by K. Langston
Published by K. Langston
Copyright © 2016 K. Langston
Kindle Edition
Cover Design: Kari March
Editing: Wild Rose Editing
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the authors of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication and use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
For mature audiences only (18 and older).
This is a novella, consisting of approximately 38,000 words. The Officer’s Promise is not only Ryker and MaryAnn’s story but an introduction to the Brothers in Blue series as well. The remaining five books of the series will be full-length novels. Each book will feature one of the six Cunningham brothers. I recommend you read them in order as the characters will have appearances in each of the stories.
The Officer’s Promise is written from dual POV, with an HEA and no cheating.
Dedicated to the brothers in blue who protect our streets and the women they love.
Title Page
Copyright Page
Author’s Note
Dedication
Prologue: Ryker
Chapter One: Ryker
Chapter Two: MaryAnn
Chapter Three: Ryker
Chapter Four: MaryAnn
Chapter Five: Ryker
Chapter Six: MaryAnn
Chapter Seven: Ryker
Chapter Eight: MaryAnn
Chapter Nine: Ryker
Chapter Ten: MaryAnn
Chapter Eleven: MaryAnn
Chapter Twelve: Ryker
Chapter Thirteen: MaryAnn
Chapter Fourteen: MaryAnn
Chapter Fifteen: Ryker
Chapter Sixteen: MaryAnn
Chapter Seventeen: MaryAnn
Chapter Eighteen: Ryker
Chapter Nineteen: MaryAnn
Chapter Twenty: Ryker
Chapter Twenty-One: Ryker
Chapter Twenty-Two: MaryAnn
Chapter Twenty-Three: Ryker
Epilogue: MaryAnn
Acknowledgments
Brothers In Blue Series
Sneak Peek of Beautifully Insightful
I could have never anticipated the impact she would have on me. She was a ghost from the past, and from the moment I laid eyes on her, I knew I had to save her. It would cost me my heart, but I didn’t care.
I’d lay down my life for her.
Do anything to keep her safe.
That was a fucking promise.
“What’ll it be today, boys?” Devina asked, leaning across the counter with a sweet smile.
“Hey, sis. The usual,” Felix replied.
My partner, Felix, and I came to the West Side Deli for lunch almost every day. His sister, Devina, and her husband, Romeo—yes, that was his real name—owned the place. It was one of the most popular delis in New York, even being featured on one of those food network shows. And for good damn reason.
They were the best.
“You got it. Go ahead and grab your drinks and I’ll bring it over when it’s ready,” she said, handing us each a large paper cup.
I made my drink and found a seat at one of the booths, propping one arm up across the back.
Waiting.
The bell rang and my eyes automatically shifted to the door.
Second week in a row.
The first time I laid eyes on her, I’d wanted to approach her. She was not only beautiful, but there was also something about her that tugged at my gut. I couldn’t explain it. A familiarity of sorts. But I hadn’t been able to place it. Or see her eyes. And the large diamond ring on her left hand had kept me at a distance.
She was perfect. Petite, with blonde hair and a killer pair of legs. I’d thought of at least a dozen ways I wanted to worship each one over the last week, as well as the rest of her. But what I was really dying to see were her eyes. Each time she came in, she’d kept them shielded with an oversized pair of sunglasses.
I shifted in my seat, the hard-on between my legs letting me know he was just as intrigued as the organ beating with vigor in my chest.
She’s married, dickhead, stop dreaming.
Felix slid into the booth across from me, drink in hand, tossing the balled up paper from the straw at my forehead.
I picked it up as it landed in front of me, rolling it around between my fingers. “What the hell, man?”
“She’s married, dude, stop staring.”
“It’s not a crime to look.”
He shrugged, taking a sip of his drink. “Why bother looking at the menu when you can’t even have a taste?”
Thanks for reminding me, asshole.
Felix and I graduated from the academy together and had been partners for nearly four years now. If I were to call anyone my best friend, it would be Stoddard. He was nothing if not straightforward and blunt. I appreciated it.
Most of the time.
“Holly still wants to fix you up with her friend, Adrianna. Just say the word, bro, and it’s a done deal.”
“Nah…I’m good.”
“Why the fuck not? She’s hot, single, and has ass for days.”
I raised a brow, curious why he’s checking out another woman’s ass when he has a beautiful wife at home who caters to his every need.
“What? It’s not a crime to look, right?” He smirked, tossing my own words back at me.
“And if it doesn’t work out? Holly will be all up in my shit. No, thanks. I love your wife. She feeds me home-cooked meals. I’d like to keep it that way.”
“Well, eventually, you need to find a woman of your own to cook for you. Then you can quit trying to steal mine.”
“It wouldn’t be hard, asshole. She likes me better anyway,” I joked.
He threw up his middle finger just as Devina placed our tray on the table between us. “I added extra mayo for you, Ry,” she said with a wink before walking away.
Picking up my sandwich, my eyes once again drifted to the mysterious blonde. She was only a few feet away, standing off in a corner waiting for her order, but it was as if I was attuned to her every move. The way her arms were folded across her chest, the defensive stance, it screamed do not approach. She was doing her best to appear invisible.
But she was all I could see.
The tiny white ticket slipped from her fingers, and as she bent down to retrieve it, that’s when I saw what she’d been hiding. The designer shades slid down her small nose, revealing the fading bruise around her right eye.
I dropped my sandwich, shoving from the plastic seat, my pulse thrumming with suspicion.
“Excuse me, ma’am. Are you all right?”
My hand had a mind of its own, reaching out for her elbow, but she flinched away from my touch before I could make contact.
The rejection was a blow to my chest.
I held both hands up, letting her know I meant no harm.
“I’m fine,” she said, standing up straighter, ensuring her sunglasses were still in place.
Fuck, why did she look so familiar?
I extended my hand, unable to deny my need to touch her. “My name is Ryker. Yours?”
Her mouth parted on a gasp, and standing this close, I could make out the faint shape of her big round eyes underneath her glasses and knew they were a breathtaking color of blue.
No fucking way.
“Oh my God, Ryker Cunningham?”
My hand fell to my side as confusion swept through, along with a landslide of other emotions.
“MaryAnn Glover. Do you remember me?”
Remember?
How the hell could I ever forget?
She was the first girl I ever kissed.
The first girl I ever loved.
It killed me when she had to move away after her parents died in 9/11. They both worked in the Twin Towers, and her only living relative was her grandmother who lived in Oklahoma. After she left, I never heard from her again.
Memories began assaulting my mind one after the other, reminding me of the pain, the heartbreak that came from losing her. Something I thought I’d gotten over a long time ago. But I realized now I’d been fooling myself.
There was no getting over her.
My chest constricted with pain and a deep sense of longing, as I leaned down to pull her in for a hug. She wrapped her tiny arms around my neck, squeezing me tight.
I never wanted to let go.
I wanted to hold her hostage, demand answers. Why didn’t she keep her promise? Why did she return all of my letters, unopened? Why wouldn’t she talk to me?
But none of those answers mattered.
The only question I was worried about finding the answer to was how she got that black eye.
“I guess I should’ve known you’d become a cop. That’s all you talked about when we were kids,” she said in her small sweet voice with the slightest hint of a southern accent she must have picked up while living in Oklahoma. “And I suppose it’s a good excuse to eat doughnuts every day.”
I held her gaze. “I don’t eat doughnuts anymore.”
She shifted on her feet, my comment making her uncomfortable, but it was the truth. They didn’t taste the same without her. Nothing was the same after she left. Nothing ever looked the same.
Hell, the sun didn’t even shine the same.
“Ryker, I’m so sorry. I never meant to—”
“How’d you get the black eye?” I asked, interrupting her. That was my main concern.
The rest could wait.
She lifted her hand to ensure her glasses were still in place. “Oh, um, I accidentally ran into a door. I’m such a klutz.” She laughed but it was broken, and I could tell right away she was lying.
Not only that, but I’d been on more than my fair share of domestic calls, and I’d heard that line before.
Anger swelled in my veins.
“So, who’s the lucky guy?” I asked, nodding to her wedding ring.
The damn thing kept taunting me. It was big, gaudy. Unlike anything my MaryAnn would wear.
She’s not yours anymore, asshole.
“Ticket 183!”
“Well, that’s me. I have to go. Good to see you again, Ryker. Please tell Reese I said hello,” she said before rushing off, as if she couldn’t get away fast enough.
Every bone in my body screamed to chase after her, but my legs wouldn’t move. My mouth wouldn’t work. A war raged inside of me. So, I stood there, and watched helplessly as she walked out the goddamn door. And out of my life.
Again.
“Can’t you do anything right? I swear you are so goddamn worthless,” Trent gritted through clenched teeth, snatching the tie away from me.
I tried to tie it twice already, but I couldn’t concentrate.
All I could think about was Ryker.
Seeing him last week had brought back a lot of memories. Things I’d buried a long time ago. The emotions he evoked made it impossible to think, much less complete important tasks.
Looking into those soulful eyes of his, I was reminded of what I’d lost, what love could be, and who I used to be.
“I’m so sorry, Trent,” I said, retreating, awaiting the blow I knew would follow.
“What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you trying to provoke me?” He pulled the tie loose from its pathetic knot then reached for my wrist, gripping it tight and jerking me forward.
I stumbled slightly, fear consuming me.
Trent’s face hovered above mine, the smell of cologne and whiskey mixed with his simmering anger. “Now, I’m going to give you one more chance to get it right. I’d hate to have to mess up that pretty face before we go out.”
When he released my hand and lifted his chin, I cleared my mind of all thoughts, focusing on the base of his throat as I dutifully completed the task, perfectly this time.
Thank God.
“If I didn’t know any better, I would say you were trying to sabotage our evening,” Trent said, double-checking his reflection in the mirror as he finished straightening his silver tie.
Shaking my head, I held back the tears threatening to fall, swallowing hard.
“Of course not.”
He eyed me suspiciously, no doubt digging for a lie, but I was telling the truth. It had been months since he’d taken me anywhere. He hardly let me out of the apartment anymore, unless I was running errands for him.
A man’s home may be his castle, but mine was a cage, and I reveled in the release.
Even though this was a business dinner, and all I had to do was sit there and look pretty, I’d been looking forward to it all week. Being out in public with Trent was much safer than being alone. He was less likely to hit me. I could pretend everything was normal.
That I wasn’t living with a monster.
It hadn’t always been like this. There was a time when the devil didn’t live behind his cold, dark eyes. A time when I thought he would never hurt me.
We’d met on Valentine’s Day, of all days. I’d only been back in New York for a few months, starting my first semester at NYU, waitressing part-time at a little pub near the university. I had gotten a settlement after my parents died but my grandmother had only given me enough to pay for my tuition. The rest she put into an account I couldn’t touch until I was twenty-five.
Once I got settled, I had wanted to reach out to Reese and Ryker, but since I never heard from them, I hadn’t found the courage yet. What if they hated me? What if they’d forgotten about me? They’d probably moved on with their lives by now. The thought of going back to the place where I grew up hurt too much so I stayed away, trying to build myself a life in the city that I’d always called home.
Trent eyed me from across the room the entire night while I worked, but it was his buddy who had approached me and asked me out. I declined, of course, completely smitten instead by the man with the trusting brown eyes and expensive three-piece suit. However, his friend was persistent and wouldn’t take no for an answer. The guy kept touching me, and when I finally got angry enough to push him away, Trent stepped in and punched him. I found out later it was his employee and he’d fired him the very next day.
I think I fell in love with him right then and there.
But it wouldn’t have taken much, I suppose. I didn’t have much of a social life living with my grandmother. She was a hermit. A paranoid hermit. She wouldn’t let me go anywhere or do anything because she was afraid something would happen to me. She wasn’t very loving either, and refused to talk about my parents at all because she said it hurt too much.
So, by the time Trent found me, I was starving for affection, desperate to experience life and love, and I really didn’t look for the signs or think about the consequences of moving too fast.
He swept me off my feet right away. In the beginning, he was so sweet, charming. He never made me feel like a certain dark-haired boy with incredible blue eyes and a heart-stopping smile did, but he made me happy. For the first time since my parents, since I lost Ryker, I felt alive again.
Trent convinced me to drop out of school after he proposed just four months later. He was insistent I stay home, and while being a stay-at-home wif
e was not appealing to me, I desperately wanted a family.
It was three months after we were married when he hit me for the first time. I was stunned, of course; I’d never had a man hit me before. Not even my own father spanked me as a child.
It felt like someone had taken my heart out of my chest and cut it up right in front of me. I packed my bags right then and there.
But he told me he loved me.
Promised never to do it again.
Like a fool, I believed him.
From then on began a vicious cycle. Me doing everything I could to be the perfect wife. Him breaking me down each time I failed.
Hateful words seemed to hurt far more than his fists. The physical pain was less damaging to my soul, though both weakened me.
Broke me.
Eventually, I began to believe everything was my fault. And somewhere along the way I’d lost myself, trying everything I could to please him.
I thought I’d done a good job of that during dinner. I laughed at all the right things and smiled a lot. But when we got into the car to come home, I could tell Trent wasn’t happy. He didn’t say a word, which told me he was good and pissed about something. It was best not to ask though, that would only infuriate him more. If I’d done something wrong, he’d let me know sooner or later.
I always preferred the sooner, because the later would only compound the fear and anxiety even more.
But I didn’t have to wait very long.
Upon entering our apartment, the heel of his shoe met my lower back. Throbbing pain radiated throughout my lower body as I slid across the marble entry. I tried to curl up in a ball to prepare for the next blow, but I didn’t get the chance. His foot slammed into my stomach, knocking the breath from my lungs.
I gasped for air, inching across the floor in a meager attempt to escape. The tip of his leather shoe met my ribs, forcing me to roll over, howling in pain and struggling for air. His fingers curled in my hair, forcing me to look at him. A shiver raked across my skin at the pure hate I saw there.
“Trent, please, d-don’t. Please.”
“I let you out of the house for one night and you eye-fuck my biggest client.”