Seduced by the Badge

by Deborah Fletcher Mello

  “What’s going to happen to Pie? He’s not actually squeaky clean in all of this.”

  “Luckily we don’t have to make that decision. We’ll present all of our evidence to the district attorney and let them decide Pie’s fate. I’m thinking they’re going to cut him a deal in exchange for a guilty plea and no jail time.”

  “I can live with that.”

  “Me, too. What about Ginger?”

  “That girl will be just fine. I have no doubts that by the time this is all done and finished, she will be holding an executive position in Balducci’s organization. What’s the update on Angel?”

  “Angel and her mother have been moved into protective custody, but I don’t think they have anything to worry about.”

  “Better safe than sorry.”

  “I agree. You’ve done good, Detective. Everyone’s impressed with what you were able to accomplish.”

  “Thank you,” she said, eyeing him a second time. “Sir.”

  Armstrong gestured with his head. “We have a meeting to attend. Lieutenant Black would like to speak with us.”

  “Lieutenant Black?”

  He nodded and then he laughed heartily.

  * * *

  There was a round of applause for them as Danni and Armstrong moved through police headquarters on West Harrison Street. Making their way to the corner office with the view, the accolades were plentiful, high fives, slaps on the back and congratulations ringing through the afternoon air.

  The couple exchanged a quick look as Armstrong knocked, waiting for permission to enter. Both were surprised when Armstrong’s father pulled the door open and welcomed them both inside. Danni was suddenly nervous, her stomach turning flips like her intestines were part of a circus show.

  She took a deep breath as Parker waved them both inside. They stood at attention until he gestured for them to relax.

  “Please, take a seat,” he said, gesturing for them both to sit on the sofa. His father turned one of the wingback chairs around to face them and dropped into it. Parker took the other. “I wanted to take a moment to commend you both. This was a big win for law enforcement, and you have done us proud.”

  “Thank you, Lieutenant,” Armstrong said.

  “Thank you, sir,” Danni echoed.

  Parker turned his attention toward Danni. “Detective Winstead, we understand you might be considering staying in Chicago? Is that true?”

  Danni cut a quick eye toward Armstrong. His expression was blank as he stared straight ahead at his brother. She took a breath before she answered. “Yes, sir. It’s something I’m considering.”

  Parker nodded. “Then I can assume you might be looking for employment?”

  She nodded. “I would be.”

  “Well, the Chicago Police Department would like to offer you a position with us. We could use a detective of your caliber in our ranks.”

  A smile pulled at Danni’s lips. “Thank you, sir. That’s very kind of you.”

  “You’ll need to meet with our human resources officer for specifics. They’ll prepare a formal offer for you to consider.”

  “Yes, sir. I’ll do that.”

  Armstrong’s father cleared his throat. “You both understand that under the circumstances any offer will come with some restrictions. In light of your relationship, you two will no longer be able to work side by side. We were thinking, Detective Winstead, that since you have a strong background in vice that you will do well in our Narcotics Unit.”

  Danni nodded. “Thank you, Superintendent Black. I understand.”

  Armstrong’s father stood up. He extended his hand toward his son. Armstrong rose to meet him, the two shaking hands. “I’m very proud of you, son.”

  “Thank you.”

  Jerome winked an eye at Danni. “I expect we’ll see you at family dinner on Sunday, Detective?”

  Danni smiled. “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”

  The patriarch gave them all one last nod and moved out the door, closing it firmly behind him. Armstrong and Parker exchanged a look. The two men shook hands and bumped shoulders. Parker extended his hand to shake Danni’s.

  “You’ve impressed me, Detective. I want you to know we didn’t offer you this opportunity lightly. You’ve earned your spot here.”

  “I really appreciate that, sir.”

  Parker leaned back against his desk, crossing his arms over his chest. “So, have you two picked out a date yet?”

  Danni shot Armstrong a look. “Excuse me?”

  “I was just asking. For a friend. Our mother, actually. She’s nosy like that.”

  The trio laughed. Armstrong reached out and pulled Danni into his arms. He kissed her, the brazen gesture moving Parker to shake his head.

  “Sorry,” Armstrong said to his brother. “I couldn’t resist.”

  “I’m going to pretend like I didn’t just see that and you two will refrain from doing that again while you’re on duty. Is that understood?”

  “Yes, sir!” the two chimed simultaneously.

  Parker moved back behind his desk. “Detective Black, you are hereby ordered to take vacation. I understand you have some forty-plus days saved up, and I imagine Detective Winstead is going to need some help moving.”

  “Is that an order, Lieutenant?”

  “It is and it came directly from the top.”

  Armstrong looked at his brother with a raised brow, curiosity rising. “From Dad?”

  Parker shook his head. “No. Mom!” He picked up a stack of files from his desk and moved toward the door. “I’ll be away from my desk for the next ten minutes or so. Be gone when I return,” he said as he made his exit. He paused, his hand on the doorknob. “Congratulations again, Danni, and welcome to the family.”

  When they were alone, Danni stepped into his arms, moving her body against Armstrong’s. “You’ve been talking about me!”

  He nodded. “We agreed that I could tell my family.”

  “Why do I get the impression that you had that conversation sometime before we made that decision?”

  “Probably because I did. I had to tell someone I loved you. I couldn’t tell you! And I do tell my brothers pretty much everything.”

  Danni pressed a kiss to his lips. “I love you, Armstrong Black. You have made me the happiest woman in the whole wide world!”

  He grinned. “Baby, I’m good like that!”

  * * * * *

  Don’t miss Deborah Fletcher Mello’s

  previous Kimani Romance novels,

  all available now from Harlequin!

  Lost in a Stallion’s Arms

  Promises to a Stallion

  Seduced by a Stallion

  Forever a Stallion

  Passionate Premiere

  Truly Yours

  Hearts Afire

  Twelve Days of Pleasure

  My Stallion Heart

  Stallion Magic

  Tuscan Heat

  A Stallion’s Touch

  A Pleasing Temptation

  Sweet Stallion

  To Tempt a Stallion

  Keep reading for an excerpt from The Colton Cowboy by Carla Cassidy.

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  The Colton Cowboy

  by Carla Cassidy

  Chapter 1

  Anders Colton jerked awake, his heart racing and every muscle in his body tensed with fight-or-flight adrenaline. From the nearby open window a cool night breeze drifted in, and crickets and other insects clicked and whirred with their usual night songs. They were familiar sounds and wouldn’t have awakened him. So what had?

  He remained perfectly still, and then he heard it...a faint shuffle of feet against wood. In one quick movement he slid out of bed and grabbed the nearby rifle that rested against the bedroom wall. He stalked out of his bedroom clad only in a pair of navy boxers.

  Tonight he was going to catch the culprit who had been stealing from him for the past couple of weeks. He’d dubbed the person the “Needy Thief” because of the strange things that had come up missing.

  Last night it had been fruit from the bowl on the kitchen counter and a jar of peanut butter and a loaf of bread from the pantry. A week before that it was a mattress from the bunk barn and an old baby cradle from the barn.

  Anders didn’t mind the loss of the food, and he’d already replaced the mattress, but one of his grandmother’s quilts had also been taken and he definitely wanted that back. His heart now beat with the sweet anticipation of finally catching the culprit.

  Was the person a runaway in trouble? A criminal hiding out on the property? Was it possible it was his cousin Demi, who had been on the run from the law and had a newborn baby?

  Tonight he hoped to nab the thief red-handed and find out exactly who he or she was and what in the hell was going on.

  The kitchen was in complete darkness except for the shaft of moonlight that danced in through the window above the sink. It was just enough illumination to see that nobody was there.

  The cabin was fairly small and it took him only seconds to check in the guest bedroom and bath and realize the thief wasn’t anywhere inside. Then he heard it...retreating footsteps outside. The porch!

  He threw open the front door, expecting to see a person running away. Instead he nearly stumbled over a pale yellow tote bag and the stolen wicker baby cradle. He stared at the cradle in stunned surprise. Had the thief suffered a twinge of guilt and returned it? A faint noise sounded, and he leaned over the basket and then straightened up with a new shock. Nestled in a pink blanket was a sleeping baby. What the hell?

  The moonlight overhead was bright. He gazed around the area and then looked a quarter of a mile in the distance toward the main house where his parents and his kid sister, Valeria, lived. He could barely see the huge place through a thick stand of trees. There didn’t appear to be any lights shining from the mansion and there was nobody lurking around his cabin. It was just him and a baby.

  Why on earth would anyone leave a baby with him? He picked up the tote bag and the cradle and carried them into the living room. He placed the cradle on his sofa and then turned on the lamp on the end table.

  A tuft of strawberry blonde hair topped rosy, chubby cheeks. The baby was very small and he would guess she wasn’t more than a couple weeks old. He couldn’t tell the baby’s eye color because she was sound asleep. Then he noticed a note pinned to the pink blanket. He carefully plucked it off and opened it.

  She’s a Colton.

  His heart stutter-stepped. If she was a Colton, then who did she belong to? Was it possible she was his? He sank down on the sofa next to the sleeping baby.

  Yes, he supposed it was possible she was his child. There had been a few women in his recent past, but nothing deep or meaningful. He didn’t do deep and meaningful since he’d been betrayed two years ago. What he had now were occasional hookups. Had one of those hookups created this baby?

  He stared at her little rosebud lips and tiny features and then looked away. He couldn’t do this again. He couldn’t get emotionally involved with a baby. The last one he’d loved so desperately had been cruelly snatched away from him and his heart had never quite healed.

  Still, if she really was a Colton, he also wasn’t overly eager to hand her over to social services until he knew who she was. So, what should he do with her? Should he call somebody now? In the middle of the night? Where would she be placed if he did call social services? He didn’t even know if there were any foster parents in town.

  Somebody had left her here with him for a reason. But he was torn. He didn’t really know anything about taking care of a baby and she’d be better off with somebody who had more experience than he did.

  He opened the tote bag to find formula, bottles, diapers, toys, clothing and several other items. There was everything he needed to take care of her. He could smell the sweetness of her, that baby-powder-fresh scent that was so achingly familiar.

  Who would have left her here and why? Was it possible the Needy Thief was her mother? Now the theft of the food items and the cradle and quilt all made sense. But why hadn’t the mother just come to him and asked for his help? Damn, he wished he would have caught whomever it had been.

  Why leave the baby here? He was a bachelor, a workaholic who spent hours out working on the ranch and chose to live in a small cabin rather than in the family mansion. He’d made the old foreman’s cabin his home. He’d made the decision first of all because he was the ranch foreman, and secondly because his parents drove him crazy.

  Of all the places and with all the people in the entire town of Red Ridge, South Dakota, the baby could have been left with, why him?

  He found it hard to believe that it had anything to do with somebody who worked for him. All his ranch hands lived in the bunk barn in small apartments. He supplied the men who lived there not only everything they needed but also some extras to keep them happy. Besides, the note said she was a Colton.

  He needed to call the Red Ridge Police Department and get somebody out here. He didn’t know why the baby had been left on his doorstep, but she couldn’t stay indefinitely and in any case he needed to make some kind of a report.

  Was it possible her mother would return later tonight? Maybe sometime tomorrow? He couldn’t take the chance of waiting around for her to come back to retrieve the baby. Eventually the baby would wake up and need something and he wouldn’t know what to do.

  He made the call and when he finished, the baby opened her slate blue eyes and gazed at him. Her rosebud lips curled upward and she released a soft coo. He closed his eyes and steeled his heart. No matter how cute she was, he absolutely refused to care about her.

  * * *

  Rookie K9 Officer Elle Gage hunkered down behind the back of a pickup truck in the warehouse parking lot. Next to her was her partner, her bulldog named Merlin, who was trained in protection.

  Merlin had entered her life eight months before, after going through an intense ten weeks of training at the Red Ridge K9 Training Center. He was not only her partner, but also her best friend and companion. As far as she was concerned he was the best dog in the whole entire world.

  The pavement smelled of grease and oil baked under the June sun that day. Her heart beat quickly in anticipation and her blood sizzled through her veins as she stared at the warehouse in the distance.

  Tonight she was hoping to finally prove herself, not only to her chief, but also to her brother and fellow officer, Carson. She also wanted to prove herself to her brother Lucas, who was a bounty hunter.

  In her mind she always thought of her brot
hers as South Dakota’s Most Overly Protective Brothers. She was more than ready for them to trust that she could take care of herself and stop watching over her so carefully.

  She stared at the warehouse that belonged to the Larson twins, suspected mobsters who were involved in everything from money laundering to drugs and gunrunning. This was where the smooth, handsome men held their meetings and it was suspected that tonight the place was packed with illegal guns and drugs.

  The parking lot was filled with vehicles belonging to the twins’ known associates. She’d love to be part of the team who took them down, although she hated the fact that whenever she was assigned to any job, her brother Carson made sure he was assigned to the same job. She was twenty-six years old. Jeez, couldn’t a girl get a break?

  She wanted to be the one to cuff one of the twins, not just because they were a menace to society, but because they stole a prized German shepherd named Nico from the RRK9 Training Center and got away with it, and they were also suspected of having one of their thugs steal a puppy from the center. Evan and Noel had clearly had an immoral veterinarian remove Nico’s microchip and replace it with one declaring them the dog’s owner. Nico had been a day or two from being paired with a K9 handler; that’s how highly trained he was. Now he was in the wrong hands. And the puppy had cost the center a small fortune. Elle knew the Larson twins were slimeball criminals, but stealing a dog? For that crime alone, the two should be jailed for the rest of their lives.

  Crouching, she moved a couple of steps closer, still hugging the body of the pickup that was her cover. All she was waiting for was the official word to go in.

  Tonight she would prove to everyone that she was a good cop and could hold her own under any circumstances. Tonight she would prove to her brother that she didn’t need them babysitting her anymore.

  Her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out, unsurprised to see her brother Carson’s number. She punched the button to answer, but before she could say anything, Merlin released a deep, loud grunt, his trained alert for danger.

  Elle whirled around in time to see a big man barreling down on her. She dropped her phone and raised her hands in a defensive posture, her heart nearly beating out of her chest.