Double Dare Part 15

"It sounds like you're really familiar with the area," he commented as he grabbed the metal door handle to let her enter the bar before him.

She didn't have to respond. It was like something out of that Eighties TV sitcom, Cheers. Cheers. Except, instead of everyone yelling out "Norm," they all yelled "Audra." Jesse blinked, taken aback at the warm welcome she received. Not that he didn't expect people to be excited to see her. But because they simply weren't the Except, instead of everyone yelling out "Norm," they all yelled "Audra." Jesse blinked, taken aback at the warm welcome she received. Not that he didn't expect people to be excited to see her. But because they simply weren't the kind kind of people he expected to be excited to see her. of people he expected to be excited to see her.

With most of the patrons in their mid-thirties, it was definitely not a party kind of place. Beer seemed to be the drink of choice, if the sea of frosty mugs was anything to go by. Instead of a guys' hangout, the bar appeared to cater to couples and groups. A dartboard, pool table and bank of television sets tuned to different sports completed the setting.

The green and blue interior showed a bit of age, as did the scarred hardwood floors. The tables and chairs all looked new, and the plants and flowers on each table were well cared for. Overall, it was friendly and welcoming.

And Audra fit right in. As she made her way to the bar, she greeted a few people by name, responded to questions here and there and fielded congratulations on her recent graduation. And, in typical Audra fas.h.i.+on, patted a few guys on the b.u.t.t.

"Audra, sweetie, I'm so glad you came," the bartender cried out. The tall blonde looked as if she should be home baking cookies, not manning a bar. "I was worrying, what with Drew being off gallivanting like a wild man."

"So tell me, how often does Drew call in? Seeing as he's the owner and all into running the place himself?" Audra asked. She sounded a little persnickety, enough to make the bartender raise her carefully manicured brows.

"Let's see, he's been gone a little more than a week, right? He's called three, maybe four times."

"Total?" Audra leaned her elbows on the bar and shook her head. "I get more calls than that in a day from Natasha."

"Ahhh, being left in charge is fun, huh? Congratulations on the promotion, by the way. We're all proud of you."

If he hadn't been gawking at her, Jesse would have missed the faint blush that swept over Audra's high cheekbones.

"Thanks," she murmured. Then she turned to gesture to Jesse in an obvious change of subject, "This is my friend, Jesse. Treat him right, huh? He's a h.e.l.l of a kisser."

Now it was Jesse who was probably blus.h.i.+ng. He muttered a h.e.l.lo to the laughing woman behind the bar and slid onto the empty stool.

Why were they here? Old home week? Was this a kinky twist on Audra's bad-girl-style dating? Something illegal? If her sister-in-law was involved, it stood to reason that her brother was, too.

"So," Audra said, sliding onto a barstool and spinning so she faced the room. "Have you got it ready? Is he here yet?"

There must be a pickup or drop-off scheduled tonight. Jesse looked around at the middle-cla.s.s clientele and frowned. It simply didn't compute.

The bartender tapped Audra's shoulder and nodded over to a gaggle of old guys huddled together around a small table with a cup of dice. Then the woman set a drink of what looked like scotch on the bar next to Audra's elbow.

"There ya go, tiger."

Audra grinned and slid off her stool. She leaned over and brushed a kiss over Jesse's cheek and gave him a wink.

"I'll just be a second, okay? Go ahead and order a drink. It's on the house."

With a kicky swing in her hips, Audra took the single drink, placed it on the serving tray and swayed across the room to a table where the trio of octogenarians held court.

The guy in the center had a smile as long as the Golden Gate. His wizened face showed delight beneath his sailor's cap.

"If it isn't sweet little Audra."

"Sure enough. Nothing but the best for your birthday, Joe."

And with that, she proceeded to sing the old guy "Happy Birthday" in perfect tune as the entire bar watched, then chimed in after the first line.

Jesse stared. This was her important task? Life or death? He absently thanked the bartender when she set a beer in front of him.

"Old Joe's been coming in here for years," she explained, her arms crossed over her chest and a wide grin on her face. "Back when Aaron was alive-back before he got so sick and let everything fall apart-he was the first to serve up Joe's drink and sing to him for his birthday. His son, or now his daughter, have carried on that tradition for over twenty years. He'd be proud."

From what little he'd gleaned from his investigation, Aaron Walker had been a hard-a.s.s who'd died after a long, rough bout with cancer. Before he'd gotten sick, the man had single-handedly raised his children in this bar. Audra had gone to live with her estranged mother, but she'd obviously retained a strong affection for her onetime home and what it represented.

Ironic that they were both so strongly influenced by their fathers.

Jesse gulped down a swig of beer. He'd always looked down on his father for blurring the lines on a case. And now? Now he was falling in love with a suspect who was, if connected with the crimes he was investigating, guilty enough to be serve time in prison.

When had he turned into a conjugal visit kind of guy?

10.

"THAT WAS sweet," Jesse said as he escorted Audra from the bar to her car. sweet," Jesse said as he escorted Audra from the bar to her car.

Audra snorted, but didn't deny the observation. Not that there was much to deny. They'd stayed for a drink and shared a basket of nachos while the patrons had regaled him with stories of Audra's younger years.

Instead of being embarra.s.sed, as he would have been, she'd just grinned. He'd never met anyone so comfortable with herself as she was. All aspects of her, not just the social mask she presented. Sure, occasionally she'd corrected someone's story. But only if they were making her sound too nice or goody-goody. Not that there had been too much of that. From the sound of the stories, Audra'd been a handful from infancy.

"They're a good bunch of people. I don't get over here too often, but it's always nice. I'm glad you had fun," she said. They reached her car and she gave him a considering look, then dangled the keys from her finger. "Wanna drive?"

"You don't mind other people driving your car?" Jesse frowned.

"Nah. Besides, we've already established we'd take turns leading. I led us here, you're in charge of the rest of our date."

His frown faded and he caught the keys she tossed to him. He unlocked her door and settled her into the pa.s.senger seat before going around to the driver's side. Her car was a lot sportier than his old truck. Eight horse-power, it'd be a pleasure to handle.

Much like its owner.

Jesse slid into the car. He started the ignition and glanced over at her.

"It sounds like you were a h.e.l.lion growing up." Which was in keeping with the reputation he'd uncovered in his investigation. "And yet they all seem to love you."

Which wasn't in keeping with that rep. For a woman who'd grown up with juvenile delinquent tendencies, a neglectful father and a drunken mother, she had some amazingly well-developed people skills.

"Hey, I'm a lovable kind of gal. Hadn't you noticed?" she said with a laugh and a vampy look.

"So you grew up in the bar?" Jesse headed toward the freeway, determined to solve this puzzle, or at least a portion of it, before they got back to Sacramento.

"Over it, really. Dad's apartment was upstairs. My brother lived there off and on for a while, too. Mostly off. Then my dad got sick and my mom was forced to take custody."

Her tone was so matter-of-fact, Jesse almost misunderstood the words. A quick glanced showed no evidence of emotion on her face.

"Forced? You mean she won custody, right?"

"Nope. My parents weren't much for nurturing, if you know what I mean. My dad was a good guy, but he didn't know diddly about raising a kid, let alone a female kid. He'd had enough trouble with Drew, then I came along. He'd have preferred my mother raise me. You know, females belong together and all that jazz."

He slid her another glance. Like her words, her face showed no trace of bitterness. Her easy acceptance was a surprise. Especially since he was used to criminals who blamed their misdeeds on parents who'd denied them video games and candy.

"And your mom?"

"She's cool. We had some pretty wild parties. My place was the hangout, which gave me ready access to a lot of hot guys," she said in a teasing tone.

Parties. Jesse mentally reviewed Audra's file. She'd lived with her mom between the ages of fourteen and seventeen, including the time of her arrest at sixteen. Somehow he didn't think those parties included soda pop and spin the bottle.

"What about your brother?"

"My dad died when I was sixteen. Drew took it hard. He had the bar to run then, and was pretty busy. I hardly saw him again until I was an adult."

She shrugged as if it didn't mean much, but Jesse'd learned to look to her lips for a true reaction. Audra would be a h.e.l.l of a poker player with that bland face and go-to-h.e.l.l eyes. But when she talked about her father's death, the slight tremble in her lower lip gave her away.

Those years with her mother must have been h.e.l.l. If he remembered right, it had been her brother who bailed her out of jail and had signed the court papers when she'd been arrested. Interesting.

"How about you?" she asked, turning the tables. "Tell me about your family.

Jesse gave a laugh. "My family? They're about as average a family as you can get, I guess."

"C'mon, that's a copout. You mentioned sisters before. How many? Are you older or younger? Where'd you grow up, what're your parents like?"

He shot her a shocked look. "All that?"

"Yes, all that. Now that you know just about everything there is to know about me, it's only fair to share the knowledge. Besides, you are the one who wanted to do this dating thing to get to know each other. If you don't want to talk, I'm perfectly content to have s.e.x."

His blood went south, instant reaction stirring at her words. d.a.m.ned if his body wouldn't be perfectly content to have s.e.x, too. But as long as she was a suspect, he'd keep his pants on.

"Fair's fair," he agreed. "I have four sisters. Bossy, interfering know-it-alls, every one of them. We grew up in Gra.s.s Valley, an ancient house with more leaks and problems than money to fix them. One bathroom, four primping girls. It's a wonder I managed to shower at all in my teens."

"You love them a lot, huh?"

He glanced over, expecting to see mild disdain at best, all-out derision at worst. Instead, her eyes were filled with warmth and interest, her lips tilted in an encouraging smile.

"They're good people," he finally said, borrowing her earlier words. "All four are married now, which makes my mother happy. She's on the warpath for grandkids, but n.o.body is in a hurry to accommodate the demand."

"Aren't you her main target? I'd think there would be that whole 'family name' thing to live up to."

Jesse bit back a sigh. She didn't know the half of it. Of course, in his family's mind, his being a cop meant he was living up to the family name. Thankfully, no one but him knew the truth behind his father's reputation as a cop. Or how hard Jesse worked to make sure he didn't follow suit.

"Nope, her ticking grandma clock seems focused on the females. She's had a hard time since my dad died two years ago," he heard himself admitting. "I mean, I know she'd like to see me settled down and all. But she's old-fas.h.i.+oned, I guess. It's okay to nag at her daughters, but once dad was gone, I became the man of the family. To her mind, that means I'm above questioning and nagging."

Like his father had been.

"A get-out-of-nagging free pa.s.s?" she joked. "It sounds like she's a cool mom. Tough but loving. Like those old-fas.h.i.+oned moms you see on TV Land."

He gave a little laugh. Then as he thought of just how old-fas.h.i.+oned she was, his laughter died and bitterness coated his tongue.

"As much as I love my mother, that old-fas.h.i.+oned system might work for bringing up a decent pack of kids. But sometimes I wish to h.e.l.l she'd been less subservient to her husband. Maybe if she'd laid down the law with him as well as she had with her kids, he might have shown more loyalty."

Jesse glanced at Audra, curled in the seat next to him. Faint shadows of exhaustion rimmed her eyes, but she still managed to look hot, s.e.xy and sweet, all at the same time. Her gaze was locked on his face, a look of compa.s.sion in those eyes.

"He strayed, huh?"

"Yeah. She never let on like she knew, though. So maybe he kept it from her." Jesse had only found out after joining the P.D. His father's exploits were stuff of legend at the cop shop.

"She knew," Audra said softly. "A woman intuitive enough to successfully raise five kids, not a screwup in the bunch? She'd know."

"She never let on," he repeated.

"Like you said, she's strong. And it sounds like her family was number one. Some women believe it's more important to keep the family intact than open those closet doors and clean out the skeletons."

He considered that, then nodded. "Would you?"

"Keep the door closed?" she clarified. At his nod, she grimaced and shook her head. "Nope. Then again, I'm selfish and greedy. If I ever end up married, he'll be loyal or I'll castrate his sorry a.s.s."

Even though he felt the same way, Jesse couldn't keep from clenching his thighs in protest.

"After all," she continued, "if I ever loved someone enough to promise him forever, that means my body as well as my heart, right?"

Jesse tried to shove aside the sudden, overwhelming urge to pummel this imaginary guy who would be lucky enough to have Audra's heart.

"So," she said in a bright tone, "it sounds like your family is still close, though?"

"Yeah, I guess we are," he agreed. "How about you? Are you close with your brother now?"

"I guess we are, yeah. Once Drew and I hooked back up, I even lived with him for a while. Until he got married, actually." Audra leaned her head against the seat and laughed. It was a sweetly sentimental sound that made Jesse grin. "Drew even bailed my sorry b.u.t.t out of jail once."

Feeling her gaze on him, Jesse feigned a surprised look as he shot her a glance. "Jail? What did you do to land there?"

"I broke a friend out of death row," she said quietly. This time, Jesse didn't have to fake the look of shock on his face. Not at her words, but at the pain in her tone.

"Death row? That's pretty serious."

"Definitely. Jack, my dad's dog, was scheduled to be put down. He was a mean, nasty thing. The only way to keep him from snarling and biting was to give him booze. But he didn't deserve an ugly death. He'd got out one day and the pound wouldn't release him to me. Drew was out of town. I didn't have a choice..."

Her words trailed off, then she sucked in a breath and gave him a big smile. "It was s.e.xy as h.e.l.l. Middle of the night, clandestine behavior. Too bad the cops were such jerks. Even after I explained why I was breaking Jack loose, they threw the book at me. I'm a suspicious character, apparently."

"You mean you were then?"

"Nah, it's never changed. Cops don't trust me. They take one look, see bad girl, file me under guilty." The frustration in her tone was so subtle he almost missed it. Jesse knew he shouldn't feel like a total jerk, but he did. Then she flashed her usual smile and shrugged. "It's too bad, 'cause one of them was really cute. I mean, usually I have no use for the police, but you gotta admire a man who carries his own handcuffs."

Jesse gave a surprised laugh. He wondered if his having handcuffs might outweigh his being a cop in her eyes? Probably not.

Which brought him full circle back to the sister-in-law and the trip to China funded by S.S. S.S.