by Lexi Ostrow
Jeremy processed the words and frowned. Chase was right. He had another job he could run to if he damned his place with the LAPD. Bridget only had a modeling career, one she didn’t like. Which meant they couldn’t see each other, not until he made a choice about the DEA.
“We talked about cooling it off for awhile. But if I keep seeing her everyday, or even every few days, it’s not going to help. So I need to you talk to Captain. Think of all the scraps I saved your ass from in the past. Consider this me calling in an old debt.”
“Damn it, Trellins. Fine, I’ll talk to him now, but you better promise me you won’t get in any deeper with this girl. It won’t help anyone if you do. If I let the captain know I knew anything and didn’t share it all, it could blow up on me, too.”
“Deal.”
Chase walked out of the office, grumbling something that Jeremy couldn’t actually hear properly enough to understand. He flinched as the heavy door slammed closed behind his friend, leaving him alone in Chase’s office in the silence of his admission.
Jeremy kept turning the conversation over and over in his mind. He didn’t want to take the DEA offer simply because it would allow him a relationship. Nothing was certain the world today and ditching a career he loved for a woman who only captivated him was not an option. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to walk away from the female who could go from stunning model to badass cop in the blink of an eye. There was something between them and he wasn’t ready to give up on it. If they were careful, if they snuck around and kept things as platonic as they could, maybe it would help him move his own decision along.
“You’re not going to like this.”
The sound of Chase’s voice coming from behind him startled Jeremy. He hadn’t realized how much time had passed. His friend appeared and sat down on the edge of his desk.
“He won’t remove me from training?”
“Oh, he’s ordered your ass off. Scolded me a bit for not seeing the sexual tension in the room, like I’m some sort of sniffing dog or something. You’re not to go anywhere near O’Casey. Not in the office or out. He’s given you a nice ultimatum. Keep it in your pants, or take the DEA offer and turn in your gun and badge now, – not when you’re ready to start over there.”
Jeremy nodded. The words angered him. He knew there was nothing he could do and it made things all the more difficult. He’d always followed every single rule, even during his destructive pursuit last year. He’d never expected the captain to rule so harshly on something that wasn’t the worst Internal Affairs issue to ever happen in any precinct.
“I’ve got a class to get to. You’re my friend, Jeremy, one of the best ones I’ve got, and sure as shit, the best partner I ever had. But I’m staying out of this one. I’m advising you to think with your badge right now. This is the life you left Montgomery for. Don’t piss it away for a girl you like fucking.”
Chase didn’t wait for Jeremy’s response. He pushed past Jeremy and walked out the door to get to the class of recruits he’d kept waiting to help Jeremy deal with this problem. He wasn’t certain if he was angry with Chase for his utter lack of support as a friend, or because he’d reduced Bridget to nothing more than a hook-up. He was angry with his friend and his captain, but oddly enough, not himself.
Jeremy’s hands curled into fists. He uncurled them as he forced himself to calm down. Bridget O’Casey might just be the perfect woman. They were going to see what they had together, even if it meant lying to everyone he’d worked with for the past ten years.
Bridget blinked as she looked down at the score on the paper. “Ninety-eight,” she whispered the words as if they were sacred as the rest of the group patiently rose when their names were called to grab theirs.
The exam wasn’t anything terribly serious, but rather more of a gauging system. To see the almost perfect score shining back at her made it hard to keep herself from grinning. A sideways glance at Ashley’s paper told her that her friend had secured a score in the mid-eighties. Bridget was happy that for once she hadn’t excelled too far past Ashley.
Things had been such a whirlwind for the past few weeks after Jeremy had gone to the captain she was shocked she’d managed to keep up.
Jeremy had somehow spoken with Captain. It had resulted in both of them being called into his office for a reprimand for not speaking out on day one. They’d been issued, a warning to not to let it happen ever again. The next day, Jeremy had been replaced by Santana, a vice cop. For a week, they had attempted to fully ignore one another again. Like the last time, it ended with her showing up on his doorstep with a pair of regulation cuffs she’d snagged from his car on her way to the door.
From then out she and Jeremy didn’t even try to play by the new rules. Which may have been foolish but neither of them had been willing to put their lives on hold if they could succeed in getting around the system, just until Jeremy made his career choice. They made damn certain to not be seen anywhere near one another inside the big precinct area, which left them staying in most nights.
The past few weeks had been difficult. She’d been splitting her time between cramming sessions with Ashley and Marcus, to sneaking around with Jeremy. Since then, their relationship had been nothing if not Boy Scout and Girl Scout clean. Minus the fact that it was still against regulation to be seeing one another in any fashion. Most nights, she stayed at his place till it got late and then he would drive her back to her own home. They’d alternated between him incessantly quizzing her to cooking dinner together in his kitchen. They felt like a couple. Even her body was screaming for them to do more than cook.
“O’Casey, are you with us, recruit?”
Chase’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts of Jeremy. She whipped her head up wards, a flush of color darkening her cheeks.
“Yes, sir. Forgive me, sir.”
She thought she caught the briefest glimpse of a smile on his lips, but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
“Scores like that don’t mean you can daydream in my classroom. How well do you think that would go over if you were with Juarez and Santana? Not well, is the correct answer. Head out of the clouds. You’ve still got three weeks to go. I will not tolerate a swelled head. Ego gets cops killed.”
The last sentence bounced around in her ears, like the echo from a microphone, and she sunk down into her chair. He was right, she was behaving appallingly. Sooner or later, these daydreams of Jeremy were going to get her into serious trouble. The new year was closing in fast, and he hadn’t made a single mention about his placement with or without the DEA – not that she had any real business in knowing.
That didn’t make hearing the words any easier. On top of essentially breaking every rule by being with a cop, the one person who needed to like her thought she was a boastful toad.
Fantastic.
“All available units, I repeat, all available units. There is a 10-53 on the south side steps of the San Diego precinct. All available units please report now.”
The static crackle of the police scanner they used to listen to some days went off in the corner behind Chase. The room went utterly silent. Bridget felt bile rising in the back of her throat. No one was speaking around her and the words were out of her mouth before she could hold them back.
“That’s not a practice code, is it?” her voice trembled as she asked and she could feel the fear coursing through her body go straight down to her toes.
Chase’s body language told her everything she needed to know before he’d even opened his mouth to answer. She could see it in the way the muscles in his neck tensed, and in the way he ground his teeth together. Her eyes dropped to his fisted hands and she felt herself gag.
“No one move. Everyone remain here and stay off your phones.” Chase barked the command so loudly she flinched as he ran out the door.
The minute the door closed behind him a cacophony of voices broke out amongst the thirty-eight recruits gathered in the small room. Only she couldn’t make sense of anything that was b
eing said. Her eyes had gone back to the silent scanner, no longer making noise because. Chase had switched it off as he’d raced out. Another shooting had occurred, this time almost two hours away. Yet, she felt as if it had been someone close to her the scanner was talking about.
The sensation of ants walking all over her broke out and her skin crawled as her mind flashed to Jeremy. She knew he would be completely safe, He wasn’t out in the filed because of his punishment. However, all she wanted to do was bolt up from her chair and run through the stairwells until she made it the fifth floor where his desk was to see him. Her heart pounded so hard within her chest, she swore she could hear it in her ears.
“Bridget. Bridget!” Ashley’s shaking voice breached her own thoughts, and she swiveled to look at her friend.
Tears threatened to fall down her cheeks, her face was ashen white and her lower lip trembled with the effort of holding herself in check. Though her voice sounded completely calm, she was anything but that. That’s when it hit Bridget. Ashley’s brother had transferred down to the SDPD so that she could have a shot here, which meant Ashley was a ticking time bomb.
“Hey, hey, don’t think about it. Just breathe deeply. Don’t text him, don’t call him. We have no idea what kind of lockdown they would have gone into. If you don’t hear from him, your brain will come up with the worst possible scenarios. Promise me you won’t touch the phone.”
Ashley barley nodded her head. A single tear slipped down her cheek, smudging the makeup she had on. Bridget’s own heart constricted. Her father had never faced anything like this while he was active, but he’d been shot down outside a known police hangout. She’d been through this, even if she’d been three thousand miles away. She’d called his phone a million times after her mother called, and he never answered. He couldn’t of course.
“What she said. Let’s do something to take your mind off of it. No studying, no hanging out in the cafeteria while drinking coffee and watching the cops mull about trying to figure out what they’re working on either. I’ll call my brother and see if we can get three of his best day’s haul. We’ll take a nice trip to Long Beach and I’ll show you ladies that a surfer and ex- fisherman-turned- cop can cook a mean meal.”
Marcus had walked up behind Ashley and was slowly massaging her shoulders. Despite everything, Bridget couldn’t help but to smile. She was either watching the most bizarre couple come together, or seeing Marcus at his finest because he certainly hadn’t been so understanding with Bridget last month when she’d freaked out herself. Either way, she was happy Ashley had someone supporting her right now.
“Listen up,” Chase’s voice rang out above all the chattering, and the slamming door sent a wave of quiet through the room. “This is not an event that is to be shared. Details have not been released to the media. If we find out any recruit has voluntarily, or accidentally, shared information with the media, there will be worse consequences than being removed from the academy. Keep that in mind. This is a delicate situation, and there is reason for us to shut down for the day. Enjoy your weekend and remember, this job is about doing well. Do not let the fear of these shootings take that away. If there is a connection, the stations will find it. Either way, the killers will be behind bars soon enough.”
No one spoke as they gathered their belongings and packed away the papers Chase had passed out minutes earlier. The air was heavy with disdain and nervousness. When she stood and walked past Chase, she felt the barest touch on her wrist and stopped walking. When her eyes met his, she saw the warning in them and she gasped. He was letting her know he knew her secret and didn’t approve.
A lick of anger raced through her. She pulled herself away and continued out the door if she wasn’t to avoid saying anything to Chase. Jeremy had told him, and he hadn’t brought down the wrath of the department, then he was trustworthy. She couldn’t begrudge Jeremy for having someone to talk to. She’d told Ashley and Marcus not too long ago herself.
That didn’t mean she liked the warning in Chase’s eyes. It made her all the more anxious to get to Jeremy and talk to him but she could tell Chase was simply letting her know she shouldn’t go to him for comfort.
When Marcus pushed open the door to the lot, she was shocked to find Jeremy leaning against his car and parked directly next to Marcus’ car. Jeremy’s blue eyes locked onto her eyes from across the way and she felt her body blaze to life. The intensity of his gaze both troubled and excited her.
His eyes narrowed at her and he was hunched over. The muscles in his forearms looked like they would burst through his uniform with how hard he was crossing his arms over his chest. The typical smirk on his lips was replaced by a scowl and he looked so dark and dangerous. She couldn’t stop herself from thinking about what he would be like in bed like this.
“Looks like someone needs a rain check on the fish,” Marcus joked good-naturedly.
Bridget opened her mouth to tell him to knock it off when she felt Jeremy’s hand slide over hers. The heat from his hand warmed her in ways she couldn’t ignore. Panicking, she looked about to be sure they weren’t watched. The parking lot wasn’t empty. Officers leaned against patrol cars, and recruits filed out of the building and were getting into their cars.
Jeremy was taking an unnecessary risk, as if he needed to assure himself she was ok. The way his eyes locked onto her lips she could almost already feel his mouth pressed against hers. But he didn’t kiss her, it was all in her mind.
A low growl escaped him as he tugged her a step away from Ashley. “Let me take you home and stay the night at your place tonight.”
A shiver coursed through her as she thought about the reasons he would want to, and his voice was an un-sensual as it could be. Which meant this was about protecting her, wanting to assure himself that she was safe. It sent a thrill through her, to know how serious they were becoming about one another, and all without any other sexual interactions. Her whole body buzzed, coming alive with the knowledge that they were something to one another, that she wasn’t the only one under some sort of spell.
“Yes.”
The word was laced with more subtext than she’d meant for it to be and she just stared as he let her hand go and got into the car.
Bridget was torn between jumping in after him and checking out who might be watching them. She had no clue as to whether he’d made a career decision, but after the look Chase gave had given her on the way out, she was going to protect him until she knew for certain.
The passenger door opened from the inside. Jeremy leaned over the seat, his eyes focused on hers.
“Are you getting in or not?” The growl in his voice was more prominent, and the scowl on his face deepened.
She’d upset him by stalling. Quickly, she slid into the passenger seat and closed the door. His face was so close to hers that she couldn’t stop as she turned and pressed her lips to his. His hands came up to her cheeks and held her face as his tongue pushed into her mouth and claimed her.
When he pulled away they were both breathing hard. Neither one apologized for the foolishness of what they’d just done.
“Don’t ask me why. Just let me hold you tonight. There’s something more going on with these shooting’s and whether or not we’re dating, I need to know you’re with me tonight.”
He pulled away and focused on the road as he backed out of his parking spot. Her body trembled as a combination of need and fear coursed through her veins. This big, strong man wanted to keep her safe. While she loved the thought of it, a part of her feared what could make him so on edge.
“I didn’t mean to scare you just now.” Jeremy spoke after a few minutes of driving in silence. “I just don’t want you to be alone tonight.”
Bridget turned her head from looking out the window and smiled at him. He felt so much in that smile. It evoked feelings within him he never thought possible. It killed him that they had to act like this, keeping everything a secret as they snuck around.
In his hard of hearts Jeremy wasn�
�t quite ready to accept the DEA’s offer just yet. It was a big deal and he wanted to be certain he was doing the right thing. But the more he looked at Bridget, the more he started to wonder if the right thing wasn’t to put something before his career, just this once.
If the shootings kept up, there was a damned good chance he’d throw caution to the wind and take what he’d been offered with the DEA. He and Juarez had been screwing around by the coffee machine outside Captain Danvers’ office when the bulletin had broken out.
He’d been ready to say fuck it all and dash downstairs to make sure Bridget was safe and sound. The captain had then barked a command over the phone to get the recruits out of the building. Jeremy had been on the verge of busting in and asking to work as a liaison with the two counties that had been attacked and rescuing Bridget.
Deep inside, he’d chosen her, probably had awhile ago but this moment painted the picture of how important she was so vividly he couldn’t ignore it if he wanted to. Her father had been shot, and she’d been left alone to deal with it on her own. He hadn’t been there for her after the last shooting because he’d been too busy trying to follow the letter of the law himself. This time, however, he wouldn’t let her cope with it alone.
“Something in me just snapped. I needed to touch you, to hold you and confirm that you were actually in that damned basement and not in San Diego.” The words sounded foolish as he said them.
“I had the same feeling. I knew you were safe upstairs, that you were working on some other case, but I just wanted to go up and see you.”
The words comforted him a bit but he wondered why she hadn’t done so. “So why didn’t you?”
“I didn’t want to put your job on the line. It was foolish to worry. I know how important your reputation is to you. Plus, Chase let me know he knows about us as we were leaving. I got the distinct impression he disapproves.”