“I asked if it’d be okay if we came in to talk, and he said okay. The minute one of our team stepped through the door, he shot the little girl in the back of the head,” he gasped. “I watched it from the stupid fucking tent they put me under. And I heard the little girl’s last death rattle from the phone falling on the floor after Michael shot the father.”
I squeezed Downy’s neck tighter, pressing my body against his for support.
“I’m sorry, Downy,” I cried softly against his neck.
He shrugged. “Nothing you can do, honey. I was just not ready to talk these last couple of days. I needed a break. Not from you, but from my life. That’s why I had the week off. That’s also why I worked on my house. I needed something to occupy my mind, but not keep me from thinking about the things I needed to think about.”
I sighed and leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek.
“It’s okay, Downy. Just let me know when you need a break.” I ran the tips of my fingers along his beard. “I’ll leave you alone whenever you need it, you know.”
He pulled me forward before I could retreat all the way to the bathroom, grabbing me by the back of the thigh and pulling me forward.
When I was close enough, his free hand moved up to cup my lower back, splaying from nearly hip to hip from thumb to pinky. “I’ll try not to check out again. Or let you know if I need to.”
I leaned into him, letting my bare breasts brush his chest as I said, “I like the wing tattoos.”
Big and beautiful wings spread out across his back as if they were open for flight. They were white with a shade of gold overlaying the tips. It spanned from shoulder to shoulder, all the way down to mid-back.
He smiled. “That’s good, ‘cause they’re permanent, and I couldn’t make them disappear even if I tried.”
Chapter 17
Yes ma’am is always the answer, no matter what she asks you. Do you want to go to the store with me? You answer with, yes ma’am. Do you want to cook dinner? Again, the answer is, yes ma’am. What ‘yes ma’am’ is not the answer to is ‘can I be in control?’ Because a woman doesn’t want a man that’s a little bitch. She wants a man that can show her the world. That can give her everything she needs with just one flick of his tongue or thrust of his cock.
-Rules to live by according to Lachlan Downy
Downy
“Alright, gentlemen. This was your final hour of hostage negotiation. How does it feel to be done?” Rod Moore, the head negotiator for the Boston Police Department Hostage Negotiation Team, asked.
There were a few, “Thank Gods,” uttered throughout the room, and I couldn’t help but agree.
When I’d said that I would do hostage negotiation, I’d never intended to like it, let alone take all four levels that there were to take.
In fact, I’d had a lot of fun, and it was nice to meet more people who had the same mindset as I did.
Rod Moore was a hoot, too.
It was just a bonus that the classes were taking place in Longview, a thirty-minute drive from Kilgore.
The rest of the attendees were from all over the United States. The farthest one away being from Baltimore, Maryland.
As I powered up my phone, the first call I saw that I missed was from the Chief.
Fearing another dog attack, I called him back first, even though I saw three missed calls from not just Memphis, but my mother as well.
“Rhodes,” the Chief muttered darkly.
“It’s Downy. Did you need me?” I asked without preamble.
He grunted. “There’s been another dog attack. This one involving a small child.”
I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose.
“Fuck,” I growled. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
Thirty-five minutes, and nearly two tickets later, I pulled into the parking lot of the police station.
I would’ve walked straight to the Chief’s office, but he must’ve been waiting for me the entire time, because he walked straight up to my car before I was even able to get out.
“I need you to run a press conference,” the Chief said tiredly. “They need your easy-going manner, as well as your expertise on the case.”
I just stared at him blankly. “You want me to be the spokesman for the police department?”
He nodded and tossed me a list of words on a paper. “What’s this?”
“A list of approved things you can say. And a list of things you can’t say,” he explained slowly.
I just shook my head. “When do I have to do it?”
He looked at his watch and then grimaced. “Now.”
My jaw dropped. “You’ve got to be shitting me.”
He shook his head. “No. They’ve been here all day long waiting for some news on the case. I’ve delayed until the last possible moment while waiting for you.”
So that was how I ended up giving my first press conference to the Kilgore Times and three television news stations.
I looked out over the crowd in sort of a daze.
I’d never really had that kind of attention before.
The lights were extremely bright from the cameras, and the fact that I wanted to smack the closest man who kept putting his microphone practically in my mouth wasn’t helping.
“Is there anything you’d like to tell us about this case you’re working on?” Maggs Monroe, the reporter for MKKC news station, asked.
I gave the microphone she’d shoved at me an annoyed glance and shook my head. “At this time, there isn’t much we can give you. The Kilgore Police Department is currently working on two cases that may be related, but that’s all we have for now.”
“Is it true that dogs are being stolen as bait dogs?” one reporter asked from the back.
I waved my hand in the air as if to clear it. “No. Not that we’re aware of. We have had reports of missing animals, but they were mostly from the humane society in town.”
I should’ve known saying ‘mostly’ would turn heads. Fuck, but I knew better!
They latched onto the word and started hammering me, one after the other, with question after question.
I was surprisingly not overwhelmed, though.
I answered each question to the best of my ability, or what I was allowed to say since a lot of it was still under investigation, and made it through thirty long, exhausting minutes of questions before the Chief shut it down.
At no point did I feel out of control, and that was why, at the end of the conference, Chief Rhodes offered me the permanent role of ‘public spokesperson’ for the KPD.
“You’re joking,” I deadpanned.
He shook his head. “Not in the least. You answered each question they had with ease, and not once did I see you lose your temper over their stupid questions. You’re the kind of person I’ve been needing for a very long time. I just wish I’d realized it sooner.”
I just shook my head. “Well, on that note, I have a hot date with my girl.”
***
Memphis
I stopped what I was doing, which was walking down the middle of Main Street, and stared at the TV.
That was because my man, one who was supposed to be picking me up in less than thirty minutes for our first official date, was on TV answering questions about another dog victim case.
I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but I could read the banner at the bottom of the screen, and what I read wasn’t a good thing.
My heart was frozen in shock, not just at seeing Downy on the TV, but at seeing that there was another victim to the heinous attacks going on around the city.
“What the hell?” I asked the empty sidewalk.
He answered the questions effortlessly, smooth and steady as he volleyed back responses to the reporters’ questions.
That must’ve been why he hadn’t called me on his way home from the conference.
In the two weeks we’d been back home from my father’s rally, we’d
made good headway in our relationship.
He was being much more open about what was going on in his life, and I was being much more understanding about his work and what his job entailed.
It’d taken a lot of growing on both of our parts, but mostly, for me, it was just getting used to how Downy did things.
I’d had two boyfriends in my life, both of which had lasted a year apiece.
I had limited experience when it came to men, especially ones of Downy’s caliber. A man… and not a boy.
Downy was very set in his ways, and he did things the way he wanted them done.
He left barely any leeway in how he did things and fitting me into his ‘plans’ was taking some doing on his part.
For instance, dinner tonight.
He just called and told me to be ready. There was no, ‘where do you want to go,’ or ‘is seven o’clock okay?’
It was all be there or be square.
“Oh, wow! That man’s a sexy beast,” a woman said from beside me.
I turned to eye the woman who was currently standing on the sidewalk behind me, and raised my eyebrow. “He’s taken.”
Her own brows rose in response.
“Yeah?” she asked. “By you?”
I nodded firmly. “Yes.”
She nodded back and said, “I’d claim him, too. Does he have any hot friends?”
I snorted. “You wouldn’t even begin to believe the ‘hot friends’ that he has. Words can’t really do them justice.”
She grinned. “The name’s Mercy Shepherd. I own this place,” she said, gesturing to the building that I was watching the TV at.
I looked up at the sign. “Second Chance?”
She shook her head. “It’s a place where veterans can come to find peace of mind, and work until they can find something more permanent. So they don’t have to worry how they’ll make their next house payment.”
I blinked and turned my head toward her. “Really? That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever heard.”
She nodded. “We do a lot of miscellaneous things. Clean houses, cook meals for the elderly, pet sit. It needs doing and they do it.”
I shook my head. “I have three people that I love with all of my heart, and each one of them were or currently are in the military. I think I love you.”
She laughed at my joke, but I was on the verge of being serious. I did think I loved her… or, at least, liked her whole lot.
“Have you been here long?” I asked, looking toward the TV just in time to see Downy waving goodbye and the news anchor taking over the screen.
Mercy shook her head. “Not at this specific location, per se. I’ve been doing this for a long time, though. Since I was sixteen and my brother killed himself.”
My heart sank. “Oh,” I whispered quietly. “I didn’t realize, I’m sorry.”
She waved her hand in the air in an ‘it’s okay’ gesture, smiling sadly. “It’s been a long time now. Nearly six years. But he was the reason for me starting this up, and he’ll be the reason I continue it for years to come.”
My phone rang, interrupting our conversation, and I smiled when I saw Downy’s scowling face pop up on the screen.
“Well, I have to go. I’m late for a date, but I’d love to get to know you. I’d love to volunteer,” I said, pulling out an old receipt from my purse and writing down my name and number. “Here’s my number. Would you like to go hang out at a firefighter and police block party this weekend with me?”
She beamed at me. “I’m already scheduled to be there. My daddy is the fire chief.”
My jaw dropped. “Holy cow! That’s awesome! Well, I’d love to see you there!”
Ten minutes later, I was walking into my apartment with a smile on my face, and a skip to my step.
“What’s up with that smile?” Downy drawled the moment he caught a look at my smiling face.
I showed him the card Mercy had given me as I left.
“Mercy Shepherd?” he clarified. “That’s the fire chief’s daughter.”
I nodded and walked to my bedroom, stripping off my shirt and replacing it with a blood-red button up.
I left my jeans in place. They were dark washed, and I hadn’t worn them for but three hours today, I didn’t see any point in changing them when they were my favorites.
Plus, Downy made it a point to compliment my ass each and every time I wore them.
Which was also why I’d ordered three more pairs in different washes.
“What’s that smile for?” Downy rumbled from directly behind me.
I smiled over my shoulder at him. “Seems that I’m now dating a TV star. I was just wondering what I should wear… you know, in case I was photographed while I was out with him.”
He shook his head and walked up behind me, pulling me into his chest.
I leaned back into him, turning my face up to bury in his neck.
“I’m still the same guy,” he teased.
I snorted. “You’ve already got one new fan in the fire chief’s daughter. It’s only a matter of time before the whole world knows you for the sexy beast that you really are.”
He squeezed me tightly before letting me go. “Hurry it up, sweet cheeks. We’ve got a date to get to.”
Chapter 18
Running drops pounds. Beards drop panties. Add those two together and that woman doesn’t stand a fuckin chance.
-Life lesson
Memphis
“What the hell was that?” I asked as Downy stopped me to let a young man cross in front of us first.
He shrugged. “He who has the biggest beard shall go first.”
I looked at him blankly for a few precious moments as my brain comprehended what had just come out of his mouth, shaking my head when I decided he’d been serious.
Barely suppressing the urge to laugh my ass off, we continued on, me in front of him. “So why did you let me go first?”
He didn’t answer for a few moments, instead doing something behind my back that I couldn’t see since it was so effin’ dark where he was taking me.
“Because I like to stare at your ass,” he admitted.
I snorted. “Of course you do.”
He chuckled darkly, the soft timbre dancing over my skin as he did.
“It’s those fucking jeans. They look like they’re painted on. I could literally stare at your ass for hours if you’d let me,” he answered honestly.
“Mommy, what’s an ass?” A little boy’s voice rose from the darkness beyond.
“Milton Donovan, we do not use that sort of crass language,” a mother’s annoyed voice snapped from the darkness.
“Maybe lunar golf wasn’t the best of ideas,” Downy said from his position at the next putting green.
I snorted. “You think?”
I was enjoying myself, however. Even though I couldn’t hit the hole from two inches away, let alone two feet. He was enjoying himself more than me, and I was enjoying myself watching him enjoy himself. It all worked out in the end. We were both happy with how the night had gone.
We started out at dinner. Then we’d gone to the home improvement store to pick out a gallon of paint to paint his bathroom in. I chose a blood-red color that nearly matched my shirt, and he’d gone along with it because I thought the color was so perfect for the Texas theme he had going on.
If left up to his own devices, he’d have chosen another brown color like the rest of the house.
“Goddammit, Mocha. Leave my balls alone,” Downy growled.
“Mommy, what are balls?” the boy asked loudly.
Downy choked and suppressed his urge to laugh while I didn’t even bother to hide it. There was no way to.
“I think we should go,” I said laughingly as we finished our final hole.
Mocha had evened out the playing field because she liked to chase Downy’s green ball better than my orange one. Therefore, each time Downy went to hit it, the ball wouldn’t even mak
e it three feet before she had a hold of it. It was a lovely handicap that made the game enjoyable instead of annoying.
I was a competitive person, and regardless of whether it was lunar mini golf or Monopoly, I wanted to win.
The last time I’d played Monopoly I’d ended up sweeping my arm across the table when Sean had put his fifth hotel on Park Avenue. Needless to say, it was ugly and nobody in my family would play with me anymore.
Downy and I gave our putters back and started the dark trek out of the mini-golf place in the mall slowly but surely.
Slowly, because Mocha kept having to stop and steal people’s balls like a ninja. Then we’d have to pry them out of her mouth and hand them back to the unsuspecting victims who thought it was hilarious.
“Shouldn’t she be on a leash?” I asked in concern.
“Probably. But she ate through her leash the moment we got in here.” Downy laughed.
“Oh,” I replied dumbly.
I hadn’t even realized.
He’d said something about her leash, but I’d been too busy concentrating on my putt to listen to him.
Oops.
“It’s just something about the leash. She hates it,” Downy sighed. “I haven’t gotten into trouble with it yet, but it’s only a matter of time. Being a cop doesn’t give me the right to blatantly break the law, and that’s exactly what I do when she’s not on a leash.”
He held the door open to the lunar golf place, and we started walking down the aisle toward the food court, and beyond it to the parking lot and Downy’s truck.
“Peter has a metal leash,” I offered. “He hasn’t used it since he’s learned to walk without pulling me along for the ride. You’re welcome to it.”
He took my hand, and we weaved through a shit load of cars to the very back of the lot.
It’d been the only parking available at the time, and still looked to be, even with ten minutes until closing time.
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