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
VOLUME FOUR: CUTTERCutter"Didn't even shave?" I roll my eyes as Tucker and Major walk toward me. Karsyn follows closely behind, not because she's coming with us, but because she wants to see her boys off. At least that's what Tucker told me when I texted him, asking if he wanted a ride this morning."Something tells me a beard and my tattoos are going to be the least of anyone's worries over the next few weeks."Reaching down, I give Major a few scratches, watching as the rest of the crew heading down to the gulf coast show up. "You've definitely got a point there." Karsyn hugs her arms tightly to her body.It's not necessarily cold, but it is three in the morning. "Are you going to meet us down there? If we have to stay longer than a few weeks?" She nods. "Depends on what's happening here. There are a lot of you going down. We can't have a shortage in Laurel Springs and still expect to help people who need it.""Makes sense."Tucker reaches back, grabbing hold
Cutter"Have you ever been in a hurricane?"Tucker looks over at me. We're in a hotel, about ten miles inland. Close enough to help, but far enough away to be safe from the storm surge. The Weather Channel has been on non-stop, and I'm starting to recognize the names on the screen. One thing I am sure of? If Jim Cantore is where you are, shit's about to get real. Jim Cantore is ten miles from where we are. To say I'm nervous would be an understatement, but those of us in roles like myself and Tucker are in aren't supposed to show it. Instead we're expected to sit in this small hotel room, with our two queen beds, and pretend it doesn't feel like the world's about to end. Already, I'm beginning to think about what it's going to look like once the storm passes, how many people are we going to help? What will the situation be like as far as what access we'll have to materials?"I was in Katrina." He rubs at Major's head slowly. He drops this bomb like it's nothing."No shit?" T
RowanDevastation.I've felt it before. You don't bury your four-year-old daughter and not feel it. But this? This is destruction."Isn't that where The Juke Box used to be?"I nod, listening to my brother, Sullivan, list off places that used to be on Main Street in our small town of Paradise Lost, Alabama. Everywhere the eye can see, there's debris and water. So much water. I'm standing in ankle-deep sludge as we speak. The rain is still coming down, but not as hard as it was hours ago. Thank God for rain boots; without them, I'd probably be risking some sort of waterborne illness no one has discovered yet. "Should we start going door-to-door?" He looks down at me, a harsh look on his face. "First of all, little sister of mine, I'm the police, you're an EMT. If anybody will start going door-to-door before this storm's over, it's gonna be me. Second of all, we haven't been given the go ahead. Honestly, we should still be sheltering."I know he speaks the truth, but I
CutterThis woman beside me, walking into what could equate to the belly of the beast, doesn't look like she's prepared for it. Rowan, such a regal name for such a small lady. Glasses cover her hazel eyes. Dark hair is up in some sort of knot on top of her head. She barely comes to my collarbone, doesn't look like she weighs much either, I could probably pick her up and put her over my shoulder. Not that I'm going to do it, but I'm trying to make a point.The silence, it's killing me. "Are you from here?" I ask as we trudge through sticks, leaves, and who knows what else."Born and raised," she answers. "First situation I've ever been through like this, though. You?""I came down from Laurel Springs with the LSERT as part of the mutual aid team." I point to the insignia on my shirt."Thank you for coming, obviously we need all the help we can get."I don't like the way she says these words. It's almost as if she's thanking me for doing something big. This isn't big, i
RowanFrom beneath my lashes, I watch him. This man from northern Alabama. He's different than I thought he would be. For some reason I assumed he would be the type of person to push me aside and insist he be the one to do everything. Instead he's given me space to work. He's not crowded me, not asked me more than once if I need help, and he's been nothing but gentle to the people he's helped.Cutter.What an odd name, although I guess I can't say much, considering my own. Right now he's taking care of a small child, making the little girl laugh, even though she's going to need stitches in her foot. The wound is large enough I can see it from where I stand. It would have even an older person crying, but the tears she'd shed when he first picked her up and put her on a table we've procured, have stopped. They've turned into laughter because of him.She looks like she's around four-years-old. An iron fist squeezes my heart. The same way it always does when I see someone who re
RowanMy alarm goes off way earlier than I'm prepared for it to. For the duration of whatever this state of emergency is, we'll be working twelve-hours on and twelve-hours off, even with the help we're receiving from the LSERT. As I turn over, my body protests. It isn't used to the level of physicality I pushed it to participate in last night. Be honest, Ro, I chide myself. It's been a few years since you would have been sore for any other reason anyway. A person hasn't touched me other than to give me a hug since it happened and when I gave into my now-ex-husband one more time. But that's neither here nor there right now.Reaching out, I gasp; even my arm is sore. Probably from where Cutter lifted me up onto the tree. He's strong, and so damn sure of himself. I envy it and wish I was as sure of myself as he had been.Cutter. That name again. That man. I close my eyes, seeing his face clearly.I've never met someone like him. Never known someone to be as tattooed as he
CutterI'm draggin' ass. It's been the longest day we've put in since we got here. All I want is a cold beer and an even colder bed. My skin is burning like fire from the heat of the day. But that won't be what I get.Not to mean I'm not thankful. We at least have a roof over our heads and air conditioning. No matter how shoddy the AC is. What I'm missing tonight are the cool sheets of my bed, slipping between them with nothing on, cranking up the AC in my bedroom, and turning my mind off to everything going on around the world.I can't do any of those things right now. Tucker and I are still rooming together, and I have to think he wouldn't be too happy with seeing anything I might inadvertently show while asleep. Our AC sucks, and the sheets are scratchy as fuck."You look done today.""I am," I tell him as I enter the hotel room. Major comes over, giving me a sniff, before he licks my hand. It makes me smile, the first thing that's made me smile all day. "We pulle
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