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Mine, however, breaks into a shit-eating grin.
The police commissioner casually strolls toward us, hands in his pockets but sharp eyes focused squarely on Martin. Next to him is Pavel, chuckling about something they must have just been talking about before they decided to join us.
About damn time…
“Mr. Zakrevsky!” Commissioner Richard Jackson, affectionately known to his lifelong family friend—Pavel—as “Rick,” grins at me and holds out his hand. “What a pleasure!”
I shift Willow to my other arm and shake his hand. “Likewise. Pav tells me you’ve been struggling with your driver off the tee.”
Rick chuckles and playfully nudges Pavel in the ribs. “I’m just letting him win so we don’t have to wait six hours for a beer.” He smiles at Willow and lifts his hand to gently shake hers. “Well, hello, young lady.”
“Willow, this is Police Commissioner Jackson,” I explain to her.
She blushes a little, but takes his hand and shyly says, “Hello.”
“Pavel’s been telling me all about you. Sounds like you’re really liking school?”
Willow nods, then buries her face in my shoulder.
Rick chuckles and extends his hand to Clara. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Ms. Everett. You have a beautiful daughter.”
Clara looks awestruck. And confused. She keeps glancing at me, but she shakes his hand and graciously smiles. “Thank you.”
“I’m sure she’s ready to go home, too. It’s been a long day, and I know from my own experience what that can mean for bedtime later on.” He winks at her, then turns to Bambi. “Bam! I hope you haven’t flayed Patterson too severely. I still need him in one piece to handle desk duty.”
Martin sputters. “B-but?—”
“Theonlyreason—” Rick suddenly whirls on Martin and drops his tone into one even an idiot can recognize as non-negotiable. “—you’re on a two-week desk bound suspension and not handing in your badge and gun is because Detective Everett explained to me the struggles you’ve been dealing with lately. But I swear, Patterson, one more wrong move and I will have I.A.B. down your throat faster than you can pack your desk.”
“Sir, if I can explain?—”
“I hardly have the time to personally clean up your messes. I definitely don’t have the time to hear your excuses. Pull yourself together and act like someone who actually cares about their duty to the public.” Rick turns to Clara and offers a small, but sincere, smile. “I am terribly sorry for the whole mix-up. Please rest assured that there will be no more misuse of police procedure against you by Detective Patterson or anyoneelse in this precinct. Not if they intend to keep their jobs.” He straightens up and smiles. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I do have a meeting with the captain about all this… shall we say, ‘oversight.’”
Willow shyly waves goodbye as he leaves. Once he does, I watch her quickly glance over at Martin and she clings tighter to me.
Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ve got you.
“Hey,” I murmur in Clara’s ear. I wrap my free arm around her waist. “Let’s go home.”
She sighs, smiles, and leans into me.
And I know, as we walk past the two glaring detectives, that this is the biggest middle finger I can flip them.
9
DEMYEN
I decide to make a pit stop on the way home.
Three hours of making it rain tokens at Mazzo’s Madhouse and stuffing her face with pepperoni pizza later, Willow has crashed hard in her booster seat. Clara used the giant plush unicorn I won for her to cushion her head.
I can’t hide how fuckinggoodI feel.
Every squeal of glee when I handed Willow more tokens, every gasp of surprised delight when the tickets streamed from the games… it stroked my ego. I love being the source of her happiness.
What I like even more are Clara’s stolen little glances my way when she thinks I’m not looking. I see the way she bites the corner of her bottom lip, or how she blushes when she’s stared for too long and catches herself. More than once, she’s grown misty-eyed while her daughter and I celebrated a new victory.
Now, we’re in the car together, on our way home. It’s quiet, but it’s nice.
