Uncovering Officer Smith (The Discovering Trilogy #2)

by Sheena Hutchinson

  “Oh, wow, I could use some of that support!” Pat is average, maybe even dorky looking. But his friend Brett is kind of a hunk. He’s much better dressed and has strong teal eyes that make me nervous.

  “Can I buy you a drink?” Brett must catch my drift because he is the one to lean forward now. Oh Lord, he smells good.

  “Sure, why not? Doesn’t look like I’m needed here anymore.” I glance back at Meg one more time. It looks like she’s in good… hands. Brett wraps his arm around my waist and guides me over to the bar.

  Pat is beside me, attempting again to loop me into conversation. I’m polite, but when Brett hands me a drink, I use it as an excuse to turn around to him.

  “Thank you for the drink.”

  “No problem. You’re friend sure is friendly.” He points over to Meggie in the booth.

  We share a laugh. “Yeah, you could say that.”

  “So, what’s a pretty girl like you doing without a date?”

  “A date? It’s a bar.”

  “Yeah, I guess, but you should have guys falling all over you.”

  “I don’t need that kind of attention.” I want to say I have more important academic things to worry about, but something in his eyes makes me want to continue talking to him.

  “I see.” A smile plays across his lips. “I see, a confident woman. Those are so rare.”

  I laugh. Is it just me or is this guy getting funnier? There’s nothing sexier than a funny guy.

  He continues, “Would you like to dance?”

  I didn’t notice my hips were swaying back and forth until he said something. “Sure.”

  He guides me deeper through the crowd. They all appear to be a blur as I move through the bodies. Brett spins me around, pulling my hips to his. I’m a little dizzy, until I feel his face in my neck. Oh! Everything around me has become a little hazy. But, I feel good. Better than good; I feel like I can fly. I have not a care in the world. There is no such thing as school in this moment. No desire to control everything. This is me; finally free. The music is all color, all around me. It pulsates through my body, pulling me deeper and deeper into dancing.

  When I glance up again, teal eyes meet mine. Perfect almond shaped eyes are the only solitary things as the rest of the room blurs around me.

  I’m excited. My heart is beating out of my chest until I suddenly don’t feel so well. I slip out of Brett’s grasp and make my way to the stairs in the corner.

  Amazingly, I make my way down them in one piece. Both hands are on the railing for support, but I make it.

  My mind clicks back with the taste of bile still on my lips as I’m climbing the stairs again. Both my hands are on the railing, and with a deep breath, I glance up at how much farther I have. Bouncer McHot Pants is descending as I continue to climb. The backs of our hands just graze as we slip past each other. I don’t know why, but I glance back at him. His tall, muscular frame disappears into the depths below.

  I’m climbing the last step when Pat pops in front of me. “There you are!”

  I jump and can’t seem to get words out. They are lost in my throat. My mind can’t seem to figure out what to say.

  Brett comes up behind him. “You disappeared on me.”

  I nod, attempting to open my mouth again. Once again, nothing seems to escape it.

  I’m dancing again. Brett is in front of me, but I feel someone behind me as well. Lights are twirling this way and that along with me.

  The last thing I remember is a pair of teal eyes before everything blurs into one. The night overtakes me.

  The night is growing to a close. Friday nights are the longest of the week for me. My eyes have trolled the floor for my latest conquest. Tonight’s crop of girls seems like a flood of college meat. NCU must have won the baseball game or something. It seems as though everyone is celebrating. Oh, well, I guess I’ll have to settle for a crazy, rebellious college chick with daddy issues once again. They are actually less work. College girls understand the concept of one-night stands. Some have even snuck out before I wake up.

  But most are inexperienced. I have to take the reins. They make up for it with their willingness to try new things, but after a long day of work I would much rather lay back and have a girl ride me into oblivion. As my eyes scan the dance floor, they can only seem to focus on another pair of blue eyes.

  I try to avoid looking at her, the girl with the crystal blue eyes. But no matter where I’m stationed, I can always catch a glimpse of her. Her eyes shine through the dark bar, sparkling every time the light hits them. I shake my head. Nope, I’m not going there. Not doing that again—At least they are blue instead of green.

  This girl is different. She’s always here with that friend of hers. She never entertains the many eyes on her. You can tell what type of girl she isn’t. I know the type: the girls on the prowl—The girls that leave with a different guy every night. I see it all from my spot on the wall. I have even gotten my share of ass that way. After April, I told myself to never become attached. It’s easy pickings at closing time. It doesn’t hurt that I’m the youngest bouncer here at The Avenue Bar, either. I pretty much have to beat them off. But her, she’s not like the rest. Our eyes have met on a few occasions across the pulsing lights on the dance floor. When she’s drunk, she even smiles my way, sometimes. But we’ve never spoken. She’s not my type. Blonde, blue-eyed, very hot, and totally unattainable—Her face screams, ‘I’ll rip your heart out and smash it to a million pieces’. I sure as hell will never put myself there again. So instead, I turn away and try focusing on my current search.

  A few minutes later, I can’t help but notice the same blonde standing at the bar with two guys. Just as I thought: a heart breaker. I had her all wrong. Apparently, she does hook up, after all. The tall one that’s too dressed up for this place buys her a drink. She has good taste; I’ll give her that. This kid looks like he has money. From his collared shirt to his slicked back hair—I could never compete with that. Hell, I couldn’t even compete with a construction worker.

  I turn away as if hiding from the thoughts in my own mind.

  I have to worry about things that are more important; like my real job – those disappearances, for instance. Something that can make a difference is what I should be focusing on, not the girl with the blue eyes. Strange things have been going on here in Angelica, NY, and all I can think about is getting laid. What the hell has happened to me? That girl really messed with my head. April—The one that got away. Never again – my heart is a closed book. Now, I just have a different ‘chapter’ every night. Thank God, a drunken fight breaks out. I rush down from a perch to break it up, desperate for something to keep my mind occupied.

  One of the two involved in a scuffle throws a punch at the other. The recipient of the blow falls into a crowd of girls. Their shrieks are all I can hear for a second before they disperse. I reach down and pick the guy off the bar floor. His hand is on his jaw. I have him by the collar. Another bouncer, Mack is across from me with the other culprit in a headlock, escorting him past us. The guy between my hands is calm until he sees his friend again. As Mack passes us, the guy I’m subduing launches toward him. Slipping from my grasp, the poor guy in Mack’s headlock never saw it coming. They tumble into the crowd by the bar. Mack and I struggle to grab the two rolling around on the floor through the crowd. I reach for his head, this time locking him between my arms. Mack is grabbing at his combatant, when he breaks loose and throws a punch. It misses both of us. My eyes follow it, breathlessly watching as it reaches the girl with the crystal blue eyes. It narrowly misses her face, flipping the cup at her lips over her head instead.

  She gasps, alcohol dribbling down her chin. Embarrassed, she wipes at it as she meets my eyes. My grip on the fighter waivers, but backup arrives. Taylor pops up.

  “I got this. Check the girl,” Taylor calls, that retired detective inside of him barking orders again.

  This time, I obey. My eyes haven’t left hers, anyway. I approach her. “Are you o
kay?”

  She blinks. Her eyes are glassy, blurry; almost like she can’t see me.

  “Miss?” I try again, my hands on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

  Those blue eyes finally lock on my face. The lights play across her cheeks, her eyes sparking over all that glassy haze. “Okay,” she repeats.

  Her pupils seem wide, like one of those puppy cards at the register in the supermarket. The two boys she was with suddenly return to her side.

  “Brett, get her!” The skinny kid nudges the other forward.

  “She’s with us, dude.”

  They wedge their way between her and me. “Is she okay?” I ask the tall guy with the slate eyes.

  “She’s fine, just had a little too many.”

  “Okay.” They block me out, pulling the blonde away from me. I finally turn and walk back to my post. Occasionally, I find my eyes scanning over the faces, hoping to catch sight of her once again.

  Closing hour is mere minutes away. I’ve begun the countdown. I can’t wait to just go home and get some rest. These overtime hours are really starting to take their toll on me. Maybe if there was more action at the station, I would at least feel fulfilled. But, no, it’s all speculation. No leads. The only thing to take my mind off the monotony is to break up an underage party or domestic dispute.

  Something to the side catches my eye from up on my post. I watch as the two guys from the bar have the hot blonde leaning on each of their shoulders. Her promiscuous friend is nowhere to be found. These two goons glance around cautiously. I don’t trust these guys. They are up to something.

  Her feet are barely touching the ground and I watch as her head lolls from one kid to the other. Oh, fuck. I knew these guys were trouble, but this? No. Not this girl. She deserves better than them. The cop in me comes flying out. I ditch my post and weave through the drunken crowd. I feel fingers pinch my ass, but my eyes are focused ahead of me. The guys are almost down the back steps of the patio. My feet quicken their pace.

  “Out of my way.” I push a few kids to the side, bursting through the back doors.

  “Excuse me, boys, where are you taking that girl?” My voice travels across the patio.

  “Oh, we’re just taking our friend home,” one mutters, never glancing back.

  “Yeah, we are!” The other snickers, thinking I can’t hear, and both share a high five.

  Something in me snaps. “Put the girl down and leave.”

  “What? Hell no, dude, we’re taking her home!” The skinny one finally turns to meet my eyes.

  My fists clench, knuckles cracking each time I tighten them. “Drop the girl or I’m taking you both to jail.” I allow my collared shirt to swing open slightly, revealing my badge on my belt.

  “Oh, shit. He’s a cop! Run!”

  “But—” The one with the slicked back hair pauses, glancing at the blonde on his shoulder.

  “Dude, run!” The other guy smacks him upside the head. The girl drops as they both stumble away. I catch her in time to save her from collapsing onto the ground.

  “What’s going on?” Taylor’s bulky frame is running (I use that term loosely) over to where I have the blonde hoisted up in my arms. “I saw you run out. What happened to her?”

  The girl’s eyes roll back in her head. I slap her. No response. “I think they drugged her.”

  “I’ll call the EMT’s.” Taylor whips out his walkie-talkie and presses the button.

  “No!” I yell, maybe a little too defiantly. “There’s no time. I’ll take her.”

  “You—”

  “Yeah, the hospital is right there. I’ll take her. Cover for me.”

  Taylor only has time to nod before I start dashing toward my Mustang. Her head lolls against me with every step. She groans a few times, but nothing close to forming words. Her eyes never open. Shit, what did they give her?

  I pull into the emergency lane at the hospital and barely remember to turn off the car, before running around to the passenger side. A swirl of blonde hair is all I see as she comes tumbling out headfirst when I open it. It reminds me of another blonde so long ago. Don’t get attached! I warn myself, even as I heave her lifeless body into my arms and race her into the hospital.

  I awake to a pounding headache. I mean, there must be a dwarf drilling in my head right now, because I can’t even find the energy to lift it. My arm flies to the back of my skull and I groan embarrassingly loud. That’s when I hear it… a cough. My eyes whip open to scan a bedroom only… it’s not my own.

  “Oh no…” I mutter, glancing around at the light walls before I notice the corner of the room. Sitting in a desk chair next to a laundry basket full of clean clothes is the hot bouncer from the bar. “Oh. My. God.” My hands cover my face to absorb some of the heat radiating off me right now. “Oh my God… what the hell happened last night?”

  I hear a chair drag across the floor. “It’s not what you think.”

  “And what is it that I’m thinking, exactly?” I lower my hand long enough to look him in the eye. Big mistake. They are gorgeous turquoise and endless like the ocean. I think I’m going to throw up in front of Mr. Gorgeous-Eyes.

  “That we hooked up.”

  “So, we didn’t?” I attempt to sit up, propping my head against his headboard that has probably gotten broken in on more than one occasion because it creaks against my weight. I don’t know why, but I’m a little disappointed.

  “No.” He chuckles at my expression. Oh Lord, I must have make-up all over my face right now. If we didn’t hook up, maybe something worse happened…

  “Why? Did I get sick?”

  “Well, yes. But that’s not why we didn’t.”

  “Oh, God, did I do it in front of you?”

  His eyes soften as he reaches for a cup of something on the nightstand beside the bed. “Here I made this for you. It’ll make you feel better.”

  “What is it?” I ask nervously, taking the cup between my hands.

  “It’s my own secret hangover smoothie.”

  I make a face at him, but I bring the smoothie to my lips and sip it a bit. It has a strong taste of bananas and something else I can’t quite place. When I lower it, I take a deep breath before beginning again.

  “I’m sorry.” I run my hands down my face. “I don’t remember anything. Can you fill me in? Did you take me back here to hook up and I passed out… what went on last night?” I’m trying to piece it all back together, but it’s almost like I don’t have all the pieces to connect. I remember waiting for hours for Meggie to get ready in the dorm, and I remember getting my ID checked on the patio… but after that, it’s all a blur. I get flashes of red lights and loud music. I think I gave someone a high five, but I don’t remember a complete thought while inside the club.

  “Rebecca, I see a lot of things working as a bouncer.” He twists in his chair slightly. “And I’ve seen you in the club before. Do you honestly believe that even subconsciously, you would go home with a guy for sex?”

  “Uh, no,” I mutter, but inside my heart is doing belly flops into the ocean of those gorgeous eyes because this hot guy has noticed me. Not just spotted me, but has noticed that I am not of the hoochie variety. Which means: he must have been watching me.

  “I didn’t think so. That’s why when I saw those guys carrying you out like a sack of potatoes, I had to say something.”

  My eyes go wide, and my mouth drops open. “What?” He waits a few moments, allowing me to process this. “Wait… what? So, you’re telling me some guys drugged me?”

  “That’s what I think, yes.”

  “Oh my God!” I rub my temples, bringing my knees up. “I don’t remember anything.”

  “Rebecca—”

  I interrupt him, raising my hand to him. “Please, call me Becca. Only my mother calls me Rebecca, and even then it’s usually when I’m disappointing her.”

  He smirks. “Okay, Becca… I called the cops, but the guys were gone by the time they got there. I was able to take you to the hospital,
where they took blood to see exactly what you were given.”

  “And?”

  “We will have to wait for the results, but you did throw up a lot while you were there—So I think it’s safe to say it’s out of your system.”

  “Oh, Lord, this just keeps getting better and better.”

  Silence grows between us. I feel like he wants to say more, but doesn’t. Instead, I allow the silence to envelop me. I quietly process all this information with the banana smoothie at my lips, my mind trying to remember, the lights still swimming behind my eyelids.

  That’s when it occurs to me: this bouncer went above and beyond his job title. I mean; he took me back to his place, for goodness sake. What the hell does he get out of this?

  “I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but why did you do all this?” He looks up, his face struck with shock. “That sounded harsh. I’m grateful, but you didn’t have to take me to the hospital and then back here… you could’ve left me there… you could’ve… I don’t know.” I slump back onto the creaky headboard.

  He squirms uncomfortably in his chair. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  “Are you—?”

  “I’m a cop, and seeing crap like that just makes me mad.” He jumps to his feet, pacing back and forth, and only then, do I notice the freshly pressed uniform hanging on the backside of his door. “I mean, how could they just slip a girl something, throw her over their shoulder, and take her away to do God knows what?” He stops his pacing, turns, and punches the wall—Hard. I gasp, but he doesn’t flinch. It doesn’t even look like it hurt. “I just wish I would have caught them.” He slams his fist into his other hand. “But I didn’t want to just leave you there.” His eyes flick over to me. “Your eyes were closed, body limp. I didn’t know what they gave you, so I just threw you in my car and drove to the hospital.”

  My eyes drop to my lap. “Thank you.” My words seem pathetic compared to all that he has done. He saved me. “Will you ever catch them?”

  “I’m damn well going to try.” His fists clench again, now at his sides.