As they had done almost every night since their encounter with Abbey eleven days before, Trent and Tyrell walked toward the Deli. Outside the heavy glass doors of the bar, they exchanged a glance and sighed.
“Maybe tonight’s the night,” Trent said, forcing a smile.
Sidling up to the bar, the two greeted a couple of regulars and stopped to make small talk. The regulars around the Deli were aware of Trent’s and Tyrell’s search for Abbey, but so far had been unable to offer any insight into the identity of the vivacious redhead who had turned their lives upside down nearly two weeks before.
As they sat down side-by-side bar stools and placed their orders, their friend behind the bar turned to them with a grin.
“Evening, guys,” the man said.
“Hey, Bobby,” Trent and Tyrell replied, almost in unison.
“Did you see her?” Bobby asked, still grinning.
“See who?” Trent asked, lifting his bottle to his mouth.
Bobby chuckled. “Your redhead.” He tipped his head toward the door. “She just walked out the door.”
As Tyrell turned to stand, Trent was already hightailing it to the door. It was a good thing another customer had pulled the door open to gain entrance or Trent would have blown right through the thick glass.
As rapidly as his neck would swivel, Trent glanced up and down.
Donegal Avenue
. The sidewalk was busy, but there was no sign of Abbey. Despite the pedestrian traffic, Trent knew if Abbey was there, his eyes would be able to spot her in the dense crowd. He’d spent over a week with every detail of her petite, sexy figure racing around in his mind. Footsteps slapping on the cement behind him announced his brother’s presence. Tyrell stood to his right and together they scanned the sidewalk. “You go that way,” Trent ordered, pointing in one direction, before he took off in the other.
Unfortunately, most of the shops lining the sides of the street were already closed and those that were open yielded little to their investigation.
As he raced up the block, Trent entered several stores, inquiring if his woman had been in. In defeat, he stepped back onto the sidewalk, taking one last futile glance around.
When he met Tyrell back at the entrance to the Deli, they mirrored one another with shakes of their heads.
They reentered the Deli and once again seated themselves at the bar. Tyrell began to grill Bobby. “Are you sure it was our Abbey?”
Bobby nodded. “Petite body, big green eyes, long red hair, and a smile that makes you want to come on the spot. Yup, I’m sure it was your Abbey.”
Trent shot a hopeful look at Tyrell.
“How long ago was she here?” Excitement elevated Tyrell’s voice.
“I’m surprised you two didn’t bump into her when you came in.”
“Don’t fuck with us, Bobby,” Tyrell snarled.
“And she was asking about the two of you,” Bobby informed them, before wandering off to serve another patron.
“Damn,” Trent growled. “If you hadn’t spent so long fucking around --”
“Go to hell,” Tyrell snapped back. “Do you think you’re alone in your frustration? You’re not. Remember that. I’m miserable as hell. And in case you’ve forgotten, I want Abbey just as much as you do. So don’t give me any of your shit, little brother.”
In silence, Tyrell and Trent sat drinking their beers, each withdrawing into his respective thoughts.
Trent was unhappy. Never before had he had the desire to chase after a woman. Never before had a woman affected him in the manner Abbey had.
“I’m sorry,” Trent said. “Two more, Bobby, please.”
“Thanks, but your apology isn’t necessary,” Tyrell replied. “I know what you’re feeling.”
“I’m not about to give up,” Trent said. “But what do we do now?”
“Well, Abbey came in here looking for us. So we leave a message with Bobby that the next time she comes in, whoever’s tending can give us a call,” Tyrell answered.
Trent laughed. “You think it’ll be that fucking easy?”
“No, I don’t,” Tyrell admitted with a chuckle of his own. “But that’s what we’re going to start with. Let’s shoot a game.”
Picking up their bottles, Trent and Tyrell walked to the back room of the Deli where the pool tables were set up.
An hour later, Trent clipped his pool cue back in the rack on the wall. He just wasn’t in the mood to sit there shooting pool knowing Abbey was out there. The fact that she’d come into the bar looking for him and Tyrell brought him hope. Maybe they’d have a chance with her after all. Damn it, they just had to find her.
“I don’t know why neither of us thought of this before now,” Trent said when he and Tyrell stepped out onto the sidewalk in front of the Deli. “But I’ve got an idea on how to broaden our search for Abbey.”
The next day, day twelve following their life-altering encounter with Abbey, Tyrell and Trent were no further ahead in locating her. But the night before had renewed their hope. Finding out that Abbey had come back into the Deli asking about them was a positive sign. To Tyrell and Trent, it meant she felt something for them as well, something beyond just the physical attraction. At least that’s what the two brothers told themselves.
Having exhausted all other avenues, Trent and Tyrell decided to call in a heavy hitter. They needed another pair of eyes on the beat, aiding in the search for their woman. Something deep inside each of them told them she was close. They could feel it. They could feel her.
Deciding on lunch, the brothers entered their favorite diner and settled into a booth.
Trent retrieved his cell phone from his pants pocket, flipped it open, and began dialing.
“Hey, Dante,” he said in the receiver. “What’s up? Uh-huh. Yeah? Hey, listen, Tyrell and I are at the diner on Eighty-sixth. Have you had lunch yet? Excellent. See you in thirty.”
Ending the call, Trent closed his cell and pushed it back into his pocket. After exchanging a knowing glance with Tyrell, he picked up a menu and signaled the waitress for two cups of coffee.
Swallowing the last mouthful of his Colombian brew, Trent checked his watch. Just then, the bell atop the diner door tinkled, and through the door strode a six-feet-five linebacker type dressed in police blues.
Spying Trent and Tyrell seated in a booth near the back of the diner, Dante tipped his hat to the waitress as he walked toward their table.
“Dante,” Tyrell greeted their guest. “Thanks for meeting us for lunch.”
“Hello, boys.” Dante’s deep voice boomed in the small diner.
“Yeah, it’s been too long,” Trent said, sliding over for the other man to have a seat.
“We just met Monday for lunch, if memory serves,” Dante said with narrowed eyes. “Shit, you two are up to something,” he stated with a grunt.
The waitress who approached their table had a beehive updo and was blowing bubbles with a piece of pink gum.
“Whaddaya havin’, boys?” she asked, eyeing Trent first and then Tyrell. After jotting down their orders on her pad, she turned. “Usual for you, Dante?” she asked, snapping her gum.
“You know it, Maggie.” Offering a friendly wink, he added, “And I’ll take gravy for those fries today. My lovely Teisha has me on a diet. I feel like I’m starving. Thanks, doll.”
“Comin’ right up, boys,” she announced, before turning to place their order.
As the waitress walked away, Dante turned his attention back to Trent and Tyrell.
“So, what the hell are the two of you up to?” he asked with a speculative tone to his voice.
“Dante, we need a favor.” Trent watched his cousin’s brow raise in question.
Though fifteen years older, Dante was the big brother and father figure Trent and Tyrell never had. Dante had taught them to ride a bike, throw a football, and drive a car. He was there to help each of them overcome his first broken heart. And although he was a law enforcement officer and took his responsibility as such very seriously, Dante had slipped the brothers their first sip of beer during a family barbecue for their fourteenth birthday.
Throughout their lives, Dante had been free with his praise when they earned it and wouldn’t hesitate to knock their heads together when they deserved it.
Tyrell and Trent held the utmost respect for their cousin.
“What? You get a speeding ticket you don’t think you earned?” Dante asked. “Come on, Trent. You want to drive a fancy, souped-up Corvette, you pay the consequences when you get caught. Christ, kid, when are you gonna learn? You’re not a teenager anymore.” Dante picked up the coffee mug Maggie had set in front of him, took a large swallow, then set it back on the table.
“Nah, it’s nothing like that,” Tyrell said. “We’re looking for some information on a woman --”
“Oh no you don’t,” Dante said, raising his hands to cut him off. “I’m not using my position and influence on the force to help you two --”
Tyrell shook his head and cut Dante’s sentence short. “No, no, it’s not like that, man. Hear us out, would you?”
“You wouldn’t want Teisha to learn about your gravy indiscretion, would you?” Trent added.
“Son of a bitch,” Dante muttered under his breath. “You sniveling little blackmailers.” Sitting back, he huffed out a breath. “I’m listening.”
“Last Friday night we were shooting pool at the Deli,” Trent began.
Dante rolled his eyes.
“We met a woman,” Tyrell continued, resting his elbows on the table. “We had a great night together, but the next morning when we woke up, she was gone. And we need to find her.”
“So go back to the meat market,” Dante offered, irritation evident in his voice. “I’m sure she’ll turn up there when she’s looking to get her bell rung again.”
The brothers squared their shoulders, ignoring Dante’s sarcastic tone.
“We have,” Trent openly admitted. “No one had seen her until last night.”
“Well, maybe she doesn’t want to be found,” Dante told them, before taking another swallow of his coffee. “She was looking for something that night, you two gave it to her, and now she’s moved on. Probably forgot all about you. You two Don Juans given any thought to that?”
“It was more than just fucking, Dante,” Tyrell said.
“Yeah, I’ve heard that one before,” Dante snorted, reaching to pull a napkin from the dispenser. “Why don’t the two of you find yourselves a nice girl, separately -- one for each of you -- and settle down, huh? Your mama’d be so happy if the two of you would quit fucking around. And I do mean that literally. Your dicks are going to fall off. Is that what you want?”
“Fuck you, Dante,” Tyrell said through gritted teeth. “You are not going to sit there and tell us you didn’t dip your stick at every opportunity you could when you were our age. You’d be a lying motherfucker if you did, and you know it.”
“We’re careful, Dante. We use protection. And for the record, we don’t run around all over town shoving our dicks into everything on two legs,” Trent said as the waitress approached the table with their orders.
When the three of them were alone once again, Dante pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes, giving the brothers a glimpse of his annoyance. “You two are a couple of little shits sometimes, you know that?” he said. “You’re goddamned lucky I like you.”
“We’re family.” Trent shrugged with a broad grin.
“Don’t remind me,” Dante said with a slight smile. “And it’s a good thing neither of you’ve ever caused me any serious grief.”
“Come on, Dante.” Trent nudged his cousin lightly in the ribs. “Where’s your sense of romance?”
“Romance?” Dante snorted. “What romance? You two picked up a woman in a bar and spent the night fucking her.”
“There was more to it than that,” Trent replied with an edge in his voice.
Another eye roll was their response.
“The woman wore her heart on her sleeve, Dante,” Tyrell informed him.
“And for the record, she picked us up,” Trent said, dousing his fries in ketchup.
“Well, that’s quite an MO, isn’t it?” Dante said with sarcasm.
“She doesn’t make a habit of picking up strangers, asshole,” Trent snapped. “She told us so.”
Dante sat, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Haven’t you ever heard of waiting for the right woman to come along, Dante? Wasn’t that exactly what you said to us when you met Teisha?” Trent didn’t bother to hide the challenging tone in his voice. He had to make Dante see that what he and Tyrell had shared with Abbey was more than just sex -- great sex, but much, much more than that. “‘When the right woman comes along, you’ll just know it. Embrace her, boys. Never let her go.’ Those were your words, Dante.”
The three men sat silent at the table in the small diner as several minutes ticked by, each one concentrating on the plate of food in front of him.
“Are you going to help us or not?” Tyrell’s voice broke the uncomfortable silence.
Dante sighed. “You think she’s ‘the one’?”
“We’d like the opportunity to explore the possibility,” Trent admitted.
“And what if she’s not agreeable to your interests?” Dante questioned, pushing his empty plate away.
Trent and Tyrell shared a glance.
“We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it,” Tyrell said with confidence.
Dante nodded. Crossing his arms on the table, he leaned forward. “And you’re planning on sharing her?”
“Why not?” Trent shrugged.
Dante chuckled at his honest reply. “You two never could do anything in a conventional manner, could you? Okay, what do you want?”
“Thanks,” Tyrell said sincerely.
“Don’t thank me yet. I haven’t done anything. I’ve agreed to hear you out.”
“Her name is Abbey,” Tyrell offered.
Dante pulled his notepad from the breast pocket of his uniform. “Last name.”
Trent and Tyrell shrugged.
“No idea,” Tyrell said.
“You do realize she more than likely gave you a phony name right? Abbey probably isn’t her first name, and it’s rather convenient she didn’t bother to give you her last. Doesn’t that tell you something, boys?”
Tyrell and Trent both shook their heads. Neither man was about to be deterred from his mission.
“Abbey is her name,” Tyrell said. “But the kid at the registration desk wouldn’t give us any more information than that.”
“Of course he wouldn’t, you dipshits.” Dante chuckled again at their innocent enthusiasm. “There’s such a thing as the Freedom of Information Act. Okay, give me Abbey’s physical description -- leave out the intimate details, if you wouldn’t mind -- and what she was wearing.”
“Petite build,” Trent said.
“Just your type.” Dante smirked at him.
“Short, barely came up to our chests. Curly red hair, long, like hanging down to the middle of her back,” Tyrell continued.
“Caucasian?”
Tyrell and Trent both nodded.
“Big gray-green eyes and a sexy smile, man.” Tyrell winked at Dante. “Real sexy. Just thinking about her has me hard.”
“Do you mind? I just ate,” Dante said with a frown. “Age?”
“Mid to late twenties, I would guess,” Trent replied.
“Where did you rendezvous?”
“The Claremont on Highland,” Trent answered.
“Fine. That’s where I’ll start,” Dante told them. “And you two may be in luck. Teisha’s friend Anna is actually dating the concierge at the Claremont.”
“You’re joking,” Tyrell stated.
Dante shook his head. “When I carry a gun, boys, I don’t joke.”
“Thanks, Dante,” Trent offered, before emptying his mug of coffee. “We’ll owe you one.”
“A very big one. The two of you will be treating Teisha, me, and the three kids at the steak house on Seventy-ninth next Friday. You should see how much little Dante can pack away these days.” He chuckled. “And don’t even think of shafting me. I’d hate to think of how upset your mama will be if I have to put a bullet in both your backsides.”
“What about your diet?” Tyrell teased.
“I’m not about to pass up the two of you buying me a steak dinner,” Dante replied.
“We read you loud and clear, Dante.” Trent saluted. “Steaks on us.”
Dante stood to leave the diner. “Oh, and you two can buy my lunch today too. Consider it my retainer.”
“Sure thing.” Tyrell laughed in agreement.
“And Dante,” Trent said, gaining his cousin’s attention as the bigger man stepped away from the table. “Despite how we met Abbey and what we did, she isn’t a skank. She’s someone very special.”
“I know, boys.” Dante nodded, a grin curling his lips. “You wouldn’t believe the enjoyment I get out of busting your balls. I understand Abbey means something to you two or you wouldn’t be going to this much effort to find her. Leave it with me. I’ll see what I can do.”
Tyrell picked at the french fries on his plate while Trent fished his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans. The two men sat silent, lost in their own thoughts after their cousin left them.
Dante just had to come through for them. That thought raced in the forefront of Tyrell’s mind. Despite the brief encounter he and his brother had shared with the vivacious redhead, Tyrell could not imagine never seeing her again. The thought of Abbey not being interested in exploring the possibility of a relationship with him and Trent was absurd to him. Not that he was full of himself, but together he and Trent had brought a passion out in Abbey that had surprised all three of them.
In turn, their Abbey had taught them something of themselves as well. There could be so much more between them than just sexual gratification.
Deep down, Tyrell knew he would be far from content until Abbey was once again in his arms. If by some slim chance she wasn’t interested in exploring the endless possibilities of a life with him and his brother, Tyrell would have to hear that from her very own lips.
“Do you think Dante will have any luck?” Trent’s question broke through Tyrell’s daydream.
“If anyone can, it’s Dante,” Tyrell assured him.
“What if what he says is true?” Trent’s brow furrowed. “What if Abbey isn’t interested?”
“Do you forget how her body responded to us, Trent? How no matter what we wanted to do or what we wanted to share with her, she was a very eager participant?” Tyrell asked. “Her sexual appetite rivals ours.”
“I don’t just want her to warm my bed, Tyrell.”
“Neither do I.”
“I’ve never felt what I feel for Abbey before,” Trent confessed. “The glint of desire in her eyes when she looks at me sends my pulse racing. Her smile curls my toes.”
Tyrell grinned. “I love the blush that colors her pale flesh from her pink nipples to the tips of her ears. The hint of innocence behind the desire you see in her eyes drives my need to protect her with everything I am.”
“Abbey doesn’t just complement or complete me,” Trent said. “She is what’s missing in my life.”
“I agree, brother, wholeheartedly.” Tyrell nodded. “Dante will find our Abbey, and she will be ours.”
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