Code 11- KPD SWAT Box Set

by Lani Lynn Vale

  “I’m not your enemy, Officer Roberts. I’m here to make sure all is well. You’d do well to remember that. You’ve been reinstated effective immediately,” she said primly, then left the room.

  I gaped at the closed door, surprised that she’d reinstated me so quickly.

  I’d spent the last week working a fucking desk, and my nerves were frayed.

  I hated being behind a desk. I was an action person.

  Although getting off in time to get my daughter from school had been nice, I wasn’t the type of person to sit idle and do nothing all day.

  I was the get out and experience something different everyday type of person.

  If I’d learned anything this last week, it was that I did not want to have the Chief’s job. Not now, not ever.

  I was seriously tempted to tell him I didn’t want to be acting assistant chief anymore, either. But I knew if it wasn’t me, it’d be nobody. And I wouldn’t leave the Chief in a bind like that.

  My desk phone rang, and I was just about to answer it when my door was opened, and a very freaked out looking Reese was pushed through my door.

  I saw the look of satisfaction on Nico’s face as he shoved her in, and I made a mental note to beat his ass later.

  What the fuck?

  “Uhh,” Reese said, looking at me, to my phone, and then back to me. “You gonna get that?”

  My eyes didn’t leave her lower half for a bit, mesmerized by the tightness of her pants, and what they did for her legs.

  The top wasn’t much to look at, but it showed off every inch of her sexy, curvy body.

  She looked good. Sweaty, but good.

  Then the tear stained face, and the redness I’d mistaken for a blush finally penetrated my brain, and I stood.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, standing quickly.

  She shrugged.

  Was her daughter okay? Was it her mom? Her sister?

  Why the hell was I so worried?

  It felt like a punch to the gut to see her face so haunted.

  I walked to her slowly, rounding the desk as she crowded back against the door.

  Her hair was in a low ponytail at the base of her neck, hanging over one shoulder.

  When I reached forward and grabbed her hand, she hissed in pain.

  Looking down, I saw that her knuckles were scraped and bleeding.

  “What happened?” I asked again, much more calmly than I felt.

  Her head hung for and for an instant, and I thought she wasn’t going to answer me. Then the next words made my blood boil.

  “My ex wants custody of Rowen,” she whispered quietly.

  Her head still hung, and I instantly understood her tears.

  She loved her little girl like crazy.

  I didn’t have to spend but thirty seconds in the presence of her and her child to know that.

  Hell, I’d even done some asking around at her mother’s recovery party.

  A party that I’d been forced to attend because my sister had deemed it necessary.

  Reese had changed her whole life so Rowen could have a better one. So she could be home in time for her to get out of school.

  Not once had I heard any mention of the ex. I’d only assumed that he wasn’t in the picture, but apparently, he was.

  “Look at me,” I said.

  She lifted her face to my gaze, and my heart started to hurt. “You want me to arrest him?”

  She burst out laughing, which was exactly what I’d wanted to happen.

  “Yes,” she answered.

  I shook my head and took her hand, pulling her to the seat in front of my desk.

  “I have a few more things I need to take care of, then I’ll take you out to eat,” I said as she sat. “Tell me everything.”

  ***

  “You wanna come to my place for a few seconds?” I asked as we walked out to my SUV. “I need to go change. It gets uncomfortable when people recognize me because I arrested them. At least out of the uniform I’m not as recognizable.”

  She nodded. “Sure. I need to change, too. At least my shirt, anyway.”

  I looked her over. “You’re about my sister’s size. I have some of her old shirts at my place if you’re interested. Or we can stop by your house. Whatever you want to do.”

  She stopped at the passenger side door, and I unlocked it for her.

  I was already about halfway through with helping her in the car when I realized I had my hand on her head.

  “Shit,” I said, removing my hand. “It’s habit.”

  She was giggling quietly when I closed the door behind her.

  Shaking my head, I rounded the SUV and got in.

  The powerful engine rumbled to life, and I backed out of my spot next to the Chief’s.

  I guess that was one of the perks of being the assistant chief. The close parking spots.

  Nobody else would dare park in my spot.

  They’d tried once and I’d moved their car. With my wench.

  Then I’d booted the car so they couldn’t drive until they came to see me. Then had apologized.

  It’d been hilarious.

  Of course, I hadn’t let them know that I found it funny, but it had been.

  “I’ll wear one of your sister’s shirts,” she answered as she watched the town go by through her window.

  “Where would you like to go?” I asked, sitting my elbow on the console between our seats.

  When I encountered her arm already there, I followed her hand down and clasped them together.

  She held on tight.

  Her hand felt tiny inside my own.

  Her hand was soft. Mine was rough.

  Hers skinny and fragile. Mine strong and sturdy.

  Her hand fit perfectly into mine. As if it was made for me to hold.

  She rubbed her thumb back and forth on my own as she spoke. “I’m not really familiar with Kilgore, yet. I’ve gone to that bakery I saw your friend and you at. And a place called The Back Porch. I haven’t even gone out of the city yet. I’ve heard there are a lot of places to eat in Longview and the surrounding area.”

  Longview was about a thirty-minute drive from Kilgore.

  In the time I’d lived in the area, I’d only been to Longview a handful of times.

  “They have a nice place downtown called the Rotten Rooster,” I said teasingly.

  She giggled. “That sounds perfect for my mood right now. Let’s do it.”

  Shaking my head, I took the turn that led to my road when a car in front of me ran the stop sign, barreling down the road going at least thirty over the speed limit.

  “Fuck,” I sighed and flipped on my lights. “Hold on to your shorts.”

  Then I accelerated, flipping on the lights and siren, taking the same road the speeding car had. Then called it in.

  “Dispatch, this is Unit 6. I’m on Stone Road going east toward 349. I have a 10-75,” I said into the radio that hung on the dash.

  “10-4, Unit 6,” Dispatch answered.

  I hung up the radio and placed both hands on the wheel, catching up to the car easily.

  I looked down at my radar, noting that we were going eighty-nine in a sixty.

  I chanced a look over to Reese to see her smiling wide.

  “You’re enjoying this,” I said, shaking my head.

  She giggled. “Yes!”

  She was practically bouncing in her seat with excitement.

  It was another two minutes of following the car before whomever was behind the wheel realized he was being pulled over.

  As I angled myself behind him, I reached into the floorboard and pulled the Kevlar vest up, slipping it on over my shoulder before strapping it down tight.

  Reese watched me with wide eyes as I angled out of the car and approached the passenger side window.

  The street we were on was two lanes with no shoulder, so it was safer for not only me, but the driver to approach on the passenge
r side.

  As I made it to the window, I said, “License and registration.”

  The young girl looked scared shitless.

  She was young. Maybe sixteen or seventeen.

  As she reached into the glove compartment, my eyes stayed on her hands, watching for weapons.

  A police officer’s job was tough.

  A traffic stop could turn fatal for the officer in a matter of milliseconds.

  That’s why cops always got a bad rap for shooting too quickly.

  We’re out there putting our lives on the line.

  I’ve had a gun pointed at me so many times I can’t count them all on my fingers. Which had made me jaded.

  My life’s always going to be put first.

  Always.

  “I don’t have my license,” she whispered, weeping now.

  I sighed. “How old are you?”

  She sniffled. “Fifteen.”

  I rubbed my forehead with my hand.

  “Okay, get out of the car,” I ordered.

  She started crying harder, but she got out, closing the door behind her.

  “Why were you going so fast?” I asked.

  “My sister called me ten minutes ago crying about needing a ride because her boyfriend dumped her while she was at a party with him. My parents were asleep, and I thought I could get there and back without them noticing,” she explained between hiccupping sobs.

  I wanted to groan.

  “What’s your name?” I asked.

  “Macy. Macy Rubio,” she told me.

  “Alright, I’ll get you seated in the back of the cruiser, and we’ll go get your sister. Then we’re going to take you home and wake your parents. I’ll need your keys so I can move your car,” I said.

  She handed her keys over as I walked her to the back of my SUV, opening the door and helping her through the door.

  I got in her car and moved it further off the road, turning on the blinkers before getting out.

  I walked to my door and got in, giving Reese an apologetic smile that she returned.

  “Where am I going?” I asked.

  The girl had calmed down minutely, but she was still sniffling every few seconds.

  “The next road down. Last house on the right,” she said.

  The drive was silent, and I knew immediately which house it was because of the sheer number of cars and people in front of the house.

  “What’s your sister look like?” I asked.

  When I saw the booze and smoke billowing up from the numerous people on the front lawn, and sighed, picking up my radio.

  “Dispatch, I have a 10-15 in progress. I’m gonna need backup. Multiple units,” I said, reading them off the address.

  They’d run if I tried to go by myself, but at least if I had more than just me, it’d be slightly more contained.

  Most would still get away, but quite a few would be caught. Then those caught would turn over more. Nobody wanted to go down alone.

  “They all look underage,” Reese murmured, scanning the area.

  My fingers tapped impatiently on the steering wheel. “Yep. That’s why I called it in. This isn’t good. A lot of these kids will drive home, and possibly kill someone in the process.”

  I didn’t want to be stuck out here by myself when all those kids started running.

  And they would.

  She nodded. “There was a wreck not too long ago back home. A kid killed a high school senior who’d been set to graduate the next Friday. It was horrible.”

  “I heard about it. It was a sophomore who hit him, right?” I asked, keeping my eye on the lawn.

  “That’s my sister,” Macy whispered, pointing toward a young blonde who’d come out of the house on the arm of a jock.

  I recognized him as a football player.

  I’d been working the game at the college last Friday when he’d thrown the game winning pass.

  “That her boyfriend?” I asked her.

  Macy nodded. “Trent Dawes. He’s the quarterback for Kilgore College,” She confirmed my suspicion.

  Starting my SUV, I moved it to where it was taking up as much of the road as I could, then got out.

  “Trent Dawes?” I called.

  The young football player looked up as he opened the door to his truck. Then, like I knew he would, yelled, “Cops!”

  It wasn’t loud, per say, but only one person needed to hear it to repeat it. And repeat it they did.

  Kids started running in all directions. Some for their cars. Others for the woods on the other side of the road.

  They started scrambling like ants who’d had their mound disturbed.

  It was always comical to see the chaos. Luckily, though, the other boys in blue showed up just in time for the show.

  And we put on one hell of a party.

  Chapter 10

  Men are usually too focused on the cleavage in the shirt to see the crazy in the eyes.

  -Life Lesson

  Luke

  “Those parents didn’t look too happy with their kids,” Reese smiled as we walked hand in hand into the Whataburger.

  No, they hadn’t. In fact, the father had been downright livid.

  Which was good.

  Parents needed to instill the fear of God into their children.

  If more people did that, there wouldn’t be as many over indulged shitheads running around this earth.

  The quarterback, for instance.

  He’d been adamant that he wouldn’t be going to jail.

  I’d only smiled, because it was more than evident to me by the weed I’d found in his pocket that he was.

  He’d learn that he wasn’t invincible, and that being the star of the college wouldn’t give him a free ride in the real world.

  “No, they didn’t. But that’s good. Kids, now-a-days, don’t have the same discipline that we had. You wouldn’t believe how many young kids I arrest every week and their parents could give half a shit.”

  “I tried to sneak out once in high school, and my father locked the window I snuck out of after I left,” Reese said, smiling at the memory fondly. “He wrote me a note on the back door telling me he left me a blanket on the rocking chair on the back porch, and to enjoy my night outside. It was awful.”

  I snorted. “My dad’s a police chief in Wyoming. The last time I snuck out of the house, he had one of his boys arrest me and leave me in the drunk tank all night. It was awful, and I smelled like shit when I finally got out the next morning. And he made my mom pick me up, which was even worse, because I hate disappointing my momma.”

  She laughed at that, I’m sure picturing a younger me having to explain what I’d done to my mother.

  “My sister had a falling out with my father when she was younger. It was awful. My dad would ask about my sister. My sister would ask about my dad. They were both so freakin’ stubborn. Now, if you saw them together, you wouldn’t know they ever had a problem. They’d refused to talk to each other for years,” Reese said, taking a pull of her milkshake.

  I wouldn’t. I’d seen them together at the party last week. It only went to show that I didn’t know everything.

  “Your old flame is across the aisle staring at you like you’re her missing teddy bear,” she said, stirring her shake with the straw before pulling it out and wrapping her tongue around the end.

  My cock hardened, and suddenly it was a smidge hard to breathe without panting.

  “What’s she look like?” I asked, trying my hardest to control myself as she licked the straw clean before answering.

  “Long black hair, green eyes. Straight, pretty white teeth. Big boobs,” she murmured, dipping the straw back into the ice cream. “The one from the bakery.”

  Watching the movement avidly, I explained. “That’s my ex-girlfriend, Lydia. I still haven’t figured out why she’s here. The last time I talked to her was six years ago.”

  Her brows rose. “Six years is a long
time. I never heard any of the details of why y’all broke up, other than her not liking the fact that you had a kid.”

  She was digging, trying not to look as interested as I knew she was.

  I shrugged. “It was an average breakup, I guess. She didn’t want kids and I had a kid. It’s not like I can really get rid of the kid I do have to make her happy. I think I truly surprised her when I chose Katerina over her. We broke up once she admitted that, and I moved down here within the month.”

  Her mouth had dropped open. “You had the kid before you met her, obviously. Who the hell would just get rid of a kid because the new girlfriend didn’t want kids?”

  I shrugged. “Don’t know. I assume there’s more to the story. Her father was pretty uptight and didn’t like me having a child out of wedlock. I assume that Lydia made me sound worse than I really was. I had a feeling during the entire relationship that it wouldn’t work out. I told myself that I was just passing the time with her, though. That was the only reason I stayed with her for so long when I knew it wouldn’t work out.”

  She sat back in her chair, a smile on her face. “So you used her for sex?”

  I shook my head. “No. That’s not what I said.”

  “Oh?” she asked. “Then what did you mean?”

  “It means that I was having fun. She was an amusement, one that might have turned into something more in time, but wore out her welcome when she told me she didn’t like my child,” I said coldly.

  I wouldn’t have said it as coldly if I hadn’t seen Lydia stand up in the mirror above Reese’s head. Just having her anywhere near me set my skin to crawling. Just as it’d done when I’d left her.

  I saw her flinch and turn around, as did Reese, who gave me a sympathetic look.

  “You’ve got this twitch…right above your eye,” she said, a grin playing at the corner of her lip. “I think I really like you. I didn’t think anyone could be as mean as I could.”

  “Are you done yet, or are you just going to play with that straw with your talented tongue?” I asked, exasperated.

  She winked.

  “What,” she asked, licking the straw completely before sucking it into her mouth. “Does this bother you?”

  She was playing with fire.

  “You know,” I said, standing slowly. “I’ve had one hell of a week. I’m running on fumes, and you’re getting really close to pushing my last button.”