“Yeah, thanks…” Joe sounded depressed.
“Hey,” Randy said, her voice softer now.
“What?” Joe replied just as softly.
“I love you.”
Joe’s smile was private, and Susan felt like she shouldn’t be hearing the conversation at that point, but she also felt a small stab of envy that he would react that way to her words.
“Thanks,” he said. “I needed that right now.”
“Thought so,” Randy replied, her voice still serious. “I’ll see you when you get home.”
“You got it, love.” Joe was still smiling as he hung up.
Hours later, Susan had yet another insight into Joseph Sinclair. She had just returned from visiting with Midnight and had taken up a seat in the corner of Joe’s office, determined to be no trouble for him, when a man in uniform stormed in. It was very obvious that he was angry, and he directed that anger at Joe.
“I’m puttin’ that sonofabitch McCauley on report, and I expect your full support,” he said, glancing at Susan but dismissing her presence just as quickly.
Joe had glanced up, and the look in his eyes could have frozen the sun, but the other man didn’t notice.
“Now I know you like the guy, Sinclair, but I’ve had it with him,” the lieutenant raged. “He’s insubordinate as hell, and now he wants to be transferred to vice. Well, it’s not gonna happen, I’m tellin’ you that right now…” The lieutenant trailed off as he realized Joe hadn’t said a word. “Sinclair? Are you listening to me?” he said, making the mistake of taking a superior tone with Joe.
There had been plenty of people who didn’t like the fact that Joseph Sinclair had moved up the ranks so quickly. All of those people credited that move to the fact that Midnight and he had been a thing once. Some people still thought they were, and this lieutenant was one of them. Lieutenant John Singleton had been with the department for twenty-five years and had never moved past the rank of lieutenant for one simple reason: he was a royal pain in the ass to every captain he worked for. He’d tried one too many things on Midnight when she’d been the captain of the unit, so when she was promoted to chief, his promotional opportunities ceased to exist. Singleton frequently referred to Midnight as the “broad,” and Joe, in Singleton’s opinion, was her lackey. For that reason he assumed he didn’t need to show Joe any respect whatsoever.
Joe was silent for a full minute longer, his ice-blue eyes narrowed just slightly as he regarded the lieutenant. It was long enough to make the man start to squirm. Singleton moved to sit in the chair in front of Joe’s desk, looking very uncomfortable all of a sudden. Susan watched it all in fascination.
“First of all,” Joe said, his tone as icy as the look in his eyes, “I approved that transfer personally—I think he’d do well there. Secondly, I don’t think you want to get into a pissing match over insubordination, Singleton, since you seem to have written the book.” Joe’s voice took on an edge. “And if you ever storm into my office again, telling me what I will and will not be doin’, you’ll find yourself on report so fast it’ll make your head spin. You got that?”
Singleton was silent for a long moment, blinking back his disbelief. But then it became evident that the man had once again located his backbone as the look on his face changed to suffused anger. “Don’t you presume to override my decisions about my people, Sinclair. I know you think you’re hot shit because you made captain here, but everyone knows you did because you’re fucking that bitch Chevalier—”
The man’s next words were cut off when Joe came out of his chair and all but leapt over the desk, leaning far enough over it to snatch Singleton out of his chair. He dragged him face to face, his eyes burning with fury.
“You just made the biggest mistake of your career,” Joe said, his voice deadly low. “You are so out of here that people won’t remember your name tomorrow.” He tightened his hold on the fistful of the man’s shirt. “And on a personal note, if you ever refer to Midnight Chevalier in anything but the most respectful tone in my presence again, I will personally beat the shit out of you.” His voice was all gang member now, and Singleton heard it. It made him realize he had indeed made a fatal mistake. He swallowed convulsively as he stared back at Joe. “Now,” Joe said, shoving the man back and making him stumble. “Get the fuck out of my office, and do yourself a favor—leave quietly.”
Singleton did just that, almost running out of the room.
Midnight was in Joe’s office ten minutes later, having heard about the argument from Rick, who had been walking by at the time and had called her immediately.
“So what happened?” she asked, walking in and sitting down, her eyes on Joe, noting that he still looked furious. Her tone was purposely calm, in an attempt to influence Joe’s own mood.
“He fucked up, it’s that simple,” Joe said, not ready to talk just yet, his adrenaline still up from the confrontation.
“Okay…” Midnight said, nodding. She was used to dealing with Joe when he was mad. “Let’s try this a different way. What did he say?” Her tone held a touch of humor and her grin was knowing. She knew there were very few things that would make Joe get physical with a subordinate, and most of the time those things were related to people close to him.
“I don’t want to talk about it, Night,” he said, his tone forbidding. They were friends at that point, not chief and captain. It was interesting to Susan that they seemed to be able to work on both levels. She knew about Midnight and Joe’s relationship from years of overhearing conversations and retellings of stories by her family. She thought it incredible that they could be so close and yet married to other people.
“Okay,” Midnight said, her look changing again, as if he had just explained a lot. “So it was about me.” She shook her head, rolling her eyes. “When are you going to face the fact that not everyone is going to love me? I’m a woman, I’m young for a chief, relatively speaking, and everyone still thinks I screwed my way to the top.” She sighed. “It’s life, Joe. Get used to it.”
“Bullshit,” Joe said, his eyes flashing. “Why the hell can’t they see everything you’ve done for this place? Why can’t they remember how much progress has been made in the two years you’ve been the chief? And why the bloody hell do they still think we’re sleeping together?”
“Ah,” Midnight said, realizing she’d finally gotten to the root of the problem. “Now we have it. He accused you of sleeping with me, and you just about took his head off for him, didn’t you?”
“He accused me of fucking ‘that bitch Chevalier,’ and yes, I did,” Joe said, his tone matter-of-fact even as his eyes flashed at the memory of the man’s words.
Midnight looked back at him for a long moment, then blew her breath out in a rush. “You can’t fire him for that.”
“Like hell I can’t,” Joe snapped, surprised.
Midnight was unaffected by his anger. She canted her head to the side, her lips pursed in a “you know better” expression.
“The sonofabitch was insubordinate to a ranking officer,” Joe said, still determined.
“So write him up,” Midnight replied calmly.
Joe narrowed his eyes at her, not liking what he was hearing. He measured his words for emphasis. “I don’t want him here.”
“Joe…” Midnight sighed. “I don’t want a lot of people here, but there’s nothing I can do about it without breaking a lot of labor laws. We are the law, Sinclair. That doesn’t give us the right to break it.”
“Damn it, Night,” Joe began, but Midnight shook her head.
“Babe, if we fired everyone here that didn’t like me, you and I’d be drivin’ patrol again,” she said caustically. “Face it, you love me, and not everyone is as smart as you are.” Now her voice held humor that made Joe smile in spite of his anger.
“Fine,” he said finally, his teeth clenched.
“Hey.” Midnight caught his gaze. “If it makes you feel any better, it’s still nice to know I have my back covered.” Her voice was soft, and Susan saw
them exchange a look that she knew said everything about how much they cared about each other and how much they’d been through together.
“It always will be,” Joe said simply, and Midnight smiled as she stood up.
“Everything okay in here?” Rick asked from the door. His deep blue eyes watched his wife closely.
Midnight looked over at her husband and smiled. “Yeah, Sinclair’s just doin’ that knight in shining armor thing again.”
“Good,” Rick said, glancing over at his best friend. “Always in my stead.” His voice held no jealousy whatsoever; they’d gotten over all that years before. Rick had come to understand that Joe and Midnight were bound together by a friendship that had been forged in stone. He knew Joe would always be there for Midnight, even against him if necessary, and in a way Rick had come to take comfort from that fact.
Dinner at the Sinclair home that evening was interesting. JT and Kat were in bed by the time the food was ready. Randy had planned it that way. Susan had spent a good two hours with the children, getting to know them. JT had taken to Susan right away, throwing his little arms around her neck when she’d sat down on the floor with them. Joe and Randy had watched from the doorway. Susan’s manner with the children was gentle and warm. She talked with Kat about her new dolly and even showed the girl how to change the baby’s diaper. Kat was shy at first, but by the time it was time for her to go to bed she was asking Susan to read her a book. Randy felt a tug at her heart when her daughter looked up to the younger woman with adoring blue eyes as Susan read to her. She felt Joe’s lips in her hair then as he pulled her a little closer. He had seen the look in her eyes, and knew what she was feeling.
“She’ll always be your baby, Randy,” he whispered next to her ear. And Randy nodded, trying to push down the sudden knot in her throat. To avoid saying anything, she turned in his arms and put her head against his shoulder. He held her tight as he nuzzled her hair, kissing the top of her head softly.
At dinner, Susan and Randy had a long conversation about the children’s likes and dislikes. Joe put in his two cents every so often, but recognized that he was the third party. He watched as his wife talked about their children and felt his heart warmed. He began to think about his own parents, feeling melancholy for the first time in almost two years. He wondered what they would have said about his choice. Joe had long since accepted that he would never know if his parents would have approved of his marrying Randy, but now he wished they could be there to be grandparents to Kat and JT. Since Randy’s parents were gone too, the children didn’t have grandparents, although he knew Robert and Anabelle Debenshire considered his children their grandchildren, since they looked on Joe as their son.
Randy had noticed the look in Joe’s eyes during dinner, and talked to him about what she was sure she’d seen as they lay in bed together that night.
“You were thinking of your parents earlier, weren’t you?” she said softly, her lips touching his bare chest as she lay with her head in the hollow of his shoulder.
Joe smiled in the darkness of the room. She did know him well. “Yeah,” he said quietly.
“Is it because of the kids? Are you still worried about that?”
“No.” Joe kissed her forehead. “No, you were right about Susan. She’s gonna be great with them. I think that was the best thing for us too—it’ll take a lot of the pressure off both of us. And less stress right now can only help.”
“Then why did you look sad?”
Joe took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly. “I guess I was just wishin’ they could be here.”
Randy glanced up at him. “They’d love the kids, Joe, you know that… but I know what you mean. It would be nice to see them with them. I wish I’d met them.”
“That’s kinda what I was thinking. I think they would have loved you. You would have been the daughter my mum always wanted…” He trailed off as he felt his throat tighten.
Randy heard it in his voice. Propping herself up on her elbow, she looked down at him. “This is all hard for you, isn’t it?” Joe nodded, not trusting his voice at this point. “Having the kids, moving on with your life…” Randy continued as she realized for the first time that no matter how many years there were since the tragedy in her husband’s life, there was always going to be an impact.
Joe didn’t answer, and Randy could feel the turmoil in him.
“What can I do?” she asked, wanting to ease his pain but knowing there was really nothing she could do. She couldn’t change the past.
Joe reached up, pulling her back down to him, bringing her face to within inches of his. “Just keep loving me like you do. It makes everything else easier to take.” He kissed her, and a little while later they both forgot their worries for the time being, escaping into their lovemaking. Later that night Randy found herself watching her husband as he slept, and wondered again, as she had many times before, how she’d been lucky enough to be chosen by him.
****
As Donovan Curtis walked down the hall toward the chief’s office, many women noticed him. His good looks and open, easygoing personality tended to draw women’s attention wherever he went; he never seemed to notice. When he stepped inside the door to Midnight Chevalier’s office, he saw a young woman sitting at the desk that had previously been empty. Her head rested on her arms. When Donovan walked in, she looked up. Donovan was taken aback by her. She was beautiful, with long dark hair, golden-brown skin, and the most beautiful dark eyes he’d ever seen.
When Jeanie Franco heard someone walk into the outer office she lifted her head to see who would be coming into the chief’s office at lunchtime. Probably someone who knew that Chief Chevalier rarely, if ever, took lunch. The face she looked up into made her catch her breath. The man stood over six feet tall, and he had sandy-brown hair worn in one of the more popular styles of the time, clean-cut sides and longer on top—it looked good on him. His eyes were the most incredible color she’d ever seen, a blue-green. His jawline was strong, but his face seemed open and friendly. He was very handsome, and Jeanie found herself tongue-tied for the first time in a long time.
“What can—I mean, can I help you?” she said, smiling self-consciously.
Donovan smiled at her, nodding. “Yeah, is Midnight in?”
Jeanie looked him for a long moment. He must really know the chief if he referred to her by her first name. He didn’t look old enough to be an executive; besides, he was dressed casually, not in a three-piece suit. “Do you have an appointment?”
“Donovan doesn’t need an appointment,” Midnight said from the doorway. “How are ya, Pony?” She walked over to Donovan and reached up to hug him.
Donovan put his arms around her and hugged her, lifting off her feet momentarily. “I’m good, and what kind of evil are you repelling now?” he asked, setting her back on her feet and stepping back to look at her.
“Oh, the usual,” Midnight replied, smiling. She looked at Jeanie. “Have you two met?”
Donovan looked at Jeanie as well, and with a wide smile shook his head. “Can’t say I’ve had the pleasure.”
Midnight raised an eyebrow at Donovan’s apparent interest. “I see. Well, Donovan Curtis, this is Jeanie Franco. She’s going to be working with us on our little project.”
Donovan nodded, looking seriously at Midnight, but found he had a new respect for Jeanie. If she was working with them, then she must have something going on other than just her looks.
“Okay…” he said as he glanced over to Jeanie again, his eyes locking with hers.
“She’s been working with Joe, so she’s cleared,” Midnight said, already getting the feeling that she was talking to hear herself talk.
“Great,” Donovan said, finally looking back at Midnight when he noted that she had trailed off. “It’s nice to meet you, Jeanie.” He extended his hand to her.
Jeanie stood and took his hand. Donovan was further pleased to note that not only did she have a beautiful face, but a pretty fantastic body as well. The
scenery around the office was definitely improved. Her handshake was surprisingly firm, and Donovan grinned at her as he noted it. Jeanie returned the grin, knowing what he was thinking.
“Jeanie’s going through the process right now,” Midnight said, which served to explain her firm handshake. She was working to become a police officer.
“That’s cool,” Donovan said, nodding again.
“Hey.” Midnight gave Donovan a little shove. “I got a great idea.”
“What’s that?”
“Jeanie has just been drilling me about her psychological, which she just finished up not an hour ago, and she’s basically getting on my last nerve at this point. Why don’t you take her to lunch, and that way she can drive you crazy instead. Whaddya say?” She gave him a brilliant smile.
Donovan hesitated, giving Midnight a look Jeanie didn’t understand.
“I’ll tell her you’ll be back,” Midnight said, her tone changing just slightly. She didn’t approve of the relationship she thought was going on between her secretary, Cassandra Devereaux, and Donovan.
Donovan nodded then, and looked at Jeanie. “Should we do as we’re told?”
Now it was Jeanie’s turn to hesitate—she didn’t want to go to lunch with him if he wanted to be somewhere else. But Midnight was giving her a look that said “Do it,” and Jeanie didn’t know the chief well enough yet to counter her. Finally she nodded, reaching over to pick up her purse.
Donovan and Jeanie headed out to the parking lot, and Jeanie was mildly surprised when he walked over to a black 1996 Mustang. “This is yours?” she said appreciatively.
Donovan grinned. “Yeah. It’s my major expense in life right now.”
“It’s great.”
She was pleasantly surprised when he opened her door for her and closed it gently behind her. She had noticed walking up to the car that the license plate said “PONYBOY.”
“So what’s Pony Boy?” she asked when he got in on the driver’s side.
Donovan looked surprised; he hadn’t realized she’d taken note of his plate. Then he smiled almost self-consciously. “It’s my nickname. It’s from the movie The Outsiders…” He trailed off as he looked over at her, his lip curling sardonically. “Are you old enough to know that movie?” He turned the key and started the engine, shifting the car into gear and backing out of the space.
For all Intents and Purposes (MidKnight Blue Book 6) Page 3
