AllFreeNovel
Share Us
After I left the force, Cal went on to make detective, which I firmly supported. He’s the sort of man who needs a project, and with a streak of self-destruction in him a mile wide, left alone with his thoughts for too long, his mind wanders to dark places and gets lost there.
“Sadly, I can’t stay long,” he says. “Got a meeting with an informant in twenty minutes. But I thought I’d drop by and see all your beautiful faces.” Cherise pats his cheek, and he soaks up the friendly affection, his gaze coming to land on Teagan. “I don’t believe we’ve been introduced.”
“Cal,” I say, “this is Teagan Moss. She’s staying with me. Teagan, meet my old partner, Cal Larkin.”
“Good to meet you, darlin’.” He shakes Teagan’s hand. “Mary called me when she was looking for a place for you. Glad to see you landed under Jonah’s roof.”
“Me, too,” she says with a small smile.
“Hey, kiddo, you didn’t tell me your friends were cops.” Craig thrusts his hand across the table. “Hi, I’m Teagan’s uncle, Craig. Please don’t frisk me, I swear I have a prescription.”
“Relax, citizen. I’m off the clock.”
Cal makes his rounds, joking with the kids and catching up with folks he hasn’t seen in months. A couple times, I catch him eyeing Teagan’s uncle with interest. I know from experience that one look from Cal can say volumes more than words ever could. He’s getting a read off this guy, which means he’s already sensed something’s off. I’ve been doing my best to give Craig the benefit of the doubt since I learned of his existence, for Teagan’s sake, if not for his own. But there’s something about him that raises my hackles. I’m not a cop anymore, but you don’t have to be a bloodhound to catch the literal and figurative whiff coming off this guy.
Eventually, Cal makes it back around to me.
“I’m heading out,” he says, clapping my back. “Take good care of Jack for me.”
“Will do.” Over Cal’s shoulder, I spot Teagan on the deck helping Cherise’s little girls pick out donuts. For a while, it seemed like she was having fun getting to know everyone. But since her uncle arrived, she’s curled back in on herself, like a flower closing up at night.
To say I don’t like the way he talks to her would be an understatement. Now that I’ve seen how he makes her feel, I’m even less impressed. The possibility that a rotten apple on Teagan’s family tree might be slowly trying to poison her, turns my blood to gasoline. All it’ll take is a spark to set me off.
Right now, all I have to go on are an old cop’s hunches. If I’m gonna protect my angel, I need to know the facts.
And to get them, I’m gonna need a current cop’s help.
“I’ll walk you out,” I tell Cal.
Neither of us says a word until we reach his car, parked beside the curb in front of my house.
“What do you need, brother?” he asks. I swear, the guy can still read me like a goddamn car-wash flyer.
“I want you to look into Teagan’s uncle. Something’s not right about him.”
“Yeah, I picked up on that myself.” He runs a hand through his sun-bleached locks. “Speaking of which, do we need to talk about what’s happening between you two?”
I fold my arms across my chest. “I don’t think we do.”
“If you say so. Just don’t go fooling yourself into thinking I’m the only one who sees the way she looks at you.”
“What way’s that?”
“Like you’re saving her life just by being in it.” He gets into his car and starts the engine, then puts his window down. “I’ll do some digging into Craig Moss and get back to you.”
Chapter Twelve
Teagan
Life fucking hurts. That’s the painful truth, one I learned the hard way a long time ago.
When Raven, the owner of Black Swan Studio, said the spot between my collarbone and my left breast would hurt like a bitch to tattoo, I didn’t let it sway me. How bad could it be, compared to the shit I’ve already been through?
Turns out, it could still hurt.A lot.
“Almost done,” she says. I wince as the tattoo needle scrapes along my skin, shading the interior of the blackbird’s feathers.
Closing my eyes, I try to focus on the high-pitch buzz of the machine, letting it hypnotize and distract me from the pain.
