by Lexi Ostrow
“None of that matters. I won’t be leaving her side.”
Chase scoffed at his words. Bridget’s heart swelled with pride, thankful of the fact that Jeremy was adamant in protecting her. She took a deep breath, hoping to calm the sudden dizziness she felt. Pulling herself away from Jeremy, she realized she needed to be strong enough to do things on her own. She’d make a terrible cop if she kept relying on him whenever things went awry.
Bridget thought back to the man Jeremy had seen sneaking around her house. Dread pooled in the pit of her stomach at the thought of the vile killer being close enough to spy on her and she’d been oblivious. How could she have not known?
“So, they think this is all revenge? And now that you have one of them it may be possible to bring them all in?”
“Watch the hopeful tone, O’Casey. It’s a long stretch. But yes, that’s exactly what we are hoping. This is going to sound moronic and impossible, but don’t dwell on it. Get washed up and head home. We’re going to be doing everything we can to end this. Tonight. It’s gone on long enough, and no more police need to be attacked this way. Not if we’re right about the connection.”
She nodded and sighed. Jeremy slipped his hand into hers.
“I think this once they’ll make an exception for inappropriate conduct. Plus, you were just dismissed for the day.”
Bridget offered him a weak smile. “Marcus, do you think you and Ashley could wait for me? If we’re going to have to pretend to be normal, we should grab happy hour somewhere.”
“Sure thing. I’ll go let her know, and we’ll wait in the lot. You two better do a good job of scrubbing up if we’re going to celebrate.” His tone was stressed, although she could tell he was trying to sound happy, for her sake.
Marcus headed back into the building and went took a left, while she and Jeremy walked right, heading for the showers.
Bridget couldn’t help but notice how empty the halls were. They passed two other recruits but there were so few officers remaining. Which meant someone really was nervous about the LAPD being next on the hit list.
She passed a mirror, just outside the entrance to the locker room and took a good look at herself. Her dark black hair was falling out of its tiny bun, in wisps curling in every which direction. The brown in her Bridget’s brown eyes was a darker shade than normal. Her sun-kissed skin was indeed splattered with dirt and flecks of paint and it was also all over her face. It did nothing to shatter her flawless image. Nor could it, the fact remained that she was still a model who’d trained to be a cop. The woman in the mirror She was still striking as always, with her dark hair and large, bright eyes, and skin that was still blissfully tan; thanks to her mother’s Hispanic background working against her father’s Irish one. Bridget had secretly thought that when she looked at herself on the day she graduated the police academy that she wouldn’t see some fashion model in a costume. That she would see a hard, tough, female cop.
She felt Jeremy nudge her shoulder. She looked away from the mirror, her cheeks flushed with color.
“What’s wrong, Darlin’? Is this all too much for you?”
The concern in his voice broke the little that remained of her self control. Several tears slid down her cheeks and Bridget wiped them away with a quick flick of her hand.
“Would you think less of me if I said yes?” She finally said after a period of silence.
Jeremy took a step toward her and tugged her against his chest. He tilted her head up, and brushed his lips across hers. His kiss was soft, gentle and comforting. It was everything she needed it and him to be right now. She let herself forget where they were and what they were told, enjoying the moment they shared between them. She was beautiful to him and she could be thankful he saw something in her, even if all she could see in herself was a model. It did wonders to erase the blunt darkness of Chase’s revelation.
His hands trailed down her back, and she found herself leaning closer into him. Bridget caught herself at the last moment and, pulled herself back from the kiss.
“Do you realize where we are?” her voice was husky with need and she was shocked it had happened so quickly.
Jeremy chuckled and ran a finger down her arm before placing a kiss on the lower right side of her neck, a place he knew she loved. She shivered, causing him to do it once more.
“Darlin’, there is no way this would go any further than this. You simply looked like you needed it. Needed someone to remind you that you’re right here and still alive. I’ll keep doing that for you, you know that, right?”
She felt her lips tremble at his admission. Taking a deep breath, she smiled and smiling at him. Everything with them had started off as wrong as it possibly could have. A one-night stand that had turned into a failed relationship upon learning they’d be subordinates here at work to falling into bed together. And now , now, they had a real relationship. One that she never wanted to let go of. Ever.
“Jeremy?”
Concern flickered in the depths of his eyes again. He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips and promptly pulled himself back.
“Yes?”
“I don’t want to scare you off or anything, but I’m in love with you.”
Bridget held her breath, not knowing what to expect once the words were out. Despite everything, they hadn’t said such words to one another before. She couldn’t help but to wonder if he felt the same way she did.
The smile on his face chased away her fears. The sexy little side smirk that drove her mad was quickly on his face. He held her against him before capturing her lips again. This time, the kiss was deep, hungry almost. She felt her body pulse and heard him moan just as he pulled himself away.
“Jesus, Bridget, I love you, too.” He kissed her again and when she tried to wrap her arms around his neck, he took a step back. “I love you so damn much, I’m not going to let us do something stupid and ruin your career. Go shower. I’ll see you out in the lot, and while you’re in there, think about me.” He winked at her.
She chewed on her lower lip, aching to throw herself into his arms again. Bridget knew he was doing the right thing. Just breathe and walk into the locker room, she told herself as she turned to push the door open but stopped for a moment.
“Oh, and Jeremy,” she said, pausing momentarily. “You might want to follow my lead and shower.”
She winked at him. He scoffed at her and pushed the door to the men’s locker room open. Bridget headed inside to find the locker room was empty. The environment felt a little eerie. Though she was the last of the recruits, she’d assumed some of them might still be around cleaning up.
Her brow furrowed as she thought about Ashley “When was the last time you saw Ashley?” She was talking to herself as she pulled the soiled cotton top off over her head.
Marcus had seen her walking out of the showers recently but Marcus’s words irked her now. The fact that she hadn’t seen Ashley for almost thirty minutes before Jeremy took her down made her feel smug just for a moment. Then, she remembered that shooting wasn’t enough to keep each other safe. It wasn’t keeping cops around Southern California safe at present either.
Bridget tried to force her mind to go blank as she squirmed out of the nylon shorts she wore. She walked over to the nearest shower and turned on the water. The hiss as the water came out made her twitch. For the second time that day, she thought about how unnerving it was to be alone right now. She picked the end shower and quickly looked down the row of lockers and stalls to confirm she truly was alone before hurrying into the last shower stall and stepping under the cool spray.
Jeremy couldn’t ignore how hot it was outside for December, drops of water were stuck to his skin. He’d rushed through his shower, afraid of leaving Bridget alone too long. If he hadn’t, he might have ended up taking a little too much personal time in the showers. Plus a few others had been in there. With others in the room, it was something he didn’t need to be doing no matter how turned on their brief kisses had gotten him. He preferred to wait
for her in the hallway instead.
The look she’d given herself when she’d looked in the mirror worried him. But what had come next? He’d loved that. He was still buzzing on a high from the fact that she loved him, and loved him enough to say it first. Everything about Bridget had screamed perfection from the moment he’d met her. Nothing had changed that. She was everything he’d ever wanted in a woman and probably a million things more. Knowing that there was a shot that one day he’d come home from work to her sitting on the couch sipping a glass of wine or laying in bed with a book was enough to demand he do everything in his power to keep her safe.
His mind raced as he thought about the recent events taking place at the various precincts. He’d known Sanders and was upset as Hell that the guy had been shot badly enough to be in in critical condition. Though, it had been nothing compared to what he had felt when Chase had said the killers might have had motive to come after Bridget personally.
He was restless standing in the hall and grabbed his phone from his pocket and sent her a quick text that he would meet her in the lot. He just had too much energy to stand still with everything that had gone on.
A low growl slid past his lips as he pushed open the door leading to the lot. His eyes scanned the lot, looking for Ashley’s annoyingly bright Jeep. When he didn’t see it right away he walked further to the left and spotted it parked facing the street and in the row closest to the road – they must have gotten in late this morning if they’d parked so far from the building.
From his vantage point he saw Ashley pulling her corn silk yellow hair into some sort of a knot on her head. Marcus lounged happily in the backseat. He stood there debating going in to walk her out but remembered his text saying they would just meet in the lot. The last thing he wanted to do was make her feel more fragile than she already felt. He jogged over to the car, and felt a bead of sweat slip down his neck.
“So much for that cold shower. Fucking hot winters.” He missed the cool weather of the Midwest this time of year.
“So, Marcus tells me that we’re doing happy hour to celebrate. Does that mean the veteran buys?” Ashley asked with a wink when he got up to the car.
Jeremy chuckled and looked anxiously behind him for Bridget. “Sure, why not? I’ve got a big flashy salary now.” He grinned and they both laughed. He looked at Marcus, “swap me seats so I can whisper how wonderful Bridget is into her ear once she gets here.” The words were playful, but the truth was he wanted to hold her after what they’d learned.
His grin broadened and he climbed over the back gate to slide into the back seat. The sight of the parking lot being so empty unnerved him. He realized that Ashley hadn’t been there when Chase had told them the news.
“In all seriousness, did you tell her, Marcus?”
“Tell me what?”
He sighed. The last thing he wanted was to potentially be explaining this to Ashley and have Bridget walk out of the building.
“They have a possible connection between today’s shooting and the county shootings.”
Ashley’s eyes widened with horror as she turned to face Marcus. “What? Marcus, why would you forget to tell me that? Especially after the scare with my brother.”
Jeremy sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. “I’m not done, Ashley. There’s a possible tie between this and a crime spree that was busted in large part by Bridget’s dad a few years back. Which means–”
Ashley cut him off. “She could be in danger.”
He nodded. “Exactly. She could be, but she isn’t because I have no intention of letting anyone touch her. I just wanted to make sure you were aware of what was going on.” Jeremy looked down at his watch. “Jesus, sometimes I wonder if she ever remembers how to get ready without a team of stylists. She went into the locker room almost twenty-six minutes ago.”
Jeremy was twitchy. With all the “what ifs” rolling around inside his head the last thing he wanted was for the woman he loved to be in danger. The idea of loving Bridget smoothed over him and soothed the anger and uncertainty he felt inside of him a little. There was so much that they had a lot to look forward to together once the perpetrators of this hideous crime spree were caught.
Ashley laughed. “Lost in your own mind?”
He raised a brow at her and felt his face grow warm. “Sorry, I was thinking about Bridget. Not to sound like less of a man, but she’s pretty fucking perfect. I can’t think of a time when I didn’t get to say that out loud. I don’t want to go anywhere but straight ahead with her.” He sounded like such a sap, but he didn’t even care.
Ashley cooed with delight. He saw Marcus roll his eyes in the rear-view mirror and turned around to face him.
“I’m sure she’ll be out in a little bit. Girls do take a little longer to dry.”
Ashley laughed, poking the wet bun on the top of her head with a fingertip.
“You know what the best part of dating a cop is?” Ashley and Marcus turned and looked at him. “That she can kick my ass anytime. I don’t have to treat her like she’s some damsel in distress.”
They all laughed. The conversation switched easily into getting ready for the next week and what it would mean. Christmas was in four days. His job at the DEA would start soon after. If he had to jump back on the force to carry a gun to take down those likely to threaten Bridget, he would do it.
Jeremy was so lost deep within his thoughts he barely heard Ashley and Marcus carrying on in the front seat like two bratty siblings. Nor did he notice the black Mercedes SLK that pulled into the lot and drive past Ashley’s Wrangler before finding a spot near the entrance. He also failed to see the men sliding open the doors leading into the precinct.
Nothing quite like a cool shower, Bridget thought as she turned off the water. Stepping out of the shower stall, she grabbed the towel and dried herself off as quickly as possible and saw her clothes on the bench.
“Nothing like having to put on dirty clothes after. she said with a groan.
She shuddered and silently cursed herself for not leaving an extra pair of clothes in the locker for situations like this. “Yes, because shootings happen and police stations close down so fucking often.”
The problem was, police brutality was becoming more and more common. She tugged her shirt on over her head and sighed.
The shower had done a little to close her mind off to all the thoughts Chase had put there. From the shootings to her potential danger, and now it was all rushing back at her as the isolation from standing in the shower was gone.
She took a deep breath once she’d pulled her shorts on and stared at her reflection in the mirror again, as if something could have changed during the short shower.
“Still the same old Bridget. Even when you’re practically a cop, you’re still being guarded by them.” Bridget hadn’t meant for the comment to sound as bitter as it did in the empty locker room.
It was the truth. She was officially now a member of the LAPD, well would be next week at least. Plus, she was about to go home to a house guarded by patrol cars until further notice.
She wished she had something she could protect herself with, but they’d only been using training guns that they checked out of the arms locker and had to check back in when everything was done. She was a cops daughter, but that didn’t mean she randomly kept guns when she was strutting half naked as a model.
“Maybe I could just stop by andask about the policy.”
Her mind raced as she thought about her options. The idea sounded ridiculous, even to her ears but it didn’t stop her from walking out of the locker room and head for the front desk.
Luckily, Lieutenant Parsons was still on and the older woman gave her a gentle smile.
“Miss O’Casey, what brings you here after your completion of course?”
She took a deep breath to steady herself and said, “I was wondering– in the instance of being a potential target and one of the newest sets of LAPD personnel,” her voice trailed off and she sighed. She felt like she
was four-years-old asking to have a cookie before dinner. “Could I check out a gun? Would that be possible to do? Just until mine is issued to me next week.”
Parsons shook her head, slowly and the partially grey strands of hair whipped behind her head. “Sorry, O’Casey. That’s completely a no.”
That’s when Bridget heard it, when they both heard it based on Parsons twitch. A gunshot erupted somewhere in the building. Their eyes locked almost instantly on one another, panic lurking in their depths. Bridget felt her heart begin to beat so rapidly she could scarcely hear anything but her heartbeat. There was no mistaking that sound. A trained person would recognize it even in their sleep and fortunately, or unfortunately, they were both trained.
Parsons turned and grabbed a gun from the locked unit behind her. Bridget almost missed the woman move. She tossed a gun in Bridget’s direction. Bridget caught it within her hands, and checked the gun’s magazine.
“Take it. If that was what we both fear it was I’m not sending you out unarmed. I’d rather you stay here completely but I know that look. I’ve seen it in the eyes of more than one police officer. I’ll deal with the paperwork. You just make sure you’re out of harm’s way and that’s just for protection.”
Another shot rang out and Bridget wasn’t certain if she was actually reaching forward for the gun or standing frozen in place. Not until her hand wrapped around it and her index finger flicked the gun’s safety off. Panic seized her. She couldn’t force her feet to move, no matter how much her mind screamed for her to do so. She couldn’t wait any longer and she couldn’t seem to move either. Suddenly, with the sound of yet another shot going off nearby penetrated the slight fog inside her head. Her feet finally got the message.
Thoughts of Jeremy and the others were running rampant through her head. They were waiting for her outside the entire time. Bridget was unsure as to whether those shots had come from inside or outside. Refusing to wait another second, she ran. Her feet slammed down the empty hallway echoing behind her. She could hear several on duty officers shouting orders to one another as they ran, most likely, toward the source of the shots.
