Page 3 of No One Has To Know

I can’t forgive that.

Once I had him cuffed, I radioed for backup. I wanted nothing more than to kick him to the curb and go back to check that Angela was okay. I’d left her with another guy, something that wasn’t sitting right with me, and she was shaking when I gave her to him. By the time Martinez and Pullman came by with their cruiser, helping me yank the prick to his feet and shove him into the backseat, Cassidy was with Angela and Willows, taking their statements.

Cassidy’s a good cop. Decent. She’s got a soft touch when it comes to victims, too, so she’s the perfect choice to talk to my pretty little florist. A married mom with three kids of her own, I don’t have to worry about Cassidy hitting on Angela; not like Pullman, who’s married but will also attempt to fuck anything that moves. I also know she’ll assure Angela we’re taking the attempted robbery seriously, especially since the perp never got the deposit bag and he dropped his knife when he took off.

It’s an open and shut case—or it would be if she pressed charges.

I’m not surprised when she hesitates. Still trembling, her voice shaky, her big hazel eyes wide with fear… I know exactly why she’s throwing up a wall between herself and the police. She wants to just pretend tonight didn’t happen.

I’m happy to help.

Even so, I recognize that some things have to be done by the books. If it was just me, I wouldn’t give a shit, but I don’t want it getting back to her. So I let Cassidy bring Angela home, while I headed down to the police station.

I know better than most that processing can take hours… unless you offer to help a fellow officer along.

Kelly is at the desk. Looks like luck is on my side. A rookie, he’s eager to please some of us vets. For some reason, he looks up to us—me especially—and I give him my trademark grin as I approach him.

His eyes light up. “Hey, Mace. What’s up?”

“You got a young kid in a holding cell. Goes by Brick?”

“Uh, yeah. Hang on. I’ve got the paperwork here somewhere.” Kelly digs around the desk. This late, processing is a mess. The day cops would’ve left their reports for the night shift if they didn’t finish, and the night shift would’ve passed it off to the rookie if they didn’t feel like doing it.

Sometimes the bureaucratic nightmare really pisses me off. Others? I’m glad half the job is all about red fucking tape.

Because then it’s easy for me to cut right through it.

“Owen ‘Brick’ Mathison. Yup. Got him right here.”

I hold out my hand. Kelly doesn’t even think to ask me why I want the folder. He just passes it over.

Unlike Brick, Kelly’s a smart kid. He’ll go far in the SPD.

“Thanks. I’ll take care of it.”

“Aw, Mace. You’re the fucking best.”

I am, aren’t I?

Come tomorrow, he won’t even remember the case. It’ll be one of thirty that had been on his desk. If anything, he’ll only recall how I offered to help him. Knowing Angela as well as I do, she won’t follow up.

That leaves me more than able to do what I do next.

Heading to holding, I open the cell. Gesturing at Brick, I tell him wordlessly to get off his ass.

If he refused to move, he could’ve saved himself. Prison’s no fun, but it would’ve been better than what I had planned. He just shows me he’s still a dumb fuck. Jumping up, relief warring with suspicion, he immediately slips out of the cell.

Before he can get too far, I clamp my hand on his shoulder. “Come with me.”

“Uh, yeah. Sure. Where are we going?”

“Outside.”

“What? Really?”

“Yup. Ms. Havers didn’t press charges. You’re free to go.”

He blinks. “I didn’t think she would. I… I didn’t mean to nick her with the knife. Is she okay?”

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