CHAPTER 6
I groaned. "No, no, no, no. I've done all I can to block it from my mind."
"We all came together to learn about camaraderie and solidarity. How to work together for the greater good."
"Fuck me. Rip the Band-Aid off already. What do you need?"
"There is a missing five-month-old baby, and by the sound of it, it may not resolve itself as easy as you please. Edwards has one detective on the scene right now, but he's down a partner. Serious family emergency. All his other detectives are swamped with other cases or on other assignments."
"And that leaves me?" I glanced at my sister and seven- month-old niece, queasy at the thought of a missing baby.
"That leaves you. Edwards would be most grateful if we could spare a detective. It's temporary. One case."
"Do you know what this is going to do to my reputation?
I'll be the traitor. I'll be the turncoat. I'll be—"
"Enough. I'm not asking, Doyle. I'm ordering you to get your ass over there ASAP and play nice. All this petty, interdepartmental bickering is getting old." Summerfield was done messing around. She was great for some playful banter from time to time. She worked hard to keep the morale in our department high—which was imperative considering homicide carried an inherently heavy atmosphere—but she had limits. The ongoing rivalry between homicide and MPU was one of them.
"Temporary."
"One case. This isn't a transfer, so calm your tits." "Classy, ma'am."
"In fact, if Edwards can free up a detective, you'll be done sooner."
"Where am I going?"
"I'll text you the address."
I knew I shouldn't ask, but the itch to know was insatiable, and I had a bad, bad feeling, but I needed a heads-up. I needed time to prepare. "Who am I working with, ma'am?"
Summerfield paused. "Quaid Valor."
I cursed under my breath and kicked a crumpled pop can, launching it several feet. It came down near the parking lot, rolling and clattering off the curb and onto the concrete.
"I'm your first goddamn pick, aren't I? You didn't even try anyone else, did you?"
"I didn't. And why should I? You two worked fabulously together during our team-building day, and you came out the winners. That's a great starting point for a temporary partnership. Use what you learned about each other back in May and apply it to solving a real case. Now get moving. This isn't a homicide. Kidnapping cases are a race against the clock, so let's stop wasting time."
Staff Sergeant Summerfield hung up, and I took a second longer to grit my teeth and work through the bitter feelings that accompanied her news. It was one thing to be
delegated to MPU for a case, but of all the detectives I could have been paired with, it had to be Quaid fucking Valor.
Around the office, he was known as Mr. Anal Retentive. The guy carried around the rule book and abided by it like it was the sacred word of God. He had a stick up his ass a mile long, was cold, cynical, standoffish, and sadly, one of the hottest fucking guys I'd ever met in my forty-two years of life. Despite all his negative traits, it took effort to be in his presence and not throw him over the first hard surface I could find and fuck his brains out.
Before our team-building day back in May, an event forced upon us by Inspector Monica Lassaline, the officer in charge of both our departments, I'd only heard rumors about the openly gay detective who worked in MPU. None of them had been favorable. After spending an eight-hour day trying to solve a mock case with him, I'd learned they were all true.
Much to my chagrin, I'd let myself be blinded by his good looks, made a proposition I shouldn't have made, and the day had ended in regret and disappointment.
I pocketed my phone and met Amelia at the bench where she was strapping Kylee into the stroller. Graham, who was lost in his own world, waited patiently beside her.
"I gotta take off," I said, drawing my sister's attention. "Are you okay to get these guys back in the van?"
"I'm not incapable. You caught a case?"
"Ugh. Technically it's MPUs case, but I've been ordered to give them a hand since they're running short."
Amelia grinned over her shoulder. "Play nice." "You don't know how much of a sacrifice this is."
Once Kylee's buckle was secure, Amelia gave me a tight hug and bussed my cheek. I kissed the top of her head.
"I know you can handle it. Thanks for the company today.
It's hard to get out of the house without help."
"I know. I'll give you a call this week if I can. Text if you need me." I ruffled Graham's hair. "You take care, big guy."
"Did you know the world's largest airplane weighs almost six hundred tons?" Graham was staring at the sky as he rambled off the fact. It wasn't unusual. He retained information better than most adults, especially if it was a topic of interest.
I got down to his level, but he still wouldn't make eye contact. Graham rarely made eye contact with anyone. "That's very cool, bud. I'll see you next week, okay? Maybe we can kick the ball some more."
"A Boeing 747 can hold sixty-three thousand gallons of fuel."
I chuckled and kissed his cheek. "You're the smartest kid I know."
I gave Kylee a kiss, and she managed to grab two fistfuls of my hair before I got free. It took a second to disentangle myself, then I said goodbye to Amelia again and headed off to the parking lot at a fast clip.
I'd parked my Harley Davidson Softail within view and in such a way other drivers couldn't get near her. Yes, I was
the asshole who took up more than one spot to protect his baby, but I could count on one hand the few joys I had in life, and my bike was one of them.
I secured my helmet, lowered the visor, and straddled her. She was a comfortable ride. A gift I'd bought myself for my fortieth birthday and an upgrade from the Sportster I'd owned for the ten years previous.
Before starting her up, I checked my phone for the directions Summerfield had sent and headed off toward the Por
t Credit area and Quaid fucking Valor.