Less than an hour after I had returned to the office, a knock sounded on the door. I was going over my presentation that I would give today at the Academy. These kids were getting bold. Back in my days we would smoke a little weed every now and then, but we were never bold enough to try some of the harder stuff that the kids were getting their hands on nowadays. It made me be thankful Paulie always had his head screwed on right in that regards.
I glanced up from the small samples of drugs on my desk when the door clicked to a close. Mac approached my desk but stopped some feet away as though not trusting himself to get any closer.
“Yes?” I barked the word at him and returned to what I was doing, checking the samples were labeled correctly. If kids were being told to stay away from drugs, they needed to know exactly what was being circulated and what to avoid.
“Captain,” he said, then paused as though contemplating what he was about to say. “I would like to speak to you about a certain matter.”
“Go on.”
“Will you look at me, please?”
I paused because his tone didn’t sound like Officer MacKenzie. He sounded like my Mac, and that wasn’t a good thing.
“Say what it is you have to say, Officer.” I refused to look up from what I was doing although I had forgotten.
“How can I expect you to take what I’m about to say seriously if you won’t even look at me?”
Seconds ticked by as I allowed his words to sink in. Without answering, I got up from my seat and walked around the desk. I walked by him to close the door from the inside. Next, I returned to my desk but not behind it. This time I stood in front of him, my ass perched a little on the top of my desk.
“You were saying?”
His mouth opened then closed without a word. I watched his Adam’s apple bob in his throat as he swallowed hard.
“I get the feeling you think me being here is some kind of bother,” he remarked, staring me squarely in the eyes. “If I hadn’t been backed by the other officers you would have thrown my idea out of the window without a chance, and I wanted to know why?”
My eyes widened in disbelief. He wanted to know why? He didn’t know why? How the hell could he miss how uncomfortable he made my work environment? I was always consciously aware of him.
“Officer MacKenzie, it’s my duty to question every suggestion to ensure it’s a viable option,” I replied calmly. “I suggest you stop living in the past which has you coming up with ridiculous notions of being singled out. Is that all?”
I expected my harsh words to have him slinking out of the office, but he stood his ground. In fact, he looked quite pleased with himself, and I had the feeling I had walked into a trap.
“Then I volunteer myself to accompany you to the school,” he remarked, daring me to go back against my word of not turning him down simply because something was his idea. “None of the other guys wants to do it. They were drawing straws when I volunteered to be the unlucky sucker.”
He shouldn’t have said the word sucker. Without warning my gaze landed on his crotch. I stiffened, remembering his warm lips on my cock in my truck.
“Captain Marks?”
Mac’s voice dragged me back to the present. I had missed whatever it was he had just said to me. Damn if I was going to ask him to repeat.
“Fine, you may come along,” I told him because what else could I have done? “We leave at 12:30.”
My heart lurched at the smile that curved his lips. There was no way this was going to end well. Mac was going to be the death of my career. I wanted so badly to drag him to me, push him to sit on the desk while I kissed him and unbuttoned his shirt. He must have been aware of my thoughts because his smile wavered, and his face turned red. When he inhaled deeply, it was like he drew the breath from my own body. He left me breathless.
“Connor,” he said, his tone low and full of regret. His shoulders slumped. All of a sudden, the happy façade he had been wearing since the first day he walked through my office door fell. I never expected it to affect me the way it did. This dejected, lost look of his gutted me. I’d have preferred if he continued the farce, that it didn’t bother him one bit that we’d found so much pleasure in each other’s arms and now worked together.
“Hey,” I said softly. I willed myself to stay in position, but my legs had a better idea. They moved me forward until I was just before Mac. My arms, the traitors, also went against my will and raised so my hands cupped his face. “You’re doing fine,” I told him.
He licked his bottom lip nervously. “It’s hard,” he admitted. “So damn hard every day I see you, wanting you, but I’ll never have you again, Connor, will I?”
At his question, my arms fell away from him, and I stepped back. “You know it’s impossible, Mac. Not in our current position. You understand that, right?”
He nodded. “But if you were not my superior, would I still have had a chance?”
I wanted to tell him yes, just to make him feel better, but I couldn’t lie to him when I didn’t even know the answer. It wasn’t just my position as his Captain. His age would always remain a factor of contention between us. I couldn’t look past it.
“I don’t know,” I replied, stepping back from him. I turned my back to him and returned to my seat. “If you’re not here at 12:30, Officer MacKenzie, I will go alone.”
He understood well that I had dismissed our personal conversation. Back to business. I shouldn’t have entertained it in the first place. He nodded and walked out of my office. I hoped he got the other part of my message clear as well. To save us both the trouble of being together so soon again, all he had to do was show up late to visit the school.
I should have known better. At 12:25 when I walked out of my office, Officer MacKenzie was already waiting in the lobby.
Chapter Ten
The need to get out of the office and stretch my legs hit me hard. Another week had passed since Mac and I had visited the school for my presentation. The event had passed better than I had expected. Mac had taken to heart what I had told him and never once acted out of character. Since then, I no longer caught him looking at me with longing. My words must have sunken in because he only acted like a professional when he was around me.
He delved into the project for the children’s hospital and was actively working with Miller and Burns to get everything organized. Some of the police officers from the other divisions in the San Diego Police Department had agreed to participate as well. Mac’s idea seemed to have caught on and it was the latest buzz in the police forum. From jokes to serious discussion on the matter, I expected the activity to be one of the better ones we ever had.
The interest we were getting in the auction was bigger than any other events since I had taken over as Captain. We had only planned to place the notice in the local newspaper, but somehow word of it got through to the local television stations as well. Sometime later today, I was expecting a member of the news team from San Diego Central to discuss the event.
I glanced at the list Mac had submitted to me this morning, walking in and out of my office without batting an eye. I would be lying if I didn’t admit how fucking impressed I was at how he seamlessly blended with everyone. He was well-liked and not because of being pretentious either. He was a good guy, and that was the hardest part about having to leave him alone. Or maybe because of it I had to leave him alone. Mac deserved better. He didn’t deserve a broken old man with trust issues.
Mac’s name on the list caught my attention. I wasn’t surprised. He didn’t do things halfway but put out his all. He took the auction more seriously than everyone, so I didn’t expect him to do any differently and not include himself in the activity. Good for him. He was a good-looking guy, and I could see women and men alike bidding to own him for twenty-four hours. That reminded me that I had to inform them to come up with a list of services they would provide to the individuals who bought them. The last thing I wanted was for someone to expect our men to break the law and solicit sex for
bidding on them. I had seen too much in my almost twenty years as a police officer to think it was beneath people.
With a sigh, I placed a paperweight on the list and rose to my feet. It was Paulie’s turn to make dinner, so I had better eat my fill during lunch. I couldn’t even demand he make more of an effort since he would just argue that he was tired from work. Yet, he was never too tired to go out with Mac. The last I heard they were planning to go to a baseball game together. I didn’t know what was worse; Paulie and Mac doing so much together or Paulie no longer talking to me about what he felt for Mac. Were they still stereotypical friends or was it more?
I skipped the thought before it plunged me into a darker mood. I left the office, deciding to drive to Lisandro’s Bistro for lunch. The seafood restaurant with its cool colors and eclectic food selection always put me in a good mood. It didn’t disappoint this time either. After lunch, I was driving back to the police station when I spotted one of our squad cars parked to the side of the highway. I immediately recognized it as the unit driven by Miller. Sensing something was amiss and knowing Mac might be involved, I drove over and parked behind the car. I exited the vehicle and walked over. The window wound down, and I frowned. Mac was inside, but there was no sign of Miller.
“Captain,” Mac greeted me with a nod. “What can I do for you?”
“Why are you out here on your own?” I asked him. “There’s a reason we try to keep the buddy system. Where’s Miller?”
He glanced away, and I didn’t miss the way his hands tightened on the steering wheel. “He’ll be back shortly, sir.”
I winced at the sharp way he called me sir. He was using the right address so why did it sound wrong?
“That doesn’t answer the question, MacKenzie,” I said with a frown. “Where is Officer Miller?”
He sat tight-lipped and didn’t respond. I clenched my teeth and didn’t repeat. It was obvious Miller had abandoned him on duty, and he didn’t want to out the man. If Miller had simply stopped somewhere that wasn’t contrary to his job, Mac would have easily said so. A wave of fury engulfed me. Just how long had Miller been leaving him on his own while he played happy-go-lucky?
“I see,” I remarked, keeping my eyes trained on the square of his jaw that faced me. “You would rather protect your fellow co-worker at the expense of being defiant to your superior?”
His head bowed, and his shoulders tensed. He raised eyes of misery toward me. “Don’t make me tell you, please. Nobody’s supposed to know.”
“Nobody’s supposed to know what?” I asked him.
“Where he is,” he whispered.
I leaned forward through the open window. “Mac, I can’t let this slide. I won’t press you for answers, but Miller will face disciplinary actions for abandoning his job and leaving a rookie on his own.”
“I can handle myself,” he replied.
“While I’m sure you can, it’s simply not the way we do things here. We don’t leave a man behind.”
The radio squawked then before he could respond.
“Unit122, shots fired. Location 2231 Bonito Crescent. Unit 122, do you copy?”
Mac reached for the radio before I could stop him. “This is Officer MacKenzie, unit 122. Copy.”
“Thanks for responding, Officer MacKenzie,” the dispatcher said. “We received a call from a neighbor about a loud argument next door. Approximately three gunshots were fired. A man was seen running from the house. No additional information available at the moment.”
“Can you repeat the address?” Mac asked, flicking open his notepad.
“That’s 2-2-3-1 Bonito Crescent.”
“Received. En route.”
As I’d stood there listening to Mac handle the call, I didn’t want to undermine him while he was speaking to a colleague. The second the dispatcher had mentioned gunshots I knew there was no way I would let him go. Miller should have been with him, and the asshole abandoned him.
“I’ll go,” I told him. “You get Miller and follow.”
He locked his seatbelt into place and flicked on the siren. “I’m here to do a job, Captain, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
He drove off, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.
“Son of a bitch!” I muttered and ran for my truck. I jumped into the vehicle, activated the siren and emergency flashing lights before trailing him. Like hell I’d let him take that call on his own. He was a rookie. There was a reason he was teamed up with Miller so he didn’t have to answer calls like this alone. My anger with Miller grew as I thought of what the outcome would have been if I hadn’t been on spot when the dispatcher’s call came in. Mac would have done exactly the same thing and driven off on his own.
I kept his car in sight, and by the time he parked at the house on Bonito Crescent, I pulled up right behind him. I didn’t bother to argue with him as I could do that well enough later. My mind was on the job at hand and ensuring that we walked out of that house alive and whatever problem we encountered was resolved.
“Did you inform the dispatcher we had arrived?” I asked calmly as I approached him.
“Yes, they said backup is on the way if we need them.” He glanced at the house, scanning the area with a frown. “I don’t think we need them.”
“Only one way to find out,” I told him. “Guard my back.”
He didn’t argue but assumed his position at my back as we walked through the gate that had been left open as though flung apart in haste. I had a bad feeling in my gut that I never ignored. I didn’t believe whoever fired those shots were still around. The siren alone would have chased him off. Hopefully. The last thing I needed was to be caught in an exchange of fire with Mac present. I knew I was being irrational. As he had said, this was his job, and he was only performing it, but it made my heart hollow to think of him facing these crises.
We climbed the front porch. With my back against the wall, I knocked on the door. “Charlestown Police Department. Open up.” I repeated the routine, requesting that the owner open the door. When there was neither movement nor response heard, I turned to Mac.
“We’re going in.”
I tried the door which was unlocked. Once in the hall, I announced in a loud voice. “We received calls of a domestic dispute and shots being fired. If anyone is inside, come out with your hands in the air. We just want to ensure everyone is okay.”
Silence. Everything was too quiet. The first turn led to a kitchen, and I entered.
“Holy shit!” I exclaimed at the female body sprawled out on the floor, the unseeing eyes staring up at the ceiling. A part of her face had been blown away and must have been caused by the impact of a bullet or several. There was no helping this victim, and the shooter was long gone.
“Let’s check the other rooms to ensure no one else is here,” I suggested quickly, trying to shield Mac from the gruesome sight. He didn’t enter the kitchen because he took his job of guarding my back seriously. He went along without question and with open trust.
The house was a compact one-story structure with three-bedrooms and we quickly exhausted searching for any sign of life.
“Mac,” I said and grabbed him by his shoulder as he turned to retreat from the last bedroom we checked.
He frowned at me. I noticed for the first time that of late he frowned a lot when he was around me. “What is it?”
“There’s a dead body of a woman in the kitchen,” I informed him. “Multiple gunshot wounds. It’s not a pretty sight.”
His eyes flickered open in surprise before his mouth flatlined, and he glared at me. “You’re trying to keep me from seeing the body. That’s why you insisted in walking through the house when it was clear nobody else was here.”
“We had to check to make sure,” I told him.
He shrugged off my hand and glared at me. “No, you’re interfering with my job! You tried to prevent me from taking the dispatcher’s call. Although I got here before you did, you made me guard your back instead of the other way around, and you just
tried to prevent me from seeing the body.”
“I’m trying to…” protect you. I trailed off without saying the words neither of us were in a position to hear me say aloud.
“No, I’m sorry I have to say this to you as my Captain, but you’re being quite an asshole, Connor. You tell me that nothing can exist between us because we have to work together, and now I’m trying to do exactly that and you’re getting in the way of my job.”
“I can’t help it if I care about you,” I snapped, irritated at him. “I need to radio-in the dead body.”
He placed a hand up to stop me in my tracks before I could move. “I didn’t ask you to care,” he ground out. “So, stop. My job is the only thing I have, and I refuse to lose it because of you. Now I’m going to radio in the body, after I view the condition it is in.”
“Mac, don’t.” I tried to stop him, but he didn’t listen. He marched out of the bedroom and straight for the kitchen with me hot on his heels. My eyes were on him and not the sight I already had seen on the floor. His reaction confirmed what I had suspected. This was his first murder victim. I had no idea what he knew about death, but this was an ugly instance. His face paled, and he swallowed hard.
“I’ll get in touch with the dispatcher,” he said and spun from the kitchen, moving quickly.
He didn’t fool me for one minute. There was no way he was going to make it outside. I grabbed him by the shoulder and steered him to the bathroom we had discovered in our search. He didn’t protest this time. The body wasn’t about to go anywhere. I released Mac in time for him to lose his lunch.
Chapter Eleven
I switched off the ignition, and with a sigh leaned back into the headrest of the driver’s seat. I had a knot the size of an ostrich’s egg in my neck. I was grateful to be off work tomorrow, so I would have some time to relax. With the murder investigation of the woman we had found dead leading nowhere, everyone was on high alert. Occurrence of this nature wasn’t the norm in our town, and although it was sad that a life was lost, I hoped the murder was specific to that case. The last thing we needed was a bunch of dead bodies to show up.
Marking What's Mine (A Marksman's Tale Book 1) Page 6