He reached out and clobbered the damn thing, whacking it hard with one clumsy swing, but it wouldn’t shut up. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, he reluctantly opened his eyes. Then he reached over and turned off the alarm clock, finally stopping its blaring tirade. Mornings. He always hated mornings.
Rolling onto his back, he stretched, extending his body as his muscles tightened and then relaxed. And he smiled when his foot met with the large, immoveable mass at the foot of the bed. If he’d had anything smaller than a king-sized bed, he knew there was no way they would all fit. The dog was the size of a small pony, and he was always such a bed hog, turning onto his back and sprawling out as if the bed were his own personal property.
Levi rolled over again and wrapped his arm around his girl, nuzzling her neck as he pulled her closer and spooned. Gently, he began planting soft kisses down her neck.
“Mmm. Oh, no you don’t, Detective Hawks,” Marina whispered, stopping his traveling hand from reaching its intended destination between her thighs. “We don’t have time for that.”
“Oh, we always have time for that, my angel,” he said, taking her earlobe into his mouth and pressing his manhood into her backside as she giggled. Marina turned over in his embrace so that they were face to face.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he said softly, smiling at her.
“Good morning yourself, handsome,” she whispered back. She reached out and caressed his face with her palm, feeling the dark brown manicured hair on his jaw with her fingertips. He was so freaking handsome with his rugged, pretty-boy chiseled features and those dark blue eyes of his. “Do you know how much I love waking up to this face?”
“Oh, yeah?” he smiled.
“Mmm hmm,” she mumbled, letting her thumb trace over his bottom lip before she moved even closer and kissed him.
Levi’s arms closed around her as his tongue gently caressed hers. And just as his lips left her mouth and traveled to the soft skin of her neck once more, the giant dog moved, standing up at the end of the bed and coming over to plop down on top of them, eager to bid them both good morning. But Levi had come to learn that Bernese Mountain Dogs were generally not known for their gracefulness, and he groaned in pain when the huge animal landed on his side.
“Ow! Good morning, Bear,” he said with an amused frown as he scratched the dog’s head. “I trust you slept well. Now will you get off of me, you big oaf. I love you, buddy, but sometimes you’re like a bull in a china shop!”
He turned back to Marina and smiled as he stared at her. God, he loved the sound of her laughter.
“Oh, you think this is funny, Ms. Kelly?” he asked, and she nodded her head, still giggling. “Yeah? I’ll give you something to giggle at,” he said, reaching out and proceeding to tickle her. A move that elicited squeals of delight from her, and excited barks from the dog.
Marina wriggled her way out of his clutches, and then out of the bed completely as she made a beeline for the bathroom, giggling all the way.
Okay, maybe mornings weren’t so bad anymore, Levi thought as he got out of bed himself, smiling as he thought about how much his life had changed since he met Marina Kelly. Since she had agreed to give them a chance, even though she had firm convictions about never getting romantically involved with a police officer - the result of growing up as the youngest in a family full of cops with a strict, domineering father. But from the moment he had first seen her across a crowded bar, Levi had been completely smitten with her. And when her sister, Frankie, informed him about Marina’s “no cops” dating rule, Levi had actually resorted to subterfuge in order to change Marina’s mind. He purposely lied to her about his occupation in order to get her to agree to a date. It had been a huge gamble, but one that had paid off in spades, and he was so grateful that she had been willing to overlook his little white lie and continue to go out with him once the truth came out.
As he and Bear left the bedroom and made their way down the staircase to the kitchen, he smiled as he thought back on how their relationship had begun. It had only been a couple of months, but in that time they had grown as close as two people could possibly get. When they weren’t working, they spent every waking moment together, and Marina and Bear could normally be found here at his place instead of at their own across town, even though his house was slightly further away from her store. But his place was bigger, which afforded them room to spread out and relax more, and Levi loved having them in his space.
They entered the kitchen and he grabbed the dog’s dish from the cupboard and dropped two scoops of the gourmet dog food into it.
“Eat up, big guy,” he said as he set the bowl down on the kitchen floor. And he smiled as he watched the dog chow down. Levi had never really thought of himself as the dog type before he started dating Marina. Not that he didn’t like animals, because he did. But he simply never thought about it. He and his brother had a pet turtle, and a guinea pig named Darth Vader, when they were kids, but that had been the extent of their foray into the animal kingdom. But Marina’s world was filled with pets. Dogs, to be specific, both her own and other people’s. They were her business, and she was making quite a name for herself with her unique store, Bear’s Barkery. Not only did the store itself stay busy, but her gourmet dog treats could now be found for sale in three of the local pet stores as well, and Marina was rightly proud of that.
When the dog finished his breakfast, Levi let him outside into the small fenced-in yard. Then he ran up the stairs and into the bathroom. He could hear the water running even before he walked in, and he wasted no time pulling off his briefs and stepping into the shower.
“You can’t get away from me now,” he smiled, wrapping his arms around Marina’s wet body and kissing her shoulder.
“What took you so long?” she asked as she turned around.
“I was feeding your dog,” he said, smiling at her.
He kissed her lips, letting his tongue stroke hers slowly as he tightened his arms around her. He loved this. Waking up with her, laughing with her. Making love to her. She had been like a breath of fresh air when she stepped into his life, bringing the blue skies and sunshine back into his sad, gray existence. She had brought him out of the self-imposed solitary confinement he’d placed himself in after being betrayed for the hundredth time. And she was so smart and funny and sexy. He loved talking to her, no matter what the topic, whether they were discussing serious issues or something completely silly and off the wall. She made him laugh in a way that he hadn’t done in a long, long time. She made him remember not to take life so seriously all the time, and he loved that about her. He loved everything about being with her. Marina made it all so easy, and Levi had never experienced that in his past relationships. Especially not the last one. She was his angel, and he had simply never been in love like this before.
Lifting her in his arms, he kissed her passionately as her legs closed around him. He turned and wedged her between his body and the wall of the shower as his mouth left hers and moved over the soft skin of her jaw, and down over her neck. He kissed her lips again as he entered her slowly, the warm water cascading over them as he began to move.
His pace was languid and unhurried as he took great pleasure in feeling her warm, succulent depths draw him in with each deep plunge.
Marina squeezed him tighter with her legs, pulling him in deeper with every slow, delicious thrust, and her fingers ran through his dark, wet hair as she moaned.
“Oh, Levi.”
She felt her body beginning to soar as he moved in and out of her with long, slow strokes, quickening his pace ever so slightly as he gently pounded her into the cold tile wall behind her. And Marina screamed as her orgasm ripped through her like a wildfire, consuming everything in its path.
Hearing her scream triggered Levi’s own orgasm, and he groaned loudly as he felt himself detonate deep inside her. They struggled to breathe, the steam impeding their endeavors as they clung to each other beneath the steady stream of water. And when he finally released her, he gave her a long, tender kiss, full of passion and desire.
“I love you, Marina,” he whispered.
It wasn’t the first time he had said those words to her, but for some reason they felt so different this morning … so real. And Levi felt a sliver of fear slide along his spine as he stared down into her eyes. He meant those words. He knew that he meant them. He loved her completely, and it scared the shit out of him.
Marina stared up at him, and the look in his eyes took her breath away. She smiled slowly at him. “I love you too, Levi.”
She kissed his lips before turning to wash up quickly. And a second later when she left the shower, Levi stood under the flow telling himself that this wouldn’t be like the last time. That he wouldn’t end up a broken man again. He had finally gotten over all the betrayal, hadn’t he? He was finally ready to move on with his life, and he wanted to move on with Marina. And he knew in his heart that she would never hurt him the way he had been hurt in the past.
He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he picked up the shower gel and began to lather up. He needed to purge his mind of the memories of that betrayal. He had to. All it was doing was anchoring him to the past, and he needed to just lay it down and walk away from it for good, so that he could give Marina his full attention and his whole heart. He wanted that, and he knew that she deserved that.
As he washed, he let his mind wander from the past to the present. Life was good. He had the job he had practically been born to do; he had his brother, Jeremiah, his other half. His twin. The grandparents who had raised them were both still in relatively good health and very active, and now he finally had the girl of his dreams to complete the picture. His life was good. He smiled to himself as he began to wash his hair.
By the time he got out of the shower and finished dressing, he could smell the wonderful aroma of Marina’s coffee as it mingled with the bacon and eggs, and his stomach began to growl. And he smiled to himself as he thought about the extra five pounds he had put on since they’d been together. But that was okay with him. Spending an extra half an hour in the Eastwood PD’s gym each workout session was a small price to pay for the love of a beautiful woman with mad culinary skills.
“Hey, I thought I was going to have to come drag you out of that shower,” she said, smiling at him as she set a ham and cheese omelet and bacon on the table for him. “We’re going to be late if you don’t get a move on.”
He kissed her quickly on the cheek as he sat down and cut into his breakfast. And Marina sat down across from him with a plate of her own.
“So how are the repairs to the barkery coming?” he asked, taking a sip of coffee. “It’s not interfering too much with business, is it?”
“Well, yeah, actually it is,” she answered. “I mean, it helps that the damage to the kitchen wasn’t more severe than it was. Getting the appliances replaced and repairing the damage in there first was definitely the smart thing to do, ‘cause at least I’ve been able to fulfill my orders for the pet stores. Now it’s just a matter of getting the rest of the place cleaned up. But at least I’m still able to open up the shop and bake and sell a few treats, even if no one’s dining inside. The workmen are so loud that nobody wants to sit inside and linger over coffee and cookies. Not that they could anyway since all the tables and chairs have been moved out for the repairs.”
“I thought you brought a couple of those back in already,” he said.
“Yeah, I did, but I don’t know why. If anyone tries to sit for a while the dogs just go nuts barking at the noise and the workmen.”
“I’m sorry you’ve had to go through this headache. I feel like I’m not doing my job,” he said swallowing another bite of his omelet as his mind worked over the weird burglary at her shop two months ago. The perps had broken in after a very busy night at the barkery expecting to find two overflowing cash registers. But when they found the registers empty, they got angry and smashed up the place instead. It had taken Marina and her two employees a couple of days to get everything cleaned up. And that was with Levi and her brother, Ethan, and her cousin, Nate, helping out.
“I just don’t understand why someone would go through the trouble of tunneling through a concrete wall at the barkery. At a bank maybe, but why my little store? I’m just baking gourmet dog biscuits, for heaven’s sake!”
“I know. And it still bugs me that we really have no leads to go on,” he said with disgust. “There are hundreds of customers in and out of your store each week, so finger printing the place would have done us absolutely no good. Frankly, the K-9 track was our best chance in a case like this and all it told us was that whoever did this got into a car and drove away.”
“You still think it was someone who had been watching the place?” she asked, popping a piece of bacon into her mouth.
Levi took a swallow of coffee and shrugged his shoulders. “Right now, it’s the only thing that makes any sense. The burglary happened after a particularly good night for the store, one that happens on a regular monthly basis. If this was about money … and we have to assume that it was at this point, it makes sense that the perps would wait to strike after a busy night when they thought they could get the biggest payoff.”
“Well then why not go for the safe once they found the registers empty?” she asked.
“They probably didn’t even realize there was a safe on the premises,” he answered. “You keep that safe locked in your office, a room that most customers probably don’t even realize exists. You can’t see it from the dining area.”
He took a glance at his watch and then finished off the last bite of his omelet. “We need to get going if I’m going to drop you off,” he said.
“Well, I don’t want to make you late. I can just take my car today,” she said, finishing up.
“No, I like riding in together,” he smiled. “I like anything that lets me spend a little more time with you. You know that.”
He gave her that devilishly sexy smile that had stopped her in her tracks the day they met, and Marina couldn’t help her answering grin. He was such a charmer!
He pushed his plate away, purposely dropping a small piece of bacon onto the floor, where Bear snapped it up.
“I saw that!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he smiled, standing up and walking around the table to kiss her lips.
“Mmm hmm,” she murmured, narrowing her eyes at him.
“You know, you should make some bacon-flavored dog treats for the store. They’d probably go over really well,” he said as he gathered up his gun and placed it into the holster at his side.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she giggled as she took their plates to the sink and went about loading them into the dishwasher.
Moments later they had piled into Levi’s Ford Explorer and he dropped Marina and Bear off at the barkery before he headed to the station.
Once he got there, he sprinted into the building and clocked in, checking his unit box for any inter-departmental mail. Then he hurried down the hall and into the detective’s bullpen.
“Rushing in late once again, Hawks. You and my sister need to stop eating those big farm boy breakfasts in the mornings, you know? Cuts into your time,” Storm Kelly said dryly as he took a sip of coffee from the small paper cup in his hand.
Levi smiled at him. Storm always had this really intense scowl on his face, sort of like his old man, Mike Kelly. But it hadn’t taken Levi long to figure out how to chip through his icy exterior to get to the goo underneath. He slapped the man on his shoulder and leaned in close.
“Breakfast is not the activity cutting into our time in the mornings,” he said with a sly grin.
“Aw, come on man,” Storm said with a truly grossed out, almost mortified expression on his face as he pulled away from him. “I told you to stop doing that shit! I don’t need to hear about my kid sister’s sex life!”
Levi laughed out loud. He had quickly grown to love messing with Storm’s head. The guy had this gruff, macho exterior. Definitely not the type you would immediately think of as a people person, that’s for sure. And at first Levi had thought it was all just an act to try and intimidate others. But as he had gotten to know Marina’s siblings better, he quickly realized that it wasn’t an act at all, that was just Storm Kelly’s personality. He was a hard-edged, hot-tempered bruiser with an attitude. Not at all who Levi would normally gravitate to for friendship. But he admired the way Marina’s eldest brother endeavored to look after his sisters. And he discovered that he enjoyed Storm’s dry, dark sense of humor.
They headed into roll call then, and Levi took a seat near the back of the room. Glancing around, he took in the faces of his coworkers, the brave men and women of the Eastwood Police Department’s first shift as they prepared to take to the streets. He smiled slightly as he watched Storm laughing with his cousin, Sergeant Ryan Kelly. There were a total of six Kelly family members currently on the roster at the department, and three of them were Marina’s sister Frankie and their two brothers, Storm and Ethan. The other three were their cousins, Ryan, Nate, and Spencer. And there were two more, Payne and Colin, on the Eastwood County Sheriff’s Department. The family’s patriarch, Mike, had retired just a few weeks before after over 35 years of service, and Levi always marveled at the fact that his girlfriend’s family was just as steeped in the job as his was. The Hawks family had a history of police service that traced back five generations - something his grandfather, Matthew Hawks, was extremely proud of - and Levi took it as a sign that he and Marina were a match made in heaven. It was part of the reason he had taken to calling her his angel.
He sat in roll call and listened as the lieutenant called them to order, launching into his usual information dump about what had gone on in their city and the surrounding areas overnight, and what things they needed to be on the lookout for as they went about their day. And at the end of his fifteen-minute session, he said something that got Levi’s full attention right away.
“Also, just a heads up,” Lieutenant Andre said. “There was a robbery overnight in Benton at a small pawn shop. The perps made off with a few thousand dollars worth of cash, jewelry and other merchandise. Of course, that in and of itself is nothing too unusual. But it caught my attention because the MO of the crime is very similar to one that happened in our city several weeks ago. The perps entered the building through a hole that was knocked out of the back wall of the pawn shop. If you will all recall, this happened at a local specialty bakery in our city to virtually one of our own. The bakery in question is owned by a member of the Kelly family. In that case, the perps vandalized the business pretty good after their robbery attempt got them nowhere, but we came up empty handed on any leads. So just keep your eyes and ears open for any word on this one. If you have any CIs especially, try to find out if they may know anything about this one.”
Levi frowned at the mention of Marina’s store and the similar crime in Benton. Breaking through the back wall of a business took a lot of time and effort. A whole lot of work for something that may or may not pay off big, from a criminal point of view. He just didn’t understand why anyone would go through all the trouble. But then again, criminals did a lot of things that Levi simply didn’t understand sometimes.
After roll call, he went about his day, concentrating on clearing his current load of cases - a burglary in the affluent Lakeshore neighborhood where several pieces of the wife’s jewelry was stolen, one down on Freemont Street involving stolen computers and cellphones, and the theft of some expensive exercise equipment from a small local gym. He had just come back from questioning a person of interest in the gym heist when his work phone began to ring, and he picked it up distractedly.
“Detective Levi Hawks,” he answered.
“Hi Levi.”
Every muscle in his abdomen tightened uncomfortably as Levi reminded himself to breathe. He hadn’t heard the voice in almost two years, but it hadn’t changed at all, and it apparently still held the ability to affect his mood in crazy ways.
“Are you there?” she asked.
He hesitated as he tried to swallow. “Yeah, I’m here.” His mouth was dry, and he could hear the erratic beating of his heart in his ears.
“I know you’re probably surprised to hear from me. But I was wondering if we could talk,” she said.
“Stacy … it’s been a long time,” he said with tight words and a little bit of bite. “What could we possibly have to talk about?” There was a long pause, and Levi began to wonder if they had been disconnected.
“I would just like to see you, Levi,” she said softly. “Could you meet me for lunch?”
“I’m working,” he said flatly.
“Well, you still have to eat,” she said, and Levi could hear the smile in her voice. “I know they give you a lunch break at some point.”
“I am in the middle of working a case, Stacy. Several cases actually. I can’t just drop everything and come running at your whims. But then you never understood that, did you?” he asked bitterly.
“Please, Levi,” she said softly. “It’s just one meal.”
He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Jeremiah had asked him once before if he was still in love with Stacy. And at the time, Levi had been adamant that he was not, and that he was ready and eager to move on with Marina. He had been certain of his feelings. But he hadn’t laid eyes on his ex-girlfriend in close to two years, and suddenly the anxiety coursing through his body had him questioning everything. Everything except his love for the beautiful brunette with the bright blue angel eyes he had made love to in the shower that morning.
“I can’t meet you for lunch, Stacy,” he said after another long pause. “But if you want to talk to me, you can meet me at Beans. Five thirty.”
“Beans? You mean that coffee shop downtown?” she asked.
“Take it or leave it,” he said bluntly. He had no clue what Stacy could want to say to him after all this time, but he wasn’t about to allow her to call all the shots. If she wanted to speak with him, he was going to choose where and when.
“Okay. I’ll meet you there,” she agreed.
“Fine.”
They hung up then, and Levi remained unsettled and distracted for the rest of the day. He couldn’t get the call out of his head. What did she want? She hadn’t had much to say to him two years ago, so what could she possibly need to see him for? And why now? The questions plagued him as memories of that horrible night played over in his head.
When his work day finally ended and he pulled into a parking spot outside the coffee shop, his eyes couldn’t help but drift over to the marquee right next to it. Bear’s Barkery. He had chosen to meet Stacy at Beans because he needed to pick Marina up when the barkery closed in half an hour. And while he was more than curious as to what Stacy wanted with him, he couldn’t wait for this meeting to be over with so that he could be done with it.
He got out of the car and walked toward the building, his feet feeling like lead bricks with every step. Before he got halfway across the lot he saw her sitting at one of the small café-style tables just outside the coffee shop. She was wearing a yellow sundress and a short denim jacket, and her eyes were hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses. She smiled slightly and waved as he approached, but Levi didn’t return either gesture. Reaching the table, he pulled out a chair, inwardly wincing at the jarring sound of the iron chair legs scraping against the concrete, and sat down across from her.
“Hi,” she said, smiling timidly at him.
He nodded his head as his eyes darted anxiously around them. “Hi.”
“No kiss for old times sake, huh? Not even a friendly hug? I won’t bite, you know,” she smiled, and that brash attitude of hers that always excited and angered him sprang forth with ease. He shifted his weight in the chair, feeling extremely uncomfortable. A waitress suddenly appeared beside them.
“Can I get you something, sir?” she asked, and Levi glanced to see that Stacy already had a cup of something in front of her.
“No. Nothing for me, thanks,” he said.
“Now you have to order something, Levi” Stacy said. “If you don’t, I’ll feel like you’re trying to get away from me.”
Levi sighed heavily, still looking at the waitress. “Nothing, thank you.” The waitress smiled and walked away.
“I’m beginning to get the distinct impression that you don’t really want to be here,” Stacy said with a slight smile.
“You said you wanted to talk, Stacy. So talk,” he said, folding his hands in his lap and finally looking directly at her. The large sunglasses covered half her face like a mask, but from what he could see she was unfortunately still as pretty as ever. Her normally long brown hair had been lightened a few shades and was now cut into a stylish bob that hovered just above her shoulders. The style appeared to suit her, and as much as he hated it admit it, she looked like a million bucks. But even though she was still easy on the eyes, Levi found it difficult to let his gaze linger for too long because try as he might to move past it, all he could picture when he looked at her was the way she had looked at him that night. The way she had smiled at him like she was enjoying it. That memory always cut so deep that it stung.
“Why are you being so cold, Levi?” she asked, her voice sounding hurt, and almost accusatory.
“Stacy,” he sighed.
“I thought we said we were going to be friends,” she said.
“No. You asked if we could still be friends, and I told you it was unlikely,” he corrected.
“You said ‘maybe in time.’ Well, it’s been over a year and a half,” she replied.
“Yeah, well, I don’t know if that’s enough time or not,” he said honestly.
He watched as she looked down at her coffee cup and let her scarlet-tipped fingers play around the rim of it. And suddenly it occurred to him that though they were sitting outside, they weren’t sitting under the glare of the sun. The coffee shop’s large, green and white striped awning strategically shielded each of the outside tables from its harsh rays at all times of the afternoon. And yet, Stacy had made no attempt to remove the shades that covered half of her face. And Levi couldn’t mistake the rancorous ache that began growing in the pit of his stomach.
“Why did you call me, Stacy?” he asked, trying unsuccessfully to lose the bitterness in his voice.
“I told you on the phone,” she said softly. “I just wanted to see you. To talk to you. I miss your friendship, Levi. I mean … you and I were friends before we ever fell in love, remember?”
“Yeah, I remember,” he answered after a pause.
She suddenly smiled at him. “Do you remember how much fun we used to have? The way we used to be able to talk for hours about the silliest stuff. We used to make each other laugh. I miss that. I miss you,” she said softly. “Do you ever miss me, Levi?”
He didn’t respond for the longest time. Did he ever miss her? Slowly, he began to nod his head.
“Yeah. I used to miss you, Stacy. I used to miss us. But you know what? Every time I would start to miss you … you know what would happen? What still happens. Whenever I try to think about the good times we had, somehow I always just end up reliving that day in my head. Coming home and finding you in our bed with Dan. The same guy you cheated on me with twice before. The same guy you swore to me was out of the picture, once and for all. The image is burned into my memory.”
“That’s not fair, Levi …”
“Not fair?” he questioned, cutting her off. Then he shook his head as he stared at her. “You cheated on me three times, Stacy! Three times that I know of, and I kept taking you back because I loved you and I wanted to make us work. Don’t talk to me about being fair. Trust me, you don’t want to go there with me.”
Stacy said nothing as she lowered her head and stared into her coffee cup once again. “I know how badly I hurt you, Levi, and I’m sorry. I truly am. Hurting you was the last thing I ever wanted to do.”
“But yet, you did it. Over and over again.”
“It just happened, Levi! I tried to explain that to you back then, but you …”
“It didn’t just happen,” he snapped angrily as his palm hit the table. His eyes darted around the outdoor café area to the other patrons as he collected himself. Then he looked back at her and said quietly, “Maybe the first time, it ‘just happens.’ But by the third time, Stacy, it is a chosen pattern of behavior. A chosen pattern of disrespect. At the very least, it was a clear decision between him or me; and you chose him. And it sure as hell wasn’t anything that felt like love! So if you came here to try and sell me some more bullshit, don’t bother!”
“I loved you, Levi,” she said softly. “I know that I hurt you, but you were my best friend, and I loved you. I still do. That’s not bullshit.”
He shook his head as he stared at her. “I don’t think I believe that anymore,” he said calmly.
He watched as she wiped a few stray tears from her cheeks, never lifting her shades. And suddenly Levi couldn’t take that vile ache churning in his stomach any longer. Without a word he leaned forward, reaching across the table to gently pull the dark sunglasses from her face. And although he was expecting it, he physically winced at the sight of the bruise on her right eye. He set the glasses on the table and stared at her as Stacy attempted to shield the bruise with her hair.
Levi sat back in his chair as he continued to stare at her in disbelief, and he could feel the bitterness boiling just beneath his skin.
“Did he do that to you?” he asked through gritted teeth. “The dirtbag you cheated on me with? Is this how he treats you?” Stacy said nothing as she focused on the table. And Levi smiled bitterly, taking a deep breath as his eyes reached toward the sky. “I sure hope the sex was worth it,” he muttered. “Oh, but then … it was never really about the sex, was it? It was about his money. So, the rich fucker thinks he owns you and that he can slap you around whenever he sees fit,” he said quietly as he looked back at her. “I’m sure this is a stupid question, but did you press charges?”
She slowly shook her head. “No.”
“Is that why you called me?” he asked, suddenly feeling more than a small measure of compassion for her. “You want me to file a report and get the ball rolling for you?”
“No! I don’t want you to be a cop right now, Levi,” she said, suddenly looking into his eyes with alarm as she snatched up her sunglasses. “I told you why I called. I just needed a friend, okay?”
He looked at her with wide eyes, a sudden incredulous smile on his lips. He had been on the Eastwood Police force for over ten years now, and he would never understand the women who refused to stand up for themselves in domestic situations. He didn’t get it.
“Stacy … I can’t be your friend if you’re not going to stand up for you. Maybe you’ve forgotten who and what I am, but I am not the type of man to do nothing and just hold your hand while I listen to you lament about this asshole who clearly cares nothing about you,” he said, looking at her with a disgusted scowl on his face. “And let me tell you something else … if I had agreed to meet you for lunch earlier today, I would’ve had no choice but to report this myself because I would have been on duty at the time!”
His voice was slightly raised, and he could feel the anger coursing through him. Stacy said nothing as she sat softly crying, and Levi rolled his eyes at the situation.
“Is that why you really called me, Stacy? Did you want me to meet you for lunch because you knew that I would be bound by law to report this for you?”
“No. I don’t want to file a report, Levi. I don’t want to get Dan into trouble, that’s only going to make him angry, and that’s not what this is about,” she insisted.
“Is this the first time he’s hit you?”
“Levi …”
He huffed out a disbelieving breath, shaking his head with a bitter laugh. “It’s not, is it? He’s thumped on you before, and you never do anything about it! This is what you left me for?”
“I didn’t leave you. You kicked me out,” she corrected.
“You were having sex with this jackass in front of me! What the hell did you expect me to do? Propose?” he practically yelled, feeling foolish because he knew that was exactly what he had planned on doing before he caught them.
“Please stop it! This is not about him. I just … I wanted to see you again. I wanted to know if you had forgiven me. I realize that you don’t trust me anymore, okay? I get that. But I was telling you the truth when I said that I miss our friendship, Levi. That’s all I wanted. I …”
She didn’t finish her sentence, and as she wiped the tears from her cheeks with her hands, Levi offered her a handkerchief. Her fingers brushed against his as she took it with a grateful smile. “I was so stupid,” she whispered, holding his gaze as they both held on to the handkerchief. “I should never have cheated on you. I ruined everything.”
Levi let go of the handkerchief, pulling his hand away from hers as he said nothing.
And a few dozen yards away, Marina stood in the doorway of her store, watching the scene play out as the space between her eyebrows wrinkled into a knot.