Seduced by the Badge

by Deborah Fletcher Mello

  “Doesn’t your cousin have something you can borrow?”

  Danni blinked, trying to make herself look even younger and completely lost. She shook her head. “My cousin’s nickname is Juicy. She’s got curves and I don’t. Lots of curves.”

  Ginger chuckled softly. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll bring something. Be here at eight thirty instead.”

  Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by Carlo. He gave them both a bright smile. “Everything okay, Ginger?”

  The young woman nodded and winked an eye at him. “No complaints,” she answered as she stood up, easing the chair she’d occupied back beneath the table.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, her eyes shifting toward Danni.

  Danni tossed up her hand in a slight wave. “Tomorrow,” she echoed.

  “What’s tomorrow?” Carlo asked as they both watched Ginger return to her seat beside Pie.

  “She invited me to a party at your brother’s house.”

  He shook his head. “That might not be a good idea.”

  “Why?”

  “Because that’s not the kind of crowd you want to get mixed up with.”

  “It can’t be that bad, right?”

  “Stay away from them, Danni. You seem like a really nice girl. I’d hate to see you get caught up in something you can’t handle.”

  “I’m a big girl.”

  “Exactly how old are you?” Carlo questioned, a hand falling to his hip as he eyed her curiously.

  She threw up her hands in frustration. “Why do people keep asking me that? I’m old enough—that’s how old I am!”

  “You look very young, and I don’t need that kind of trouble here.”

  “Trust me, I’m not nearly as much trouble as some of your other customers,” she said, gesturing toward the gang in the corner with her eyes.

  He stared at her, neither saying anything, and then he asked again, “So are you going to tell me how old you are or what?”

  Danni rolled her eyes. “I’m eighteen. I’ll be nineteen in August. I swear. Do you want to see my driver’s license?” She shoved a hand into her pocket, pretending to dig for her ID.

  Carlo held up a hand, his head shaking from side to side. “That’s not necessary. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  She took a deep breath. “I’m not upset.”

  “You still need to be careful, though. You can’t trust everybody out here.”

  “I can take care of myself,” Danni answered, a hint of indignation in her voice.

  He hesitated, his eyes sweeping around the room. “Just take my advice, please.” Carlo turned easily back to the counter and a customer waving for his attention.

  As she watched Carlo return to his business, Danni hated that she was deceiving him, because she thought he seemed like a really nice guy. But she couldn’t heed his advice and she had to do the job she was there to do. The nice guy would lose out if she had to choose between him and her job. But then nice guys always did, she mused.

  She suddenly found herself thinking about the men who’d tripped into and out of her life. Men she’d shared space and time with. Most were still sweet memories that made her smile. A few had simply been horrific nightmares she was glad to be done with. There had been a lot of nice guys in the bunch. Men who attended church regularly, adored their mothers and who had even liked her cat. But every one of them had given her an ultimatum at one time or another: them or her job. The job had won out each and every time.

  Daniel Tabrizi had been the only one who’d truly had her reexamining her choices. He’d been as close to perfection as she’d ever fathomed any man being. Their relationship had left her imagining life with a husband, kids and a minivan. Then Shannon had been taken, the abduction of her sister and those other women changing the trajectory of her life. Her badge and the need to chase after the bad guys had won again. Now Daniel was engaged to a former beauty queen turned newscaster who was excited with the prospect of being a stay-at-home mother who baked fresh bread and ironed her husband’s shirts by hand.

  Danni suddenly wondered what kind of man Armstrong Black was. Pondering if he was a nice guy who liked his mother and cats and could make a woman smile and think about things that had nothing to do with chasing bad guys. If he could love a woman without being unreasonable in his demands and support her dreams as much as she might support his.

  The door to the coffee shop swung open, the sound of the chimes drifting through the air. As if she’d somehow conjured him up, Armstrong stepped into the space. He wore his dress uniform, making no effort to hide what he did for a living. He’d also been the third or fourth police officer who’d passed through since Danni had gotten there. She was suddenly wondering if something was going on that she didn’t know about and if it was going to piss her off and threaten what she was hoping to accomplish.

  Armstrong’s gaze moved around the room as he stepped into line to place an order. Danni watched him intently, her breath suddenly catching in her chest.

  “Good evening, Detective. What can I get for you?” Carlo asked, his professional tone ringing through the air.

  “I’ll take a large Earl Grey tea, please.”

  “Cream and sugar?”

  “Just sugar and a wedge of lemon if you have it. And I need that to go, please.”

  “Coming right up.”

  Danni watched as Carlo grabbed a foam cup and filled it with hot water. As he did, Armstrong looked around the room a second time, his gaze meeting hers and then sweeping nonchalantly away.

  There was a rumble of noise coming from the gallery across the room, and Danni turned in time to see Pie and Ginger rising from their seats and moving toward the door. The others followed like obedient puppies. As they passed Danni’s table, Ginger gave her a nod but said nothing, and then just like that they were all gone.

  “Thank you,” Armstrong said as Carlo handed him his order.

  “No, thank you, sir. It’s on the house.” Danni watched as Carlo gave her partner a generous smile.

  Armstrong smiled back. “I appreciate that.” He slid a hand into his jacket, pulled out his wallet and pushed a five-dollar bill into the tip jar. As he exited the space, he paused, taking one last glance in her direction before disappearing through the door.

  It was only when he was out of sight that Danni realized she’d been toying with the jeweled cross around her neck. She tucked the trinket back down under her sweatshirt. Carlo moved to join her at the table, both watching as the crowd in the room suddenly thinned. He carried a pot of hot coffee, refilled her cup, then moved to fill one other. Just as she thought he might be able to take a break, two more uniformed officers stepped inside, made quick purchases and exited. It was eerily quiet when he finally moved back to her table and dropped down into the seat across from her.

  “You’ve been busy,” Danni said, a warm smile lifting easily.

  “Just our regular crowd.”

  “Really? That’s interesting.”

  He chuckled. “You mean all the law enforcement officers?”

  “I didn’t get the impression that this was where the cops hung out.”

  “It’s not. Tonight’s the annual Police Recognition Ceremony at the Hyatt Regency down the road. I’m sure most of those guys who came through just need to be there early to prep.”

  “Oh.”

  “It’s a pretty big deal. This year especially. They’re honoring the superintendent of police, Jerome Black, and his forty-five plus years of public service.”

  “Jerome Black?”

  “The Black family is a big deal here in Chicago. I think all of them are in law enforcement or politics.” Carlo leaned forward, clasping his hands together atop the table as he continued. “Pick up any newspaper, on any given day, and one of them is being honored for something.”

  “They can’t a
ll be that perfect.”

  “No. One of them is definitely dirty, and another got hemmed up in a shooting a while back that left a man dead.”

  His expression darkened, something Danni couldn’t quite read crossing his face. She knew he was referring to the death of Pius’s father, and she wondered why he didn’t just say so. She was also curious to know who among the Black family was thought to be a dirty cop. She suddenly had questions that were concerning. What did she really know about Armstrong, a man who’d shown her nothing but respect and kindness? She enjoyed their conversations and he seemed like the nicest guy, but he didn’t ever talk about himself or his family and avoided her questions when she asked. And now, based on what Armstrong did talk about, she found herself also questioning what she knew about her new partner.

  Danni pretended to be shocked, widening her eyes. “So this police officer killed someone?”

  “They said it was a justified shooting, but you never know about those things.”

  Danni nodded. “You know a lot about what’s going on around here.”

  “It’s my civic duty to be informed,” he said. “And I’m also the neighborhood watch leader!”

  Danni giggled. She was just about to ask another question when the door swung open and Pie entered. Carlo didn’t seem surprised to see him back. The two men locked gazes as he moved toward Carlo, coming to stand by the table.

  “Hey,” Pie said, turning to stare at her as he greeted the other man. “You got a minute?” His eyes swept her slight frame from head to toe before he turned to meet Carlo’s stare.

  Carlo moved onto his feet. “Yeah,” he answered. He turned his attention to Danni. “Sorry, I need to talk to my brother for a minute. Do you need me to call you a ride home?”

  She shook her head. “No, thanks. I’m good.”

  He suddenly dropped a warm hand to her forearm. “Be careful out there, please. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you,” he said. He turned, moving toward the office door behind the counter.

  Pie stood staring at her for another quick second before he spun on his heels to follow behind his brother. The look he gave her made Danni’s skin crawl, a sensation so uncomfortable that she felt like she needed to stand fully clothed in a hot shower with strong disinfectant. Reaching for her jacket, she pushed her arms through the sleeves, tightened the garment around her torso and practically ran out the door.

  * * *

  Armstrong saw her before she saw him. Stopping back at the office had not been in his plans, but something about the case and Danni had him feeling out of sorts. He couldn’t put his finger on what had him so discombobulated, and he was hoping that reviewing the files one more time might help him figure it out.

  He was only slightly surprised to find her in the conference room, papers strewn across the tabletop as she sat deep in thought. There was no denying the dedication she brought to the assignment. But it was the start of the weekend, and the late hour should have found her someplace other than work. She jumped, startled out of contemplation, when he entered the room and called her by name.

  “Detective Winstead. I’m surprised to find you here.”

  Danni turned abruptly toward the door, her breath catching ever so slightly. “Detective Black! Hey, I wasn’t expecting you back.”

  He smiled, sliding into the seat beside her. “I wasn’t expecting to come back, but there’s something about this case that’s bothering me.”

  “Something in particular?”

  “Something I can’t put my finger on.”

  “I know the feeling. I’ve been trying to put the pieces together for the last three hours, but we seem to be going nowhere and getting nothing fast.”

  Armstrong’s brows lifted slightly. “You really should get some rest. No one expects twenty-hour days out of you.”

  Danni smiled sweetly. “I know. I just want to make sure I earn my keep.”

  He nodded. “Anything happen tonight that we need to know about?”

  “Not really. I did get an invitation to a party tomorrow night, though.”

  “Do you think that’s wise?”

  “I think it’ll help me get even closer to Pius. Who, by the way, is one really sketchy guy. He really gives me the creeps!”

  “Have you even talked to him yet?”

  “He’s not really the talkative type, but I’m hoping to make some headway at tomorrow’s party.”

  Armstrong nodded again. “What’s your take on the brother?”

  Danni’s gaze dropped to the table. She clenched a fist and bit down against her bottom lip.

  Something in her tone changed as she answered. “He seems like a really nice guy. And he doesn’t have any priors, so he’s kept himself on the right side of the law. I’m not sure if he plays into this at all.”

  The shift in her disposition didn’t go unnoticed as Armstrong eyed her intently. Nor did he miss when she changed the subject.

  “How was your evening? Did you have a good time at your policeman thing?”

  Armstrong chuckled. “You say that like I went to party or something.”

  Danni smiled. “Or something. So did you? Have a good time?”

  “I did my duty and stood beside my family as my father was honored for his service.”

  “You never told me your father was the superintendent of police.”

  “I didn’t?”

  “No.”

  “I guess I didn’t tell you that my mother is a federal court judge, either. Or that my brother Parker is a lieutenant and we report to him.”

  “I did know about your brother.”

  “Well, the whole family is employed by the city of Chicago, or the state of Illinois, or the federal government, in some capacity.” He paused for a split second and then corrected himself. “Take that back. Two of them are in private practice. Mingus is a former police officer turned private investigator and Ellington has his own law firm. My sister, the state’s prosecutor, is the only lawyer in the family who gets a paycheck from the commonwealth.”

  Danni chuckled. “Are you all named after jazz musicians?”

  He grinned. “After God, each other and their children, the only thing my parents love and agree on is jazz. They thrive on it! It’s all I heard growing up. I didn’t know there was any other kind of music until I was in my teens. My mother says naming us after all the greats was a necessity.”

  “That’s actually pretty cool.”

  Armstrong shrugged his broad shoulders, and the gesture focused Danni’s attention on how handsome he looked in his uniform. His tall stature was imposing, and his presence was commanding. His good looks presented more model-like than pedestrian, and he could have easily graced the cover of any fashion magazine. He was a beautiful specimen of masculinity. Danni realized she was holding her breath and staring. She snapped her gaze back to the files she’d been studying, hoping against all odds that he hadn’t noticed.

  * * *

  But Armstrong had been eyeing her just as intently. Her brow was furrowed as she suddenly turned back to the documents in a file folder on the table. Her cheeks were flushed, and her thick lashes were batting fervently as if something suddenly had her nervous.

  “Detective, you are officially off duty. You need to relax and get some rest. That’s an order,” he said.

  Danni nodded. “I guess you’re right.”

  “Have you eaten anything?”

  “I grabbed a sandwich at the coffee shop.”

  “Well, a few of us were headed out to grab a beer. We’re headed over to a little club called Andy’s. The food’s pretty good, and the music is always on point. Why don’t you join us?”

  She pondered the invitation and then declined. “I appreciate the offer, but I think I’m just going to head back to the hotel and go to bed. I really could use some rest.”

  Armst
rong eyed her for a minute longer. Finally, he said, “All right, then. I’ll see you tomorrow.” And then he left her, disappearing as quickly as he’d arrived.

  * * *

  The crooner Sam Smith was playing out of the club’s massive speakers, the sound system reverberating around the room. Like many of the men and a few of the women in the room, Sam was begging someone to stay with him. The lights in the club were dim. Couples gyrated in slow rotations against each other on the dance floor, and the ambience was easy and casual.

  Armstrong glanced around the space until he caught sight of his brother waving a large hand in the air for his attention. He sauntered easily down a short flight of stairs and pushed his way through the crowd until he reached the table across the way.

  They were all there. His brothers, Ellington, Parker, Davis and Mingus, and his sisters, Simone and Vaughan. They were not only his family, but his best friends, the bond between them impenetrable.

  They each greeted him warmly.

  “We didn’t think you were coming,” Simone said, kissing his cheek.

  “Obviously, you don’t know your brother,” Mingus countered. “Because we knew he was coming!” He and Parker slapped palms.

  Armstrong dropped into the empty seat they’d been holding for him. He apologized. “Sorry, I made the mistake of running back to the office.”

  “Sometimes you need to let the work go,” Vaughan said.

  Armstrong nodded in agreement. “That’s what I was just telling my new partner,” he said as he gestured toward the waitress and ordered a beer.

  “So, how’s that working out?” Parker questioned, sipping his own drink.

  Armstrong pushed his shoulders toward the ceiling. “I actually like her,” he said, trying to keep his tone as nonchalant as he could manage.

  Simone shifted forward in her chair. “Your new partner is a woman?”

  “You have a new partner?” Vaughan interjected.

  “Yes, and yes!” Armstrong quipped.

  “If you like her, that can’t be good,” his sisters chimed in unison.