Murders & Romance, page 11
He paused, unsure of what to say. He’d screwed this up once because he’d said the wrong thing. Now, that the stakes were so much higher, he didn’t want to say something stupid and sabotage something great and wonderful before it had a chance to become great and wonderful.
“I think there’s a lot we should talk about.”
Gerri wiped another tear, and a tortured sour laugh escaped her.
“I guess I just got my answer.”
“No!” His voice was firm, and he stared into her eyes, willing her to hear him out and believe him. “No, that was not an answer. Gerri… you have to acknowledge that our relationship has its issues. Issues that have the power to affect both of our livelihoods.”
“Our jobs again.” She rolled her eyes.
“Yes, our jobs. Do you realize that if the wrong people found out about us, I could be demoted? I could lose my rank, and my position over the homicide unit. All for taking advantage of a subordinate.”
“But you’re not taking advantage of me!”
“I know that! And you know that. But that is not how it will look to IAB. I am your direct supervisor.”
Gerri looked stricken, and more tears hit her cheeks.
“So then, it’s hopeless? That’s what you’re saying?”
Gavin sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. Then he met her gaze again. He’d vowed not to lie to her.
“While you serve under my command? Yeah.”
Gerri wiped her cheek.
“Then that’s all the more reason for me to transfer out and go to another precinct.”
Gavin rolled over and sat up in the middle of the bed.
“I would never ask you to do that.”
Gerri sat up beside him, pulling the sheet over her breasts.
“But you’re not asking. Gavin, I love working at the 3rd precinct. Do you know why?”
“Because it’s close to your apartment?”
“Because you’re there! But if I could have you, and we both still have our jobs, I wouldn’t care which precinct I worked at.”
Gavin sighed and glanced around the room.
“Well, at least you’re not still talking about quitting altogether.”
Gerri ran a hand through her hair.
“When I said that yesterday I was just upset. And I was trying to get out of talking to the shrink.”
Gavin looked at her. “Well, you do know that you can’t come back to any precinct until you’re cleared by him. You will have to talk to him again.”
“I know.”
Gavin took her hand, and they sat in silence for a long moment.
“So, let’s talk about your other issue,” she said.
Gavin looked up at her and laced his fingers with hers.
“What other issue?”
“The age thing.”
He groaned. “Well, let’s face it. I’m old enough to be your…”
He hesitated. They both knew the word he was going for. And it was entirely possible, if he’d had her when he was 16. But somehow, he simply couldn’t bring himself to say it.
“Much older brother,” he said, finally finishing that sentence.
Gerri giggled at him. A genuine small laugh, without any tears, and Gavin smiled.
“That’s not true.”
“It is true. Do you even know how old I am?”
“Yes. You’re 44 years old. You just had a birthday four months ago, which you celebrated all alone, without so much as a cupcake because Trey was away at school, and you don’t tell your detectives when your birthday is.”
He narrowed his eyes.
“How do you know all that?”
A sexy smile slid across her lips.
“I’m a detective. I find shit out.”
“Hmm. And that number doesn’t give you pause? The fact that I’m 16 years older than you?”
“Only for half a year until my birthday. Then we’re 15 years apart.”
Gavin rolled his eyes. “And it doesn’t bother you?”
“Should it?”
“Gerri, you are closer in age to my 19-year-old son than you are to me.”
“So?”
“So? You probably have more in common with him than you do with me! That doesn’t bother you?”
“No. Why should it? Age is just a number, Gavin. A record of how long you’ve been on this earth. As long as both people are legally adults, age has absolutely no bearing on love or sex!”
They stared at each other for a moment, and Gavin wasn’t sure how to take her views.
“And you don’t honestly believe that I have more in common with a college boy, do you? I mean, you’re not seriously entertaining the idea that I might suddenly find myself attracted to your son, right?”
Gavin didn’t answer those questions. But hearing her say them, he couldn’t deny that the possibility had crossed his mind, back when he was telling himself all the reasons why they shouldn’t get involved.
“Because… don’t get me wrong, Trey’s a nice boy. But he’s just that. A boy. I need a man who can handle me. The way you just did.”
She trailed a single finger from his chest down to his pubic hair, and his dick stood up and said hello.
“If it makes you feel any better, my 29th birthday is in two months.”
She grinned at him, and Gavin laughed out loud. He pulled her to him and kissed her, long and deep. His hands roamed her body as his tongue explored every inch of her mouth. Then he pulled back and looked at her face.
She’d said she loved him, and that she had for a long time. Gavin wasn’t sure what to do with that information, but he knew he didn’t want to take it for granted or take advantage of it. She was trusting him with her heart, and he took that responsibility seriously.
“You need to go?”
Her question pulled him out of his thoughts and brought him back to the now.
“What?”
“Well, it’s dinner time, and I know Trey is staying with you.”
“Oh.” He shook his head. “Trey has gone out with some of his old high school buddies tonight. About ten of them were doing pizza and movies at Mark’s parent’s place.”
“Ah. So that’s how you’re here past dinner time.”
“Speaking of dinner though… did you eat?”
“No.”
Gavin sighed. “You’ve got to take better care of yourself.”
“I just haven’t had much of an appetite.”
“Well, if you don’t eat, you’ll let the grief run you down. We can’t have that.”
Gerri smiled at him. “Are you going to feed me again?”
“That depends. You got anything besides soup in that kitchen of yours?”
She appeared to think about it, and then made a face.
“I haven’t shopped in a while.”
“Where do you keep your take-out menus?”
9
Isaac:
My girl better not have a
scratch on her this morning
* * *
Pete:
Who dis?
* * *
Isaac:
The man who’s gonna kick your
ass if you hurt my car
* * *
Pete:
No hablo ingles
* * *
Isaac:
Don’t forget to pick me up
or you won’t hablo at all
* * *
Pete:
Yeah yeah
* * *
Isaac ended the text conversation with his partner and then stuck his head out the doorway, checking to make sure Sidney was still in the kitchen. She was cooking their breakfast, and Isaac knew he only had a few minutes. He needed to do this fast. He found the contact in his phone and dialed.
The phone rang only a couple of times before she answered, and Isaac could barely make out her words through the decidedly un-lady-like yawn.
“It’s a little early, Ike. I’m only halfway into my first cup of coffee.”
Isaac rolled his eyes. His little sister was famous in their family for not being a morning person.
“How do you run a business if you hate mornings, Em?”
“The beauty of running your own business is being able to set your own hours. My hours don’t begin until my second cup of coffee.”
“Well, sip fast because I need your help.”
There was a slight pause, and Isaac could hear that Emily perked up when she responded.
“My help? With what?”
“Picnics.”
“Huh?”
“I want to take Sidney on a little backyard picnic, and I was…”
“Aww!” She interrupted him with a loud girly squeal. “That’s so sweet. Where’d you get such a romantic idea?”
“I looked up romantic date ideas on the Internet.”
All the girly excitement quickly left her voice.
“Oh, my God, Ike. The Internet?”
“Hey. I found some really good ideas that way. And you just gushed all over the first one.”
“All right, all right. So, what do you need help with?”
Duh. Hadn’t she been listening?
“Picnics.”
He could hear the exasperation in his own voice.
“What about them?”
Emily sounded just as irritated with this conversation as he felt.
“Well, what kind of food goes into one?”
“What? The Internet didn’t tell you that part?”
Isaac let out an overly exaggerated sigh.
“You know what? I started to call Bree instead, but I figured she’s busy with the baby and all. But what the heck, I’ll take my chances. Thanks anyway.”
“No! Don’t bother Bree. I got this.”
Isaac smiled. He knew pitting her against their sister-in-law’s prowess in the kitchen would trigger her competitive streak.
“Now let’s see… picnic food. Hmm,” Emily hummed. “Well, there’s always the basic sandwich and chips route. Or even the old standard fried chicken and potato salad route. That’s always a good one. But if you’re going for romantic, you need sexy foods.”
“Sexy food?”
“Yes. You know… foods that you can eat with your hands and feed each other. Little nibbles, like an assortment of cheeses and crackers, grapes. Oh! And strawberries with cream or even chocolate sauce.”
“Cheese and crackers? Really?”
“Well, not just plain cheese and crackers, Ike. It’d be a variety of cheeses, and fancy crackers. Maybe a couple of meats, like salami and prosciutto, or even smoked salmon.”
“You’re talking about like one of those antipasto things.”
“Well, I was actually thinking more of a charcuterie, but yeah. Same principle.”
Isaac’s head was starting to spin.
Was he getting way out of his depth here? He just wanted a simple little picnic in his backyard with the woman he loved.
“A char what?”
“Breakfast is ready, baby!” Sidney yelled from the kitchen.
“I’ll be right there!” he yelled back. Then to Emily he said, “I gotta go. Listen, thanks for the um… ideas. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem. Hey! Have you heard from your friend lately?”
“My friend?”
“Yeah. Special Agent Dork. What’s his name?”
Isaac’s lips twisted. He knew that she was well aware of his name.
“I thought you were into that dork. What happened?”
“Nothing happened. We flirted at your place on game night; made a date to go out. And then he canceled on me, citing work reasons. Never called me back. Totally ghosted. I guess he wasn’t into me.”
She tried to hide it, but Isaac could hear the genuine disappointment in her voice.
“That is not the vibe I got from him, Em. He’s interested in you. If he said he’s working, then he probably is.”
“I don’t know.”
“Isaac?” Sidney called again.
“Yeah, I’m coming, Sid.” To Emily he said, “I gotta go, Em. Thanks for your help.”
“Yeah. You too. Say hi to Sid for me.”
“Will do.”
He ended the call and hurried out to the dining table where Sidney sat eating her breakfast.
“Your pancakes are getting cold.
He took his seat and poured syrup on his pancakes and fruit.
“Sorry. I was talking to Emily on the phone.”
“Oh. What about?”
Isaac took a bite of his food and glanced at her.
“She thinks a certain FBI agent is trying to give her the brushoff. She wanted my take on it. I told her that wasn’t the vibe I got from him. In fact… I saw them kissing in one of my futuristic visions.”
“Really? Intrigue and romance. Tell me more.”
Isaac grinned at her and took another bite.
“No, seriously. Tell me more. I mean, I was witness to some pretty shameless flirting during our game night a few weeks ago, but you didn’t tell me you actually saw them together in a vision.”
Isaac nodded. “Yeah. The kiss I saw was pretty hot and steamy too. I don’t actually care to see it again, thank you very much.”
Sidney laughed, and Isaac smiled at her. He was happy to see her feeling better.
They ate in silence for a few minutes, and he thought about his picnic plans and whether or not he should proceed.
“So tonight is your late day at the shelter, right?”
“That’s right. Dinner will be late. I’ll pick up some take-out on my way home.”
Isaac took her hand and looked into her eyes.
“You know what? Don’t worry about dinner tonight. I’ll take care of it.”
“You will?”
“Yep. Leave it to me.”
From outside they heard a car horn, and Isaac immediately recognized it as his car.
“There’s Pete. I’ve gotta go.”
He leaned in and kissed her lips. Then he stood and clipped his gun to his hip and gathered his things.
“Be safe today.”
Isaac looked down at her and lightly ran his thumb over the small bruise on her right cheek. The swelling was down, but it was an angry shade of purple this morning, setting off ripples of rage in Isaac’s stomach.
“You do the same, darlin’. No more kung fu or gun slinging for you today, okay?”
Sidney giggled. “I make no promises.”
He kissed her again and then left the house.
Outside, he walked to the driver’s side of his car, where Pete sat behind the wheel.
“Get out of my car.”
“Come on, just get in. We’re going to be late.”
“Get out of my car, Pete.”
“Ah, jeez. You are such a control freak.”
Pete unhooked the seatbelt and got out of the car, grumbling all the way, and Isaac tried to hide his amusement.
“Your car likes me better than she likes you,” Pete said as he walked around to the passenger side.
“In your dreams.”
Isaac slid behind the wheel, adjusting the seat for his long legs. Then they took off.
Once they got to the station, he stole a few minutes before roll call to place another personal phone call.
“Isaac?”
“Hey, Bree. How you doing this morning? I apologize if I’m interrupting something important with the baby.”
“No, you’re fine. Isla is down for her morning nap. What’s going on?”
“Well, I got this silly idea to take Sid on a little backyard picnic tonight, and…”
“Oh, that’s not silly at all. It sounds sweet. And romantic! She’s going to love that.”
Isaac grinned at her enthusiasm.
“Well, I was talking to Emily about what food to eat, and she suggested some kind of char… charcu… something or other?”
“You mean a charcuterie tray?”
“That’s it! And I wondered if that’s something I could buy somewhere instead of having to make one myself? I was hoping you might know the answer to that.”
Bree wasn’t simply an amazing cook. When Adam met her, she was the head chef at a successful catering company. When it came to food, the woman had all kinds of skills.
“As a matter of fact, I do know where you can get a beautiful and delicious one. Me!”
“You?”
“Yes. Let me make you one!”
“Oh, no, no, no. Bree, I don’t want to bother you with this. You’ve got so much going on with the baby and everything.”
“Nonsense! Ike, I would love to do this for you. Let me do it as a thank you for getting Isla and me through the delivery safely. Please?”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive. And I’ve even got most of what I’ll need right here. What time do you need it by?”
“Um, well. I can come pick it up after work tonight. Say about six?”
“Perfect. It’ll be ready and waiting. But hey… what’s the occasion?”
“No occasion. I just wanted to do something nice for her. Something romantic, like you said.”
“A romantic backyard picnic? You will score very high points for this one. Make sure you have a nice comfy blanket to spread in the grass.”
“Good tip. Hey, thanks again for doing this. You’re sure it’s not a problem?”
“It’s going to be so much fun! Go to work. I’ll see you this evening.”
He thanked her again and ended the call. Then he got up, not wanting to be late for the morning briefing.
“Taylor. Vega.”
Isaac turned to see Gavin Hayes coming their way.
“We were just headed to the morning briefing.” Isaac chucked a thumb in the direction of the briefing room.
“Skip it.” Gavin handed him a piece of paper.
“What’s this?”
“College student at Cleveland State came home to find his roommate slaughtered. Castrated, just like the other two.”
“Wait.” Pete held up a hand. “Cleveland State? Not Case Western?”
“Yep.”
He looked at Isaac with an oh-this-is-bad expression.
“You thinking it’s our missing bachelor number three?” Isaac watched him carefully.
