She looked over her shoulder at me, frowning.
“I don’t think I could keep up with you. I run, but it’s slower than molasses,” she hedged.
I winked. “Don’t worry. This might be one of those days that I run like that, too.”
She pursed her lips and nodded her head. “Okay. After we’re done here and go check out my tainted house, then we can go.”
I winced at how she said ‘tainted.’
As if it was dirty.
Which I guess it was. At least to her.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked.
I nodded in the direction of the bullpen. “Detective Bower’s desk is through there.”
She nodded.
“Okay,” she said. “You lead the way.” She grinned. “I just want to stare at your ass.”
I winked at her and said, “It’s a good ass. You’ll never be able to look at another one the same way again.”
As I said it, I drew the attention of a female officer at the water fountain as we moved.
She looked startled that I’d teased Blake.
Obviously, I was being somewhat surly lately. Something that probably wouldn’t change anytime soon. Not unless Blake was around to pull out the nice in me, anyway.
I tossed a glare at the young officer as I passed, causing her to look down at her cup she’d been filling.
I hid the grin and continued to Bower’s desk, stopping just to the right of the desk so Blake could take the only seat.
She’d stopped just to my right shoulder, hiding slightly behind me.
“What’s up, Spurlock?” Bowers asked.
I reached for Blake’s hand, and she moved her hands away so I couldn’t grab them.
Instead, my hands met her belly, fingers brushing the soft skin of her abdomen.
Grabbing what I could, which happened to be the waistband of her pants, I pulled her until she moved reluctantly to my side.
I gave her a quick glance, and she was looking at anything other than the woman in front of her.
“How are you doing, Blake?” Detective Bowers asked, standing quickly.
Detective Bowers was a ten-year veteran on the force and had just recently married another officer on the force.
She was okay, I guess, but she wasn’t particularly my favorite person, either.
Which was also the case with Blake.
“Uhhh,” Blake said dumbly. “Hi, Janet. How’s it going?”
She smiled. “I’m really good, thank you for asking. How’s life been?”
So Blake knew Janet. Interesting.
I made a mental note to ask her what the deal was when we got out of there.
“Oh, it’s been going. You told us to come down here to file a report on my house?” Blake asked with a raised brow.
“Ohh! Yes!” Bowers said, sitting down. “I’m sorry, it’s just been so long since I’ve seen you. I forget that you’re here officially. Gosh, how long has it been?”
Blake ground her teeth.
I could hear it so well, in fact, that I had a feeling Bowers could hear it, too.
Moving my hand up to come to a rest on her hip, I gave her a reassuring squeeze, causing her to look at me quickly.
Her eyes were filled with annoyance and sadness, a double whammy of feelings that made me really feel for her.
Fucking David. He really knew how to fuck shit up.
He really had no clue what he was missing out on.
Oh, well. His loss was my gain, I supposed.
“Alright,” Bowers said, pulling out some pictures. “Here is what we found when we went over there. There was some blood splatter near your birdcage. We took a sample of that, and we’re going to have the crime techs analyze it. Hopefully there’ll be a match when we run it through the system. The rest of the house was just tossed. Nothing broken, per se, but it’s all out of place from what I could tell. The only other thing that I really saw that was bad, was the fact that they broke your doorjamb. David was sure to put up a board to cover your front door, though.”
Blake tensed at the mention of David’s name, but muttered, “Thank you,” anyway.
“Am I allowed to stay there?” she asked softly.
Bowers nodded. “Of course,” she said, standing up. “I’ll just need you to sign this report detailing what I’ve told you, and warn you about the fact that, since this is the second incidence, there could be more to the story. Which was why I was given the case instead of just reporting it like what happened last time. Your uncle is aware of what happened as well.”
Blake nodded. “Thanks.”
“Hey, baby, are you almost done?” I heard called from my back.
Both Blake and I turned to see the male half of the relationship, Brandon Bowers, at our backs.
Brandon was the school resource officer for the area. From what I’d heard, he and Janet had been dating for some time before they’d finally tied the knot. Which also meant that they couldn’t work anywhere near each other. Hence, why the former detective moved departments.
“Oh, hey! I haven’t seen you in forever, Blake!” Brandon said, patting her shoulder.
He probably would’ve gone in for a hug, but Blake plastered herself to my side.
“Brandon,” she nodded her head at him.
Brandon frowned at her and pulled back. “How’s it going?”
“Oh, not too bad. But we have to be going. Thank you for your help, Detective Bowers,” Blake said hurriedly at my side, bending down to scribble her name on the paper in front of her.
“Oh,” Janet said. “You changed your name back. I didn’t realize.”
Blake smiled sadly. “No, I’m sure you didn’t.”
With that, she took off, moving hurriedly through the room and out the door.
The last thing I saw before she rushed out the door were the tears in her eyes.
“What was that all about?” Brandon asked, sounding a little hurt.
I didn’t bother to answer, following my charge as I hurried out the door behind Blake.
I found her leaning against my truck, her face buried in her hands and her shoulders shaking as she sobbed.
Something started to ache in my chest as I saw her distress.
“Blake,” I rumbled softly once I reached her.
Placing both hands on either side of her head, I leaned down until I could hear what she was trying to say.
“They left me,” she whispered, brokenly, through her sobs.
“Left you?” I asked, confused.
She nodded, turning around allowing me to see her face.
She nodded, gesturing toward the police station. “Those two. Hell, there’re more. David screwed me over, and not one of them was there when I needed a friend the most. That’s got to be what hurt the worst. David, I could deal with. But everyone left me, choosing him over me. They all knew what he was doing. Every single one of them. I could see it on their faces the moment they realized that I knew. Pity. Sadness. Awareness. They apologized, but the damage was done. And not one of them helped me.”
I pulled her into my arms, not able to stand the tears anymore. “It’s okay, girly girl. They’re not worth your time. If they’re not there when you need them, they were never there to begin with. And I could tell you now that I know about eight men on the SWAT team that would willingly kick David’s ass for you.”
She giggled through her tears and wrapped her arms around my chest, relieving the ache that’d taken up a permanent home since I’d been with her.
“Thank you, Foster. You’re a really great person. And I like your kinetic blade,” she said softly.
“That sounds… dirty.”
Chapter 10
I’m sorry I hurt your feelings. But it’s not my fault you’re stupid.
-Fact of life
Blake
“I hear you went out with a SWAT member. I thought you said you’d never date another cop as lo
ng as you lived,” my mother said during lunch the next day. “Your father wants to meet him.”
I’d talked her into going out, rather than her cooking something at their house.
I love my mom, but if I went to her house, then I’d be expected to stay longer than I really wanted to.
I knew she meant well, but I just couldn’t handle her shit right now.
Especially when she got on the whole debate over David.
My mother was old-fashioned.
She had that whole ‘stand by your man’ motto.
I, on the other hand, didn’t have the ‘stand by your man, even when he cheats’ motto.
Something she couldn’t fathom.
She was still upset that I’d left David.
She was raised to believe that women were made to please their man, and if they strayed, you were to turn a blind eye. Something I was never able to do.
She was really worried now that I’d be going to hell, too. Something that she made sure to mention.
“I didn’t go out on a date. He helped me. That’s all,” I said around a mouthful of food.
My mother gave me a reproachful look. “Don’t talk with your mouth full.”
I raised my hands, chewed, and swallowed before I spoke next. “Sorry.”
“You can bring him to dinner this Saturday. Your uncle and aunt will be there,” she said, taking a bite of her own salad.
Yay. Sounded like an uber amount of fun.
Not.
I loved my mother and all, but there were times that the woman drove me batshit crazy.
My dad was probably insane just from having to listen to us go at it so often.
“We’ll see,” I said before taking another bite. “He works, you know. And he’s not my boyfriend; he has no obligation to come.”
“Uh-huh. I saw David shopping with his fiancée this morning. You didn’t tell me they were expecting a baby,” my mother admonished.
The salad started to turn to acid in my stomach as I thought about, yet again, how much David had screwed me over. Even my own mother liked him better. Which I guess was okay since David’s father liked me better. It was only fair.
Only David’s father was dead, and my mother was still very much alive. And still loved David like he was her own.
I ignored her, hoping she’d give it up, but she didn’t. She never could leave well enough alone.
She was the match to my gasoline. She knew how to light me up better than anybody, and she proved it with her next comment.
“I can’t wait to see if it’s a boy or a girl. I’ve been waiting so long for a grandchild,” she whispered happily.
I froze with the salad halfway to my mouth, looking at her incredulity. “You’re fucking kidding me right now, aren’t you?”
She tilted her head slightly. “Kidding you about what?”
“You can’t wait to have a fucking grandchild?” I whispered deceptively calm.
“Watch your language,” she said reproachfully, looking around at all of the people around us.
I could give less than a fuck what they thought.
“Do you realize that David had a fucking girlfriend for two motherfuckin’ years?” I asked, my voice raising an octave. “Or how about the fact that he never told me he was fucking someone else. The least he could have done was use a goddamned condom around us. But no, not David fucking Dewitt. He was too goddamned special. He could do no fucking wrong. But you wouldn’t know how that feels, because my daddy is the best of the best. He’s so fucking awesome that you’ll never have to experience how that feels. Me, not so lucky. Now I get to watch while some bitch gets to have my life. Now, for the first time in nearly three and a half years, I’m starting to feel happy again, and you have to pull this bullshit. I lost everything. My friends. My husband. My mother. Daddy, Uncle Darren and Aunt Missy are the only people in my life that have helped me, until recently. Now, I’d appreciate it if you never brought up David again. Because, let’s just say, the sound of his name makes me want to vomit the last five years of food I’ve eaten into his face.”
With that, I threw down a crumpled twenty from my pocket, tossed my napkin over my plate, and stormed out of the restaurant.
My eyes landed on David in the fucking corner, and a smile touched my lips. Good, the fucker deserved to hear that. So did his shit head of a fiancé.
My only hope was that she put the baby they were having up for adoption. That poor kid didn’t deserve to have those two assholes as parents.
That’s when I saw him.
Foster.
He had a smile tilting up the corner of his lips, and his eyes were alight with mirth as he watched me walk toward him.
He was near to laughing, in fact.
“What are you laughing at?” I snapped as I stormed past him.
He trailed behind me, leaving his brother and a blonde giant behind.
Both of their eyes were on us as I pushed out the door.
“Who’s the Viking?” I asked over my shoulder.
Today, Foster was wearing his work uniform. He had on his new blade instead of the other prosthesis, and he seemed almost… happier.
His eyes were crinkled at the corners as he smiled full out at me. The first real smile I’d ever seen grace his lips.
“That’s Luke, my boss,” he said, walking with me.
He didn’t even have a limp anymore.
“You look like you have a spring in your step,” I said warily.
He gave me a droll look.
“Really, how original,” he said dryly.
I stuck my tongue out at him. “For real, though. You look better than I’ve ever seen you.”
He shrugged. “It always makes me happy to see a woman stick it to her ex. Something you really did. I don’t think you know it, but the entire SWAT team, as well as the big bosses, and a few of the other cities SWAT teams, were sitting in that room just behind you. I’d gone out to show the rest of ours where we were.”
My mouth dropped open. “You’re shitting me.”
He shook his head. “No. And trust me, every one of them heard you. Their eyes were already on you to begin with. They heard every word.”
I stopped and turned toward him.
He didn’t stop, though, and ran into me.
“Shit,” he said, grabbing me to him before I could fall from the force.
Our bodies were pressed against each other’s from chest to thigh and, before I knew it, his mouth was on mine.
We were a lot closer to my car than I realized, because suddenly my back was pressed against the warm metal with Foster’s large body curling over mine.
I moaned into his mouth, gasping as he dug something massive into my pubic bone.
His tongue tangled with mine and his hands found my hair as he pushed into me, swiveling his hips as he did.
When he finally disengaged his mouth from mine, I looked up at him with a dazed expression. His brown eyes looking full of need. “I like you, Blake.”
I blinked. “I like you, too.”
“You’re not alone. I’m here. Even if I’m not a very nice person to talk to all the time, I’m fucking here.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
“Just don’t forget it, okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah, okay.”
As I got into my little car and pulled out of the parking lot, I looked back at him standing there.
His eyes watched me. As if he were stalking his prey. Surveying it to make sure I did what he expected me to do.
I must’ve done it, too, because he smiled.
Widely.
Full out.
All-encompassing.
And my lips weren’t the only thing tingling any longer.
Chapter 11
Do you want the rest of my cake?
-Said no one ever
Blake
“Yes?” I asked the two men at my front door.
They were massive. And when I say massive, I mean humongous. Fucking huge.
Huger than huge.
Muscled. Ripped. Jacked. Those were only a few words that I’d use to describe them.
Oh, and they were hot, too.
One had dark hair, tanned skin, and if I had to guess, some sort of Puerto Rican background. I used to have a friend that had the same dark hair and beautiful skin.
His eyes were a deep shade of brown and looked nearly black in his face.
The other man was easily just as big, but he had caramel-colored hair and green eyes. What really set him apart, though, was the scar that ran down his face.
They also rode motorcycles.
I’d heard those first.
Which was what enabled me to watch as they’d dismounted and then walked up my front walk while talking.
I wasn’t scared, though.
Foster had warned me with a note slapped to my front door, after I got back from my run, that they’d be here.
If I hadn’t been warned it would’ve been a different story.
“We’re here to set up an alarm for you,” the darker of the two rumbled.
I swallowed. “I didn’t order an alarm.”
I hadn’t seen that on the note. It’d said that he had a couple of friends coming over later in the day to take a look at my locks. It had said nothing about an alarm.
That cheeky bastard. He had to have known that I wouldn’t have allowed them to come over and do that.
Stuff like that cost money. Money which I didn’t have just floating around.
I made just enough in a week to cover my bills, groceries, and a few frivolous things. Not something expensive like an alarm system.
“I don’t have the money to pay for that. I’m sorry you wasted your trip,” I told them honestly.
They exchanged glances with each other.
It was the smirk on both of their lips that had my back feathers ruffling.
“Foster said you’d say that. You need to just let us do our job. Apparently, it was funded by the police department,” Scarface said. “My name is Max.”
He held out his hand to me, and I took it, shaking it.
I must’ve surprised him with the force I put into it, because he squeezed my hand a little harder before he released me.
Code 11- KPD SWAT Box Set Page 88
