“Do you have a cell phone, kid?”
“Sure.” Brody fished it out of his back pocket. “Why?”
“Call 911 and tell them a plainclothes officer needs help with a possible mugger. Be sure to tell them what I’m wearing so they know I’m the good guy. Stay here.”
Jeremy continued down the sidewalk while Brody made the requested phone call. He was an experienced officer and had even done some time in Narcs, so he knew how to act nonchalant. He didn’t want to tip off the dirtbag before he was close enough to catch him in the act.
He had just strolled past the diner, which he hadn’t even glanced into, when the perp started to make his move. Sauntering casually out of the mouth of the alley, he headed toward a man who had stopped to use the ATM machine.
Jeremy picked up his pace, concentrating on not drawing attention to himself, when he heard someone shout his name behind him.
The bad guy heard it, too. He turned around and stared at Jeremy for a second before recognition dawned on his face. Then he spun away and bolted down the street.
“Fuck,” Jeremy grumbled under his breath as he took off in pursuit. After just a few steps it was obvious that he was in trouble. His head was spinning from the residual alcohol in his system and his sudden exertion. Besides, it dawned on him that his gun was back in his room at Clifftop. He thought he heard footsteps behind him, but there was no time to look around. He hoped briefly it wasn’t Batman, the man’s partner from before.
Protocol demanded that he give some commands, so he yelled, “Stop, police!” His head exploded in pain at his yelling but he put on an extra burst of speed in an effort to catch the man before he jumped the fence he was heading toward.
The man vaulted the six-foot wooden fence easily. Obviously he had been a good little bad guy and gotten his sleep, instead of getting shit-faced like Jeremy had. He took the last few steps toward the fence without slowing and leapt. His hands grabbed the top of the fence and he pushed his body up and over it like he had done so many times on other foot pursuits. Only this time something was wrong.
His midsection came to rest on the top of the fence, but before he could use his momentum to swing his legs over, the whole section tilted. Gravity reared its ugly head and the next thing Jeremy knew he was lying on the ground with the wind knocked out of him and the top half of his body covered by the fence. Obviously the whole damn thing had fallen over on him. Before he could extricate himself, something had him by the legs and was jerking him violently out into the open.
As he came free of the wooden debris and was struggling to catch his breath, he saw that it was the bad guy, who had now dropped his legs and was moving purposefully toward his head. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what he intended to do when he got there.
“I’m gonna fucking stomp your head in, mother fucker,” the man growled, rearing back his foot to deliver a nasty kick to Jeremy’s face.
Knowing his reactions were dulled by the hangover and that he didn’t have a chance in hell of blocking in time, Jeremy resigned himself to a beating.
Suddenly there was a gun in his view just inches from the scrote-bag’s nose. Liam’s voice drawled, “I know he probably deserves an ass kicking, but that’s my job. Anyone else who tries it is going to get shot in the face. I don’t necessarily want to shoot you in the face, but I’ll be obligated to do so, and then I’m gonna be pissed. Do you have any idea how much paperwork is involved in shooting fuck-heads in the face? Mountains of it, and frankly I just don’t think you’re worth it. So what do you say? Is kicking him in the head worth me being mad and spending this beautiful morning stuck doing paperwork?”
There was a tense moment of silence before the man grumbled, “No.”
Jeremy managed to regain his breath and scramble up as Liam barked commands. Within seconds Liam had the bad guy cuffed and was leading him back to the street, where Brody was still on the phone, telling the local cops what was going on.
Jeremy felt horrible. He could hardly bring himself to look at his partner. Why would Liam bother to save his neck after the way he had talked to him and Ginny? He nodded at Brody, who was putting away his phone with a look of pure glee. “Thanks, dude.”
“Sure.” Brody nodded at Liam. “Hey, I’ll catch you later, man. Looks like you’re kind of busy here.” He loped off down the street, no doubt to go post about the morning’s adventures on Facebook or Instagram or whatever.
Jeremy turned to Liam, who had the thug seated sedately on the curb. “I’m sorry, man. I was an ass.”
“Yeah, you are,” the man snarled.
Liam slapped the back of his head. “He was talking to me, asshole.”
Steps on the sidewalk behind him made Jeremy turn in time to see Ginny come to a stop next to Liam. She stared from one to the other of them before shaking her head slightly. “I don’t know if you meant to include me in that statement or not, but yes, you were.”
Those few words stabbed through him like a knife. If she had ranted and raved at him he could have taken it without complaint, but those simple words filled with such disappointment drove right to his core. “Ginny, I’m so sorry.” He turned back to Liam. “I know I’m a fuck-up. You were right. I’ll call Sarge and see if I can get reassigned so you can get a decent partner.”
Before Liam could answer the air was shattered with the wail of approaching sirens. A police car skidded to a stop in front of them and Chuck jumped out.
He grinned when he saw them. “Guys, this is starting to become a habit. If you want to work here just say so already.”
Liam shook his hand. “At least we do the hard part for you.”
Chuck snorted. “Bullshit! We both know this is the fun part. The hard part is all the damn paperwork.”
Liam swiveled and pointed at the man in custody. “See, I told you. Paperwork. Mountains and mountains of paperwork.”
When the police car had left with Chuck and his prisoner, Liam turned back to Jeremy. “Okay, now it’s time to deal with you. Let’s take this somewhere a little more comfortable, though. How about the diner?”
“Sure.” Ginny nodded, leading the way. “Carly will make sure we have some privacy.”
She marched in, giving Carly a quick hug and a whispered request before leading them to a back booth and pointing imperiously. Jeremy slid into one side and she and Liam took the other, facing him with the air of two parents about to have a Come to Jesus meeting with a wayward teenager.
“This has got to stop, you know,” Ginny said, narrowing her eyes in a disapproving stare.
“I know.” Jeremy hung his head. “Wait. What’s got to stop?”
“This running around trying to get yourself killed. Liam tells me it’s a hobby of yours.” She waited for a second, then when he didn’t answer she leaned forward. “If we’re going to be in a relationship, I won’t have you landing yourself and Liam in the hospital every ten minutes. Do you understand me?”
“Yes—wait, what? What do you mean we’re in a relationship?” Jeremy stared at her.
She stared back. “Well, are we or aren’t we? It’s kind of up to you at this point, I guess.”
Liam grinned at him. “Bit bossy for a submissive, isn’t she?”
“I don’t get it,” Jeremy said. “Why would you want to be with me after the way I acted?”
She pursed her lips. “I’m not completely sure at the moment, but I do, so make up your mind. Are you in or not?”
He turned to Liam. “You can’t possibly want this.”
“I probably shouldn’t,” Liam agreed pleasantly. “But for some mysterious reason I do. I think we were good together. If you think about it, having you around will actually be beneficial for me. You can go do the girly stuff with her, like shopping and getting your nails done while I drink beer and watch football. You’re always screwing something up, so she can spend her anger on you and I’ll get away with murder. See? It’s a win-win.”
Jeremy felt a little dazed. Ginny gav
e Liam a backhand to the stomach. “Don’t worry, Jeremy. I’m sure I’ll get mad at Liam just as much as I do you. I’m an equal-opportunity bitch.”
“You’re not a bitch,” Jeremy protested. “I think you’re the sweetest girl in the world. Especially when you do that.”
“So do you want to be in a triad with us or what?” Her words were still stern but her eyes had begun twinkling and Jeremy was aware of a strange feeling in his stomach. After an anxious second when he wondered if his excesses from the night before were going to be revisited, he realized that it was a good feeling. A hopeful feeling.
Carly deposited three cups of coffee in front of them, holding up her hands and backing away as Ginny gave her a reproachful look. “Not eavesdropping. You guys just looked like you could use it, especially him.” She waved vaguely in Jeremy’s direction.
“I think she’s right,” Liam observed. “Have you been sleeping in a garbage disposal or something?”
“No, but it was a rough night and not much of a better start today.”
“Before you touch that cup,” Ginny interrupted, “you haven’t answered my question. No coffee until you have. Do you want to or not?”
“Do I want to? Of course I want to,” Jeremy said. “I just don’t know if I’ll be good enough for you. Ask Liam. I’m kind of a screw-up.”
Liam snorted. “Kind of?” But Ginny slapped his arm and he picked up his coffee with a sheepish smile.
“I don’t care,” she said. “You can learn to use common sense. Like Liam said, we were good together and I want more of that.”
“What about your friends in Redding?” Jeremy glanced toward where Carly was wiping down the counter, obviously trying to hear what was going on.
Ginny looked a little embarrassed. “I needed to go back and get some closure on that. We tried to do poly but it didn’t work out. I realized when I heard that Liam was hurt that you two—you two—are the ones I love.” She stopped suddenly and her face turned a bright red. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that before knowing—”
Jeremy interrupted her by jumping up and practically dragging Liam out of his seat. He held out a hand to Ginny and when he had her in his arms, he claimed her mouth with a deep kiss.
“You really do love us? Both of us?” He gasped when he finally took a break.
She smiled up into his eyes. “I really do. Maybe you should have asked what I meant before running off half-cocked yesterday.”
“I definitely should have. But if you’re ours, really ours, then everything is all right now.” He was happy to notice the remnants of his hangover seemed to have vanished in the rush of endorphins flooding his body. He bent to kiss her again, noticing that Liam was leaning in from behind her to join in the embrace. But he needed it, so he allowed himself a few minutes of enjoying the feel of her body pressed against his and her mouth sweetly allowing him to invade and explore it with his tongue. Then he let her go so that Liam could turn her around for his own kiss.
“Get a room, you three,” Carly called sweetly from the counter where she had stopped any pretense of not listening in. “Ginny, if I see you back here before tomorrow morning, I will fire you. Now go show your boys a good time.”
“You heard the boss.” Jeremy took her hand and began leading her away from the booth and toward the front door. He stopped and kissed Carly on the cheek. “Thank you.”
Liam’s hand slid into her free one and together the three of them stepped out of the diner and onto the sidewalk. Jeremy turned toward her, raising his hands and eyebrows simultaneously. “Where’s the car?”
Feeling suddenly frisky, Ginny whipped her hands out of both of theirs. They turned matching surprised looks on her. “No need for the car, studs. I live nearby. Catch me if you can.” She laughed and took off running down the street. She had already seen both of these men run and knew she had absolutely no chance of beating them, but that really wasn’t the point. She just loved to see their bodies in motion and a good sheen of sweat was very sexy on them.
She hadn’t gotten more than half a block before she saw them pull up even with her, one on either side of her pumping arms. She was no slouch and had run cross-country track in school, but that was a lot of years ago. She still jogged a few times a week but these men did it at a level far surpassing hers. She was happy to see, though, that neither allowed themselves to get more than one step ahead before they dropped back to stay right at her side. She smiled to herself and again thought that she could get used to that.
“Are you going to tell us where we’re headed or do we just run blindly?” There wasn’t the slightest hint of exertion in Liam’s voice.
Ginny laughed, still marveling at their level of fitness. “It’s just up ahead there about two blocks. It’s the red brick three-story building, number 1625. If you beat me there you can have your wicked way with me. If not, you don’t.”
The two men traded a look across her and then without a word they both put on a burst of speed that would impress anyone but an Olympic runner. She grinned to herself at the incredible view it gave her of their asses as they sped down the street. She was so busy watching them she didn’t see that she was at an intersection. The sudden blare of a car horn shocked her out of her trance and caused her to stumble. She landed on her hands and knees, glad that the car had managed to stop before hitting her as she barreled out in front of it.
Chapter 8
“God, I am so sorry,” she shouted to the driver. He gave her a nasty look before turning down the way she had just come from.
Arms, too many arms, she thought, seemed to come from everywhere at once, surrounding her. They were patting all over her body and she heard desperate voices. “Are you okay? Did you get hurt? Do we need an ambulance? Talk to us, baby. Are you okay?”
She had to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. Here she was standing in the middle of the street with two of the most capable and probably dangerous men in town and all they could do was ask if she was okay. Her own stupidity had almost ruined everything but she had gotten lucky. She made a mental note to stop and buy a lottery ticket before the day was over. “I’m fine. Really.”
“You scared us,” Jeremy said. “That asshole almost hit you. I should have ripped him out of that goofy little Mini Cooper and beat him to death. I mean really, who drives one of those?”
Just as he started to turn toward the direction the car had gone Ginny caught his arm and pulled gently. His head snapped back and his eyes fastened onto her face with an intense look. She wondered how many criminals had given up just at the sight of that look. The intensity of it was frightening. “It was my fault, not his. Besides, I kind of like those cars.”
She squealed as he stooped and swept her up in his arms. “We beat you fair and square and will have our way with you, but I’m not letting you out of my sight again.” He strode the last half block with her in his arms and trotted up the front steps of her apartment building as if she were made of feathers. “Which one?”
She swatted at his shoulder. “Put me down, you goofball. I live on the third floor and there isn’t an elevator.”
He just looked at her without loosening his grip in the least. Liam held open the door for them. “What’s your number?”
She sighed. “It’s 305, but I can walk, you know.”
“Not today you can’t,” Jeremy grumbled. He took the stairs two at a time without even having the decency to breathe hard, although he did break a sweat.
God, he looked sexy. Ginny grinned, settling herself a little more comfortably in his muscular arms. Then she realized that he had come to a stop while she had been staring at the tiny drops of perspiration gathering on his top lip. Unable to help herself, she leaned forward and kissed him, hard and without warning.
“Guess this is the right one, then.” Liam laughed. “Don’t hog them all though, buddy. She needs to save one for me.”
“Oh, I have plenty.” She purred, breaking the kiss and turning her head to look up at Li
am. She was pleased that he didn’t hesitate to kiss her, even though she was still in Jeremy’s arms. She leaned into it, her tongue dancing with his for a moment before he pulled back.
“If we want to go inside and continue this, you need to put me down so I can get the keys out of my pocket.”
Once she had regained her feet she opened the door to her apartment. Reaching inside, she flicked on the lights before stepping across the threshold.
She jumped when Liam spoke from right behind her. “I knew I loved you for a reason. You are one of the few women I’ve ever met that had the good sense not to trust the flimsy little locks these apartments always have.”
He and Jeremy ghosted past her without a sound and disappeared. They reappeared a few seconds later, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry. Habit,” Jeremy said. “There’s nobody here. You’re safe.”
“Really? You thought that maybe killer ninjas were waiting to get me?” she asked in disbelief.
He had the grace to look embarrassed. “No, not ninjas, but maybe a rapist. You just never know these days. You’re ours now, and we take care of what is ours. You’re going to have to get used to that, my love. No one will ever get the chance to hurt you while we’re around.”
She turned to Liam. “Is he serious? There hasn’t been a rape in Grandpointe as long as I’ve been here.”
“Good, but in all fairness it does happen a lot in most cities and we are cops. Being overprotective kind of goes with the job. They issue it along with our superhero capes.” His grin was boyish and playful, and Ginny realized she couldn’t be mad at them.
“Oh, all right.” She knew when she had lost an argument and besides, she kind of liked the idea of them protecting her. A sudden visual of the two of them wearing nothing but Superman capes made her giggle.
As if reading her mind, Jeremy leaned down and kissed her again. When he finally broke the kiss he looked ruefully down at himself. “We’re all sweaty from our run. Let’s get a shower.”
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