TuckerKarsyn and I are lying in bed, watching some show on Netflix, but I don't think either one of us are paying much attention to it."I can't believe how today went." She turns over onto her side, propping up on her arm. "Like I knew it was going to be okay, but I had no idea how good it would feel to plan that and have it work out," she grins."Like I told you, you should be confident. You're legit, Karsyn.""Maybe I should apply to be Ruby's assistant." She laughs."I'm sure Caleb would appreciate that; it would give them more time together."Reaching over, I push my fingers through her hair. "You're like glowing with accomplishment. I love this look on you. Honestly, there's nothing in the world I wouldn't do to give you this look all the time.'Her eyes flit down my body, then back up to my eyes. "Really?"I'm not sure where she's going with this, but it's safe to say I'm on board with whatever she wants to do. "Yeah, if you could see yourself, you're so proud o
Karsyn"Hey!" I smack Tucker's hand when he reaches in, stealing a piece of my bacon. "I offered to make you breakfast, and you were all, I'll just have a protein shake. Which means you don't get bacon."He doesn't drop it. Instead, he stands in front of me, making a big show out of eating it. "Go ahead, enjoy it, I'll never cook bacon for you, ever."He finishes eating it before he has a seat across from me at his kitchen table. Major's outside getting his morning business in. "C'mon." He chucks me under the chin. "You know you'll cook for me. You can't help but want to take care of me."I frown, because he's got me there. He knows me probably better than I know myself when it comes to what I will do for him. Not giving him exactly what he wants, I raise an eyebrow. "I might cook it for you, but I'll burn it to hell."A laugh works its way past his throat and a smile spreads across his face. "I'd expect nothing less from you, Syn.""Don't call me that cute nickname and
Tucker"Does anyone have any idea why we were called in for this meeting?" Ransom, Caleb, and Nick sit in the front row of our common meeting room. There'd been no information given to me, just an emergency response to get to this space at a certain time."Negative, Ghostrider," Ransom answers."Do you really have to quote Top Gun?" I grimace. "It's not my favorite.""Nobody asked you, Tucker." He folds his arms over his chest.Just as I'm about to tell him what I think about him asking me, Mason walks into the room.It doesn't take long for us to realize something serious has happened. He immediately goes to the front and waits for the room to settle. All I have to do is look at this face and I snap to attention. When some of the room keeps on talking, he gets irritated. He whistles before yelling. "Settle down."The group of us who've gathered know that tone. It's one that means he's not playing around. Looking around the room, he makes sure to meet every single o
KarsynI'm still sitting in the police station when I hear the Amber Alert come out. My stomach drops to my knees, because I know what's coming for this girl. They say her name is Leah, and when they show her picture, I start shaking. She could be my twin when I was a little girl. Immediately I want to help. There's no way I can sit here in this room and not do anything. It goes so far against everything I've learned about myself, the person I've become. Getting up, I walk over to where Holden is sitting at the information desk. Even though he's officially retired, he volunteers a few hours a week here. He can't stand to do nothing from what I've heard."I wanna help," I tell him.He nods solemnly. "Are you sure? This isn't easy, you may see things you won't ever be able to forget.""I live with that every day," I remind him. "I was his first victim." But I think about that, and something tells me I'm not actually his first victim. "Scratch that, I'm the first one who got hi
Tucker"Run a report on that van," Mason yells. "Find out if the owner knows where it is, or better yet, find the damn owner."We decide quickly that we're going to wait until we hear back from the owner. Birmingham police have already sent a unit over to the last known address. My heart is pounding as I stand with the rest of my fellow officers and Karsyn, waiting to hear if this van is stolen.When our radios start squawking, my adrenaline spikes again.Registered owner of the van say it's stolen. Repeat registered owner of the van is reporting it stolen. That's all I need to hear. I grab Karsyn's hand and together we run for my SUV. "What does this mean?" she asks as she buckles in. "It means he's probably right where you said he was gonna be.""Shouldn't we wait for everyone else?" "It was already discussed and decided that Ransom and I would take point on this. If he runs, we need to be there ASAP to get the dogs on the scent."Major is whining and barking in
Karsyn"How's it going?" Kels asks as I have a seat in the chair next to her.She's updating her charts, while I've already done mine. "I want my peace back again," I grimace. "I've had to change my number again." I frown. "You should be getting a text from me tonight with my new one."Since everything came out with Clarence, news organizations have found my name, and they're all asking for interviews about what happened not only recently, but back in my childhood. To say I'm sick of it is an understatement."It's a good thing you and Tucker moved in together, huh?" "Yeah," I agree. "I went by my apartment yesterday because I have like a box of clothes left there. I can't tell you how many news vans were there. I just said fuck it, I'll buy new clothes. So far no one seems to know I've moved in with him.""Today's a big day for him, isn't it?"I grin. "It is. He should get the okay to go back to work. Not that I haven't loved having him off to help me move and get stuff
KarsynThe house is dark when I get home, but I'm not surprised. It's been a hot as hell day and we've decided to grill out tonight, as not to warm the house up too much. I picked up the sides on the way home."Tucker?" I yell as I approach the back porch."Yeah, we're back here." I can hear Major making his presence known.Opening the gate, I see the two of them. My man standing in front of the grill, no shirt on, while Major sits next to him, probably waiting on some meat to be dropped. Climbing up onto the porch, I go over to them.Tucker leans back, pursing his lips for a kiss. I oblige, resting against him slightly."Long day?""Super long. Just wanted to be here with the two of you. I hate when you're off and I have to work.""You get so jealous," he teases me. "Not because you're off work." I'm slightly offended. "But because I don't get to spend the time with you.""Sure." He rolls his eyes good-naturedly. "What did you get for sides?""Pasta salad and co
TuckerLate August - A Year Later"I normally wouldn't be running this meeting, but FEMA has requested that we be on call for the potentially devastating event in the Gulf this week." Mason looks out at all of us. Today, he looks older than normal, almost like he believes all the reports that have been coming in. A Category Five Hurricane is barreling toward the Florida Panhandle and the Gulf Coast.He pulls up a weather map. The storm looks even nastier than it has the past few times we've gotten an update, if that's even possible. With my left hand, I reach over, grabbing Karsyn's hand in mine. I smile slightly as I feel her do what she's done since she slipped the ring on my finger. She caresses it, playing with the symbol of our devotion to one another."Long-term impact has it making landfall at Pensacola. As big as this hurricane is, I don't have to tell you what that means for the Alabama Gulf Coast, as well. We'll need the K-9's." He looks out at me. "Sorry to take y
MenacePresent TimeIt's been a hell of a day. One where I got here late in the afternoon because I had meetings. Something I've learned since taking this position a few months ago is that it's mostly meetings. It's keeping people happy and kissing a lot of ass. My legs ache to get back out on the street, to do a couple laps around downtown, or to drive a car fast. To chase a speeder with the lights bright and the siren blaring. I miss it more than I thought I would. It's close to midnight and I know Rina will be wondering where the hell I am, but I wanted to get a look at what went on today by reading the reports of the officers. This is something I do everyday so I can try to gauge how my officers are doing. It's important for me to know if there's an issue in town. If someone is a nuisance, do we need to step up patrols in certain areas? Community policing is the name of my game and I take it seriously. Reading the last report, submitted by Caleb
ArcherA Year And A Half LaterNerves make circles in my stomach as I stand outside of Laurel Springs Medical waiting for Alisa to come out. She doesn't know I'm here and, the truth is, I didn't know I was going to be either. I've been carrying this ring around in my pocket for the last year and a half of the two years we've been together. Waiting. For what, I'm not sure. The right time? The perfect moment? We live together. I could've done it a million times, but there's something different about these stars against the inky blackness of the sky. They aren't crazy bright, but they aren't muted either. They're sparkling. The perfect backdrop to the plan I have. Tonight, as I helped a woman leave a dangerous domestic violence situation, I realized I'm wasting precious and valuable time. Even after dealing with Calvert County, it didn't hit me that seconds are to be treated with the same reverence as the big events in life. Lo
Alisa"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" "Yes." I nod as I sit before the grand jury to give my testimony about what happened with Officer Fugate. "Please tell us when you first met him," the attorney instructs. Archer is sitting in the back row, all hot in his uniform. I don't know how he managed to be here, but he has and it's one of the sweetest things he's done for me. I'm not sure I could be doing this without his dark eyes staring back at me. "I met him when he brought a suspect into the ER. It was obvious that man had been beaten badly and it didn't happen only once. After that day, it happened on a regular basis…"ArcherUshering Lis into the station is like sending a babe into the belly of the beast. She's never been here before, doesn't know how things work, and could honestly be scared, given everything she's dealt with. I'd like to kill Officer Fugate with my own two hands.
ArcherIt's a gully washer tonight, as my instructor at the Academy always said when it rained hard. Visibility fucking sucks and I've worked more accidents tonight than I have in the previous three months. It's as if when it rains, no one can remember how to drive. It's hard to even see out of my windshield but, as I pass one of the abandoned gas stations on the outskirts of town, I see another cop stopped.They're an eyesore and, at the next city planning meeting, there's going to be a vote on demolishing them. They're a breeding ground for drug use and criminals. We've put up cameras to show what happens at night when there aren't patrols going back and forth. Since it's raining and dark, I figure I'll hit them, just to make sure nothing's going on that shouldn't be.As I round the corner. I'm surprised as fuck to see Alisa's car parked next to a Calvert County patrol SUV. She's kneeling in front of a cop who has a taser pointed at her. My heart gallops in my chest as I wonder
Archer"Chief Harrison wants to see you," Tank tells me as I make my way into the squad room. I have no idea what I've done and am immediately questioning what the hell is going on. I try to do everything by the book and I can't remember anything I might've done that was untoward. My stomach rolls as I head toward his office. I've never been called before him before and, truth be told, I never wanted to be. When I reach the door, I knock with a double tap. "C'mon in." Opening it enough so that I can sneak my head in, I glance at the Chief. "You wanted to see me, Sir?" "Yeah, come in and have a seat. There's a few things we need to discuss." I don't like the sound of this shit at all. Going in, I have a seat in the chair facing his desk and prepare to get my ass handed to me. "Officer Fugate has made a complaint and I'm bound by state laws to investigate those complaints." "I told you what happened," I defend myself. "He'
Alisa"Thank you for coming tonight," he says as we enter my apartment. "You don't have to thank me. You've saved me more times than I can count." I grin, taking my jacket off. "Come sit over here on the couch with me. You look a little stressed." "They do that to me." He waves his hand toward the street where his parents have just left. "They always make me feel like I'm not good enough, as if I should've done something different with my life." "I know how that feels." I beckon him over with a crook of my finger. "Let me take care of this tension for you, Archie. Let me show you what the fuck your parents are missing." Something about the way they don't appreciate their son has me wanting to show him just how much I do. How important he is to my life. One of the ways I can think of showing him is with my body. Fuck if that isn't exciting. Reaching for my shirt, I pull it over my head, motioning for him to do the same. In a lazy game o
ArcherI'm heading into the squad room at the station to pick up some supplies when the phone in my pocket rings loudly. There aren't many people I have set ringtones for, but this one? I hate when it rings. It's my parents. Not wanting to make whichever one this is wait, I hurriedly answer. It's always struck me as odd. They were so quick to get me out of their lives, yet they do everything together, including share a fucking cell phone. That's right, they share this phone, which means I never know who I'm going to talk to when I put it to my ear. Talk about a surprise every time I answer. "Hello?" I wait for the response. It's always delayed as if they're on some far away phone line. "Archer, it's Dad." No fucking shit. "Hey Dad," I answer, wondering if he'll continue on or if I'll have to pull the words from him like teeth. "What's going on?" "Your mom and I will be in Laurel Springs tonight. We'd like to have dinner w
AlisaHis body over mine is equal parts hot and hard in all the right places. Our naked skin slides together as he leans down to take the tight bud of my nipple in his mouth. "Yes." I tilt my head back against the pillows, allowing him full reign over my body. "Please don't stop," I beg as I rake my hands over his strong back before digging my fingers into the hair on his head. "Never gonna stop," he promises as he sucks at the prominent tip, before letting it go and moving further down. I'm still unsure of how we got our clothes off. All I know is they're in a pile next to the bed. He moves down my body, kissing my stomach before he drops onto his knees and pulls me to the edge. Separating my thighs, he props them up on his shoulders, gazing up at me with those dark eyes before he dips down. His warm mouth covers my pussy, going straight for my clit and lapping against the trembling flesh. "Archer," I moan, lifting my hips to meet his mouth. "It's been so fucki
Archer "Look guy." I hope me using that term pisses him off. "This isn't even your jurisdiction. What the fuck right did you have to pull her over?" "It's Officer Fugate," he corrects me, before continuing on. "She failed to signal a turn." I'm real annoyed. "You got that on your dash cam?" I point to where his camera is mounted on the dash. "It wasn't on." He shrugs. "How fucking convenient for you." I smirk, shaking my head. "It's something the garage knows about, but the budget is lean over in Calvert County." He eyes me. My gaze is on Alisa who's sitting in her car with her hands locked around her steering wheel. She's white-knuckling as he and I stand out here, yelling at one another. "I'm not allowing you to ticket her without proof. Did you radio it in?" His cheeks go red, which tells me all I need to know. "You son of a bitch. You think you can intimidate her? Officers like you give the rest of us a bad name." Going in