Chapter Thirteen

Nate closed the office door behind him.

He rubbed a hand around the back of his neck, trying to get his head together. But he had no clue what he thought about this.

He’d been promoted.

The promotion was effective immediately, and he supposed he had things he needed to do. Like go down to personnel and get a new badge. It would be something to show his dad, anyway.

Detective Inspector Carter. One of the youngest ever promoted to that rank in the department. His father hadn’t made DI until he was thirty-eight. Nate should be proud. They’d sung his praises in there. His conviction rates were the best; his dedication to duty—especially in view of his dad’s situation—was second to none. Some of these guys had worked with his dad. Nate had known them from way back, when he was a kid, and his dad would bring him to work with him when he had nowhere else to put him.

They had hinted that maybe he needed to spruce up his appearance, as he would have more interaction with the public and the media in this new role. He would be expected to present the smart face of the modern police force to the world.

Just the thought made him yawn. He didn’t want to be smart. He liked being scruffy. Oh God, maybe he needed a housekeeper. He’d be earning better money; he could probably afford one, at least part time. That’s why other guys had wives. They made sure their men looked polished when they left the house in the morning.

But Regan liked him scruffy.

Why the hell had he thought that?

Regan also liked him naked.

Those thoughts weren’t appropriate right now. But better than thinking about buying a suit.

He’d have a team, though as the newest DI, he wouldn’t have much choice as to who they gave him. There were a couple of guys he’d like, and he’d put in a request. Phil as his current partner would no doubt stay with him. Phil was going to be pissed—he’d thought he had this promotion in the bag. Phil definitely had a wife who sent him out all nice and well-groomed each day. He could be the media guy on Nate’s team. He’d like that. Schmoozing the press. The idea filled Nate with horror.

He just couldn’t seem to feel…happy about it all.

Maybe there was too much going on in his life right now for him to take it in: his dad, Regan…

It had been a week since dinner with Regan’s family, and things appeared to have settled down between the two of them. They saw each other every day, even if only for half an hour. But there was something going on beneath the surface, something he couldn’t quite grasp.

He hoped her family wasn’t giving her a hard time. She hadn’t mentioned them again and had shut him down when he asked.

As he entered the open-plan office, a cheer rose. The news of his promotion had spread before him. Phil walked up to him, doing his best to look pleased as he slapped him on the back. “Congratulations.”

“You’ll get it next time,” Nate said.

“Yeah.”

Nate wanted to suggest that if he spent more time doing actual detective work and less time worrying about his image, he might succeed. But now was not the time.

“Hey, we’re going to take you out and get you pissed tonight. And that’s not optional.”

He knew that. It was tradition. But he’d arranged to see Regan. And he realized that he’d much rather spend the evening with Regan, not even necessarily in bed, than get drunk with his work colleagues. A sign of old age perhaps.

“Can you pick me up at the hospital?” he said to Phil. “I want to go tell my dad. It might cheer him up.”

“Eight thirty.”

“Yeah, sounds good.”

When he was finally alone again, he got out his phone and called Regan’s number. She picked up straightaway. “Hey, babe.” She sounded pleased to hear from him.

“I just got promoted.”

“You did? That’s fabulous.”

“Yeah. But it means I can’t make it tonight. I’ve got to go out with the boys to celebrate. It’s tradition.” He didn’t have to justify himself to her, but somehow, he wanted her to know that he’d rather be with her.

“Bummer. I was looking forward to tonight. I had something special planned.” She sighed. “But I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“No, wait,” he said, without really thinking. He wanted to see her today, not tomorrow. “I’m going to see my dad first, tell him the good news. Would you come with me?”

She was silent for a moment. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. The promotion and seeing me with a pretty girl will blow his mind. Or at least, make his day.”

“Okay then. I’ll meet you at the hospital.”

“Seven thirty.”

“I’ll be there.”

…

Regan was perched on the wall outside the hospital when she spotted Nate approaching on foot. He didn’t look particularly thrilled with his new promotion, but she knew enough about the inner workings of the metropolitan police to recognize this was a big deal. He was young to be a detective inspector, but he was good at his job. He wasn’t just dedicated, but had a sixth sense about things—an eye for the bad guys that made him excel and stand out above the others.

But right now, he had a small frown on his face and was hunched over, his hands shoved in his pockets as though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. And she supposed he did. She couldn’t even begin to think what she would feel like if it were her dad in that hospital. His father was all the family Nate had. Just the thought made her want to go and hug him.

He’d told her that the hardest part was over. Both he and his dad had accepted it and come to terms with the situation. All the same, it must be painful.

He caught sight of her then, and his face lit up. She was glad she had come. She’d been of two minds. After all, Nate’s meeting her family had gone down so well. Not.

She was still dealing with the fallout.

Her father wanted her to move back home where she could be monitored. She’d half expected him to have her fitted with one of those ankle tags, to keep tabs on where she went, one that would explode if she ventured too near a policeman. Half of the rest thought she needed some sort of psychiatric help. One had even suggested a hit on Nate. She’d presumed they were joking. But just in case, she’d told them that if any harm came to one hair on Nate’s head, they would all suffer a painful end.

She jumped down from the wall and walked toward him, giving in to her urge and hugging him hard. “Congratulations, Detective Inspector Carter.”

“Thank you. You look pretty today.”

She’d actually gone to some effort for once after his comment about his dad seeing him with a pretty girl. She’d wanted to look her best. She was wearing a blue linen shift dress that skimmed her knees and blue high-heeled sandals, and she’d curled her hair and left it loose. She’d even put on some mascara and lipstick. “You like?”

“Too much. I want to take you home, to bed, and never leave.”

“How would you manage to catch all those bad guys?”

“Someone else can do it.”

She glanced at his face. “Are you all right? You seem a little…subdued. I thought you’d be totally thrilled.”

“I don’t know what it’s all for anymore.”

“Hey”—she punched him on the arm—“get a grip.”

“Yeah. Come on. Let’s go show off my shiny new badge and my shiny new girlfriend to my dad.”

She followed Nate in through the hospital and into the private room. There was a definite family resemblance, but the man on the bed looked so frail compared to his son, who was full of energy and vitality. It was sad to think that this man had once been the same. That they could all come to this, with just a twist of fate.

The nurse had told them today was one of his better days and his mind was clear.

Nate brought a chair from the corner to the bed and gestured for her to sit down. “Hi, Dad, I’ve got some good news.”

“Son.” He glanced past Nate to where Regan sat waiting to be introduced. “And you’ve brought someone to see me?”

“This is Regan Malloy. I told you about her.”

“So you did.”

She reached down and squeezed his hand. “Hi, Mr. Carter.”

“Regan Malloy? You Pete Malloy’s daughter?”

Oh dear, was this going to be a problem? But he didn’t look angry, just intrigued. She nodded.

His gaze flickered to Nate and back to her. “You’re kidding me?”

“No, sir. He remembers you well.”

He chuckled. “I remember him, too. I arrested him at least twice.”

“Three times, he says. Maybe I’ll ask him to drop in and you can talk about old times,” Regan offered.

“Yeah, that would be fun.” He looked at her, smiling. “You’re a pretty girl, Regan—a hell of a lot prettier than your dad. And I’m sure you’d never give my boy any reason to arrest you.”

She smiled sweetly. “How do you think we met?”

He laughed. “Maybe I’d best not know the details.” He turned to Nate. “I like her.”

“I like her, too.”

“So what’s your news?”

Nate pulled his wallet from his back pocket and flashed his badge.

“You made DI? That’s amazing. I didn’t make DI until I was eight years older than him,” he told Regan, gesturing to his son. She could tell he was proud of Nate.

They stayed for another half hour. Regan remained silent for the most part, letting Nate’s dad reminisce about the past and his time as a detective, how life on the force had changed, and not in a good way, in his opinion. When it was time to go, she leaned over and kissed the old man, though he wasn’t that old. It was hard to believe he was only sixty-five. “I can see where Nate got his good looks,” she said.

“Keep hold of this one,” he said to Nate, “and make sure she doesn’t follow after her old man.”

Regan patted him on the arm. “I promise to be good.”

“Come on, I have to get out of here,” Nate said as the door swung shut behind them. “I hate fucking hospitals.” He grabbed her hand and hurried her out of the building, only slowing down once they were in the fresh air. “That was the first time I’ve heard him laugh in so long. Thank you. The night was worth it just for that one thing.” He squeezed her hand. “You know, it’s strange how small things come to matter when you have no control over the bigger things.”

“I know. It was the same in prison. Life was one big pile of crap and the little things started to matter. A letter in the post. A phone call. So why do you hate hospitals? Is it just because of your dad?”

“I remember coming here when my mom died,” he said. “I guess I never really forgot about it.”

“How old were you?”

“Five. She died of a miscarriage. She’d always wanted a big family, but after me, she had miscarriage after miscarriage. The doctors told her not to try again, that it could kill her… My dad told me all this when I was older. All I knew at the time was that she was sick, and then she wasn’t coming home.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s just the way things are.”

“Shitty.”

“Sometimes.”

They sat on the wall where he’d met her. She should go. She didn’t want to be here when his colleagues picked him up, didn’t want them to recognize her and cause trouble for Nate. But she couldn’t bring herself to leave him. He looked so lost again.

“How did your dad manage? After your mom died, I mean. It must have been hard.”

“God knows. He had no other family. That’s why they’d both wanted lots of kids, because they were only children themselves. I think he paid a neighbor to look after me when I was small, someone who had kids of her own and could use the extra money. Once I started school, I pretty much looked after myself. He’d take me with him to work a lot, though. I decided I was going to be a detective when I was six. After that, I never wanted to be anything else.”

“Well, I’m glad you made it then.” She grinned. “I always wanted to be a bank robber. I nearly made it.”

He laughed. “Don’t do it again.”

“I won’t.”

“What are you doing tonight?” he asked.

“Going to see Carl. He’s got another job for me.”

“I’m pleased.” He peered up the road. “Here’s my lift. Christ, I wish I could stay with you.”

“Don’t be a wimp. Go have fun with your friends and don’t get too drunk.”

She stayed where she was while the car pulled up. Nate gave her a quick kiss and then left her.

…

“You’re certified crazy, you know that, don’t you?” Phil said as the car pulled into traffic.

“Yeah.”

She was still on the wall, and she waggled her fingers as she caught him watching. A smile curled his lips. She seemed to be the only thing that made him smile these days. Really, it wasn’t surprising; it was always going to be a shit time.

Phil was talking again, and he forced himself to pay attention. She was gone anyway, having disappeared around a corner. “Sorry?”

“She’s bad. Her whole family is bad.”

Nate’s hands fisted at his side, and he forced his fingers to relax, breathing evenly. “She’s changed. She’s going straight.”

“People like her don’t go straight. They never change. She’ll revert to type; they always do.”

Regan wasn’t a type. He had to fight the urge to punch Phil in the nose. Asshole. “You know nothing about her.”

Phil cast him an incredulous look. “Oh no? Buddy, are you forgetting I worked that case with you? I know all about Regan Malloy. And while she might be a looker, she’s trouble and always will be.”

“Look, just forget it. There’s nothing serious going on between us.”

Phil drove the car into the parking lot at the back of the pub and switched off the engine before turning to Nate. “When I drove up just now, you were positively drooling over her. Like a lovesick puppy.”

What the hell did Phil know? “Fuck off.”

The pub was full of cops. They cheered as he entered, and he forced a smile to his face. Time to get into the spirit of things. He was handed a pint, and he raised it up, then downed it in one gulp.

Phil wasn’t drinking, since he was driving them home. An hour later, he put Nate’s fifth pint into his hand. “Here you go, boss.”

Yeah, he was the boss now. That must rankle.

Phil slid into the seat opposite him. “I’ve been thinking about your girlfriend.”

He put the glass on the table and scowled. “I wish you wouldn’t. And she’s not my girlfriend.”

“Fuck buddy…whatever.” He shrugged. “You say she’s changed. There’s one way she can prove it.”

“She doesn’t need to prove anything.”

“Maybe not, but hear me out. That case we’ve been working—the Hatton Garden robbery. The one we’re getting nowhere with.”

“You can hardly blame that on Regan—she was still inside.”

“But the safe was cracked. Just like in your girlfriend’s case. She might not have done it, but I’m betting she knows who did.”

“So?”

“So why don’t you ask her? If she really does want to go straight, be on the right side of the law, then she’ll tell you what she knows.”

“Piss off, Phil.”

Phil sat back in his seat, arms folded across his chest. Prick. “What? You don’t believe she knows anything? Or you don’t believe she’ll tell you?”

He had no idea, and he didn’t want to think about it. And he certainly didn’t want to ask her. That would definitely be crossing the line.

“Just consider it,” Phil said, getting to his feet. “If she truly wants to change, then she’ll talk. And if you’re too scared to ask, then you really don’t trust her.”

Was that what he was worried about?

That if he asked her and she refused, he’d realize where her allegiances lie? He’d always believed you were for the law or against it. You couldn’t straddle the line. But he wasn’t going to ask anyway. Because they were keeping their lives separate, and that would mix things up.

And if he did ask, and she refused, where would that leave him?

Could he keep seeing her, knowing she was, if not involved, then at least withholding information?

And right now, he couldn’t bear the thought of not seeing her.

He was a coward, and the truth was—he didn’t know whether he trusted her or not.