by Brandy Ayers
Justice held back the retort balancing on the edge of his tongue. School is out; no crossing guard duty during the summer.
***
“We got great information from Big Eddie on how the operation is run, but it doesn’t do a damn fucking thing to actually find Artiga and his goons.” Luke paced back and forth in the conference room, his hair sticking up all over the place from how many times he’d yanked at it in frustration. “For all we know, the asshole could have left the country by now.”
Ana leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table. The change in position pushed her tits together, and despite a button-up blouse covering her cleavage, Justice had a good imagination and could picture what she would look like with nothing on.
“I think that is unlikely, sir.” Ana’s voice demanded everyone’s attention. Justice simultaneously loved that all eyes automatically shifted to her as she spoke, and hated it, wanting to punch everyone who got to look at her. “According to Big Eddie, the drop-offs didn’t stop until the day after the attempt on Camille’s life at the station. By then we had his name on the no-fly list, and all transit security personnel were given his details. There isn’t an airport, train station, or bus station in a five hundred-mile radius that he could have gone into without getting picked up on the spot.”
Justice tapped the table in front of him, Ana’s words striking a chord. “She’s right. Plus, everything we’ve heard about this guy so far points to him having an extremely paranoid personality. Only three or four guys in his entire operation have ever seen his face. According to his sister, he killed anyone he thought could be a threat. And he changed locations for his operation just on the possibility that his sister might have said something to the police, despite knowing she most likely didn’t say a word since they tortured her to find out. I’m guessing he would be too paranoid to venture far from where he is comfortable. He probably has a place that not even his sister or his goons knew about in his back pocket.”
Across from him Ana nodded and picked up the paper cup in front her. Absentmindedly, she took the first sip of the coffee Justice had brought for her, but a moment later shock registered on her face, and her eyes flew to his smug face.
Perfect.
Yes, he had guessed how she might take her coffee, but it had been an educated guess. She’d had a dark beer that night at the bar, so he figured she wasn’t one to shy away from bold flavors. But she had also confessed to a love for chocolate during their conversations in bed between bouts of intense orgasms. And despite it being damn near ninety degrees outside, she still wore a long-sleeved button-up shirt to work every day, so she wasn't afraid of getting a little hot. So, he’d gone with a pour-over Cuban brew with brown sugar. It was strong, with just a touch of sweetness. Just like Ana.
Ana shook her head slightly in disbelief and took another sip, closing her eyes and savoring the flavor. Damn if that face didn’t make him grow long and hard in his uniform pants.
Coy cleared his throat, interrupting Justice’s admiration of the woman on the other side of the table. “Okay, so if the consensus is that he is still hiding locally, how the hell do we find out where he is holing up?”
Silence fell over the room as they racked their brains to try and find the solution that had evaded them up to this point.
It was Ana who spoke up first. “While I was going through the files, there was mention of an informant who tipped you guys off about the break-ins, about the guy you ended up arresting for the break-in at Sophie’s place. But there isn’t a name listed anywhere in the files.”
“Yeah, I made a promise to him that I would keep him out of it.” Luke braced both his hands on the end of the conference table, his eyes downcast.
“Don’t you think we’re past that now? This guy ordered a house to be blown up, he tortured his own sister, and now he’s all but vanished.” Justice wasn’t normally one to second-guess his commanding officer. He trusted and respected Luke, but these circumstances called for him to speak out. “I know you like to keep your word, Sergeant, even to suspects, but if there is any chance your guy knows something, we have to question him.”
Luke sighed and fell back into his chair, scrubbing his hands over his face. “The informant was Simon Carmichael. You guys know him better as Shady.”
“Wait. As in Shady’s Bar? The guy who runs the underground fights at the barn just over the borough limits?” Coy laughed out loud after Luke nodded in confirmation. “That little sniveling shit. I never would have guessed he’d been your informant.”
“Don’t underestimate Shady. He may be a rat, but he is a rat with eyes and ears in every corner of this freaking town.” Luke ran his hands back through his hair once again, sending it spiking all over the place. “But if we bring him in for questioning, he’s not going to say a damn thing. According to him, he has a reputation to uphold. I’ve tried contacting him a few times, and he is freezing me out.”
“So, we go in undercover.” Ana shrugged her shoulders casually at her suggestion.
“It doesn’t work like that around here, Detective Formosa.” Coy smirked a little bit, obviously getting a kick out of Ana’s big-city ways. “Every single one of the guys on our force is known in the community. You can’t go undercover when Shady knows everyone by name and went to high school with half of them.”
“So, I’ll go in. He doesn’t know me from Adam.” The flippant way she suggested putting her own life in danger had Justice’s blood boiling. His vision became hazy, and he had to grip the table to keep from going over the edge.
“No.” The word came out more growl than anything else, and all eyes turned to him.
“Why not? This Shady dude has a dick, right?” Ana glanced at Luke, who nodded. “And he’s not gay, right?” Luke shook his head no. “Then this is perfect. I go in, flirt a little. We make up a reasonable story for why I’m there, and I slowly pump him for information. If he doesn’t have anything we can use, nothing is really lost. But if he does . . .” Ana let the words fade off, letting them all fill in the blanks for themselves.
If they did get the information, they could put this drug operation to a stop. They could make their town a little safer. They could bring home the Chief. But none of that mattered to Justice. Maybe it made him an asshole, but the town and the Chief could go fuck themselves if it meant Ana was put in the direct line of fire.
“We are not sending you in there to flirt with Shady. We’ll find another way.” Nausea grew thick in Justice’s stomach, crawling its way up his throat, threatening to spew his breakfast all over the table. Just the thought of Ana talking to Shady in any way that wasn’t in an interrogation made him want to be ill. Hell, not just Shady. He didn’t want her flirting with anyone but him. “You are not putting yourself in danger.”
Ana scoffed, looking at him as if he were insane. “Excuse me? I’m a cop. I’ve been a cop since you were doing keg stands in college. Danger is nothing new to me, just like it isn’t to any of you. I will go in there and I will do my job, and you will not pull this misogynistic crap on me, Officer Reilly.”
Before Justice could say another word, Luke barreled on with the conversation and with their plans to put Ana in the direct line of fire. Logically, he knew Ana could handle herself. She’d made it to detective in one of the most male-dominated fields at a relatively young age. But that didn’t mean he liked the idea of her coming face-to-face with a scumbag like Shady. The guy was known not only for his underground fights but also for providing women to high rollers. He held no qualms about treating women as goods to be traded, and Justice doubted he would hesitate to do Ana harm if it came down to it.
Justice wouldn’t let that happen, even if it ended up putting him on the wrong side of the law.
Chapter Seven
Ana
“We need to have eyes and ears on Ana at all times.” The tension in Justice’s voice set Ana’s teeth on edge. Never in all her life had she let a man keep her from what she wanted to do. Not her father when
she announced her intention to become a police officer, not any of her other boyfriends, and she would be damned if she let this one-night stand gone wrong do it. Even if she couldn’t stop thinking about him.
Before Ana’s response could roll off her tongue, Officer Coy chimed in with his own opinion. “Reilly, where do you suggest we get the surveillance equipment to do that? The town council won’t even approve enough money to properly test the explosion site from last month. No way will they approve the cash we would need to even rent that kind of hardware.”
Ana could tell all the guys were starting to get annoyed with Justice’s macho routine, which gave her a small amount of pleasure.
“I’ll pay for it.” Justice stood from his seat, whipped out his wallet, and slammed it down on the table. “Tell me what we need, and I’ll cover it. City council never needs to know.”
“Are you kidding me? This is ridiculous.” Ana shoved back from the table, knocking her chair over as she jumped to her feet and leveled Justice with a disbelieving glare. “We do not need surveillance equipment for me to walk into a bar and have a conversation with a guy.”
“Are you serious, Justice?” Luke just sat back with his hands folded over his stomach and a slight smirk on his face. He couldn’t possibly be taking this nonsense seriously, could he?
Justice folded his arms over his chest and never took his eyes off Ana. “I have some family money I’ve never touched and never plan to. We get a list together, and I’ll have everything here by the end of the week. My only condition is I am on the surveillance team every single time Ana has to be in the same building as that asshole.”
“Agreed.” Luke stood, gathered his folders, and strode across the room to the door.
Never had the word “flabbergasted” meant more to Ana than at that moment. “Are you fucking insane? You’re going to let this kid buy thousands of dollars of equipment for one conversation with a bar owner and bookie?”
“No. I’m going to let him buy the equipment for the station, and we’re going to use it for this conversation first. It will come in handy down the line as well, I’m sure.” Luke slapped Justice on the shoulder and leaned in to whisper something in his ear. Whatever it was he said, Justice’s lips quirked up into a slight smile, and he nodded firmly once.
This whole thing was nuts. Ana had been in far more dangerous situations both during her rookie years and in her detective position at the Pittsburgh Police. She’d been shot at, beat up, and almost run over. But it was her job to put her life on the line so that those in their community could be safer. No way in hell would she let these jagoffs take away her role in the department, let alone her mission in life.
Coy left the small conference room just behind Luke, and before she knew it, Justice and Ana stood on opposite sides of the table, alone and glaring daggers at each other.
“Let me tell you, I am the absolute wrong tree to be barking up if you think this alpha male protect-your-woman bullshit is going to get you anywhere.” Not breaking eye contact, Justice slowly stalked around the conference table, every step closer making her heart pound. She was pissed at him, livid even. And she would not give in to him just because the mere sight of him at that moment made her panties soaked. He needed to know that this type of behavior would never be accepted by her. “I have seen more action in my career than you can imagine. I do not need some guy who thinks getting into my pants once gives him the right to act like my father.”
Ana didn’t give an inch. She refused to back up into the table or wall behind her. If she showed any sign of weakness, Justice would keep chipping away until she was one of those women she loathed who needed to check in with their man before they did anything. Hell. No.
“Are you done now?” They stood almost eye to eye. Ana wished she had gone with a taller heel that day so he wouldn’t have even the extra inch or two on her.
She opened her mouth to give him a smart-ass reply, but he just talked over her, something that she absolutely hated.
“Nothing that happened in here today had anything to do with my doubting your abilities as a detective or officer of the law. I’m sure you are an amazing detective, and I can’t wait to see you at work.” He stepped closer, so much so that his minty breath with just a hint of coffee washed over her. “With that said, there will never be a time that I won’t want to protect you, whether you need protection or not. I have no doubt you could take me down before I knew what happened. But I also know that the people we are dealing with here have no problems operating in the most underhanded and disgusting ways to get what they want. If there is a way for me to make you even just a little bit safer while you are doing your job, then I’m going to take advantage of that. Every. Single. Time.”
“Justice, I’m not your woman. You have no obligation to protect me. We had sex once—”
“Twice. The phone sex counts.”
“That doesn’t make you my knight in shining armor. You need to cool it.” Huffing as if she had just gone nine rounds after a ten-mile run, Ana stood her ground, refusing to be the one to back down first.
Slowly, Justice’s features softened, and he shocked Ana when he leaned his forehead gently against hers. “Fuck. I don’t know what I’m doing, Ana. I know I’m acting like a shithead. But when I look at you and think about Shady putting his hands on you, it makes me want to break things.” He cupped her head in his big palms and brought her lips within a fraction of a centimeter from his own. “I know one thing. Until I sat next to you in that bar, I had a blueprint for my life set in stone. I was going to work here as a cop for five more years, take my detective’s test, transfer to a bigger city, work my way up the ranks, and ten years from now I’d be on track to being a commander of my own unit. Only after I had my career firmly established was I going to worry about things like a woman to share my life with and children to carry on my legacy. But since you, that has all flown out the window. I still want all those things in my life, but I want you there with me, for all of them. I don’t want to wait for you to realize the chemistry we have together almost never comes around. I want us to start a life together. Now.”
“You’re insane.” Even as she said the words, Ana felt a pull deep within her chest to acknowledge the same desire, to build some unknown foundation with this man that would turn into something remarkable if she only let herself. But she also didn’t want to have to sacrifice everything she had worked for in her life.
“I might be. But I’d gladly go insane for a chance at having you in my bed every night for the rest of my life. Just the chance.” Slowly, Justice drew her lips to his, giving her plenty of time to stop him, to come to her senses and push him away.
She didn’t even bother. They both might be confused about what pulled them to each other, perhaps Ana more confused than Justice, but she knew that she wanted to taste him again more than she wanted anything else.
The moment his plump lips bracketed her own, all the bravado and attitude that she wore to protect herself slipped away. His kiss, his presence, had the ability to strip her down to her true self. Still strong, still a smart-ass, but also soft, vulnerable, emotional. All words that had been used against her as she rose the ranks in the police force. But with Justice, they weren’t negatives, they were simply part of her, and he accepted it and respected it all.
As they separated, Ana shook her head a little, mentally preparing herself to replace the masks and shrouds in order to do her job that she loved. But curiosity won over before she could fully protect herself. “What did Luke whisper in your ear?”
Justice dropped his eyes to the floor but not before she saw the laughter spark in them.
“What?”
“He said, ‘Only a woman who felt big things for a man could get that pissed at him. Just ask Sophie.’” A deep rumble reminiscent of thunder vibrated up Justice’s chest and spilled out in a laugh so genuine and sexy it made Ana want to climb in his lap and do dirty things to him.
Very, very dirty things.
/> ***
The plan to send Ana in to meet Shady came together relatively smoothly, which worried her. In the past, the easier an operation came together, the more it went to shit when the time came. But the harder it was to get the pieces to come together beforehand, the operation itself would always go as expected.
So when the day finally came two weeks later for Ana to walk into Shady’s, her nerves were more than a little frayed. Not that anyone would be able to tell. She held herself with the same cool aloofness she strived for every day at the station.
Each night, she shed the false, cold personality and just let herself be with Justice. They hadn’t slept together again, but they had several hot make-out sessions on his couch after watching Game of Thrones. Each night he asked her to stay, and each night she insisted on going back to her shitty sublet apartment, no matter how much she wanted to stay at his house. Each morning he brought her coffee, each night he stuck around to walk her to her car. It was sweet, not because she needed protection in the dark parking lot but because the gesture symbolized his commitment.
Ana closed her eyes for just a moment, gathering her strength, pushing back the thoughts of being wrapped in Justice’s arms, and pulled in a deep breath. As she let it go, she steeled her spine, lifted her chin, and straightened her mouth into a stiff line.
The leather vest stretched across her chest whined as she unfolded herself from the tiny sports car they had borrowed just for the night. Her outfit left little to the imagination. Jeans so tight the seams puckered a little around her hips and ass, a low-backed leather vest that laced up the front and tied just below her chest, the V in the front barely covering her tits. She’d let her hair go wild for the night, tight ringlets springing out all over her head, bouncing as she strutted to the door of the shittiest looking bar she’d ever seen. The bouncer at the door gave her body a slow perusal down to her stiletto heels and back up to her over-makeupped face. He quirked one eyebrow in a question that didn’t need asking. What was a girl like her doing in a place like this?
