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Chapter 1
Grant
The girl in the picture is perfect.
Yeah, I know. I know it’s a damned silly thing to say and nobody is perfect. It’s impossible, though, to see the curve of her face and not recognize the beauty, made doubly difficult because I know the curves of her face well and, more to the point, I know the curves of McKenzie’s body. I know them well enough to have every millimeter of her etched into my mind, to see her in profile when she’s comfortable at home and so she forgoes the loose clothing that hides her body. I know them well enough to envision the way her ass fills her jeans and draws my eyes at the worst possible times, times when I can’t hide my attraction but must.
Like now. Like right now when the way my heartbeat accelerates, my pupils dilate, and my breathing grows a little rapid is just short of noticeable in the best of circumstances but obvious if I’m not careful.
“Granite, you good?” I curse and turn the switch on the radio that sends the volume to the earpiece in my ear instead of from the speaker on the handset. The voice belongs to the man who makes it impossible for me to show my attraction. Well, Hank Riley makes it undesirable, but I don’t think God Himself can make it possible for me to hide it all the time.
“Good thing I’m still in your car, Hank,” I say, “because I hadn’t switched the earpiece on yet.”
“Rookie mistake.”
“Yeah, you’ve had your share.”
My partner chuckles and says, “At least I won’t have to be rescuing your ass again.” It’s a running joke between us. For the last fourteen years, the number of times each of pulls the other out of danger is large enough it’s almost laughable. Hell, that’s gone on for longer than fourteen years, before our shields and before our Academy days, although our asses are in a hell of a lot more trouble as detectives than cadets, uniforms, or kids. I guess a lot of cops have someone they can claim saved their lives. I have Hank and Hank has me. It happens so damned often, we just end up laughing once the adrenaline drains.
From the back, Lopez says, “How come he calls you Granite? Should I call you that?”
“Rookies don’t get the privilege,” I respond and Thompson chuckles. Thompson isn’t a rookie, and he knows only Hank calls me Granite.
“All Good?” Hank asks over the radio. I look at the two others in the car with me. Lopez nods and so does Thompson.
“Count to twenty and send them out,” I say.
I slide out of the driver’s seat and say, “Guns out boys. Nice and easy now.” I say it for Lopez’s sake. This is likely the first time his service weapon is out of its holster. I take the picture from where it hangs on the rearview mirror and slip it into the glove compartment.
“Why did you do that?” Lopez asks.
Thompson says, “Because if any of these fuckers get away, we don’t want them to know what Riley’s daughter looks like.”
The reason I cannot show my attraction. Hank’s daughter. McKenzie Riley. Eighteen years old. Everything I want. Everything I need. She’s the one. Denying it makes no sense now, not now that she’s eighteen and I can’t just pretend she’s a child. She’s the one and she’s my best friend’s daughter. She’s my partner’s daughter. She’s the one.
And she’s completely unavailable to me.
“Abort,” Hank says suddenly, “Civilians. Too many.”
“Damn it,” I say.
“Can’t risk it,” he replies, “Not for this.”
“I know,” I say, “Holster your weapons, boys.” Hank’s right. We’re supposed to be arresting Donald French and his goons on charges that are minor in the hopes we can flip one or more of them and get to French’s fentanyl supplier. Any collateral injuries in the process won’t just bring a shitstorm down on our heads, it’ll be a storm we actually deserve.
I lean toward the glove compartment and then straighten up. I want to pull McKenzie’s picture out and hang it back on the rearview window, but I need to stop being so damned eager. I can feel my neck grow hot. I imagine it’s red and to keep anyone from realizing it has nothing to do with the situation, I curse. “Damn it! I wanted these guys.”
“I know, partner,” Hank says, “Clear out and we’ll meet back at the deli. Regroup and talk there.”
I start up the car, hoping the little outburst did the trick. I can feel my heart pounding, though. It always beats faster when I think of her but now it’s more about fear of discovery than anything else. I don’t know what I did in some past life to piss off God. I don’t know why he puts the perfect girl in front of me and makes her completely… what’s that damned word.
Crap. What is it? It comes from Hawaii, I think. No… No, it comes from another island, like in the South Pacific or something. It’s something forbidden. Tribespeople weren’t allowed to eat things for social reasons or because they were consecrated for priests. Why the hell can’t I think of the word? “For Christ’s sake,” I say.
“We’ll get these bastards,” Lopez says. He wants to prove he’s one of us.
I’m surprised the words came out of my mouth to prompt his. Damn it. I’m twisted up over this situation. “Yeah, kid,” I say, grateful anyway. McKenzie is definitely prohibited for social reasons, and I suppose she’s consecrated for some other guy, a man her age. She’s a complete…
“Taboo,” I say. That’s the damned word.Taboo.
