RowanTears stream down my face as I watch them leave.There's no one here to hug me, no one to assure me it's going to all work out the way it's supposed to. I could have asked Sullivan to come, but then I'd have to explain to him about Cutter, and for now I want to keep all our memories to myself. I'm not a big fan of leaving things up to chance, but this is one of those times I'll have to have some trust. I don't have a crystal ball and I don't know what the future will bring. Not even sure I wanna know what the future has in store for me. It's burnt me more than once. In bigger ways than I ever thought it could.My eyes follow the taillights of the vehicles until they're gone. They're a blip on the horizon and I know I need to leave. It'll do me no good to stand here and wish things were different.Feeling completely hollow, I walk over to my car and get in, starting the engine. It's still warm here in the south, so I crank up my air conditioner, turn on the radio and ta
CutterOne Week Later"Your mom misses you."A heavy sigh releases from my chest. "You sure it's my mom?"Turning around, I see Dad standing behind me. I'm using the LSPD's workout room to train today, but I honestly didn't expect to run into him."We all miss you," Holden Thompson says as he stands in front of me. My dad has always been one of my favorite people, but since I've come back from Paradise Lost, things just haven't felt right. I've been doing my best, but my heart isn't in what's going on here. "I know." I grab hold of my t-shirt, pulling it over my head. Pulling it down, I stride to the treadmill and get on. Dad does the same thing."What are you doing?"He gives me a look. "Spending some time with my son. Ransom told me you aren't talking to him either, and I have a feeling you need to talk to someone."I hate when he's right, really bugs the shit out of me. Even though he's my favorite person, he can still get on my nerves. "What makes you think I
RowanI've never been so excited to take a road trip. In fact, I can't remember the last one I took. Maybe when I was sixteen and some friends and I went to a concert in Birmingham. After I got pregnant with Etta things changed, and then after she died, I changed.As I hit I-65 North, my heart feels less heavy, and the more I leave Paradise Lost in the background, a smile spreads across my face easier than it has in years. Reaching over, I turn up the radio, open my sunroof, and put the car on cruise control. The GPS says I have an hour and a half to go with most of my travel being on this section of interstate.Glancing at my rearview, I get a picture of myself in the reflection I wasn't expecting. One I haven't seen in years. My hair is down, blowing in the breeze, my eyes are full of life and my skin is pink with excitement. I almost don't recognize myself, but at the same time I do know her. She's the me I've always wanted to be.When I stop at a rest area, I dial Cutter
CutterSo far everyone's been on their best behavior, but when I see Whitney and Ryan making their way through the back door, I immediately grasp Rowan's hand."Awww shit.""What?" she asks as she looks to where my gaze is pinned."Look, whatever Whitney says about you wearing an Auburn shirt, just let it go in one ear and out the other."This time Rowan gives me a serious look. "How do you expect me to do that? We're rivals.""Because you're here with me and I want us to have a nice night?"My voice is hopeful, even I can hear it."College football is serious, Cutter. You should know that."Oh how I do, and how I know Whitney will never let this go."Cutter, is this the lady I've heard so much about?"She's already spotted us and is coming over with Keegan in her arms. He's a spoiled boy by both sets of grandparents and he revels in the attention. "It sure is. Whitney, this is Rowan, Rowan, this is Whitney."Their eyes zero in on what each other is wearing.
Rowan"I'm so sorry you had to be thrown before the firing squad."I'm not exactly sure what he's talking about. "The firing squad?""Yeah, my nosey as fuck family.""They're nice." And they really are. No one has made me feel more welcome. "Your mom said there's family breakfast at The Café tomorrow?""We don't have to go if you don't want to. I promise no one will say anything.""It's okay, we can go. I liked them a lot. I like how they love you." I kneel on the bed, walking on my knees over to him. "They're suffocating."I push my arms around his neck, holding him tightly. "You're their favorite person, I think. You're at least Keegan's favorite person and Ransom loves you like crazy."His eyes soften. "I love them a lot too. Ya know my dad and I had a conversation about love the other day.""Oh really?"My pulse gets faster, I'm not sure what he's going to say to me. "Yeah, I told him you scare the fuck out of me.""I scare you?""So much."I scrutin
Cutter"You do?" I can't believe what I'm hearing. It was the absolute last thing I expected. "Yeah." She grins. "I haven't let myself feel this way in a long time, but with you, it's natural."That's exactly how it feels for me too. Completely natural.I go to wrap my arms around her, but she shrinks back. "If you've been honest with me, I need to be honest with you.""You don't have to tell me anything," I assure her. "Me confiding in you was something I needed to do."She reaches over, grabbing my beer, taking a drink of it. "I need to confide in you, too.""Then please, I'm here to listen to you. I'm here to help you through anything. I won't judge."Relief flashes in her hazel eyes. "Thank you.""No need to thank me."She sits back against the outdoor fabric, looking like the life has completely deflated from her body. "This is so hard." Her voice shakes. "I've never told anyone about this. Since I've always lived in Paradise Lost, everyone knows. The only
Rowan"This is so cute!"I love the downtown look of Laurel Springs. We're in Cutter's truck driving to The Café, where we're having breakfast with his family. I'm doing my best to not be sad because I have to leave tonight, but I'm thankful for the time we've gotten to spend together."Yeah, it is. You know, it's funny. I've spent most of my life wondering why I can't get out of this town, but now that I've been to Paradise Lost and Tuscaloosa, I realize how much I love it here. We have a hometown vibe not many get to have."I could see myself living here. I don't say the words out loud, but I could. The feel of the place is so happy. There aren't bad memories everywhere I turn. There's just a chance to make new ones. He turns on his blinker, groaning. "Looks like everybody and their mama's here today.""What do you mean?" But then I see it, a huge row of cars, trucks, and a couple of Jeeps."Mom must have invited the entire LSERT to eat this morning. Don't touch that d
Cutter"Is this the for-sure schedule?" I ask my supervisor as I take a look at what our next two weeks look like on the rotation."Yeah, I gave you four days off in a row after being down at Paradise Lost. I figured you could use it.""Thanks." I grin at him, already pulling my phone out of my pocket.Four days off in a row? That means I can head down there if I want to and spend some more time with Rowan. She may not be off, but at least I can be there when she is, and we can continue to get to know one another better. C: Guess what? I got the lucky shift and I'm off four days in a row after today. I can leave around eight tonight, if you're willing to put me up?It doesn't even take two minutes for her to answer.R: OMG! YES! Come down here. I get off work at six, so that's perfect. I can't wait to see you, even though it's only been two days.C: Same, I was missing you in my bed more than I wanted to admit.R: We're about to go on a run, but I'll see you when you
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