Dark Guardian (Black Hoods MC #3) - Avelyn Paige Page 0,17
the front of my desk, like a parent trying to sit in their child’s desk at a parent-teacher conference.
“Didn’t know phones made good pillows.” I narrow my eyes at him. “Bad morning?”
“I don’t know how it could get any worse, to be honest. Please tell me you have some good news for me on the Tucker case?”
“I wish I did. I asked a couple of patrol officers to do a few more drive-bys of their compound, and the address you gave me last night to watch for the kids. So far, no dice.”
“Shit.”
“Wow.” His eyes flash with surprise. “Grace Halfpenny swearing? It has been a bad day.”
It’s not that I’m against swearing, but after years of living with a very strict Christian foster family in my early teens, their punishments for using said words still make me think twice about using them. Mama Marie, my foster mother, had a heavy hand for anyone who used them, or even a watered-down version of them.
“I’m sorry. It’s this case. Between not sleeping and all these curveballs that keep getting thrown at my head, I’m unraveling a bit.”
Leaning his gigantic frame forward, he takes hold of my hand, enveloping it wholly with his. “I know you want to help these kids, Gracie, but if your tip is right, anything to do with this club needs to be handled by the police.”
“I can’t do that, Aaron. I just can’t. This is my case,” I argue, taking my hand out of his. Sighing, he settles back into his seat. “I didn’t call you for help because I can’t handle it.”
He recoils, like I just shot an arrow through his heart. I know Aaron has good intentions and wants to protect me, but I’m not backing down from this case, no matter who’s involved. Bikers be damned. These kids deserve better, and if I can help them achieve that, I will.
“I’m sorry. I overstepped. You’re right, this is your case, not mine. I didn’t mean to pop by and make your day worse. That wasn’t my intention.”
“I know it wasn’t, but I guess that brings us around to why you stopped by out of the blue.” Outside of a few friendly lunches sparsely scheduled over the last few years, our friendship hadn’t included random visits at our places of work.
“I pulled some records on the mother’s past charges and thought I’d bring them over.” He slides a manila folder over to me.
“And?” I tease him.
“And I wanted to invite you to lunch. It’s been awhile, and I miss our visits.” His tone is hopeful.
“I wish I could, Aaron, really, but my afternoon is jam-packed with calls and meetings, so I had planned on working through lunch.”
His unmistakable disappointment breaks his normally cool and collected demeanor. “That’s okay. I knew it was a long shot, anyway.”
“What about tomorrow evening? I have court after lunch, and provided it doesn’t run over, I can be out of here early.”
A flash of excitement washes over his face as he smiles widely.
“It’s a date. I’ll make a reservation at your favorite place for six.” I wish he hadn’t used that word. It’s a work meeting, nothing more. But the way he said it makes a coil of guilt swirl in the pit of my stomach. Dating is the last thing I have on my mind, and he’d be better off finding a woman who would appreciate him for the great guy that he is.
“If court goes long, I’ll call you.”
Pushing away from the desk, he smiles at me. “See you tomorrow, Gracie.” Elation almost wafts off of him as he opens the door and heads out of my office.
Aaron has always been a good friend, but for me, that’s all it is—friendship. Aaron’s a great guy, but his line of work and mine don’t make for a good relationship. We’re both married to our jobs, and there’s no room for anyone else in them, especially now with his recent promotion to detective. And I barely have time to sleep. Adding a second person in my life just isn’t in the cards.
Shoving the thought from my mind, I return to my full case load for the rest of the afternoon. Meeting after meeting with current cases fill it to the brim before the last client walks out of my door around five thirty. My body is physically exhausted, and the idea of slipping into my clawfoot tub with a frosty glass of wine seems like the embodiment of heaven on earth. I