After Love

After Love
is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

A Loveswept eBook Original

Copyright © 2016 by Kathy Clark

Excerpt from
Almost Forever
by Kathy Clark copyright © 2016 by Kathy Clark

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Loveswept, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

L
OVESWEPT
is a registered trademark and the
L
OVESWEPT
colophon is a trademark of Penguin Random House LLC.

This book contains an excerpt from the forthcoming book
Almost Forever
by Kathy Clark. This excerpt has been set for this edition only and may not reflect the final content of the forthcoming edition.

eBook ISBN 9781101885628

Cover design: Sharanya Durvasula

Cover photograph: Masterfile RF

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Nick walked into the dimly lit confines of the Jackalope Bar on Austin's famous Sixth Street. Some people have a favorite easy chair they plop into after a hard day's work, but Nick's chosen spot was a stool at the far end of the bar. If someone happened to be there when he arrived, he wouldn't hesitate to ask the person to move. Maybe it was his no-nonsense tone, the steely look in his blue eyes, or the rigid set of his square jaw, but the trespasser always vacated the stool without argument. It was the perfect location for a night of consumption where Nick could sit sideways with his back against the wall and right arm supported on the worn wooden bar. From that vantage point, he could watch both the front and back doors, as well as most of the patrons. Force of habit.

Through years as a DEA agent, he had learned to multitask. He could eat, drink, watch a game on one of the flat screens, check messages on his cell, and catch up on the real news that only bartenders can offer, all while keeping an eye on everything going on around him.

At this time of year, most of the college kids had gone home for the summer. That left a handful of locals, summer students, and lots of tourists prowling the bars and restaurants downtown. It was easy to tell which were first-timers because they would stop and stare at the giant fiberglass statue of a jackrabbit with deer antlers glued on top of its head. Or they would hoist their kids onto the saddle on the rabbit's back and snap photos on their phones. Apparently the legend of jackalopes had been made popular back in the 1930s after a Wyoming hunter used his taxidermy talent to create the mythical creature, then sold it to a local hotel. It became the Old West version of a unicorn as stories of sightings spread and persisted.

“Hi, Nick,” the petite, raven-haired bartender with a tight black tank top said as she sailed a coaster to land directly in front of him.

“Hey, Gina. You still fucking that no-good cowboy…what's his name?”

Gina smiled and gave him a flirtatious flutter of her thick fake lashes. “Yeah, like you care.”

“Course I care, darlin'. I just hate to see such a hot babe wasting herself on a guy with cow shit on his boots.”

“You'll be the first one I call when I get tired of him….I promise.”

“You've been saying that for months, you know?” Nick sat down and took off his sunglasses so his eyes could adjust to the lower light level. He and Gina had been running the same routine for the last five years, but Nick hadn't taken it any further, even though Gina had given him several opportunities. It wasn't that he wasn't attracted to her; he simply didn't want to have to find another place to drink.

“And it's Gary,” she added.

“
Gary?
That's an old fart's name….Gary!” he snorted.

“And
Nick
isn't?”

“It's timeless,” he retorted.

“Yeah, like St. Nicholas and the popes.”

“And Nick Cannon and Nic Cage…both cool dudes.”

“One's old enough to be my father and the other is old enough to be my grandfather.”

Nick gave her a pained look. Age was definitely a subject he didn't want to discuss.

Gina must have known because she gave him a wink to soften the blow and asked, “What are you having?”

“Pull me a small fresh one, but nothing domestic.”

“Got it. Want me to card you to make you feel better?”

He tossed his coaster at her, but she dodged, turned, and grabbed a mug, all in one smooth motion. She filled it at one of the many taps, flipped another coaster onto the bar, and set the mug squarely on top of it.

“Thanks, darlin'. How've you been?” He let the foam settle before taking a sip.

“Me? Struggling, you know? Been pulling a couple of doubles to pay for a blown engine on that piece-of-shit Hyundai. My ex is still laughing….He could have let me have the new F-150, but
nooo
…” She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the bar. “Where've you been, Nick? I haven't seen you for a few weeks.”

“I had an assignment in Denver, then I went to Kentucky for a few days.”

“At least you're back at work after that unofficial trip to Mexico you took last year. I heard you got some time off without pay. True?”

Nick took a long drink and studied her over the thick glass rim. “Who told you that?”

“You're not the only officer who comes in here.”

“Great…So much for being undercover. Besides, they don't know shit.”

“They said you got moved out of the secret-agent business.”

He shrugged noncommittally.

“How long?”

“My boss told me until my looks change.”

“I think you're still pretty good-looking.” She flashed another smile and a wink. “It's going to be a long time before you get ugly.”

He held up his mug in a silent salute.

“Need food?” Gina asked.

“Give me a naked burger, rare, and fries.”

“You got it.”

Nick took out his cellphone, flipped through the emails, and scanned the missed calls. The last three from his boss had gone to voicemail. He knew he really should call her back. After that unauthorized trip to Mexico, he'd promised to be more communicative. It didn't matter that he'd been instrumental in busting the biggest drug cartel on the border. She'd raked him over the coals for not clearing it through the agency first and for going without backup.

He hit the redial button next to her name.

“I've been calling you all day, Nick. Where are you?” Bobbi asked, without even so much as a
hello
.

“I finished my reports about Denver and sent them to you today.”

“They were due yesterday.”

“Yeah…I know. But you have them now.” He didn't add that he'd been battling a bitch of a hangover from a generous sampling of Kentucky bourbon. He'd caught an early flight with two layovers and a storm delay before arriving back in Austin late this afternoon. He'd barely been able to finish the damn report before he fell asleep. “We good?” Nick clenched his teeth. He loved the actual work but hated writing about it. If bad guys went to jail because he busted their asses in the act of committing a crime, then that should be enough information for the files. Or better yet, they should require criminals to write their own reports as the first phase of their punishment.

“After I've read it, I'll let you know. Listen, I need to talk to you.”

“What's up?”

“No…in person. Too late today, but how about tomorrow morning first thing…my office. Can you stay out of trouble till then, Nick?” It was more of a demand than a question.

“Sure…no problem. I'm grabbing a burger and then heading home. See you tomorrow.”

“First thing, my time…as in eight a.m.”

“Eight a.m.,” Nick echoed and grimaced as he ended the call and put his phone down on the bar.

“Here you go.” Gina set the plate of food in front of him, along with the mustard and ketchup bottles. “You okay?”

Nick smiled. “Sure. The boss has some new hell for me tomorrow.”

“More trouble from the cartel deal?”

“That and other things she doesn't like…Not sure how far back she holds a grudge. I only started reporting to her about two years ago.” He squeezed a mound of ketchup next to the fries, then added a generous squirt of mustard on the burger.

Gina laughed. “Dude, you're screwed if she holds a grudge.”

Nick held the palm of his hand up to wave off her concern. “Maybe I should have let her know before I took off…but there wasn't time, ya know?”

“Never is, Nick. Never is. Anyway, enjoy. I'm glad you're back in town.” Gina reached out and patted the back of his hand as he reached for his beer.

Nick glanced up at the television and read the sports crawler with minimal interest. Football was his preferred season, but at this time of year it was all about baseball. He worked his way through the burger and fries, only half aware of what he was eating. He was worried, more than he wanted to admit, about his meeting with Bobbi tomorrow. She might be a woman in a heavily male organization, but she had worked her way up and had a well-earned reputation for being a hard-ass. Worse, she had zero sense of humor, so he couldn't even joke his way out of a tight spot.

For all his grumbling, he loved being an agent. He liked being out, observing the world, tracking down the bad guys, and keeping illegal drugs off the streets. Bobbi had threatened to put him behind a desk if he didn't change his methods. But his logic was why cramp his style if it got the job done? And not even Bobbi could deny his success rate was higher than anyone else's in the local agency. However, his fails were epic, and apparently she preferred focusing on them.

Nick signaled Gina for another draft and drained the first just as she returned with the next one. Within minutes, the food was gone and the second draft was less than half full. He leaned back and, through half-closed eyes, surveyed the crowd.

Two kids, probably locals, burst into the bar through the back door. They were laughing and stumbling into each other, indicating this wasn't the first bar they'd hit tonight. Nick immediately focused on a smudge of white powder on the taller kid's right cheek near his nose. Nick swiveled on his stool, just enough so he could watch them in the mirror. It was certainly better entertainment than the ball game.

They sat on stools only a couple down from his. Nick leaned on the bar as if focusing on his beer, allowing him to listen to the boys' conversation without creating suspicion.

“Man, that was too easy,” the taller kid laughed.

“There must have been a thousand bags in that storage unit, dude. We can make a fortune.” The other kid pushed his glasses back to the bridge of his nose. His voice was a little too high-pitched and overexcited.

“Hi, guys.” Gina slid two coasters in front of the newcomers and greeted them with her usual high-energy smile. Both boys nearly jumped off their stools.

“Whoa, where'd you come from?” the tall kid asked.

“Uh…this is where I always am, every Wednesday through Sunday. Imagine that…a bartender behind a bar.” Gina held her hands out and waved toward row after row of liquor bottles on the shelves behind her. “Thirsty?”

They laughed and slapped each other on the shoulder as if she were hilarious.

“Of course we are,” the kid with the glasses said.

Gina took their drink orders, checked their IDs and, as she passed Nick, gave him a cross-eyed look. Nick chuckled but didn't lose his concentration.

The shorter kid pulled out his cellphone and dialed. A few seconds later he crowed, “Yeah, Derek…we did it!”

“What'd he say?” the tall kid asked, leaning closer and trying to overhear the conversation.

“Yeah, we should go back right away.” The shorter boy held the phone out so his friend could hear. “One of the bags split open. When they go in there, they'll see it and know someone found their stash. We've got to clean it up…and, you know, take a few bags before they move it somewhere else.” He waited while Derek said something, then continued, “Listen, dude, it's
got
to be tonight. We'll make a killing with this shit.”

The taller kid got up as if he were leaving, but the kid on the phone grabbed him and pulled him down.

“Okay…ten. Good…I gotta get something to eat. See you there.” He set his phone on the bar.

“Ten tonight. And he's bringing Drake.” He held his hand up, and the two boys high-fived.

“Split four ways?”

“Four ways. With so many bags, they won't miss a few. And best of all, they'll never know who did it.”

Gina placed bottles of beer on their coasters. “Either of you want a glass?”

“Nah, we're good,” the shorter guy said. “Fuck, we're better than good….We're great.”

“Man, it's hot in here.” The tall kid chugged the entire beer. “I'm so thirsty.”

His friend nodded and drained his bottle. “Yeah, me too.” He was jittery and tapped out a staccato rhythm with his fingers on the bar. His friend was nervously peeling the label off his beer bottle as he waited for a new one.

Nick signaled Gina when she returned, and she came over immediately.

“What's up?” she asked.

“Ever seen those two before?” Nick nodded toward the two guys.

Gina glanced over. “Don't think so. Why?”

“Can't tell you. Ask one of your undercover guys.” A corner of his mouth lifted and his eyes twinkled.

Gina slapped his hand and went to flirt with another customer. Nick glanced at his phone and saw it was only eight thirty. He still had some time to kill. He finished his beer and waved at Gina for another. Not wanting to let the boys out of his sight, Nick stepped away from the bar but kept his eye on the mirror. In the spirit of his new pledge of transparency, he dialed his boss. The phone rang three times, then the answering message came on. With a low voice and the mic cupped in his hand, he whispered, “It's me. Listen, I ran across a possible storage locker full of booger sugar, so call me. I'm going to check it out.”

Nick smiled as Gina delivered his third beer. He settled back on his stool. “Thanks, darlin'.”

“First two beers made you happy….Good.”

“Nah…just found something interesting to do this evening. You sure you don't know these guys?”

“No…If you want, I'll trade phone numbers with the tall one. He's kind of cute.”

“Never mind. Gary might get pissed and blame me.”

“Yeah, like I tell Gary about you,” she snorted.

Nick glanced over at the boys as they flagged for another round.

When Gina passed him again, he flipped his debit card onto the bar. “I gotta go as soon as I finish this.”

Gina went to the cash register and closed out his tab. “I was awesome tonight, so your tip was pretty generous.”