Chapter 9
Nitro
Itry not to groan too loud when I hear Chewy’s voice drift through the front of the building, to the office space I’m seated in.
My hopes rise slightly when I realize that it’s only Chewy I can hear, which means that she’s come alone.
One Chewy I can handle, but Chewy and her girl gang of tough, beautiful and unhinged women?
Nope, I’m man enough to admit that I can’t handle that.
“You wanna take this one or leave it for someone else?” Fox asks, his chocolate brown eyes on his computer screen.
We’re not even on duty. But we are sitting at our desks staring at a black computer screen because we didn’t want to hang out in the lobby waiting for all hell to break loose.
“I can only hear Chewy so we might be-” My mouth slams shut when the most terrifying sound in the world fills our office space. It’s the sound of nine pissed women, and I bet they all have property cuts on, marking them as our sisters, our family.
Hurried footsteps on the linoleum move our way and I just know Barb is going to try and get this shit show assigned to me or Fox, and I really hope it’s Fox.
“Sorry to bother you deputies, but we have, ah, a little bit of a scene happening out front,” Barb’s words run together into one panicked sentence. “I know you’re not technically working, but given that they’re your, um, people, I thought you might have a better chance at calming the situation?”
One look at Barb’s tense shoulders and hopeful expression and my legs have me standing before I even made up my mind to help.
“Lead the way, Barb.”
A breath wooshes out of her and her shoulders slump. “Thank you so much, Deputy Gardiner. You really are a good boy.” The older woman pats my face and I can’t help the way my lips tip up slightly.
It’s been a god damn long time since anyone called me a good boy, not the least by my parents.
They were more likely to call me scum and blame me for their shitty life.
Punish me for their shitty marriage all because they were raised as good christians and as good christians you get married when you get knocked up, no matter your age or feelings.
Then when my father went to prison for beating my mother to death he switched up from telling me how worthless I was, to writing me pages of vitriol and hatred.
Shaking off the memories I come to a stop on the other side of Barb’s reception desk.
I can see now why she wanted back up. There, facing off against every officer that’s on the clock, is the girl gang.
Standing shoulder to shoulder, some with kids on their hips or dangling in car seats.
All of them with pissed off expressions on their faces.
Including Jasmine. How she got mixed up with this lot I have no idea, but it does feel good that she fits in with the rest of the women.
There is no way I would want Fox and I to take a woman the others didn’t like.
Moving toward Jasmine I ignore the other women. In theory I should ignore her too, she deserves a better man, but she’s beautiful and kind and I want to enjoy being close to her, if only for a little while. My feet carry me in her direction, only stopping when she meets me in the middle.
“So, what’s going on?” she asks, her dark eyes peering up at me through her lashes. Fuck. I don’t even think she realizes how sexy she really is.
“Pops got arrested for some outstanding warrant.”
Her eyes widen and her brows pull slightly together, causing a small wrinkle that my fingers twitch to smooth, to put her at ease. “Will he be OK?”
“Well, he’s in there making friends with a couple of the town drunks, all with his junk out because Hitchens took him in there naked, but he seems to be fine.”
“Naked? Why the hell is my client naked?”
My face pulls into a grin at the sweet, sweet growl of Wire’s mom.
“Is that Miss Candice I hear?” Fox’s voice rings out behind me. “It is! Miss Candice here to save the day!” Fox moves to sweep her into a hug and I can’t help but roll my eyes when Jasmine’s gaze meets mine.
“Wire’s mom is the most badass lawyer in town.” I nod in Candice Harvey’s direction. “She’s also represented Pops on a few occasions.”
“I’ll bet,” she giggles, eyes dancing.
I can’t help but stare at the way her lips curve, the way her whole body moves when she laughs, her curves jiggling softly with the movement.
Fox and I aren’t small men, and while, yes, we have fucked all manner of women together, our favorite women were the ones with lush, soft bodies.
The way they would mold to us, the way they felt between us.
Shit. Just looking at Jazz I know that she would feel like heaven between me and Fox.
“Is, um, everything OK? You kinda zoned out on me.” Jazz’s voice pulls my attention back to her, snapping me out of my daydream of fucking her with my man.
“Shit, yeah, sorry, just got caught thinking. About shit. Um, this Pops stuff, I guess.” My hand rubs the back of my neck and I almost fall to the floor in relief when Fox steps in, talking some type of charming shit to Jasmine as I collect myself.
The familiar feelings rise up in my chest. Tightness as the words my parents used to repeat ring out loud and clear in my head.
Idiot. Dummy. Pathetic. Fucking worthless.
“You are intelligent. Kind. Fearless. Loved.” Fox’s low whisper works its way through my fog, pulling me back into the here and now. Like it does every time he says the words.
Not always those words, but some version of them. Gazing into his eyes I see the love he feels for me shining in them, and I believe what he says. I have no reason not to. My eyes dart to Jasmine, hoping that she didn’t hear, but if she did she shows no sign of it.
Miss Candice’s voice pulls me out of any more overthinking as she demands to know what charges are being laid against Pops.
“Do you want the full list, or just this month?” Hitchens says, as he storms from the direction the cells are in, to step toe to toe with Wire’s mom, who looks none too impressed with the move.
And she shouldn’t be. In her heels and with her long braided hair piled on top of her head, she towers over Hitchens, the little pissant.
He steps even closer, getting into her space, trying to intimidate her in the way only little men can.
Instead of stepping back, she leans forward. “How about we start with whatever trumped up charge you arrested him on in the hopes it’ll stick?”
Hitchens’ eyes narrow and I can’t be the only one who notices his jaw tightening dangerously.
“Impersonating a priest, receiving stolen goods, faking his own death to skip jury duty, impersonating Willie Nelson, unauthorized use of a church bell, impersonating an officer of the law, do you want me to keep going?”
Miss Candice’s eyes narrow. “Can you explain to me why my client is naked in the cells? That is a breach of his human rights.”
Color blooms on Hitchens’ cheeks, but I don’t think it’s from anger.
“Oh, oh, he’s embarrassed!” Mira squeals. “Come on, tell us. What did Pops do to you?”
The girl gang all cackle and Jazz moves in their direction as they all huddle, coming up with more and more ridiculous reasons of how Pops embarrassed a deputy. Fox nudges my arm, tearing my attention, and my gaze, from Jazz’s thick, round ass as it jiggles away from me.
“We could have all that and more, babe,” Fox murmurs, eyes firmly on Jasmine.
“Yo, can someone help my friend back there? He’s been naked for too long and he’s starting to get some interested looks from the men back there with him,” Mad Dog growls, stomping his way down the hall, full of piss and vinegar.
Until he spots Miss Candice and then his demeanour changes in the blink of an eye.
He’s standing taller, shoulders back, waist looking suspiciously trimmer than it was before.
Jasmine must notice too because her cute face, screwed up in question, has my lips curling up.
Her gaze meets mine across the grim reception of the Rose Grove PD and she mouths “what the hell?” before giving me an impish grin that has my pulse quicken and my breath hitching.
Ah shit. Fox was right.
Jasmine
Watching Mad Dog try to flirt with the spitfire black woman trying to get his friend out of the slammer is both sweet and cringey at the same time.
And normally I’d be in there helping his cause, or at least annoying the deputy who dragged Pops into the cell, but I can feel my energy starting to wane.
“Hey Vi, do you think you could drop me off real quick?”
Vi hoists Juno higher up on her hip and gives me a sympathetic look. I must look like shit before her brow furrows. “Do you think you could wait until the rest of the club turns up? That way I can hand Juno off to Jules and I can spend a little time getting you set up.”
A frown pulls at my lips. I’m not a baby, I can take care of myself. I just need to get home to do that. “Vi, I don’t need you to get me set up, I just need a ride-”
“We can give you one,” Fox says with a soft smile.
The man must have the hearing of a bat, because he was standing next to the reception desk, and our small group of loud women are by the doors, a good 8 feet away.
A laugh bubbles out of me, “Thanks Fox, but I don’t think I’ll be getting on the back of a bike today.” Or any day.
“Good thing for you, we rode in a cage,” he hooks his thumb over his shoulder at Nitro.