Darkness Past

by Sherryl Hancock

  The three of them had spent the afternoon and evening together, ending up in bed. Cat had joined Rogue Squadron shortly after that. The three of them hadn’t been together since then, since Cat got involved with a then-single Kana soon after. The experience had, however, cemented her friendship with Stevie and Christian. They were constantly on their guard to protect her.

  Later that morning, Kyle called down to Dave and asked him to send one of his narcs upstairs. Dave asked Cat to go, since she was closest to his office at the time.

  “Lucky me,” Cat said, grinning.

  At Kyle’s door, she knocked.

  “Come in,” Kyle called.

  Cat walked in, looking around. Kyle Masterson had been promoted to chief when Midnight Chevalier had become Attorney General. Previously he’d been the assistant chief. Midnight herself had recommended Kyle for the job of chief. She trusted him to maintain the department she’d worked so hard to improve. In being promoted, Kyle had remained in the office he’d occupied as assistant chief, not wanting to move into Midnight’s territory. He’d yet to hire another assistant chief. He was thinking about promoting someone in-house, but hadn’t had time to make a decision yet.

  “You wanted to see a narc, Chief?” Cat asked, glancing at the woman sitting in front of Kyle’s desk, then looking again.

  The woman smiled; it was a world-famous smile. Sable, that was the name she went by and had for years now. A very popular rock star, Sable had been in the charts for many years. She was consistently compared to Melissa Etheridge, not just for her hard-edged style, but for the fact that she was openly gay. Sable fit her name perfectly, with her rich mane of chestnut-brown hair, warm chocolate-brown eyes, and richly tanned skin. She wore brown leather pants, dark brown leather boots, and a black camisole top. Her body was toned and cut with muscle. Cat couldn’t believe she was actually standing in front of the woman.

  She hid her shock well, however—she merely inclined her head to Sable, then looked back to Kyle.

  “Ms. Sands,” Kyle said, “this is Sergeant Catalina Roché. She works in one of the narcotics units.”

  Sable extended her hand to Cat, her eyes meeting Cat’s very directly. Cat looked back at the superstar, extending her hand as she stepped forward.

  “Narcs don’t look like they used to,” Sable said, her voice rich and husky. She smiled, her eyes still staring into Cat’s.

  “Well, we still have some that look like they used to,” Cat said, smiling, “but it’s not only a boys’ game anymore.”

  Sable didn’t reply, just stared at Cat, thinking what a beautiful woman she was. Cat didn’t look away, keeping her eyes on the other woman’s. The rock star was the first to break the look, glancing over at Kyle, who’d watched the exchange quietly. Cat looked at Kyle too, and he merely raised an eyebrow slightly, then gestured for Cat to sit down.

  When they were seated, Cat waited for Kyle to explain why she was there.

  “Ms. Sands had an incident late last night,” Kyle said, looking from Sable over to Cat. “And I’m tending to think it was drug related.”

  Cat nodded slowly, her face serious. “Is this the shooting I heard about?”

  “Probably,” Kyle said, nodding. “Ms. Sands’ bodyguard was shot. It’s believed that they interrupted a drug deal.”

  “Believed?” Cat queried.

  “We drove up on it,” Sable said.

  Again Cat nodded, not convinced, but willing to concede the point right then.

  “Cat, I’d like you to go with Ms. Sands to the scene and see what you can come up with from there.”

  “You got it,” Cat said.

  Ten minutes later, Cat led Sable out to her dark blue Chevy Blazer.

  Once in the car, Cat reached for a cigarette. “Do you mind?” she asked the other woman, holding up the pack of cigarettes.

  “No,” Sable answered. “As long as you don’t mind if I smoke too.”

  “Not a problem,” Cat replied.

  As Cat started the Blazer, Linkin Park blared from the stereo speakers. Cat reached over, turning down the stereo.

  “Linkin Park?” Sable asked.

  “Yeah.” Cat grinned. “My partner got me into them.”

  “Partner?” Sable said, her tone almost hopeful.

  “Yeah, you know—narc, cop stuff,” Cat said. “He loves this stuff.”

  Sable nodded, looking disappointed.

  “Besides,” Cat added with a grin, “my girlfriend doesn’t like the hard stuff.”

  “Girlfriend?” Sable queried.

  “Uh-huh.”

  “So you are gay?” Sable asked, nodding as if confirming something to herself.

  “Uh-huh,” Cat replied.

  “But you have a girlfriend,” Sable said, shaking her head ruefully.

  “At this point,” Cat said, slightly irritated.

  “Really?” Sable asked. “Problems?”

  “Enough,” Cat said wryly. “So,” she said, changing the subject before things got too personal, “where did this happen?”

  “Downtown,” Sable said. “I think it was at the corner of Broadway and Market.”

  Cat nodded, driving out of the lot and heading toward downtown.

  “So tell me what happened.”

  “We got turned around when we left the Sports Arena last night,” Sable said. “We were trying to get back to the Intercontinental. We had just stopped at a light when my bodyguard noticed two men hassling another man. He told the driver to hold on and got out to see what he could do. When he got out, one of the men turned and shot him.”

  Sable’s voice was tremulous, and Cat couldn’t help but touch her hand in empathy.

  Sable nodded, doing her best to regain her composure.

  “What did the two men look like?” Cat asked.

  “They were black, both of them tall.”

  “What were they wearing?”

  “Both of them had on jeans and dark shirts, T-shirts.”

  “Any colors?” Cat asked.

  “Colors?”

  “Yeah, you know, bandanas, wrist bands, something,” Cat replied.

  “Yes,” Sable said. “They both had red bandanas—one had it sticking out of his pocket, the other had his under a baseball cap.”

  “Shit…” Cat muttered under her breath.

  “What?” Sable asked.

  “We’ve been hearing noise about the Bloods trying to move in on some of the drug business here, but this is the first proof.”

  Sable nodded.

  Cat looked over at her, her eyes narrowing slightly. “You weren’t the one making the deal, were you?”

  “No,” Sable answered, looking shocked that Cat was asking.

  “You aren’t lying to me?” Cat asked.

  Sable looked at Cat, her rich brown eyes steady and unaffected. “Sergeant, if I get any narcotics, I don’t buy them myself, nor do I go to street-level dealers.”

  Cat grinned. “This narc didn’t just hear the part about ‘if you get narcotics.’”

  “Good,” Sable replied, chuckling.

  Cat chuckled too.

  They drove to the spot where the shooting took place. Cat parked the Blazer and got out, telling Sable to stay in the vehicle. Then she went about checking out the area. She also talked to a few people nearby. Sable found herself watching Cat’s every move, fascinated. Cat was wearing jeans that fit perfectly on her petite shape, and a cropped navy blue camisole top. She also wore brown dress boots with a two-inch heel, and a brown belt that matched. On the belt at her hip sat a brown leather holster, with a nasty-looking gun in it. Something about the power a woman with a gun presented intrigued Sable no end. Cat walked back to the Blazer and got in.

  “Everything okay?” Sable asked.

  Cat nodded, reaching for another cigarette as she started the Blazer again. “I’ll tap a few of my sources and see what I can come up with.”

  Sable sighed in relief, then she looked over at Cat.

  “I don’t suppose I c
an take you to lunch?”

  Cat considered for a moment. “I’m not really supposed to accept gratuities.”

  “I want to take a hot-looking cop to lunch,” Sable said, her smile unrepentant. “That’s a crime?”

  “No…” Cat said.

  “Then let me take you to lunch.”

  Cat sighed, taking a long drag on her cigarette, then she nodded.

  Lunch ended up being at the Hotel Intercontinental in Sable’s suite of rooms.

  “Jake’d kill me if he heard I had lunch out in public while he wasn’t around to protect me,” Sable explained.

  Cat suspected more than that, but she said nothing. Sable ordered lunch, including wine for both of them.

  “I can’t drink,” Cat told her.

  “Alcoholic?”

  Cat laughed, shaking her head. “I’m on duty.”

  “Oh,” Sable said, smiling.

  Their lunch arrived in what had to be record time. Sable had the waiter put the food out on the penthouse terrace. She also tipped him heavily.

  Sable’s hand slid over Cat’s arm as she gestured to the terrace. Cat controlled the shudder that went through her at the contact. She was rarely affected by other women—usually she did the affecting. Sable, however, was so legendarily sexual that there was no way to avoid it.

  While they ate, Sable talked about life on the road, and how it got too lonely sometimes.

  “I’m sure you have no trouble finding someone to spend time with,” Cat said, rolling her eyes.

  “I have a problem finding someone to hold my interest,” Sable said.

  “And what does it take to do that?” Cat asked, knowing she was edging closer to the line.

  “A lot,” Sable said pointedly.

  Cat nodded slowly, not even going to go into that with her.

  “So what kind of nightlife does San Diego have?” Sable asked, sensing that Cat was backing up again.

  “Some,” Cat said.

  “I don’t suppose I could get you to show me,” Sable asked.

  “Uhhh…” Cat said hesitantly.

  “Strictly platonic,” Sable added.

  Cat grimaced, knowing that she shouldn’t.

  “Please?” Sable pleaded, taking Cat’s hand in both of hers.

  Cat sighed. “Okay, but strictly platonic.”

  Sable nodded, doing her best to look sincere. Cat caught the effort and narrowed her blue eyes. Sable merely smiled, her expression not innocent in the slightest.

  “What about tonight?” Sable pressed, before Cat could change her mind.

  “I can’t tonight,” Cat said. “I have a case.”

  “A case?”

  “Yeah, you know, a narcotics case,” Cat said.

  “Oh,” Sable said, smiling. “What about tomorrow night?”

  Cat looked pensive.

  “Is your girlfriend going to be around?” Sable said.

  “No,” Cat said, grimacing. “She works nights a lot.”

  “Doing what?” Sable asked.

  “She owns a restaurant and bar in Del Mar.”

  “Which one?”

  “Uh, Catalina’s,” Cat said, her tone a bit chagrined.

  “She named her place after you?”

  Cat nodded, looking embarrassed.

  Sable looked duly impressed.

  “So, what about tomorrow night?” Sable asked, undaunted.

  Cat blew her breath out in surrender. “Okay, tomorrow night.”

  “Say eight?” Sable pressed.

  “Yes, eight.”

  Cat left the penthouse room a little while later, promising to call Sable if she couldn’t make it. Sable half expected her to call that night, but she didn’t. She was relieved—she was actually looking forward to going out with the feisty little blonde.

  She’d been telling the truth when she’d said she had a hard time finding someone who could hold her attention. Sable believed that Cat might be the exception to that rule. It was definitely worth finding out.

  Sable glanced at her watch as Cat drove up.

  “Don’t hassle me, I had a rough day,” Cat said as she got out and opened the door for the other woman.

  “You’re only five minutes late,” Sable said, shrugging.

  “Uh-huh,” Cat replied, unconvinced that the superstar wasn’t secretly annoyed.

  Sable watched as Cat walked back around the front of the car to get in the driver’s side. She looked good—she was wearing a rich blue halter top that had just a touch of glitter to it, black slacks that hugged her body, and black leather heeled boots. Her hair was a cascade of rich gold waves, and her makeup was darker than it had been the day before, making her pretty face even more enchanting.

  Shaking her head, Sable cautioned herself. This woman was not only not bowled over by Sable’s fame, she was also attached. Not that being attached ever meant anything to Sable. When she wanted something she took it, regardless of what it cost. That’s how she’d attained her fame, by going after and taking what she wanted. If it meant kissing ass, fucking this person or that person, then so be it. It had also meant a lot of hard work on her part. Her voice, body, and sex appeal were her assets, and she used them to the maximum.

  Getting in, Cat glanced at Sable. The star never ceased to amaze. She was dressed in a rich gold-toned leather bustier and miniskirt. On top of that she wore a leopard-print leather duster jacket, and black thigh-high boots. Her rich chestnut hair was loose and wild, hanging to her waist. Her brown eyes were rimmed in gold shadow, with black liner and sooty black lashes, rich auburn blusher, and lips the same shade. She was an incredible-looking woman, there was no doubt about that.

  “Have you eaten yet?” Sable asked as Cat put the vehicle in gear.

  “Today?” Cat queried with a smile.

  “You haven’t eaten all day?”

  Cat shrugged. “Happens a lot.”

  “Shouldn’t happen at all.”

  “You’re not old enough to be my mother, honey,” Cat said, with a wink.

  “How old do you think I am?” Sable asked.

  “I have no idea, but I know it’s not old enough to be my mother.”

  “How old is your mother?”

  “Forty-seven.”

  “How old does that make you?”

  “Thirty.”

  “Okay, you’re right, I’m not old enough to be your mother,” Sable said, grinning. “But I am old, so don’t give me any lip.”

  Cat laughed, shaking her head. “You don’t look anywhere near forty.”

  “Well, I am, but don’t tell anyone,” Sable said, winking at her.

  “People don’t know?”

  Sable narrowed her eyes at Cat. “You don’t know anything about me, do you?”

  “I know some stuff about you,” Cat said, “but I’m not a rabid fan or anything. I mean, I don’t know your birthday, sign, favorite color, biggest crush, or how old you were when you lost your virginity.”

  “November nineteenth, Scorpio, black, Angelina Jolie, and fifteen,” Sable replied, her brown eyes sparkling. “Your turn.”

  “Uh…” Cat began, looking thoughtful. “August fourth, Leo, blue, Angelina Jolie is safe, and fourteen.”

  “Ah… you’re a Leo, huh?”

  “Yep,” Cat replied.

  “Like to be in charge?”

  “Usually am.”

  “Take care of everyone else?” Sable asked, her voice softer this time.

  Cat took a deep inhale, then released it and nodded.

  “Does it make you tired?” Sable asked, tilting her head to the side.

  “It has its moments.”

  “Ever have anyone take care of you?”

  “Don’t let many people get that chance,” Cat replied.

  Sable noted that Cat sounded a bit touchy now. She knew she didn’t want to push on this.

  “Let’s go have some dinner,” Sable suggested. “You need to eat and so do I.”

  Cat nodded. “What do you feel like?”

/>   Sable grinned rakishly. “I’d tell you, but you’d probably kick me out of your vehicle.”

  Cat chuckled at that. “Maybe,” she agreed. “What do you want to eat?”

  Sable raised an eyebrow at Cat, which made Cat laugh.

  “Okay, what restaurant do you want to have dinner at?” Cat qualified.

  “You choose,” Sable said. “You know San Diego better than I do.”

  “What kind of food do you like?” Cat asked.

  “Anything.”

  “Seafood, Mexican, Greek, Italian?”

  “Greek sounds good,” Sable said.

  “I know a great little Greek place, not too flashy, but fantastic food. Sound good?”

  “Sounds perfect.”

  Cat drove down to Chula Vista, pulling into the parking lot behind a restaurant named Zorba’s. At the door, Cat was greeted by a dark-haired woman, who hugged her warmly.

  “Katrina, this is Sable Sands,” Cat said, gesturing to Sable. “Sable, this is the owner, Katrina.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Sable said, smiling at the shorter woman.

  “Welcome,” Katrina replied.

  As promised, the food was excellent, and Sable found that Cat was great company as well. They drank ouzo together, a Greek licorice-flavored liquor. Cat stopped at one shot, long before Sable did, however, since she was driving.

  They talked about Sable’s upcoming tour in Europe, and a little about Cat’s work, although Cat was hesitant to talk about narcotics work too much. She knew the limits and how dangerous it could be to talk too much. While she felt Sable was probably fairly trustworthy, Sable also talked to a lot of people.

  “So why can’t you tell me about the case you worked last night?” Sable asked, not for the first time.

  Cat sat back, sighing, as she signaled for the check.

  “It’s hard to explain,” she replied, hoping that this time Sable would accept that.

  “Try,” Sable said, reaching across the table and touching Cat’s hand.

  “If I tell you about who I’m working right now,” Cat began, “and you happen to say something in passing to someone else, and they tell someone else… it could get around to the people I’m working, and then I’m dead.”

  Sable stared back at her in shock. She was waiting for Cat to laugh or at least tell her she was joking. It became evident very quickly that Cat was not kidding at all.