Read Online Sidekick Returns by Auralee Wallace - Free Book Online Page A

on the small of my back, ‘one more thing.’
    â€˜Mm?’
    â€˜Does everybody get mail?’
    ***
    Like a true gentleman, Pierce opted to take me home in a cab before he went to the office. I was truly grateful. My life as a pampered socialite had not prepared my feet for the amount of walking a struggling crime fighter had to do in an average day.
    As the cab pulled in front of my building, I felt Pierce’s hand tighten around mine. At first I thought he was being romantic, then it hit me. He had never seen my place before. I had always made excuses to avoid this moment.
    I scanned his face. ‘Pierce?’ His eyes moved to meet mine.
    â€˜Let’s move in together.’
    â€˜What?’ My heart skidded to stop.
    â€˜You can move in tonight.’
    â€˜Um, I thought we had some issues to work out?’
    â€˜Meter’s running,’ the cabbie said over his shoulder.
    â€˜I can’t let you sleep in this place.’
    I patted him on his knee. ‘Oh, it’s fine.’ I realised my patting had turned to caressing and quickly pulled my hand away.
    â€˜Are those bloodstains on that building?’ he asked, leaning around me to peer out the window.
    â€˜No,’ I said with a scoff. Wait … were they? ‘No, no. There’s too much of it. Don’t be ridiculous.’
    Pierce turned his rounded eyes on me.
    â€˜Really,’ I said. ‘I think this is like Mr Pushkin’s territory. If anyone made trouble, it would be like starting a mob war.’
    â€˜You are not making me feel any better about this.’
    He leaned across me again to get a better look. I kissed him on the nose. ‘A friendly thank you for the dinner we didn’t get to eat,’ I said.
    He closed his eyes. ‘Really? Because it felt more like a don’t worry your pretty little head about this .’
    â€˜You two are adorable, but I got a serious haemorrhoid that’s starting to itch,’ the cabbie shouted back. ‘What are we doing?’
    I opened the door. ‘I’ll be fine Pierce.’ I stepped out onto the grimy street. ‘Really.’ I shut the door before he could get out.
    He rolled down the window. ‘Bremy, wait,’ he said, leaning out. ‘About the museum. I don’t … I don’t want to lead you on … or lead myself on. I …’
    â€˜Let’s talk about it Friday,’ I said. Surely I could think of something to convince him we were meant to be by then.
    Pierce crinkled his forehead sceptically, but smiled.
    I leaned down closer. ‘I forgot to say thank you for the cab.’
    He looked like he was about to say something, but I cut him off with a kiss. Hot tingles ran over my body. Kissing Pierce was like bathing in melted chocolate.
    â€˜Seriously! I have Vesuvius on my ass!’ the cabbie yelled.
    I leaned back and watched the taxi pull away, giving Pierce a final wave before turning to the door. I let out a happy sigh. Sure, a crime fighter and a reporter seemed like an unlikely mix, but maybe we could set a precedent.
    I hurried over to the door, unlocked it and stepped into the foyer of my building. I took a moment to really look around. I had never lingered there before, given the ever-flickering fluorescent lights overhead, but a thought was niggling in my brain.
    Boxes!
    I ran over to the wall filled with all little inlaid cubes with keyholes. I could have sworn they had never been there before. I peered into one of the cloudy plastic windows.
    Mail!
    So I did get mail. Sure, I could have beaten myself up over this, but, really, I grew up with an army of servants, excuse me, domestic workers, who catered to my every need. How was I supposed to know how the real world worked?
    I ran my fingers along the boxes, peering into the tiny plastic windows on each. Hmm, they all had numbers. Of course! My apartment number! I scurried over to the one I figured must be mine. Huh. It was stuffed.