To Protect & Serve

by V. K. Powell

  Keri raised her head and stared into her eyes. “I love you, Alex Troy.”

  Oh, my God. Alex knew the fire threatening to consume her was too intense to be anything but love. She burned for Keri, ached for her with every ounce of her existence. When did it happen? I’m totally undone by her, so why can’t I tell her I love her? Maybe it was because she’d soon be sending this woman into the jaws of death. How could she declare her love and do that to her? And what happened if she didn’t come back? The thought sent shivers through Alex.

  “You don’t have to say anything. I just want you to know how I feel,” Keri said. “And it’s not going to change, no matter what happens.”

  Alex snuggled deeper, warm and comfortable. She owed her so much. Keri had given herself completely and in so doing, allowed Alex to do the same. But more importantly, she’d demonstrated that it was possible to give and express love freely without expectations. Her faith amazed Alex.

  They spent the night making love until they collapsed in each other’s arms exhausted. Alex didn’t want to talk or think about anything else. She wanted to touch and experience everything possible about Keri Morgan in one miraculous, delicious, all-consuming night. Because after tonight, she had no idea what came next.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Alex twirled her pen and jabbed question marks onto a blank yellow page as Beth briefed her on the interview and booking of their dealer from the night before.

  “He refused to give up his source, but we got a good enough sample from the buy to make a comparison with the others. Chad called Davis and he sent someone to post our snitch out. Overall, it was a great night.” Beth eyed her mindless doodling. “Are you listening?” No response. She tried again. “Keri Morgan.”

  Alex’s head came up immediately. “What? What did you say about Keri?”

  “I knew it. You’re gaga over her. Want to talk about it?” Beth couldn’t suppress a smile.

  “No, I don’t.” It was bad enough that she spent every waking moment thinking about her and every sleeping moment dreaming about her. She absolutely did not want to talk about Keri. Besides, Beth had probably already guessed from the look on her face that they’d slept together. “I’ve already said enough as it is.” Alex dropped her pen onto the notepad. “We have work to do. Let’s go to lineup.”

  As soon as they entered the conference room, Beth said, “There’s only one new item on the clipboard today. Homicide squad’s got a body found behind the abandoned warehouses on Phillips Avenue. A young black female. It appears she was tied up for a while, then shot. I’ll pass the picture around. If anybody knows this girl, contact homicide detectives.” She passed the photo to Renee and kept talking. “Our next move with Davis is to prepare for the actual buy from him. We’ll need Chad to—”

  “Oh, my God!” Keri cut Beth off. “The son of a bitch killed her.”

  Alex felt the hairs on the back of her neck bristle. “Morgan, do you know this girl?”

  Keri looked at Alex, her eyes circles of disbelief and horror. “It’s Tiffany Brown, our witness and Davis’s ex-girlfriend. I saw the picture Steve took of her when he interviewed her.” She passed the picture to Steve. “Look.”

  “Yep, that’s her. Somebody must’ve screwed up. She was supposed to be held without bail.” He sighed. “But we don’t know for sure that Davis had her killed. We’ll need proof.”

  “Davis was pissed,” Keri said. “He admitted to me that she’d be pushing up daisies soon. And you heard him, Lieu. He told her he meant for her to get the drink that killed Stacey. Do they have a time of death?”

  Beth checked the alert. “Nothing here about it. They recovered a bullet at autopsy, but no weapon at the scene. Go talk to the homicide detectives when we break lineup and tell them what we suspect. Let them know they can’t identify you as the source of this information yet because you’re still undercover. But they at least need to check it out.”

  Alex felt the level of tension rising in the room. “Okay, folks, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Davis may be connected to this murder or not. All we have now is circumstantial evidence and a strong gut feeling. Let the homicide guys do their job on this one. We need to stay focused on our objective, nailing Davis for drug distribution and the other deaths.”

  “We have to be even more cautious,” Beth said. “No one takes unnecessary chances.” She stared directly at Keri. “Where are we on lining Davis up?”

  “Chad’s had a conversation with him. He’s pissed about the arrest. I think he’s about ready to deal.”

  Alex looked at Keri. “Is Chad’s cover still intact?”

  “Davis doesn’t have a clue.” Keri smiled with pride. “He’s called me a few times since the strip club. All he can talk about is getting hooked up for that threesome he wants. I’ve been playing it cool.”

  “Good. So all we need is for Chad to put the idea in Davis’s head that there’s one surefire way to get you interested. Davis won’t see it as permanent, just a means to an end.” Alex considered the timing of the bust and Davis’s apparent willingness to deal with Keri directly. He seemed anxious enough. It was now or never. “Tell Chad to set it up. If even the slightest thing feels off, tell him to drop the conversation. I don’t want Davis getting suspicious.”

  “So, what if Davis calls me and makes an offer?” Keri asked.

  “Set up a meet on neutral territory—not his house, not a public place—in case there’s…trouble.” Alex couldn’t bring herself to say the word that initially came to mind: gunfire. The thought gave her chills.

  “I’ll take care of it, Lieutenant.” Keri’s eyes met hers and the look bored deeply into her.

  Beads of perspiration formed between Alex’s breasts and legs where Keri’s lips had so hungrily fed. Alex dropped her gaze to Keri’s hands and the pulsing in her clit soared painfully. The sparkling glimmer in Keri’s eyes said she knew exactly what Alex was thinking. She licked her lips and grinned. Alex knew she was playing with fire but she couldn’t help herself. It was like she’d had her first hit of cocaine and was forever addicted. She had to feel that high again—and soon.

  She rose on weak legs. “Let me know when you have anything further. And contact homicide ASAP and fill them in.” She walked toward her office to consider her growing uneasiness about the case. Her insides knotted with apprehension. She wondered if she was losing her analytical and tactical skills or if this was the price she paid for becoming emotionally involved.

  *

  “He called,” Keri said, standing just inside the doorway of Alex’s home office. They’d spent the past two nights together, getting very little sleep, reveling in the passion that burned hot enough to consume them.

  Alex sat hunched over her desk, her firm, full breasts peeking from the unbuttoned sides of an oversized denim shirt. Keri was amazed by the wave of desire that swept over her like a hot shower. She wouldn’t have thought herself capable of such feelings a few days ago, but now they were ever present and unstoppable anytime she was in Alex’s presence. She loved the time they’d spent together and tried not to overanalyze it. She could hardly believe her luck at being with such an amazing woman. Alex had turned out to be everything she could have hoped for—warm, loving, open, honest, and crazy about her. But Keri was also confused about what was going to happen next. She’d decided to live in the moment, give herself completely, enjoy Alex fully, and just wait. The fact that they hadn’t talked about what was happening between them nagged at the back of her mind, but she dismissed the avoidance as inevitable. It was bad timing.

  “He wants to meet in a couple of days,” she said.

  “That’s great news.” Emotions warred inside Alex. What if something went wrong? I can’t let her go. “Did he say anything incriminating?”

  “No. He’s too smart for that.” Keri crossed the room to lean against the desk.

  “This is it, then.” Heavy lines creased Alex’s forehead. “Are you sure he doesn’t suspect you?”

 
“As sure as I can be. He said I can bring Chad and he asked about you, but I said you had to work strange hours this week.”

  Alex’s insides felt like she’d swallowed tacks. Her future in the department hinged on this case and all she could think about was Keri. Things could go so badly wrong on a drug bust, she felt paralyzed. She reached for Keri’s hand and fought to tame the butterflies in her stomach. For a few seconds, she allowed her gaze to flicker hungrily over Keri’s body but she carefully avoided her stare. It was a struggle to think about work; Keri’s presence was too professionally disturbing and too emotionally and physically arousing. Alex knew they shouldn’t be doing this. She felt weak for allowing it. But a part of her had rebelled so powerfully against the constraints of the past year that she had not been able to restrain herself.

  Looking around the office Keri noted again the unadorned walls and meager furnishings. She took a seat across from Alex and scanned the metal desk. Her eyes came to rest on a photograph beside Alex’s computer of a handsome, gray-haired man with a fiery redheaded woman.

  “My parents,” Alex replied to the unvoiced question. “They died a year ago in a plane crash. We were very close. My father was like a best friend to me. Laughter was our favorite form of communication. I miss them both a great deal.” She stopped, intrigued that she had wandered off on yet another personal tangent with this woman. What is it about Keri Morgan that makes me want to spill my guts in the most intimate way?

  “He has a kind face.”

  “He was a kind man. Thank you.”

  “And you have that same fire in your eyes that your mother did.” Keri felt her confidence lift when Alex’s skin flushed with color. There was no retreat to the impersonality of their work relationship, at least momentarily.

  “That’s exactly what my father used to say. He marveled at being able to survive a household with two redheads.” Alex looked from her parents’ picture back to the papers on her desk. “I apologize for my digression, Keri. I should be asking how you’re feeling about the assignment. Are you ready for this?”

  Keri’s palms felt sticky and a pulse throbbed painfully between her legs as she allowed herself to stare openly at Alex’s slightly parted lips and her peekaboo breasts. “Yes, I’m ready. I know this is important to everybody, especially you. I won’t fail you.”

  The promise in Keri’s eyes blinded Alex to everything but her presence. “Of course the case is important, but I care more about you.”

  The flash of caring on Alex’s face made Keri realize the risk they were both taking by pursuing their relationship. For her it had already gone too far. She couldn’t imagine her life without Alex in it. The feelings that had been awakened in her could never be satisfied without her. Keri felt her very essence was entwined with Alex’s like the double helix of DNA. There was no going back. Pretending to be professional colleagues would rip her heart out. She’d do whatever it took to keep Alex in her life. Her last thought stopped her musings. Would she really do anything not to lose Alex? She knew at that moment that the answer was yes—even if that meant giving up the job she loved.

  “I’ll be careful, Alex, but I plan to make this guy pay for every vile and disgusting thing he’s ever done. I know you’re worried about me. But there are no legitimate grounds to stop me from doing this without sabotaging the case.”

  But how can I protect you if you won’t let me? Tormented by a desire to protect Keri at all costs, Alex said, “At least promise me there’ll be no cowgirl heroics.”

  “Alex, the only way to stop me is for you to admit personal motivation, and you won’t do that.” Surprised by her own audacity and sudden assertiveness, Keri added, “Please, let me do my job.”

  Tears clouded Alex’s vision as she tried to focus on Keri’s face. “I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you. Do you understand?”

  Their eyes locked and melted into pools of liquid longing.

  “Yes, I do understand.” Keri rose and came around the desk toward her. She took Alex’s hand and pulled her to her feet. The air between them crackled. “I won’t have you feeling guilty for giving me this assignment. It had to be this way, don’t you see?”

  Alex spoke around the emotions that choked in her throat. “But I wasn’t talking about just now. I wanted to say that I—”

  Keri brought a finger to her lips. “Don’t say it. Not just yet. I couldn’t be responsible for my actions if you did. But thank you for letting me see that look in your eyes again. It’ll get me through this case.” She squeezed Alex’s hands, leaned forward, placed a light kiss on her cheek, and turned to leave.

  Alex eased her drained body back into her chair, passion making her weak. “Do you always say exactly what’s on your mind?”

  “Yes, and that’s one of the many things you love about me.” Keri flashed her magnetic smile and Alex felt it sweep over her like a warm breeze. “I’m going home now.”

  “Okay, get out of my office and get ready to catch me a bad guy…and be safe.”

  “Thank you. And don’t worry. Nothing will keep me from you now.” She flashed Alex a disturbingly seductive smile and exited. She wasn’t sure her legs would carry her through the door.

  Listening to her lover’s departing footsteps, Alex was bombarded with guilt. She’d lost all objectivity and control. This had never happened to her on the job. What was going on? The reply was becoming more frequently the one she wanted to hear: I love Keri Morgan. She allowed herself to give voice to the notion again and prayed that it would be okay.

  At work she had struggled to remain aloof and in control, while nightly she and Keri made love until their bodies or a new day forced them to stop. She pulsed with an almost debilitating ache to feel Keri’s hands on her constantly, stroking her tender breasts, sliding her strong fingers into the moisture between her legs. The frustration in her body demanded relief that only Keri could provide. They couldn’t hole up in Alex’s home forever, ignoring the world outside, yet that was exactly what happened when they were together. Alex knew she had to define her relationship with Keri and figure out how they could be together after this case was over. One thing was certain; she wanted to be with Keri more than anything in her life.

  Alex had experienced another side of Keri Morgan, the determined young woman who stood up for her beliefs and wasn’t afraid, regardless of the consequences. Alex’s concentration was admittedly off, but two things she knew without a doubt—Sonny Davis was dangerous and Keri was going after him virtually alone. She understood the driving force behind Keri’s obsession with this man, but she also knew it could get her seriously injured. Wishing she’d never chosen Keri for the task force, she looked toward the ceiling and shook her head. If she believed in prayer, now would be a good time to start.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Earth to Morgan.” Beth waved her arms.

  “What? Sorry,” Keri said. “I guess I was somewhere else.”

  “Girl, you shouldn’t stand around naked in a police locker room. Don’t you know you could get molested? Then who’d you call to take the report?”

  After a couple of dry runs of the takedown scenario in the muggy night air, Keri had decided to shower before her drive home. She hadn’t heard Beth come in as she stepped from the tile surround and toweled herself. “That doesn’t sound like such a bad idea at the moment,” she said.

  Beth didn’t bother to hide a snort. “You didn’t hear a word I just said, did you?”

  There was no use denying the obvious. “I’m sorry, Sarge. I was distracted.”

  “Is that what you’re going to say when Davis has a gun to your chest?” Beth discarded her uniform shirt. “Am I going to have to call this whole thing off?”

  “No,” Keri insisted. “I know what I need to do.”

  “Then get your head out of your ass or you won’t be on this team anymore. Trust me on that. No arrest is worth getting an officer hurt.”

  “I’ll get it together. I promise.” Keri tried to s
hake herself free of the worry she’d seen on Alex’s face last night. She wanted so much to hold and reassure her that everything would be fine—with the case and with them.

  Beth hesitated. “You know she cares about you, right?”

  Keri tried not to give herself away. If anyone in the division found out what was going on, she and Alex would both be taken off the case and Alex would be brought up on charges. In a neutral tone, she said, “Yes, I know.”

  “Good. She wants to see you.” Beth turned on the water and stepped into the cubicle, throwing her towel over the door. “Don’t stay up all night. You need to be fresh tomorrow.”

  Keri stared after Beth as she disappeared into the shower. Was it possible that she knew about her and Alex? Would Alex have confided in her? Keri decided that would be too risky at this point and dismissed her suspicions. Beth was probably just trying to make her more comfortable for the sake of the investigation. Calling, “See you tomorrow, Sarge,” she closed her locker door and headed down the hallway to Alex’s office.

  Alex met Keri at the door and offered her hand, something she seldom did with subordinates. The need to touch her was too great. “Come in.”

  The softness and warmth of Keri’s hand shot up her arm and settled around her heart. My God, I love touching you. Standing right here, just like this. Her insides felt like she’d swallowed BBs. Her future in the department hinged on this case. But she couldn’t hope to remain focused while she was in such turmoil. Things could go wrong quickly on a drug bust, and she was about to send the woman she loved into the bowels of hell with a predator. Few other professions required such sacrifice. Was it really worth it?

  She released Keri’s hand and looked at her for the reassurance no one else could provide. Interlocking her fingers into a white-knuckled fist, she said, “Don’t take any unnecessary chances tomorrow. Don’t make any assumptions with this guy. He’s dangerous.”