To Protect & Serve

by V. K. Powell

  “Morgan, stop. He’s trying to bait you.”

  Davis’s bulging eyes changed from mocking to defiant. “Did you see that? She tried to kill me.”

  “I didn’t see anything, asshole.” Steve put his arm around Keri’s shoulder and eased her into a chair. “And by the way, all deals are off the table. You’ll be charged with the original drug offenses and several counts of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.” He opened the door and motioned a uniform into the room, instructing. “Go ahead and process him for us, heavy on the bond. We’ve got all we need tonight.”

  Keri stared unfocused at her hands. After a long pause, she said, “I don’t know what came over me. I wanted to kill him with my bare hands. I’ve never lost control like that before.”

  “But you didn’t touch him. You stopped. We all lose our cool from time to time. You had to stop me from doing the same thing earlier. It happens.”

  The words registered slowly. “Thanks, Steve, you’re a good partner and friend. I’d like to go home now. Please.”

  “Sorry, partner, no can do.”

  “What do you mean? I’m exhausted and my head is pounding like a bass drum.”

  “Have you forgotten my promise to Sergeant Price? I told her I’d take care of you. I don’t want that woman on my case. I’m taking you home with me for observation. Cindy won’t mind.”

  “I’m fine, really. My dad will be worried sick.”

  “I’ll call and let him know you’ll be staying with me and my wife tonight. He wouldn’t want you to drive all the way out there at this hour anyway.”

  “Okay, you win.” But her heart wasn’t in it. What she really wanted was to find Alex, talk to her, hold her. Where was she?

  Keri felt like weeping. Alex’s mood shifts made no sense to her, least of all now. She felt a fresh wave of anger consume her, but this was deeper than her outrage at Davis. This was personal and almost debilitating. The case was over. She couldn’t understand why Alex would abandon her now.

  *

  Alex drove for hours, replaying the horror of seeing Keri unconscious and bloody. When she finally stopped it was dawn and she was at the cemetery. Her parents’ shiny granite headstone caught the early light and cast her reflection back at her. She looked tired, her hair wild and windblown. She dropped to her knees, rubbed her hands across the smooth surface of her parents’ grave marker, and remembered her childhood and their life together. Burying another loved one was not something she ever wanted to experience again.

  There had been no doubt that her parents loved each other and her. Every decision was made jointly. Vacation time was a family affair. Each meal was for talking and sharing with each other. Problems were merely opportunities in disguise. Alex had been trained to seize those opportunities and turn them into advantages. She was taught that personal character and integrity were more important than money, and love trumped everything. Had fifteen years with the department so colored her thinking that she’d forgotten those valuable lessons?

  No doubt being a cop was dangerous. It came with the territory. But that worst-case-scenario thinking that went with the job bled over into her personal life. She was always looking for what could go wrong and how quickly, never for the positive side of a situation. No wonder her relationships failed. Girlfriends expected her to come home, leave the job at the door, and become a loving, sharing, and fully engaged partner. Instead she’d learned to compartmentalize her feelings about the everyday atrocities she saw at work and she’d built a containment wall around her heart to keep out the pain. But that method of self-preservation had also kept her separate from feelings of joy, intimacy, love, and true sharing. Alex had allowed pride in her work to become her fulfillment. She’d even come to believe there was something missing inside her—the capacity to connect fully and love completely. She hadn’t thought herself capable of such feelings, until Keri Morgan proved her wrong.

  This courageous woman had reached in and untangled her twisted thinking. Keri had made her look at the fuzzy logic she’d always applied to her life. She’d demonstrated how easily one heart connects with another if it’s allowed. Her complete honesty and vulnerability had broken down Alex’s defensive barriers. It was those qualities and her seemingly inexhaustible capacity for love that Alex adored.

  She thought of that as she knelt at her parents’ graves. Keri had not been killed or even seriously injured. She had survived and Alex had been given another chance—a chance to get it right. Her heart filled with uncontrollable love and an urgency to tell Keri her feelings. She recalled her father’s one wish for her: to be happy. Everything else would follow, he always said. She hoped he was right because she refused to let another day go by without the woman she loved at her side.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Keri wasn’t sure which caused more frustration, the concussion from last week or trying to decide what to wear to the celebration dinner. She pondered her choices, transfixed by her naked reflection in the full-length mirror. Five outfits lay strewn around her bedroom. She’d ruled out a dress as too formal. Beth said to be casual. She finally decided to keep it simple with a pair of black pants and a red top. Her goal was to be well-dressed but not overdressed.

  Bruises on Keri’s cheeks and arms from the arrest of Sonny Davis had almost completely vanished. Her brilliant blue eyes had regained their luster after some much-needed rest, and the recurring headaches had disappeared. Nightmares occasionally haunted her attempts at sleep, but she had the consolation of knowing Sonny Davis would never touch anyone she loved again.

  Every day of her recuperation, Alex had called to check on her. She visited a couple of times and officially met her parents and brother. If either of them thought it strange that her lieutenant was taking such an interest in her recovery, they never mentioned it. Not once during that time did Keri and Alex discuss anything personal. But it felt personal. Alex was attentive and nurturing in a way Keri had never seen. Still, the things that weren’t said hung heavily between them.

  Keri appraised her body as she prepared for the final meal before the guys all returned to their respective assignments. She stroked her naturally curly hair, which managed to bend and curve in the directions she wanted for a change. She applied an ample supply of mousse and fashioned her hair into a wet look, but even those attempts to conceal the prematurely gray strands that emerged and exposed themselves proved useless.

  With a scrutinizing eye she examined her body, almost perfect, except for a small roll of baby fat around the waist. The areola surrounding her nipples appeared milk chocolate and deepened to dark when aroused. Stroking taut abdominal muscles, she allowed her fingers to follow a natural path to the soft triangle between her legs. An involuntary gasp escaped her as her fingers aroused her insatiable longing. Anyone would love to enjoy her sexually, but her needs went much deeper than sex.

  Visions of Alex at the lake crept into her mind. Holding Alex’s body close to her own and the undeniable heat brought Keri’s hand once again to her own aching flesh. The softness of Alex’s lips and the hunger of her smoldering kisses made Keri wet with the deepest desire she’d ever experienced.

  She slid her fingers inside the silky moisture and stroked her firm, demanding clit, then collapsed onto the bed. Her rubbing intensified as she replayed their kisses and lovemaking over and over and surrendered to the tantalizing ripples of pleasure emanating from her pelvis.

  Alex’s tongue darted in and out of her mouth and stroked from the inside secret places her fingers now desperately probed. Harder and faster she pressured her burning flesh until the much-needed explosion of gratification engulfed her. If only Alex were here. Keri gasped for breath. Keri needed her so badly, her attempts at self-satisfaction proved useless. All she could feel was the hunger that Alex Troy had awakened.

  *

  As she drove to Malone’s Steakhouse, Keri’s mind reeled from earlier thoughts and conjured up more. She wondered what it would be like to make love to Alex without worrying t
hat it could be their last time. What would a life with this complex woman be like? She imagined every aspect of their lives together: where they’d live, where they’d work, their friends and family. All the things other couples took for granted, Keri prayed for with Alex. And she knew in her heart that someday it would happen. As soon as Alex accepted the fact that she loved her.

  After she parked, Keri sat in front of the restaurant and watched some of the team members go inside. She was so nervous. Everybody would be talking about the case, their case. She could handle this, no problem. She knew what the problem was, though—seeing Alex again and not knowing if her feelings, the feelings they never discussed, were the same. Her insides quivered.

  “Well, are you coming in or what?” Beth’s tap on the car window startled Keri. “Someone told me you were sitting out here. What’s up?”

  “Just thinking…and feeling a little sad that it’s all over.” Keri mustered all her courage and exited the Jeep.

  “God, you look hot, I just might keep you all to myself,” Beth teased. “You’re asking for it in that getup. Black and red is so sexy. Is it for anyone special?” An immediate rush of adrenaline made Keri’s pulse leap. She couldn’t be sure if it was from Beth’s obvious appreciation of her outfit or wondering how Alex would respond.

  When they entered the restaurant, all the team members were present except Alex. Three vacant seats awaited them at one end of a long table in the private dining room. Beth deviated from her norm and took the seat at the head. She motioned Keri to sit on her left. The table decorations were a cowboy motif, the team’s idea of paying homage to Keri.

  As she joined the group they immediately wanted details about the case. This was the first time they’d all been together since the arrests, and they were anxious to hear her account of the incident. Each time she recounted the story her whole career was validated again. Even Internal Affairs had rubber-stamped her shooting of Cappy and cleared her for active duty in record time.

  After a while, the discussion turned to the absence of Lieutenant Troy, an unusual development, everyone agreed. The dinner had been her idea and she was footing the bill. Surely she wouldn’t stand them up.

  The hovering waitresses had already refilled everyone’s drinks twice when the door opened and Alex walked in. She wore tapered black pants that caressed her firm buttocks and thighs and a crisp white cotton shirt. The slight trace of gray highlights, mixed with the basic amber of her neatly trimmed hair, made Keri draw a long, shaky breath. She loved that distinguished look. What a striking woman and how comfortably she entered the space, even an hour late. She possessed a powerful sexuality that was palpable from across the room, and Keri was drawn to it. Without realizing it, she stood, staring, and their eyes locked. Neither of them looked away. It was almost as if an arc of electrical current sparked between them.

  Alex was not prepared for Keri’s breathtaking appearance. She had seen her half-naked in a bikini and completely nude in bed, but nothing had equipped her for this sight. Keri’s tailored black silk pants clung to places Alex longed to explore. A red Lycra shell cupped her small, firm breasts, revealing the absence of—or necessity for—other support. Brown wavy hair hung loosely around her shoulders, highlighting her olive complexion and startlingly blue eyes. What made her even more seductive was the fact that she had no idea about her natural appeal. Such understated beauty demanded attention.

  Eyes followed Keri’s movements wherever she went, but she was oblivious to it. Alex’s desire rose as she headed to the vacant seat opposite Keri. I have to hold it together through dinner…at least. “Good evening, folks. I’m so sorry for being late. I had to make a stop at the lab on my way.” Alex waved several papers in the air as she took her seat.

  The team waited with practiced patience, except Beth. “Let’s have it, Lieu. What’s in there, a nice fat, juicy bonus for everybody?” Cheers sounded as the officers expressed their agreement.

  “You wish.” Alex unfolded the papers as she spoke. “These are the lab results from the homicide investigations of Tiffany Brown and the other college students. I haven’t even seen them myself.”

  The room grew suddenly quiet as Alex relayed the information to her team. “The weapon used by Freddy Capanelli to shoot his girlfriend two years ago is the same weapon used to kill Tiffany.” Applause, fist pumping, and high fives accompanied the announcement. “There’s more. The blood found on the sofa in Davis’s warehouse, the same warehouse where we made our drug buy, matches the victim’s.”

  Steve Alston stood and held his drink in the air. “I propose a toast. Now that is what I’d call a kick-ass investigation. We went after a doper and came up with a murderer.” Glasses clanked together in celebration.

  Alex added the final details. “When the homicide guys picked up Fletch and threatened him with murder charges, he sang like the proverbial bird. He admitted that he told Cappy and Hunk to take Tiffany to the warehouse. The three of them went back later and worked her over to see if she’d told us anything. She didn’t tell them about her statement, guys. Then Cappy went back later to finish the job. The ‘brains’ of the outfit, Dolph, was the one who paid a street dealer to poison Tiffany at the community watch meeting where Stacey Chambers died, and the dope we recovered has the same characteristics as the drugs the college students overdosed on. The DA’s office has agreed to bring multiple murder charges against all of them. Our boy Sonny and his whole gang are goners. Big-time.”

  Alex had one last comment before she could relax and enjoy the evening. She stood and tapped a fork against her water glass. “Guys, just one more thing, if I may.” The room once again quieted. “I want to thank each of you for the outstanding job you did on this case. You have proven that officers from different agencies can work together. It took all of you to make this investigation so successful. If the opportunity presented itself, I’d choose each of you again. I’m proud of you and wish you all the best as you go to your next assignments.” Alex felt pride start to swell in her throat and finished quickly. “That’s all I have. Thank you.”

  The officers applauded and cheered as Alex sat down. Then Beth rose at the head of the table. “Wait just a minute. That’s not all.” She held her glass in the air. “I propose a toast to the next captain of the Granville Police Department, Alex Troy.”

  Each officer toasted her promotion and filed by to shake Alex’s hand. Keri was the last in line. When their hands came together, Alex held firmly and lowered her voice. “This would not have been possible without you. What you did, all of it from day one. Bringing Chad into play, your creativity and fast thinking. You made it happen. I’m very proud of you, Officer Morgan.”

  Keri blushed and joked, “And what about my dancing skills? Admit it. I made you look good.”

  Alex was grateful for the levity. “That you did, Officer Morgan. That you did.”

  When she took her seat, she did so with a huge sigh of relief. The assignment was finally over. At least for now, Keri no longer worked for her.

  Keri’s pulse quickened as Alex smiled across the table at her. It was that same magnetic smile with something extra. Alex’s eyes were soft and hungry and swept over Keri like a lover’s touch. She felt it in her depths. When the tip of Alex’s tongue slowly rimmed her lips, Keri gripped the napkin in her lap and pressed it into her tightening pelvis. She was oblivious to the other officers eating and talking around her.

  Alex’s meal sat before her untouched. The hunger clawing inside her could not be satisfied with food. She slipped her foot out of her right shoe and raised her bare foot to the seat across from her. I can’t believe I’m doing this—in public, no less. Keri’s eyes widened as Alex’s toes teased their way up. She felt the heat between Keri’s legs and pressed the sole of her foot into her crotch. A bullet of raw sensation shot up Alex’s thigh and into her already pounding clit. The blue of Keri’s eyes grew hazy with need. God, I want to see those eyes when you come for me again.

  “You haven’t tou
ched your food. Is something wrong?” Alex asked.

  “I guess I’m too excited,” Keri answered truthfully. Alex’s foot against her already swollen clitoris was more than she could bear. Food was definitely the last thing on her mind. How does she so completely unravel me with just one touch?

  “I know the feeling.” Mischief played across Alex’s face. She looked up as Beth tapped her shoulder.

  “Get a room,” came a soft suggestion meant for Alex’s ears only, but Keri heard as well.

  “That’s an excellent idea.” Alex glanced around, hoping no one was paying attention. To her relief, the other officers seemed oblivious to the conversation at her end of the table.

  While the officers finished their dessert and talked among themselves, she went to each and thanked them for their work and dedication during the investigation. She vowed to send letters of commendation to their agencies, along with a summary of the operation. When she got to Keri, she knelt on one knee, as she’d done with the other officers, and leaned into her body space. Her arm slid along the back of Keri’s chair and she could feel her lover’s heat rising.

  “You, my lead detective, were amazing. Have no doubt that you will receive the highest commendation I can substantiate. You have every reason to be proud of yourself.”

  Keri’s generous mouth blossomed into a wide smile. “Thank you.” Her thoughts weren’t on the case. Alex was too close, her fragrance too strong, her presence too compelling. The hard pain between her legs grew with every breath. She thought her insides would explode from want.

  Alex leaned in closer and whispered, “Follow me home.”

  Keri’s eyes sparkled as she struggled to swallow. When words would not come, she simply nodded.

  Alex felt her body might betray her right there, on one knee in front of Keri. She wanted so desperately to claim her mouth, to announce her feelings. Instead she said, “Good. Give me a few minutes to wrap up and I’ll meet you outside.”