I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear that’d escaped from the bun resting on the back of my neck. The collar of my uniform shirt felt stiff with sweat. I took another sip of my beverage, only for it to sour my stomach.
Ready to bolt, I pushed myself away from the wall to deposit my glass in the kitchen. From there, I was certain I could sneak out the backdoor without being seen.
The kitchen was neat, tidy, and bright, even with all the food sitting on the countertops. I tried not to think about the happiness that once filled this room. The sound of George’s laughter as he helped Michelle prepare something for dinner.
They were that sickening sweet couple everyone grumbled about but secretly wanted to be. To lose a love like that, I couldn’t imagine the torture Michelle must be enduring. I sucked back the tears that swelled to the surface. My loss was nothing in comparison to hers.
I placed my cup in the sink and stared into the metal drain, lost in the vast emptiness inside me.
“Leaving so soon?” A voice startled me from behind.
I jerked around to find Sarah standing at the door, watching me with an intense expression on her face.
“I thought I’d help clean up a bit,” I lied.
“Right. Okay. I’ll help.”
My stomach sank. Fuck! I was stuck. So much for my grand escape.
Sarah approached the sink and picked up a hand towel. “You wash. I’ll dry.”
I nodded and began to fill the sink with warm suds.
For a while, Sarah and I worked in silence. There was something almost soothing about washing the dishes. I’d scrub and rinse each piece clean and then hand it over to Sarah who dried and placed things where they belonged. Her knowledge of George’s home reminded me that she too was a close friend to him and Michelle. It was a nice feeling to know I had a partner remaining in her, even if only a memory of one.
“What are you doing after this?” Sarah asked, placing a dried plate in the cupboard.
I shrugged, rinsing off a casserole dish. “Probably go home and go to bed,” I answered honestly.
Sarah took the now clean dish from my hands. “The chief told me you’re released back for duty.”
“Yeah. Today.”
“I still need a partner.”
I pulled the plug from the drain, watching the water swirl down. “I would’ve thought they’d have assigned you someone by now.”
Sarah dried her hands on the hand towel and tossed it on the counter before jumping up on the marble. “Not until tonight.”
Confused, I grabbed the towel she’d discarded and began drying my hands. “I thought you just said you still needed one?”
“I do.” Sarah smiled, her brows raising up into her blonde bangs. “Because I’m waiting for my new partner to agree to join me.”
I tossed the towel aside and joined Sarah on the counter. “That’s wonderful. Who is it? Anyone I know?”
Sarah chuckled and nudged me with her shoulder. “The chief said I could have you if I wanted.”
“Me?” I squeaked. “I’m not eligible…”
“It’s more of an assignment gig for you. Not a promotion. I need help with this case I’m working on and I think you’d be a perfect partner.” Sarah looked down at her hands, picking at the cuticle of her thumb. “To be perfectly honest, George suggested we use you for this case because of your background.”
Pride and sorrow washed over me. “How so?”
“I’ve been working on the Stuart Sutcliffe case for quite some time. Are you familiar with it?”
I gave her that do-I-look-like-I-live-under-a-rock expression. “Hmm. Stuart Sutcliffe. One of the richest men in DC, believed to be a notorious crime boss, but to date no one has been able to find sufficient evidence to connect him to any of the accused crimes. You name the offense; he’s believed to have committed it – all the way up to election tampering and homicide. Is that the Stuart Sutcliffe you’re referring to?”
Sarah extended her legs out in front of her and hopped off the counter. She was so agile; it was like watching a tiger pounce its prey. “That’s the one. I have a theory on his innerworkings and that’s where you come in.”
“Me? How?”
“No one can ever connect Sutcliffe to any crimes because of the crew he uses.”
I was intrigued, but still couldn’t see how I fit into the equation.
“Runaway foster kids.”
I slipped off the counter and crossed my arms over my chest. “I wasn’t a runaway.”
“No, but you were a foster child and that gives you an advantage that the rest of us don’t have.” Sarah shrugged her shoulder. “Besides, I think you’d make a great partner. I know George certainly thought you were.”
The chasm in my chest cratered wider with the mention of George. I owed him to help his partner. That’s what Sarah was, after all – his partner. I’d let him down in so many other ways, I couldn’t let him down anymore.
“Okay. Tell me, how do runaway foster kids fit into Sutcliffe’s grand scheme?”
“Does this mean you’re in?”
I exhaled and nodded once. “Partners.”
Sarah clapped me on the shoulder. I almost winced at the pressure she inflicted on me. “Great! Go home, change into some casual but kind of sexy, and meet me at the precinct in an hour. We will be heading over to National Harbor.”
“Why?”
“I got a tip earlier that some of Sutcliffe’s crew are supposed to be meeting at a place near the pier.”
My eyebrows shot up and my eyes widened. “You mean we’re going undercover?”
A huge smile spread across Sarah’s face. “In a way.”
For the first time since George died, I felt something other than heaviness in my chest. This was thrilling. My first day back on the job, and not only was I about to start working on a high-profile case, but I was also going undercover. This is a rookie’s dream!
“Sweet!” I squeaked.
Sarah laughed. “I can see what George saw in you. You really do carry that spark.”
I tilted my head, unsure what to make of what sounded like a compliment. “Thank you?” my voice rose in a question.
“When you’ve been at it as long as George and I have, when you’ve seen the things we’ve seen, you sort of lose the thrill of the chase. But you,” she let out a sigh, “have that spark of fresh eyes. I think you’re exactly what I need to help me catch this asshole once and for all.”
I rubbed my hands together. “All right, then. Let’s take this bastard down.”
Darkness overshadowed the vibrant boardwalk. An eeriness that saturated the atmosphere, as if the night held secrets no man should ever comprehend. Thick clouds obscured the sliver of the yellow moon that hung in the balance. A heavy mist floated above the water, weighing down the air, which made it difficult to breathe. Flickering lights bounced off of the water’s dark surface. Children’s laughter mingled with the shrill squeal of brakes meeting metal from the rides in operation on the midway.
Any other night this place would’ve been a delightful retreat for me, but not tonight.
Tonight, I was on a mission.
Condensation dripped from the amber bottle in my hand. It should feel strange that I was drinking on the job, but with Sarah beside me, it didn’t.
I stared out at the sea of people, all celebrating, laughing, and having fun. I tried to ignore the pang in my chest as I witnessed a father and son walking along the boardwalk or a mom as she brushed her daughter’s hair from her face.
So many happy families.
I envied them.
I rolled my shoulders and sucked in the salty air. Mixed with the heat, the salt burned the back of my throat.
“Earth to Diamond.” Long, slender fingers popped rapidly in front of my face. I flinched at the loud snap from my partner’s fingertips. “Where were you just now?” Sarah quipped.
I took a swig from my beer, evading the question. That’s all I needed, my new partner thinking m
y head wasn’t in the game. This was a tremendous opportunity for me and I wasn’t going to blow it.
“Diamond, talk to me.”
“I’m fine,” I mumbled behind the bottle. “Just scoping the place.”
“Try not to look so obvious.” Sarah adjusted the collar of her extremely low-cut top. “You’re supposed to be a hot chick out here to have a good time. Not a brooding cop ready to tackle any mother that looks out of line.”
I pressed the cold beer bottle to my neck, allowing the condensation to cool my skin. “Better?”
Sarah shook her head. “Are you always this stiff?”
“I’m not stiff!”
Sarah chuckled as her lips curled around the mouth of the bottle. “Could’ve fooled me,” she muttered behind the glass.
Great! I was already blowing it. I rolled my shoulders, attempting to relieve some of my anxiety. I took a long pull from my beer, and the cool liquid burned as it flowed through my chest. Even the chill of the beer couldn’t cool me off from the humidity that threatened to send us all into heat stroke.
I exhaled audibly. “You still haven’t told me what we’re doing here.”
Sarah licked her lips and nodded toward a seedy looking pub at the corner of the pier near the docks.
“You see that bar over there?”
I nodded.
“My informant told me that’s where a lot of Sutcliffe’s crew likes to meet.”
I looked the place over. For the most part, it looked like any other bar on the harbor. Peeling wood planks gave it a rustic appeal, but rather than donning neon lights, like every other establishment, it used metal signs and dim lighting. This was a place to go for deeds.
As we spoke, two good looking men entered the establishment. Both were tall, built, clean cut. Basically the type of guys who looked like they just walked out of a J. Crew catalog. Not the type of people you might expect to enter that bar, but it was the harbor, and this was a touristy area, so it could be they were simply taking in the sights.
“Right. So, we follow those guys in,” I noted.
“That we do. If we get lucky, we may find out a few things in there.”
“And if we’re not?”
Sarah shrugged, tossing her empty beer bottle into the trash. “Then we’re two friends hanging out for the night, remembering our dear friend. Nothing lost.”
Had George been alive, it might’ve been him with Sarah right now, and my chest constricted at the thought. This was where he belonged.
I nodded. “Let’s do this.”
I tossed my bottle in the garbage and followed Sarah into The Yellow Submarine.
The Yellow Submarine looked like an old sea dive. Fishing nets, old anchors, mounted fish, and every other sea life paraphernalia you could imagine decorated the walls. The bar resembled a plank, which was kind of ingenious.
Sarah and I walked up to the bar and ordered a round of beers. I still felt weird drinking on the job, but Sarah demanded that we fit in.
“Pretend to have fun, will ya?” Sarah hissed as she scoped out the place. “You’re being stiff again, rookie.”
I chuckled. George used to call me rookie all the time. It’d only been since he’d got word of his promotion that he stopped.
“Sorry,” I muttered and plastered a smile to my face. I glanced around the bar, catching sight of the two men we’d seen enter before us. Three tables down from them sat two guys with their backs to us. One had a girl on his lap, rubbing her back in a circular motion. There were a few people at the pool tables and playing darts. I counted about fifteen people total in the bar aside from Sarah and myself.
“We need to blend in,” Sarah told me as she hopped off the bar stool.
“What do you suggest?”
“We should go talk to those guys.” She nodded toward the J. Crew clan.
“Really? I’d have suggested the two over there.” My gaze drifted toward the guy who had the girl in his lap. She was now tending to another table, and he was leaning in toward his friend, chatting. There was something oddly familiar about him. I couldn’t put my finger on it, though. He reminded me of someone from my past. A past I’ve tried very hard to forget about.
“Too obvious. We’d blow any chances we have of getting information if we go for the low hanging fruit.”
Slowly, I allowed my gaze to drift over to the men Sarah suggested. I smirked as one of them caught my eye. He was every bit tall, blonde, and fuckable. Our eyes met and for a moment I felt a tingling shock singe through my skin.
“He’s looking at you,” Sarah teased, nudging me with her elbow. “That’s our in.”
I rubbed my fingers along the corners of my mouth, unable to hide the smile I felt form across my face. “Let’s go talk to the boy next door and his rowdy friend.”
“That’s the spirit.”
As Sarah directed me toward the two men, I pushed down the emptiness that threatened to expose me. I wasn’t usually stiff, as Sarah suggested, but I couldn’t shake the feelings welling deep inside of me. I wanted so badly for George to be here instead of me. I was a rookie, as he and Sarah pointed out, and he’d worked his whole life for this.
The urge to call my foster dad for advice niggled in the back of my mind. But I already knew what Michael would say. He’d tell me that I was right where I belonged and was doing what would make George proud.
“Hey,” Sarah purred, sex oozing in her tone, as we approached the two men. Both turned, acting shocked, but obviously prepared for our approach.
“Hey, yourself,” came tall, dark, and handsome’s response.
“I’m Sarah,” she pointed to herself then thumbed toward me, “and this is Lucy.”
“This here’s Ian, and I’m Logan,” he replied back, his eyes trained on Sarah.
“As in Wolverine?” Sarah quipped.
I fought the urge to smack my hand over my face. Sarah was really laying it on thick, to the point it was embarrassing.
“Depends. How rough do you like it?”
A groan gurgled in my chest, and I snapped my eyes shut to keep them from rolling.
“I can take anything you’re willing to dish.”
“Would you care to join us?” Ian offered. Ian’s sexy British accent made my stomach somersault and my mouth nearly hit the ground. There was something suave about him, sophisticated.
I glanced at Sarah to get approval, but she had already made her way into the booth beside Logan. This forced me next to Ian, who kindly stood up and stepped out of the booth so I could sit down. I didn’t like the feeling of being blocked in by him, but it would seem awkward if I didn’t take his kind gesture. He was attempting to be a gentleman, after all. And at least Sarah was free to move quickly if necessary. On the positive side, I had a good vantage point of the two guys in the corner. I still couldn’t see their faces, but I could tell they were up to something.
I slipped into the booth and rested my elbows on the table, peering over Sarah’s shoulders to the other booth. My body was on high alert. Possibly because Ian was so close to me that I could feel his skin touch mine or because I noticed a tattoo on the back of the guy’s neck at the other table. It appeared to be shaped like a diamond, but I wasn’t sure if I was seeing it correctly since his dark hair brushed over the ink. That didn’t stop me from trying.
“Logan did a poor show of introducing us.” A hand was thrust in front of me, breaking my concentration. I caught Sarah’s expression, telling me to stop staring at the other table. “I’m Ian Clarke.”
I gave Sarah a quick nod, acknowledging I understood and accepted Ian’s large, outstretched hand. This forced me to really take in Ian. I swallowed hard as I looked into his deep blue eyes. This man was stunning. Long lashes fanned over his high cheekbones every time he blinked. He had a small scar along the side of his nose. It was beveled just enough that it was noticeable but didn’t take away from his features. His front teeth slightly protruded from the rest, which only added to his sweet persona. It was safe to sa
fe this man was beautiful, and he knew it.
“Lucy Diamond.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lucy.” He held my hand for a moment longer before releasing it. His eyes remained locked on me. Intimate yet not too much. He was either the sincerest man I’d ever met, or he was a great player, which was more than likely. Either way, he intrigued me.
It wasn’t long before the four of us had drinks in our hands and were laughing it up. I was shocked at how easy it was to talk to Ian. We had so much in common. And it didn’t take me long to realize that Sarah was talking to me in code. Her eyes were everywhere, and I was amazed at how in tune she was to her surroundings. This woman had the ability to see a fly on the wall before it even had a chance to buzz.
The only dilemma we had was me. The rookie. The longer we were seated, the stronger my anxiety became. I liked talking to Ian, and if we weren’t on the job, I probably would’ve had fun, but under these circumstances, I felt as though I might crawl right out of my own skin.
When I glanced up, sometime later, I noticed that the guys I’d suspected earlier had disappeared. This turned my anxiety in to solid panic.
All the emptiness I’d been bottling up bubbled to the surface in the form of fear and outrage.
I had to get away. Now. If I didn’t, there was no telling what I might do next. I could blow our cover easily.
“Can you guys excuse me for a moment?” I asked with a hint of sweetness to my voice. “I need to use the washroom.”
Ian scooted out of the booth and offered me his hand. My instinct was to push him away, but I fought against it, accepting his kind gesture and allowing him to assist me from the booth. When I was on my feet, Ian leaned in and spoke softly. “Would you like for me to accompany you? This place seems a bit dodgy to me.”
Chivalry. Here I thought it was dead, but Ian proved otherwise. He really was a sweet guy. One I could see myself dating, if I had the inclination for such a thing.
“I’ll be okay. Thank you, though.”
Ian squeezed my hand, not saying a word. What had felt like the world collapsing in on me before, now felt like a black hole sucking me into the vacuum of space. For some strange reason, the only thing holding me to the planet was this large hand wrapped around mine. It was warm, slightly calloused, and strong. My heart fluttered when I glanced up into his eyes.
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