Initiations (Carpenter/Harding Book 5)

by Barbara Winkes

  “Sure, why not? There’s this new burger joint on Madison.”

  “I’ve heard about it. Sounds good. I’ll meet you there.”

  The moment she sat in her car, Jordan wondered if she might regret her offer. There were a few elephants in the room to maneuver around, and they mostly had to do with Kate.

  Jordan and Ellie had decided that it was the right time for the two of them to move in together, but Ellie also wanted to give Kate a fair warning. Their community had been shaken by the death of a fellow officer who had been Kate’s fiancé. In the aftermath, Kate and Derek had gotten close, and she and Ellie had become roommates. Recently, Kate made the decision to leave the force. More major changes were coming, and she wasn’t sure if tonight was the right time to discuss them all.

  A couple of red lights slowed her down, so when she arrived, Derek he had already ordered a beer. The waitress brought it before she could consider her own choice.

  “That looks good. I’ll go with the same,” Jordan told her, then she and Derek both went back to studying the menu.

  “Kate broke up with me.”

  The statement came without warning, and it took her a moment to react properly.

  “Damn. I’m so sorry.” Jordan laid down the menu.

  “Don’t get me wrong,” he added quickly. “I wasn’t going to complain to you. I just wanted to tell you before it goes around, and I don’t know if she talked to Ellie.”

  “I didn’t know, I swear. I’m really—”

  “Yeah, thanks. We can move on to something else now.”

  For Jordan, that wasn’t going quite as quick. There were so many implications in this, Kate being apparently hell-bent on ending her career as a cop, now her relationship with Derek, what would that mean for Jordan and Ellie’s plans? She chided herself for being selfish. The truth was Kate was still grieving. She probably needed to feel in control as well, even though it was questionable whether all those breaks would help. Then again, Jordan could only speak for herself. The recent challenges, some of them traumatic, had made her priorities even clearer—being a cop, being with Ellie.

  “Sure. Ellie should have her results any day now.”

  They’d spent a lot of time together lately, her and Derek, Ellie and Kate. Those changes would take some time to get used to for all of them.

  “She’s not worried? She’s been getting ready for this from the first day out of the academy.”

  “I’m not worried. She’s…cautious,” Jordan phrased her words carefully, unable to keep the smile off her face. She was happy these days, proud of the woman she loved…maybe she wasn’t the best company for Derek tonight.

  “So you read the letter Donovan gave you? Anything new, or was it the same old crap you expected?”

  “No, I didn’t read it, for exactly that reason. I already knew it would be the same old crap.” She didn’t know what to make of his expression. “Anyway, you saw me throw it out after he left. I’m good, I swear. I think Darby gets an easy way out, but there’s nothing anyone can do about it now.”

  “Ellie took it. She probably thinks you might change your mind at some point, so you’ll still have the chance.”

  “Okay. I see.”

  “Don’t be mad at her. She means well.”

  “I have no doubt. Wow. This is…unexpected.” If she was honest, Jordan would have liked not to know, because she was sure Ellie wouldn’t bring up the subject unless Jordan did—so, preferably, never. “I’m not going to be mad, come on, we’re adults. Why are you telling me this now?”

  He shrugged. “That’s actually a good question. I thought you should know. Maybe I’m a bit jealous of people who have a handle on their relationships. I’m sorry.”

  “That’s okay. I’m sure Kate just needs more time—and your assessment is debatable…but yeah, things are finally good. That’s the reason why I don’t bother with Darby’s games.”

  “You’re not curious at all?”

  “No. I already know all there is to him.” Derek stayed silent at that. “He’s not going to give up more victims. Did he kill more than we know about? Maybe, but he knows he’s not getting anything from us. This will be the end of it. I don’t mind if Ellie wants to know what’s in the letter, if she gets some closure from it, but I don’t need that.”

  “However you want to handle it. You know I’ll have your back.”

  “Thank you. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, how about the weather now?”

  They both laughed, intent on postponing any dire subjects for a little while longer.