by Brandy Ayers
Snapping the folder closed, Luke placed his elbows on the desk, leveling the kid with a no-nonsense stare. “Theories?”
“Sir, this guy is getting more desperate. We’ve had the same description of this assailant from four other victims in the past month. The other times he didn’t become violent. Simply grabbed what he could and ran. This is the first time he’s hurt someone, and he almost killed the guy.” Reilly stopped talking. For the first time a sliver of doubt crept into the kid’s dark eyes. He was obviously holding something back.
“Go on.” While he waited for a reply, Luke studied the officer.
The younger cop leaned forward in his chair, resting elbows on knees. For the first time since starting his report, Reilly let some anger slip into his voice. “If we don’t get this guy soon, we’re going to start ending up with bodies on our hands instead of just robberies. I’d suggest canvassing the local tattoo shops with a sketch of the piece on the guy’s neck, and pay a visit to Shady’s Bar. It was their logo on the sweatshirt.”
“Agreed. Good work.” Grabbing several of the files from his desk, Luke stood, rapping them on the edge to straighten the errant papers inside. “Time for the shift briefing. I’d like you to present the incident to the squad this morning. You up for that?”
The officer’s momentary hesitation didn’t escape Luke’s notice. This was a big moment for the rookie; it was the first time he’d been asked to make a presentation on a case to his fellow officers. Luke couldn’t help the feeling of pride in seeing the kid advance swiftly.
Recovering quickly, the kid pulled himself up to his full height, lowering the mask of “unaffected cop” over his previously impassioned expression.
“Yes, sir.”
In addition to overseeing all the current investigations, Luke also took care of scheduling, briefing each shift, and handing out assignments. The guys were stretched thin. They’d all been putting in a minimum of ten-hour shifts to make sure enough units were on duty overnight when most the robberies were occurring. The midnight rotation had just ended, so it was time to get the day side guys up to speed on the night’s events.
The crew was in good spirits. They rotated schedules on a bi-weekly basis, and after a couple of days off, this group was finally trading in the graveyard shift for the much easier day side shift. They’d all be home tonight to eat dinner with their families and tuck their kids into bed.
The guys milled about the cramped briefing room, sipping coffee, ribbing each other, and discussing their weekends. Luke stood behind the podium, waiting for them to notice his presence and settle into their seats. It didn’t take long. He’d cultivated respect from these men over the years. Tough but fair; that was his leadership style. Or at least what he strived for.
Chairs scraped against the floor, and the voices slowly died out. Reflexively, he glanced to the back corner of the room. There she sat, notebook in hand, ready to take down everything they said for the daily patrol note. The tight black skirt she wore inched up her thigh as she crossed one leg over the other. He swallowed, struggling to wet his mouth enough to speak. Her eyes narrowed when they made contact with his. She was in rare form today. The smirk slipped onto his face involuntarily, causing her glare to sharpen.
“All right, guys. Welcome back to day side. Hope you had a good couple of days with your families. But just because you’re off the graveyard doesn’t mean you get to slack. We’ve had a major incident overnight, and I’m going to be sending some of you out to help with the investigation.”
The men sat up straighter after hearing his words. Some made notes; others simply listened. But every single eye in the room focused on him. Including hers. He could feel her gaze on his skin, and it distracted him for a moment. “Officer Reilly was the first on the scene last night; he’s going to bring everyone up to date.” Stepping to the side, he let Reilly take his place behind the podium.
Luke took the opportunity to watch his girl for a moment. No. Not his. He needed to remember that. She would never be his. But that didn’t mean he had to stop admiring her.
Shoulders hunched over, she propped the notepad on her knee, copying down everything Reilly said. It had been her idea to start the daily notes, filled with updates on various investigations, a list of where each unit was assigned, and any other information that would be helpful for them as they worked out in the field. Her brow crinkled in concentration. A surge of longing to smooth the skin down and put her mind to rest shot through him. He knew she worried about the safety of the guys.
As she flipped to the next page in her small notebook, her pen skimmed the side of her leg, leaving a short black line. She licked her thumb, then rubbed at the ink, trying to wipe it away. He twitched in his pants.
Returning his attention to the officer speaking, he admonished himself for continuing his self-imposed torture. He’d made the decision to spare her a life with him; he needed to stick with that and let it go.
Reilly finished speaking and turned to him. “All yours, Sarge.”
Giving him a swift nod, Luke thanked Reilly and returned to his spot at the front of the room. “Here’s the plan for today. We’ve got four known tattoo establishments in our town limits. Delgato, Smith—you guys take the two on the east side of town. Schmidt, Manzetti—take the other two. I also know of a guy who does cheap art out of his garage on the sly; I’ll check him out with Wright. Then we’ll head over to Shady’s to ask around about our suspect. Coy, you’re solo today. That pain in the ass over on King Street is complaining about speeders blowing through the stop signs in her neighborhood again. Set up a trap, and hand out tickets like they’re candy to get her off our backs.” A low, collective chuckle swept through the room.
“No problem, McCracken. She might be a pain in the ass, but she’s hot. I’ll take that detail any day.” Coy was a cocky shit, no matter what his name might imply. The light laughter in the room turned to whistles and whoops.
“Okay guys, settle down; don’t forget there’s a lady in the room.” He nodded his head toward Sophie’s chair.
She smiled good naturedly at him, flipping him the bird. “Fuck you, McCracken.”
“That’s our girl!” Wright spun around in his chair to high five her.
“Hey Sarge, why does she get to talk to you like that, but I get put on nights for a month when I mouth off?” Coy was getting on his nerves fast today.
“Because she has better legs, man.” Sophie slapped Wright upside the back of the head for that comment, but laughed all the same.
“Okay, okay, I can see this meeting has dissolved into our usual fifth-grade antics. Get to work, people. Be safe out there. Report back if you find anything out.”
The group rose from their seats and meandered out of the room to load up their squad cars. Luke tried hard not to watch as Sophie sashayed from the room, but failed. As he did every day after the briefing. Reilly’s presence next to him snapped him out of his Sophie-induced haze.
“Sarge, I’d like to come with you and Wright today, if that’s okay.” Reilly stood at attention with his hands clasped behind his back. All business.
“Kid, you’ve been on for at least ten hours, probably more. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you coming in long before your start time and not marking down the hours.”
The guy at least had the decency to look sheepish at being caught. Technically, he hadn’t done anything wrong; he wasn’t beefing up his paycheck by logging unnecessary overtime, but they had a schedule for a reason. It was easy to get burned-out working their job. Downtime was essential.
“I appreciate the dedication, but you’re going to wear yourself out. Go home. Grab a shower. Put something on other than the uniform. Hell, come out to the Blue Line tonight for the Chief’s party. But I don’t want to see you in here before ten, got it?”
“Yes sir.”
Back in the relative silence of his office, Luke sat back in his chair. Under normal circumstances, he would stay in the station working on schedules and pap
erwork. But today was one of those days he couldn’t be in the same building with Sophie without wanting to rip her clothes off. He needed to get out before he did something stupid.
After collecting himself for a moment, he strode to the large room where the officers’ desks sat. “Wright, you ready to head out?”
“Yes, sir.” Wright was one of the few men on the squad Luke truly considered a friend. Off the clock he was a loud, sometimes crass, jovial family man. But as soon as duty called, he snapped into professional cop mode. They trusted each other implicitly.
As they made their way through the front lobby, Luke was dismayed to see Reilly through the glass, leaning against the inner door talking to his Sophie. They were smiling, talking about something Luke couldn’t hear. Jealousy raged through his system; he hated the idea of men hitting on her. The few that she’d dated since their night together had been blissfully short lived. He wasn’t sure if he could handle one of his men going after her.
Approaching the glass, he rapped his knuckles on the smooth surface. “Reilly, I thought I gave you an order to get home.” Trying for fatherly disapproval, he thought he sounded closer to pissed off ex-lover.
“Yes sir, sorry sir.” The kid straightened up, looking appropriately chastised.
Luke couldn’t help the smug feeling as he watched Reilly turn and retreat from Sophie’s office. The moment passed as soon as her blazing fury focused in on him. She didn’t need to say anything for him to feel her wrath. The anger etched on her face only made her beauty more intense. He shot her a smile before catching up to Wright at the outer doors.
“Yup, that’s the way to win her.” The words dripped with sarcasm, and his friend leveled him with a pitying glance. “Just don’t let any man talk to her ever again, and she’ll have no choice but to run into your studly arms.”
“If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a million times. There is nothing between Sophie and me. Drop it.”
“Yeah, and I told you you’re full of shit. Ever since that girl walked in here on her first day, you’ve barely looked at another woman.” Wright shook his head as they reached the car. He opened the passenger door and stared Luke down across the roof of their squad car. “I just hope you realize what an idiot you are. That girl’s one in a million. I should know, I got one at home, too. You keep playing the fool, and she’s gonna eventually figure out it’s time to give up on you and move on. Only a woman in love can get that pissed at a man. Trust me.”
“Drop it. Get in the fucking car.” Luke tried his best to shake off his friend’s words, but they worried a path in his brain as the men drove in silence to their first stop.
Three hours later, they had very little to show for their day’s work. Eddie, the guy running a tattoo operation from his house, hadn’t done the tattoo they asked about. He also said it was a fairly common piece, and the location on the perp’s neck wasn’t even that unusual. Another dead end in this frustrating-as-hell case.
They pulled up outside Shady’s Bar. The scent of stale beer and foul body odor hung in the air like a curtain, overwhelming Luke’s senses for a moment when they walked in the door. Despite barely being one in the afternoon, the place had a good number of people milling about. To say it was a dive was being generous. It was a pit, known for its cheap drinks and corrupt owner.
“Officer McCracken, what brings you into our fine establishment today? Didn’t figure you for a day drinker.” Shady sat at his usual spot in the corner of the small dining room. Looking at the guy, Luke found it hard to believe people feared him. Skinny enough to see his collarbones straining against his skin, thinning hair greased back, and yellow stains on his fingers and corners of his mouth from too much smoking, he looked more and more like a rodent every time Luke saw him.
“I felt like I haven’t paid you enough visits this month, thought I should change that. I miss our little chats.” The fake smile Luke plastered on his face felt wrong. Blood boiling at the sight of this pathetic excuse for a human, he fought to keep his cool. One hand rested on his holstered Glock, the other hung loosely at his side.
It was no secret Shady ran an elaborate underground gambling operation. Try as they might to bust him, he managed to slip by every time. Never able to make anything stick, he was considered the great white whale of the town. Tall tales about the time Luke had almost managed to make a charge stick grew each year.
Unlike the wild rumors circulating, Luke didn’t go deep undercover in the criminal underground. The truth was much more boring. He’d been the one on duty when a gunshot victim stumbled into the ER with a bullet lodged in his knee. The guy was pissed and willing to testify. That is until Shady and his goons got to him. A master at intimidation, Shady convinced the poor guy to recant his statement. Word was the guy’s debts got wiped clean; he skipped town and took their case with him.
Ever since, Luke had made sure to keep track of Shady’s movements, but had never been able to come as close to making something stick.
Wright hung back, scanning the room. The goons were spread out across the place, keeping an eye on the action. No one would make a move unless Shady told them to.
“Was there something special you wanted to talk about? You know me, I’m an open book.” Rotting teeth flashed with Shady’s smug smile.
Someday, Luke would wipe that confident look off the scum’s face. But today he needed to play nice; he was here for information, not a fight. “Actually, I think we might have a mutual friend. Tall, skinny, long light brown hair. Tattoo of hands praying on his neck. Ring any bells?”
Shady’s nicotine-stained fingers rubbed at his bottom lip in thought. “I’m not sure. Why would you think I know this friend of yours?”
Luke was losing his patience with the criminal; he fought to keep his temper suppressed. “Well, a man he had a slight run-in with last night said he wore a shirt with your fine establishment’s logo on it. Didn’t realize you guys sold merchandise.” Luke shot him a wry smile. “I’d love a coffee mug.”
“Sorry. Can’t help. We gave some shirts away during an event a few weeks ago; anyone could have grabbed one. Now, if you don’t mind, we have a strict ‘order or get out’ policy.” His expression turned cold. Apparently, they were done with the banter portion of the visit.
But Luke got the distinct feeling he had struck a nerve. “Tell you what, you remember who our friend is, give me a call. I’m pretty sure you remember our number.” He rapped his knuckles on the table. “Stay out of trouble, Simon.” The scumbag’s face reddened with anger. He hated being called by his given name. The reaction never failed to amuse Luke.
Back in the safety of their squad car, Wright finally spoke again. “He knows the guy. Did you see how pissed he got when you mentioned the shirt? Someone’s going to be getting a talkin’ to tonight.”
“Yeah, I noticed.” Luke tapped the steering wheel with the side of his fist. “All the evidence so far points to these robberies being drug motivated. Prescriptions are always taken, and anything easily pawned for cash. This doesn’t feel like a guy trying to pay off his gambling debt. I’d be willing to bet this guy’s all about getting his next fix.” He rubbed his hand over the stubble on his head in frustration. “So why’s Shady involved? He’s never been a drug pusher. Illegal sports gambling, casino games he rigs in his favor, underground fighting rings. That’s Shady. Drugs? I don’t think so for some reason.”
“Maybe our guy’s branching out. I wouldn’t put it past him.”
Wright had a point. Luke wouldn’t put it past Shady to take every opportunity to make a quick buck. But something still felt off to him about the whole thing. “I want a detail put on Shady. Rotating shifts, but we’ll make it obvious. Not try to hide that we’re tailing him. Our sweet Simon gets stupid when he’s pissed. Maybe if we piss him off enough, he’ll slip up and point us in the right direction.”
“Ten-four, Sarge.” Wright gave him a stiff nod, quickly followed by his signature shit-eating grin. “Now let’s get back to the
station; there’s a bar stool and a shot glass with my name on it.”
Luke couldn’t help his own smile creeping onto his face. That’s right, it was time for Chief Gallo’s party. And for him to spend some more quality time teasing Sophie. There could be no finer way to end his day, as far as Luke was concerned.
Chapter Four
Sophie
The sounds of dozens of rowdy off-duty cops nearly knocked Sophie over as she made her way into Blue Line, the resident police bar. Flat-screen televisions lined the wall behind the bar, with various baseball games playing on each one, the commentary adding to the chaos of noise in the bar. Almost every stool and table had a police officer or family member occupying the seat. She nodded and waved to several people as she weaved her way through the crowd, looking for her uncle.
“Soph, over here, sweetheart.” She couldn’t help but smile. Her uncle never used terms of endearment with her in front of the other guys. As the chief of police, he tried to keep their work relationship as all-business as possible, even when they weren’t technically at work.
She stepped up to give the giant, grey-haired man a hug, and he draped his heavy arm around her shoulders, holding her tight to his side. The smell of alcohol wafted from his skin. He had been drinking a lot lately.
“Hey Chief, how are you doing?” Try as she may to keep the tone of worry out of her voice, it seeped through, earning her a look of reproach from the only family member left in her life.
He recovered quickly and smiled down at her. “I’m fine; no worries, sweet girl.” He picked up a glass containing some brown liquid and held it up to the picture of a bald man behind the bar. “We were just about to drink to your father. The best DA the county ever saw.”
Sophie teared up at the thought of her father. “Not to mention the best Dad. And Mom, for that matter.” Her Dad had raised her by himself after her mother had died at the hands of a DUI driver when Sophie was a baby. Her father had taken everything on his shoulders, and she would never forget him for it.
