“Did they take my blood?” I glance down, inspecting my arms.
“Not yet.” He’s right; I’m not nearly as drunk anymore. He was protecting me.
“When will they come for it?”
“I told them I didn’t see the point in wasting the paperwork. Whatever it was, is out of your system now.”
“So, why am I still here?”
“You were asleep.”
“Can I leave?”
“Yes.” With that, his keys are in the cell door and it swings open. I take a step out and into the hall before turning to face him.
“Where’s Meg’s car? Impounded?”
“I drove it home.”
“Oh, I’ll grab a cab then.” I face forward again, walking the rest of the hallway.
“I can give you a ride.”
“That’s okay, you’ve done enough.” I turn to face him. “Thank you.”
“Becca—”
“You don’t have to protect me. I’m not a damsel in distress, John.”
“I know, I just…”
“You just what?” Nothing. His fingers run through his hair, again trying to find the words. I’ve waited for his words for weeks and they’re still not there. How much time am I going to give him? No. Focus on my future. No guy will get in the way. “Right.”
So, I leave him staring after me, while I walk through the rest of the precinct towards the front doors. I reach into my pocket for my cell phone and find it isn’t there. Probably took it upon my arrest, but there’s no way I’m going back in there today—There’s always tomorrow. I’m debating how long it would take to walk home, when I feel someone come up beside me.
“Lose something?” He’s holding my cell phone and keys in his hand. I glance up at him. His beard is just slightly beginning to grow in from the rough night. He’s still in uniform and his slicked back hair is slowly losing the battle against gravity.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“Come, let me give you a ride.”
I lose all my fight, finally following him to his Mustang. The sound of the engine drowns out my last thought as my body begins to sway with the ride toward my house. Just like he promised, Meg’s car is sitting in the parking lot in front of the new dorms.
I bite my lip, swallow my pride, and finally mutter, “Thank you.”
“Don’t let it happen again.” His voice has a tinge of humor to it, but I’m not in the joking mood.
“It won’t.” I mean that. No more drinking, no more partying, no more chances of running into John.
My body is halfway out of the car when I feel his on hand on my wrist. “Becc–?” I pause. The heat from his hand is causing my body to burn up. He takes a few more seconds before he says, “I’m sorry.”
My heat turns to ice. “For what?” I slip out of his grasp and close the door behind me. I’m inside the dorm and up in my room, before I allow myself to release the tears that have been building up. I had been waiting weeks for this encounter and it was nothing like I had intended. I need to keep to the plan. No more distractions.
The door slams in the dorm, my eyes opening in the darkness. “Becca?” I hear called from the living room.
“Meg!” I hobble out of bed still half asleep before pulling her into a hug.
“What the fuck happened?”
“We got pulled over.”
“Officer Hot Stuff?”
I nod. “He took me in for driving under the influence.”
“Oh crap, did he really have to take you in? I mean, come on, he takes you home from the bar, but the douchebag takes you in for DWI? You know if I was—”
“He takes his job seriously… and Meg, I deserved it.”
“I’m sorry, Bee.” She grows quiet, fidgeting with a plastic bowl on the counter. “What happens now?”
“Nothing. They don’t have proof.”
“Did Officer Tight Ass have anything to do with that?” I turn away from her all-knowing eyes. “I see. And what’s going on with him?”
“Nothing.”
“Becca, you need to hit that,” she says to my back, because I’m already headed for the fridge.
“The only thing I’m hitting, are the books. I need to refocus.”
“You know, he didn’t have to let you go.” She pauses, coming into the kitchen. “Did he handcuff you?”
I smile. “Yes.”
“Oh my God,” she squeals. “Tell me everything.”
The fridge is cold against my bare legs as I open it. I grab a water bottle off the shelf and spin around to meet her eyes. “I honestly don’t really remember much.”
Her eyes double in size and I think she might have had an aneurysm, when she blinks. “A hot guy throws you up against the car and handcuffs you and you can’t remember? Wow, I thought it had been too long—But this.” She shakes her head slowly. “I’m worried about you, Bee.”
“Shut up,” I tease, smacking her hand.
We share a laugh before growing serious. “My parents are mad.”
“Oh.” I grow silent.
“Like really mad. They are talking about taking me home.”
“No!” I blurt out, pulling her into a hug.”
“I know, I told them it was nothing – summer stuff.” She breathes in deep, trying to fend off the tears we both know are coming. “They want me to withdraw and just return in the fall.”
“You’ll never get your money back.” It’s my only attempt at reasoning.
“My parents don’t care about money.” She rolls her eyes. “This is just to prove a point—They are still in control.”
“Megs,” I whisper, not having better words. I thought my parents were bad, but at least they didn’t care enough to pull me out of summer semester. They are too focused on telling the neighbors all about my brother’s many accomplishments. Becca, the second child, is also second best – as always.
“It’s okay, they are staying at the Inn down the street. I have a few days to convince them otherwise.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Play the role of perfect daughter. I mean, come on; I’m the only one they have – they must forgive me, eventually.”
“What are you going to do if they pull you out?”
“Make their summer miserable.”
I give her a hug. “You really scared me, Megs. You passed out.”
“I know. Maybe laying low for the summer would be good for me.”
We got the call halfway through my shift. It was a long day on patrol, just turning down tired, dark streets for hours on end. This call made me anxious, finally being able to earn my shitty paycheck. My partner pulls the cruiser up to the Victorian home and I glance up and down the street. It looks somewhat familiar. I think I’ve been here before. We hear the commotion before even making it up the walkway. Things are breaking inside, glass shattering, along with a ton of loud cursing. I reach for the door just as it opens. Nothing in the world could have prepared me for this call. My heart seizes in my chest.
Her hair is a little shorter. There are noticeable bags under her eyes, but their green still has the same sparkle I love. April Landau is standing there, in front of me, in light purple scrubs with her hand on her hip like we are the inconvenience in her home.
Her expression changes when she sees me. “Officer Smith?” she asks, looking happily surprised—Or so I tell myself.
“April?”
The next thing she hits me with, is that sarcastic tongue that intrigued me in the first place.
“Took you long enough. They are about to bring my house down!” She walks deeper inside, motioning me to follow. I don’t miss the sparkling wedding ring on her finger as she turns—Probably because I was looking for it. It shines on her finger like it is taunting me. This girl is the reason why I can’t date one like Becca; she reminds me too much of April. The spunk, the determination, and the way their eyes draw me in, seeing through me.
Behind me, Matt rushes in with two more officers. I think I
might be in shock because I hadn’t noticed that backup arrived. I follow her further inside, my coworkers rushing between the two fighting men.
Returning my attention to April, I clear my throat. “What happened here?”
“I don’t know. I just got home from work, to this.” She points to the destruction all over the house. Vases and picture frames are shattered on the floor, the couch pillows have been tossed across the living room. The two men wrestling and screaming at each other are rolling around the floor, tossing jabs. The two cops with me finally wrestle them apart, holding their hands locked behind their heads.
“You’re dead to me, Eric!” April’s husband screams as an officer begins to drag the other guy out.
“Ja—” The man with the longer hair tries to say something, but April’s husband breaks free from the officers and throws a punch at his face. The officers subdue Jared, before placing on handcuffs and forcing him onto his knees.
I turn to April. Her face shows no hints of surprise. If anything, she looks tired. “Do you want to press charges?”
She shakes her head.
“What would you have us do with them?”
“Take them in.” She turns, really seeing me, “Arrest them; I don’t care, John. I just worked a twelve-hour shift and need to be up in six for the next one. Get them out of my house.” She waves her hand at me like she hopes everything will magically disappear.
I nod. April is still that take no shit kind of girl I somehow allowed myself to care about even though I barely knew her. I think it was the light in her eyes—The witty sarcasm and fearless spirit.
“I’m sorry, Apes,” her husband states, as they drag him past us. This is the man who stole April’s heart right out from under me.
Jared’s eyes meet mine, showing signs of recognition, and never leave me until he’s escorted out of the house. You would never know that only two years ago, he was in an accident he almost didn’t survive. I was one of the first on scene. His leg was practically facing the other way, ribs were concave, but the gash in his head made me think he was a goner. April refused to leave his side. I had to practically pry her from his unconscious body. That should’ve been my first clue.
April and I watch the officer’s take him to the cruiser, hold his head down, and force him into the back seat. I take a step to leave when I feel her warm hand on mine.
“John… you look… different.” Her voice is soft now.
When I finally take my eyes from her hand and meet her eyes, I’m not sure what to say. Should I tell her that from the moment she fell out of my cruiser face-first, I couldn’t stop thinking about her—That even after telling me she was in love with someone else, the thoughts never stopped? Or what about the fact, when she asked me for help, I gave up everything I was doing. I helped look for the hospital where her now husband was staying?
I don’t think I could ever admit those things to her, so instead, I nod and point to her scrubs. “So do you.”
She watches me leave, with curiosity. It’s apparent she wants to say more; I know I do. Upon reaching the edge of the porch, I turn, facing her stare, and add, “Those scrubs look good on you, April.”
She glances down, smiling, before slowly shutting the front door.
The station is quiet as we drag the two men inside and place them on a bench. I was still dazed from my interaction with April. I didn’t realize my mistake until it was too late. The guy, who April’s husband called Eric, had his nose smashed into the arm of the bench before we could separate them. Wow, not even handcuffs can stop this guy. I can see what April admires about him. He’s not a quitter; if there is motivation, he will find a way.
“Fucking traitor. You were like a brother to me,” Jared seethes.
“I told you I had to. I was going to pay you back!”
“I can’t even fucking believe you.” He spits on him. We check their IDs. April’s husband is Jared Hoffman—I guess that’s her new last name. My April Landau is gone; she’s April Hoffman. But then again, she was never my April, was she? It’s a conflict of interest, but I can’t help it. I take Jared off the bench and into an interrogation room.
I don’t even have to get him into the cold metal chair before he starts talking. “He was like a brother to me; I can’t believe he would do this.”
“Do what, exactly?” I slip into the metal chair across from him.
“He stole money from my business, my father’s business.”
“How—”
Jared cuts me off. I don’t even need interrogation tactics; this guy just wants to spill.
“The best part? He gave it to his ex-girlfriend for bail and she fled!”
I almost choke on my own tongue. “What?”
“Oh, just wait until Stacey finds out. She’ll kill Eric for me.”
“You really don’t want to be talking to an officer of the law about killing people.”
“Then you don’t want to let me out of these cuffs, because I will wreck him. Do I get a phone call?”
“You’re not under arrest—Just yet.”
“He’s not going to press charges; he’s too much of a pussy.”
“We’ll see about that.”
“I just can’t believe he would do this to me. I trusted him.”
“So, tell me how this happened.”
“He’s been in charge of the books for a year or so, now.” He sighs as if reminiscing about things he can’t change. “I mean; he ran the business for months, so I figured a promotion was in order. I never thought… this.”
“How did he do it?”
“He took an entire job’s check and deposited it into his own account.”
“What do you do again?”
“Construction.”
“Hoffman Construction?” It all makes sense now. I see their trucks everywhere. The business has doubled in less than a year. They built the dorms at North Commons, and then they fixed up the community library. Their signs litter the front lawns of hundreds of Angelican’s homes.
“Yes, its not about the money. It’s the stealing – the lack of loyalty. I would have given it to him if he had asked.”
“Then why would he do this?”
“He’s ashamed.” Jared turns his head away. “As he should be – Nicole.” He mutters the name with distaste.
“Nicole?” I repeat.
“His ex-girlfriend—Real piece of work, that one. How she has the nerve to call him after all these years…”
“Didn’t you mention a Stacey before?”
“That’s his current girlfriend.” He nods at the shock on my face. “Yeah, I know – fucked up, isn’t it?” He shakes his head again. “He had the nerve to say April was no good for me. I can’t even—”
“Why would he risk so much for an ex?” I didn’t expect to ask that question aloud.
But he responds. “I guess you can’t control who you love.” He meets my eyes now; really meets them. “I know you.” His handcuffs jingle as if he was trying to point. “You were the cop that arrested April.”
“Yes.” My eyes drop. I can’t meet his stare in case he can read my expression.
“She first kissed me that night,” he whispers as if reminiscing.
Holy crap. I didn’t realize just how close I was to having a chance with April. What if I hadn’t released her? “She’s your wife now, right?”
The smile spreads its way across his face slowly but it’s authentic—A smile of pride and proof that hard work pays off.
“Yes.” He loves her. That’s all I need to know. The chair is shoved back as I stand and leave the room.
Matt is standing behind the two-way mirror. He’s talking with Chief Carson. Frank is interrogating the thief in the room beside us. He appears to be… crying. We can’t hear what is being said because the speaker is switched off.
“What do you think?” Matt eyes me, staring through the other window.
“Looks like a dispute over money.”
“Do you know him?” Ch
ief points to Jared.
“Only from the job.”
“Determine who wants to press charges and we’ll go from there.” I push off the wall and turn, heading for the door. I can’t be here anymore. Old feelings I tried so hard to suppress are gnawing at me in an attempt to come out. The worst part, is they aren’t even about April any longer. The eyes I see now are blue, not green. The feelings I was suppressing are bubbling to the surface.
“Where are you going?” Matt calls as I open the door.
I pause in the doorway. “I have something to do.”
I don’t know why I’m here. I came to think, but staring out from atop the cemetery hill, all my eyes can focus on is the prominent four-story building of new dormitories on the North Commons campus.
Ugh. Why does she have to be Ford’s little sister? Why can’t anything in my insane life be easy?
I pull out my phone. Maybe I can call her. It’s only been a few days since dropping her off. I could say work had been busy. Would she buy that? Maybe I can have her come down to the station about her case. That’s right; she’s a victim. How would it look if I start to date her?
Date.
The thought almost makes me laugh. I don’t date. Who the hell am I kidding? This isn’t going to work. I’m better off just leaving things be. It’s better I don’t open Pandora’s box. It’s better this way, I tell myself, turning the key in the ignition. Now, all I have to do is get this girl out of my mind.
Meggie and I almost started crying during the pre-game shot, toast. Her parents decided to pull her out of summer classes. This is her last weekend before she has to return home. I don’t know what I’m going to do without her. She almost said the exact same thing during her toast, but we quickly chased it down with some humor. I mean, after all, we’ll be apart for barely two months.
When you spend every single day together, two months feels like an eternity. Tonight is going to be a good night. Just my best friend and me – we promised each other a girl’s night. For the first time in my life, I was totally lying.
Uncovering Officer Smith (The Discovering Trilogy #2) Page 8
