“You take care of yourself, do you hear me?” Midnight said.
“Yeah, yeah. So what’s been going on there?”
“Well, for starters I’ve been asked to speak to Randy’s academy class.”
“And?” Joe said, sounding distant.
“Don’t be a jerk, Joe. I know you want to know what’s going on.”
“Okay,” he said, taking the bait, “what’s goin’ on?”
“Well, I haven’t seen her, but I’ve heard that Randy’s hanging out with that Sarah Dickerson and her brother. You know, Sergeant Dickerson from vice?”
“Yeah,” Joe said, his voice cold as his thoughts churned.
“Well, I’m sure it’s just because she’s around Sarah a lot,” Midnight put in, realizing too late that she shouldn’t have brought up that Randy was hanging out with another man.
“Yeah, I’m sure too,” Joe said, not sounding convinced.
They ended the phone call shortly after that. Midnight didn’t want to risk saying something else she shouldn’t.
As Midnight hung up, she muttered, “Shit.”
“Shit what?” Rick asked, standing in the doorway to her office.
Midnight looked up at him and shook her head. “Nothing. What’s up?”
“Just wanted to check in, see if you had any more on that bust, results and whatnot.”
Midnight shook her head. “I did let Joe know about what happened. I also let him know you owe him one.” She pointed to his head, indicating the fair-sized gash he had obtained from the raid.
“Trust me, I’ll collect somewhere down the road,” Rick assured her.
“Yeah, I’ll bet…” Midnight said, trailing off as she saw Randy walk off the elevators with Sarah Dickerson trailing behind her.
Rick followed her line of sight. “What’s she doing here?” he asked, mildly interested. He had come to find out what had been going on between Joe and Randy, by way of the rumor mill. Joe and he weren’t back on friendly terms as of yet.
“Don’t know,” Midnight said. “But I guess I’m about to find out,” she added, as Randy headed for her office.
Randy walked up to Rick, smiling at him. Rick nodded politely, then walked away. Randy didn’t seem affected by his curt acknowledgement. She looked different, Midnight realized, as Randy stood at the door to her office. Midnight didn’t smile, her face unreadable as she nodded to the chairs in front of her desk.
“Yes?” Midnight asked finally.
“I wanted to talk to you,” Randy said.
“And you needed backup?” Midnight’s eyes flicked to Sarah, disliking her on sight.
“No, Sarah’s just here because we were out at the academy and we got done early,” Randy explained, irritated that Midnight would think she needed someone to back her up when they talked.
Midnight nodded, not saying anything. She leaned back in her chair, looking from Sarah to Randy. “So talk,” she prompted.
“I heard that Joe was involved in an accident up in Sacramento,” Randy said, trying to keep her concern for him out of her voice.
Midnight nodded.
“Is he okay?” Randy asked, hating that she had to ask. But Midnight didn’t seem forthcoming with any details, and the only thing she had heard was that a San Diego PD sergeant on assignment in Sacramento had been involved in an accident.
“He’s fine,” Midnight replied simply.
“Fine?” Randy countered, growing impatient. “That’s all you’re going to tell me?”
Midnight looked at Randy for a long moment, her eyes cool. “Well, I’m sure that if your husband felt that you gave a damn and knew where to contact you between parties, he would have called you.” Midnight had heard more than she had let on to Joe, and the knowledge fueled her anger now.
“What fucking business is it of yours what Randy does?” Sarah put in accusingly.
Midnight looked at Sarah as if she had just noticed her. “And who the fuck are you?” she asked, her voice low.
“I’m Randy’s friend, which is more than I can say for any of you people.” Sarah’s gesture took in the office outside.
“And how would you know?” Midnight asked, her voice still calm, but her eyes burning.
“I know more than you think,” Sarah said, her face beaming confidence.
Midnight looked at the woman for a long moment, and then in a very controlled and businesslike voice, she said, “Obviously not, recruit. I happen to be a commanding officer in this department, and the current direction of your attitude is not only considered gross insubordination, but it’ll also get you thrown out of the academy on your ass, if I want to do it.” Midnight’s voice was low, but the threat she made was very real. Sarah stared back at her as if not realizing who she had been talking to. Obviously she had forgotten her current position versus Midnight’s rank. She closed her mouth, not willing to challenge Midnight’s authority any further.
Midnight looked at Randy. The girl seemed a lot less confident now that her friend had been taken down a few pegs. In truth, she wished she had listened to Sarah when she had told her not to go to Midnight for the information about Joe.
“Now,” Midnight said, her voice changing again, as if to punctuate who really had the upper hand here, her gaze steady on Randy’s face. “If you want to know about your husband, I believe you have his cell number, and he currently has it on. Feel free to utilize it.” With that, Midnight stood, a signal for Randy and Sarah to go.
Randy and Sarah did leave then. Once out in the car, Randy exploded. “How fucking dare she!” she yelled. “Tell me to text him, like I’m still his secretary.”
“She is an A-number-one bitch, isn’t she?” Sarah said, feeling very defensive after the verbal beating she had taken from Midnight.
Randy looked at her friend. “Yeah, except she was right. We shouldn’t have gone to her office.”
“Well, you know it’s a gray area there,” Sarah said, trying to rally her friend. “I mean, your husband works there, and you don’t anymore.”
“But Midnight is a lieutenant,” Randy replied, realizing slowly that she was definitely on her own now. Midnight had sided with Joe—not that she would have expected anything else, but Randy knew she was alone now. The thought scared her a little bit.
She was living at Sarah’s apartment now, helping with the rent. She still had her credit cards that Joe had given her, but she hesitated using them, except when Sarah talked her into it to buy some things for the apartment and to run a tab at the bar that they frequented very often now. Randy reflected on the change in her life, and in a way she liked the freedom from Joe’s ever-watchful eye, which she had convinced herself had been stifling. But there were times when she missed knowing that if something bad happened, she could always turn to Joe. She had reasoned herself out of that worry by asking herself, “What could happen?”
Randy had seen Darrell since getting into the academy. He wasn’t aware of her and Joe’s split, and she was shocked when he told her he thought she was an idiot.
“Because of the money, right?” Randy had said. “Well, I’ll get some of it when the split is formal.”
Darrell had taken a long, hard look at her. “Are you saying you’re going to divorce him?”
Randy stared back at her brother, never really thinking about it that way. The truth was, the idea of divorce was too final for her. She’d just gone along thinking that she’d go her own way, and when she knew what she wanted, she would do something more permanent. “I don’t know,” she said after a few minutes, shrugging. “Anything’s possible.” She sounded far more confident than she felt.
“Well, if you divorce him, you’re even dumber than I thought,” Darrell said, surprising Randy.
“What do you mean?” she asked, her eyes wide. “You want me to stay with him?”
Darrell nodded.
“You were the one that hated him—you tried to talk me out of marrying him!”
“That’s when I thought he wasn’t good for
you.”
“Oh, and now he is?” Randy said, angry and hurt that her brother wasn’t supporting her. “You think he’s so great? Well, if you knew what’s been going on, you wouldn’t think so anymore.”
“What’s been going on?” Darrell asked mildly.
“He’s screwing around!” Randy said, sounding desperate to convince Darrell and herself that Joe was no good.
Darrell looked at her for a long minute, then said, “I don’t believe it.”
“What!” Randy all but screamed at him. “You don’t believe it, or you don’t believe me?” Her voice teetered on the edge of hysteria. Who else did she have if her own brother didn’t support her?
“Believe who, about what?” Donovan asked as he came into the kitchen where Darrell and Randy were talking. He walked over and hugged his older sister. Donovan was a very tall twenty years old, and he still idolized Joe, so Randy assumed she’d get no support there.
Darrell looked over at Donovan. “Randy thinks Joe’s cheating on her.”
Donovan looked from Darrell to Randy. “No way!”
Randy sighed, having guessed Donovan’s reaction. “Donovan Curtis, you wouldn’t believe that Joseph Michael Sinclair the Fourth wasn’t a fucking god if I told you it!” she said harshly. Donovan looked taken aback.
“Whoa, sis,” he said, holding up his hands. “What the hell are they teaching you at that academy? Must involve a lot of assertiveness training, huh?”
Randy shook her head, sitting down at the kitchen table.
Darrell knelt down next to her. “Randy, we don’t believe Joe would cheat on you because the guy loves you more than life.”
“Yeah,” Randy said quietly, “sure he does.” She sounded unconvinced.
Randy spent the next two weeks talking to Sarah and Dick about it. They both managed to convince her that her brothers didn’t know, that they had no idea how close Midnight and Joe were, that they didn’t see how Joe reacted every time Midnight had the slightest problem. Dick was talking to her one night when Sarah was out. They were sitting on the couch in the apartment.
“I know it’s hard to think about, Randy,” Dick said softly, his hand touching hers, “but wouldn’t you rather be on your guard against him breaking your heart?” He squeezed her hand. “I don’t want to see that happen to you.”
Randy looked up at Dick. She had become very close to him and his sister, out of necessity. Dick’s brown eyes were warm and friendly, and she was so grateful to him for trying to keep her from letting Joe walk all over her. Every time she tried to make excuses for something else that Joe had done in recent months, Dick was there to support her side of it. When she talked about Joe’s vehemence about her not being a cop, Dick was there to tell her she deserved to be able to do whatever she wanted in life, and that if Joe really loved her he had to love all of her, regardless of what he thought she had done wrong. Hadn’t Joe made his mistakes? Randy had confided in both Dick and Sarah, telling them things she had never shared with anyone else. She had even admitted to them that she and Joe had made love the day she’d gone over to get her clothes. Dick had seemed angry. He told her that Joe was just taking advantage of her and that he wanted to confront the guy and beat his face in for her. Randy had told him that she didn’t want him to do that, and Dick had gotten the distinct impression that she wasn’t trying to protect Joe from harm.
Now, as they sat on the couch, Randy felt very comfortable. Of course, she had a few shots of Southern Comfort in her that Dick had offered her. She leaned back and was surprised to feel Dick’s arm behind her neck. She looked up at him, and he smiled, almost shyly, as if she had caught him at something. Randy laughed, thinking of the drive-in scene from Grease.
“You’re not going to give me your class ring, are you?” she asked, a little bit tipsy but happy to be laughing again.
“I don’t think I have it on me,” Dick replied, patting his pockets.
Randy snapped her fingers. “Darn!” she said, smiling up at him.
Dick looked down at her, lying against his arm, and he moved his face down to hers almost timidly. The tentative touch of his lips on hers surprised her, and Randy felt his hand tighten on his shoulder. She kissed him back, her head feeling a little light from the alcohol. Within a few minutes, he had laid her back, her head resting on the arm of the couch, his body covering hers, as their kisses turned more passionate.
Randy made herself concentrate on kissing Dick, even though her mind was screaming at her that she was cheating on Joe now. He did it first, she thought angrily as she reached up to pull Dick’s body even closer to hers.
They made love that evening, and afterwards he kissed the back of her neck tenderly as he fell asleep, holding her from behind. They lay on their sides on the couch, with her in front of him. Randy fell asleep eventually, with tears on her cheeks.
****
Midnight got wind just over a week later that Dick Dickerson and Randy were “together” now, and she knew when she took one look at Dickerson the day she showed up at the academy to talk to the class that he and Randy were sleeping together. Dickerson gave her a smug look, knowing that she and Joe were partners, then turned and winked at Randy. Dick Dickerson, as one of the members of the vice squad, had also been asked to talk to the academy. It had just so happened that he was there the same day as Midnight.
Midnight felt the anger boiling in her blood—she almost couldn’t see straight. She glanced at Randy and was surprised when the younger woman returned her look with an openly hostile one.
Midnight told the class about FORS and what they did. She explained the methods they utilized were more often than not ad lib, not by any books. At the end of the discussion, Midnight asked if there were any questions.
One young man raised his hand, looking very taken with the lieutenant. “Yes?” Midnight asked, pointing to him.
“Are there any specific areas we should concentrate our efforts in if we want to make it onto your team?” It was obvious to everyone that the young man wanted to get on her team for a reason, as they all laughed. Randy, Midnight noticed, looked disgusted. She looked right at her as she answered the question.
“Yes,” she said, “you want to perfect your hand-to-hand combat skills—they come in very handy in a gang fight. And sometimes that’s the only way to take these people down.”
“I’ll bet those skills get a bit rusty after a lot of disuse,” Sarah put in, a challenge in her eyes.
Randy seconded the comment. “Especially after sitting at a desk for a long time, some skills must get harder to use.” Her eyes danced with the anger and distaste she apparently had for Midnight now.
Midnight seemed to consider the comment, then looked straight at Randy. “You wanna try me?” she said, her voice cool. The challenge was received by the class as they clapped; they had no idea what was really going on. They thought it would just be a practical exercise.
The group moved to the gymnasium. Randy was looking pretty sure of herself, and Sarah had been talking to her since they left the classroom. Midnight stood alone on the mats, wearing her usual attire of jean, boots, and cotton shirt. She had changed nothing, just removed her weapon from the small of her back and handed it to one of the instructors.
“Anytime,” Midnight said.
Randy strode to the mat and faced Midnight. Midnight looked at the class standing watching them. “In FORS, most of your one-on-one confrontations with gang members will take place between you and the leader. The attack will come from head on.” She looked at Randy. “Charge me, and try any kind of punch you think you can handle.” Her voice was low, but she still spoke instructively.
Randy hesitated, then ran at Midnight, surprising the leader of FORS with an uppercut that caught Midnight on the left side of her jaw. But to Randy’s surprise, Midnight didn’t even flinch. Instead, she grabbed Randy’s still-extended arm, stepping in toward Randy while moving to put her back to her. Midnight followed through by flipping her to the ground. Randy star
ed up at her, surprised at Midnight’s strength, having never had a physical confrontation with her before.
Midnight’s eyes were narrowed as she looked down at her partner’s wife. For show, Midnight extended her hand to Randy to help her up, as the rest of the class clapped. After a long moment, Randy decided she would look even worse if she didn’t accept Midnight’s assistance—after all, it was only supposed to be an exercise. When Randy was on her feet, with Midnight standing very close to her, she could almost feel the heat of Midnight’s anger on the side of her face as Midnight’s voice grated in her ears.
“You may be screwing my partner over,” Midnight said, her voice a harsh whisper, “but don’t ever fuck with me again, little girl.” Her emphasis was on the last two words, and Randy walked away feeling a cold knot of fear in her stomach.
Midnight turned to Sarah. “You wanna try me too?” Her voice was light, but the look in her eyes told Sarah she had every intention of completing this here or somewhere else. Sarah nodded, her ego making her brave. She outweighed Midnight by a good thirty pounds, and she was much stronger than Randy. Sarah stepped forward, her eyes on the leader of FORS.
“You may have gotten the better of Randy,” Sarah all but crowed, all puffed up with her own confidence, “but you’d better watch yourself with me, Lieutenant.” The class cheered again. Sarah had been their leader in hand-to-hand combat. Randy watched from the sidelines, not sure what she wanted to see. Part of her wanted to see Midnight taken down a few pegs, especially after what she had said to Randy, but another part of her wanted to be able to hold on to the image of Midnight being invincible.
Midnight did not counter Sarah’s words, not given to bragging before she beat an opponent. “Now, sometimes we have gang members catch us off guard, on things like a raid. So Sarah, I want you to come at me from behind.”
Sarah smiled even wider, knowing that with her extra weight plus the fact that she was at least four inches taller than Midnight, she would easily beat her, especially from behind. Midnight waited for Sarah to get into position. Without warning, the bigger woman brought her arms around Midnight, clamping down on her arms with surprising strength and lifting Midnight off her feet. Instead of struggling against the hold, as Sarah had expected her to do, Midnight waited until Sarah began lowering her to the ground. With a grunt of effort, Midnight brought a booted foot down and back, cracking Sarah in the shin and causing her to let go of Midnight to reach for her own leg. Midnight whirled around like lightning, bringing her knee up to just under Sarah’s chin. With extreme control born of experience, Midnight halted her knee’s progress, knowing that continuing the move would seriously injure the other woman.
Treachery Rising (MidKnight Blue Book 4) Page 2