5
Riley
Intel Incoming
She’s as cool as a cucumber.
She’s more fly than a white guy.
She has more chill than a pickle.
And I haven’t seen or heard from Andi Conner since I passed out on her chest, woke to a phone call from a thug, and found her missing. Instead of waking to boobs and more of her perfection, I woke to work, to dragging myself out of bed and making my way to a truck stop outside town so we could talk without being seen, and then to my superior officer’s home so I could talk about my rat without actually sharing who my rat is.
I’m just a rookie officer. I’mthemost junior officer at our station, and I don’t even get to take a shit unless Oz or Alex give me the go ahead, so having my own anonymous informant is unheard of, and these guys don’t trust easily.
I had to argue with Oz for hours because he wanted names, but according to Jay Bishop – Special Agent and not a man to be messed with – snitching wouldn’t end well for me. So I argued until my friend and colleague settled for my lie; that Jay is anonymous.
Then we had to do it all over again at my chief’s house.
Alex Turner is already a prickly guy to deal with. He’s fair to a fault, and not at all dirty in his job, but with that comes a guy that won’t bend a single rule, and he sure as shit won’t break them. So turning up to his house on a Sunday morning and trying to talk to him through his hangover wasn’t nearly as satisfying as my time with Andi.
But it’s better than letting a shipment of automatic weapons into our town and watching kids play with them during recess. So once again, I became a Bishop’s sacrificial lamb – or rather, pawn – all in the name of doing what’s right.
“Cruz!” Alex stomps through our station two full weeks after the wedding and drags my attention away from my computer and Andi’s file. I’ve gone total creep while Oz has been out back working on his truck. This is a small town, and when the locals are behaving themselves, we find ourselves without enough work to keep us busy.
The chief often goes to the homemade gym in the station and works out. Oz goes out back to fuck around with his truck. And I’ve been running a search on the beautiful Andi Conner… because I’m a weirdo.
Hurriedly, I shut the window and flick back to a report I was typing up on a guy that lives just by the trailer park. He and his son are in here weekly, arrested for fighting each other and shooting at squirrels. Writing these reports is just part of my job description these days, and filled out on autopilot.
“Yeah, Chief?”
“I need you to do a lunch run. Head on over to Franky’s and get enough for everyone. It’s quiet today, and I don’t wanna jinx it, but since my desk isn’t overflowing with stupid shit, that means my men are doing a good job. I wanna get you all lunch to celebrate.”
“That’s kind of you, Chief.” Standing, I grab my hat and tug it low over my eyes. I don’t ask why he can’t make the run himself, since he claims to not be busy. Those are the perks of being chief; he doesn’t have to do shit if he doesn’t want to. Instead, I grab my keys and wallet and step around my desk. “Did you already order? Or do you want me to order whatever when I get there?”
“I already called it in. Katrina’s on it, so you just gotta pick it up.”
“Okay.” I pass his desk – messy, despite his claim that it’s not overflowing with stupid shit – and tip my hat. “I’ll be back in twenty.”
“You gonna eat with us?”
“I packed my own food for today, so I’ll eat that. But sure, I’ll eat with you guys.”
Nodding, he flops into his chair and switches on the black screen. “Okay. I’m hungry, so don’t stick around for too long. Her kid’ll kick your ass for looking too long, anyhow.”
“Lot’s of that going around,” I murmur and think of Ben Conner’s angry glare. “These kids think they can step up.”
“What was that, Rook?”
“I said no, sir. I won’t hit on Katrina.” I swing out of the large room and move down the hall toward the front door. Half of us park out the back in the garage to keep our cars out of the sun. The rest of us park out front for easy escape when we get a call that’s come in hot. I don’t much care if the sun cracks my bench seats any more, so I park out front and get out faster once my shift is over.
Climbing into my truck and pulling on to the street, I drive only a couple minutes and pull into the parking spots out front of Franky’s Diner on Main Street. I haven’t stopped thinking about Andi Conner since I last saw her, but she’s too fucking chill to even bother calling me. The chief and teenagers in this town have no worries when it comes to Katrina Blair. She’s my age, she’s beautiful, and she’s single, but when I walk through the diner door and stop on a wary pair of electric blue eyes, Katrina is as good as invisible. “Dee?”
From wary to smug, Andi shakes off her weird mood and slaps on a filthy grin. She looks me up and down like I were simply a slab of meat in a butcher shop. “Well, hey there, Officer Cruz. You look awfully sharp in that uniform.”
“Well, alright.” Clearing her throat, Katrina turns on her heels and bustles into the kitchen to leave us be. It’s lunch time, but the diner is all but empty.
“Jesus, Riley.” Andi steps forward and meets me in the middle of the diner. Lifting a hand, she touches my collar, then walks slow circles around me. “I swear, I saw you in a tux, and I nearly swallowed my tongue. I saw you naked, and I swallowedyourtongue. But when a girl in lust gets a load of you in uniform… Wowza.” Her fingertips slide over my shoulder blades and brush over where my heart slams against my diaphragm. “I knew you were a cop, but I guess I never thought about the uniform before.” Her hand slides over my hip. “Guns and tools. Is that a flashlight, Officer, or are you happy to see me?”