by Blue Saffire
“Dad said I should let them talk. Allow them to think they know whatever. I’ll always be able to show them better than I can tell them,” he says, giving me the most trusting look he’s ever given me.
“He’s right. I know exactly what he means. I think that’s why we get along so well. Your dad gets me,” I say and smile.
He’s silent as he stares back at me. I hold my breath, hoping this is it. He’s finally going to open up and give me what I need.
“Well, I’m glad he has a friend like you. Thanks for the talk. I’ll see you in the morning.”
I breathe in disappointment but force a smile to my face. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
I watch as he gets up and heads to his room, Sunny at his side. I don’t know what’s with this family and my dog. He seems to cling to them instantly.
I guess he knows good people.
Chapter 30
Hidden Messages
Danita
I look around this place and my blood ignites into flames of fury. The bust I made yesterday had $1.2 million in cash and drugs that was supposed to go into the evidence locker. Half of the money is gone, and four kilos of coke have evaporated into thin air.
Today everyone moves about this precinct as if nothing has happened. It’s crazy to me how this has become the norm. No one is as pissed as I am about this.
Honestly, I don’t know why I’m surprised. Things have changed around here, and not for the better. The ring is recruiting again. We’ve had three new officers move up to detective, and they were immediately placed on my squad. Yet, I still don’t have a partner and I’m pretty sure those assholes have already recruited two of the three.
“Hey, Moralez, you got a minute?” Harris says as he walks over to my desk.
I haven’t said much to him lately. I’ve gotten other notes on my car. The second one was the same morning Alicia was chased down on the highway.
It read along the lines of “He can’t protect you like I can.” The others that have followed have been more of the same. I get pissed just thinking about them.
I still haven’t told Kevin. He’s been stressed out, and to be honest, if I tell him, he’ll try to wrap me in bubble wrap and hide me away. I have a job to do. I thought it a bit extreme that we all moved to his parents’ and are essentially on lockdown. If it weren’t for my job, I don’t think he would let me out of the house.
Thank God I don’t have to be there around the clock. Alicia and Tari are losing their minds. I’d be too. Four kids, plus Kevin’s hilarious and brutally honest parents. Yes, thank God for my job.
When we are at the house, it’s tense. Everyone is tense. So I’ve omitted the fact that I think this asshole has been placing threats on my windshield.
The one thing that has become clear is that my cover hasn’t been blown. Not like I thought. I don’t think the fire had anything to do with what happened to Cal or the ring I’m after. I was right; the MO doesn’t match.
I narrow my eyes on Harris. I’m going to make his ass pay when I can prove he almost killed my dog when he torched my place. Those notes have his voice written all over them.
Jealous, arrogant, and entitled.
I look Harris up and down before I answer him. “What for?” I ask dryly.
“I had a question for you about that bust yesterday…” he starts but trails off as he looks past me.
I turn to see what he’s looking at. Two guys are walking in our direction with vases of red roses in each of their hands. Four vases in total. I look on in confusion as it seems they’re heading straight for my desk.
“Detective Moralez?” the taller of the two asks.
“Yes, what is this?”
They both place the vases on the desk and the one who spoke hands over a piece of paper for me to sign off on. I eye the vases for a second before I sign. A ball of nerves mixed with butterflies starts in my stomach.
“You have a good day, ma’am,” the guy says when he takes the paper back from me.
I nod and fall back in my chair as I turn to look at the flowers on my desk. I’m going to kill Kevin. I can feel everyone’s eyes on me.
Harris plucks the card from one of the vases. I stand and place my hands on my hips as I glare at him. He has a lot of damn nerve as he reads the card aloud.
“‘Missing you, love. Can’t wait to hold you in my arms. I hope every petal brings you a smile,’” Harris reads before turning his eyes on me. “Moralez—”
“Next time I’ll send ya flowers of yer own since ya admire them so much.”
I turn to find Kevin glaring at Harris. He looks gorgeous. His hair is neatly combed into place, and he’s in a black suit.
Oh God, what that suit is doing for this man. It pours over his body like a loving friend. Knowing what the body beneath looks and feels like has my pulse racing and certain body parts pulsing.
Kevin turns those green eyes on me. A slow crooked grin comes to his lips as he takes in my lust-filled ogling. He crowds my space, places a hand at my nape, and tugs me toward his lips.
He does it so fast, I don’t have time to protest, and once his soft, firm lips are on mine, I don’t want to protest anyway. Harris is completely forgotten. At least he is by me.
When Kevin breaks the kiss and looks down into my eyes, I’m left feeling dazed and a little light-headed. I place my hand over his chest and the beating of his heart brings me so much comfort. I can’t believe that I’ve been growing more and more attached to him.
With each week that passes, I’ve gotten no closer to what I need, but Kevin has found a way to make me feel like it will all work out in the end. Which is why I feel so guilty about not sharing everything with him. I tamp down the ever-rising feeling and give him a smile.
“What was that for?”
“I told you. I’ve been missing you,” he says and kisses my forehead. His face clouds over and he looks over my head. “Do ya need something?”
“I work here. Remember? Unlike you. You know what? Never mind,” Harris mumbles and turns to walk off.
I roll my eyes and sit back at my desk. “If you give me ten minutes, we can get out of here together. I’ve had enough of this place for one day,” I say and start to finish up the work on my desk.
I had been wrapping things up before I got distracted looking around at the lack of morals surrounding me. I try not to go down that path before I get pissed off all over again. Seeing Kevin and the roses has changed my mood, and I’d like to keep it that way.
I feel more than see him lean over my desk, placing his hands flat on either side of me. He kisses my neck. I look up to see if anyone is watching.
“You do know I have to work here?”
“I don’t much care. It’s not like we get to be this affectionate at the house. I’m craving you. We’ll have to do something about that,” he whispers against my skin.
“We could always go back to your place,” I suggest.
“Hmm,” he murmurs.
I get that the guys want to keep the family together, but the full-house vibe is enough to make a sane person question everything. I’m over it, and I’m over not having solid answers. It’s been almost four months.
Nothing has changed with Cal as far as I know, and while Con has become more trusting of me, he hasn’t told me a thing that I can use to find out what happened to his dad or how I can get my life back. Not that the kid hasn’t looked as if he wants to spill his guts. Lately he’s had his head in his computer most the time, looking more stressed than a kid on summer break should.
I had thought maybe he was taking summer courses or something, but Kevin told me both twins opted out of the advanced college courses they were supposed to take this summer. With all that’s going on, I can’t blame them.
“Just think of the one-on-one time we could have,” I purr.
�
�That sounds like a grand idea, but I need to be at the house tonight. Trent won’t be around. I want to at least be there through the night.”
“Then we’ll only take a few hours.” I turn up the seduction in my voice.
He leans into my ear, his breath tickling my skin. I have to squeeze my thighs together beneath my desk. I wonder if he’s driving me crazy on purpose.
“You and I both know if we go to my place, I’m going to fuck you into next week and we won’t move from my bed for anything but water and to relieve ourselves.” He drops his voice lower and the rumble runs right through me with his next words. “I’ve been wanting to get my hands on you and make you scream for mercy for weeks. Even thought about tearing a page from Quinn’s book and hiding out in the laundry room.”
My cheeks heat. We walked right past the laundry room that day as Quinn obviously gave Alicia the business. They thought they were being quiet. It was a good thing Shane had the kids occupied with silly stories.
“With my luck, we’d get caught by your mom or something.”
“Aye, a lie you don’t tell. My mother has caught me giving every girl I dated in high school a snog. It’s like she has radar. As soon as I pucker my lips, bam,” he says, his accent slightly thicker, making me laugh all the more.
“I would have loved to have seen that. I can only imagine,” I say as my shoulders shake.
“You would laugh.” He nuzzles my neck. “We’ll take a raincheck on that trip to my place.”
I don’t let on my disappointment. We really could stand to have some alone time. I close my eyes and marvel in the scent of his cologne.
“Ay, papi, ¿Por qué me haces esto? You smell so good.” The words are out of my mouth before I can think better of it.
Kevin chuckles and kisses the top of my head. “What am I doing to you, love?”
“You know.”
“Only returning the favor.” Lifting his hands from my desk, he gives my shoulders a gentle squeeze and moves to sit in the chair next to my desk.
Thank God. Maybe I can think straight now. Between his body heat and his delicious scent, my brain waves start to skip functions.
“Didn’t you have to be on an assignment?”
“A security detail that ended early. You were on my mind, so this is where I needed to be,” he replies.
I look at him for a moment. Sometimes he says the sweetest stuff. I still can’t believe he sent these flowers. I didn’t even know I was that girl until this moment. Like, I’ve never looked for guys to send me things like that. At least, I’ve never been hard-pressed for it. Now, it has this warm feeling in my belly that I like way too much.
“Have you eaten?” he says to my silent musing.
I shake my head clear. My stomach growls on cue. No, I haven’t eaten. I’ve been too busy being pissed off.
“No, I was supposed to grab something, but I didn’t get around to more than a protein bar,” I tell him.
He pulls out his phone and starts to swipe at the screen. He looks so out of place here. Like a supermodel or angel that dropped from heaven into this hellhole.
I sit waiting for these fuckers around here to burst into flames in his presence. I start to snicker at the thought. Kevin lifts his gaze from his phone. “What?”
“Nothing. Me having a silly moment.”
His lips lift in the corner as he gives me a once-over. Pinning me with a knowing look before he looks around the precinct, he snorts. With a shake of his head, he turns back to his phone.
“I’ll make reservations. I have this place I’ve been wanting to take you. You’ll love the food and there’s a Latin club next door.”
I look down at my clothes and frown. “I’m not dressed for anywhere fancy.” A slow grin takes over his face. “What?” I ask, knowing that look too well.
“You were just saying that you always loved that scene in Pretty Woman when he took her shopping.” He lifts his arm and flicks his wrist. “We still have plenty of time to get you pampered and dressed.”
“You’re calling me a prostitute,” I say with a straight face.
His mouth falls open, and I burst into laughter. He picks up a paper clip and tosses it at my chest. I knock it away as I continue to laugh.
“You’re serious, aren’t you?” I say through my laughter.
“Why wouldn’t I be? You could use a day to kick back and relax. Come on. Finish up. We’ll make an evening of it.”
I do my best to contain my excitement. It’s not the shopping or the pampering. It’s the alone time we’ll get. I miss our time at my place, watching Netflix or simply talking.
I finish my paperwork quickly, and we grab two vases each to head out of the precinct. When Chief Dugan passes by, I notice the look he gives me, then Kevin. Kevin doesn’t show much of a reaction, but I know this man too well not to see the subtle change.
However, I know better than to ask while around this place. I’ve never gotten a bad vibe from Dugan before, but today, I won’t lie and say I’m not on alert. He’s just been added to my list to dig deeper into.
“Did you need to grab anything else?”
“No, I’m straight.”
Kevin dropped me off this morning, but I wasn’t expecting him to pick me up. Shane was going to swing by. While Shane is a sweetheart, I’m happy Kevin is here.
In the middle of our light banter, we head for the Viper. I stumble to a stop when I see the slip of paper stuck to his windshield. It’s like all the other notes.
“What?” Kevin says as he looks down at me.
I shake my head and try to recover. If I can get to the paper and pull it off before he does, I can crumple it and wave it off. However, I’m dating an ex-detective turned PI. His eye is keener than most.
He moves to the car, easily balancing both vases in one arm. He plucks the paper from the windshield and opens it. His face tightens and grows red with anger right before me.
The anger in his green eyes when he looks up at me feels like a punch to the chest. He looks like his head is about to pop right off his shoulders. Without saying a word, he opens the car and places the vases in his hands in the back seat.
I move to the passenger side in silence and place the other two inside as well. Climbing into the front seat, I wait for him to speak once he gets behind the wheel. He sits brooding, not saying a word.
He hands the note over to me, and it’s like the others. More threats and harsh words. Something about Kevin having seen this one stings. I know the words aren’t true, but this still isn’t something I would want him to see.
My vision goes red as I read the words over and over. I don’t like being threatened. Especially not by a coward.
You’re a slut. He can’t protect you like I can. You’re going to pay for this.
“From the lack of surprise on your face, I’m going to go with my gut that’s telling me this isn’t the first time you’ve seen one of these,” he seethes.
“It isn’t,” I mumble.
“How long?”
I sigh. He’s going to be pissed when he gets that answer. It’s one of the reasons I’ve kept this to myself. I know he has a temper. Especially when it comes to protecting me or his family’s safety. I have this image in my head of him sitting on the hood of my car with a baseball bat waiting for whoever has been leaving the notes.
“A few weeks. They have been showing up on my cars since we returned from the cabin,” I admit.
“Dem, are you shitting me?” he fumes. “Wait a minute. Does this have anything to do with the shit you’re keeping from me?”
While I believe Harris is a part of the ring, I don’t think these notes have anything to do with the actual case. I think this is him acting on his own. I was hoping to get a match on his prints from one of the other notes, but they were clean, not even a partial, which didn’t surprise me.
<
br /> “No, this is something else.”
“If this has nothing to do with yer case, why would ya keep this from me?”
“There has been so much going on. At first, I planned to ignore it, and then I decided to take care of it myself. You already have enough on your shoulders—”
“How is this happening right under my nose?” he says in a mix of pain and frustration. “First Erin and now this. Fuck.”
I close my eyes and release a deep breath. I knew he would take this there. I open my eyes when he pinches my chin between his fingers and turns my face to his.
“I’m crazy about ya. I’m in love with ya. It’s not okay for someone to be leaving ya notes like this. It’s not okay for me not to know that it’s happening.”
“You had to turn your focus on work and Erin’s case. I’ve actually been getting them at random times and places. You can’t always be there. It’s not fair for me to weigh you down with this on top of everything else. I can handle myself.”
He closes his eyes this time, and I can feel him vibrating with anger through his simple touch. I reach to cup his face. He opens his eyes and the vulnerability glaring back at me floors me. This big strong man looks lost for a brief moment.
“I’ll take care of this. I’ll figure out what the hell is going on,” he says.
He leans to kiss my lips and runs his fingers across my temple. I go to protest, but my phone goes off. Kevin’s face hardens.
My job has the shittiest timing in the world. I answer the call, knowing there will be no date or pampering for me. Duty calls.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper when I hang up. “I need to head to a scene.”
“I’ll follow you.” No sooner than the words are out of his mouth, his phone buzzes.
He looks down at the text, and his face tightens more. I don’t believe he’ll be following me anywhere. I place my hand on his chest and lean in to kiss him on the cheek.
“I’ll text you when I’m headed home. You don’t have to come for me.”