Hunted: A Suspense Collection

by J. L. Drake

  He shook his head as he noticed my nervous expression. “I’m good. Are you here to see the guys?”

  I nodded and hoped it was all right that I was there. I’d never come to the station, and I’d never met any of Seth’s co-workers until this whole shit storm hit the ground.

  “Well, come on back. I’ll give you a tour.” Johnnie waved to the clerk. “It’s all right, Lou, I got her.”

  Lou, who was a middle-aged Hispanic man, tossed him an ID badge and gave me a sweet smile.

  “Great, thanks,” I said and pinned it to my shirt. I followed Johnnie into a huge room where there were a bunch of officers doing a hundred and one things. It made me shake my head that I still hadn’t seen where the guys worked. I mean, they were street cops, but this was their ‘office.’ I gripped my purse a little tighter, nervous that I might upset Seth by showing up unannounced.

  One guy with a cute smile stood up. “Hi, I’m Davis.” He put his hand out. I shook it, but before I could respond, Johnnie cut me off.

  “Back off, Davis, she’s not here for you,” Johnnie said with a deep laugh. “This is my partner, Officer Davis.”

  “Oh, hi!” My voice was a little too high, but I was excited to meet him. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  “Hello,” a voice said off to my left.

  “Hi, Campbell, nice to see you again.” I nodded as he walked by. I felt a little embarrassed about how I had acted the last time I saw him. I had been quite rude when he and his partner came by to take the report when I first got attacked. I hoped they understood I wasn’t quite myself then.

  Two other officers approached me curiously. “Um, hi.” I took note that there were a lot of very large men working for the Orange Police Department.

  Johnnie laughed and threw his hands up. “Not here for you either, guys.”

  They both grinned. “How’d you get such a pretty girl to follow you in here, Johnnie?” one of the officers asked.

  I linked my arm with Johnnie’s. “He has charm,” I said, playing along. Johnnie gave me a happy expression. Davis came over and joined the show.

  “So, what’s the pretty lady’s name?” Davis asked smoothly.

  “Oh God!” Johnnie put his hand on his forehead. “Connors!” he shouted. “Get over here before you lose this girl.”

  “I’m Emily,” I murmured. Davis smiled, taking my hand gently in his as if I might break. He kissed it softy. “Mmmm, such a romantic,” I said with a wink.

  “It’s one of my many talents.”

  I felt a familiar arm wrap around my waist. Davis dropped my hand. Fast.

  “Hey, baby, what are you doing here? Are you all right?” Seth asked, checking me over.

  I felt my stomach flutter. “I came here to meet with Officer Davis. He’s quite the charmer, you know.” This made everyone laugh. I turned to him slightly, about to ask for the detective on my case, when I saw Garrett coming toward us.

  “I thought I heard a sweet voice.” Garrett swooped me up in a big hug. “You all right?”

  Davis pulled at his tie. “She came to see me.”

  Seth wrapped his arms around my waist again. I looked up, knowing he was claiming his ground. I let him have it. It felt good. Claim away.

  Everyone soon went back to work. Seth turned me around to face him as he sat on the edge of a desk. We were at eye level now. “Emily, how did you get here?”

  I looked away as I ignored his question. “This place is bigger than I thought it would be.” I glanced around at the hustle of the station. It was pretty neat to see where Seth and Garrett came every day.

  “Connors, can I see you?” an officer asked off to our right.

  “Be right back.”

  I nodded as he dropped his bag next to me. I saw Garrett and some other man check over a file he was holding. He glanced my way and gave me a friendly wink.

  Johnnie waved me over to an open desk. As I approached, he pulled out the chair and offered me a seat. “Can I get you anything?”

  “Water would be nice, thank you.” I dragged Seth’s bag over and placed it on the desk along with mine. Good lord, what did he keep in that thing? It weighed a ton. I took a seat in the black padded chair, which was quite comfy. I went to reach for my phone when I noticed one of the pockets on Seth’s duffle bag was open slightly. I slipped my finger in and pulled apart the zipper. It opened easily. The tip of my finger felt something smooth. I leaned over and peered in. A picture. I looked around. I couldn’t see Seth anywhere, so I pulled it out to get a better look.

  It was a picture of the three of us, taken a few months ago. My heart skipped a beat. It was right after Valentine’s Day, and we had decided to take a spur of the moment trip to Big Bear for the day. A random tourist took our picture. Right after that, Garrett nearly lost it when he thought he saw a bear. I could still hear his girlish scream as he bolted for the truck. Seth and I were in fits in laugher, but Garrett didn’t find it so funny. It was sweet that Seth kept the picture.

  “He talks about you a lot,” Riggs said as he came up behind me. He was in a blue OPD ball hat with white lettering.

  “Oh! Hi.” I looked back down at the picture. “I wish he’d talk to me more.”

  Riggs sat on the corner of the desk. He looked around to make sure that there weren’t any close ears. “It’s hard to fully protect someone when you’re emotionally involved. You start to feel like you won’t be ready to fight if you’re in bed with that person. Put yourself in his shoes. Wouldn’t you do anything you could for the one you lo—?” He stopped himself and then shrugged. “Well, you’d be blind not to see how much he cares about you.”

  I nodded, happy that he’d let me in on how Seth might be feeling. However, I wasn’t fully convinced. I wanted Seth to be with me more than anything, but I thought I might have stronger feelings for him than he did for me.

  “It was nice seeing you again, McPhee.” Riggs walked away and left me with his words to mull over.

  “Are you all right?” Johnnie asked, seeing my face. “They get off soon, shouldn’t be much longer. I’ll be right over here if you need anything.”

  I opened the water and dropped the cap on my lap. “Thanks, Johnnie.” I watched everyone work until an officer with a friendly demeanor came into the room.

  His short brown hair matched his brown eyes, eyes that held my attention as he moved confidently toward me. His walk bordered on cocky, but he managed to pull it off. His broad shoulders, narrow waist, and height reminded me of half the men here at OPD. His lips turned up into a mischievous smile that made me rise out of my seat even before I realized what I was doing.

  “What a lovely treat this is. It’s not often we see a beautiful woman like you in here.”

  “Well, I don’t know if that’s entirely true. Officer Davis has quite the figure.” He chuckled at my joke. “I’m Emily.” I offered my hand.

  “Avery.” He returned the handshake. He seemed like one of the older officers here, perhaps in his mid-thirties. “What brings you here? Something tells me you didn’t get yourself into any trouble.”

  “Hey,” I made a face. “I’ve been known to walk on the edge of danger.”

  He burst out in a load roar and held his side. “Sorry, but edge of danger? Now I really know you are a good girl.” I rolled my eyes and tried not to laugh. “Okay, okay, I shouldn’t make fun. I just wish there were more of you out there.”

  “Mmmm.” I giggled, but I couldn’t have agreed more.

  “You’re Emily McPhee, right?” He shrugged, giving me an apologetic smile. “We’ve all been briefed on your case. Pretty scary situation. Sorry this is happening to you.”

  “Yeah, me too,” I said with a sigh. The gas station attack flickered in front of me, and I felt the color draining from my face. I wished I could control my reactions better.

  Avery put his hand on my shoulder, “You okay? You want to sit?”

  ***

  Seth

  I felt sick over this conversation. “Bi
ts and pieces?” Michaels’ expression spoke volumes. He rubbed his hand over his face. “All right, so he knows that you two are officers. He must be following her more than we thought.” He leaned back in his chair. “We need more to go on.”

  “Excuse me, guys, but Seth, you may want to…” Johnnie nodded his head toward Emily, who looked less than good. I looked at Michaels. “Can we go over this Monday?”

  ***

  Emily

  “I’m all right, really.”

  “Are you waiting for someone? Or do you need a ride home?”

  “No, I’m waiting for—”

  “Hey, baby,” Seth said, coming to my side. “What’s wrong?”

  I took a few deep breaths, letting the dizziness subside. “I’m fine.” Feeling better by the second.

  “Hey, Avery, how are ya?” Seth asked, once he saw I was okay.

  “Good, man, just got to meet your girl. Nice catch.” Avery smiled.

  Seth slipped his fingers through mine, holding my hand. “I think so.” I glanced up at him, wondering how long this was going to last. “See ya at the Triangle?”

  “For sure, Seth. Bye, Emily.”

  I waved, glad to be feeling fine again. I hated it when those flashbacks happened. I raised my eyebrows at Seth, trying to hold back a smile. “Sooo.” I wiggled my hand.

  “Hey, Connors, your sister’s hot!” some guy from behind a computer shouted out. He laughed and high-fived his buddy.

  Seth closed his eyes and shook his head. I started to laugh, and his eyes flickered open when I gently pushed my body into his. I slid my hands over his shoulders and up his neck and pulled him down to me. I placed my lips on his and slipped my tongue into his mouth, as the guys got a good show.

  Seth gladly kissed me back as he pulled me in tighter and ran his hands down my back. My muscles gave in, and I surrendered myself to him. I almost lost myself in the kiss, but I heard a few guys cheering, and that kept me grounded. I pulled away and saw the lust in Seth’s eyes. Oh, what that look does to me…! He looked hungry for me. I laughed softly and stepped back. Seth stared at me, wide-eyed, and shook his head slightly. I looked over at the guy who had called out. His jaw was wide open. Ha! Chew on that, asshole!

  Seth was still staring at me when I looked back. “Yup, not your sister,” I whispered.

  “Definitely not.”

  “Come on, we’re all getting a drink at the Triangle,” Johnnie said as his arm hooked around my shoulders. “I’m sure Emily could use a drink, right?”

  “Yes, Emily could.” I winked and decided this was not the time to talk to the detective about wanting to help. There was no way I was going to miss an opportunity to get to know Seth’s friends better. I decided to go along and see how the night played out with Seth and me.

  A fifteen minute cab ride had us in the parking lot. The pub was small but had character. Coasters from all over the world were nailed to the beams in the ceiling. Irish music filled the air as I looked around and saw about thirteen officers at a long wooden table by a window. Seth sat me between him and Garrett. Of course, I had my shields on either side of me.

  “Emily, what are you drinking tonight?” Johnnie asked.

  “Dirty martini, please.”

  “I like her!” Davis yelled to Seth.

  “I bet you do,” Seth said and wrapped his arm around my chair. Avery set down two pitchers of beer and a bunch of glasses and started to pass them out. Then, letting out a loud sigh, he took a seat across from me.

  “Bad day?” I asked, taking my drink from Johnnie. “Thanks.”

  Johnnie nodded. “No problem.”

  Avery looked at Seth. “Connors, that dick you arrested at the liquor mart earlier this week? I got wind they’re going to drop the charges.”

  “What?” I felt Seth stiffen. “That jackass had a machete! He nearly took my fucking head off!”

  “Wait? What?” I quickly turned in my seat to face him. “You almost got—?” My mouth went dry, and I felt my stomach plummet. “When was this?”

  I heard Davis smack his lips together. “Way to get him in trouble with the missus, Avery. Smooth.”

  Seth leaned into me. “It was nothing. Just some junkie strung out on drugs.”

  It suddenly hit me how dangerous his job really was. I mean, I had always worried about him, but things were different now. At least they were for me. I shook my head, not wanting to get into it any further. I didn’t think I could handle it right then.

  “So, Emily,” Davis said, trying to change the topic. “I hear you can sing.”

  “Hardly. I just play around a little.”

  “That’s not what we heard.” Davis chuckled into his beer.

  Garrett bumped my arm playfully. I plucked the long stick that held the two olives on it, thinking. “So, Davis, tell me, what else have these guys been saying about me?” I glanced at Seth as I slid the olive stick between my teeth.

  He raised an eyebrow at me with a wicked, playful smile.

  “Ummm…” Davis laughed and pulled at his collar. “I may get in trouble if I answer that one.”

  Seth chucked a sugar packet at him. I leaned back in my chair, crossing my legs into Seth. I twirled the stem of my martini glass between my fingers and listened to the music.

  Seth leaned in. “Everyone seems to like you.”

  “Did you think they wouldn’t?”

  “No, that’s not what I meant.”

  “Then why haven’t I met them before?” I felt a little hurt. “It’s been two years. I thought maybe I’d have met some of your friends by now.”

  “Because.” He studied my face. I leaned in closer, showing him I’d wait for an answer. “Because I’m a private, protective, jealous guy.” His bluntness threw me for a loop. “I don’t need to see my co-workers drooling all over you.”

  “But you’ve made it clear that you don’t want to be any more than just friends. So why should it matter what they think?” I held my breath, waiting for his answer. I would have preferred to have had this conversation alone at home, but I wasn’t about to miss out on this moment.

  “You know I want you.” His fingertips ran down my cheek and stopped at my lips. “That kiss at the station, I can’t get it out of my mind.”

  That had been the plan. I smiled wickedly inside.

  “I need a drink,” he said as he stood. Once again I got tossed by his change of subject, but at least now I had an answer as to why I had never met his buddies. He wasn’t ashamed of me. No, Seth actually wanted me but was still holding himself back. Why? Was Riggs right about what he’d said earlier? Christ, I’d thought women were supposed to be the confusing ones! Men!

  ***

  Lasko

  I stepped back into the shadows as I saw Emily and Seth leave the bar. That fucker had his hand around her waist. No, no, no, I thought as I rubbed my aching head. I reached in my pocket, pulling out three Vicodin. I popped them in my dry mouth and took a swig from my Jack that was covered by a brown bag. My leg started to vibrate and I pulled out my cell phone.

  “What?” I hissed.

  “Where are you?” The voice was pissed. Fuck!

  “Where are you? You were supposed to call me.”

  “I’m handling things.”

  “Bullshit. She’s with him again!”

  “I told you to leave him be. You’re going to fuck this up. Look, you’ll soon get the green light, but it has to be the right time.”

  I watched as her skirt rose up her thighs as she crossed her arms. She was cold. Her nipples poked through her silk blouse like they were on high alert. I felt the familiar twitch in my pants. God, I was so close. If only…

  “What the hell were you thinking, getting Hank involved again?” the voice asked.

  “He gets me things.”

  “He’s dirty. If they catch him, you don’t think he’ll roll over on you?”

  “Never, I’ve known him forever.”

  “Jimmy, go back to the motel!” the voice shouted in
to the phone.

  “Yeah,” I whispered, hanging up. I knew I should listen, but I just wanted to watch her a moment longer. Suddenly the asshole cop shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders, blocking my view of her chest. It took everything in me to not break the Jack bottle on the side of the trash can and jam it into the cop’s throat.

  ***

  Emily

  I pulled the sides of the jacket around me, seeking its warmth.

  “Where to?” the cabby asked.

  “561 Jenna Shore Lane,” Seth answered as he ran his hand over my leg. “You were a hit tonight.”

  I put my hand on his. “And you were affectionate to me tonight. Guess you have a jealous side.”

  He squeezed my leg a little as he shook his head and tried to hide his smile.

  “That Davis is a nice looking guy,” I teased him.

  He looked out the window. “Mmm…hmm.”

  I kept going. It was fun, getting a rise out of him. “Johnnie’s cool, too, and that Riggs…!” I fought back a grin.

  He looked down at me. “You’re not allowed to come by anymore.” I laughed hard.

  Once home, we walked inside. I flipped the lamp on and dropped my bags by the stairs. Seth sat down in the big chair, not taking his eyes off me. I took off my shoes and slowly turned, and grinned as I walked over to him. I decided to go with my gut.

  I unbuttoned my shirt. While I drank him in, his eyes raked over me too. I stopped and stood in front of him, waiting, and my heart beating wildly. He reached up, sliding both his hands along my legs and pulling me down on his lap. I hovered over him and bent my knees on either side of his thighs. He put his hand on my neck and roughly tugged me down to kiss him. I responded, matching his intensity, just as he had matched mine earlier at the station.

  He pulled away as if he were struggling with something. I pulled his face back softy and tried to read his eyes. He squinted at me and then moved his lips closer to mine. I threw myself into the kiss again. This time he didn’t stop.

  I let out a moan that vibrated from my lips to his, making him pull me in closer. I untangled my hand from his hair and unbuttoned his shirt. I started to kiss his neck and stopped at his collarbone, and then moved on to his chest.