Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 346(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 346(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
It’s just me.
I hate that.
I really need to get my shit together.
My phone rings just as I arrive at the store to get something for dinner, because when Jayden isn’t around, groceries and I don’t seem to get along all that well. I am tired after work and often can’t think of anything worse than going to the store. But, here I am.
I see Alarick is calling and quickly stop what I’m doing to answer it.
“Hey,” I say, my voice a little puffed from storming up and down the aisles pushing an empty cart because I can’t decide what I want to eat.
“Zariah, where are you?”
“At the store, why?”
“Kendric has been let out today; we’ve paid bail. His court date has been set for two months from now. That’s all the time we have to get this sorted. Cohen has found some interesting information. Are you around?”
“I can be,” I say, abandoning my empty cart and rushing out of the store. “I’ll be there in five.”
Alarick hangs up, and I get into my car, feeling my spirit rise just a little at the thought of some new information, something to chase, something to work with. I’ve been desperate for a break in this case but, as of yet, I’ve not been able to find one on my own. Dax is good, he’s clever, and because they have Kendric who made a confession, they aren’t investigating it quite as heavily as they should be.
I arrive at the clubhouse in record time and get out of the car. I’m still in uniform, but I’ve toned it down, so to speak. I’m not lugging around a gun and a taser, and I’m not wearing a hat. I’ve replaced my boots with shoes and, as I walk into the clubhouse, I untuck my shirt because it’s bad enough to be walking in here when I’m a cop, but to walk in looking like one is even worse.
I find Alarick, Cohen, Kendric, and Briella standing by the bar, talking amongst themselves. Without hesitation, I walk over. Kendric, who looks like his gorgeous self now he’s back in his leathers, glances at me. He gives me a glare that makes my heart do a funny little flip. He hates me, god does he hate me. I can’t say I blame him, either. I let him down, and that wasn’t right. He deserved someone to help him that night, someone to be on his side, and I wasn’t.
“What the fuck did you call her for?” Kendric growls.
Well, I’m glad to see we’re still talking like I’m not in the room.
“Nice to see you too, Kendric,” I mutter, crossing my arms.
“She is helpin’ us. You gotta get the fuck over it, brother,” Cohen murmurs, giving Kendric a hard stare.
“She can’t be fuckin’ trusted. How do you know she’s not the one who was feedin’ information to Dax? It makes fuckin’ sense.”
Wow.
He’s really going for it.
“If you’re going to accuse me of such nonsense,” I growl, “do it later. I’m here because Alarick called me here, not to listen to you carry on. Get over it, Kendric. I’m doing my job.”
“Funny,” he hisses, “didn’t do your fuckin’ job when you should have.”
I exhale and look to Alarick who is giving Kendric a glare that makes even me shy away. He slowly turns to me and his eyes scan over me. “You look tired.”
Well, that’s not what I expected.
“I don’t sleep much at the moment, you know, Dax running free and all that. Want to share with me what you’ve found? I’m dying to get back into something other than mundane cases.”
“There’s an officer at your workplace called Steven Blanche, correct?”
Blanche, yeah, I mean I know who he is. He’s not in my department but I see him almost daily getting around the station. He’s a lead homicide detective and is mostly busy working on cases outside of the office. He’s good at what he does, from what I know. He’s got a good name. I have no idea why he’d be getting mentioned.
“Yeah, I know who he is. He’s a homicide detective. What about him?”
“We’ve stretched further and started lookin’ into Peter instead of Dax. Peter is one of the top dogs runnin’ this show, and he keeps his nose clean, but he’s not doin’ that easily. Bennett was just one of the puppets in this little performance, and we’ve got word that one of the big players is a detective, a detective by the name of Steven Blanche.”
“No, no way,” I say shaking my head. “He’s got a huge reputation, he’s good at his job, and people come all over for his skills. There is just no way he’d risk his whole career being involved in something so illegal. This man catches criminals, he brings them to justice, it’s his job, and it’s a job that he takes very, very seriously from what I’ve heard.”