Chapter 18
CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN
Haze
Several officers depart quickly, muttering ‘sorry, Captain’ as they pass by a very annoyed looking Willow.
“Um, nothing, Captain,” the young officer named Ashley says. “Haze here was just showing us how the camera system feeds back to the mainframe and how you can go back and find footage and break it down, it’s pretty cool.”
Willow does not seem impressed by that, oh, no.
“Well, I’m sure you’ve got actual police work to do,” she says as Ashley’s cheeks flush and she apologizes. “Scram.”
She takes off, along with the last two, as Brew suddenly appears in the doorway.
He piques a brow at me. “Workin’ hard?” Then to Willow, “Captain.”
She rolls her eyes. “Don’t tell me you’re also here to distract my staff?”
“Oh, I doubt they were bein’ distracted,” Brew replies. “More like they’ve got nothin’ better to do now that the MC cleaned up this department.”
“The MC cleaned up this department?” she practically spits, eyes narrowing in that way I love.
I shrug. “Just keepin’ it real. Let’s face it, the department needed a shake-up.”
“Just keep diggin’ your own grave,” Brew mutters. “I’m goin’ to find a vendin’ machine.”
“You know you’re not supposed to be wandering the halls willy-nilly,” Willow calls after him. Of course, Brew doesn’t respond. Then her eyes are on me again. “Anyone would think you had free beer and your pants down in here.”
I grin. “No chance of that when my heart belongs to you.”
She’s so cute when she’s somewhere between angry and turned on. Jealousy was always a little heave-ho in our relationship, but she’s got no reason to be jealous. I didn’t ask all of those women to come poking around — they did it on their own.
“Right, because a gaggle of my officers need to hang around wherever you are because of all the interesting stuff they’re learning about the camera system feeding back to the mainframe.” She says it in a high-pitched, whiny voice, a lot like its owner, Ashley, just did.
I grin wider, sitting back in my chair. “Jealous?”
“No.”
“You look it. You look like you’re about to breathe fire out of your nostrils.”
“Well, I’m not. I just don’t like my staff lurking around where there’s a badass biker in the room when there’s work to be done.
“Are you gonna spank me for misbehavin’?”
“No, because we’re supposedly not doing kinky stuff until we ‘get to know one another’.”
Why do I note a large slice of sarcasm in that sentence? Oh, she really is a fucking treat.
“Prolongin’ it will only add to the build-up, you know, just like when we used to fight, not talk for three days, then bang like the world was about to end.”
She gives me a menacing look, but it only makes me laugh harder. “You and your one-track mind.”
“It’s only been one-track for you since we were eighteen.”
Something crosses her face, confusion? I don’t know, but I know my girl is always struggling to find her words. I wish she wouldn’t. It’s me.
“Hey?” I prompt, as she looks up from the floor. “What’s up?”
“Maybe I don’t need to get to know you,” she says, her words slow and careful.
I panic for a second, my heart flips because maybe she’s changed her mind. Maybe this is just her way of getting back at me. Not that I think she’s vindictive, but who the fuck knows what damage I did. If only she’d let me in. “What do you mean?”
“They’re out of Reece’s miniature cups,” Brew moans, interrupting us.
“Fuck off!” I yell.
He looks up. “Jesus, bro, calm down.” He thumbs behind him. “I was gonna suggest I go get some snacks, but it looks like you can be hangry all by yourself.” He takes off.
I roll my eyes. “You were sayin’?”
“That was rude.”
“Don’t worry about him, he’ll live.”
“Maybe we should discuss this later?” she says.
“Willow.”
“Don’t Willow me with those fluttery eyes, did you do that to my staff just before? No wonder they were all hanging off you like bees to honey.”
“So you were jealous?”
“I’m not jealous, but you’re here to work, so maybe, I don’t know? Do some work.”
“Not until you tell me what you were gonna say,” I prompt. “What about dinner tonight, my place? You can meet Crunch.”
Okay, it’s probably not a great idea because I haven’t told her yet Max is moving in temporarily. Even so, I’m sure she’ll appreciate the favor.
She sighs. “I guess I have to eat.”
“That’s the only reason you’d come over?”
“Yes, and to meet Crunch.” She smiles devilishly.
It’s gonna kill me not having this conversation until later, but a sinister part of me likes drawing this out. The sex will be fucking phenomenal if I deprive myself a little longer. “You’re hilarious.”
“Get back to work.”
“Yes, Boss.” I salute her and she leaves, not before looking back at me, and I get caught with my eyes glued to her ass. “My eyes are up here.”
“And what pretty eyes they are,” I sing.
She rolls her eyes and leaves. At least now I can get back to work. I’ve instructed Sawyer to go through the footage from the first day the package arrived at the station. I doubt he walked in here and delivered it himself, but weirder things have happened. We have to cover all bases.
All he knows is he’s looking for someone delivering a package so the police can question him on the contents.
In the meantime, Rock and Jett haven’t come up with anything from the security footage around the building or the street, but it’s slow going because they go over everything with a fine-tooth comb.
There’s a knock at the door and I look up. “Oh, hey, sorry,” the detective says, nodding to the computer. “I was just coming in to print something out, my bad.” She frowns when she sees my patch. “Hey, are you supposed to be in here?”
I glance at her name badge: H Baltmore. “It’s okay, sweetheart, I’m here on official police business.”
She looks suspiciously at my screen. “What exactly is that?”
“What’s your name?”
“Baltmore.”
Wise ass. “First name?”
She sighs, “Hally.”
“Cool. Well, unfortunately, I’m not at liberty to divulge information about why I’m here. You know how it is.”
“You’re cute, but I can see you’re a handful.” She smirks. “You’re Willow’s, uh, side piece, right?”
My eyebrows shoot up. The cheeky little shit. “Side piece?” I sputter. “Either you’ve been doin’ a little too much homework, or you’ve been sent to spy, which is it?”
“Neither,” she says. I can tell she has a little sass in that tone, and in her nosiness. “I’m helping out with my first big case, as it happens.”
“You a rookie detective?”
She looks young, maybe early twenties. “Yep.” She lowers her voice. “And I’m in trouble already.”
I grin. “Why’s that?”
She lowers her voice. “I, uh, well, you could say I annoyed the captain.”
“What did you do?” This I’ve got to hear. If she’s spilling her guts to me, there’s clearly something she needs to get off her chest.
“I’m kinda the one that arrested her brother when I was at my station in Mississippi, I got transferred recently,” she says, biting down on her lip. “It was my second or third day on patrol. Talk about shit outta luck.”
I pique a brow. “And she knows?”
She sighs. “Oh, she knows. That’s why… I was kinda wondering…”
“You didn’t just wander in here, did you?”
Her face screws up, and she winces just a little. “No, I knew you were here. I thought you might put in a good word for me. So far the captain doesn’t even know I’m alive, which is cool and all, but I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot.”
I laugh. “Uh, huh. And why would I put in a good word for you? I don’t even know you.”
“Because I was just doing my job, and she’ll listen to you. Plus, I’m a hard worker, loyal, and by the book. I’m always the first to arrive, and the last one to leave, but she doesn’t seem to see any of that.”
“Right, and you think I can help because she’s my wife? Presumptuous much?”
“I wanted to bring it up, but the opportunity hasn’t arisen yet,” she sighs. “So, yeah, I’m going out on a limb here, bud. Could you help me out or not?”
“What case are you on?”
“I can’t tell you—”
“I’m not gonna say anythin’,” I say.
“You know the rooftop killer over in East Riverside?”
I nod. I’ve heard about it because it’s all that’s been on the news lately. “So, if you’ve been put on that case, it doesn’t seem like the boss has anythin’ against you?”
“I’m babysitting. Running errands and getting coffees,” she whines. “Seriously, this sucks. I was top of my class back home, now I’m back at the bottom of the pond again.”
“Good detective work involves being a little more incognito,” I say. “And sometimes you’ve gotta start at the bottom to get to the top. That’s life.”
“Right, you know that from all your experience in the force?” she throws back.
I point to my worn patch. “You see this?”
She nods.
“You know what it means?”
She nods again.
“And you’re not afraid of it?”
She shrugs. “I guess it’s intimidating, but you’re trusted by the boss, so it’s really not such a big deal. It’s not like you’re gonna do something bad in a building surrounded by cops.”
That’s not good. Cash wouldn’t be happy to hear we’re so easily brushed off from a twenty-something rookie. She should be scared. But she’s also not as dumb as she looks. A little wet behind the ears maybe, but not stupid.
“I’m sure she doesn’t hold a grudge against you,” I say finally. “But if you want, you can talk to Max yourself, he’s movin’ in with me temporarily.”
Her eyes gape. “He’s here?”
“Not here, here, but in the city, yeah.”
“Oh, shit.”
“It’s gonna be okay. You were doin’ your job and Max is a changed man, in fact, he told me gettin’ arrested was probably the best thing that happened to him.
” He also failed to mention it was by a cute blonde.
I smile at the irony of him leaving that part out and make a mental note to rib him about it later.
She looks panic-stricken, her cheeks pinkening slightly as she glances around like he might jump out of nowhere at any second. Definitely a rookie. “He said that?”
“We’re not outlaws,” I tell her, if that’s what she’s getting at. “You know, my club did help bring down the bad police officers. People often assume the worst in us, but we’re just everyday people, just like you, wanting to keep this city safe.”
“I’m sure that’s exactly why your MC helped.” Was that an eye roll? “Nothing to do with getting the mayor and the captain to both look the other way in other dealings.”
“Watch your mouth, sweetheart. There are no other dealings, not ones that your sticky little nose needs to get into,” I say.
Okay, aside from the occasional dead body in the bayou, most of the time it isn’t illegal.
“We’re a legit club, and the cops certainly didn’t seem to mind when we brought down the mob and they took all the credit for that one, but that’s story time over for another day. ”
“Like I said — if you’re here, the captain trusts you.”
“I’ll put in a good word for you if you quit while you’re ahead and go away.”
She fumbles, almost tripping on the way out. “You’d do that?”
I’m about two seconds away from telling her to fuck off. Where is Sawyer and his baby blues when you need him? “Maybe.”
“You’re a real piece of work, Haze,” she tells me happily.
“I thought you said I was cute?” I call after her.
“That was before I got to know you,” she calls back.
Touche.
I’m not sure I should be letting Max know about her presence in New Orleans.
I’m fairly certain he wouldn’t do anything to retaliate, but I can’t be sure.
I haven’t spent enough time around him to know how much prison may have really changed him.
Sometimes PTSD can settle in like an old friend, not even bothering to knock.
The thing is, this Hally chick just divulged all this fucking information to me all in the name of getting her boss to like her.
This is the hold my girl has over this station.
It’s not a bad thing to have people a little afraid of you, it’s one way to earn respect.
Not that I’m aware Willow does really know who arrested Max, but it wouldn’t matter.
She’d be the one throwing the book at Max even if the roles were reversed. He needed to be taught a lesson, and it was for the greater good. I think Max has turned a corner, I just really hope it stays that way.
When my phone rings, I’m jolted back to the present as I see Rock’s name on the screen. I pick up immediately. “Yo, brother?”
“Haze? I think we’ve got somethin’.”
I sit up in my chair. “Start talkin’.”