Tuff Enough

by Samantha A. Cole

  “Not at all. I do have one question though?”

  He rolled her onto her back and crawled on top of her, his morning erection nestled between her widespread thighs. “And what’s that?”

  “Mmm. Well, now I have two questions—the first is, which side of the house will we live in, mine or yours?”

  “Yours. I like how you decorated it. It’s homey versus my bachelor pad.” He flexed his hips. “What’s the second question?”

  “How many times can you make me scream your name in the next seventeen minutes?”

  His grin widened as far as it would go. “I don’t know; let’s find out.”

  Chet felt her cheeks warm as she remembered how many times she’d, indeed, screamed his name. The man knew how to make her body sing.

  Glancing at the clock on the wall, she wondered if he’d make any progress today on finding the other two pit bulls that’d gone missing. While he’d said he couldn’t tell her everything about what was going on, he did say they were doing everything possible to find the dogs and the microchips that’d been implanted in them. She was curious as hell but knew he would tell her if he could.

  Des strode in, with Leo on his heels, then shut the door behind them. “Have a seat, Leo.”

  “What’s going on?” the younger man asked. Like Chet, he was already in his uniform, but, unlike her, he was minus his duty belt with its holstered weapon—he must have gotten dressed before Des found him in the men’s locker room. Meanwhile, Des was wearing his usual uniform pants and a white polo with the ACO department logo on it.

  Chet’s supervisor sat behind his desk, with Leo’s employee file in front of him. “Leo, over the past weeks, Chet has been evaluating you. She’s taught you what you need to learn, gone over protocols and procedures, and given you numerous opportunities to gain experience. She and I have had numerous meetings about your progress, and I’ve had several meetings with you as well. I’m sorry to say I don’t think you’re cut out for this job. You seem to think you have more authority than the ACOs are allowed, despite Chet’s and my intervention and guidance. I agree with Chet’s recommendation to let you go.”

  “What? You can’t do that!”

  Biting her tongue, Chet barely stopped the words “yes, he can” from escaping her mouth. Leo glared at her before turning his attention back to Des. “But—But I still have a week left on probation. I can do it. Let me prove to you I can do the job.

  “I’m sorry, Leo. You’re just not cut out for this department. Maybe the police department would be a better fit.”

  Chet almost rolled her eyes. She doubted the police department wanted a loose cannon any more than she or Des did.

  Leo slammed his fist on Des’s desk, causing Chet to start. “No! They wouldn’t take me! Please, give me a chance! All—All I need is a chance. I can do it!”

  Chet’s eyes narrowed, and she frowned at Leo’s declaration that the police department wouldn’t take him. She didn’t remember any TPD application, submitted or denied, being in his file, and from a similar look on Des’s face, he didn’t either.

  Des shook his head. “I’m sorry, Leo. We gave you several chances, but each time, you ignored our constructive criticism.”

  Standing quickly, his chair shoved back a foot, a red-faced Leo turned on Chet and pointed a finger at her. Rage flared in his eyes. “You bitch! You didn’t like me from the first day! You were looking for a reason to get rid of me. I told Uncle Robert you’d do something like this!”

  “Who?” She had no idea who his uncle was. Not wanting to be at a disadvantage, Chet got to her feet as Des also stood and came around from behind the desk.

  “Don’t give me that crap. You know him. Hell, you were fucking married to his brother! Roland told me all about you being a cunt to him!”

  What? “Y-You’re related to Robert Stratford?”

  He sneered. “Don’t act like you didn’t know my mother’s sister is his wife. You found out, and to get back at Roland, you’re getting me fired. You bitch! Do you know what I did to get this job? I should’ve killed you instead of that asshole and his wife!”

  Before she could react to his outburst, Leo reached into his back waistband and pulled out a gun. Des lunged forward to grab the weapon, but it discharged. He grunted in pain as red bloomed on his shirt just below his right shoulder.

  Her heart pounding, Chet drew her 9mm and fired, controlling the recoil with muscle memory. The bullet slammed into Leo’s chest but didn’t stop him as he swung his weapon toward her. Chet fired again . . . and again, Tuff’s voice in her ear telling her to keep shooting until the threat was down and not getting back up. It took four bullets to the upper torso before Leo dropped to the ground, never having gotten another shot off.

  Chet stared at his body in shock, then Tuff’s voice was in her head again. She stepped forward and kicked the gun from where it landed near Leo’s hand, sending it skittering across the floor. She thought he was dead—hoped so—but there was no way she was taking any chances.

  The acrid smell of both gunpowder and blood filled the air of the small office. Holstering her weapon and grabbing a first aid kit that hung on the wall, Chet rushed over to where Des was leaning against the desk, his hand over his wound. “Are you okay? Sit in the chair.”

  She steered him to the closest seat, then quickly found packages of gauze and ripped several of them open. With shaking hands, she covered the bullet’s entrance and exit wounds. The projectile had gone straight through, making a larger hole on his back. Aside from being in obvious agony, his breathing didn’t seem labored, nor did it appear he was losing excessive amounts of blood. Hopefully that meant the bullet hadn’t hit any major vessels or his lung.

  “Lean back against the chair and put pressure on both wounds while I call it in.”

  After Des gingerly did as he was told, his hand replacing hers again, Chet snatched one of the TPD radios from a row of chargers on a shelf near the door. She turned it on and made sure it was on the correct emergency channel before squeezing the transmit button. “ACO-7 to headquarters, shots fired at our station. Suspect down and my supervisor’s been shot.”

  A female dispatcher’s response was immediate. “All units, all units, clear the air—emergency traffic only. Headquarters to ACO-7, confirm you have shots fired at ACO headquarters, suspect down, one other victim.”

  “That’s affirmative.” Chet returned to Leo’s still body and checked for a carotid pulse but found none. His unseeing gaze directed at the ceiling. “ACO-1 is conscious and stable but was hit in the shoulder. We need a bus ASAP, and a patrol supervisor and detectives to respond.”

  “Copy that, ACO-7. EMS is on their way. Headquarters to . . . ”

  While the dispatcher alerted the appropriate units to respond, Chet checked on Des again. “How’re you doing?”

  “I’ll live,” he replied. Chet rolled his eyes at his dry humor. “Nice shooting.” He grimaced. “And no offense, but I think I’ll assign the next probie to McGregor, no matter how much he bitches.”

  Chet shook her head. “You won’t get any arguments from me, boss.”

  Epilogue

  “Thanks for coming by and checking on me,” Chet said to Chase and Irv as they stood in her living room, getting ready to leave. She was sitting on the couch, cuddled up under a blanket, with Meat’s head resting in her lap. Although she was still stunned about yesterday’s incident and Leo’s confession that he’d killed Terry and Megan, she actually felt calm and relaxed today—it was still all so surreal. Tomorrow she’d have her first session with the police department’s shrink, as required by the city for any officer involved in a shooting. She wasn’t looking forward to telling the story yet again but knew it was necessary. She had no doubt she was going to have nightmares and PTSD on some level in the weeks to come.

  As soon as medics had taken over Des’s care, Chet had called Tuff to tell him what’d happened and that she was unharmed. With all his and BHS’s police department contacts, she wa
nted to make sure he heard it from her first, not wanting him to worry unnecessarily. He’d dropped everything and raced to the ACO headquarters to see for himself she was okay. Then he’d stayed with her as she’d repeated her story of what had happened several times, both at the scene and later again at the detective bureau with Isaac Webb and Sonia Lovett and two officers from Internal Affairs.

  After the interviews were over, and Chet had been reassured Des was resting comfortably in a hospital room, Tuff had taken her home and slept with his arms around her all night. He’d made breakfast in bed for her this morning, since she was able to sleep in. She had the next few days off until the investigators concluded the shooting had been justified. It was a no-brainer, in her opinion, but like any other officer-involved shooting in the city, the detectives had to make sure everything was done by the book.

  Detective Webb had stopped by two hours ago and filled her and Tuff in on things they’d learned since last night. Leo Price had, indeed, been Robert Stratford’s nephew by marriage. The few times Chet had met Leo’s parents at family functions, their son hadn’t been around. TPD Internal Affairs was investigating how Leo’s police department application file, which would show why he hadn’t been hired, had disappeared from the city’s records bureau. Chet suspected Robert or Roland had paid a cop or clerk to steal the file. If it’d been available to Des when he’d been going through the list of potential hires, Leo would probably have been passed over immediately, despite having the highest score on the list. Detective Webb believed the records would show Leo had failed the psychological exam.

  A search of Leo’s apartment had revealed evidence he’d stalked at least three of the city’s ACOs for about two weeks. He’d waited for an opportunity to kill one of them, so a position would open up in the department where it took years for someone to retire. It was the next best thing to being a patrol officer in the city—he still got to carry a weapon and a shield. The press was having a field day already, after his connections to the mayor of St. Petersburg and his prominent-businessman brother were discovered. Of course, that meant Roland’s arrest two days ago had also hit the news. Both men’s public relations people would be working some serious overtime in the upcoming weeks.

  Chase leaned down and kissed Chet on the cheek. “No problem, Trouble. Glad to see you’re okay.”

  She laughed at the nickname he’d given her when he’d first arrived a half hour ago. After Irv also gave her a quick kiss, the two men said goodbye to Tuff and Meat before taking their leave.

  Running his fingers through his hair, Tuff sat on her heavy wood coffee table and took her hand. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  She brought his fingers to her lips. “I’m fine, I swear.”

  “You know, in the beginning, I kept telling myself I should stay away from you because my job can be dangerous at times, but, damn, woman, I’m starting to think my job’s a piece of cake compared to your daily life.”

  “I hope you don’t think I’m too much trouble now.”

  Dropping to his knees, he leaned in, his mouth taking possession of hers, and Chet melted. After a moment, Tuff ended the kiss with a peck on her nose. “To be honest, you’re my kind of trouble. Hot as hell in dresses and heels, and tough enough to hold your own. I’m proud of you, sweetheart. Just do me a favor? Stop giving me heart attacks for a while?”

  From her lap, Meat seemed to groan in agreement. A smile spread across Chet’s face. “You both have a deal.”

  Other Books By Samantha A. Cole

  The Trident Security Series

  Leather & Lace: Book 1

  His Angel: Book 2

  Waiting For Him: Book 3

  Not Negotiable: A Novella Book 3.5

  Topping The Alpha: Book 4

  Watching From the Shadows: Book 5

  Whiskey Tribute: A Novella Book 5.5

  Tickle His Fancy: Book 6

  No Way in Hell: A Steel Corp/Trident Security Crossover: Books 1 & 2

  Absolving His Sins: Book 7

  Option Number Three: A Novella Book 7.5

  Salvaging His Soul: Book 8

  * * *

  The Deimos Series

  Handling Haven: Special Forces: Operation Alpha: A Trident Security/Delta Force Crossover - Deimos Book 1

  Cheating the Devil: Special Forces: Operation Alpha: A Trident Security/Delta Force Crossover - Deimos Book 2

  * * *

  The Trident Security Omega Team Series

  Mountain of Evil: Prequel

  A Dead Man’s Pulse: Book 1

  Forty Days & One Knight: Book 2—Coming Soon

  Summer’s Fall: Book 3—Coming Soon

  * * *

  The Doms of The Covenant Series

  Double Down & Dirty: Book 1

  Entertaining Distraction: Book 2

  Knot a Chance: Book 3—Coming Soon

  Hammered & Nailed: Book 4—Coming Soon

  * * *

  The Hazard Falls Series

  Don’t Fight It: Book 1

  * * *

  The Malone Brothers Series

  Take the Money and Run: Book 1

  The Devil's Spare Change: Book 2

  The Ultimate Price: Book 3

  * * *

  The Blackhawk Security Series

  Tuff Enough: Book 1

  * * *

  Stand Alone Novels

  The Road to Solace (Formerly The Friar)

  * * *

  The Bid on Love Series (With 7 other authors!)

  Going , Going, Gone

  * * *

  Special Projects

  * * *

  Trident Security Coloring Book

  * * *

  Word Search For Warriors: Authors For a Cause

  * * *

  Shaded with Love Volume 5: Coloring Book for a Cause

  Cooking with Love: Shaded with Love Volume 6

  * * *

  First Chapters: Foreplay Volume One

  First Chapters: Foreplay Volume Two

  First Chapters: Foreplay Volume Three

  Author’s Note

  Any information regarding persons or places has been used with creative literary license so there may be discrepancies between fiction and reality. The missions and personal qualities of members of the military and law enforcement within have been created to enhance the story and, again, may be exaggerated and not coincide with reality.

  * * *

  The author has full respect for the members of the United States military and the varied members of law enforcement and thanks them for their continuing service to making this country as safe and free as possible.

  About the Author

  A proud member of Romance Writers of America (RWA), Samantha A. Cole is a retired policewoman and former paramedic who is thrilled to add award-winning author to her list of exciting careers. She has lived her entire life in the suburbs of New York City and is looking forward to becoming a snow-bird between New York and Florida someday. Her two fur-babies, Jinx and Bella, keep her company and remind their mom to take a break from writing every once in a while, to go for a walk, which is the best way to deal with a stubborn case of writer’s block.

  An avid reader since childhood, Samantha was often found with a book in hand and sometimes one in each. After being gifted with a stack of romance novels from her grandmother, her love affair with the genre began in her teens. Many years later, she discovered her love for writing stories was just as strong. Using her life experiences and training, she strives to find the perfect mix of suspense and romance for her readers to enjoy.

  Her standalone novel, The Friar, won the silver medal in the 2017 Readers' Favorite Awards in the Contemporary Romance genre out of more than 1000 entries.

  While the original planned stories for the Trident Security series have been completed, they have brought many opportunities for Samantha to spread her wings and bring her readers more characters and stories to love. Look for her Trident Security Omega Team series, Doms of The Covenant Novella ser
ies, the new Hazard Falls series, the upcoming Blackhawk Security series, and more from the Malone Brothers series, in addition to several standalone projects.

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  Tuff Enough

  Copyright ©2018 Samantha A. Cole

  All Rights Reserved.

  Suspenseful Seduction Publishing

  * * *

  Tuff Enough is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  * * *

  Editing by Eve Arroyo

  Cover by Judi Perkins

  Cover photo by Eric Battershell

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  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions.