On the Line (Out of Line Book 7)

by Jen McLaughlin

  She didn’t look happy, but she eventually nodded. “Fine.”

  “Would you like me to spend the night, Sarah?”

  She hugged herself, glancing at the back door. “You’re sure you don’t mind?”

  “Never.”

  Shivering, she shuffled closer to the kitchen entrance. “Then, yes, please spend the night. Not much scares me, but the idea of him out there somewhere, watching me…”

  “I’ll stay.”

  She started for the kitchen door. “I’ll get pillows and a blanket.”

  I watched her go, rolling my hands into fists as I made my way to the back door, double checking the locks. I peered outside, looking for anything that looked out of place in the shadows.

  Nothing.

  I couldn’t shake the look of fear in her eyes when she’d told me about her ex, and that he might be back in town. What had that monster done to her? If I ever got a chance to get my hands on him, I’d show him exactly what happened when you picked on females. Then I’d show him exactly what I thought of a “man” who was okay with hurting women, and scaring them into submission. If I ever got the chance to meet this son of a bitch…

  My face would be the last thing he’d ever see.

  Thirteen

  Sarah

  Ben looked so peaceful when he slept. I stood beside him, a cup of French vanilla coffee in my hand with two sugars and cream, and watched as he dreamt. That used to be one of my favorite things to do whenever we managed to lie to our parents well enough that we could sneak in a sleepover together—I’d always wake up before him so I could watch him at his calmest. When awake, he was like a hurricane tearing through the Atlantic. Asleep, he had a quiet calmness about him that pulled me in, and didn’t let go. Of course, he did that to me awake, too, but whatever.

  We wouldn’t talk about that.

  He’d taken his shirt off sometime through the night, and the blanket was low enough to show that he’d developed quite the six pack over the years. He was rock hard, toned, and had a sparse spattering of blonde chest hair over his pecs, that taped off into a thin line that led all the way down his abs and under the blanket to his—

  He stirred, his eyes lifting slightly.

  Heart pounding, I quickly held the coffee out, trying my best to not appear as if I’d been staring at him like a starved woman. “Good morning! Coffee?” I asked, sounding a little too perky.

  Blinking, he sat up and dragged his hands down his face. By the time he lowered them, he looked fully alert and awake. Just like that. It usually took me a cup and a half of coffee to do that. “Yeah, sure, thanks.” He took it and set it down on the table. “What time is it?”

  “Seven.”

  Nodding, he stood. His abs flexed, and despite my best resolve, my gaze dipped low. God, were there eight of them? “Mind if I use the bathroom?”

  “Of course not.” I gestured down the hall, forcing my eyes back to his face. “I put a toothbrush in there for you. I had a spare.”

  He grinned, rubbing his abs. “Thank you.”

  “Sure,” I mumbled.

  He walked away, and much to my chagrin, the back view was just as nice as the front. Muttering under my breath, I quickly folded the blankets he’d used the night before, piling them on the side table nicely and rearranging the pillows. It had been nice of him to spend the night with me, but in the light of the new day, I’d found myself feeling a little stronger. Since I couldn’t sleep last night, I’d used the time spent in my bed wisely. I came up with a game plan. First step? Install a security system. Second? Change my phone number. Third? Contact the local magistrate to give him a heads up. Fourth? Contact the judge in North Carolina, too, to let him know Vinnie was breaking his PFA rules. Fifth? Watch my back incessantly.

  Go to work. Come home. Lock the doors.

  No more blind dates. No more going out.

  Sure, I might get lonely, but until he was caught and the situation was taken care of, it was how it had to be. Being lonely was better than being dead, right? After all, who would take care of Mom if he got his hands on me?

  Ben came back out, still shirtless, stretching. “Thanks for that.”

  “Thank you for staying.” I crossed my arms and watched as he shrugged into his dress shirt, not buttoning it. “I don’t normally need reassurance, but last night…” I swallowed. Was he ever going to button his damn shirt? “…I needed it.”

  “Anytime.” He grabbed his coffee and came over to me. “I can stay as long as you’d like. Your couch is surprisingly comfortable.”

  “That won’t be necessary.” I lifted my chin. “I’m good.”

  “You’re good.” He frowned. “That can only mean one thing. You have a plan?”

  He knew me so well. “I have a plan.”

  “Good. But my offer still stands.” He reached out and caught my chin, stepping closer. “And you and me are gonna get this town to straighten their shit out. What happened between us was years ago, and everyone needs to get the fuck over it. We did, long ago.”

  I swallowed. “Yeah. Totally.”

  “I should have said something earlier, but if I see anyone giving you the cold shoulder, I’ll give them shit.” He ran his thumb over the curve of my jaw. “I’ve got your back, partner.”

  It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him I had my own back, and didn’t need his help, since it came way too late, but I’d realized last night that he was right. I had to stop trying to do everything alone. I was only one person. “And I’ve got yours.”

  Our eyes locked, and something invisible charged between us, sparking to life. My tongue swept over my dry lips, and I shifted closer without even realizing it. His grip on me shifted, as he moved his head slightly, dipping down to my level, but then he froze with his mouth mere inches away from mine.

  Frustration hit me hard.

  If I rose on my tiptoes...

  “Shit,” he growled.

  “Sorry,” I muttered, stepping back, my cheeks red.

  That’s twice I almost kissed him, and twice that he’d come to his senses before me, and rejected me. I needed to pull myself together. Despite our past together, he was my partner.

  And partners didn’t kiss.

  He didn’t let go of me, so I wasn’t able to retreat far. “If you weren’t my partner, nothing—and I mean nothing—would stop me from kissing you, right here, right now. I’d back you up against that wall, pick you up, wrap your legs around my waist, and find out if you’re still the best kisser I ever had.” He did exactly that. Backed me against the wall next to the entrance of the hallway. Too bad he didn’t follow through with the rest of that mental image he’d given me. “I’d kiss you, run my hands over every delicious curve of your body that teases me every damn day, and by the time I finished with you, you’d never want me to leave. I’d make sure of it.”

  My stomach clenched tight. My legs trembled. My heart raced. And, God, I couldn’t help it. I wanted him to do all those things, and more. “Is that so?”

  “Yes, that’s so. Because, damn, Sarah. These dresses you wear…” He slid his hand over my ribs, down my hip, and trailed off on my upper thigh. “…they fucking kill me.”

  I shivered, gripping his open shirt.

  “But the thing is, I figure my dad put us together for a reason, right?” He gritted his teeth and retreated, not backing off completely but not quite close enough to kiss anymore, either. “My thinking is that he’s hoping we slip up, and then he would have grounds for removing you from the force. He was pissed that he had to take you on because he wanted to hire his buddy’s son instead, so if he has a reason to get rid of you…”

  I blinked. “He’d get rid of me if we kissed?”

  “Maybe. Maybe not.”

  “That’s taking it a bit far.” I pursed my lips. “Wouldn’t he just, I don’t know, reassign me to a new partner?”

  “I honestly don’t know. He can be pretty petty when he wants to be.” He shrugged, stepping back. “I don’t know a
bout you, but it’s not a risk I’m willing to take.”

  I cocked my head. “Would he fire you?”

  “His son?” he asked hollowly. “Doubtful. But the new girl no one wanted to hire…?”

  I frowned. “Ouch.”

  “Yeah.” He rubbed his jaw, still staring. “Ouch.”

  As we silently weighed one another, the doorbell rang. After another moment of silence, I said, “That’ll be Grace.”

  “We should probably let her in,” he said hollowly.

  I finally broke eye contact with him, and as I walked toward the door, I couldn’t help but feel that whatever was going on between us was far from over. There was this pull between us, this animalistic attraction, that had never died. I was starting to think it never would, and sooner or later, this animalistic nature was going to win its battle with my self-control. Once it did?

  I was going to be the one to lose.

  Fourteen

  Ben

  I couldn’t get her off my mind. It didn’t help that she was my partner, and that no matter what we did we were stuck with one another, but that wasn’t what I couldn’t stop thinking about. It was those almost kisses that kept getting to me. I’d never thought in a million years that she would come back to town, and look up at me like I was the one thing she regretted losing most.

  Sure, I dreamt about it years ago, when she’d first left.

  But those dreams had turned into reality eventually, then I’d realized she was never coming back, and she would certainly never want to kiss me again even if she did. Yet here she was, back in my life, in my arms, and I couldn’t take what I’d waited years to get—

  My second chance with her.

  I glanced over at her desk. She hunched over it, biting her lower lip, typing on her keyboard quickly. Her brown hair fell over her cheek, hiding her face from my view, but what I saw of her profile was as breathtaking as always. She was everything I ever wanted and more, and I couldn’t have her. It was enough to almost make me wish she had never come back.

  Almost.

  Standing, I walked right past her, nodding her way once as I made my way to the Captain—Dad’s—office. I knocked twice, then waited.

  “Come in,” my father called gruffly.

  I turned the knob and went inside, closing the door behind me.

  Dad glanced up, saw it was me, and grunted. “Son.”

  “Hey.” I crossed the room and placed a file on his desk. “Here’s Liz’s file.”

  “Thanks.” He took it and placed it on the left side of his desk. “I’m still pissed off that it went down like that. We should have gotten there sooner.”

  “We got there as soon as we could. Me and Detective Lopez went as soon as you gave the orders.”

  Dad grunted again. “How’d she handle herself out there?”

  “Excellent, sir.” I hesitated, slipping out of father/son mode and into detective/captain mode easily. We had this whole dynamic down to perfection at this point in our lives. “Speaking of Lopez…”

  “She’s your partner,” he said immediately. “I’m not changing it back.”

  “That’s not it, sir.”

  Captain frowned and gestured for the chair in front of his desk. “Then what?”

  “Confidentially, I found out why she came back.” I cleared my throat and sat. “She was fleeing an abusive ex, sir.” I kept mum on her mother’s condition, as requested.

  Dad leaned back in his chair. “Seriously?”

  “Yes, sir. Last night the ex-boyfriend called her, freaked her out, and I took her home and spent the night on her couch.” I held a hand up. “Nothing happened, but I felt safer watching over the place. Having my partner’s back.”

  The Captain nodded. “Good call. How bad is this guy?”

  “She didn’t tell me much, but knowing her and the way she was acting when he called her?” I let out a breath. “Pretty damn bad, sir.”

  “I may not have wanted to hire her, but I certainly won’t allow her to get hurt.” He pulled out a pen. “No one hurts one of ours. What’s his name?”

  “I only got a first name out of her so far. Vinnie. He lived in North Carolina, and she has a PFA against him, so I’m assuming it’s on the books somewhere.”

  “I’ll see what I can find.”

  I stood. “Thank you, sir.”

  “We’ll place people on her house. Keep an eye on her until we find this guy and remind him he’s supposed to stay away.”

  I hesitated. “I don’t think she’ll agree to that, sir. She’s kind of independent, and doesn’t want everyone knowing her business.”

  “Then why tell me?” he asked briskly.

  “So you wouldn’t think anything was going on with us, seeing as I spent the night at her house, sir.” I rubbed my jaw. “And because we trust your discretion.”

  “I can’t allow her to be unprotected. If she refuses to let the precinct know, then you’ll have to be the man on her house every night until we find this guy. Sleep in a car, inside on the couch, tell her or don’t tell her, I don’t really give a damn. She’s your partner, you decide on the best course of action, as long as she’s protected.” When I opened my mouth to argue, he quickly added, “That’s an order.”

  He knew I didn’t disobey orders, damn it. It wasn’t in my DNA. Swallowing my protests, I saluted him. “Yes, sir.”

  “And son?” Dad added as I made my way toward the door.

  “Yes?” I asked, not moving.

  “Keep your hands to yourself.” He set his pen down and steepled his fingers, staring at me with shrewd eyes. “We have a no-fraternization rule for a reason. Break it, and you will face suspension and possible termination. Just because you’re my son doesn’t mean I will let you get away with breaking the rules. If anything, I need to be tougher on you to avoid accusations of nepotism.”

  “Why did you partner us up?” I asked, unable to help myself. “Why put her with me?”

  “Because she broke your heart, and came back here like it was nothing, demanding a job.” He hesitated, and I inexplicably knew this was my dad speaking now, not my boss. “She doesn’t get to have you again, not after what she did. This was my way to ensure she didn’t get you.”

  I rolled my hands into fists. I’d been a mess after she left, sure, but I’d also been a kid, and it had been a long time ago. “I’m fine, Dad. What happened between us was a huge misunderstanding, and we have talked it out. She wasn’t in the wrong any more than I was. I’m over it, and everyone else—”

  “Yeah, well, I’m not, Detective.” He glowered at me. So, the boss was back. All right, then. “Keep your damn hands to yourself, or pay the price, Detective.”

  I saluted again, biting back my anger. “Yes, sir.”

  Fifteen

  Sarah

  Two nights later, I parked at the local gas station by my place and got out of my car, my steps brisk and short, matching my rapidly beating heart. No matter how fast I walked, or how many times I circled around the block, I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was following me. And, of course, if someone was following me, then my brain automatically went to the only logical place.

  It had to be Vinnie.

  As I walked into the gas station, I surveyed my surroundings. No one else was inside besides the teenaged worker behind the counter wearing a yellow shirt and a green vest. I walked through the aisles, pretending to look at things while really watching the parking lot and entrance for any familiar vehicles I might have seen during my drive. I hadn’t spotted a tail, and yet I couldn’t shake my intuition that someone was following me. That same intuition had yet to fail me, so I wasn’t going to ignore it this time.

  Hesitating, I pulled my phone out and clicked on Ben’s name in my contacts. My finger hovered over the phone icon on the screen. Even though I knew I couldn’t do this alone, I still didn’t like going to him for help, but he’d assured me he was my partner, and that he was here for anything I needed. The past two nights, I hadn’t need
ed anything, so I hadn’t called or texted. But now, in the dark at a small gas station…did I need him?

  I scanned the parking lot again. Nothing. Sighing, I tucked my phone away and shook my head at myself. Vinnie was winning. My own shadow scared me now that I knew he was watching me. I’d taken all the standard police protocol procedures for ensuring no one followed me, and had no reason to believe someone was. I’d give it another minute to be safe, buy something, head out to my car, and then go directly home to ensure I was safely inside.

  Last night I’d gotten a security system installed, and it was fully functioning, so I was finally getting some sleep again. Thank God for small favors.

  Ben and I had come to an understanding, too. He’d told me that his father was investigating Vinnie discreetly, and it was easy enough to admit I was grateful for the help, and the only reason I had that help was because I’d finally talked to my partner. Given our history, that hadn’t been an easy thing to do, but it had been the right call. Now, we were on good terms, and we’d promised to be honest with one another from here on out.

  Despite everything, I was grateful for him.

  Never thought I’d say that again.

  After grabbing a bag of Sour Patch Kids, I paid and made my way to my car, scanning the perimeter for any signs of malice as I popped a red one in my mouth. Those were the best ones, so I always ate them first, followed by the green. Ben liked the yellow and orange ones, so he’d always taken those. Out of habit, I picked around those, leaving them untouched.

  As I munched a green one, I glanced over my shoulder. Nothing moved. All was quiet in Somerton, California tonight. The ride home was uneventful, and I almost made it home without incident when my phone rang over the Bluetooth, jarring my already fried nerves. I jumped hard enough to lose a red Sour Patch Kid. Glaring down at the dark floor by my feet where the fallen little guy lay, I hit the answer button on my steering wheel. “Detective Lopez.”