Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 122242 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122242 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Major shoves my badge into his pocket, cursing under his breath. His blue eyes are hard, his face turning red with anger.
"Don't be a dick just because you had to crawl out of bed, Jessup," Roman warns him when he opens his mouth like he's got something to say. "His girl could have died tonight. They ambushed her. If it was your wife, you would have killed every single one of them and you know it."
"His girl is a witness in protective custody," Jessup argues.
"No, she isn't," Finn says with a shake of his bald head. "We cut her loose weeks ago. She may be a witness, but she's not in protective custody. Detective Hernandez has been letting her stay with him because he cares about her, and she has nowhere else to go. Whatever happens between them is their business, not ours. Let it go."
"Is this true?" Jessup asks Franklin.
Franklin shoots me a look I can't decipher and then nods.
"You already gave your statement?" Jessup asks me.
"Coulter took it as soon as he arrived on scene."
"I expect you in the office first thing in the morning." Jessup pins me with a hard glare before sweeping his gaze over Roman and Finn and then storming off. I already know that meeting isn't going to go well. Whether Faith was in protective custody or not is a matter of semantics and we all know it. Jessup is a stickler for the rules, and I broke them. At the very least, he'll recommend a long suspension for my relationship with her. Hell, he's pissed enough he might even push to have me fired. I appreciate Finn and Roman for trying though.
"Prick," Roman mutters when he's out of earshot.
Franklin snorts and then shakes his head, looking at me. "Go do what you have to do to protect your girl, son. But be careful. If you leave any more bodies behind, Jessup won't take it kindly." He reaches out and clasps my shoulder in a silent show of support before he takes off after Jessup, leaving us to do what needs to be done.
"You ready?" Roman asks me.
I nod, already headed toward his truck.
Chapter Seventeen
Octavio
"Swear to Christ, if you're a crackhead, I'm going to lose my shit," Kincaid growls from the other side of January's front door. "It's two in the goddamn morning. My girl is trying to sleep, and so am I." He rips the door open, his expression thunderous until he realizes it's me and Roman standing on his doorstep. He quickly shoves the gun in his hand into his waistband.
"We need your help," Roman says by way of greeting.
Kincaid flicks his blue-gray eyes in my direction and then back at Roman. He sighs heavily and holds the door open wider for us to step inside.
"Fucking knew I'd be seeing you soon," he mutters with a shake of his blond head, shutting the door and rearming the security system. With a piercing in his nose, small gauges in his ears, and tattoos covering most of his upper body, he looks more like a gangbanger than a federal agent. Acts more like one too.
He's dressed in nothing but a pair of jeans, his hair wild. The artwork covering his big body is incredible. January's name runs across his side in an elegant scrawl. Her face stares up from his other side. I pick out the Aquarius zodiac sign in a dozen other places. He's covered in reminders of her.
The scars littering his body are almost as prolific as his tattoos. They're a stark reminder as to why gang members are so fucking terrified of him. They've been trying to kill him for years, but he's survived every single attempt…and came back like a demon every time. He's put dozens of them in hospitals, and hundreds more behind bars.
"Cade?" January peeks around the corner. Her long blonde hair is all messed up. She's dressed in nothing but a T-shirt that clearly belongs to him. It swallows her small frame. When she notices me and Roman standing in the living room, her green eyes go wide, a blush staining her cheeks. Those eyes grow even wider when she notices the blood stains on my clothes.
"Hi, sweetheart," Roman says, smiling at her.
"Hi, Roman. Hi, Octavio." She smiles at both of us, tugging on the hem of her shirt as if she's trying to make it longer, but it's already at her knees.
"You should be in bed resting, baby girl," Kincaid murmurs, his voice soft as he crosses toward her. He leans down and kisses her on the forehead before turning her toward the bedroom. "You're still healing."
"I was worried about you."
Kincaid tips his head forward to whisper something in her ear.
Her eyes come to me and then go back to him. "Okay," she whispers, her entire face soft as she stares up at him like he hung the moon. She gives me and Roman a little wave and then shuffles back to their bedroom, moving slowly.