“I’m afraid I’m here with bad news,” she begins, but she’s not looking at me. Her eyes are darting around the room as if she realizes she’s outnumbered and regretting stepping foot in here without backup. She’s got balls. I’ll give her that.
“My dad messaged me last week about my mother passing. I was waiting for him to send me information about her services, but he must’ve forgotten. I’ve never been on the top of his priority list.” TJ squeezes my hand in solidarity. We discussed what I needed to say if someone showed up here but doing mock interviews and facing the actual task are two different things. My hands are trembling, so I squeeze his back as a means to try to calm my nerves.
The detective frowns. “Your father was found deceased at his residence last week.”
My face flinches with her news, but tears or a look of devastation aren’t something I can manage. “What happened?”
“He took his own life.” She offers the news with as little emotion as I asked the question.
“Same as my mom,” I mumble, and the tears that well and fall down my cheeks now are for her.
I’ve realized over the last week, that my mother was weak. She trapped a man into marriage and probably regretted every second of it after his true colors came to light. I pity her, hating that she died, but knowing that she had found her own peace, that she was the strongest those last seconds before she died.
“We couldn’t find another next of kin,” the detective continues. “Your parents haven’t been buried yet. That’s why I’m here.”
“There isn’t anyone else,” I inform her. “Their attorney or whoever is the executor of their estate should handle that. I’m certain my father left instructions. He was meticulous about business.”
“We couldn’t find a will. From what the Newbury police are telling us, everything belongs to you. You live in my jurisdiction. I’m only here out of courtesy.”
My head is shaking back and forth. “I don’t want it.”
TJ wraps his arm around my back. “You don’t have to decide anything today.”
“Mr. Jenkins is correct.”
TJ’s eyes narrow as he turns his head to look at the detective, but I’m not surprised she knows exactly who he is. She’s smarter than I’m sure most give her credit for That’s why her being here for too long is dangerous to everyone around. She mentioned the MC once before at my apartment.
“And just who do we have here?” A genuine grin tugs at my lips when I watch Ronan walk up in all his handsome glory, strutting toward the pretty woman standing in the middle of the living room. His hands reach out before we can warn him. Both hands clamp down on Detective Martin’s ass, and a look of bliss crosses his face.
Two of the women on the other couch chuckle while several of the guys grunt in warning, but none of them are faster than the female cop. With lightning fast reflexes, she swoops back and flips Ronan on his back. The air leaves his lungs in a whoosh, but he doesn’t seem too concerned about the angle she’s holding his wrist at or the knee she’s got pinned against his chest.
Ronan looks up at her with a wicked grin. “Well, fuck me. I think I’m in love.”
“Oh for fuck's sake,” someone hisses behind me. “Here we go again.”THE END