In Good Hands (Protect and Serve Book 2)

by Nadine Hudson

  IN GOOD HANDS

  PROTECT AND SERVE SERIES

  BOOK 2

  BY: NADINE HUDSON

  Copyright © 2020 Nadine Hudson

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Description

  Veronica

  I have finally proven myself to everyone at the academy, but now there’s just one more person I needed to prove myself to. The chief of police...good old Dad. I came into this job with all the confidence in the world only to be weakened at the knees by my new partner.

  The outrageously sexy and secretive Finn Carter. That’s a BIG no no V. Not only is he your partner, but he’s also one of your dad’s best friends. Eyes on the prize. You still have to prove yourself, but I suppose some harmless flirting wouldn’t hurt, right?

  Finn

  Is she flirting with me? I knew this partnership was going to be a problem the moment I’d laid eyes on her. There’s not even a trace of the younger girl I remember-but before me stands a full grown woman with curves everywhere a man likes to see them.

  Snap out of it Finn!

  This is Henry’s daughter I’m fantasizing about. I have to get a grip on myself! I can do this. At least until I grow tired of that smart mouth of hers. Then I might have to see how she handles it when I stop ignoring her advances and return fire instead.

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  Table of Contents

  Description

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  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  What Happens Next?

  Follow Me!

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  About the Author

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  Chapter One

  Veronica

  Workplace romances rarely last. It’s even more true for cops since dating a co-worker creates a distraction for both the people in the relationship and the people around them. In most jobs, romantic distractions can mean you’re not as productive or people might gossip. When you’re lusting after a fellow cop on the force, distractions can mean somebody gets hurt.

  It had been clear from the start that nothing could happen between Finn and me. My dad, aka Captain Henry, would kill us both if we were to cross that line, but that didn’t stop our brief, forbidden kiss from happening.

  Moments before Finn kissed me yesterday, my dad had called me to his office to tell me I’d be placed on desk duty for two weeks. I wasn’t as upset as he’d probably expected. He’d spoken to me as professionally as possible, trying to react as my Captain and not my dad.

  When he first called me in, he’d been really upset with me. I’d just been doing my job and stopping a robbery. It took a while, but I eventually realized how reckless I’d been acting since joining the force, and it hadn’t even been a month since I’d started.

  I had been shot and was lucky enough that the bullet only grazed my shoulder. I could have died, and my dad would have lost another child. Maybe a little time behind the desk would do me some good.

  I adjusted my bag on my good shoulder as I exited the precinct. The cool evening air made for a relaxing Friday evening, but my pulse quickened as I noticed Finn waiting by my car. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he pushed himself off the front of the car as I stopped before him.

  “Hey,” I greeted him.

  “Hey. We need to talk.”

  I know.

  “Sure,” I answered as I walked around the car and placed my bag in the back. “What about?”

  “Don’t do that, Veronica. You know what I want to talk about.”

  I closed the door and inhaled deeply before turning to face him. “Okay, sure.”

  Neither of us spoke for a moment as we stared at each other. Finn’s grey eyes slid to the side as he buried his hands in his pockets, and I shifted my weight from one leg to the other. The tension in the air was driving me crazy, and it was clear he wasn’t immune to it.

  I knew what he would say, and a part of me didn’t want him to. I had wanted him to kiss me, and since it happened, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. We were both adults, but no doubt there was a code between best friends, which was why Finn currently looked so regretful.

  The look in his eyes was burning a hole through my chest. When he’d kissed me, I’d been shocked but also relieved that my feelings were shared. My happiness had been short-lived, though, since he’d immediately walked away.

  “That kiss shouldn’t have happened.” He voiced the exact words that were swirling in my mind. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I don’t have an explanation for it, but I’m sorry.”

  I’d been holding my breath, but I exhaled slowly. “You’re apologizing like I didn’t kiss you back.”

  “And you shouldn’t have.”

  “Should I have slapped you then?”

  He sighed. “Sure, yes. That would have been better. You know what I’m trying to say, V. Your dad—”

  “Yeah, sure, I get that. Answer me this, what if he wasn’t my dad?”

  Finn didn’t answer right away, but a deep crease appeared between his brows. We’d be the talk of the precinct if we got together, that I was sure of. Finn didn’t strike me as the type to care about what others thought of him, though. And since I've underestimated my whole life, I’d learned to not care either.

  So what would happen if neither of us cared what people whispered about us? What if my father wouldn’t lose his mind about us dating? Could a relationship between us survive? Was that something Finn even wanted?

  I clenched my jaw and shook my head. I was getting way ahead of myself here. He had kissed me once, and now he was making sure I knew it wouldn’t happen again.

  “There’s no world where Henry would be cool with this. You’re my partner, and that’s all we’ll ever be.”

  I’d be lying if I said those words didn’t hammer a nail through my chest. Maybe I was crazy to think otherwise. I had flirted with Finn right off the bat after seeing him again after so many years. A crush I’d had so long ago came rushing back, and for a while, I hadn’t known how to act around him.

  Just when I’d realized that I was out of control and doing too much to make something happen, and then he had kissed me.

  Now I was being rejected.

  “Veronica, I don’t want this to make things awkward between us. When I became your partner, I told your dad I’d look after you. I don’t want this to get in the way.”

  I opened my car door before looking his way. “I get it. Trust me. This isn’t a breakup or something. We kissed, we agreed it was a big mistake, and now we can move on. I don’t have time for… I need to focus right now on my job. I thought I was doing really well, but I haven’t been. I was shot within a month of joining the force.”

  “How’s your shoulder?” He took a step forward, one of his hands rising as if he was going to touch my shoulder, but then he stopped.

  For a moment, he looked conflicted. My skin practically started to burn with the need to feel his touch.

  “It’s fine. Dad put me on desk duty for two weeks, I’m sure he’ll fill you in.”

  I got into the car without saying another word and quickly drove away. Sighing, I reached into my jeans pocket and pulled out my phone. Tonight I didn’t want
to go to bed sober.

  Beth answered on the second ring as I stopped at a red light. “We’re going out tonight,” I said.

  “Sure, I’ll be at your place in ten,” she answered without asking any questions.

  “Are you gonna ask why I want to go out? I never want to go out.”

  “Nope. I just see this as progress, so I wasn’t going to say anything. Plus, do I ever decline an invitation to go out?”

  I shook my head as the light turned green. “Okay, I’ll see you in ten.”

  ***

  Veronica

  “Um, excuse me? Slow down,” Beth said as she held onto my hand and forced me to lower my glass to the table. “You can still get drunk if you savor the drink. Stop gulping it like water, dammit. I raised you better than this.”

  I chuckled at the look of disapproval on her face, but deep down, I wanted to get drunk. The sooner, the better. I didn’t want to keep imagining Finn’s eyes or the way his lips had tasted. My face scrunched up at that thought.

  “Don’t think about him.” She adjusted herself on her stool and pulled on the end of her mini gold dress. “We’re here to drink and unwind.”

  “Yeah,” I drawled as I took a sip of my drink.

  “Maybe it’s for the best that nothing more happens between you two. You just got your dream job, and you’re trying and have already succeeded with proving to be skilled and not a pushover. Although you scared me to death when you told me you were shot.” She reached out and squeezed my hand.

  “I’m fine, I promise, and you’re right. I can’t afford to be distracted. But I thought you were all for me getting with Finn?”

  “I was definitely all for the dad’s best friend thing, but I don’t like seeing you like this. This thing between you two is already getting complicated. I don’t want you to feel hurt about his rejection. He might have rejected you, but he’s the one who kissed you first. From where I’m sitting, he’s the one that doesn’t know what he wants and is confusing you. If you want the cookie, just go for it, damn.”

  I held my head back as I laughed. “Um, whose cookie are we talking about here?”

  “Not mine, sadly, I have cobwebs between my legs. But I’m sure it’s not as bad as you,” she said, laughing. I slapped her arm as a man walking past our table gave us a puzzled look. “I’m just saying, though, it’s either you’re both in, or you’re both out. Now isn’t the time to be indecisive considering you have to be around each other every day.”

  I took another sip of my drink, enjoying the warm feeling of it slipping down my throat.

  “If you two plan on going for it, then do it. But this looks like the beginning of a back and forth thing between you two, and trust me, it won’t go well.

  “I’m out,” I told her, my words heavy with finality, and she nodded. “You’re right, I just got the job, and I’m working on getting settled. A complicated relationship between Finn and me will only distract us both.”

  Around us, the club was alive with loud laughter, music, and chatter. My body was starting to feel warm from my second glass of vodka and I began to sway slowly at the music drumming in my ears. I moved my bouncy red curls over my shoulder as my eyes scanned the crowd below us.

  Being on the second floor of the club, the VIP section, I could watch everyone below. My eyes caught a couple dancing together, their movements in perfect sync.

  “Hey, does that guy look familiar to you?” Beth looked in the direction I was. A group of men was staring at us, but one of them was looking directly at me. “I’m talking about the one in the olive green shirt.”

  “Yeah,” she answered. “He does look a little familiar, but I’m not sure where I’ve seen him before.”

  I arched a brow as the man stepped away from his friends and began walking over to us. The closer he drew, the more I could see of him. There was a small smile on his lips, and his blue eyes matched the light within the club. He stopped before our table, and I glanced at Beth as she looked at me.

  “How are you doing, Beth?” He nodded to Beth, and her eyes widened. “Veronica?”

  I narrowed my eyes at him as he turned to me and his smile widened. “It’s Brant. We went to high school together.”

  “Wait,” Beth leaned forward. “Brant Douglas? The same Brant Douglas that had massively chubby cheeks?”

  He lifted his hand as he chuckled and ran his knuckles across his perfectly chiselled jawline. “Well, yes, but those chubby cheeks are history.”

  “I can see that,” Beth chuckled with him. “Wow, it’s been years.”

  The chubby boy I remembered looked nothing like the muscular man standing before me. The Brant I had known was short and wore glasses. He had been an adorable kid and quiet, but this man was 6’3 at least with stunning blue eyes. He oozed confidence as he combed his hand through his dark brown hair.

  “It really has been. You guys look as great as always.”

  My breath hitched as I caught his eyes roaming my body up and down. He did it so quickly I would have missed it if I hadn’t looked at him at that very moment. He didn’t look away after realizing I had noticed, either. The corner of his mouth arched, and I was unable to stop myself from smiling.

  “Pull up a chair, sit with us,” Beth told him, and he did so after throwing a glance my way.

  With his back turned, Beth wiggled her brows at me, and I shook my head. “So, how have you been, Brant? The last I heard, you’d been accepted to Harvard, but we didn’t see you at graduation.”

  He waved to a waitress before turning to me. “Yeah, I had a family emergency and couldn’t attend. Harvard was great, though, and honestly, a brutal school. My first year was a rough one.”

  “And what are you doing now?” Beth asked him.

  “I’m an exploration geologist.”

  “Really?” I gushed, genuinely impressed. “That’s impressive.”

  “Thanks, I heard you became a cop. I wasn’t surprised. You were always the first to help someone back in high school.”

  I fanned my hand dismissively, my blush worsening, and for the next hour, we all chatted about the old days. We drank, laughed, and for a while, lived in the past, and it was exactly what I needed. I needed to forget the troubles of my present life, even if it was for a short while.

  Brant had done well for himself but seemed as humble as he had been back in high school. While he looked different, his laugh was the same, and it was oddly refreshing to hear.

  “You know,” Beth began to say. “Brant had a crush on you back then.”

  I arched a brow with surprise. “What?” I looked at him and found him shaking his head sheepishly. “Stop playing.”

  “It’s the truth, he did. Tell her Brant, you used to watch her all through class.”

  “Alright, alright, I confess. But it just sounds creepy now.” Brant laughed, his ears turning red. “But yeah, it’s true. I guess everyone knew except you.”

  I was utterly embarrassed, and from the grin on Beth’s face, she was enjoying it. “I had no idea.”

  She wiggled her brows while Brant wasn’t looking. “Now, you do.”

  I knew what she was doing. As usual, she was trying to set me up at the first chance she got.

  “Veronica’s single, you know.”

  I kicked her under the table, and while she winced a little, her devilish smile remained. Brant’s eyes darted from her to me and then back, a knowing twinkle in his eye. I shook my head as I looked away, my cheeks growing hot.

  Ever since he joined us, his eyes lingered on me longer than when he looked at Beth. I’m sure it was clear to her as well, which was why she was doing this.

  “Is that so?” Brant’s voice was low and seductive as I took a large gulp of my drink.

  I knew he was looking at me. I could feel his eyes on me, even as Finn’s grey ones flashed through my mind. I froze. I deserved to have someone look at me the way Brant was. I deserved to be with someone and experience that happiness, just like Beth had said.


  I’d come a long way, and I had worked hard to get here. Being touched and loved by someone special was the only thing that was missing. I really liked the fact that Brant was someone I already knew.

  “What’s your number?”

  The words were out my mouth before I could stop them. Brant and Beth stared at me in surprise for a moment.

  “Definitely,” Brant replied as he plucked his phone out of his pocket.

  I took it, entered my number, and gave it back to him. I was a little shocked at my boldness, but it felt great. It was about time I tried dating again.

  Chapter Two

  Veronica

  I closed the last file from the pile that I had been given and sighed. For two hours, I’d been sitting at my desk doing paperwork, and I was over it. It was only Tuesday, so I had two full weeks left before I’d return to my regular duties.

  I looked up as my dad walked by with another officer, and we acknowledged each other with a nod. At first, it felt odd to refer to my father as Captain, but I got used to it pretty quick. In the privacy of his office, I called him Dad from time to time, but he was Captain Carter whenever anyone else was around, except for Finn.

  When he entered his office, I reached up and squeezed my shoulder. The pain was very faint, and the doctor had said there would be a small scar. I didn’t mind. It would be a reminder to be cautious when out in the field, a reminder that I desperately needed. I had been going about it all wrong, trying to prove that I wasn’t just the Captain’s daughter and that being a woman wouldn’t prevent me from being one of the best. That was a wake-up call. I don’t need to be reckless to be a good cop.

  But I was just dying of boredom sitting here, and it was only the second day.

  An officer would walk by from time to time and we’d chat for a while, but there were very few that I’d gotten to know so far. I also hadn’t seen Finn all day. No doubt, he arrived earlier than I did and left before I arrived. I had only seen him once yesterday, and while our eyes had met, we didn’t speak to each other.