On the Line (Out of Line Book 7)

by Jen McLaughlin

  Ben stood up. “Son of a bitch—”

  “Sit down, Detective,” Captain ordered.

  Ben sat immediately.

  I didn’t move, too numb to even try.

  “You are correct, Detective Lopez. There’s nothing stopping him.”

  No wonder Vinnie had sounded so cocky on the phone when I threatened to call the judge. Heck, I had called him. No surprise that Judge Roberts had failed to inform me of the fact he’d let his drinking buddy off the hook without so much as a speck on his record.

  “He can get me,” I said hollowly.

  Captain nodded, his eyes showing sympathy for the first time. “But I’ll do my best to make sure that doesn’t happen. Would you think it wise to consider a transfer to another state? Somewhere that he won’t be able to find you?”

  I shook my head. “No.”

  “But—”

  “She’s in the system as a detective. No matter where she goes, he can find her,” Ben argued, his fists clenched tight. “With all due respect, that’s not a solution…sir.”

  He hesitated. “New career?”

  I said nothing. Just stared.

  Ben cursed under his breath.

  “If you insist on staying where he knows how to find you—”

  I gripped my knees even harder, ignoring the fight or flight instinct that was kicking in. I’d ran once before, back home, but that had been for a reason. My mother. If it came to fight or flight again, I had only once choice. Fight. “I’m not running, sir.”

  “You did it before.” For a second, I thought he was referring to me leaving his son all those years ago, and was about to point out the impropriety of mentioning that in a Captain/Detective setting, but then he added: “When you came back here and took a job, you ran from him. Why not do it again?”

  “Because I need to stay here.”

  Ben added, “She’s not running. It’ll solve nothing. All running gives her is no one to watch her back. She grew up here, has family and friends here. A partner who cares about her and will ensure this never happens to her again. This is where she belongs—with us.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far, Detective,” his father said, frowning. “There’s a bit of animosity in this office for her, as well. She’d be better off with a clean slate in a different state, if you ask me.”

  Tears blurred my vision, but I blinked them back. Now was not the time. At home alone, in my bed, with the door shut, was the time for me to feel sorry for myself. “I’m not leaving.”

  “All right, I guess it’s my job to keep you safe, then, isn’t it?” he said, his tone tinged with resentment over that small fact.

  I licked my lips. “Sir, I—”

  “It’s our duty and our privilege to call her ours, sir,” Ben cut in angrily. “And yes, it’s our job to help protect one of our own. We’d do it for anyone who works in these walls, or wears a badge, and you can be damned sure I’ll do it for the girl I once loved with all my heart.”

  “We agree on some of that, Detective,” he said carefully. Then he turned back to me. “But for me to protect you, I need to ask you some questions. Some personal questions.” He glanced at his son briefly. “Would you rather be alone for these inquiries?”

  Ben started to stand, clearly thinking he knew my answer already. I rested a hand on his arm briefly, stopping him. He glanced at me in surprise, our gazes colliding with a force that shook me. “You can stay. Like you said, you’re my partner, right?”

  “Right,” he said.

  I broke the eye contact first, taking my hand back and facing my boss before he started to question just how close we’d gotten last night before Ben had told me that. “Ask away, sir.”

  “Okay.” Captain cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable for the first time. “I noticed there are no hospital reports on file.”

  I said nothing, shaking my head.

  “When you say he beat you, I’m just curious what level of violence we’re talking about here, so we can better inform the local judges here.” He hesitated again, his cheeks reddening. “Slaps? Closed fists? Threats?”

  “All of those,” I said, regaining my hold on my knees. They were the only thing keeping me grounded right now. “He…hit me, slapped me, choked me, punched me, kicked me, forced himself on me sexually when I tried to refuse him.”

  Ben cursed under his breath, reaching over and resting a hand on mine, which still clung to my knee. “You don’t have to do this.”

  “Yes, I do,” I said hollowly.

  Captain kept writing, not looking up.

  When he stopped and lifted his head, I swallowed hard, my stomach hollowing out as I relived the drama of my own personal hell. My previous Captain hadn’t asked me for details, but clearly that had been because he had no intention of ever actually filing the charges against Vinnie. “The night I finally had enough, he threw me down, climbed on top of me, and choked me until I blacked out. I thought I was going to die. When I didn’t, I woke up, crawled toward the door, and reported the abuse. He told me he’d kill me. When I left, I thought he’d be out of my life for good. But…he’s not. He’s here, and he’s going to kill me, just like he promised.”

  Twenty

  Ben

  I was going to kill the son of a bitch.

  Some way, somehow, I was going to find him, rip him apart piece by piece, feed him to the ocean, put him back together, and then do it all over again. The things he’d done to Sarah, the atrocities he’d put her through, deserved nothing less. What killed me even more than the pain she’d suffered was the way she recounted it.

  He’s here, and he’s going to kill me, just like he promised.

  The way she said it, with no hint of emotion or doubt, sent a chill right down my fucking spine. It was as if she accepted that this was how it was going to end, and there was nothing she could do to avoid it. Well, tough shit. She might think that was the only way this ended, but I didn’t agree. I would protect her with my life. Nothing was happening to Sarah Lopez.

  Not on my watch.

  “I’m sorry to put you through this,” Captain said, setting his pen down. He swallowed and added, “But we’re here for you, and from here on out, I want you guarded at all times.”

  She stiffened. “That’s not necessary, sir. I don’t wish to push undue attention on myself, or apply any undue pressure on my colleagues—whom you yourself have pointed out aren’t all that fond of me in the first place.”

  “Well, I don’t wish to have unwanted attention on my precinct when one of my Detectives is killed by a psycho cop from North Carolina.” He leaned forward, his face determined. “If you want to allow your partner into your home to help guard your back when you’re there, then that’s fine. I trust him. But I’m still going to place a rotation of officers outside your home in an unmarked car on a twenty-four-hour basis. Detective Rollins can’t live in his car, and continue to carry that load on his own anymore.”

  She looked at me slowly, her eyes wide.

  Well, shit. Way to blow my cover, Dad.

  “You’ve been sleeping outside my house?”

  I hesitated, then nodded. “On Captain’s orders, yes.”

  “But clearly this will be a long ordeal, until we can A: find this guy, and B: catch him doing something wrong that we can arrest him for, since his record has been expunged.” Captain stood. “You can’t be the only one outside her house anymore. You need to sleep, and I’d rather you be inside the home, anyway, with someone outside, as well. Understood?”

  I nodded, standing also. “Yes, sir.”

  Sarah fidgeted as she rose to her feet. “With all due respect, sir, isn’t that overkill? I’m perfectly capable of taking care—”

  “No, it’s not. You came here, to my precinct, with this monster chasing after you, so it’s my monster now, too, to deal with as I see fit.” He took on a defensive stance. “Your partner will help guard the inside, and I’ll have an officer outside your home at all times. That’s an order. Is that und
erstood, Lopez?”

  Sarah stiffened, but nodded, saluting him. “Yes, sir.”

  “You’re excused.”

  Sarah headed for the door, and I followed her. The second it closed behind us, she spun on me with anger in her eyes. “You’ve been sleeping in a car outside my house?”

  “Yes,” I said, keeping my voice down. “Captain’s orders.”

  “Why not just come inside?” She crossed her arms. “Or was that against orders?”

  “I was given the option of being inside or outside, until now.” I cocked a brow. “I chose the latter, clearly.”

  She pressed her mouth into a line. “Why?”

  “Because I knew if I went inside, what happened last night would happen, and I was trying to avoid it, and the complications that it would bring.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I realized how it sounded, and wanted to take them back. “I mean—”

  “Wow.” She backed up. Her outward anger did nothing to hide the pain my words had caused her, though. I saw it there, in her deep brown eyes. “Well, sorry to ruin your plans of keeping yourself free of me and my messy complications.”

  I reached for her hand. “That’s not what I meant—”

  “Save it. It doesn’t matter.” She pulled free. “I hope you like my couch. Looks like you’ll be spending a lot of time on it.”

  Okay. She clearly wasn’t happy with me. “I can sleep outside if you prefer. The officer can be inside.”

  She snorted. “And have you defy direct orders? I wouldn’t dream of putting you in that position.”

  “Why are you so pissed?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder. Hernandez watched us, frowning. So did Matthews…and his partner, Rogers. “Is it because I slept outside without telling you, or because you’re upset I made you tell Captain the truth about what happened with Vinnie?”

  “Both,” she hissed. “Everyone’s going to know now.”

  “Who cares? It wasn’t your fault. It was his.”

  “Tell that to everyone in North Carolina who turned on me,” she shot back, her voice trembling. “Tell that to my former friends who turned on me, and called me a lying whore that was only seeking attention. You have no idea what it’s like to be in this position. None.”

  My heart fisted painfully at the shit she’d gone through. “Sarah—”

  “When I came here, I wanted to get a clean slate, away from the man who turned me into something I never want to be again, and away from the judging eyes of people who dared to accuse me of telling the truth for attention. As if someone would want that kind of attention on them.” She swallowed hard. “But now I’m right back in it, and if you think at least half of those people out there won’t judge me and think I’m guilty of lies, then you’re fooling yourself.”

  I searched my mind for the right thing to say, but the truth was I had no clue what that was. It was easy for me to sit here and say that would never happen, that the people in this precinct would never turn on her like that, but who the hell was I to make promises I couldn’t keep? I couldn’t speak for them, any more than I could speak for her. It was my hope that no one would do that, sure, but I wasn’t naïve enough to believe that hopes came true.

  They didn’t.

  “If anyone pulls that shit on you, then they’ll answer to me,” I growled.

  She swallowed and swiped her hands down her face. She met my eyes, her own resigned and dull. “I appreciate that, Ben. I really do. But that doesn’t change the fact that if I didn’t tell anyone, if I had never opened my mouth and told you the truth, that I wouldn’t be here right now, stuck in this situation…again.”

  More eyes were on us now, as we whispered back and forth in the hallway outside Captain’s office. I knew we should end this conversation, and finish it later in the privacy of her home, but I’d upset her, and I wasn’t about to walk away. “No, you’re right. You’d be dead instead, because no one would have your fucking back.”

  “Hate to break it to you, but guess what?” she shot back. “I’ll probably be dead when this is over anyway. You guys can’t follow me around for the rest of my life, and he’s certainly not going to barge in, and get himself caught. He’s too smart for that. All these precautions are a waste of time and department resources. He’ll wait it out until your father gives up, and gets comfortable enough to remove the guards, and then when I’m alone, he’ll come after me. Putting guys outside my house isn’t going to stop him—it’ll just delay him.”

  “Then I guess I’m never leaving your house. I won’t give up. I won’t get comfortable.” I flexed my jaw. “I’m not leaving you until he’s gone for good.”

  She laughed, but it wasn’t a real laugh. “Yeah. Sure. Okay. Move in. Live with me for the rest of your life, and give up any chances of ever getting married, and living happily. Dedicate your life to keeping me alive, and protecting me at all costs.”

  “Gladly,” I snapped. “I look forward to it.”

  “Fine,” she shot back sarcastically. “Can’t wait.”

  When I didn’t say anything else, she shifted on her feet, looking around nervously. It was then that she must’ve noticed our audience, because she blanched and stepped back even further from me. “People are watching.”

  “No shit,” I shot back. “We’ve been arguing for five minutes.”

  She forced a smile for our crowd, then said, “I’m done here.”

  “Me too.”

  Without another word, she stormed off, and I let her, watching her go. As she walked, I followed the gazes of everyone else, and couldn’t help but wonder if she was right.

  Would they turn on her, once they found out the truth?

  Twenty-One

  Sarah

  I tossed pillows, a blanket, and a flat sheet on Ben’s lap, not meeting his eyes. “Here you go. You can just leave them out here. I’ll wash them when I do my own sheets.”

  He took them, setting them aside. “You don’t have to wash my sheets. I can do them myself.”

  “My sheets. My laundry. My house.” I glanced at his carry-on suitcase, which he’d placed in the corner of the living room. “What’s in there?”

  “Towels, a couple of sets of clothes, underwear, socks.” He turned back to me. “Why? Is that a problem?”

  I hugged myself, emotionally drained from everything that had gone on today. Captain had held a meeting with the people assigned to my case, telling only a select few the details of my life and about the man trying to kill me. He’d told them all to keep the details of my case to themselves, and to tell no one…which meant by now, everyone in the precinct knew the whole story.

  Couldn’t wait for work tomorrow.

  The truth would come out about who believed me, and who would hate on me for turning on another cop. “No. It’s not a problem. Feel free to hang your stuff in the closet over there so it doesn’t wrinkle.” I tipped my head toward the coat closet. “Washer’s at the end of the hall to the left, and so is the guest bathroom…which you already know. There’s a shower in there that you can have to yourself. The other bedroom is my mother’s, which is the last door on the right. Don’t go in there. She’s sleeping and if you wake her up, you’ll confuse and upset her.”

  He nodded. “Okay.”

  “If you’re hungry, you know where the kitchen is. Help yourself to whatever you want. If you empty something, please add it to the list so I can get it when I go shopping.”

  “When we go shopping.”

  I paused, confused. “Excuse me?”

  “If you go shopping, I go, too. You’re not going alone. Captain was very clear I’m to be by your side at all times.”

  I crossed my arms again, anger at this whole situation taking over my life again. Good. It was better than the fear and helplessness that had been nagging me like a long-lost friend I’d hoped to never see again. “Oh. Right. Should I bring you in the ladies’ room with me, and the shower, too, to make sure I’m safe in there while I’m washing my hair?”

  His li
ps twitched at the last part. “Well, actually—”

  “Oh, shut up,” I snapped.

  He held his hands up, smiling fully now as he approached me. “You kind of asked for that sort of reply, given the circumstances.”

  “Just like I asked for you to be here, with me, the night after we had sex and decided it would never happen again?” I tipped my head back so I could stare him down despite the height difference. “Yeah, that sounds like an excellent idea to me.”

  He flexed his jaw. “I told you I could be the one outside.”

  “Are you that scared to be close to me?” I taunted, unable to help myself.

  After all, he’d frigging slept outside my house without telling me to avoid me. That wasn’t exactly the best for my self-esteem, thank you very much.

  “I’m not scared of you,” he mumbled gruffly.

  “Are you sure?” I poked at his chest. “I mean, you wouldn’t want to catch my complications. They’re contagious—oh, wait. Too late. I touched you. You caught them, and look at you now. Stuck here with the girl you just had a one-night stand with.”

  “Stop it,” he snapped, catching my finger.

  “Why? Don’t like it?” I asked innocently.

  “No, I don’t fucking like it. I shouldn’t have said what I said, how I said it, but I slept outside because I didn’t want to put you in the position of being stuck with a partner you didn’t want, who you’d slept with, and I didn’t want to put you at risk for losing your job.” He pulled me close. “Those are the complications I meant, not your ex, and protecting you. I’d do that even if we never fucked. I’d do that for a stranger. It’s my job to keep people safe, Sarah.”

  I knew that, just like I knew he’d lay his life down for someone he didn’t know, without hesitation. It’s part of what made him such a great guy. And now here he was, stuck with me, unable to go home, and there was nothing we could do to change it because I’d opened my big fat mouth and told the truth about Vinnie…again.