“I needed an outlet after I went to Jackson today. The guy I was supposed to talk to that worked at the scrap yard was killed before I got there. Fucked up, and another fucking block in my road,” I say as I grab the towel from her limp hands as she just stares at me. She's worried about me. She should be because I don't feel like any part of myself right now.
“Come on, I'll make you some food. You need to eat and ice your goddamn hand,” she says turning to leave the bathroom.
“No, wait, please. Just come let me hold you. I need to just hold you.”
**********
“Whatcha got, Nick?” I answer the phone, noticing it's getting dark. Andrea and I must have fallen asleep. My towel is still wrapped around my hips and I'm still wrapped around her. I get up and scrub my hand down my face as I wake up and swing my legs over the side of the bed talking to Nick.
“We need to go talk to Bobbie. He's going to be at HQ in a few hours. He's working today. He was the last person to see Cindy alive today. Was there at Ram’s Horn having lunch with his partner, Hunter, and a female rider. Cameras show him walk Cindy outside and then come back in leaving in a hurry. I still don't like to believe he had any part of either of these incidents, man, he's a good guy and I’ve known him a long time. Shit, I'd trust him with my own life.”
Grinding my jaw, I just take it all in as the wheels in my head start turning in motion.
“Oh, and Carter?”
“Yeah.”
“Holly's neighbor, Lily, she didn't make it man. She's gone.”
“What the fuck, Nick? This day needs a turn for something better. It's been one fucked up thing after another. I swear it's a full fucking moon or something.”
“I agree, shit’s fucked today. I guess we hope for the best when we go talk to him. Meet me in an hour at the station and we can head there together. But Carter?”
“Yeah?”
“You better keep your shit together when we talk to him. So help me God I'll do this myself if you bring this chip you're wearing on your shoulder. I fucking mean it, man.”
“Yeah, yeah go fuck yourself, coglione. I'm entitled to a rough fucking day. I'll question him however I feel is necessary to get to the bottom of this shit. It's no coincidence this dude was the last seen with both ladies that wound up dead today.”
“Did you just call me a fucker in Italian?” he questions on a deep laugh.
“I brushed up a little, you twat,” I tell him on a small laugh of my own.
“I'll see you in an hour,” I tell him hanging up. I turn back to Andrea and cover her up with our comforter. I kiss her forehead, as I get up and start getting dressed.
“You going back?” she questions in her sleepy voice as she rolls toward me.
“Yeah baby, Nick called. Need to go question Holly’s husband. He was the last one seen with both ladies today. Her neighbor didn't make it. She may need you, Starfish. This may get rough for her. I've never met the guy, but I'm not about to play nice for Holly’s fucking sake.”
She just sighs, she knows how I operate. Maybe she's just hoping I'm wrong. It's not going to be easy on her to see her friend deal with another bad meal added to her already broken plate.
“Be careful, Carter. I love you,” she says as she reaches for me.
Bending down I kiss her pouty mouth. “I love you too, so much,” I say, getting up and finishing.
“Hurry back to me. I have just the thing to smooth down the tough detective when he gets home from his long hard day,” she says as I walk toward our bedroom door.
“I'm gonna hold you to it. You better fucking believe I'm losing myself in that sweet pussy when I get home.”
I hear her giggle as I shut the bedroom door and walk down the stairs to leave the house.
Chapter 13
Carter
Pulling back up to the station, I pull my Explorer into my spot. Taking a deep breath, I leave the car to the cool night air. Nick’s waiting for me as I walk in and toward my office.
“You get some chill and cool down time while you were away, princess?”
“Fuck off, Farzo.”
“Yeah….maybe not so much,” he says on a laugh.
“I'd love to tell you that the night will get better, but who the fuck knows how this is gonna shake down. HQ is calling him back in now. Appears Bobbie has had quite the day at work. Holly said he was pretty agitated when she saw him at a call she responded to earlier. Wouldn't talk to her. He went vigilante on a dad at another call, beating the guy within an inch of his life as he was apparently ‘protecting his partner,’” he says in quotes with his hands.
“I gotta say, man. This for damn sure isn't the Bobbie Badger I know. I'm a little worried about his state of mind going into this chat. I don't think my chat earlier made his day so hot.”
“I don't give a goddamn about his bad day, Nick, let's be perfectly fucking clear. I'm gonna question his ass any way I see fit to get some goddamn answers. If it's good cop, bad cop then so fucking be it,” I say looking at him straight in the eyes, just so he's crystal clear going in this that I'm not about to play around.
He just nods and grabs his coat.
“Let's go, sweet thang. Your ride or mine?”
“You drive, I need to gather my shit while we head there. See what I want to dig in first with.”
**********
Pulling up to HQ downriver, we are shown to an office for HR while we wait for this piece of work to return with his rig. I stand at the windows just taking in the city surrounding the area. How anyone can work down here every day is beyond me. But I guess most would say the same for all the time I spend in the heart of Detroit.
The HR guy, Britski, shows a big motherfucker into the office. I keep my shades on to cover my eyes as I watch him in the reflection of the window in front of me. The guy is about the same height as my 6’3” frame and almost as wide too. His head is shaved and he's in his uniform. He stands for a moment and assesses the scene before him before he walks to Nick.
Nick is sitting in front of the desk as he greets Bobbie. With Bobbie on the other side,
I feel his eyes biting into the back of my head as he is clearly wondering who the fuck I am, and sizing me up just the same.
“Nick, didn't think I'd see you so soon again today. What's up?” he asks as he stands glued in front of Nick.
“Hey Bobbie. Have a seat,” Nick says as he stands and moves his chair sideways to sit in front of the chair for Bobbie to sit down in. He comes in and closes the door as I catch his eyes move toward me again. I stand still facing the window, just testing the scene before I introduce myself. I'll let Nick make the introductions to this since he already knows him. Bobbie sits down in the chair, bringing his foot up across his thigh resting his hand on his boot.
“I appreciate you talking to us, Bobbie,” Nick says as he unbuttons his suit jacket and sits down leaning forward to face Bobbie, calm and casual, not any bit of what I'm feeling.
“Whatever I can do, Nick. Who's us?” he questions as his eyes again roam over to me.
I turn then and face them. Putting my hand in my pants pocket, I leave the shades covering my eyes. He doesn't need to see the flare in my dark storming in them right now.
“I'm Carter, I work with Nick in Homicide,” I say as I stare him down.
“Did you find out more about Lily?” he asks as he nods at me and then looks back to Nick.
“That's what we want to talk to you about, Bobbie. Just some questions. I don't want to take you off the road too long, I know you catch a lot of bad shit out there.”
“You got lunch today at Ram’s Horn,” I say interrupting them and cutting right to the chase with this little ass kissing game Nick has going on. I'm clearly losing my patience with this whole thing.
His eyes come back toward me and he shrugs nodding. “Yeah. Hunter, myself, and the 3rd rider who was with us today.”
“Why that one?” I ask.
“Why that what? That restaurant or tha
t Ram’s Horn?” he says clearly dripping with attitude.
Alright smartass, let's fucking dance. “That restaurant. Specifically,” I say.
“Hunter wanted to eat there. He won't shut the fuck up about their coffee.” I only know who Hunter is from my brief with Nick. He’s his partner.
“At that specific restaurant,” I say glaring him down through my glasses, adding my other hand to my pocket.
“Yes. At that specific restaurant. He even picked the booth. Nick, what the fuck kind of questions are these?” He says turning back to Nick with a scowl. He's getting antsy now and clearly starting to lose his cool a little with my questioning. He doesn't like me. I don't give a flying fuck. I'm here to do my goddamn job, I don't quite care who the fuck he is.
“Take it easy, Bobbie,” Nick says putting his hands up in a take it easy gesture.
“Carter got brought in to work with me on the case.”
“Wait, you said Homicide?” he says looking now between the two of us trying to piece it together now. “What the fuck happened to Lily, Nick? Is she dead?”
“She is,” I say as I take my shades off and place them in my inside breast pocket of my suit jacket, staring at him hard. “And someone else.”
“Fucking shit, who? Nick?” He looks back at Nick, sitting up a little straighter in his chair, his boot thudding to the floor.
Nick just sighs for a moment before answering him. I know this shit with Cindy isn't easy on him either. And now questioning his friend about it on top of it.
“Cindy.”
“Fuck you! Is this some kind of fucking joke, Nick? I just saw her. I just fucking saw her.” He starts to shake, trembling a little as his face is getting redder.
“It's not a joke, Badger,” I say to him in a mocking tone. I'm done with this party. Time to go to work.
“I have witnesses that saw you exit the restaurant with the victim. Those same witnesses all had stories that put you leaving the restaurant in a hurry not long after.”
“We got a fucking priority call, of course we left in a hurry.”
He settles back a little, leaning back and planting his ass on the desk with his hands down on the surface as he faces me.
“Why did you leave the restaurant with her?”
“Nick, this is starting to sound a lot like you're accusing me,” he says glaring back toward Nick.
“Bobbie, they're just questions. We have to follow every lead, it's just routine shit, man.”
“Do you want a lawyer?” I question interrupting Nick.
Nick gives me a glare while pursing his lips. He clearly doesn't like the way I'm handling this. I don't give a shit.
“Are you charging me with something?” he shoots back to me fully charged.
“Nope,” I say with a little extra emphasis on the ‘p’ sound.
“Then we're fucking done,” he says as he starts to stand up. Nick reaches out to him but my hand is faster. Placing my hand on his shoulder, I give him a little gentle nudge to sit his ass back down.
“Not quite.”
His head goes to where my hand just touched him and he stares me down. Clearly he wants to put me in my place. I just want to laugh. I’d welcome a good brawl right now after the day I've fucking had. He sits his ass back down and I continue.
“Do you make it a habit of attacking your patients?” I ask glaring him down right back. He starts breathing harder.
“I didn't attack the guy,” he says back to me on an automatic response. He just glares at me squinting his eyes. I just nod my head and give him a slight condescending smile.
“Well, I'm glad we both know exactly who I'm talking about.”
He gulps. “I had no choice.” His face pales and he swallows a few times, his Adam's apple bobbing as he does.
“Oh, I'm sure. That's what I heard. Protecting your partner and all,” I say crossing my arms across my chest and staring him down. “Big guy like you, protecting your smaller partner from a skinny meth head with no weapon all hopped up on shit. I can see that. That first shot probably would have put him out,” I say giving him a little smile with the sneer of my lip. Got you, fucker.
He just stares at me.
“But it sounded to me like someone was trying to teach him a lesson, Bobbie,” I say squinting at him.
“So, you either hit him like a semi splatters a deer on I-94, or you just kept swinging.”
“What are you trying to say?” he smarts back.
I just shrug and shift my stance a little. “Just saying, seems a bit overdone.” I stare him hard in the eyes. Come at me, you fucking twit, let me lay you out. I catch myself and get smart, breaking the eye contact with him as I rap my knuckles on the desk a few times.
“Your boss said you had a rough call last night. He was gonna send you home.”
He just stares at me, his chest rapidly rising and falling as his breathing increases.
Nick interrupts just then. “Carter, that's enough for now,” he says coming over to Bobbie from his seat.
“That have something to do with your daughter,” I goad.
He explodes off the desk toward me, wrapping his fists in my suit jacket and shoving me back toward the desk. Fucker was cocking his arm back to swing on me when Nick jumped into action and grabbed him from behind in a bear hug, locking his arm back and dragging him back off me.
“Bobbie!” Nick yells as he drags him backward. “Calm down!”
Bobbie jerks out of Nick's hold. “Don't fucking talk about my daughter. You don't know shit about me!” he yells at me as I smooth my jacket down and just remain cool as a cucumber. I knew I'd get to him. Took a lot less than I thought, actually.
“I'll know a lot more soon,” I say stepping up to him going toe to toe. Staring him dead in his cold eyes I say, “You’re free to roam for now, specifically on Nick’s good graces, but I just want you to know you're in my world now.” Eat shit, you fucking asshole.
“I'm the guy they bring in to catch the ones who think they're invincible,” I say staring him down and giving a little smack of my gum just for emphasis. “I always get ‘em, because they make mistakes.”
He just stares back at me.
“They always make mistakes,” I say as I step back and button my suit jacket back up. “Every so often, someone gets stupid and makes my job easy. I like that you're leaning that way.”
Nick steps in then looking between us, ready to keep him from jumping at me again.
“Don't go far, Bobbie,” I say as I put my shades back on and leave the office with a shit eating grin on my face.
I finally feel like I got somewhere today, and it feels fucking good. Nick lagged behind a little as he followed me out. Turning around, I see him standing in the doorway just shaking his head. This clearly didn't go the way he thought it would.
He comes out to meet me at the car, still shaking his head with a smirk at me over the roof of the car. “You feel better, fucktwat?” he asks me on a raised eyebrow.
“Much, thanks,” I say on a wide face splitting grin as I duck down into the passenger side of his car.
“Take me back to the station, Nancy. I've got a girl to see about a mustache ride.”
He just laughs out loud and swings out of HQ heading back to our neck of the woods.
I left that HQ feeling lighter than I had in days. It's time to get home to my Starfish, I'm gonna lose myself in her for days.
On the drive back, Scott calls. He's been called to work all weekend and can't hang out at his place with us. I still need to meet with him somehow. I gotta get this shit hammered out. Too many cases are stacking and none of them are getting solved. This is not how I fucking operate. I'm the guy that can get ‘em done.
This is a new element for me and I don't like it. I'm a fish out of water on my own investigations and someone is out to make me look like a fucking asshole.
We decide we need to meet tomorrow at some point. I don't care where I have to meet him honestly. I'm done with the hiding game,
clearly whoever is involved has made sure they're already two steps ahead of my every one step. They already know who I'm making plays for. I just need Scott to know something they don't. I need him as my underdog in this.
Nick’s phone is next.
“Damn man, we got too quiet for a bit clearly,” I say on a joke.
“It's Chantal.”
He answers in the super sweet whipped ass man voice. “Hey sweetheart, we’re on our way back to the station. I'll be home soon.” He suddenly slams the brakes on the car and pulls over. His eyes are wide as he opens and closes his mouth looking at me and then the road. “Okay baby, try and relax and stay calm like the doctor told you to do,” he tells her soothingly.
Out of the Storm Page 13