Book'em Sadie (Iron Badges #1)

by Danielle Norman

  I coughed and choked as I tried to regain my breath. “What?” Then between gasps I cracked up laughing.

  “Dish, Lazar,” Harley demanded.

  “He’s hot, okay? And he’s a doctor.”

  “Umm, how do you know this?” Kat asked.

  “Remember the accident outside the hospital the other day? He was on scene, and then, as some strange twist of fate, it was his little girl who went missing the other day.” I said it, and then cringed when I realized my mistake as everyone started pulling out their phones.

  “Fuck,” Harley snapped. “He doesn’t have Facebook.”

  Piper waved her hand, and our sergeant's voice came over her phone’s speaker. “Hello?”

  “Carter, I need a favor.”

  “Oh, god, am I going to regret this?”

  “Not if you don’t ask for details.”

  “Fine, what?”

  “I need the last DAVID photo of Ryan Montgomery, Orlando, doctor. Can you send it to my phone?”

  “You know that this is—”

  “Yep, totally know that this is against protocol, but trust me, this is important.”

  “Life or death,” Harley said from the back seat.

  “Life or death?” I asked.

  “Yep, god represents life and death. Oh, god, oh, god.” Harley’s voice got higher and higher.

  Everyone but me laughed.

  “Fine, but please don’t ever let me hear Harley make those noises again. It’s bad enough accidentally overhearing the comments between her and Aiden.” Carter disconnected.

  Piper kept her phone out, and when it finally dinged with a text message, she grinned. “Is this him?” She asked, as she showed me the screen. It was his driver’s license photo, but damn it, even in that, the man was hot. She turned it back to her and read the information. “Hmmm, he’s thirty-four, marital status is widower.”

  Bridget took a quick glance at Piper’s phone. “He reminds me of Chris Pine,” she said.

  Chris Pine, that’s it, that was who played Wonder Woman’s love interest. I knew that he reminded me of him.

  “Oh, he does,” Harley agreed.

  “Did you know that he was single?” Piper asked.

  “Yes. Callie, that’s the little girl I found, told me that her mom was an angel.”

  “That poor man, you should comfort him,” Harley offered.

  “He lives on Lake Shore. What a coinky-dink, isn’t that your patrol area?” Kat wiggled her brows.

  “Bite me.”

  “Nah, we’ll leave it to the good doctor. Truthfully, he is good looking.”

  “Yeah, he is,” Bridget agreed as she turned into the parking garage for Universal City Walk.

  By the time we got through security, purchased our tickets, and were actually in the theater, we still had thirty minutes before the movie started. “I’m buying Bridget’s.” I pulled out my debit card. “What do you want?”

  “Small popcorn and Diet Coke.”

  “Here’s some money, will you get mine as well? Bridget and I can go get seats.” Harley handed over a twenty, but Kat reached in and took it.

  “I’ll get it for you,” she said, and when Harley and Bridget turned toward the theater, Kat and I headed to the concession line.

  “Are you ready for the motorcycle course?” I asked Kat as we waited in the long line.

  “She’s totally ready.” Piper gave Kat a shoulder bump. “She’s got this.”

  “Well, I’ll be there for you, I’m excited to have another woman on the squad.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Why don’t we just get two large popcorns and set them between us?”

  “Sounds good to me,” Kat agreed.

  “I’m fine with whatever as long as there is popcorn,” Piper added.

  We finally made it to the counter. “Two large popcorns, a medium Diet Coke, and a Dr. Pepper.”

  “You really do like doctors, don’t you?” Piper asked.

  “Shut up.”

  “You love me, admit it. Nothing like having a girl gang.”

  “I don’t know, I could think of several things I might prefer . . . a root canal, an enema . . .”

  I grabbed my order and slid it to the side as I waited for Piper and Kat to order. When we walked into the theater, I searched for Bridget and Harley and groaned. “Why did they have to sit in the middle? I hate the middle.”

  “Harley has no patience for people crawling over her, so she has to sit there. Haven’t you ever been to a concert or something with her?” Kat asked.

  “No.”

  “Don’t, she is not a people person . . . at all.” I laughed because I could totally envision it.

  “Fine.” The theater was huge, and right in the middle of the seating was a large walk-through, then several steps before the next section of seats began, which created something like a slight balcony. Even if it was in the middle, it was a good row, with no one sitting in front of them and a half-wall to rest their feet on. The only issue was the two teenagers sitting at the very end.

  They were obviously on a date, since I couldn’t imagine a guy coming to see Aladdin for any other reason, but even though he got bonus points for that, he totally lost them for un-gentlemanly behavior. He sat there and ignored me. Didn’t get up or even shift his legs so we could get by.

  Girlfriend, I hope that you are paying close attention to this, because this is how he treats people.

  Of course, I didn’t say that, but I thought it.

  “Excuse me,” I said with snark. He quickly glanced up and then turned back to talking to the girl next to him. Okay, she was rude, too. They deserved each other.

  Deciding that he would get what he deserved, I pushed my way into the row, knocking knees with the prick. I glanced over at my friends, who were laughing while I forced my way past the teenagers. Thankfully, the next two people stood so I could get past, and I made sure to thank them, loudly, for being so polite.

  I made my way past the lady, but I was so busy trying to make a point about rudeness that I hadn’t noticed that the woman had left her bag on the floor . . . at my feet, which were shuffling along. You know that saying, what comes first, the chicken or the egg? Right then, I wondered which came first, my feet slipping out from under me, or my arms flailing? Either way, I still ended up crashing onto a stranger’s lap.

  “Oomph.” The man let out a gasp of air.

  “Holy shit,” Harley whisper-shouted, and when I looked up, she had her phone out snapping photos.

  “Get up, get up!” Bridget yelled.

  Piper and Kat were curled over each other laughing, and someone was making a horrible cackling sound, was it a laugh? Then, as things do, my world seemed to right itself and I realized that I was still sitting on his lap. I turned to my left and looked at his girlfriend. Her mouth was wide open. I twisted and looked behind me. “Did I break anything?”

  “No, all good.”

  “Okay, sorry.”

  That damn cackling sound was still ringing through the theater.

  I held on to the half-wall in front of us and pulled myself up, then slowly made my way down to where my friends were seated. “I hate you, I fucking hate you for choosing the middle.”

  But they didn’t say anything, since they were busy laughing. Well, except for Harley, who hadn’t put her phone down long enough to laugh. “Who are you? We don’t know you.” Then she leaned toward me. “Sorry, I can’t claim you right now.” Then she let loose and laughed. I turned to look at the man whose lap I had fallen in, and he was flexing his fingers. Obviously I’d hurt the poor thing when I had landed on him.

  “I hate you, I hate all of you,” I hissed and then laughed at myself.

  “Miss Sadie, are you okay?” I cringed and then turned to see Callie sitting several rows back. Of course, right next to her was one gorgeous Dr. Ryan Montgomery.

  “Is that hot doctor?” Harley whispered.

  “I think so,” Bridget agreed.

  �
��Fine, just fine.” I waved to her and tried to recapture my dignity.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” I turned to find Ryan standing there. Clearly, he’d moved down so that he and Callie were directly behind us.

  “Fine, just bruised pride, that’s all.”

  7

  Sadie

  “Sadie, Sadie.”

  Callie was running toward me, and I got off my bike, bracing myself for impact because the kid didn’t look to be slowing.

  She hit me at full speed, knocking me back a step and forcing an, “Oomph,” from my lungs.

  “I was hoping to see you.”

  “Look at you, you’re in shorts and a T-shirt. Did you talk to your dad and grandma like I told you to?”

  “Daddy and I had a talk. He’s going to take me shopping to get more clothes that I like.”

  “That’s wonderful, see what happens when you’re honest?”

  “Caroline, did you hear me hollering for you?” The sound of a woman’s cold voice chilled me.

  “Caroline?” I asked.

  “That’s her name, what kind of policewoman are you?” the cold woman asked. She was tall and statuesque. I imagined her being alive in an era when women pinned up their hair and wore floor-length skirts that rustled when they walked.

  “Well, since I’m not a policewoman at all, I would say none. I’m a deputy, there’s a difference.” I turned to look at Callie. “Do you want me to call you Callie or Caroline?”

  “Callie, like my daddy does.”

  “Very well, that’s what I will call you.”

  “Sadie, this is my grammy,” Callie said, introducing the two of us. The woman would be so much prettier if she would smile. “Grammy, this is Sadie.” Callie moved to grab hold of my hand and squeezed. “Sadie rides a motorcycle and has a gun. She is super tough. Oh, and that’s my Aunt Sonya.” Callie pointed to a younger version of the grandmother. But there was something in the woman’s eyes. Not a coldness like in the grandmother’s, but more of a vacancy.

  “Hello, nice to meet you,” I said to both ladies. I figured that this must be Callie’s other grandmother, since she wasn’t the one with Ryan the other day. I extended my hand, but neither of the women took it. Turning my attention to the grandmother, who was obviously the leader, I said, “You must be so happy to have such a sweet granddaughter like Callie.”

  “We are; although, I’m not sure how you know much about her.”

  “Sadie is the one that found me,” Callie interrupted.

  “Oh, she’s the civil servant you’ve told your Aunt Sonya and I about no less than twenty times.”

  Wow, cat claws much? “Civil servant, I guess that’s one title for deputies,” I said more under my breath than anything. I could already tell it wouldn’t matter who I was or what I did; this woman wasn’t going to like me.

  “Sadie, will I see you again?” Callie looked hopeful.

  “I’m here almost every day before and after school. So, you can always come by and say hi.”

  “Caroline, we pay for this woman to work, so she needs to be working,” the grandmother stated, making me want to roll my eyes.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.”

  “I didn’t give it.” The grandmother looked over to Sonya, who I assumed was her daughter, given they looked so much alike.

  “Very well, Didn’t Give It, you do realize that I also pay taxes, which means that, while I earn my money, I also contribute to my own paycheck? So, what were you saying?” I paused a few seconds, folded my arms over my chest, and assumed the position—the one that clearly states don’t fuck with me. “Callie, it was great seeing you.” I then met the eyes of bitch one and bitch two. “If you two will move on, I have work to do.”

  “Does your boss know that you hang around kids for no reason other than to be creepy?” Sonya asked.

  “You mean does he know that I’m outside the school monitoring for speeders, dealing with nuisances, and helping to find children when they wander off? Yes, he does. I would think you would be a bit more grateful for my presence. I guess your granddaughter’s safety just isn’t that important to you.”

  “Grammy, Sadie works at the angel club that Daddy is taking me to.”

  “Ahh, we have you to thank for that as well I see.”

  “I volunteer there, it’s a great place.”

  “Caroline doesn’t need to go there, she has us. We can help her when she feels she is missing something.”

  I bit my tongue. It was hard, but I did it. I wanted to point out how wrong she was. Had Callie felt like they were a help, then she probably wouldn’t have run away in the first place.

  8

  Callie

  “Caroline.” Aunt Sonya drove while Grammy sat in the front seat and turned to talk with me. “How well do you know Sadie?”

  “She’s my bestest friend. I want to be a deputy when I grow up.”

  “Have you met Sadie’s girlfriend?”

  “Mom, don’t,” Aunt Sonya said.

  “Don’t what? You know as well as I do the woman is very butch.”

  “What’s that mean, Grammy?”

  “Nothing. I just don’t think that Sadie should be your best friend, you barely know her.”

  “Daddy does.”

  “He does?” Grammy’s eyes were huge, like yo-yos.

  “Yes. Sadie thanked him for fruit salad.”

  “He’s gone out with her?”

  “Gone where?”

  “Mom, you’re confusing her,” Aunt Sonya whispered.

  “You know that you have a mommy, right, Callie?”

  I nodded. “Yep, she’s my angel-mommy. Sadie has an angel-mommy too.”

  “Will you stop mentioning Sadie? I’m sick and tired of hearing about that woman. You have a mother. Your mommy loved you very much. Her name isn’t angel-mommy, her name is mommy. Do you hear me? It is mommy.”

  My tummy hurt from Grammy’s words. I wanted to go home, but Grammy would be upset. “I’m sorry, Grammy.” My nose burned, and I wanted to wipe my eyes. I looked up and saw Aunt Sonya. She was looking at me in the mirror.

  9

  Ryan

  I walked in and was a little shocked to find my home quiet. Normally, the sound of the television was going and I could usually smell popcorn that had recently been microwaved, but not today.

  “Mom, Callie? Anyone here?”

  “In the laundry room.”

  “Where’s Callie?”

  “Louise hasn’t dropped her off yet.”

  That had anger searing through me, and I had to take several deep breaths. God, this woman pushed all of my buttons. But to pull this shit after our talk the other day? It was too much. Shoving my fingers through my hair, I got my emotions together, or rather, my temperament, before snagging my phone from my pocket. I dialed my ex-mother-in-law.

  “Hello?”

  “Louise, where is my daughter?”

  “Oh, she’s eating, we’ll be there after dinner.”

  “No. I told you the other day that I had rules. I enjoy having dinner with my daughter. Technically, this is kidnapping. You refused to bring my child back.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Ryan, I’m her grandmother.”

  “Exactly, and I’m her father. You broke my rules after we went over them and you agreed to abide by them. I will be there to get her shortly.”

  “We aren’t at home.”

  “Where are you?”

  “We will bring her there when we are finished.”

  “Louise, don’t play games. I know that you’re home, Fred doesn’t eat out on weeknights. I will be at your house in ten minutes to get my daughter. If you are not there, I will call law enforcement and file charges against you.” I walked out to my car and got in with my phone on speaker while I continued talking. “I offered to let you get Callie more days with the only stipulation being that you bring her home by dinnertime. It isn’t an unreasonable request, but you want things your way. Well, that doesn’t w
ork for me.” I disconnected.

  I turned onto the street where Deirdre’s parents lived. Sonya’s car was in the driveway as well. Steeling myself for the fight that I knew was coming, I hopped out and ran up to the house.

  I rang the doorbell and waited. Callie opened it, tears rolling down her face.

  “What’s wrong, Callie girl?” I knelt to wrap her in my arms.

  “Is Sadie going to arrest Grammy and Aunt Sonya?”

  “No, why would you ask that?”

  “Grammy said that Sadie was bad and that she was going to arrest them and keep them from seeing me again.”

  I held Callie’s hand and pulled her into the house. “You told Callie that the nice deputy who rescued her was going—”

  “Don’t blame me, you’re the one who said you would call the cops.” Louise held up her hands.

  “Please get it through your head now, you will not be picking up Callie from school again. You’ve lost that right.”

  “Ryan, you are being silly and overreacting. That is not best for Caroline.”

  “And you are playing some power game with my daughter.” The bitch. “I’ll have security info changed at school tomorrow.”

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Louise warned.

  “Or what?”

  When she only pursed her lips, I nodded and led my daughter from the house. They could threaten all they wanted, but they had zero leg to stand on when it came to my daughter, and had no idea the lengths I would go to keep her safe. If those lengths meant cutting that viper out of our lives, then so be it.

  Once she was buckled in and we were on our way home, I glanced back at her, asking, “Callie girl, you know that Sadie is a good person, right? She wouldn’t arrest your grammy or aunt Sonya. Grammy was just confused.”

  “Daddy?”

  Uhh, my heart melted at that one word. “Yes, pumpkin?”

  “Are you going to send me to live with Aunt Sonya?”

  “No. Why? I would never do that. You are mine, all mine, and I’m going to keep you until you are fifty years old.”

  “You promise?”