by Geri Krotow
* * *
Josh sat in his patrol vehicle, grateful for the quiet Sunday after the long hours at work as well as home. He’d put Becky’s name on a waiting list for Upward Homes, but he’d wait to tell her. He’d been searching for a place for Becky to live while waiting for the ROC hammer to drop. Because it would drop. ROC was determined to bring in this shipment of girls and all at SVPD was on tenterhooks about it. But instead of emptying his mind for a relaxing meditative moment, a vision of Annie, her eyes wide and lips wet, haunted him.
As if his thoughts summoned her, his phone rang. He picked up immediately when he saw Annie’s ID. He wouldn’t mind playing with their attraction, taking it further...
“Avery.”
“Josh! Thank goodness.” Her voice was raspy and alarm in her tone clenched his gut.
“Talk to me.”
“I’ve got a very large, angry man pounding on my shop door. Any chance he’s Vadim Valensky?”
“Where in the store are you exactly, Annie?” He pulled out of the SVPD parking lot, ready to go wherever she was.
“I’m hiding behind stacks of yarn. The cubicle shelving unit.” Her breath caught, and he heard more noise behind her. “He’s trying to get in. I may need to use my weapon.”
“Do not hesitate to, Annie.” He turned onto the main highway toward the center of town. “It could be anyone, high on whatever. If it’s Valensky, he’s violent. Especially if he’s been drinking.” He put her on speakerphone and immediately called into dispatch.
“I was there when Kit told us, remember?” Fear ratcheted up in her tone as the man kept pounding. If he could put rocket boosters on his SVPD sedan, he would.
“Can you sit tight until a unit shows up? I’ve called it in and two are on the way. I’m close behind.”
“I’ll try.” He heard her soft panting and it was from fear, not his touch, damn it. “Josh? Please hurry!”
“Keep me on the line, Annie.”
He didn’t have to tell her. Didn’t he realize he was her lifeline?
Chapter 6
“Open this now!” the man yelled, and Annie prayed Josh would show up soon. She was trained to diffuse the most agitated suspect and had no desire to use her weapon if she didn’t have to. And in the event this man had a gun, she wasn’t wearing any body armor. She’d talk him down but he was far too agitated, the risk too high. Since there were no other customers or citizens in peril, she made the decision to wait him out. She hunkered down below the stacked display cubes, each slam of the man’s fist on the door frame shuddering through the antique Victorian hardwood flooring.
What if Josh didn’t get here on time?
Stern words from a loudspeaker or bullhorn let Annie know the first SVPD unit had arrived. The fist thumping stopped, and she wondered if the man would surrender easily. As she crouched in her hiding place, she saw his arms rise and he turned around. As soon as she saw two uniformed police officers escort him down the porch steps, she unfolded herself from behind the yarn stacks. Her muscles were taut, and she stretched as she watched the action through the huge picture window that ran the length of the front of the store. She wouldn’t open the door until the police, or Josh, told her to. One thing being a civilian in a police department had taught her was to trust those on the call. While Annie had advanced defense tactics training, at the end of the day she was support staff, not an operative.
A second patrol car pulled up in front of the shop, next to the patrol car, and Josh got out. He nodded at the cops who were talking to the man they’d led away. They acknowledged him and spoke for several minutes, after which he headed straight for the shop.
Annie couldn’t play the cooperative staff psychologist or victim any longer. Adrenaline coursed through her system and propelled her to the front door and she unbolted it, opening it at the same moment Josh arrived at the top steps, his tall body shielding her from anyone on the street. Several neighbors had started to spill out onto the sidewalk, watching as the police officers took their time with the would-be trespasser.
“Josh!” Annie threw her arms around his neck, needing to feel the warmth of his body against hers, needing the reminder that she was okay. She breathed in his scent through his uniform, hating that there was a layer of body armor between her and him.
“Damn it, Annie, you should have stayed inside.” His voice was gruff as he spoke into her hair, but his arms held her super tight for a split second, so tight she couldn’t breathe. She loved it.
“Is it Valensky?” She pulled away enough to look up at him, soaking in every ounce of his energy. The relief in his eyes was palpable.
“Back inside. Now.” He spun her around and gently but firmly shoved her across the threshold, closing the door behind them.
She stepped away and held on to the customer counter. Her knees shook, and she fought to calm her racing thoughts. “Sorry. I need a minute.” Her jaw hurt, and she knew it was from the stress but couldn’t stop it.
Warm hands on her shoulders, kneading out the knots. As if he knew her better than she knew herself. “It’s all right. It’s the adrenaline. You’ve experienced it before, I’m sure. It’ll pass.”
She nodded, unable to turn around and face him. She’d just thrown herself at him, as if she hadn’t told him weeks ago that they needed to keep their distance, keep things professional. No personal relationship allowed. His hands were like liquid comfort as he stroked her muscles, easing the tension that had built from the physical exertion of stocking the store today and then the shock of the thug pounding on her door. When the heat started to become more than what she’d expect from a massage therapist, she shrugged out of his touch and turned to face him.
Mistake. He stood only inches from her, his chest at her eye level, his tight T-shirt leaving little to the imagination. This was a man who took good care of himself, in a gym and out. He radiated a sense of health and vitality that fortified her attraction to him. His skin was tanned from what she imagined was hours of outdoor time, and she wondered if he hiked or biked the Pennsylvania trails.
“Annie.” His voice reached her, his hands on her shoulders, as he helped her stay grounded. She met his gaze. He knew she’d been checking him out, and she suspected he’d been doing the same, from the heat that simmered between them. “You okay?”
“Yes. Sorry that I, um, jumped you.” Wrong word—jump was what she wanted to do. Embarrassment flared and she felt eighteen again, not knowing exactly how to help him with his condom after the prom. “I was a little freaked out, I guess.”
“Come here.” He enveloped her in a hug, a very safe hug as he didn’t try to press her against his chest or grind his pelvis against hers, which was quite a shame, really. But very gentlemanly. Very Josh.
“You always put others ahead of yourself.” She spoke to his badge and uniform pocket, her cheek pressed against his shirt again.
His hands stilled, impressing comfort on her back. “What did you say that night a couple of weeks ago, Annie? When I thanked you for reporting what you thought about Kit? It’s my job.”
She didn’t reply, just soaked up the reassurance that only a man who knew what she’d been through the past weeks and months could give. He didn’t know everything about her, though. Josh had no clue why she’d come back to Silver Valley, besides Grandma Ezzie’s stroke.
“Thanks. I’m good.” She pulled back and he dropped his arms. “Was that man screaming for me to open the door Valensky?” She had to stay focused on the case. Couldn’t spend one extra minute on Josh, on how he made her feel. She’d almost told him about Rick and his wife. That kind of confession was for a best friend or long-term lover.
You’re leaving after only two more months. Drop it.
He shook his head. “No. It’s one of his thugs, though. But we don’t have anything else on him. Even today, all he’s done is shown up and made a public nuisance of h
imself on a Sunday morning.”
“The shop is closed. The sign says as much. There was no need for him to pound like that.” Anger rose and she clenched her fists. “Who does he think he is?”
“He was testing to see if Kit’s here. Valensky’s realized she’s not at school and he’s panicking, is my guess. We pressed charges, and he’s trying to regain control.” Josh walked over to where the single serve coffee maker sat and raised a brow. “May I?”
“Sure, go ahead. There’s milk in the mini fridge.”
“It’s a typical scare tactic, Annie. If you’d opened the door, I doubt this loser would have hurt you. He would have said he was looking for Kit maybe, maybe not. But he’d have gotten the message across to you that Valensky knows she’s gone and knows she was here.”
“Hell. Is the ROC that entrenched in Silver Valley that they’ve taken to intimidating local business owners? And why didn’t Valensky send someone sooner?”
“No, but they want to be. And remember, all Valensky knows is that Kit is gone. He has no idea where. My guess is that he found a receipt from the yarn store or somehow linked her knitting to here. He might think you’re keeping her in your grandmother’s apartment. Who knows? He may be nervous that she’s either turned him in or...” He paused as he stirred a drop of milk into his coffee.
“Or?”
“Or that someone higher up the ROC food chain has nabbed her. It’s cutthroat. I don’t have to tell you that.”
She swallowed. “No, you don’t. But we know Kit’s still in the shelter, right?”
“Yes. I haven’t received word to the contrary.”
“You don’t check up on the women you send to shelters?”
“No, because we, and I, don’t send anyone anywhere. Kit went to the shelter of her own volition, as was necessary. She has a social worker and legal counsel, at her request. I’ll see her again when Valensky’s arraignment comes up, if she still agrees to testify.”
“Will you arrest this man who was pounding down my door?”
“Doubtful. My officers are on it, but there’s nothing to do, save for them to write him up for public disturbance. He hasn’t committed any other crime, as we can’t charge him with scaring the crap out of you. And he’s not Valensky.”
She looked at him. “You really want Valensky locked up. For more than the domestic.”
“You picked that up, eh?”
She laughed. “I want you to get him, too.” Of course, she wanted every man who’d ever abused a woman or child behind bars. As for his involvement with ROC, that was more Josh’s territory.
“And you’re still not having any doubts? About helping out when needed?”
The look in his eyes let her know he meant more than doubt about helping SVPD out during her sabbatical from NYPD.
“No, no doubts.”
“That’s good to know.” But he didn’t look happy about it, showing he understood what she meant. She was happy to work with him but not willing for it to be more, no matter how much he promised her there would be no strings attached.
There was no such thing with Joshua Avery. It’d been a lifetime and several life lessons ago, but she’d known from the moment she’d spied him in her tenth grade physics class that he was special. They shared a unique bond and chemistry all those years ago when they were too young to do much about it. Now that they were adults, doing anything about it was too dangerous.
“What, Annie? Tell me.” He sipped from a paper cup, his eyes missing nothing.
“You already know, Josh.” She stared right back, unwilling to show a sign of her vulnerability.
“That we’re still in the middle of an attraction that’s bigger than both of us?”
Bam, right to the hot spot in her center. He made her legs shake more than the adrenaline had. Josh’s voice was no longer what she’d remembered. It had the same sincerity and tone, but years had matured it, made it sexy as hell. Josh was sexy as hell, was more like it.
“Annie, I started to call you so many times over the last few weeks.”
“Stop. We’ve already gone over this.” She couldn’t handle rehashing the fact that a relationship between them was such a bad idea. The thug’s violent display still had her shaken.
“Josh, is there anything you want to ask him before we let him go?” A female officer stood in the door, her gaze moving from Josh to Annie, back to Josh. Annie felt exposed, raw. Where was her professionalism?
“Yes.” Josh threw his cup into the garbage and strode out the door. The officer looked at her. “Annie, this is Officer Nika Pasczenko. She’ll handle it from here. Nika, meet Annie.”
The officer nodded. “Nice to meet you. I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances. How’s your grandmother doing?”
Annie couldn’t stop the laughter that bubbled out. “She’s improving, thank you for asking. Let me guess, you’re a knitter, too?”
Nika smiled. “Of course. And I adore your grandmother. And this shop.”
“I’m glad. Please know it’s still open, and I’m receiving new stock every week while Grandma’s in Florida.”
“We’ll need you to make a statement.”
“Of course. Although, you should know I’m working on the Valensky case, as well.” Annie walked around to the back of the service counter and reached into her purse. “Here are my credentials. I’m with NYPD, but I’ll be working with SVPD for the next couple of months. I’ve notified my supervisor at NYPD and he’s sent the requisite permissions and releases to Chief Todd at SVPD.” It sounded natural, as if she did this all the time.
Nika read the card. “Annie Fiero. Finally I meet the legend Ezzie always talks about.”
Annie inwardly groaned. “Yes. So you already knew who I was?”
The officer grinned. “I was pretty sure but not certain.” Spoken like a true cop, Annie thought. “I’m in here knitting every Friday, normally. Except recently it’s been impossible to get away from work—we’re swamped right now.”
“I know. Josh filled me in.” Annie wasn’t sure how much she should reveal she knew.
“Glad to have you aboard, Doc Fiero.”
The cop was astute and hadn’t missed the PhD after Annie’s name. Of course, Grandma Ezzie’s bragging had probably been what drew notice to her degree.
“Nice to meet you, too, Officer Pasczenko.”
* * *
Josh stopped home on the way to the station, mostly to check in on Becky. Her regular sitter, Tonya, was with her but it didn’t matter; he needed to see his sister. Truth be told, he needed a break from work, too. Becky was fine for up to half a day alone if need be as she rarely strayed from either watching television or playing video games, and she knew how to handle an emergency like a fire, but Josh hated the thought of her being without him for too long a stretch. Even though it was the house they’d grown up in, and Becky was being watched and was comfortable there, he worried.
“Hey, Becky. Hi, Tonya.” He spoke to them from the front hallway, seeing across the great room that Becky was watching cartoons while Tonya folded laundry.
“Josh!” She jumped up and her unabashed happiness at seeing him poked at his guilt for being away so long.
“Hey, sis.” He accepted her exuberant hug and hugged her back, grateful to be able to provide her with any kind of stability and security. “What have you been doing all day?”
“Watching TV. Melissa called and we talked for a while.” She loved talking to her best friend, like any other young woman.
“Define ‘a while.’” He chucked her under the chin and headed to the kitchen. “Have you eaten lunch?” Judging by the orange peel, open bag of cookies and half-empty glass of milk left on the countertop, she’d not starved.
“She had lunch and that’s the mess from her snack—I’ll get to it right after I finish this pile. How’s work going?” Ton
ya was a college student who made her tuition by caring for Becky whenever he needed her. It worked well as Tonya’s classes were when Becky was in her adult day care program. It would be a relief to know Becky was living in a freer environment with peers her own age.
He had another pang of guilt. Becky deserved more. She deserved her parents, who’d been taken from both of them too soon. He couldn’t fix that, but he could do his best to find her a good place to live and thrive. The thought of not having her here every day tugged at something deep. Ignoring it, he set to work in the modernized kitchen, making himself a meal to take back to the station. He had no idea how long he’d work tonight. As he rinsed his hands in the deep, farm-style sink, he wondered what Annie would think of the old house that he’d renovated five years ago. He’d brought her here plenty of times when they were teens, when its most modern decor was avocado appliances.
“Josh, I want to move to Upward Homes.”
“Hmm.” Becky had walked into the kitchen while he’d been daydreaming about Annie. He hadn’t even heard her; he’d been miles away, thinking about the teenaged kisses he and Annie had shared, probably right on this very spot. He’d dated before, lived with a woman who Becky had accepted well enough. But Annie—Annie would require more from him. She was all or nothing.
He tried to feel bad about the thoughts of wanting Annie in his life as his sister stood next to him in the kitchen, watching him spread the bread with grape jelly. Becky knew all about Upward Homes, as she’d devoured the brochure when he brought it home and did her own research on the internet. She knew its accommodations would give her greater freedom than she had living here with him, which he suspected was her primary reason for pushing it today. She was tired of needing a sitter, no matter how friendly and a part of the family Tonya was.