Brotherhood of District 23 Complete Series

by Amy Briggs

  Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I asked, “Where are we going again?”

  “We’re meeting the lovebirds at the Brewhouse in an hour. Most of the crew is coming, and a couple other people. It happens to be ladies night again, so get your shit together man. I’m hoping that hot detective will be there to celebrate with us.”

  The lovebirds in question were my brother, who was also our acting fire chief, Brian Cavanaugh, and my best friend, Josie Meadows, who also works with us. We all grew up together and used to work for Josie’s dad, the old fire chief, before he died earlier this year. Jo and Brian have now fallen in love it seems, and are basically inseparable, except at work; you’d never know they were together there, because they go out of their way to avoid each other. They had one argument on a scene, and now they keep things quiet at work, although everyone is well aware of their coupleness. Them being together didn’t bother me, but it was still weird and took some getting used to. Since her ex tried to burn her house down with her in it a few months ago, she’s been living with Brian while her house was being restored, so they’d pretty much been inseparable.

  The “hot detective” was Detective Isabel Cruise, who helped put away the guy who tried to kill Jo. She was working on a racketeering case against Danny Russell when things escalated and he tried to kill Jo to cover up everything he had done. It was kind of extreme, since he was basically just taking bribes, but he was fucking crazy. Detective Cruise was smoking hot, with long, dark hair, dark eyes, a tan complexion, and an absolutely perfect ass. Jax thought he had a chance. She was kind of a bitch if you asked me, definitely not friendly the handful of times I’ve met her, so I wasn’t going to fight him for dibs of any kind. She seemed like a lot of work with all that attitude.

  Jo and I have been best friends since we were babies; we were born the same week in the same hospital. I hadn’t actually seen her all week, but we texted pretty much nonstop when we weren’t working together. I was actually looking forward to spending some time drinking and hanging out with her. She has always loved giving me shit for my choice in the ladies, and I was sure tonight would be no different. She’s never been known for keeping her opinions to herself, and I loved her for it.

  I hauled myself out of bed and went to my bathroom to get ready. “Give me fifteen minutes and I’ll be ready to go,” I yelled to Jax. I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and fussed with my hair, which was all over the place from my spectacular nap. I probably could have slept all night, but I couldn’t dodge celebrating the conviction of the maniac who’d tried to murder my best friend after beating the shit out of her. I’d left that part out; he seriously beat the crap out of her. Jo’s face was finally healing up; she’d had a black eye for almost a month. Seeing that killed all of us, but she insisted on working all of her shifts, and none of us would argue with her. There was no point.

  I changed quickly into some jeans and a t-shirt. It was a nice night here in central Florida; it was January and really not that cold at all. I mean, it’s never that cold here, but it was kind of warm, particularly for this time of year. It was Jax’s turn to drive, since I drove us out last time a few days prior. He was not patiently waiting for me to get my shit together and having a beer in the kitchen when I walked out.

  “You ready, princess?” He gave me a sideways glance and a smirk and tugged on his bottle.

  “Go fuck yourself. Yea, I’m ready. Let’s go say hello to your bitchy little detective.” I walked outside, creating the illusion I was now waiting for him to finish his beer to leave, which was of course total bullshit.

  He laughed, “God, I hope so. So. Hot. And she has guns and likes to shoot things. All cops like to shoot things. Ugh, I love her.” He made a curvy body silhouette motion with his hands. I just rolled my eyes.

  “Let’s go, Romeo. I got twenty bucks that says she doesn’t show, and if she does, she doesn’t give you the time of day.” I laughed at him and walked to his truck, leaving him standing in the doorway to chug his beer.

  After a long day, I always needed a drink. It’s just how you unwound in my family; with a nice stiff cocktail. I couldn’t be bothered with making my go-to martini after the long day I’d had, so a glass of Pinot Noir would do just fine. My parents were both very successful; my dad was a lawyer, my mom a physician, and while they were on their A-game all of the time, once the workday was over, it was time for a scotch and a martini respectively, and I had picked up that habit easily.

  I hadn’t even taken my gun off yet when I was reaching up into the cabinet to get a wine glass. I wasn’t sure why I kept them up so high; I had to stretch to put them away and grab them, which was counterintuitive. I made a note to move things around in the cabinets to make the wine glasses easier to reach. Then I realized I would never get around to rearranging anything. Who was I kidding?

  I was supposed to meet some of the people involved with my most recent closed case, mostly all firefighters, to celebrate an attempted murderer’s conviction we’d nabbed. I didn’t really care for celebrations like this very much, but I wanted to show some support and solidarity with the fire department. Cops and firefighters sometimes got along, while we competed other times, and this investigation wouldn’t have happened without their help. I was only sorry Jack wasn’t here to enjoy the celebration himself. Although, since his daughter was almost murdered, it was probably for the best he passed away before the investigation was even completed. I wasn’t completely sure we would have been able to convict with the evidence Jack had collected, but once that Russell douchebag tried to kill Jo Meadows and she lived to tell about it, we had him nailed.

  I admired her courage, getting on the stand and telling the jury what he did, especially after they had dated. Thankfully, he hadn’t sexually assaulted her, but it couldn’t have been easy getting up on the stand with the shadow of the black eye he gave her showing, and telling everyone he’d tied her, beat her up, and left her to burn to death in her own house.

  I couldn’t believe he hadn’t even been on the run. He thought he’d gotten away with it, so we’d found him at his house, watching porn and jerking off. Literally, with his dick in hand was how we’d found him. What a sick bastard. Her house was on fire, where he’d left her tied up, and he was at home stroking his tiny dick. Some people are just fucked up. With the help of the new chief and a couple of other guys, we had all the evidence we needed to put that guy away for the foreseeable future. Thank God.

  I put the wine glass on the counter and decided if I was going to go out to see all these people, wine wasn’t going to cut it. I poured myself vodka on the rocks and took it with me to the bathroom while I got ready. I realized I really did want to socialize a little bit. I hadn’t really gotten out much lately. I didn’t have that many friends; it was hard to be a detective and have friends who do anything other than the same work you do, and I’ve gotten a little tired of only talking about crime. It was depressing and not as exciting as one would think from watching television. Investigating is mostly a lot of paperwork and research. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

  My partner, Kevin Connor, was definitely my friend, although he was still pretty irritated with me for running an investigation without him. I hadn’t had a lot of choice in the matter. My captain had known what was going on, I’d had to tell him, but until we’d had a real case, I was told to keep it to myself. Kevin would have to get over it eventually. It had been a big case for me, with no real evidence until the last minute.

  I pulled my long, dark hair out of the standard ponytail I wore to make myself look serious and examined my reflection in the mirror. I was only twenty-nine, but I felt thirty-nine and couldn’t decide if I looked as old as I felt. Even though I had always wanted to be a detective, it was exhausting work. The long nights and early mornings were never really something you got used to. Not to mention the awful sons of bitches you encountered on a regular basis.

  I never really found being a detective harder as a woman, so I was luckier than many, b
ut my parents never approved. They had always hoped I would become a doctor or a lawyer like them, and they had always given my sister June an even harder time for stopping her schooling at paramedic and not finishing med school. She’d actually always had a harder time than me, since she’d been so close to becoming a doctor when she’d started working as a paramedic. Our parents just had a different view of what success meant. As stereotypical as it sounded, putting bad guys away was the life for me. Becoming a detective was the icing on the cake.

  I put some makeup on, which was also pretty rare for me, fluffed my hair, and poured the rest of my vodka down my throat. The liquid courage burn felt good, warming me from my lips to my core. I changed into some jeans and a low cut V-neck black t-shirt. I didn’t really have a lot of cute, girly clothes; I was working most of the time. Technically, this was kind of work related, but it didn’t feel that way. I wanted to celebrate with Jo and Brian, and truth be told, their friends were easy on the eyes. June had told me that, but I hadn’t realized it until I met them. Firefighters are hot; they just are, and everyone knows it. I felt a little tingle I hadn’t felt in a while and rolled my eyes at myself.

  I decided not to wear my off-duty weapon, so I could have a few more drinks freely. Why not loosen up a little? It wasn’t that having the gun with you wasn’t allowed, but it was a great way to get jammed up if there was a situation and you’d been drinking. I would put it in the glove box of my car though, because not having it at all made me uncomfortable. I slipped on some purple pumps, because why not? I was only 5’4” and had a small frame. I just loved wearing sexy shoes, and if this was going to be a night out, then I wanted to create the feeling it was a night out from the start. I had the next day off, so I could actually enjoy myself a little.

  I smiled in the mirror by my doorway, thinking it could be fun to let loose and celebrate a little. It was my celebration too; I’d put another douchebag behind bars.

  We got to the bar, and it was already packed. I had to admit, I loved the excitement of a crowded bar. Most people didn’t, but I was always kind of looking for a girl who would entertain me, and a packed bar was certainly better odds than a quiet one with all the same people all of the time. I immediately saw our little group of friends at the bar, and there in the middle was Jo, sitting on a stool, with my brother standing behind her. He had really become very protective of her. I did actually like seeing that, even if it was still kind of weird for me. She softened him up a little, and she was more relaxed when he was around her, like she felt safe.

  She caught my eye, gave me a huge smile, and hopped off her stool. When I walked over, she threw her arms around my neck, giving me a huge hug. “I’m so happy to see you, Matty!”

  I laughed and squeezed her back, lifting her up off the ground, returning the hug. “I’m happy to see you too. It’s been like three days. What the fuck? Doesn’t my brother let you out anymore?” I gave my brother a handshake and laughed.

  “He does, he does,” she blushed. It was actually kind of cute to see her act that way over a guy, even if it was my brother. Her happiness did mean a lot to me, even if now she was trying to get me to take dating more seriously, which wasn’t happening in the foreseeable future as far as I was concerned.

  “Jo can do anything she wants, man. I can’t help if it she’d rather stay in with me than hang out with you losers after work,” Brian joked. While he was possessive over her, which I didn’t really understand, I knew he’d give up everything for her. They were without a doubt my favorite two people on earth besides my mother.

  “Gross. I don’t want to hear about it.” I covered up my ears and laughed again. This was my tribe; these were my people. I honestly couldn’t think of a group of people I’d rather be around, be it at work or outside of it. I trusted them with my life, and they were safe. I wasn’t much into branching out, even if we really did know each other’s business most of the time, which could get uncomfortable for most, but not usually for us.

  Jo smiled and poked me in the ribs. “I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. Now we need to find you someone you can lock yourself away with!” She smiled at me and gave me that look. The look women who are in love give you when they want you to be in love too. I could not imagine feeling that way about someone. I’d never met a chick I could even remotely envision any kind of a relationship with. Most of the girls I have found myself spending an evening with just wanted to be with a firefighter because they thought it was hot, and not because they had anything interesting to say.

  Oddly enough, I felt a kind of relief Jo had ended up with Brian. Not because he was my brother; men don’t feel that way about other men, even their brothers most of the time. But I’ve always been so protective of her myself that it actually gave me a sense of peace to see her being taken care of. Okay, yes, by my brother, but whatever, taken care of nonetheless by someone who didn’t suck. I thought I might enjoy taking care of someone, but it just didn’t seem realistic for me with the type of girls I typically met.

  We were all drinking and carrying on when Jax elbowed me in the kidney while pointing to the door. That damn detective did show up. I couldn’t believe it. Jo went to greet her. She looked totally different than the handful of times I had seen her before. She had her long, dark hair down and was wearing a tight t-shirt and jeans with some sexy-ass heels. When I had seen her before, she was dressed like a TV detective with her hair pulled back into a stuffy, tight-ass ponytail. She had definitely not been the hot piece of ass I saw walk in now. I felt a twitch in my dick seeing her in those high heels and tight-ass jeans. That wasn’t what detectives wore in my little bit of experience, and now I was into detectives.

  “Oh my God, I’m so glad you came, Detective!!!” Jo squealed and hugged her. They embraced in a hug that looked a little uncomfortable for the detective, which made me grin.

  “I wouldn’t miss it. You look so good, Josie,” she said and touched Jo’s face, clearly noticing how much she had healed since they’d last seen each other. It was a sweet moment to watch. I looked over at my brother and saw him watching as well.

  “Thank you so much, Detective,” Jo smiled.

  “Call me Isabel,” she laughed.

  “Ok, you can call me Jo then. What would you like to drink? It’s a celebration!” Jo yelled out.

  “Hmmm, I’ll have a Ketel and Club with lime, please.” Jo turned around to get the bartender’s attention, and the detective looked at the group of us watching them. “Ok, none of us is working, so please call me Isabel, or Izzy if you’re feeling really friendly,” she laughed and smiled.

  She seemed different, like she had softened up. Jax stepped right up to reintroduce himself, of course. “Izzy, so glad you could make it out. I’m Seth Jackson, but everyone calls me Jax.” He stuck his hand out for a shake, which she took.

  “I remember seeing you at the hospital briefly. Nice to see you again.” She turned to me. “Matt, right? I know we met quickly as well. It’s nice to see you again.” She gave me a big smile, and it caught me off guard for some reason.

  I stuck my hand out to meet hers, and when we touched, it felt like an electrical charge hit me. “Yes, Matt. Matt Cavanaugh, Brian’s brother. It’s nice to see you. I know Jo is super happy you came out tonight, so thank you.” She looked me right in the eye while I was talking, and it made me feel like I was stuttering or something. Having me her full attention focused on me like that took me off my game somehow.

  She smiled at me, giving me a warm feeling all over. “I wouldn’t have missed it.” She let go of my hand, and I immediately missed it for a moment. Jo handed Isabel her drink, and they walked off to girl talk, I guessed.

  “Earth to Matt!” Jax snapped his fingers in front of me.

  Shaken from my momentary trance, I looked up at him. “Huh? What?”

  “Umm, I already called dibs, pal, so back off.” He jokingly punched my shoulder.

  “Yea, yea, good luck, buddy,” I laughed at him. I actuall
y didn’t want him to go anywhere near her all of a sudden. I didn’t necessarily want her for myself, but any girl Jax got his hands on was generally all about him, and I didn’t want that to happen. There was something interesting about her I couldn’t put my finger on. But bro code was bro code, and I had already said I wasn’t interested. That didn’t stop me from being annoyed as I watched him walk over to the girls to talk.

  I saddled up into the seat Jo had vacated next to my brother and got myself another beer. “So how’s the love nest, brother?” I teased Brian.

  That motherfucker actually blushed. “Dude, it’s amazing. Waking up to her every day is like holding warm sunshine, man.”

  I had to roll my eyes and groan dramatically. “Oh my god, did you actually just say that? I am going to have to revoke your man card. I’m speechless.”

  “Go fuck yourself, bro. You’ll see. Some chick is going to come along, and you’re not gonna know what happened to you in the head. I’m telling you, it’s better than I could have ever imagined. Which leads me to something I need help with,” he said.

  “I don’t see that happening to me, but anyway, what do you need?” I honestly couldn’t imagine wanting to wake up to the same person every day of my life.

  “I want to ask Jo to marry me, and I want your help,” he whispered.

  I almost spit my beer out, choking on it. “You want to do what?” I did not whisper at all.

  “Shut the fuck up, man. It’s a surprise.” He got close and gave me the shut up hand gesture. I couldn’t even believe we were having this conversation.

  “I don’t understand. You want to ask her to marry you? You’ve been together as a couple for like five minutes. Why now?” I just couldn’t even comprehend why they’d want to get married so quickly.

  “When you know, you know. I want to make it official, and I don’t see any reason to wait. We want to have a family of our own, and we have plans for a future together. Do you have a problem with this?” He gave me a concerned look. I guess my shock and surprise gave him the impression I didn’t approve. It wasn’t that at all. I didn’t know why I was even questioning him; they’d clearly been meant for each other. I guess I just didn’t understand the rush; they’d just moved so fast.