“But don’t you see? That’s the bit that I.A. can’t take away from me. They can’t dismiss the fact that Helen’s parents sent a letter thanking me and the department that justice had been done. They can finally rest now that their daughter’s killer is dead. Those are the people I work for. That’s what this job is all about.”
“I wish our system could see it that way.”
“But they don’t, and I have to live with that fact if I’m not going to follow all of the rules.” Delta sighed with disgust. “Alex, I’ve never been one to walk the paved road. I deviate, test, explore, and sometimes that gets me into trouble. But that’s who I am. I find a problem, and I create a way to fix it. If I have to bend some silly rule to do it, then so be it. And you know what else? I like that part of me. It’s who I am. It’s what makes me so good.”
Alexandria smiled and squeezed Delta’s hand. “So do I. I admire your courage and determination, Delta Stevens, even if it does seem to cause you more heartache than good. I just wish there was something more I could do to help. I feel, in part, responsible for this.”
“Don’t be silly. You know I would have done this with or without you. Sometimes, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. You just made that easier by giving us some time, that’s all. Stop kicking yourself, Alex. What’s done is done.”
For a minute or two, the two women sat quietly watching the pigeons waddle among a group of young children.
“Delta, I have to ask you this one last question before I go. Call it a guilty conscience if you will, but I need to know.”
Delta cocked her head in question. “Shoot.”
“It’s something I just need to know, and I want it to be between me and you. I swear it won’t go any further.”
Delta’s expression did not change. She knew what it was Alexandria was after. “No, Alex, Connie didn’t drop him on purpose. She did everything in her power to hold onto him. In the end, he just let go.”
Alexandria nodded and stood. “I knew that. I just needed to hear it from you.”
“Did you doubt it?”
“Well, I wondered. I mean, if I were in her position . . . well, let’s just say, I thought about what I might have done.”
“Rest assured, Alex, Connie hung on for as long as she could.”
Alex nodded. “With Internal Affairs, the Chief of Police, and the Mayor all pressing to find out whether or not one of their cops killed a man, you see why I needed to hear it from you.”
Delta grinned. “That’s politics for you. Forget the fact that the asshole got what he deserved, we just don’t want to look bad in the public eye. That kills me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me, too.”
“How’s your leg doing?”
Delta shrugged. “Hurts like hell still, but I manage.” Delta squinted in the sunlight and wondered what Alexandria was struggling with so much. “Alex, are you okay?”
“Me? I’m fine. I just wish things could be different, that’s all.”
“You and me both. But you won’t hear me complaining. I’ve got my lover, my best friend, and her lover all safely tucked away. I’ll take whatever consequence comes my way, knowing that I’d do it all again if I had to.”
A warm smile spread across Alexandria’s face. “The world could use a few more women like you. I’m glad we’re on the same side.”
Delta’s smile matched Alexandria’s. “Me too.”
“Lunch some day?”
Delta nodded. “Some day. Right now, I there’s another woman who deserves a helluva lot more than lunch.”
“Ah well. Lucky girl.”
Watching Alexandria climb into her maroon Porsche, Delta smiled to herself.
A few more Delta’s?
What a scary thought.
Chapter 51
“You two sure you have everything?” Delta asked, peering under the huge blue
tarp covering their camping gear.
Connie checked her list and then looked over at Gina. Gina had lost weight over the past week and had a few nightmares, but other than that, she bounced back from her ordeal quite well.
“Ask my co-pilot. She’s the one who packed.”
Gina gave Delta the thumbs up. “Yosemite, here we come!” Connie hugged Megan before turning to Delta. “I wish you’d change your mind about coming.
We’d have so much fun.”
Delta shook her head as she gingerly patted her thigh. “This bad wheel would only hold you back. El Capitan will just have to wait until next year.”
Reaching out, Connie held Delta for a long, long time. “I can never repay you, you know.”
“Good thing you don’t have to.” Delta stepped back and smoothed her hand through Connie’s hair. “You’d have been there for me, and that’s what we’re all about. Now get out of here before we both start bawling.”
After smiling into Delta’s eyes for one more, extended moment, Connie opened the car door and got in. “You two take care of each other.”
Megan threaded her arm through Delta’s. “We will. As a matter of fact, that’s the first order of business.”
“Good. We expect you two to be on firm ground when we return.” Waving goodbye to the campers, Delta slid her arms around Megan’s waist and pulled her closer. “A vacation is just what they need.”
Megan turned in Delta’s embrace and peered into her eyes. “And what do we need, my love?”
Delta gazed into the electric eyes that held her like a magnet. “I don’t really know. I understand that love isn’t enough. I love you, and I know you love me, but—”
“But you love your job, too.” Megan opened the screen door and watched Delta walk through. “You’re right. Love isn’t enough.”
“But it’s a start.”
Megan nodded as she sat on the couch. “It’s where we’ve been since we met. But if we’re going to make it, there’s more we have to build.”
Delta held her breath, as she sat next to Megan. “I hate that word ‘if’.”
“So do I, but honey, we have to be realistic. Lesbian relationships fail because we hang our hats on love, and love alone. I wish it were enough, but it’s not.”
Delta stared at her hands folded in her lap. How could she be so good at reading people on the streets and so poor at analyzing her own relationships?
“Megan, I love you more than anyone I’ve ever loved. I don’t care what it takes to make this work, as long as it does work. Tell me what I need to do.”
“I know you love me. I don’t ever question that. What I do wonder is, if you had to choose between dinner with me and busting a major case, which one would it be?”
Delta didn’t answer the rhetorical question.
“See? In all honesty, you don’t think twice about jumping into danger. Well, I need you to think twice. I need you to care about getting hurt, to care about coming home safely. I need you to care about our relationship first.”
“And you don’t think I do?”
Megan looked at her but said nothing.
“Suppose I can’t? I mean, suppose I try to put us first, and we discover that I can’t?”
“Then, I’ll have to make some decisions for myself, won’t I?”
“You’d leave?” Delta asked, grabbing Megan’s hand.
“In all honesty, I don’t know what I would do.”
Delta thought about this a minute and then measured her words carefully. “Megan, I know that I’m a good cop, and I know that I’m an excellent partner to Jan. Something in me tells me that I can be a good partner to you, too, if you’ll just show me. Help me learn what it takes to make a relationship work.”
Taking Delta’s face in her hands, Megan lightly kissed her mouth. “The first step is over. See how easy that was?”
“What step?”
Megan smiled. “Communication, my love. The first step is telling me that you want to learn, that you want to grow.”
“I do. I’ve just never wanted to before
.”
Pulling Delta to her, Megan kissed the top of her head. “Well, I’m glad you want to with me. I love you, Delta Stevens, and I know how deeply you love me. If you’re willing to try, we’re going to be just fine.” Holding Delta to her, Megan gently rocked back and forth, stroking Delta’s curly hair.
Closing her eyes, Delta nestled against Megan’s chest and listened to her heartbeat. There she was, Officer Delta “Storm” Stevens, saver of lives, pursuer of evil, hero of the young and old, and she didn’t even know how to make a relationship work. What had she said the other day to Alexandria about the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few? It was ironic that the needs of the many should affect her life so much. Maybe that was what Megan meant. Maybe that was the problem. Maybe it was time to pay more attention to the needs of the few; the needs of the one.
“Megan?”
“Yes, babe?”
“I love you with all my heart.”
“I know. Lucky me.”
More from Alex Westmore
The Plundered Chronicles
The Pirate’s Booty
Shiver her Timbers
Fire in the Hole
The Timeless Love Saga
Together in Time
The Future of Yesterday
Back to You
The Delta Stevens Crime Logs
Miles to Go
Con Game
Not in the Cards
Riders of the Apocalypse
Ride for Tomorrow
Burning Rubber
Eat Asphalt
The Silver Legacy
Darkness Descends
The Demon Within
Blood of the Demon
The Umbra Mortis Saga
The Death Collector
The Death Committee
The Death Continuum
The Handler
Dead Again
About the Author
Alex Westmore has lived in a haunted house, has a raging empath for a best friend, and eats up paranormal experiences with a huge supernatural spoon. To get closer to the action, she has spent time with Voodun in New Orleans, medicine men in the Southwest, and a Shaman in the Amazon.
Alex is a five-time award winning author of several series, from zombies to demons to empaths, oh my! When she isn’t writing, she’s thinking about writing and imagining where her next great adventure will take her.
Spice up your life! Join Alex on her next amazing adventure…you will be so glad you did. The journey begins at www.AlexWestmore.net.
@AlexWestmore10
AlexWestmore10
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