ID."
"How much?"
I bit my lower lip. "Not that much."
"Allie," Rex spoke my name in a warning tone.
"Three hundred," I said finally.
"Are you out of your damn mind? Three hundred dollars for a fake ID?"
I shrugged. "It's a really good one. I mean, look at it."
"I'm going to take a damn good look at it. At the office," he added in an ominous tone. "Consider your clubbing career finished, sweetheart."
I started to pout but knew it wouldn't work on Rex. It had never worked on him. Maybe if he'd known me as a little kid, he'd be soft toward me but that wasn't the case. I'd met Rex
"Where the hell have you been?"
My eyes widened at the gruff sound of my step-father's voice. He loomed in the doorway of the living room. Arms crossed, he glared down at me. So much for sneaking back into the house…
"Out," I said, deliberately vague. "Why?"
"It's two in the morning, Allie. Your curfew is midnight."
I rolled my eyes. "Seriously, Rex? I'm eighteen. I'm in college. I don't need a curfew."
"Is that so? Well, last time I checked, I pay your tuition. I keep a roof over your head, food on the table and designer clothes on your back. You drive a car I bought with gas paid for by the credit card I gave you. All I ask in return is what, Allie?"
I huffed with annoyance. This wasn’t the first time we'd had this argument. It likely wouldn't be the last. "That I go to class every day, make good grades, keep up with my chores and obey the curfew rule."
"Is that so hard?"
"Apparently it is," I grumbled.
"Don't be a smartass, Allie," he growled in that trademark Texas twang. "You're not too old for me to toss across my knee."
I snorted with amusement. "Rex, I've never let anyone beat my ass. I'm not about to start tonight."
"Keep up that sass and we'll see." He stepped into the entryway and extended his big hand. At nearly five inches over six feet, Rex was an enormous man. Broad shouldered and well-built, he cut an impressive figure, especially for a homicide detective. I figured his intimidating size worked well on all the slimy citizens who crossed his path. "Give me your purse."
"What?" I stepped back and hit the door. Clutching my purse tightly to my chest, I shook my head. "No way, Rex."
"Allie, I'm not going to ask you again. Give. Me. Your. Purse."
I could tell he wasn't going to back down on this one. He'd gone into full-on cop mode. Shit. Shit. Shit! "Look, Rex, I'm pretty sure I have the right to privacy."
"You want the right to privacy, sugar? Move into your own apartment. Pay your own bills." He wiggled his fingers. "Give me the purse."
Sighing with frustration, I reluctantly handed it over. In a minute or less, my ass was going to be grass. I swallowed hard when he snatched my hand and inspected the stamp on my skin.
"The Sixer Club?" He sounded pissed. "You're a minor. How the hell did you get in there?"
"Well…"
He dropped my hand. "Save it. I have a feeling I'm about to answer that question myself."
My chest constricted and my gut twisted with anxiety. Rex popped the latch on my silver clutch and unceremoniously dumped the contents onto the entryway table. He pushed them around the table top. His fingers lingered on the condom I carried. "I'm glad to see you're being safe."
"Yes, sir." I figured now was the perfect time to bust out the good manners.
"Too bad you're not being smart." He picked up my fake ID. "Where did you get this?"
"Um…"
Rex pinned me in place with a stern gaze. "You know I can have you arrested for this? It's illegal, Allie. Hell, you could be buying this from some asshole who funds terrorism or works with a drug cartel."
"What? No way! It's just from some guy on campus."
"Some guy on campus?"
I nodded. "I got it from a girl in my government class who knows this guy."
"A girl who knows this guy?" He parroted my reply in disbelief. "That's the best you've got?"
"It's true. I just texted her a picture of me and gave her some money. Two days later, I had a new ID."
"How much?"
I bit my lower lip. "Not that much."
"Allie," Rex spoke my name in a warning tone.
"Three hundred," I said finally.
"Are you out of your damn mind? Three hundred dollars for a fake ID?"
I shrugged. "It's a really good one. I mean, look at it."
"I'm going to take a damn good look at it. At the office," he added in an ominous tone. "Consider your clubbing career finished, sweetheart."
I started to pout but knew it wouldn't work on Rex. It had never worked on him. Maybe if he'd known me as a little kid, he'd be soft toward me but that wasn't the case. I'd met Rex
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