AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ll haul you in for assaulting an officer of the law.”
“You’d have to get your fat ass off that step to do it. I’m not worried.”
“Uptown Funk competition?” Les interjected hopefully.
Despite Brick’s look that promised death, Rufus shot her a grin. “Big YouTube thing. Lip-sync battle between fire and police departments across the country.”
He shoved his cup into Les’s hands with a quick “Protect this, it was a gift from my momma,” before he jumped off the steps to duck Brick’s grab. The speed of the move, the ripple of biceps as he blocked Brick’s punch, suggested his stockiness was less fat and more the bulk of muscle carried by a heavy weight boxer. One decidedly lighter on his feet than she would have expected.
“See, this is why your department lost,” he told Brick as he danced back. “You lacked the footwork skills.”
“Only because you all had Jones,” Brick retorted. “He was an LA choreographer before he joined Richmond PD.”
“Maybe, but he was also working with a buttload of natural talent.” Rufus executed a Michael Jackson worthy spin that had Les laughing. He started a Temptations style stroll back and forth, spinning and snapping his fingers as he continued. “Come do this with me, boy. I told you that you should have worked with me before your sad lumbering knocked your department out of the running.”
“He danced?” Les’s eyes brightened. “Where can I watch this video?”
“Nowhere and never,” Brick informed her. “The Internet has been scrubbed.”
Rufus put a hand up to his mouth and mock whispered, “Search on Uptown Funk competition, Richmond fire department.”
“You really are a dick.” Brick landed a gut punch, which Rufus took manfully before he belched in his face.
“Got your own ham-fisted self to thank for that.”
“That you ate liver for breakfast? I don’t think so. I may pass out now.” Brick’s phone buzzed, and he glanced at it. “Sorry, I need to take this. It’s about a case.”
“Go on inside, so you can talk where it’s quiet.”
Les noted Rufus gave Brick a slight nod with the suggestion. Brick’s answering expression contained an intriguing touch of gratitude.
He also looked toward her, seeking nonverbal confirmation she’d be okay. At her nod, he disappeared into the trailer, using a second entry door at the opposite end.
Rufus returned to the stoop beside her, stepping over Nose. She handed him the mug. “Why would your mother give you a coffee cup that says that?”
“That’s a story for another time. Can’t give you all my secrets at once. You won’t find me sexy and mysterious.”
She smiled and leaned down to rub Nose’s belly again. “So why am I here, Rufus?”
“He said you’re smart.” Rufus lifted his cup to her. “Brick told me what brought you to Richmond.”
She stiffened, but Rufus shook his head. “Before you get mad at him, let me say the most important thing. You have his heart, Les.”
It wasn’t what she’d expected to hear, but it kept her from saying something cutting and sharp. All the teasing had disappeared from Rufus’s expression.
“Are you ready to hear one more story?” he asked.
Chapter Eleven
Brick’s voice was rising and falling. He was on a call; that hadn’t been made up. It had just provided the opening for her and Rufus to be alone. What had Brick wanted Rufus to say to her that was easier to say in his absence?
She was too curious not to listen. She could kill Brick later. She nodded.
Rufus acknowledged it, but he didn’t start right away. It seemed to take effort for him to gather his thoughts, and maybe more than just thoughts, before he could proceed. When he did, his voice was different from when he’d told her the stories about him and Brick, or given her the impromptu history lesson.
“A few years back, I had a good friend on the force. Bobbi, a woman I cared about a lot. Like a cop does for a partner, which is just as heart and bone deep as the other way. We’d gone through quite a few doors together.”
He rotated the mug in his hands. His attention dropped to his wrist. B.A. was tattooed in script there. The dates of birth and death were wrapped around it. Though the whole thing was barely bigger than a quarter, its significance to him was obviously much larger.
