Raven’s been in Vancouver a month, and I’d lost hope we’d have a chance meeting. I’ve been relying on intel from Sawyer and Kolton, asking them regularly what they’re up to and who they’re going out with, never getting the answer I want. If I’d kept it up, they’d have stopped answering and started grilling. I can handle a persistent Kolton, but Sawyer’s immaturity is grating as fuck. But I don’t have to suffer their obnoxiousness.
Not when Raven’s right behind me.
I keep my eyes facing forward. One more look at that tattooed skin and those sandals laced up her calves, and the guys at the station will know exactly who I’ve been fantasizing about for sixteen months. Just wish she wasn’t here because of a stolen wallet.
I push through the doors into the office area and hold my breath as I pass Mary Santos and her usual plate of curry stinking up the room.
Alessi hollers, “Message on our desk,” as he heads for lunch. Then my partner’s gaze lands on the girls. He smirks his porn-star smirk, and I grind my molars.
I’ve seen that look enough times to know the deviant thoughts running through his mind. Normally I dig the entertainment. Picking up random chicks may not be my thing, but Alessi makes a sport of it: the wide stance, the folded arms, the sly grin that has women biting their lips and getting their ditz on. It’s better than hockey highlights.
Except Shay is like a sister to me, and Raven is…way off limits.
By the time we get to the desk I share with Alessi, he has redirected his trajectory and strikes his player pose in front of the girls. “I’m Tony Alessi, Nico’s partner. Anything I can help you ladies with?”
There’s that smirk again.
Shay smiles politely. “Thanks, but Nico’s got us covered.”
“Speak for yourself.” Raven rolls her shoulders back, lifting her cleavage. She flicks her long black hair over her shoulder. “I could use some help.”
Alessi tilts his head, eyes traveling places they shouldn’t go. “Happy to oblige.”
I flex my hands.
Last time I saw Raven, she was in town visiting Shay. She ignored me the entire night, picked a guy up at the bar, and left with him. I pounded back two beers too many and spent the next morning at the gym, doing squats and bench presses until my thighs screamed and chest ached. It didn’t kill the unwanted images flipping through my mind, and I have no intention of going through that again. She has every right to be pissed at me, every right to harbor a grudge. But I caught how her lips opened when she saw me, practically felt the heat radiating from her. I’d bet a month’s pay she hasn’t forgotten our night together, either.
Alessi slaps his hand on my shoulder. “Why don’t you break for lunch? I can take care of this.”
I crack my knuckles. It’s either that or torch his gelled hair. “Not necessary. This is Shay, Kolton’s girlfriend, and her friend, Raven.”
The second I say her name, Alessi’s hand stiffens. He peels his eyes off Raven’s breasts. “Sure. Right. Sorry, bro. I’ll see you girls around.”
He pounds my back and slinks away, but not before he winks at me. I’ve mentioned Raven to him once, recently. He’d been on my ass about spending all my time stressing over my brother and not having a life. With the hours we clock in the patrol car, there’s no escaping Alessi; the dude likes the sound of his own voice. If I didn’t give him an inch, tell him the only woman I cared to date was moving to Vancouver, he’d have had one of his twenty cousins at my doorstep, condoms in hand.
“He seems nice.” Raven licks her lips as she watches him walk away.
I should really torch his hair.
I nod for the girls to take a seat as I search drawers for the Property Report Form. Documenting every detail of every daily interaction wasn’t exactly what I’d imagined when joining the force, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Bury me under a waterfall of paperwork, and I’d still sign up. First in line. First day eligible. It was never a choice, really.
When I find the document, I squeeze into my too-small chair and lean on my desk. “You’ll have to fill this out. Be as detailed as you can about what he looked like. The more we know, the better our chances of catching him and recovering your wallet. You’ll still need to cancel your credit cards, to be safe.”
Raven closes her eyes and mumbles, “Shit.”
Shay puts a hand on her arm. “I’ll lend you money until you get it sorted out.”
Raven swallows, vulnerability softening her often hard features. She has sharp cheekbones, full lips, and exotic eyes framed with thick bangs. She’s tall and strong, not muscular but fit, always wearing tight black clothes, always displaying her ink, always scowling if she looks at me. Except when we were in Aspen. Her face right now—sad and unsure—is the same as it was that night. Then I screwed everything up.
Instead of saying the wrong thing, I watch her as she fills out the form. Her body is angled, her crossed legs jutting out beside my desk, and damn, those sandals. They snake up her inked legs, crisscrossing the waves and fish splashed over her skin. Birds and feathers fly up her arms. Flowers decorate her chest. All black and gray. All sexy as hell. I spent a lot of hours exploring that ink sixteen months ago. Each line is seared on my brain, except for her new sleeve.
More Raven to explore.
She puts the pen down and traces the rose tattoo inside her left wrist. “Anything else you need from me?” She avoids my eyes.
That’s okay. I’m happy to work for what I want. My life has been nothing but the job and family drama for too long. I haven’t had a woman since Aspen. Since Raven. Maybe that’s why I haven’t been able to forget her. Or maybe it’s my usual thing: Fall hard, fall fast, then lose interest. Whatever the reason, I need to find out.
“No,” I say. “We’ll contact you if we hear anything. And if any other details come back, give me a call.” I push aside some papers and lift my keyboard. No business cards anywhere. I go to lift my message pad and see Alessi’s scrawl on the page. My pulse speeds at the name on top: Luke Woodfield.
“How’s your brother? Any news on Josh’s case?”
I snap my head up at Shay’s question. At least there’s no judgment in her tone. No look of distaste that Josh got arrested for jacking a car. A car he didn’t know was carrying a fuck-ton of meth.
“Nothing,” I say. Unless this call leads me to the real man responsible for the drugs.
Raven regards me and holds my gaze for a beat. If I didn’t know better, I’d say there’s a hint of tenderness in her eyes. Could be she remembers the personal stuff I shared with her in Aspen. Could be she’s thought about me as much as I’ve thought about her.
Then her features harden. “Can we go now?”
Man, does she give good glare. I glance at the message pad again, wishing I could walk her out, finally get her alone for a minute to apologize. To explain. But a call from Luke is time sensitive. In an hour he could go underground. No word. No trace. Snitches are unreliable like that.
At least I’ve got Raven’s number now. Another week and I would have gone to Shay, tail between my legs, asking for it. “Let me grab one of my cards from my locker, in case you need to get in touch.”
Raven scoffs. “That won’t be necessary.”
Ignoring her, I stand and cross the room behind them. At my locker, I sift through my clothes and the briefcase I keep shoved inside. Ordered chaos. Alessi’s locker is pristine, like his hair and clothes—his shirts and jeans always folded, any papers filed alphabetically in folders. When I shoved my business cards into my locker, he grabbed a handful and said, “Come to me when yours get sucked into the Bermuda Triangle that is your life.”
Fucking hate when he’s right.
A minute later, I find a couple scattered at the bottom, under my shoes, and I hurry back to the girls. As I approach from behind, Raven leans toward Shay, their heads bent in quiet conversation. “He’s not coming out tonight, is he? Because I’m not going if he is.”
I hang back as Shay replies. “No. I made plans with the guys on a night he’d be busy. But I don’t get why you have such a hate-on for him. Nico is a good guy.”
Raven spots me lurking and raises her voice. “I have a thing against people who tell lies to get what they want. There’s nothing good about a guy like that.” She shoves back her chair, snatches her purse, and shoulders past me, elbows locked, sandals slapping the floor.
If I didn’t have the message from Luke nipping at my mind, I’d run after her. Force her to face me. Try to explain how messed up the past year and a half have been. But I’m not smooth like Kolton or funny like Sawyer. My words don’t always come out how I plan. If I blow this chance, odds are I won’t get another.
Shay plucks the business card from my hand. “Whatever you did to her in Aspen, you need to apologize. Raven doesn’t act like this with guys. She hooks up and moves on. So whatever went down must have been bad, and she won’t talk to me about it. You need to fix things.”
I glance at the door she stormed through. “She doesn’t act like this with other guys?”
“That’s what you took away from what I just said?” She shakes her head. “Fix it, Constable Makai. I love you, and Jackson thinks you’re his own personal action hero. I don’t want things to be weird when we all hang out.”
Shay stands taller, her big hazel eyes uncompromising. She’s taken to her role as surrogate mother to Jackson like a pro, which I’m beyond grateful for. When Kolton came home from the hospital, son in one arm, his wife’s lifeless body left behind, I did the only thing I could: moved in. Helping him raise Jackson was hard and amazing and heartbreaking, but I’d do it all over again. Now, eight years later, Kolton and Jackson have Shay, and nothing’s worth messing things up with them.
I nod. “Consider it done.”
She takes a step but pauses. “And no…Raven’s never been like this around another guy. Not sure if that will hurt or help your cause.”
With a shrug, she leaves, and I rub my neck. Hearing that Raven’s reaction to me is different tightens my ribs. Sixteen months is a long time to build resentment. It’s also a long time to keep a memory alive. Our night together was hot, but it was the hour before the shots flowed and clothes came off that keeps me up at night, and I’m guessing that’s the part that has her perfecting her glare. At least we didn’t have sex. Telling her no was excruciating, but she was too drunk by then. Not in the right mind to make that choice. There’s that, at least. I still need to make things right.
First step is to change tonight’s plans.
For now I have my brother and his sorry ass to save. I trudge to my desk and squeeze back into my chair. Breathing deep, I count to three, then exhale and dial Luke.
He answers after the fourth ring. “Woodfield.”
“It’s Nico. What have you got for me?” The longer he stays silent, the harder I bounce my heel. If he hasn’t found Jericho and I can’t get that punk to confess, my little brother is in for a world of hurt.
“He was here, but the dude split.”
“What do you mean split?”
“Gone underground. Maybe Mexico or somethin’. He copped to ditching the meth in the car they jacked.” A muffled voice carries through the line, then, “Give me a sec.”
I rock in my too-small chair as I wait, fisting my free hand. I don’t need Luke to tell me the meth didn’t belong to Josh. I might not have believed my brother at first, but there’s been a lot of hollering the past months, insults hurled and received. Enough tears, too, until I was sure. Josh didn’t know the car he was asked to drive was stolen. He didn’t know there was enough methamphetamine stashed in the trunk to kill a herd of elephants. But believing him and proving it are two different beasts.
Josh’s only chance of an acquittal is getting a confession from the “homies” he once called friends. Anything short of that is jail time.
“Sorry, bro.” Luke talks low as if he has an audience nearby. “You know I’d do anything for you, but this one’s outta my hands.”
I scrub my head and squeeze my eyes. “Testify for me. Tell a judge what you know.”
He laughs. “No fucking way. A known felon? They’d kill me up there. And I got my rep to protect.”
“Yeah” is all I can say. It was a stupid question. I could remind Luke what I did for his brother, standing up for him in court and getting his sentence knocked down. But the facts are the facts—a jury would never listen to a kid like Luke.
We hang up, and my gut churns worse than when I smell that blasted curry.
Another dead end.
I pull Raven’s form toward me and run my thumb over her name. Raven Hunt. She loops her R big and wide, the A and V and E and N tight and even, steady strokes like a teacher. No art teacher I had ever looked like her: dangerous, sultry, a body made for sin and a face for film. The rest of my life may be circling the drain, but she’s here, in Vancouver, and I could use a distraction.
If it were just Raven’s looks, I’d move on. Not complicate things and chance messing up my relationship with my friends. But she’s pissed at me for the same reason I can’t let this go: We shared more than a bed that night in Aspen. Something passed between us, something deeper than I’ve felt with anyone in a long while. Maybe ever. It’s time to find out if it was the mountain air, or if it was more.
My bet’s on more.