“You have yet to fit me in, Counselor, but it’s gonna be soon.” I talk quietly so no one else can hear.
Her answer is a giggled whisper-hiss. “I can’t believe you just said that!”
“Oh yes you can.”
“Are you going to answer my question?”
“I thought I did.”
“Why are you sitting as far away from Cutter as you can get?”
“Oh that question.” I lean back slightly, putting my arm around her neck and stretching out my legs. “He’s very annoying today; he’s bitching about working extra shifts, and I didn’t want to hear it. I’m pulling overtime too. In fact, the other night when you saw me at the bar, I had just worked fifteen hours on. He’s not the only one, but you would think he was.”
The way Shelby snuggles in next to me brings a smile to my face, and does crazy things to my chest. There’s a warmth in there that I’ve never had. Even for women I’ve said I love you to.
“What if he’s having an off day? We’re all allowed, ya know?”
“You’re so nice to be playing devil’s advocate, but he does this shit all the time. He loves his job, but if it takes any of his and Ro’s time together he gets super salty.”
“I dunno.” She shrugs. “That’s kinda sweet.”
I make a noise in the back of my throat. “It is, but we all know what we sign up for when we take these jobs. It’s a lot of not being with our families when we want to be, and putting the good of the community in front of most things in our lives.”
“Do you see yourself ever not being a cop?”
“No, it’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted to be. Do you see me not being a cop?”
She shakes her head. “No.”
“Is that okay with you? If this turns into something long-term? Could you live with that, Shelby?”
My heart pounds in my chest as I wait for her answer. Me being a cop has been a problem in more than one relationship I’ve tried to have. This one though? This one means more to me than any other one I’ve had. It feels like a lifetime before she answers.
Turning toward me, she leans in, her voice soft. “To be with you, I’ll learn to live with it.”
We might be in public, but I can’t hold back. My hand cups her neck before delving up into her hair, tilting her face to give me room to take her lips. This isn’t an easy kiss, it’s a brand, a possession, letting anyone who may not know, this woman is mine. For long minutes, we get lost in one another, until I pull back, resting my forehead against hers.
“If you two are done, we can get our meeting started.”
The room makes a ton of noise after Menace speaks. Hooting and hollering, making kissing sounds. Shelby buries her head in my neck.
I clear my throat. “Please, go ahead.”
“Thanks for your permission.”
“You’re welcome.” I grin.
He rolls his eyes, but I can see the smile playing at the corners of his lips. “Now that we’ve got the okay to get started, I wanna thank you all for being here today. We’re here to talk about the fundraiser, so I’m gonna turn the floor over to Whitney.”
I can hear Renegade whistle loudly for his wife.
“Thank you.” She gives him a huge smile. “What we’re going to do is a bachelorette and a bachelor auction. Sullivan,”,” - she looks over at me - “when we were first talking about this, we didn’t know the two of you apparently have a thing, so both of you are going to have to participate.”
“Anything for the LSERT,” I shout.
“Thank you! Plan on having the auction three weeks from today. We’ll be doing it at the Laurel Springs Country Club. Thank you, Blaze, for getting us in.”
“No problem, it pisses my mom off, so it’s a win/win.”
Whitney chooses to ignore what Blaze said. “You’ll all need to be there an hour before doors open. I’m giving your supervisors the schedule. They’ve all agreed to let you off for the night. Does anyone have any questions?”
“What’s our goal?” someone asks from the back of the room.
“As much money as we can,” she answers. “We need some new water rescue equipment, and before we know it hurricane season will be here. As much as we can bank, we need to.”
“Well,” - Devante steps forward - “y’all can guarantee I’ll be getting the most money.”
“Ummm, excuse you,” a girl standing beside Karsyn says. “I’m new to town, I’ll get more money. I have the air of mystery around me.”
They get into a small one-up match, before I turn to Shelby. “Who is that?”
“She’s a new nurse at the hospital. Her name is Alisa. I’m not sure where she’s from, but her and Stella know one another. She was at our last girls night out. She seems nice.”
“Seems that lots of people are moving to Laurel Springs.”
“We should know,” she laughs. “We’re new here too.”
But it doesn’t feel like it. If I’m being honest, Laurel Springs feels more like home than Paradise Lost ever did.
I can see myself staying here for the rest of my life, and I admit for the first time I can see Shelby being right by my side.
Chapter 21
Shelby
“No, no, no,” I shout as my copier eats the paper I’m trying to copy. “Son of a bitch.” I brought it from Houston, and it was on its last leg then. “I just need you to last a few more weeks,” I beg it. In two weeks I’ll be going to the Laurel Springs PD to write out wills for any of the officers who don’t have one yet.
“Is everything okay in here?”
“I didn’t even hear you come in,” I tell Stella as I beat on the side of the damn machine.
“You were too busy yelling at the copier.”
“It’s lucky I don’t throw it out the window,” I groan. “What do you need?”
She has a seat on the couch in my office. “We’re having a girls night out. Come join us, we’ve all had a shitty week.”
“I am so there,” I groan again when the copier eats the paper. “Fuck this thing, when are we leaving?”
“Right now.” She laughs as I slam the top down.
“Let’s go.” I walk around my desk, grab my purse out of it, and turn the open sign to closed. “Who all’s coming?” I ask as we walk to the local Mexican food restaurant.
“I’m not completely sure, but there’s definitely a group.”
There usually is when we all get together. I’m so grateful to have met this group of people when I moved here. They took me in, and have been steadfast friends from the first day. Stella and I enter the restaurant and we immediately see our group. They’re seated in the middle, already with chips, salsa, and margaritas on the table. They wave us over, and I go like I have a fire under my ass.
“What can I get for you?” the waiter asks as I take off my suit coat, hanging it on my chair.
“Queso and a strawberry margarita.”
“Frozen or on the rocks.”
“What the hell, give me frozen today. I’m gonna live a little.”
Karsyn laughs. “Bring us a round of shots. If we’re gonna live a little, we need to really do it.”
“Something tells me we’re going to need some designated drivers.”
Stella takes a sip of her margarita. “Well since most of us know a police officer, I think we’re good to go.”
“If I call Tucker, telling him I need a ride home, I’m gonna never hear the end of it,” Karsyn groans.
“Offer to blow him on the ride home,” Stella says with a dead ass straight face. “Works every time.”
“Oh my God,” Karsyn laughs. “Is that what you do with Ransom?”
She grins. “I’m not one to brag, but it’s never failed me yet.”
“Have you done it in his patrol SUV?” I ask as the waiter puts my queso and margarita in front of me.
Everyone stares. “What? It’s a question I have.”
“It’s a question I have too,” Kels pipes up from where she sits.
Stella smirks, her eyes twinkling. “I may have.”
“You either have or you haven’t.” I pressure her, grabbing a chip and dunking it into my cheese. “There’s no may or may not. You started this discussion. Finish it.”
“Okay.” She takes a fortifying drink. “I have done it to him in his patrol SUV.”
“Was he on patrol?”
“He was on a break, thank you very much.”
“When?” Kelsea leans forward.
Everyone looks at her.
“What? I’m taking notes. It’s hard to get time alone with two kids in the house, okay?”
Stella rolls her eyes upward. “It was when Keegan was a toddler. I’d taken him over to Mom and Dad’s. I lied to them and said I had a couple of appointments, and they were going to keep him overnight anyway. Instead I went home and took a like four-hour nap. Ladies, I was rested up and ready to go.”
“You look so excited about it, even now,” I laugh.
“Because it had been months y’all, months. We’d been on separate shifts and even when we were home together both of us were so tired because of chasing after Keegan.” She has a smile on her face. “Let’s just say it was a good night.”
We all giggle as she flushes read.
“What was so good about it?” Alisa asks. “Remember I’m new here. I haven’t had a date since I moved.”
Stella takes a fortifying drink of her margarita, and just as she’s about to launch into what she and Ransom did, our waiter comes back to get our orders.
He goes around the table, flirting with all of us, making us all laugh and blush.
“Do you ladies need another round?”
“Yes!” Stella yells. “We definitely need another round.”
“You’re not getting away with not telling us your story,” Ruby reminds Stella.
When the new margarita is placed in front of her, Stella takes another drink, waiting for the rest of us to get ours. After the waiter leaves, we all lean in, waiting for Stella to tell us her story.
“Okay, so,” she starts. “I’d taken my nap, and then I got up, shaved everything and did my hair, my makeup, and put on a sexy dress. It had a slit, and it was very low cut. I even put on some boots. I was ready.”
“Over the knee boots?” Karsyn asks. “Like the type you could keep on during?”
“Yes, girl,” she answers. “I’d made him lunch that night, so I asked dispatch to let me know when and where he took it, so that I could surprise him. Ransom is a man of habit. There’s only a few places he takes lunch when it’s not The Café. I was parked basically in the middle of all of them when dispatch called to let me know where he was.”
She stops as our food is dropped off, and then we’re all waiting for the rest of the story.
“How did he react?” Kels asks.
“When I pulled up, you could tell he was surprised. He had this cute little grin on his face, happy to see me during his shift. I walked over to the SUV, opened the door, and told him he probably wanted to secure his gun because I wanted him to the fuck me.”
“Oh my God,” Alissa giggles.
“If any of you ask me about this later, I’m going to blame it on the margaritas and say you’re cray, cray.”
“Understood,” Ruby says. “But you’ve gotta finish this story.”
“He looked like he was about to stroke out, but when I grabbed him over his pants, he got with the program. He unholstered his gun and secured it, before getting out of the SUV and pressing me up against the back door.”
“Tell me you wrapped your legs around his waist with those fuck me boots you had on.” Alissa grins.
“Girl, you know I did,” she laughs. I wasn’t sure how we were going to do it, but he pulled me into the driver’s seat and pushed it back as far as Rambo’s cage would let it go.”
“Oh my God, what did Rambo do?”
I’m not sure who asks that question, but it’s one I have too. “Yesss...” I giggle as I take a drink.
“Y’all Rambo is used to us; he sat back there and slept. The entire time I was riding my husband,” she laughs.
“How exciting was it?” Karsyn leans on her elbow.
“Legit one of the best times I’ve ever had. If you all can convince your men to go at it in a police cruiser, it’s so worth it.”
“Well first some of us have to get police boyfriends,” Alissa reminds.
“I’m sure someone else besides Sully will move here soon.” Ruby holds her glass up.
“Yes, let’s toast on that.” Alissa puts her glass up to everyone else’s.
Hours later we’re closing the place down.
“We shouldn’t drive home.” Ruby giggles as she leans into me. “You think someone we know will come pick us up?”
I laugh along with her. “Hopefully Sully won’t mind.”
“Oh, I know my husband won’t mind,” Ruby snorts.
We’re all standing outside the restaurant when numerous Laurel Springs PD cars pull up. Stella puts her arm on my shoulder. “We didn’t even call them yet.”
Sully and Ransom get out next to each other. “Y’all didn’t have to.” Sully grins, shaking his head as he looks at me. “Management placed a call to dispatch, asking us to come get the loud ladies closing the place down.”
“Hector!” I yell at the manager. “How dare you rat us out?”
“I gotta go home,” he argues. “I didn’t feel safe knowing you all didn’t have a ride.”
“We gave you a great tip.”
“And I’m thankful, but I won’t have you ladies getting hurt on my watch.”
“Thank you, Hector.” Sully puts his arm around my waist. “We appreciate you, even if they don’t.”
“Traitor,” I hiss to Hector.
“You’ll still be back in here three weeks from now. I’m not worried.”
“He’s got your number.” Nick goes over to retrieve his wife. “C’mon, let’s get y’all home.”
Little by little, the guys separate us into groups that they can take along their route. But we keep saying goodbye to each other, until a few of us are put in the back of the patrol cars.
“I can’t believe you put me in the back of a patrol car, Caleb!” Ruby yells at her husband.
“You’re lucky I don’t take you in for being drunk in public.”
“I’d like to see you try.”
He laughs. “I’ll see y’all later.”
“C’mon, Counselor, let’s get you home.”
Trusting this man is the easiest thing I’ve ever done. Putting my hand in his, I grasp our fingers together. “Let’s go.”
Chapter 22
Sullivan
“Domestic at thirty-five sixteen Laurel Court.”
I groan when dispatch comes over the radio with the address. Third time in the past month we’ve been called to this place.
“Neighbors are calling saying white male with no shirt on and a pair of jeans is beating a white woman in the front yard of the home. They’ve tried to intervene, but he’s got a knife.”
Immediately my adrenaline surges. The man at this home has been escalating, and I’m honestly surprised it’s taken him this long.
“Show me as responding,” I radio in.
“Me too.” Nick’s voice on the other end gives me a glimmer of hope. We’re both big guys and possibly together we can take him down.
Flipping on my lights and sirens, I press the pedal on my Charger, feeling it respond underneath me. It doesn’t have the same loud motor my Mustang does, but it has a lot of get up and go. While a huge part of me wants to race through the streets going as fast as I can, another part knows I have to be as safe as possible.
But what if I get there too late?
What if I don’t get there at all?
These are the questions always tumbling through my mind when we have calls like this.
“Get the hell outta the way.” I get in behind a truck, who must be out for a nice evening drive,
because he’s going all of thirty miles an hour, and can’t seem to move out of my lane.
When I finally pass it, I glance over, giving a side-eye, only to see Mr. Honeycutt. He turned ninety-five last week. What the fuck is he still doing driving? I make a mental note to check on his license, before speeding up, hoping to get to my destination as soon as possible.
Rounding a curve, I spot Laurel Court. I’ve been here enough times since I came to town, I could get here in my damn sleep.
Fucking finally.
Flipping my eyes to my rearview, I see Nick in behind me.
Thank God I won’t be dealing with this call on my own. We pull up right beside one another, getting out at almost the exact same time. There’s a crowd gathered, and I’m almost scared to see what they’re looking at.
Frank Gentry beating the holy hell out of his wife. She’s curled up in a ball, her arms around her head trying to deflect the blows.
“Frank, get your hands up!”
Nick yells, pulling for his gun, squaring it on the man in front of us.
“Fuck you!” he fires back.
“I will tase you.” I grab my taser out of its holster. “Get back from her now.”
“Good luck, cocksucker,” he spits in my direction.
I don’t even think about it; I deploy the taser, watching as he drops to the ground. Nick and I are on him immediately, getting his hands behind his back. “I’ve got him.” Nick hauls him off the ground, making sure not to do it easily. Neither one of us have any love for men who use their fists on their wives. “You get her.”
As I rush off to check on Montana Gentry, I hear Nick reading her husband his rights.
“Montana.” I drop to my knees, not knowing where to touch her, there’s so much blood. “Let me know you’re still alive,” I beg her.
Reaching into my back pocket, I grab out a pair of rubber gloves, before keying the mic.
“Dispatch, make sure we have EMTs in route.”
“They should be there ASAP.”
ASAP isn’t soon enough. Pulling the rubber gloves on, I do my best to perform a cursory examination. She moans pitifully when I check to see if he hurt her with a weapon.
Sullivan (Laurel Springs Emergency Response Team Book 5) Page 12