Read The Perfect Storm (The Blake Boys Book 6) for Free Online Page A

stopped dating criminals in high school,” she quipped.
    “Excuse me?”
    “Give back the wallets.”
    “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He tried to push past her.
    “I’m calling the police.”
    “The hell you are.” He took a shot at her face.
    Sam blocked it, grabbed his wrist, and twisted with such force, he fell to his knees in pain.
    “You bitch!” he yelled.
    She felt someone coming up behind her, and turned around in time to see J.J. grab another guy.
    The guy turned and tried to punch J.J. but he moved out of the way, caught him in the jaw with the right hook and sent him flying into the wall.
    “The manager called the police. They should be here any minute.” J.J. adjusted on his tie.
    Sam nodded. “Thanks for assist.”
     
    * * *
     
     
    J.J. sat at the bar nursing a beer while Sam finished giving her statement to the police. It wasn’t the night he’d had in mind, but it was exciting none the less. He gave a quick statement to the police, but when they realized they were talking to John Blake, former quarterback for the Denver Colts, that conversation took an additional half hour. He appreciated meeting people who were fans of his football career, but sometimes that got in the way of more important things. Like getting back to his evening with Sam. When she’d finished giving her statement to the officers, a few of the patrons were thanking her for getting their wallets back. J.J. tightened his grip on his beer when one of them leaned in, whispered something in her ear and handed her a business card.
    “Bet you’ve never had a business meeting like that before,” she said as she approached J.J. at the bar.
    “I see you have a fan.” He pointed to the business card.
    “He wants to take me on his yacht this weekend to thank me personally for saving his American Express black card.” She laughed.
    “What did you say?”
    “I don’t like men who try too hard.” She looked at him for a moment, then looked away to glance at her watch.
    “Don’t like the thrill of the chase?” J.J. smiled.
    “Dating is a slow, deliberate dance. I don’t like feeling rushed.” She leaned against the bar.
    “I’ll keep that in mind.” J.J. mumbled and stood. “It’s late. We haven’t had dinner and I need to get you home.”
    She waved him off. “I think the kitchen is closed and I can get a cab.”
    “Absolutely not. The manager was kind enough to pack up our dinner.” J.J. rose and led her out of the restaurant before she could argue again. Man, he wanted to kiss her right now. He didn’t know if it was the excitement of the evening or a feeling that had been buried that was clawing its way out of his subconscious. A hot kiss from the lady who just beat some crooked asshole down would be a great way to end the evening.
    J.J. enjoyed the conversation with Sam on the way to her condo. They didn’t talk about work, he made sure of that. He got her to open up about the moves she made on the pick pocket. He learned that she worked out regularly and kept the fitness standards of the Dallas police department even though she no longer worked for them. She said her job at Regency required undercover work and sometimes she had to get physical. He tried to mask his displeasure, but he couldn’t imagine a beautiful woman like her with such a rigorous, dangerous job. What could be so perilous about protecting a bunch of rich fat cats?
    He felt invigorated as soon as he walked into the condo. It was furnished with bold colors that awakened the senses. Reds, blues, greens and earth tones ran rampant through the rooms and down the hallway.
    “What was this for?” He pointed to a picture of her receiving a medal.
    “Bravery.”
    “What happened?”
    “Stopped an armed robber as he was exiting a bank he’d just held up. I’m starving. Would you like some wine to go with dinner?” Sam padded into the kitchen with their bag from the restaurant.
    “Sounds good.” J.J. could see she tensed