by Tessa Bailey
Troy turned the corner leading to his desk on a brisk heel, nodding curtly at a passing Emergency Services member he’d met last week. Wisely, the man didn’t try to engage him in conversation. He pulled open the door of the main command area, which housed several desks and offices occupied by higher-ranking officers. The usually noisy room felt still, quieter than usual. Normally, loud phone conversations took place, interspersed with the occasional insult or ribbing of another officer. As Emergency Services occupied this part of the station, he was surprised to see detectives and officers from other departments huddled around various desks, talking rapidly.
Brent appeared to his right, holding a cup of coffee. His usual, easy smile had been replaced by a grim expression.
“What’s going on?”
“One of our ESU guys was found beaten last night. Adam Tenney. Not sure if you’ve met him.” Troy gave a single, curt nod of his head. “Guy’s in a freaking coma. He’s got a wife. Kids. We’re trying to figure out what the hell happened.”
Brent’s words hit way too close to home for Troy’s comfort. “Jesus.”
“Yeah.”
He cleared his suddenly dry throat, trying to maintain focus. “Did he put somebody away that was recently released?”
Brent shrugged one shoulder. “We just heard the news, so everyone is still scrambling. I’m sure they’re going to send us all out in different directions any minute now, so be ready to roll.”
“I’m ready.”
Brent walked away then, leaving Troy stewing in silence. He didn’t know the injured detective very well, but it didn’t matter. The situation felt too familiar.
Involuntary images of Grant’s wife and kids crying at his funeral months earlier flashed through his mind.
His chest constricted painfully. He was saved from his dark thoughts when Lieutenant Rhodes called his name from across the station, gesturing for him to enter his office. Pushing aside the fog of his memories, Troy headed in and took a seat.
Rhodes took no time getting to the point, a trait that reminded him of his former lieutenant, Derek Tyler, back in Chicago. “Listen, Bennett. You came with a glowing recommendation from Chicago. They said you weren’t afraid to get your hands dirty.”
“That’s right.” At least, he hadn’t been at one time. His first few years on the force, he’d quickly gained a reputation for being fearless when pursuing criminals, without sacrificing careful planning and execution. Having found a daredevil in his partner, Grant, they’d gained the respect of their colleagues and moved up through the ranks, being placed on an elite detective squad focused on regulating the gang wars taking place in Chicago’s worst neighborhoods.
They’d jumped in head first, never backing away from a single dangerous situation. Troy always provided the plan and kept Grant reigned in as much as possible.
They’d balanced each other perfectly. Until the night it all came crashing down.
“Good. I’ve got a lead I need you to run down.”
The lieutenant blew out a heavy breath. “I received an anonymous tip claiming Officer Tenney had gotten into some financial trouble, possibly taken a loan from a man named Lenny Driscol. If you’d been in New York a little longer, you would have heard about Driscol by now. A real jack-of-all-trades type. Loansharking, bookmaking, you name it. I thought Tenney would’ve known better.”
Troy absorbed the information. “You want me to question Driscol. You think he’s responsible for Tenney ending up in the hospital?”
“I don’t want to think that, believe me. But they found Tenney’s body in the Brooklyn Navy Yards early this morning, right at the edge of Driscol’s turf.
It can’t be a coincidence.” He gestured down to the case file open on his desk. “It’s probable that Driscol didn’t realize Tenney is a badge. Tenney would’ve kept his identity hidden.”
“That only increases the probability that Driscol had something to do with it.” Troy stood up from his seat. “Where can I find him?”
…
Ruby gathered her notebook and pens as the professor wrapped up his lecture. Around her, fellow students followed suit, eager to escape the confines of the windowless room after the two-hour class. Even she, who normally soaked up every word and took detailed notes, felt restless and edgy. As she had for the previous two days since leaving Troy sleeping in bed.
She’d woken with a jolt around four o’clock in the morning, momentarily forgetting why she’d fallen asleep somewhere besides her own tiny twin bed. Wondering whose arms were wrapped tightly around her. The memories had bombarded her all at once, sending a hot flush racing over her skin. Troy’s mouth, his promises and commands, the things he’d made her beg for. Lying there, she’d waited for the embarrassment to come. But it hadn’t. Only the desire for more. And that’s when she knew she had to get out of there. She didn’t recognize herself around him. Going home with a stranger, a cop, was unlike her in itself. Throw in the way she’d walked out of his bathroom naked and her shameful begging and you had someone she barely knew.
Ruby Elliott didn’t beg.
So why did the thought of doing it all over again leave her breathless?
Over the weekend, she’d waited for the sharp longing for Troy to fade, but it only grew stronger every day she stayed away. She didn’t want to anymore.
As soon as she left class, she’d go find him. It wasn’t as though she’d left him a way to reach her, so if they were going to see each other again, the ball was in her court. With Troy, that was how she wanted it. She’d relinquished too much control to him on Friday night, but by leaving and reappearing at will, she hoped to take a little bit of it back. She’d check O’Hanlon’s first, maybe rake in a few bucks on the pool table while she waited. If he didn’t show, maybe she’d pop by his apartment real casual-like. Pretend she’d left behind a scrunchie.
What makes you think he’s still interested? Ruby gave her subconscious a mental one-finger salute. He’d implied there would be a next time more than once, right? So why were her nerves suddenly getting the best of her? Damn him for making her second-guess herself. Something she never did.
Deciding that if the worst possible outcome was rejection, she could live with it, Ruby stood and walked out of class, avoiding eye contact and conversation with the other students who stood in groups making plans to grab coffee together. At twenty-five, she was only older than them by a few years, but the chasm felt much, much wider. After high school, she’d spent the years wherein she would have attended college on the road. She’d only recently started making up for lost time.
The second she stepped outside the room, someone draped an arm across her shoulders, pulling her into their side. Reflexively, she jammed her elbow into the unknown person’s stomach, hearing a satisfying oompf for her efforts.
“God. What the fuck, Ruby Tuesday?”
She reared back. “Bowen?”
His hands dropped to his knees as he tried to regain his breath, his dark blond hair sticking out from under a baseball cap. “In the flesh.”
Glancing around, she lowered her voice. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh, thought I’d take a pottery class, you know, just to broaden my horizons a little.” Ruby tilted her head at him skeptically as he straightened. “Why do you think I’m here? I came to see you.”
“What for?”
“Damn. Thaw out a little, ice princess.”
She sighed through a smile in spite of her irritation.
Bowen, her childhood friend and all-around goofball, tended to deflate her anger quite easily. “I’m sorry. It’s just, the last few times you’ve come to see me, it’s been to convince me to come back to work for your father.
And as I told you before, I’m not interested.”
He made a sound of acknowledgment, turning his head to check out two of her female classmates. When they looked over, he winked, sending them into a fit of giggles. Bowen had that effect on the opposite se
x. “I know. I know. You’re on the straight and narrow now. You used to be fun, Rubik’s Cube.”
“Can you settle on a nickname at some point?”
“Rubella. Righteous Ruby. Barney Rube-el.”
“Don’t turn my name into a disease, and that last one didn’t even work.” She sniffed. “Righteous Ruby we can talk about.” Heading toward the building exit, she gave Bowen no choice but to follow her. “So what’s your father’s offer this time? Let me guess, he’s gotten word of a cash game in Jersey he needs me for. Why didn’t he just come see me himself, as usual?”
Bowen looked uncharacteristically uncomfortable.
“He’s lying low at the moment. Waiting for a little trouble to pass.”
She stopped him with a finger to her lips. “I don’t even want to know. I’m not interested in hearing about any trouble, and I’m not interested in any games he wants to arrange so he can take a cut of my winnings.”
Ruby scrutinized his expression. “Just tell me you didn’t have anything to do with it.”
“I didn’t.” Bowen answered with grave seriousness, a shadow passing through his deep brown eyes. “Not this time.”
With a nod of satisfaction, Ruby turned and kept walking, considering their conversation over.
“Look, we know you’re still working around the city. I even heard you had a little trouble the other night.” He called after her. “What’s the difference how and where you play? At least this way I can watch your back.”
Ruby stopped abruptly and turned. “Where did you hear I ran into trouble?”
Bowen gave a quick shrug. “People like to tell me things.”
She breathed a curse. “Stop listening, then. I work for myself. I don’t have to answer to your father anymore. Or mine, for that matter.”
“Have you heard from him lately?”
“No.” She looked away on a shrug. “Last I heard, he was working his way through Miami.”
Bowen cupped her cheek in his hand in a platonic show of comfort. “You know, we could hop a flight down there and chill on the beach for a few weeks. Work at night. It’ll be just like the old days. You make the cash, and I take care of any unwanted trouble. You can’t admit that’s not tempting.”
She jerked her head out of his palm, but his hand only landed on her shoulder with a squeeze. “Why can’t you just accept what I’m trying to do here, Bowen? I’m not going to hustle forever. I’m going to school so I don’t have to anymore.”
“You’d deny the women of Miami their chance to meet and fall in love with me?” He sighed when she didn’t smile at his attempt at a joke. “Come on, Ruben Sandwich. This isn’t you. What’s your end game here? A boring-ass desk job where you answer to some jerk-off boss? How is that any different than working for us? If anything, it’s worse.”
“You know me better than that.” Ruby had no intention of punching a clock or wearing a sensible business suit to work. Never going to happen. Her plans were quite different. She placed her hand on top of his larger one. “You know, just because he’s your father doesn’t mean you have no way out. You’re capable of more than being his muscle, Bowen.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed with emotion. As he started to answer, a man behind her cleared his throat.
Awareness prickled the skin of her neck. She knew who she would find if she turned around.
Bowen looked over her shoulder, his compassionate expression transforming into belligerence. “Help you, buddy?”
“Doubt it,” the voice answered. “I’m here to see her.”
Ruby turned to find a rigid Troy, blue eyes locked on Bowen and the hand resting on her shoulder. Just as she remembered, he really needed a haircut, his dark brown hair a little shaggy around the ears and neck. He wore a suit and tie as if he’d come straight from work, five o’clock shadow darkening his jaw.
Involuntarily, she dropped her gaze to his mouth, the hollow of his neck. She wanted to press her face there, inhale his scent, knowing he would smell as edible as he looked.
She felt Bowen stiffen in response to Troy’s confrontational demeanor. Bowen liked to fight.
She’d seen him in countless altercations, occasionally brought on by her taking someone’s money at the pool table, but she’d distanced herself from that and had no desire to witness it ever again. Although, she had a feeling Troy would probably hand Bowen his first loss.
“Who the fuck are you?” Bowen asked.
Troy took a step forward, and she barely resisted the urge to press herself against him. Suddenly, the two days she’d gone without seeing him felt so much longer. Now that he stood in front of her, she ached to touch and be touched. He’d come for her. Taken the time to search and find her. Something foreign, something resembling joy, bubbled in her chest.
“I’m the guy she spent Friday night with. And I’m the guy she’s going to spend tonight with. So maybe the better question is, who the fuck are you?” As he leaned in to talk over her shoulder, his jacket opened just slightly, revealing the NYPD badge clipped at his waist.
Bowen’s eyes bulged at the sight, and he laughed in disbelief. “Are you fucking kidding me, Ruby? A cop? Please tell me this isn’t for real.”
She lifted her chin, refusing to feel even an ounce of the shame her friend was attempting to heap onto her shoulders. At one time in her life, she would have called herself a sellout. But not anymore. She might have been taught to think like a criminal, but she’d grown up and started thinking for herself. Perhaps she’d only spent a short amount of time with Troy, but he wasn’t anything like the lazy, selfish cops she’d been taught to expect.
She rounded on Bowen, lowering her voice so only he would hear. “Maybe you don’t know me anymore, Bowen. If you did, you would act like the friend you’re supposed to be and support me. Stop trying to drag me back down with you.” Pain flashed in his eyes, and she immediately regretted her harsh word choice. She sighed. “Bowen…”
“No, I get it,” he said, holding up his hands and backing away from her and Troy. “Call me when you pull your head out of your ass.”
Troy lurched forward, but she grabbed his shoulder just in time to stop him from going after her lifelong friend. “Don’t make it worse. Just let him go.”
“Who is he to you?”
“A friend.” She cast a final glance over her shoulder. “My best friend.”
Hard eyes scrutinized her face, searching for any sign of deception. “Do all your friends touch your face and get close enough to kiss you?”
She shrugged, trying to ignore her pulse spiking in response to his nearness, causing a little too much truth to slip out. “I don’t have that many friends, so I wouldn’t know. And I’m not sure I appreciate you coming here and running off my last one.”
“No friends? But you’re so friendly and outgoing,” he deadpanned.
Her lips twitched despite her mild irritation. “How did you find me?”
Troy rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t think you’d like my answer.”
“Is that so?” Ruby wanted to question him further but decided it could wait. For the moment. She’d thought of the detective non-stop for days, and here he stood, ready to take her home. Simple. He wanted her, and she definitely wanted him back. Don’t overthink this. She tugged on his jacket, edged a little closer.
“Well, now that you found me, what do you plan to do with me?”
Eyes straying to her mouth, he groaned low in his throat. “I’m going to drive you home and make you very sorry for walking out on me.”
She shook her head. “I didn’t walk out on you.”
“What do you call sneaking out before the sun comes up?”
“Punctual,” she decided. “I had things to do.”
“We had things to do.”
Heat settled low in her belly. “Did we? I don’t recall you making an appointment.”
“Keep running that mouth, hustler,” he rasped beside her ear, making
her shiver. “I’ve been impatient to fuck you for days. If you keep taunting me, I’ll have no choice but to assume you want it as rough and dirty as I can give it. And, baby?” He nipped her ear. “I saw the way your back arched and your thighs squeezed together when you heard my voice behind you. I know how bad you want it.”
Breath raced in and out of her lungs, every inch of her reacting to his bluntness. Unwilling to relinquish the upper hand completely, she decided to put things back on even ground. She trailed her fingers across his belly, enjoying the way his muscles contracted beneath her touch. “Well, at least buy me dinner first.”
Chapter Six
Troy and Ruby weaved their way through a pedestrian-filled sidewalk just off campus. He’d offered to take her out for a nice meal, but she’d insisted on having him try the “best pizza in the borough of Manhattan,” until he’d finally relented. Although he felt a pressing need to get her home, Troy was grateful for the chance to rein himself in. When he showed up at her class, his intention had been to talk to her, ask her why she’d left. That plan had been blown sky high when he’d seen her big green eyes focused on someone who’d been acting a lot like a boyfriend. At that moment, he’d been overcome by the urge to drag her away from the bastard and take her home. Take what he’d somehow resisted taking Friday night. The memory of her beneath him and the most mind-blowing unsex of his life had clung to him for days. Now that she stood right before him, he could think of little else but getting her back underneath him. This time without the damn panties.
She smiled over at him when he stepped aside to let an elderly woman pass, but it faded when she saw his expression. Clearly, he wasn’t doing a very good job of hiding what he wanted so badly. Unless he regained some control and made an effort, she would write him off as someone only interested in her body. He’d tracked her down for more than sex.
