Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
MATTHEW
“Let’s go,” Nico mutters as he passes my desk without stopping.
I get up immediately and follow him as we leave the station and go to the car.
“That bad?” I ask as we slip inside and buckle in. Nico’s brows are pulled together in a deep scowl as he checks the rearview mirror and pulls out onto the street.
Nico Rivera doesn’t get fazed easily, so whatever Jenkins told him must be bad.
“They’re not willing to invest the funds for the K9,” Nico mutters, his fingers clenching around the steering wheel.
“After everything that has happened, what we’ve witnessed, they’re still refusing to budge on this.
They’re more than happy that we figure it out on our own, but the city says it doesn’t have the budget to finance a K9. Fucking small town politics.”
I press my lips into a tight line. I can’t say I’m surprised by this revelation in the slightest, but I hate this for Nico. He’s really trying here, and after seeing first-hand how useful a tool a K9 can be, he’s determined to get it.
“We’ll figure something out.”
“How? It’s a shit ton of money.”
“I know, but we’ll figure it out.”
Nico gives me a sideways glance. “I thought you don’t want the dog.”
“I never said that. I was just surprised that day, that’s all.
Dogs are fun, and trust me, I know how beneficial they can be.
Did you know my brother is trying to train Kyle’s dog to help him with hearing stuff?
” I shake my head, still baffled by the concept.
“Apparently that’s a thing. I never realized it before.
That being said, a part of me can’t help but wonder if you’re this dead set on it because you think the dog can be good for the department, or because of a certain brunette who owns the shelter. ”
Nico’s gaze narrows at me. “Shut up, Rookie.”
His annoyance has me chuckling. “So, the brunette.” I nod slowly. “How is that going? You think you have a shot?”
“How about we talk a little bit about your arrangement with Jessica Richards?”
Fuck.
“You mean my date?”
Nico rolls his eyes. “Oh, please. You can try to fool everybody else, but I’m reading you like a book.”
“Are you now?” I ask slowly, not willing to give him a reaction before he shows me his hand.
“You think you’re that smart, huh?” Nico snorts.
“Well, let me tell you what I think. I think that girl just broke up with her boyfriend, who didn’t take it the best, if we’re judging by the gossip spreading all over town.
I also know for a fact that I mentioned offhandedly that you should show people you’ve changed and you’re serious about staying here by…
what was it again? Oh yeah, dating a nice, good girl.
And then suddenly, we’re going out on a double date, and she’s bringing you brownies to the station. How am I doing so far?”
“Brownies that somebody ate!” I shoot him a disgruntled look.
“Hey, it’s not my problem that you left them out in the open.” Nico shrugs. “Becky sometimes sends over leftovers from Reading Nook, so I thought they were for everyone.”
“Well, they weren’t. Next time, keep your grabby paws off my brownies, asshole.”
“So touchy,” he tsks. “If I didn’t know better, I’d assume I hit a nerve. Oh, wait, I did.”
“You really are an asshole, Rivera.”
“An asshole who sees right through you.”
“So I’m just going to assume you’re prickly because our favorite Doc is giving you the boot.”
The muscle in his jaw tics. “She isn’t giving me the boot. She’s just being a brat.”
“A brat who can’t stand you.” I smirk at him, knowing I’m getting under his skin. “You know, you should be nicer to me. After all, she’s best friends with Jessica and all that. At least one of us has game here.”
“Well, let’s hope your games don’t come back to bite you in the ass.”
Just then the radio buzzes to life, and Kathy’s voice comes through the speakers, “Units, disturbance in progress. Multiple intoxicated subjects fighting over at The Hut.”
Nico and I exchange a look before I grab the radio. “Roger that. We’re en route.”
Nico checks the road before making a sharp U-turn, then presses his foot harder against the gas pedal.
“It’s probably nothing, but Mick doesn’t really call often, so…” Nico comments as he drives through the quiet streets of our little town.
It doesn’t take us long to get to the bar. The doors are open, and loud noises are coming from inside as we slide out of the cruiser, and they only grow louder as we make our way to the building.
The Hut is a madhouse. A crowd has gathered to watch the show as the two men throw punches and yell at each other. Not just that, they’re openly cheering and egging them on as they place bets.
Mick’s standing behind the bar, a deep frown on his face and a shotgun in his hand.
Lovely.
“They got into it over a woman,” he scoffs. “Apparently, somebody’s cheating. And once they got into it, there was no stopping them. This”—He motions to the gun—“is only to prevent others from joining in. Although barely.”
Nico nods. “How about you put that away? We’ll take it from here.”
Mick grumbles something under his breath but does as asked, so we shift our attention to the fighting men.
“Any preference?” I ask jokingly as we push through the spectators.
“Just grab whoever you can get your hands on first,” Nico mutters and then says loudly so people can hear him, “Bluebonnet Creek Police Department! Make some room.” When people make no attempt to move, he adds, “If you don’t, you’ll be considered an accomplice and spend the night in the county jail. ”
That does it. At least partially. Some of the people move to the side, but the two men fighting are so into it, they don’t pay us any attention.
“You’ll pay, you fucking son of a bitch. Fucking my wife… I’ll cut off that tiny dick of yours—”
The guy slams him in the chin. “Who’re you calling tiny, Kenny? Your tiny dick is the reason she came to me in the first place. When was the last time you made her come? I know—never!”
Kenny lets out a roar in anger and lunges at the guy who’s maniacally laughing, at least until he’s bulldozed by his drunk friend. They crash into one of the tables, the force of the impact making it fall back.
They lose their balance and land on top of it.
I reach for the guy on top, but before I can get a good hold on him, he regains his composure. He swings his arm back, his elbow knocking me in the chin as he charges again.
“Fucking hell.”
I can hear ringing in my ears from the impact. The guy might be drunk, but he’s a big dude, and his punch shows it.
I catch one of his arms mid-swing, twisting it behind his back as I reach for my handcuffs.
“Now you’ve gone and done it,” I grit out as I cuff one of his hands before grabbing the other.
“Public intoxication. Fighting. Damage to private property. And assaulting an officer. The list just keeps growing bigger and bigger.”
“Bill fucked my wife,” Kenny protests as I yank him to his feet.
“Well, you’ve fucked yourself with this, buddy.”
When I lift my gaze, I find people watching us with interest.
“C’mon, people. The show’s over; you can go back to what you were doing.” I glare at them, and they scurry off, my gaze landing on a familiar dark scowl zeroed in on me from the bar.
Jessica’s ex.
The guy lifts his beer to his mouth, taking a sip as he stares me down. I press my lips together. He lowers the bottle and flashes me a smirk.
Fucking asshole.
Nico steps in front of me, cutting him out of my view. He eyes my face for a moment. “You good?”
“Peachy,” I mutter, shaking my head. “Station or ER?”
Both guys have cuts and bruises on their faces. Bill has a ripped shirt and a swollen eye, and Kenny has a gash on his eyebrow that’s bleeding.
“ER. I just called it in. I want them checked and patched up before we process them.”
I eye the two men who are still trying to jump at one another. “Do you think they can sit in the back of the cruiser without killing each other?”
“Let’s hope so.”
He’s more optimistic than I am, that’s for damn sure. We each grab our own dude, and Nico stops to talk to Mick before he joins me outside. Some of the crowd left after the fight was broken up, but others are still lingering and giving us curious looks.
I place my hand on the guy’s nape as I shove him into the back seat.
“I don’t want to be with him,” he protests, trying to squirm out, but I don’t budge.
“Well, you should have thought about that earlier.”
Once they’re inside, we take the front seats, and Nico starts the car.
Both men continue fighting the whole way to the ER, which thankfully takes only half the time it usually would.
“I’m going to sue you for this!” Kenny announces loudly, his tongue twisting and making him slur. I really hope he doesn’t have a concussion on top of everything else.
“For taking you to the hospital to get checked out? Sure, go ahead, dude.”
The electric door buzzes open, and we step inside the medical center.
A young nurse is sitting behind the counter, flipping through a magazine. She looks up half-heartedly but jumps when she spots us.
“Oh my! What happened?”
“There was a fight over at The Hut,” Nico explains. “We need these two checked out and cleared before we can take them in to be processed.”
“Of course.” She smiles sweetly as she glances from Nico to me. “You guys should also get checked out, just in case.”
“We’re fine.”
Just then Kenny sways a little, so I tug him upright.
“Are you sure?” the woman—Eva, if we’re to believe her name tag—insists, batting her eyelashes. “You have a gash on your mouth.”
She moves closer, her hand reaching for my face before I can react. “You don’t want this to get infected, do you?”
“I…”
“Matthew?”
My head snaps up at the sound of my name, and I find Jessica standing in the doorway of one of the rooms. Her gaze is narrowed slightly as she glances from me to Eva and back, an unamused expression on her face.