by Lilah Blake
Protected
Divided Loyalties 1
Lilah Blake
Copyright © 2013 by Lilah Blake
All rights reserved.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Copyright and Disclaimers
Chapter 1
Alexa was perched on the fire escape right beside the half-open window. It was a hot summer evening and the people inside the small apartment had left the window open in the hope of getting a small breeze. All it really did was give Alexa the opportunity to listen in.
The gun holstered at her side was digging into her hip from her crouched position. Her strawberry blonde hair was pulled back in a tight bun to prevent it getting in her line of sight. Alexa had always known that she wanted to be a police officer. The injustice she saw in the world was enough to make her want to become a superhero, and the closest she could come to that, in her mind, was a police officer. Maybe it was because of how pristine her childhood had been, that she was overly sensitive to the fact that so many had not had the same kind of life.
Now, she was perched outside the smoke-filled apartment, listening to the grunts and curses of a few dealers divvying up their profits. She was waiting for the signal from her partner that the bug she had planted had recorded enough incriminating information to go after the boss.
As she waited for the signal, she was treated to some very colorful language.
“Shit, this looks like the best take yet,” one of the men muttered.
“It’s a good pull,” another nodded. “But, it could be better.”
“Better how?” a third dealer inquired.
“The Death Adders pull in the biggest bank from the jobs they do,” the second man replied. “I’ve never seen anyone make more than them.”
Alexa narrowed her eyes at the mention of the motorcycle gang they had been tracking for quite some time. They were the most successful gang in the area, and incredibly evasive.
Alexa had worked a few cases involving the members from the gang, and found they seemed to be impossible to crack. They would sit there with their mouths shut and not say a word, no matter how they were threatened or what evidence they had against them. It was as if their loyalty ran so deep there was nothing that anyone could do to crack it. That was the real point of this stake out. Sure, they would take down a few dealers with it, but what they really wanted was information on the Death Adders.
“Man, I’d kill to find out their secret,” the third guy said with a shake of his head. “Could retire on it.”
“Yeah well, you’d more likely get killed trying to find out,” the second guy said. “They don’t play any games, you know, they’re out for blood if somebody even thinks about turning on them. I’ve seen them tear apart one of their own just for sniffing at a cop’s ass, let alone even speaking.”
The two other men grunted their approval and none of them knew what was coming to them. For a few more minutes, they could live in heaven, enjoying their riches and dreaming of what they would do with it. But soon, they would be in handcuffs or dead.
Alexa sighed as she glanced down at her radio to make sure it was on. She was tired of waiting, she was ready to take these fools down. They didn’t have any real information about the gang, she could tell, and she wanted them out of the way so that they could focus on the bigger fish they needed to fry.
“All right, it’s a go,” her partner’s voice sounded over the radio. Alexa counted to five, the seconds it would take for the other officers to get from the stairwell to the front door of the apartment, and then pushed the window the rest of the way open.
The pounding on the door had alerted the three men to the police being present, and they were scrambling in panic. Two of them were stuffing money into their pockets and down their shirts, while the third was grabbing a few bricks of heroin to smuggle out the window with him. None of them expected to confront Alexa as they lunged for their escape route.
“Shit!” the first man cursed when he saw Alexa waiting for him.
“Oh, it’s just a lady cop,” the second one said with a chuckle.
“Grab her, we can use her as a hostage,” the third man commanded. All three had their weapons drawn and all three were well over two hundred pounds, but that didn’t phase Alexa at all. She lunged through the window and into the apartment with her own gun already drawn.
“Put it down girlie. I don’t want to hurt you,” one of the men said mockingly..
Alexa’s gun was fully loaded, she knew she could take down all three before they even thought about pulling the trigger, but that’s not what she wanted to do. Alexa had a tendency to enjoy the physical aspect of her job.
She swept one leg against the legs of the first man in the line and when she knocked him off balance she grabbed the arm of the third man, dragging him toward the man in the middle. What resulted was a pile of fools on the floor, their guns knocked from their hands, and their pride as bruised as their bodies. She landed a swift kick or two in the sides of the two men on top, and then whipped out the cuffs.
By the time the other officers flooded into the apartment, Alexa already had all three men subdued.
“Damn, Alexa,” said Matthew Passin, her partner for over three years. He was always a little startled when the slender and petite woman managed to take down multiple criminals while barely breaking a sweat.
“Good job,” he mumbled and then helped the other officers get the criminals to their feet. “But all you really needed to do was wait for backup,” he admonished her, his dark blue eyes locking with her fiery, cinnamon gaze.
“I did,” she insisted. “They were late,” she shrugged, as if that was not her fault. She had of course not counted to ten as she was supposed to and always went at five. It was more fun that way, and no one got to witness the silly grin she was left with when the men were piled up on the floor beneath her. Her love for spreading justice was something she preferred to keep to herself, as pesky things like psych evaluations always came up when she confessed the adrenaline rush she experienced during those few moments when she was not sure if she would survive the situation.
“I got the job done, didn’t I?” she asked with a smirk. Matthew just shook his head as he led one of the criminals out the door. He was used to Alexa’s behavior by now, but he still didn’t exactly approve of it. As they walked away, Alexa found herself recovering from the adrenaline rush. Her heart was pounding, her mind was racing, and her body was aching. It was strange how there wasn’t a part of her body unaffected by a good take down, not a single part was exempt from the rush that she felt.
Chapter 2
Alexa did not hang around the police station long enough to get the usual lecture from her boss about her reckless behavior. She had heard it too many times before and could recite it by heart. So instead, she would often leave a note on his desk stating he could consider her lectured. Were she not one of the best on his team, she would never get away with this kind of flippancy but because she was, he let her slide. In fact, her collar rate tripled most of the other officers she worked with.
The only one who could come close to competing with her was Matthew, and that was only because he was constantly trying to keep up with her. Matthew was about ten years older than her, and though he had a lot of respect for her, he would often tire of the risks she took. She could understand why, as sometimes those risks put him right in the line of fire. Matthew had a wife and child at home to think of, something Alexa was not familiar with at all. It was not that she didn’t think about having a family, it w
as just one of those abstract concepts she didn’t really spend any time dwelling on. She assumed it would happen one day, but she was in no rush to reach that place, and would be perfectly satisfied if she didn’t.
Her life was not about romance, especially not with other officers. She despised dating cops. She had done it a few times and discovered that it was basically like bringing work home with her.
Try convincing your date that you actually want to eat a salad without being interrogated, or demanding that you have some space, the whole time knowing that the person across from you can run a deep background check and know everything about you. Add to that, the awkwardness of wanting to use handcuffs in bed, and it just did not work for Alexa.
So, most of the time, after a solid take down with the adrenaline still pumping through her veins, she would head to a bar just outside out of town that catered to the more shadowy type. It was an opportunity to blend in, or fade away, for her not to even be considered a cop.
“Can I get a…” she started to say as she sat down at the bar, but before she could even finish her question, the bartender Mary, had placed a cold bottle of her favorite beer down in front of her. Alexa winced as she realized she was becoming a regular.
At the bar, she wore her hair down. With it down it reached almost to the waistline of her short black skirt. She had a trim but muscular frame that was not the willowy figure of many of the women she knew, but still seemed to attract enough flies to the honey. It was not really just her body that drew attention though, instead it was her striking features. Men had mentioned before that her eyes were like weapons, she contained the force of her emotion within their vibrant cinnamon shade that varied in depths and darkness, depending on the intensity of what she was feeling. This, combined with high cheek bones and full lips gave her a European air, even though in truth, she had no idea if she had any European heritage.
The only feature she was a little vain about, was her hair. She had been told to cut it many times as it could be a vulnerability in a combat situation, but she refused. In a sense she relied on it to remind herself of her feminine nature. She was always so physically aggressive, and made exercise a hobby. Her body was hard and her attitude was stern, so seeing the softness of her hair tumbling down over her shoulders reminded her that she could be gentle, she could be tender.
As she took a sip of her beer, she turned around to drink in the prospects. She would often just observe. She could put off a pretty clear vibe that she wasn’t interested if someone tried to approach her. On most occasions she went home alone but on some occasions she found someone she could have a little fun with. However, on no occasion was he ever still around in the morning.
Tonight, as she swept her gaze across the people in the bar, she found herself focusing in on the back of a thick head of dark curls. She had never seen such luxurious hair on a man before, it was downright silky. All she could think of was running her fingers through it and how soft it might feel when she did. He was sitting with a few other men at a table, and each of them was more muscular than the last. His arms were exposed by the thin white t-shirt he was wearing, and she could tell that he had a few tattoos underneath the material.
Alexa was not usually into the rough and muscular type, but something about this particular man attracted her. When he glanced over his shoulder, his eyes met hers, and for the first time she realized she had been staring. She quickly looked away and drew a sharp breath at the impact of the visual connection.
Either the take down earlier that day had left her still racing with adrenaline or this guy had a huge impact on her, because her heart was pounding. When she dared to look back up, he had already looked away, back at his buddies at the table.
She figured this was an indication that he wasn’t interested.
“Another,” she gestured to Mary, and Mary nodded, setting a bottle in front of her.
“You know anything about those guys?” Alexa asked curiously.
“Bad news,” Mary said sternly as she wiped a cloth across the bar. “That group you don’t want to get mixed up in.”
“Why are they bad news?” Alexa asked, but Mary had gone silent, her eyes wide, as she looked up.
“Aw, Mary!” a rich voice said from just beside Alexa. “Are you telling lies about us again?” he laughed, but it had a dark twinge to it.
Alexa stole a glance up and discovered that the man she had been admiring was leaning against the bar right beside her.
“If you wanted to know about us, you could have just asked,” he said casually as he accepted a beer from Mary who had grown very silent.
Alexa studied him intently. She could tell there was something dangerous about him, but it was different than what usually set off alarms within her. She found it hard to place exactly what his intentions were.
“So, I’m asking,” she said mildly. “Why are you bad news?”
The man locked eyes with Mary for a long moment before settling those dark green orbs on Alexa.
“My friends and I tend to get a little wild,” he said with a shrug. “Blowing off steam, after a hard day. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
Alexa found herself swept up into the smoothness of his voice and the depths of his gaze. She was not usually so easily smitten but in that moment, she was.
“I don’t mind blowing off some steam,” she replied as she took a sip of her beer. “But you know, I have different ways than hanging out with a bunch of guys in a bar.”
“Do you now?” he replied, leaning his elbow just beside her on the bar, so that his muscular frame leaned closer to hers. There was only a few inches of space between them as he looked down at her, seeking a constant connection with her eyes. “Is that an offer?”
Alexa knew she should listen to her instincts, that she should ask him a few more key questions before she let things get too far, but she didn’t want to. For once, she just wanted to throw caution to the wind and enjoy the mystery, the adrenaline, of a quick and passionate encounter with a complete stranger.
After all, she was still riding on the confident wave created by taking down three drug dealers all by herself earlier in the day. What could one pretty boy do to her?
“Well, I wouldn’t want to keep you from your friends,” Alexa smirked. Mary tried to distract her by offering her another beer, but Alexa waved her away.
“Keep me,” he said calmly, his eyes still holding hers. “Please.”
Alexa’s slow smile made her entire body feel warm as she let him gaze as deeply as he desired into her eyes. It was not often she had the opportunity to have such a stimulating experience and no matter what that little voice in her head was trying to say, she could not hear it over the pounding of her blood flowing through her veins.
“Did you have something in mind?” she inquired, her voice low, inviting. She wasn’t going to play hard to get. She knew what she wanted, and she was going to have it.
“Walk with me,” he suggested, and only then stepped back enough from the bar to allow her to stand up if she chose. He waited, his eyes roaming her figure as if it was something he could memorize and keep within his mind for as long as he desired. She stood up slowly and he offered her his hand. When she grasped it, she noticed how rough and dry his skin was on the back of his hand, but how soft and warm it was along his palm. She lifted one eyebrow, as if daring him to follow through with his invitation. Without a second glance to his friends or to the bartender, they walked through the back door of the bar and out into the empty alley beyond it.
All Alexa could think was how very delightful his firm grasp on her hand was.
Chapter 3
She barely had a chance to think about where they might be going when he suddenly pushed her hard against the alley wall. She looked up at him with surprise in her eyes.
“I didn’t mean here,” she laughed, her eyes widening at the very idea. She was not exactly a prude but being shoved up against an alley wall surrounded by dumpsters, and who kne
w what scampering through the garbage on the ground was not exactly her idea of a good time.
He didn’t answer her, instead his lips found hers, and crushed against them. She melted at the caress and responded eagerly, her tongue tasting his for the first time. His mouth was just as warm as his hands were as they began to traverse the length of her body. His fingertips crept up beneath the hem of her blouse, sweeping it upward as he stroked along the slope of her stomach.
Seizing the opportunity to do something she had been waiting to do since she first laid eyes on him, she snaked her fingers through the dark waves of his hair. It was just as soft and luxurious as she had expected, and the warmth of his scalp beneath tickled the palms of her hands.
She encouraged the kiss by tipping her chin and diving deeper into his mouth. The kiss was both passionate and just a little bit rushed as there was the pressure of knowing that anyone could step outside the bar and catch them in the act. His muscular body pressed against hers, and his fingertips wandered further up along her sides, just barely grazing the curve of her bra. She shivered, and drew back slightly from the kiss.
“Not here,” she demanded, her eyes searching his for any sign of the spark of warmth she had seen in them earlier.
“Anywhere,” he replied, and returned to the kiss with even more determination. She groaned through the kiss as one of his palms cupped her breast and rubbed across her nipple over the silky material of the cup of her bra. Her heart was pounding, and her mind was spinning as she felt him lightly nudge her knees apart with his own knee. One of his hands began to lightly rub along her inner thighs, up and down, to the edge of her skirt but not beyond. She could feel the heat from his skin getting so close, and it made her entire body tremble.
If anything, this man knew how to keep her on the edge and even though she was certain she did not want to have sex in that alley, her need to feel him inside of her was beginning to convince her.