I then figured out how to turn the phone on and found the navigation app. Just as Barbara had said, the police station was only a couple of blocks down the road. Putting my new phone in my handbag, I left the office and closed the door. My office!
For a moment, I couldn’t stop the grin spreading over my face. I’d worked hard to get to this point, and now my dreams had come true. I’d finished school with honors, and Eric was well on his way to graduation. My work with him was almost finished, although as orphans, I didn’t think I’d ever be quite finished with the maternal role I’d assumed.
2
Toni
I was still smiling as I walked into the police station, heading to a desk that looked like it might be a reception desk. The station looked as though it had been in the same building since the town was founded in 1785. Three stories, narrow, with a brick façade, the inside had been updated, but the outside still had that old charm of bygone days.
“I’m looking for the chief, please. I’m Toni Wallace, I’m with the paper.” I proudly handed over the journalist badge Barbara had provided me with earlier and waited for the woman across from me to respond.
Dressed in a blue uniform, the small woman, no more than a few inches over five-foot-tall, smiled at me and asked me to wait for a moment.
She was an African American woman, with skin that wasn’t too dark or too light, her hair done up in a tight bun at the back of her head, with pretty features that suited her innocent demeanor. She looked too timid to be a cop and I had to guess that was why she was behind the desk.
“The chief is a little busy right now. Would you be able to come back after lunch?” The woman’s eyes had gone round as she spoke, setting the phone down as if it would come to life and bite her.
“Chief isn’t happy, huh?” I put on my best reporter/buddy voice and leaned on the wall beside the desk. I really didn’t want to spend all day walking all over town. “Why don’t I…”
The breath was knocked out of me as a massive wall of a man barreled into me from behind.
“Sorry, miss. Oh, aren’t you my neighbor?” The beautiful man with light brown hair falling into his eyes and the grin of a Cheshire cat stared down at me from well above me. About eight inches above me, to be precise.
“Uh, yeah. Hi, sorry.” I started to tuck my hair behind my ears, my heart fluttering as I saw his smile.
“Hey, why are you here? Is something wrong? You could have come to us if something was wrong.” His eyebrows knitted as he moved closer, the smell of his aftershave making my nostrils flare in eager happiness.
I glanced over as someone else came over. David Marshall, the grinning man’s work partner, and felt my heart flutter again. Tall, bald, and oh so damned sexy: the man was every schoolgirl’s fantasy of a bad boy. Especially with that tight black shirt and the black pants worn with tactical boots. He was dressed the same way as Grant Reed who’d barreled into me, and that somehow made the whole scene even hotter.
“Uh, sorry, no. I’m here to meet with the chief for an interview. I started at the paper today.” I sputtered my way through a terrible explanation, but Grant, the tall one with the hair, gave me a reassuring grin and patted my shoulder.
“Oh, his bark is worse than his bite, sweetie. Don’t let him frighten you.” He gave me a rather saucy wink with light gray eyes, and David shifted beside him.
“Did I ever thank you two for helping Eric and me move in?” It was the only thing I could think of, that first moment when they’d come home to find us struggling to get our furniture into the house.
Both men had stepped up, moved the furniture in, and left without a demand for a dime or anything. Grant had chatted the whole time, pulling information out of me easily, but David had just watched, his beautiful red lips closed over perfectly straight teeth. I had seen their white flash once when he took a drink of the water I offered him. Both were beautiful and had been in my dreams since I’d met them.
“Yeah, you did. It wasn’t a problem, and anytime you need a hand, sweet-cheeks, you just come knocking on our door, alright?” Grant chucked me under the chin and I felt my heart fluttering again as I closed my throat on a gleeful scream.
Generally, I was a level-headed person, practical, logical, and capable, but these two turned me into a mess. They were the hottest men I had ever seen and I knew I wasn’t in their league. My dreams were consumed with having them in my bed.
At the same time!
I felt my cheeks flame as I glanced over at David once more, his blue eyes unreadable, impenetrable, and wanted to disappear into the floor. Why did I turn into such a dork around these two?
“I’ll let you know.” Inside my head I was screaming at myself to say something saucy, something wicked to get his attention, but I just wasn’t that kind of a girl! I couldn’t think of anything beyond, yeah and okay.
“Great, take care of yourself, Toni. A girl as pretty as you must be turning heads.” He gave me another wink and all I could do was give a giddy wave and a breathless goodbye.
I slumped against the wall once more, careful to keep an ear out for anyone else now that I realized it didn’t extend to the other wall, but was more a divider. I watched them go, a sigh passing my lips.
“Don’t feel bad, girl, those two are every straight girl’s fantasy!” I heard from the desk below me.
I looked down at the woman in shock, her meek manner now hidden away as she stared after Grant and David with a keen eye of appreciation for the two lovely specimens.
“You aren’t even kidding!” I answered her breathlessly and turned back to face her. “They’re my neighbors. I have to live with that right next door.”
I spoke with the woman conspiratorially, woman to woman. She grinned at me, and her gentle brown eyes shot down to her desk once more, that meek persona back in place. Maybe she was good cop material after all.
“I think I’d die if I lived next to those two. I’d have to tie myself to my bed every night to keep from walking over to their house in my sleep! Yep, it’s best I don’t live next to them.” She let her country accent come out a little more as she relaxed around me, and I smiled at her again.
“I’ve thought about it some nights, believe me! Oh well, I’m not their type, and I’m guessing you aren’t either? Shall we make a pact to ogle them from afar without sneering at each other for it?” I watched her as she laughed, and thought how pretty she was, even in her boxy uniform.
“That sounds like a plan. Listen, the chief is going to lunch over at Raynell’s Diner, next to the paper’s building. I bet you can catch him over there then and get him to talk.” She gave me a little wink and I sighed a thank you.
“That would be perfect! I’ll see if I can find this woman in the meantime, then.” I waved the piece of paper I’d written the woman’s name down on in the air.
“Who’s that then?” She took the paper from me, and I let her have it. “Ah, Ms. Johnson.”
There was an emphasis on the Ms. part that caught my attention.
“What’s that mean? What’s your name, by the way?” I asked before she could finish.
“I’m Beth Andrews, but everybody calls me Bee, because I’m usually as busy as one.” She gave a roll of her eyes and a wry grin. “Ms. Johnson, as usual, will be glued to Chief Daniels. You’ll find her with him at lunchtime, I’m sure.”
She pursed her lips and her eyes widened to let me know what she thought of that. I gathered Ms. Johnson was chasing a badge of her own then.
“One of those, huh?” I said, hoping I wasn’t being too obvious. I wanted to know about the people in the town I’d moved to, not just because I wanted to meet people but also because I was an investigative reporter.
“She is, but he’s not stupid. He knows the drill. Anyway, I need to get some work done, but if you need anything, you give me a call, you hear? Here’s my card.”
I tucked her card into my bag before I handed her one of my own.
“It was great to meet you, B
eth. Bee. I do like that, by the way. Bee.” I gave her a grin of my own and left, heading back to the office. I spared a glance in the direction the men had walked off in. Too bad, they were already gone.
Those two were just too perfect. So was life, I decided.
Grant
I watched our cute neighbor walk out of the police station and glanced over at David with a questioning look. He gave a slight shake of his head, his eyebrows knotted, and went back to gazing blankly at our glaring chief.
“I want that man in custody…” the chief droned on, but my gaze went back to the window in the chief’s office. Toni was getting into her car, but the skirt didn’t allow her much room to maneuver.
The unforgiving material stretched across her bottom and I grinned as she looked around before she hiked her skirt up enough to slide into the seat. A view of a rather fine ass and an exceptional pair of legs was my reward for being vigilant.
I waited until she left before I looked back at David again, my left eyebrow perched over gray eyes I knew the ladies loved to drown in. I’m serious, that look said, let’s talk about this.
He glared at me again. Dickhead.
I sighed deeply and looked away. David is my best friend, but sometimes… Sometimes, he’s just too fucking serious.
The chief finally dismissed us and we went back to our desks, David owning the office the minute we stepped into it. I wish I had that kind of presence, but it’s just not me. I’m the more fun-loving kind of guy, the one that gets suspects to talk with my chummy charm and an obsequious smile. David just glares at them, his stare alone enough to intimidate them into talking. Most of the time.
We’d been on the force together for ten years now. We started together and have been partners since day one. We decided to rent an apartment together about the time David’s last serious relationship fell apart five years ago. Since then, we’ve had some wild times together, exploring the very limits of what life has to offer, and I wanted to explore our new neighbor next. She was just too fucking cute to resist!
“I know what you’re going to say, Grant, and the answer is no.” He sat at his desk, looking at me with that glare that should have put me in my place, but never did. He knew it never worked and was prepared for battle.
“Fuck, David, why not? She’s gorgeous!”
“A... she’s our neighbor. We don’t shit in our own backyard, remember?” He gave me that lecturing tone that he knew drove me right up the damned wall. “And B... she has a kid brother to take care of. She doesn’t need her life turning upside down by us two, mate.”
David was a US citizen now, but he’d started life in Australia thirty-three years ago. His parents brought him to America when he was thirteen, and his accent was still tinged with that little something that made women’s knees go weak. I’d seen it happen personally. Sometimes his roots broke through and he’d say something that would throw you, like the word ‘mate’. It drove the ladies wild.
The rest of him drove the ladies wild too. His hard jaw and piercing blue eyes were a combination that was too much for most to resist. We both worked out too, so he—we—had the bodies to back up our game. His straight nose was just a smidgen bigger than it should be, but other than that, David was flawless. It worked in our favor most of the time.
I wasn’t hard on the eyes either, and that usually landed us with a lady that was far more willing to take us up on our offer than most would care to admit. Two for the price of one was our game, and we often left our partner for the night wanting more. We were a one-night-only act, though, so I knew David’s stance on our neighbor was going to stick.
As he’d said, we don’t shit in our own backyard.
“Too bad man. She has my head spinning.” I thought about those blue eyes staring up at me with innocent fascination and felt my body respond. “It’s really too fucking bad man.”
“Good, glad that’s settled,” David said as our phones went off. “Looks like we have work to do. Another drug deal gone wrong.”
We raced to our car, the sound of fire engine sirens already piercing the air.
On the way to the scene, David drove expertly through the small streets, heading out of town to the dying remnants of the industrial park on the outskirts. We could see smoke before we got there.
David brought the car to a skidding halt as we approached the building and I jumped out, taking in the scene. Racing over, I saw a young man on the ground, his skin blackened and his eyes fluttering open and closed. I saw the flash of blue before the lids closed one last time. Eric, Toni’s little brother.
3
Toni
I watched the sun go down on my first day as a reporter with a smile on my face. The pinks were turning to a dark purple, and shadows danced in the street light as lightning bugs made the dark places twinkle. It had been a good day.
I’d managed to interview the chief and the woman about the policemen’s ball, and had already written up the report and sent it to Barbara. Tapping the glass of wine in my hand with a fingernail, I looked out at the slice of suburban nirvana I’d provided for my brother. A narrow street separated the rows of houses on each side, all brick homes with concrete driveways.
I was waiting for Eric to get home, to hide the wine I didn’t want him to know I’d bought. He’d texted me before I’d left for home to say he’d made a friend and was going to his house to hang out.
Bee had also texted, asking if I’d like to have dinner with her at the diner, so I’d met her there and we’d spent an hour getting to know each other. I liked her, and it was nice to know somebody who wasn’t someone I worked with.
On the way home, I’d stopped for a celebratory bottle of chardonnay. I wasn’t ashamed of the wine, I just didn’t want to see the ‘I told you so’ smirk I knew I would get if Eric saw it. Alright, I might have been watching for my neighbors too. I should have been working on tomorrow’s assignments, getting prepared at least, but I had two very good reasons for staring out the window. Three really, my brother and those two cops next door.
I was just tipsy enough to give a sputtering laugh at my own thought. Those two certainly wouldn’t be interested in me other than as a civilian to protect but I’d let them protect me all they wanted to. Especially if it were anything like my dreams. Or the fantasies I would let myself have about them. And then I was outright laughing.
I stopped laughing when a car pulled up in my driveway. Why were my neighbors pulling into my driveway?
I hurriedly hid the wine and the glass and went to answer the knock at the door.
I pulled the door open to find a very somber face. I felt doom wash over me as I stared back at the man I fantasized over. Something was wrong. I’d seen that look before. Grant wasn’t coming with glad tidings.
“Hi, Toni. Uh, may I come in?” Grant did not look like he really wanted to come in. In fact, he looked as if he’d like nothing more than to march right back to his own yard.
“What’s wrong?” I didn’t play around with niceties; I just went straight for it. I hate being placated or eased into bad news. Life had hit me too hard too many times to take the soft approach.
I held the door open and he came into the house. I closed the door behind him and turned to stare at him, waiting for the glass world I’d created to shatter.
“Toni, I need you to come with me.” The chirping of my brand new work phone interrupted him and he paused, his gaze locked on mine.
“Should I answer it?” I asked as I glanced down to see it was Barbara on the line.
“Maybe you should.” He looked like he’d just been saved, as relief washed his tension away.
“Hello?”
“We need you to get down to the industrial park, there’s been an explosion down there and some kids have been hurt. Trent can’t get over there right now and you’re the only one answering the phone, so it’s your story, kid. Get on it.” Her voice screamed she didn’t want to hear excuses, but my knees were already giving out and Grant caught me as
the phone fell to the floor.
“Hello? Barbara? Yeah, it’s not a good time. She’ll call you back. It’s Grant. Yeah, the sexy policeman with the eyes.” He chuckled but then he looked at me and his tanned face went as pale as mine felt. “Right, she’ll call you back.”
“It’s Eric, right? Is he alright?” I looked at him, prepared for my heart to stop as I slumped into a recliner. I couldn’t take any more pain and loss, I just couldn’t.
“He’s… He’s hurt. I don’t know much more yet. David’s there.” His jaw was as hard as David’s but there was a softness around Grant’s eyes and lips that David lacked. Grant was the caring partner then, the one that would let a broken speed limit slide.
He took my hand in his broad one. I had a typist’s fingers, a pianist’s fingers, but Grant’s swamped mine. I felt a warmth in his hand, a reassurance that I was not alone.
The ache in my chest eased a little as I looked at him down on one knee in front of me. Ten minutes ago my heart would have been fluttering at the sight, but now, it continued a steady, rapid pace with a hard throb every few beats that made me catch my breath. Eric was still alive; there might be hope.
“Why don’t I tell you what happened on the way to the hospital? We need to question him. He’s a minor, so we need you there.”
“To… what? To question him?” I stood up with his hand at my elbow and walked in a daze to grab my purse before he steered me out to the car.
Once he’d pulled into traffic and aimed us in the direction of the county hospital, Grant started to talk finally.
Dirty Cops Next Door Page 2
