Chapter1
"Breaking up after Valentine's Day, that'srough," Maritzia said, giving him a sad, sympathetic smile.
Cade shrugged as he brought the glass tumbler of amberliquid to his lips. "Yeah, well, the only reason why I didn't do it beforeValentine's Day was because I didn't want to be labeledthe villain."More so than he already was, he mentally added.
The din in the bar was reasonably low tonight, onlypunctuated here and there with laughter from some of their fellow officers fromthe precinct. Filled with mostly officers from the forty-eighth precinct, thewidely known Bronx police bar was suitably crowded for a Friday night.
Maritzia pursed her lips to the side in thought, a habitCade loved; a habit she had done since the first time he met her when he wasfifteen and she was thirteen. "Well, at least she got some presents out ofit," she offered pragmatically.
"Yeah, and my apartment," he grumbled, knockingback the rest of the glass.
Bethany had followed him from Alabama where she met himwhen he was stationed at Fort Benning. The move was supposed to solidify theircasual on-again-off-again relationship. It was supposed to make him "taketheir relationship seriously," a phrase she had yelled at him time andtime again throughout the long three years they tried to make it work.
Setting down her still half-full glass on the table andsliding it closer to him in a silent request for him to finish it, Maritziagave him a considering look. "You don't think it was maybe too big of youto leave her your apartment? Thatwasa nice place."
Taking her offered drink, he grinned at the sweet tasteof her whiskey and coke. It was more coke than whiskey. "No, and she didcome up here for me. So, I figured I wouldn't leave her homeless in New Yorkafter I called it off."
With her elbow resting against the beat-up and scarred woodenbar table, Maritzia put her chin in the palm of her hand and gave him aplayfully beautiful smile. "You're a gentleman through and through."
"I know," he agreed dramatically before givingher a shrewd look. "But let's not pretend that you're not happy to see hergo. I know you hated her," he said, pointing directly at her.
Leaning away from the table, Maritzia wrinkled her noseand shook her head at the accusation. "I didn't hate her. That's far toomuch energy to waste on someone like Bethany. It was just impossible to likeher," she added lightly, her dark eyes shining in the bar's dim overheadlighting.
Cade laughed, more than intrigued by her candid wordsabout his now ex. "Oh, was it now? Please elaborate now that you can speaktruthfully since she's gone."
For nearly three years now, he had known that Maritziadid not care for Bethany and kept her feelings perfectly sealed underlock-and-key for his sake. Something he could not say for Bethany when it cameto her.
Waving to a colleague of theirs that walked by, Maritziaturned her eyes back to him and cast him a level look. "Good Lord, Cade,the woman was stuck up as hell, and you know it."
"Yeah," he gave her asheepish smile as he scratched the back of his head, ruffling his brown curlyhair just as the bell of the bar’s front door dinged. Automatically, his eyeslooked over Maritzia's puffy black curls that framed her beautiful face andwatched as a few more officers he knew entered the bar. Looking back to herwaiting eyes, he sighed and stared down at the empty pair of glasses betweenthem as he thought of Bethany. "For a while, I convinced myself I likedthat about her."
"Dear God, why?" Maritzia shot back, clearlyhorrified at the concept.
Cade grinned ruefully as he thought of all he had to dealwith over the years with Bethany. "I don't know, I thought I would likethat type of woman. She was…different."
A look passed over Maritzia’s eyes, a look he recognizedlike the back of his hand and made his stomach fill with fire. A look that theyboth have been ignoring for years now. A look that had grown between them infrequency since his return and despite his relationship and her ownrelationship. But like seasoned pros, they went on ignoring it.
As if shaking off the feeling, Maritzia gave him anoverly bright, positive smile. "Yes, well maybe with the next woman youfind, could you try to pick one who's a little bit more bearable?"
He let out a cold, bitter laugh at that. "There willbe no next woman."
"Don't give me that. The infamous Caden Lamar Mooreis not the type of man who stays single for long."
"Oh, and you would know? You've only ever seen medate one woman." He held up one finger to her and enjoyed the pouty lookthat threatened at her lips. God, he loved those lips. He loved her smile, herlaugh, everything. There was nothing about Maritzia DeLeon he did not love.
Just as it did every time, he looked at his partner andbest friend, memories of their childhood came rushing back to Cade. After hisdad had died when he was fifteen, his mother moved them both from Philadelphiato New York for her teaching job. As an only child used to growing up in thesuburbs, it had been an overwhelming culture shock moving to The Bronx. Hecould remember staring up at the towering and foreboding buildings as theydrove through the congested city in his mom's old car, wondering how the hellwere they going to adjust. He was used to living in a house, not an ant colonylike everyone else in New York. He didn't want to take an elevator to get homeevery day. He didn't want to be surrounded by strangers day and night. Hedidn't want to live there—until his mom had pulled up to their new apartment.Sandwiched between two bigger buildings, they had pulled up to a two-story,stark white building off of Tremont street, right in Morris Heights. Thefour-unit apartment building turned out to be owned and occupied by the DeLeonfamily and had one apartment unit left. The vacant apartment was technicallyowned by the fourth DeLeon brother in the family but was never occupied.Renting the unit to a quiet little family not only helped cover the cost of theunit but as Francisco DeLeon put it, the leading patriarch of the entire familywho lived across the hall from them, it was a perfect way not to have to rentit to their annoying cousins.
On his first day at the Tremont apartment, Cade and hismother were absorbed into the DeLeon family. With each of the three other unitsoccupied with no less than two children, it took them less than an hour to getfully moved into their new spacious apartment. By the second day, Cade wassitting down and having dinner with a group of kids that would not only becomehis best friends but people he considered family. Especially Maritzia—Ritz forshort. With two older brothers, she had taken after them not only in mannerismsbut in the style of clothes as well. Cade had initially found the stern-lookingthirteen-year-old tomboy kind of odd. Always slightly frowning and trying to betough like her older brothers, Ritz had initially reminded him of kids he hadmet growing up that had always tried too hard to be cool. And despite beingconvinced he wasn’t ever going to get used to the girl that tagged along withhim and her brothers, Cade found himself liking the quiet girl with the fierceexpression. It didn’t take him long to realize her toughness wasn’t merely afaçade. Where all the rest of her family members were loud and brash, Ritz wasquiet but assertive. All throughout his high school years, he and Ritz becameinseparable, until he turned the legal age to enlist. That was the day hewalked away from his best friend’s tear-streaked face and shining eyes, vowinghe would return.
"I know you well enough," Maritzia said, pointingaccusingly at him, drawing him out of his reverie. Catching the eye of the lonewaitress, Sheri, Maritzia signaled for more drinks. "Granted, dating mightbe a little bit hard since you're now living with my brother, and you're toocheap to get your own place again."
"Carlos is hardly ever there," he defended."It's fine. This temporary arrangement will suit my needs perfectly untilI make bigger, better, and more permanent plans for the future."
"Mmm." Skepticism flickered in her dark, browneyes. She was not convinced.
Cade could see that she wanted to ask about thosementioned plans, but she said nothing.
"Well, the only thing in your future plans at thismoment are more drinks," she announced happily, drumming the edge of thetable with both hands. "I'll go get us refills, I know Sheri is superbusy."
