Like now.
It made matters worse when the second cruiser slowed and swung a wide u-ey to come to a halt behind Crabtree’s.
This did not bode well. One Carnal uniform and that uniform being Crabtree was bad enough, I didn’t want to have to deal with two.
My heart started racing harder as the adrenalin surge spiked and my hand inched toward my purse with my mind on my phone as I kept my eyes out the window then I looked up to see Crabtree had his head turned to the cruiser and his jaw was hard.
Hmm. That was interesting.
I looked to my side mirror and saw a uniform get out, one I’d seen but didn’t know.
“Got this, Frank,” Crabtree called but I kept my eyes to the mirror and watched the second officer continue to approach.
“Need a quick word, Rowdy,” he stated when he got closer.
“In the middle of somethin’, man,” Crabtree replied.
“Need a quick word,” the one called Frank repeated.
“I said, in the middle of somethin’.” Crabtree was getting impatient.
Frank came to a halt a couple of feet from Crabtree and I turned my head to look at him.
“And I said, need a quick word,” Frank returned, his voice low and tight.
Crabtree made an irritated noise and Frank’s shades dipped down at me then he gave me a chin lift.
“Ma’am,” he said.
“Officer,” I replied.
“We’ll have you on your way in a minute,” he informed me and I hoped that meant good things.
At that, Crabtree stalked angrily back to the cruiser and Frank followed him.
I turned forward and waited, eyes glued to the mirror because they were nose-to-nose and it didn’t take a behavior specialist to see the conversation wasn’t about who was going to bring the beer to the Department picnic that weekend.
This lasted awhile, long enough for Crabtree’s face to get red and my heart, already hammering, hammered harder and my skin, already tingling, tingled faster because he was already a dick, I didn’t need to be dealing with an angry dick.
Then Crabtree stepped back, thrust my stuff at Frank, Frank took it and Crabtree stomped to his cruiser. He was in and had it fired up, reversing and nearly clipping Frank who was walking to me as he squealed out and my head turned to watch as he drove thirty yards then did a hair-raising u-ey and sped back into town.
By this time, Frank was at my door and I stopped craning my neck out the window to stare after Crabtree and tipped my head back to him.
He was offering my license and registration to me.
“There you go, Lexie,” he said quietly and I blinked behind my shades at his use of my name but my hand drifted up and I took the documents. “May wanna see to gettin’ to the DMV soon’s you can.” He was still talking quietly.
I nodded and whispered, “Okay.”
“On top a’ that is my card. You get…” he paused then finished, “any further attention, I’m askin’ you to call me. Not Ty. Not Tate. Me.”
What the hell?
“Uh….” I mumbled.
“Smart way to play it,” he kept talking quietly, “not to rile your man or the ones got his back.” I stared at him, stunned he had this info as he paused then finished, “I think you get me.”
I didn’t.