“Rose, you shouldn’t think like that.”
She met me by the door. “How can I not?” She shrugged and grabbed her purse, then we left.
The drive down to the station wasn’t long, but Rose got even more tense the closer we got. I held her hand, but she still clenched mine hard.
“I wish I could say it gets easier, but I don’t want you to ever have to deal with this kind of shit again,” I told her softly. I turned the radio off, and the silence of the car was deafening.
“So, the next time I see a crime I should just keep walking,” she sighed.
“No, cause that isn’t you. But…hopefully next time it won’t turn out to be involved with the Irish mob.”
She laughed a bit and I noticed her neck relax a little bit. “I hope not. So, what do we know about the suspect so far?” she asked me.
I shrugged my shoulders and took a hard-left turn. It was a wonder I ever got a license. “I don’t know, Nate didn’t tell me everything.”
I turned and saw the lines of her face draw inward. “Look, I don’t want you to be thinking about all that. Just go in and look at the guy. That’s all you have to do.”
She scoffed. “I’m not some dumb, average citizen you know. I don’t deserve to be kept in the dark all the time.” She took her hand from mine and crossed her arms. “If I want to know what’s going on with something I am directly involved in, I don’t think that’s absurd.”
“Rose…”
“Don’t ‘Rose’ me. Please. It’s more condescending than it is helpful.” She turned her knees to the window and looked out in anger.
I wished I had something to say to her, but she was right, and anything I was used to saying would just come off wrong, like she said. I just wanted her to feel better, and I wanted her to feel safe. But I couldn’t even do that. It made me feel shitty and pretty useless at that point.
“I’m sorry, really I am. I’m not good with…usually I can treat witnesses like parts of a case and nothing else, but I can’t do that with you.” I blew out a nervous breath. She turned to look at me after a moment.
“Why not?” she spoke softly.
“Because,” I half-laughed, “you’re fucking special to me, Rose. And you mean more to me than just…than this shit going on. I don’t want to hurt you, or scare you. I just want you to be happy. You’re more than shower sex or a surveillance stint. And I just keep thinking…I just don’t want all the crap in this case to hurt you.” I inhaled deeply and pulled into the station.
She stayed silent as I parked the car and turned the engine off. She unbuckled her seatbelt and then leaned across and kissed my cheek. That sweet little gesture made my chest swell and everything but my cock twitch; it was new to me.
She hugged me softly, her hair rustling against my cheek, and I hugged her back. We got out of the car and then stopped before we went in the building.
“We can tell you everything inside,” I told her.
Her eyes were wide but sure as she nodded at me, and I almost felt stupid for underestimating her.
“Okay. Thank you.” She gave me a small smile. I hugged her once more, her body flush against mine as I inhaled her scent.
I knew then that I always wanted to hold her. And I always wanted to keep her safe, at any cost.
Chapter Twenty-One: Rose
The best sleep of my life was only slightly interrupted, but it only made it better, until it wasn’t.
Alex just felt so good against my body. And he smelled so fucking amazing. His stark cologne and natural, masculine scent flooded my nostrils and went right to every nerve in me. He was innocently touching me, yet my nipples were hard, and my sex was moistening and clenching. I wanted him so badly, yet I was in a deep sleep. He had so much of an effect on me it was ridiculous.
Even my dreams were more peaceful. I felt pretty much the same with Max; that safety and security. But it was still odd for me to be thinking about more than one man that way. I could still feel Max inside me. His cock was so thick, stretching me in ways I couldn’t even imagine. Hell, I still felt a pulsing inside me and the moisture of his seed. I wanted him again and again; it was maddening.
But I wanted Alex too. If I wasn’t so damned tired, I thought I would have made a move. I knew he wanted me too, because I felt his cock semi-hard against my thigh that I laid over him. Snuggling up next to him made me feel safe, and he wasn’t even doing anything. They all made me feel safe, and that was more important than anything.
Then like all things, something swept in and ruined it.
All the tension and the stress jut welled up inside me and I couldn’t control it.
It wasn’t good to keep things bottled up, because then they would come out at once, which they did. I didn’t mean to go off on Alex at all, it just kind of happened. Though everything I said was true. I just thought I could keep it more contained for a little while longer.
At the end of the day, I knew they just wanted to do what was best for me. They did so much for me already and I felt bad for even expecting more. Still, I wanted honesty from them. That was the most basic thing in any relationship, though it was hard to even think of us that way. I didn’t know what to do with all my feelings for them or our involvement. Nate was the only one I hadn’t been with, yet I still had strong enough feelings for him as I did Alex and Max.
All these things were running through my head and I just couldn’t take it.
To top it off, I was walking into another shit hole.
The police station looked much different than it did the first day I came. That day, I had no idea what I was walking into. If I could go back, I liked to think I wouldn’t make the statement, but I knew I still would have. I couldn’t have lived my life the same way ever again. Even with all of those things piling on, I was still glad that I told the truth. That I called the police and got help. I was glad I did something right, even when it was really hard.
It was all my father ever taught me to do. And I knew he would be proud of me.
I didn’t talk about him much because it was just too hard. He had always been a loyal soldier. Even when he was away, and I had to live alone, he was there for me. And when he was around, things were even better. He was a good father, and we both knew each other very well. When he went on his last tour, it was supposed to be his last before he was discharged. He would come home and then we could have a perfect life together. He thought about being a cop to pass the time, but he didn’t really need to. Passing all the men in uniform made me think of that. Needless to say, he wasn’t supposed to be killed in action. I didn’t even get to go to the funeral because according to official records, he never died. I never got to see him again. When I thought of walking out the door and running from the whole case, I thought of how he never ran from anything. Not even a fucking loaded grenade.
“Rose? You okay?” Alex touched my arm gently and brought me back to earth.
“Yeah.” I feigned a smile. “I’m fine.” I hoped I was convincing enough.
“Okay. It’s just through here.” He had his hand on the small of my back as he led me through the back of the station, and down a narrow hallway that ended with four doors.
It kind of looked just like the movies, with the people running around and the one-way glass. I shivered, and Alex held me close, thinking I was cold. Even though I wasn’t, I didn’t move away. I sort of needed him to keep me grounded. I wanted to keep a strong face on to keep them calm. The last thing they needed to do was worry about me, too.
“Nate is bringing him in from holding now. So, it shouldn’t be long.” Alex rubbed my arm softly.
I nodded in response.
“Okay. What do I have to do?” I asked him. I didn’t want to try and assume anything, and I hoped he wouldn’t think I wasn’t up for it.
“There will be a lineup of six guys here.” He pointed to the empty room with black, horizontal lines on the wall. It had height markings on the sides, and the wall was so dirty it wasn’t even white
anymore. It could have been an egg wash brown.
“And then you just pick him out if you know it’s him. You won’t know which one we brought in, and if you’re sure it isn’t any of them, that’s okay too,” he told me calmly.
His eyes were deep and soulful as they bored into mine. And if I wasn’t in a police station, it would have aroused me. Though honestly, I could be aroused anywhere if it had to do with him. Even without the suit on, he just looked so dapper and handsome. I loved the way his hair fell to the side, and the lines of his face were hard yet soft at the same time. He had the jawline worthy of any sculpture, and lips I could taste for hours, though it had been so long since I had. I just thought fuck it and stood on my tiptoes to give him a quick peck. It was nothing special, and there was barely any tongue involved. Just the softness of our lips moving against each other for five seconds.
“I’m nervous.” I rested my head under his chin. I felt him nod as he rubbed my back soothingly.
“I know. You’ll be fine. They can’t see you, and we’re going to keep protecting you for as long as this case is still open.” He pulled back and looked at me, like he was studying me for any cracks in my resolve. They wouldn’t be hard to find.
“I wish you guys could have your lives back. Watching me all the time has to be boring.” I took a step back just to breathe again. He was too fucking distracting. His scent, his wide muscles, his…just his aura in general was maddening.
He laughed aloud and shook his head. “We didn’t have much of a life before. And watching you is not boring, I promise.” He gave me a once over that made me tingle in the most sensual way, even though we were in a precinct. I knew it.
He dropped his gaze and took his phone from his pocket, though I didn’t even hear it go off. He read the screen and tapped off a quick response before putting it back.
“They’re coming in.”
Chapter Twenty-Two: Rose
My first day on the job as a nurse wasn’t even hectic. I remember having one patient. A little boy who had an allergic reaction to peanut butter. It was so normal yet scary at the same time. He almost died because he had a Reese’s cup and didn’t know he was allergic to peanut butter. I remember obsessing over how crazy and unfair it was. But he was also lucky to have had such a good teacher. He was only four at the time.
I met Dina few days later and the days just got crazier. The patients more violent and the cases more interesting. But everything stayed the same. My job was to help people in their biggest crises, yet I couldn’t even get myself out of a crazy situation.
I had no idea how long I just stood there, off in my own world. I barely noticed Max and Nate showing up. I just knew the three of them were standing behind me, and another lawyer I didn’t even recognize. I knew it was the suspect’s, because he looked like dirty criminals paid his bills and he got them off. I don’t know how I knew that, it was just a look.
But that wasn’t the main thing.
Sometimes, I could remember things from years ago based on a certain smell, or something I see that would take me back to a moment; any moment. It didn’t even have to be important. I would see a kid in a blue shirt, and I would think of that kid from my first day who was allergic to peanut butter.
All it took was that goddamned triangle on his hand to take me back there. I could smell the air from that day; smoke from the train and exhaust from the restaurants nearby. There was the pine of the trees too, and the sap from the evergreens. I was in a small, aluminum box yet I could smell the nature from that day. I felt the sidewalk under my feet and the rise in my breath from the sprint I took after Parker.
I didn’t even have to look at his face to know it was him. I felt it in my bones. The other detective had them all say something, but I barely even listened. I felt his deep Irish accent stuck in my ears and I knew I would never forget it, but that didn’t matter.
All that mattered was that I knew I was looking at the killer. And possibly the man that attacked so many others. I wasn’t worried about him being the wrong guy because I was certain. All I worried about was myself—the Irish mob wasn’t a joke.
If they found out I named him, they would come after me. I considered lying. That lawyer would no doubt tell them, and it would be the end of me. Max, Alex, and Nate would no doubt protect me until the very end, but from all the pop culture and documentaries I saw, three cops wouldn’t stop the mob.
I could lie and never sleep well again, or I could tell the truth and have a limited amount of days. Only one thing would let me live my life the way I wanted, whether it was cut short or not.
“Number four. It’s number four.”
Chapter Twenty-Three: Nate
I couldn’t remember ever caring about something as much as I cared about Rose. I was so afraid for her, I just felt nothing but unease whenever I was around her, or when I knew she was alone. I watched that interrogation like I was studying it. Like it was the first one I had ever seen.
That was years ago. I was a rookie cop that just busted someone for possession. I brought the woman in for processing, thinking it was an easy arrest with minimal paperwork. I was thirty minutes into it when the fucking DEA and the FBI came busting into the precinct. Apparently, I had taken down one of the freaking ring leaders. I watched behind the glass for the seven hours it took to break her into giving up every one of her partners. I would never forget her for that reason alone. I had seen many more interrogations after that, but this was the only one making my blood boil.
I watched the asshole sink back in his chair like he owned the place, and like he didn’t do a damn thing wrong. It was all such bullshit, and I had to actively keep myself from busting in there. I distracted myself with Rose, sitting right by me. She was being so strong, and I wondered what was really going on in her head. I wished she would open up to me more, but I knew it just wasn’t in her nature. Being around her reminded me a lot of myself growing up. Reserved, but willing to take anyone down who got in my way. Rose was really holding her own and I wished she would just relax. But there was a criminal just a few feet from her, someone she watched in the middle of a crime. That wouldn’t be easy on anyone.
“How long do you think it will take?” she whispered after an hour of silence. I had gotten her some coffee, but she hadn’t had any of it to drink.
“I don’t know. Alex is pretty good at a shake down, but this guy seems hard core,” I answered, looking down my nose at her.
“What about Max?”
I shrugged. “He’s a little tougher to get around. Mostly because the people he usually interrogates are creeps—child molesters and kidnappers. So, he treats almost every suspect like that,” I told her.
She nodded and leaned her head on my shoulder. We were sitting in the private viewing room, and no one else was around. We all decided to keep this on the down low. If he was part of the mob, we definitely didn’t want them getting word of it. That would blow the entire thing up and then they would all get off on so-called technicalities with the crime lab.
“We’ve got your prints on three different crime scenes. How do you explain that?” Alex leaned over the desk, up in the guy’s face.
He was built like a wrestler, the kind on television that take enhancements and shit. His face was all rugged like he got beat up at least twice a week, and nothing ever healed right. He had the sleeves of his white tee shirt rolled up, and he was covered in tattoos and scars. According to Rose, only one of those tattoos mattered. They started off with that, asking if it was some kind of branding. He didn’t even budge. He had a thick accent that told me he hadn’t been in the states long. If anything, he got here just in time to do the damage on all three victims.
“I don’t believe you,” he said. Which he was right to, because there was no evidence left behind. The only thing even putting him in that room was Rose’s ID, and we all trusted she was good for it.
We just had to get it out of him.
“Okay. How about you just tell us why you went afte
r one of the biggest investors in the city? I bet you didn’t know he was ex-Navy, which is why he knocked you on your ass.” Max was sitting in front of him, staring him down like he had a personal vendetta.
I guess we all had one. He was directly putting our Rose in danger, and sitting there all smug about it too. We weren’t going to have it anymore and our patience was running thin. The only reason I wasn’t in there was so I could sit with Rose. I didn’t want her going home alone, and I couldn’t leave the station to watch her.
They went back and forth for a good while.
“Is the coffee not good? I can have someone make a Starbucks run.” I nudged Rose. Her slender fingers were wrapped around the cup tightly. The only calm thing about her were her sky blue painted nails. She was shaking her leg like it had done her wrong. I rested my knee against her and she stopped.
“No, I’m fine. I guess I’m more nervous than I thought. It’s weird how I can eat in the middle of an ER rush but not right now, sitting here doing nothing. I even ate during surgery once, isn’t that crazy? I don’t know. I guess this is worse.” She blew out a shaky breath. “Sorry.” She laughed nervously.
I smiled at her and prompted her to look at me. Staring into the watery gray globes of her eyes almost made me dizzy. “That’s okay. I just wish I could make you relax.”
She giggled. “That won’t happen.” She shrugged. I flicked my finger over her nose and her smile widened, her shoulders loosening up just a bit. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and focused back on our suspect.
His name was Owen. If that was even his real name. When we ran his prints in booking we got nothing and he screamed criminal record. It must have been overseas, back in Ireland or where ever he was before he came here.
“I don’t know what you’re on about, so why don’t you just take me back to my cell.” He didn’t look at them as he spoke and that told me he had something to hide. He knew he wasn’t a good enough liar to let them see his eyes.
Say Yes, Senator: A Best Friend's Little Sister Political Romance Page 45