AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Dad’s humor evaporates and he scowls. “They better not be.”
Sorry, Gem, I owe you coffee for that one.
“I’m sure everyone has innocent intentions,” I say to Dad, giving him my best angelic smile that used to get me out of trouble when I was a toddler.
He shakes his head, rolling his eyes. “Sure.” With a huff, he rises to his feet and offers a hand to Mom. She joins him and they both look over at us as Dad says, “We’ll see you soon.”
“At Sunday dinner when Sloane is feeling well enough to travel,” Mom says in her stern mother voice. “I’m not taking no for an answer.”
“I’ll think about it,” I tease.
Sloane pokes me again. “We’ll be there. I’m fine.”
I hop up and see my parents out the door. Despite a rocky start, their visit turned out okay. When I return to the living room, Sloane has stood up and waits with a sexy smile that makes my dick perk.
“I could use a shower now, boyfriend. You going to wash me?”
Up until now, I’ve helped her shower every time and kept it G-rated. Something tells me she has a little more in store this next time.
“Boyfriend?”
“You moved in. It’s official.”
We’re official.
That I can get on board with.
Sloane
Montgomery’s eyebrows lift when I walk into the station in uniform. Tara greets me with a hug and then I get a fist bump from Aisha, who’s been back a couple of weeks before me. Eight weeks was a long time to be out of work. Bishop gives me a nod and a small smile.
Now, if I can just avoid Tanaka.
Internal Affairs held their investigation, and I was cleared. I’d threatened Tanaka about investigating him as well, but in the end decided not to. I’ll just be sneakier about uncovering what he’s up to. Rest assured, though, I’ll get to the bottom of it.
“Be prepared to be bored out of your skull,” Aisha says from her desk. “Chief says I can go back on patrol soon, thank God. I don’t know how much more of those dweebs’ daily banter I can take.”
Montgomery flips Aisha off and Bishop cracks up laughing. Idiots. I don’t blame her. It’s going to be a long few weeks of desk work until Tanaka deems me fit for duty. I plan on using this time wisely to obtain more information starting with any leads on Trevor.
I spoke with Rhiannon last night over the phone. They’ve been living back at the apartment for weeks and haven’t seen any sign of him. I’m worried that he’s vanished. Did something happen to him? Is he still alive or did he just skip town to avoid the heat? Whatever happened to my nephew, I will figure it out, no matter the result.
My desk is as I left it. Tidy and untouched. As much as it pains me to admit, I’m grateful to work the desk for a while. I’m healed physically, but I still am not at full strength. I get winded easily and tired after anything strenuous.
The morning goes surprisingly easy. Just about everyone at the station drops by my desk to give me shit about getting shot. I think it’s all in good fun. I certainly don’t let it bother me. When I have a lull between people coming over, I check my phone.
No texts from Dempsey.
He started classes at PMU this week. So far, he’s not happy that he only has one art-related class. I don’t blame him. School’s not his favorite place to be and they’re making him take gen-ed courses like English and History. But he’s not complaining about it, which I’m hoping means he’s focused and taking notes. I decide to refrain from texting him so as not to disturb him.
I’m so lost in my thoughts about Dempsey that I almost don’t see Tanaka breeze by. It’s nearly lunchtime and he’s just now showing up to the station today. As expected, he doesn’t stop to talk to me or acknowledge my presence. It’s satisfying knowing he tried to get me out of here and failed since I didn’t do anything wrong. I guess I’d be bitter if I were him too.
“Montgomery, my office,” Tanaka barks over his shoulder. “Now.”
I smirk at Montgomery and shrug. How does it feel to be in the doghouse, asshole?
As soon as he disappears, I realize Bishop is nowhere to be found. The two detectives on Lenny’s case are away from their desks and Tanaka is distracted. This is one of those golden opportunities I’d hoped for with having desk duty.
Quickly, I slip out of my chair and make my way over to Montgomery’s desk. Since he runs his mouth more than he works, his area is clean and no files are anywhere. Bishop’s desk, however, is a goldmine. It’s clear to see who does all the work between those two. I take a seat, ignoring Aisha’s wide eyes as she watches me while on the phone. I’m sure she’ll give me crap about this later, but I don’t care. It’s now or never.
