Slow & Steady #2: A Shameless Southern Nights Novel

by J. H. Croix

  It was a small, friendly place with a neighborhood vibe I liked. Round cocktail tables with stools supplemented seating since all the tables and booths were already taken.

  Pop music flowed from the speakers, loud enough our conversation would be private despite the bar being packed, but not so loud that we would have to yell. I detested places that loud.

  Karen and I snagged one of the round tables near the door, and she managed to get the attention of a harried looking waitress. “What can I getcha?”

  “Two glasses of white wine, please,” Karen said, then added, “And two shots of anything that’s not too heavy.”

  I started to protest the shot, but Karen held up a hand to stop me. “No arguments. I told you I would teach you everything I know, but I can’t do that if you hold back. One shot should loosen you up enough to have those tightly wound inhibitions of yours ease up a bit.”

  Sighing, I nodded. “Only one.”

  “I promise,” she said. “Now, how are things going with Sonny?”

  “He’s—” I trailed off, searching for a way to describe how it was for me with him.

  Karen laughed. “That’s why I ordered a shot. Just talk girl, stop overthinking it.”

  My cheeks heated, but I took her advice. “He’s great. Things with him are perfect. When we’re together, I’m happier than I have been in the longest time.”

  “There we go,” she encouraged me, thanking the waitress for bringing our drinks as she set them down and ran off to the next table. “Drink up, but you’re on the right track with the talking now.”

  I clinked my little shot glass to hers and tipped it back. The alcohol burned my throat on the way down, but it was tart and sweet—not too bad at all. “I haven’t had that before.”

  “It’s a new berry flavor the bartender is experimenting with.”

  Tilting my head, I sought out her eyes only to find them glued to the blond guy behind the bar. “Friend of yours?”

  She smiled coyly. “You first.”

  I groaned over the rim of my wineglass. “That’s terrible.”

  “But true. We were talking about you. Don’t try to change the topic. If Sonny’s so great and he makes you that happy, what’s the problem?”

  The shot warmed my belly, its effects flowing through my veins. Leaning forward, I got to the heart of the problem. “Am I crazy for getting involved with him?”

  “Well, I had my concerns at first because of what’s gone on with his family. But he’s been good to you. So, no I don’t think you’re crazy. Why do you ask?” She sipped her wine, questions in her eyes.

  “I’m falling pretty hard for him,” I admitted, taking a gulp of my wine to fortify my nerves. “At least, I think I am. The things I feel for him are intense, like really intense.”

  “But you don’t know if it’s only lust?” Karen finished for me.

  I nodded. “I knew you’d get it.”

  “I do,” she said carefully, pausing before she continued. “I know you don’t want to really talk about the details, but answer me this. When you’re not hot and heavy, do you still want to be around him?”

  I nodded. Karen took another sip of wine, a small smile tugging at the edges of her lips. “I thought so. Do you enjoy doing ordinary stuff with him? Outside of the bedroom?”

  I nodded again, starting to see what she was getting to. “It’s not just lust, is it?”

  “Nope,” she confirmed, grinning triumphantly. “You, my dear, innocent little friend, really do like him. For more than his cock.”

  “Karen!” I groaned, glancing around to see if anyone heard what she said.

  All around us, people were absorbed in their own conversations. The music drowned out what they were saying, creating more of a din than discernible words. Karen laughed and shook her head at me.

  “No one cares. They’re not listening to us.”

  “Could we leave his—” I dropped my voice despite the music. “You know what out of this?”

  Karen shrugged, giggles causing her shoulders to shake a little. “Sure, we won’t talk about his cock.”

  I blushed again. “Moving on before I die of embarrassment, you really don’t think it’s just lust?”

  “I don’t think so,” she assured me. “He’s a good guy, Niki. You told me that, and I can see he is from how happy he makes you. Plus, he’s a cop, so he cares about people.”

  I didn’t bother telling her that I was learning being a cop didn’t necessarily make someone a good person, but I left that alone. We were talking about my relationship with Sonny. I most certainly didn’t need to get into the tangled mess he was dealing with.

  “What about his dad? You used to tell me his family was bad news. He was a cop then, too.”

  She waved me off. “The family gossip was about his dad being a bad person, not him. You’ve helped me realize he’s not his dad.”

  “Glad to hear it.”

  Polishing off her wine, she signaled to the waitress before bringing her gaze back to mine. “The point is that by all accounts, he’s a good, nice guy. You have to relax, enjoy what’s happening with him.”

  “And if I get my heart broken?” I still didn’t know how Sonny felt about me. It was starting to scare me to think about what would happen if I found out this all meant nothing to him.

  “Then I’ll bring you ice cream, cry and bitch with you. In the meantime, I’m happy to see you coming out of your shell. You deserve some happiness in your life, my friend. Hold onto it wherever you can get it.”

  “That’s not bad advice, actually.”

  Karen laughed and thanked the waitress when she delivered another glass of wine. “That’s me, Karen, the not-bad-advice giver.”

  “Ha ha.” I took another sip of my wine, my first glass only about halfway done. “Tell me about Mr. Bartender, then. You were pretty vague earlier.”

  She smiled, leaning forward as she started to fill me in on everything I’d missed in her life while I’d been wrapped up in Sonny. Karen and I ended up staying for a few drinks.

  Much to my surprise, and hers, I enjoyed the time out with her. I promised her we would do it again soon when I left, and this time I really meant it.

  After drinks, I headed back to Sonny’s place. The road to his house was starting to feel like the road home. As I drove down the mostly empty streets, I realized that I would’ve been really disappointed if I was going back to my old place alone instead of going to his.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Sonny

  “You on duty all weekend?” Zach asked, both of us waiting for a fresh pot of coffee.

  I nodded. “You’re looking at the lucky winner of the weekend shift. You?”

  “Same,” he said, glancing over his shoulder at the mostly empty station. Weekends were always quiet around our department.

  There were a few of us on duty, but everyone kept to themselves and spent most of their time catching up on paperwork from the week before with headphones covering their ears. Outside of maybe a few calls over noise disturbances from parties, I didn’t foresee a very busy weekend for us.

  Zach and I filled our mugs and made our way to the couches in the break room.

  “I’m getting more suspicious of Chief Harris,” Zach told me, after checking to make sure the coast was still clear and keeping his voice low. “I’ve been cleared from all concern about those files of your dad’s because Harris intervened and covered for me.”

  “And that makes you more suspicious about him? He helped us,” I pointed out.

  Zach nodded and raked his free hand through his dark hair. “I know he did, but that’s what made me think about why he would do it.”

  “I’m not sure I’m following you.” I frowned, wondering what I was missing.

  “Think about it.” He leaned forward, eyes darting between mine and the door of the break room. “Did you ever tell him you and I spoke, or that I was going to get the files for you?”

  “No,” I said, thinking back to th
e conversation Zach and I had when he agreed to get the files for me. We were at a bar, not at the station. I never mentioned anything about it to Harris.

  “Exactly. He didn’t even know we’d talked about the files, never mind that I took them for you. I know you’ve spoken to him about some of the stuff with your dad’s investigation, but even if he was helping you, why would he cover for me?”

  I mulled over his words, realizing he had a point. “He knows we’re friends. Maybe he assumed you were helping me with it.”

  Zach gave me a look that said he wasn’t buying it. “He’s the boss. Files on one of the most controversial cases the town has ever seen went missing from his evidence room on his watch and were found with one of his cops. Without asking me a single question, he covers the whole thing flawlessly. I doubt he would’ve done that based on an assumption. Did he ever ask you if you asked me to do it?”

  “No,” I admitted. “He didn’t ask me anything about it.”

  “See? Don’t you think he would’ve asked you if he was doing it because he promised to help you? What if I was trying to steal the files to keep them away from you? He couldn’t know these things for sure, man. That’s all I’m saying.”

  “I guess.”

  Zach rolled his eyes, taking a long sip of his coffee. “He’s also been hyper-vigilant around the station these days, have you noticed?”

  “Yeah, but the IA has been digging around with Maclin missing. He’s had reason to be more alert than usual,” I replied.

  Zach was a good guy. I would never argue with that. But he ended up in the evidence room because he had a bit of a temper. He wasn’t the best for slow, plodding investigations or for handling crises. On the other hand, I’d known him forever and trusted his gut almost as much as I trusted my own. I wasn’t sure if he was being paranoid, but the more we talked, the more I wondered if he was right.

  “Harris had no reason to cover for me,” Zach insisted. “He hasn’t even been hovering over my shoulder more than usual, despite being more vigilant with everyone else and despite me being accused of stealing evidence. That ain’t normal. Show me a Chief who would cover for someone who did that without having a reason, and then didn’t make sure the same guy wasn’t selling off classified information or files to others.”

  Again, he had a point. Oddly, even though Maclin had disappeared and there was an GBI probe about it, Harris hadn’t asked me about Maclin’s disappearance since that first day he asked me if I’d seen him around.

  And he knew I was following Maclin around at the time. Hell, he’d authorized me to do it. Shouldn’t he have grilled me about it? Maybe even been suspicious of me in Maclin’s disappearance? I would’ve been, especially if I knew someone was tailing the guy who was missing right around the time of his disappearance.

  On the facts as Harris knew them, I had a grudge against Maclin. Maclin had been harassing me for weeks. I’d even told Harris I thought Maclin was involved somehow in my father’s case, which made it personal for me.

  Check. Check. Check.

  Jesus. I should’ve been the first person hauled in for questioning, but Harris hadn’t said a word about any of it to me. I hadn’t even officially been told of the GBI investigation.

  “You’re starting to connect the dots, aren’t you?” Zach smirked. “Face it. He had no reason to cover for me. And that fact alone is enough reason to be suspicious about why he did.”

  I wished I could’ve had a candid conversation with Zach about this, but it was dicey for me. He still didn’t know I’d witnessed Maclin’s murder.

  With Tyson making the call to the GBI, the investigation was out of my hands. I was beyond relieved I’d spoken with Tyson, but now I really didn’t know what was going on. I was under strict orders not to share what I saw with anyone.

  The time to level with Zach had passed. I’d missed my shot, which meant I had to keep it vague now even though he was my friend and was only trying to help me.

  “Suspicions about Harris aren’t going to get us anywhere though. Maybe he had a reason, maybe he didn’t, and the only reason was he trusted his own people over Maclin,” I finally said.

  “I suppose it’s possible Harris would want to trust us over Maclin, but now Maclin’s gone wherever the fuck he’s gone. Shouldn’t Harris have asked one of us what the whole thing with the files was about? If I was working with you?”

  “Maybe he will. He could be wrapped up with Maclin’s disappearance.” That sounded lame even to my own ears. Harris was used to juggling several balls at once. It was his job to be able to keep them all in the air.

  Zach simply raised his dark eyebrows. “Whatever you say, man. I’m going with my gut. You told me to trust it, and it’s telling me Chief Harris isn’t necessarily the friend we think he is.”

  “Time will tell,” I said, standing up and carrying my cooling coffee to the door. “Let’s get back to work, speculating in here isn’t doing anyone any good.”

  He nodded and followed me out. “Truth. You do some digging on your side, and I’ll do what I can on mine, okay?”

  “Maybe you should lie low with this for a while,” I suggested. I didn’t want to sound like a dick turning down help I desperately needed, but with Zach’s history and the GBI investigating, I didn’t want him to get caught in the crossfire.

  I was the one who reported Maclin’s murder to Tyson, who reported it to the GBI. Zach wasn’t part of that equation. If they found out he was looking into it to, it could turn the spotlight on him.

  He narrowed his eyes on mine. “Maybe you should, too.”

  “Maybe I will,” I told him, mentally crossing my fingers. I had to do some digging of my own on the side. Zach, however, needed to stay out of it for now. “Should we agree to drop it for the time being?”

  He paused, his eyes flicking across mine like he was trying to x-ray my brain. Eventually, he nodded slowly. “It’s your call, let’s drop it until the heat passes.”

  Relieved to know Zach wasn’t actively going to pursue his suspicions about Harris or look into Maclin’s disappearance, I got back to my shift.

  By the time I got home that night, Niki was fast asleep. Her honey blond hair was spread across my pillow, and an arm was stretched across my side of the bed as if she was reaching for me. I brushed my teeth and stripped to boxers, climbing into bed with her as quietly and gently as I could.

  It was pretty damn awesome to come home to her. It would be even better if I could do it every night.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Niki

  Reluctantly cracking one eye open, I saw the sun was beginning to rise, its light filtering through the curtains. Held in the warmth of Sonny’s body with him curled flush against me from behind, I took a slow breath and let it out. I’d fallen asleep while he was out on shift. I had no idea when he crawled into bed beside me, but waking up with him was heaven.

  Burrowing closer, I savored the feeling. I loved these peaceful, sleepy moments where there was no one after us, no investigations and no worries. Only the promise of what the new day could hold.

  Just as I was about to drift off again, his phone started beeping, startling me awake. Sonny murmured something into my hair and sat up with a groan, yawning as he snagged his phone and silenced it.

  “Fuck,” he muttered. Shifting on the bed, he kicked the covers off of his legs and swung them over the side.

  “It’s okay.” I rolled over to face him, my hand cradled under my cheek. “I’m awake.”

  He leaned over to press a kiss to my forehead, his concerned gaze sweeping over my face. “Sorry to wake you. I’ll be out of here in a minute. Go back to bed.”

  “No, I was awake.” I sat up, stretching and blinking my sleepy eyes. “Would you like some breakfast?”

  His phone started ringing again. “I have to take this. I’m sorry.”

  “Lovett,” he barked, instead of greeting whoever was calling him. Standing, he paced the room as he listened.

  For my part, I did
n’t have to work today, so I sat back against the headboard watching him. He was wearing only tight black briefs, showcasing his muscular thighs and hard ass. He rolled his neck from side to side, eyes closed before he nodded. “Give me twenty minutes.”

  “Duty calls?” I guessed when he set his phone down and rummaged through his dresser.

  Turning to me, he smiled apologetically. “I was hoping it would be a slow day, but no such luck. The SWAT team’s been called in for assistance in Samuel’s Ridge.”

  Samuel’s Ridge, a town not far from Cypress Creek, was notorious for random bouts of violence. Some blamed the motorcycle clubs based there, others its proximity to the Cypress Creek penitentiary. No one really knew why. That said, an uncomfortable feeling lodged in my stomach at the thought that Sonny was on his way there.

  Nodding, I scooted out of bed. “I’ll make some coffee while you shower.”

  “Thanks.” He disappeared into the bathroom, while I slipped into a robe and headed to the kitchen to start the coffee.

  A few minutes later, he walked into the kitchen freshly showered and ready to go. He took the thermos I held out to him and tugged me into his arms. “I really am sorry I have to run off like this.”

  “It’s okay,” I murmured, winding my arms around his neck. “It’s your job.”

  “Yeah.” He grinned wryly. “Doesn’t mean I don’t wish I could’ve spent the day with you instead.”

  “You’d better hurry back then.” I gave him my best brave smile, but I couldn’t hide the tremor in my voice completely. Samuel’s Ridge was dangerous. Job or no job, I still wished he didn’t have to go there.

  Noticing my unease, he brought a hand to my face and cupped my cheek gently, locking his gaze to mine. “I will be back, Niki. As soon as I can, promise.”

  “Okay, Terminator,” I teased, leaning up on my tiptoes to kiss him. He bent his head to meet me halfway and slanted his lips over mine.