by C. A. Szarek
Jared’s stomach fluttered and he gunned the accelerator out of the complex parking lot, ignoring the three beeps in a row from his phone. He’d be at work in a few minutes.
He ran down the hall, almost mowing his boss’s assistant down when he rounded the corner toward the briefing room. Nikki scooted out of his way, a hand on her rounded tummy, big brown eyes wide.
“Sorrrrrrrrry, late!” he called. That was all he needed, to accidently hurt Pete’s pregnant wife. Jared hurried on his way, not giving her a chance to answer.
Skidding to a halt at the closed door, he sucked in a breath and tried to slip into the room silently. Of course, his boot caught the metal doorframe with a loud clang.
Jared winced as all heads turned his way.
Chief glared. “Nice of you to join us, Detective Manning.”
He wanted to close his eyes, but forced a nod for his boss. Chief Paul Martin’s temper wasn’t to be trifled with.
Gonna hear it later for sure.
His partner smirked when their eyes met, but at least Cole had saved him a seat.
“Nice of you to join us, Detective Manning.” Cole kept his voice low, but it was a fair impression of their boss’s bark.
“Thanks for the seat, Detective Lucas. Considering I woke up at exactly six-fifty-three, I wouldn’t say seven-twenty-one is all that bad.”
“Yeah, guess you have something to be proud of.” One corner of his partner’s mouth shot up.
“I need coffee, though.”
“You two shut up,” Andi, Cole’s wife and fellow detective whispered, but her tone was amused.
“What kept you?” Lucas asked, throwing a wink at his wife. “Everything okay?”
“I’m cool. Alarm didn’t go off.” If Renee had still been there, it would’ve been a different story.
“Right.” His partner’s gray eyes were skeptical.
“You two might wanna pay attention, since you’re supposed to be lead on this.” Pete Crane scooted to the edge of his seat beside Andi in the row behind them.
“Lead on what?” Jared looked toward the projector screen at the head of the room. Chief was in lecture mode, pointing to pictures as he talked.
“Auto theft ring. Dallas FBI office called. I’m sure the agent—Carrigan or something—on the bigger case will pop up sooner or later. From what Chief told me, she’s wrapping up something else right now. But this is a big deal,” Cole said. “The oversized tatted dude is their leader. The pic that’s front and center. On the last job, he killed an undercover FBI agent, John Murray. Murray’s the dark haired guy on the left on the board. He was undercover as a member of their team. A lot of what we know is just best guesses.”
“Shit.”
Cole nodded. “They were spotted near Antioch, and we’re supposed to run point. We do have a lot of expensive rides around here and the feds want this guy bad.”
Jared’s heart dove to his stomach when he took in the photo on the screen.
His brother’s dark brown eyes stared right back.
* * * *
The morning would definitely require extra coffee.
Mel closed her eyes and swallowed a yawn. She’d made it to her classroom about ten minutes before and was fighting the urge to plant her cheek on the cool oak of her desk while her kids all filed in.
She’d pretty much fled the teacher’s lounge. Almost forgot her pumpkin spice cappuccino from Starbucks, too.
Wow you look tired, Mel.
Long night?
What did you do all night?
Hot date?
Are you seeing someone new?
Dang, she had nosy co-workers. Other than Em and Kara, that is. No doubt Val had run her mouth immediately upon arrival at Richland Elementary. Both second grade teachers flashed knowing smiles before Mel could even say hello. She didn’t have to tell them about her torrid night with Jared.
Not that she was going to announce it to anyone but Val, and that was only because of the duress of needing a ride.
Mel usually tried be a private person, despite her friend’s prodding her for details.
Her temples throbbed and she rubbed her eyes. Of course, hangover would hit her now when she had to maintain control in a room full of five and six year olds.
She forced herself to remain pleasant and greeted the few parents who walked their children into the room.
Mel had even helped a little girl named Shelby hang up her jacket when the kiddo missed her hook. That was before she’d glued her butt to her seat. If only she could sit behind her desk all day.
You only have to last until noon.
Thank God morning organization was eating up the last moments before the bell rang. If morning announcements could just last the first few hours of the school day, it’d sure help a lot.
“Miss Nash.”
Mel looked into a pair of very blue eyes, and didn’t have to fake a smile for the little boy who was holding an apple out to her in his small palm. “Hi, Ethan. Thank you.”
Ethan grinned. “My mama says teachers like apples.”
She laughed and set the Red Delicious on her desk. “Your mama’s a smart woman. Why don’t you take your seat? We’re going to call roll then start something fun for Thanksgiving.”
The little redhead nodded, dashing to the second table on the left in front of Mel’s desk. Her kids sat two to a table instead of the desks they’d graduate to in first grade.
Her classroom was open and welcoming. The walls consisted of their many art projects, as well as the Birthday Board behind the door. When one of them had a birthday, they got to pick a present from the treasure chest that rested next to the classroom’s fish tank. Everyone got a turn to feed their many goldfish, too.
There was a primary colored woven rug they all sat on for story time, as well as bright bean bags in the back the kids got out when they watched a monthly movie.
God, why can’t it be movie day today?
She chided herself. This job was her calling—her life. It wasn’t her kids’ fault she’d had a drunken night of sex. With a stranger.
Mel frowned.
Stop thinking about it. Stop thinking about him.
But Jared was a constant in her mind. Which was pretty crappy, since Mel had already decided to forget about him.
She distracted herself by looking at all her kiddos. No parents were in the room, and Mel’s head count told her everyone was present—even though they were not all seated yet.
“Two minutes ’til I need y’all in your chairs,” Mel called.
Kids shuffled, and the little boy who’d given her the apple caught her eye. He flashed an adorable grin she couldn’t help but return.
Ethan Lucas would be one of her favorite students, if she was allowed to have favorites. Both his parents were detectives for the Antioch Police Department.
Hmmm, Community Helper Day is soon.
First Friday in December. Mel would have to call in a favor. See if either of Ethan’s parents would be willing to talk to her kindergarten class about kid-friendly police basics.
She already had her dad, Antioch’s Public Works Director, and Dr Butler, the town pediatrician and one of Val’s student’s fathers coming. All she needed was a firefighter and a cop, and she was set.
Not to be stereotypical or anything.
Mel rolled her eyes at herself and pushed her chair back. Her head throbbed and she ignored it. When her stomach jumped, she tried to talk her hurried breakfast of a bagel and a glass of OJ into backing down on their rebellion.
The last two children found their chairs.
Showtime.
She cleared her throat and twenty-two sets of little eyes settled on her. Innocent, open, trusting gazes.
Mel smiled and came around to the front of her desk. “Good morning, class.”
“Good morning, Miss Nash,” they said in unison.
It was about as formal as she got with the kids, but it was a part of their daily routine. Her day wouldn’t be right w
ithout the ritual.
“As soon as morning announcements are over, we’re going to do something fun. A special art project for Thanksgiving. How does that sound?”
She received a few ‘yays!’ and the kids exchanged grins.
Good.
They were excited about the project, so they’d be cooperative and—hopefully—productive. Maybe she could stretch it out until it was time to leave?
Who cares about curriculum?
“Can we draw a turkey?” one of the boys asked, his small hand shooting up at the same time he spoke.
“Sure, Gage.” Mel nodded. “But we are going to pick one thing we’re thankful for, too.”
That resulted in a few ‘ohs.’ Like they were fascinated by the prospect. Also good news.
Please guys, be easy on me.
The bell rang, making her head spin. The beeping tone indicating Principal Mason coming on the overhead made her wince.
Mel cringed and changed her mind about morning announcements. The echo was killing her.
Pumpkin spice wasn’t cutting it this morning.
Crap. Hurry the heck up, bossman.
It was going to be a long half-day.
Chapter Five
The morning was a daze of questions swirling in his head.
What the fuck was Joe thinking? seemed to lead things off.
Something didn’t sit right in his gut, though. His brother wasn’t a killer. Jared knew it to his core. The auto-theft ring thing didn’t shock him. Joe had always kept their sporadic phone conversations shallow and all about Jared.
Never said what he did for a living or where he lived when they’d talked. The cop in Jared had long suspected illegal activities, but if Joe had ever been in trouble, or in jail, he’d done a great job of keeping it on the down-low.
Joe knew Jared was Antioch PD.
Shit.
He hadn’t physically seen his older brother since he was a teenager. They’d been raised in the foster system, shuffled all over Texas, until coming to the Mannings’ in Antioch. Jared had been eleven and Joe sixteen.
Joe had always been the one to get into trouble, at school, at home. Rebellion galore. Unfortunately, as great as the Mannings were, Joe hadn’t been able to adapt or cope. He’d split after he’d turned seventeen.
Jared had been devastated. He’d been a little boy whose only sibling was his stability—his constant in the life of a nomad. Family after family, until Jared had lost count. Until Jason and Amy Manning.
They adopted him, raised him. They were his parents.
If only Joe could have felt like their son, too.
Jared needed to talk to his brother. Now. But the cell number in his contacts was no good.
Go. Fig.
“Jer, you okay? You got quiet.”
His gaze collided with his partner’s. All he could read was concern in Cole’s steel eyes.
Jared left his cubicle and perched himself on Lucas’ desk. His partner’s workspace backed up to his. “I’m good.” The words came out fragmented and he had to clear his throat.
Cole frowned, but didn’t call him on his bullshit—yet. With his partner of two and a half years, it was always only a matter of time.
He broke their eye contact and surveyed the CID room, or Criminal Investigations Division, where all the detectives officed at the PD. No one else was around.
Andi and Crane had already headed out. They were meeting an informant about a burglary case, but Pete had said he’d put some feels out to see if any of the theft ring—Jared’s brother and friends—had been spotted by Antioch riffraff.
Jared and Cole had already checked in with dispatch before heading to their desks. No cars had been reported stolen in the last two days.
Then again, Joe wasn’t stupid. He wouldn’t jack an expensive ride if he was on the run.
Damn, Joe. Where are you? Now would be the perfect time to reach out to your little bro, the cop.
Preferably before Agent Carrigan came to town.
“What’s with the secretive phone calls?”
Shit.
“Uh. Just trying to get a hold of someone.” Jared took a breath. It was the truth, but the way he’d just delivered the words made it seem a lie.
Double shit.
“Seriously, are you okay? No offense, but you kinda look like shit, partner.”
“Gee thanks, buddy.”
Lucas shrugged. “Call it as I see it.”
“I met someone last night. At McAuley’s, after you hit the road.”
His partner reclined in his chair, worry gone from his face. The info given to them by the FBI was spread out on Cole’s desk, but suddenly discarded. “Oh?”
Renee’s crystal blue eyes flashed into Jared’s mind, chasing worries about Joe away. He smiled genuinely. The distraction was welcome. He relaxed his shoulders and nodded. “She’s…hot. And great…and…”
Cole chuckled and shook his head. “Another one-nighter, Jer?”
“Not this time…she’s different.” I fully intend to see her again.
“What’s her name?”
“Renee.” Jared hoped it’d escaped his buddy’s notice that her name had exited his lips on a frickin’ sigh.
“Renee what?” Cole smirked.
“Dammit.”
A bark of laughter greeted Jared’s ears, and his partner shook his head. “I thought as much. Geesh, kid. You gotta stop the flavor-of-the-week thing. You’re wasting your good years. Find a real woman. Settle down. I’m tellin’ ya, there’s nothing like—” The phone blared, interrupting the lecture—thank God. Lucas grabbed the receiver and plastered it to his ear. “Antioch Police, Detective Lucas.”
Kid. Really? Right, ’cause you’re so much older.
Cole only had about seven years on him.
Renee was different. If he tried to explain it to his partner, he’d come off as defensive, and Lucas knew all about Jared’s prowess.
Back in the day, his partner had been just like Jared, or so Cole had told him. What was the big deal? He liked the ladies—and they liked Jared.
Just because Cole had Andi didn’t mean he needed a wife.
Wife?
Hell no.
Couldn’t even remember the last time he’d had a steady girlfriend.
Renee’s smile beamed into his head and he frowned.
Different didn’t mean…
What the hell does it mean?
Never mind. Don’t overthink it. Besides, you got bigger problems.
Jared had to find Joe.
He reached down, grabbing the five-by-seven photo of his older brother off Lucas’ desk. The shot was half-profile—Joe was looking off to the right.
Jared clenched his jaw when unwanted emotion took him by surprise. He dragged two fingers down the picture, grateful his partner was absorbed by the phone call.
Cole’s deep voice faded as Jared stared at the side of his brother’s face he could see. Strong jaw. Five o’clock shadow, messy dark hair in need of a good cut. Brow knitted, his mouth was set in a hard line, like he was pissed about something.
He was wearing a white A-shirt. Joe’s shoulder and biceps were covered in tats, but the shot wasn’t close enough for Jared to make anything specific out.
“He look familiar or somethin’?” Lucas asked.
Jared jumped, cursing himself. He met his partner’s eyes. “Nope.” His stomach flip-flopped. He’d never lied to his partner before.
“You sure? You’re staring hard, like you know him.”
“Not sure I know him at all. Phone call something I need to know about?”
Cole’s gaze still appraised, and Jared fought the urge to fidget. His partner was former FBI. Had been with the Bureau for seven years. The guy had a built-in lie detector. “You’re weirding me out. What’s up with you today? You gonna be okay after I go?”
“Nothing. Had a long night. But she was great. Maybe she scrambled my brains.” Jared’s gut churned.
Please drop it, p
artner. He couldn’t say it.
“Whaddya mean, go?” Jared asked after a subtle breath.
“I’m out at a quarter to twelve. Early release at school today. Andi asked me if I’d grab E-man and get the little one from day care. She needs to wrap up some case shit before Turkey Day.”
“Ah. Yeah, I’m good. I’m a big boy and all.”
His partner smirked, but that gray stare didn’t waver.
Cole Lucas was more than his partner. Over the last two and a half years they’d grown close. Become friends. More than friends. Pretty much best friends. Actually, the guy was like an older brother.
Joe.
“Kinda surprised you’re out. We just caught a case. Times change, huh?” Jared teased, crossing his arms over his chest. He often jacked with Cole about his steadfast over-dedication of years past. But the truth was, since he’d been with APD, he was family first.
Besides the lectures about women Jared didn’t need or want, he admired Cole for being a great husband and father, as well as a hell of an investigator. Enjoyed working with him. He was the first partner that’d stuck.
Since he’d been a detective, he’d had four other partners. No matter how he’d tried to mesh, Jared could never make it work one hundred percent. One guy had quit, another had gone back to patrol, and a third had taken a job with the county sheriff’s department. The last one had been halfway decent, but he’d been promoted and now ran a shift.
Lucas shrugged. “I studied the case file. Crane’s putting the word out on scum-radar, and no one has spotted Joe Pompa and his gang in Antioch. Rumors of being close to town need to be solidified by a lead. It’ll hold a day or two. The whole department’s been briefed, it’s not like we won’t get a call if they surface. Hell, it’s two days to Thanksgiving. I’d rather be home. You do your homework on this after I go. Lemme know what you think.”
“All righty then. What was up with the call? Anything I need to know?”
Cole grinned, flashing dimples. “Like I said, do your homework, Detective Manning.
Jared arched an eyebrow.
“We’re gonna have company. Special Agent Taylor Carrigan’s coming to town.”
Shit. I gotta find Joe.
