To Protect And Serve Part 7

v * 68 *

Alex clutched the rough steering wheel cover of her old Mercedes, marveling at the contrast to Keri's soft skin only minutes before. Her body reacted immediately to the tactile sensation, as it had then, with a strong bolt of s.e.xual energy. Her nerve endings vibrated with a need bordering on addiction. How had her feelings gotten so out of control so quickly?

It all started with that d.a.m.n skimpy out t. The water-spotted T-shirt had the same effect on Alex that it would've on the hormonally challenged male of the species at a wrestling match. She'd never wanted to simultaneously strip and completely swaddle someone's body before. She'd managed to avoid Keri's first attempt at contact, but her gut registered a desire for that touch much deeper than Alex could've imagined.

It had been a long time since anyone aroused her interest, emotionally or s.e.xually, so it was only natural that she responded to the deadly combination of beauty and honesty. The latter was something Alex had always craved in her relationships and seemed unable to nd.

Keri Morgan seemed to spout the truth like an innocent child, unaware of its impact or implications and unsure why others should care.

Her compa.s.sion and empathy in the locker room affected Alex deeply. And the courage it must've taken for Keri to physically reach out to her again tugged at something well buried. How had they gotten so close, close enough for her to effortlessly stroke Keri's arms and caress her full, hot lips? Sensory memory sent a shard of uncontrolled pa.s.sion down Alex's body and she mashed her foot against the accelerator to stop it.

As the car shot forward, Alex thought, she too was charging toward a collision with this train of thought. Had she actually confessed her fear of being touched to a subordinate while in a l.u.s.t-induced haze?

Then she'd leaned against Keri and almost kissed her. Almost kissed her, for G.o.d's sake. Miraculously, Keri hadn't pulled away. Her eyes closed and those gorgeous lips opened in an invitation Alex wanted desperately to accept. Keri had wanted that kiss as much as she did.

Longing coursed through her anew as she relived the softness of Keri's skin under her ngers and the heat of her breath.

When she was near Keri Morgan, the well-de ned and never-violated boundaries between work and personal life blurred unrecognizably. But it was her job to maintain those boundaries at all * 69 *

costs. Anything else was out of the question. An attraction to someone as vibrant, open, and candid as Keri was easy to imagine. But they were like antipodal points of a sphere, exact opposites. And just like the softly curving sides of a sphere, people had the capability of changing and melding into one another.

Stop it, Alex cautioned herself. s.e.xual chemistry was understandable and could be enjoyed at a safe distance through fantasy, but that's where it had to end. Keri Morgan was the job and the job was Keri Morgan. Repeat it until you believe it.

Alex tried to remember what Keri had said to her as she exited the gym. Something about a decision regarding the task force, but the demanding pulses between her legs had made rational thought impossible. She only knew she had to get away from Keri quickly.

What if she'd agreed to work with the team? As Alex pushed the garage door opener and pulled inside, she wondered if she'd be able to keep her double-crossing emotions in check and remain focused on the a.s.signment. Stacey Chambers deserved her best, and a eeting lapse into previously contained pa.s.sion wasn't going to interfere with her determination to nd justice for the young woman. Her professional integrity demanded nothing less.

But what about her integrity where Keri Morgan was concerned?

She'd already violated her number one rule: Don't even think about getting involved with a subordinate. That coupled with their unresolved history spelled disaster. Not to mention the other deception Alex was perpetrating. She had led Keri to believe she had to compete for the task force a.s.signment just like everyone else. If Keri found out that the chief had all but ordered her inclusion, she would probably consider the interview another betrayal by Alex. Maybe she should tell her. After all, Alex had put her through the process because she genuinely intended to see how she stood up on her own merits. But would Keri understand that or see another reason to distrust her?

Distrust seemed to be a theme with Keri, an unsettled past, secrets about the a.s.signment, and Alex's own annoying attraction to the woman. Needless to say, there was more than one con ict of interest.

But Alex had risen in her career predominately by handling con icts.

She thought about the last task force she'd worked on and the myriad of problems with Helen. Her ambition had made Alex's look like a childhood dream. She'd commanded the organized crime team and * 70 *

Alex with unquestionable authority. To Helen, bending the rules a little was acceptable to achieve the desired results, and those results had everything to do with making her look good and receive the glory.

Alex didn't plan to let Helen jeopardize this investigation with her questionable tactics or her overt attempts to bed her. Thoughts of her time with Helen still stirred an array of emotions Alex could not control; fortunately, the bad times outweighed the good and made it easier to stay focused on the main priority-this a.s.signment. And Keri was a big part of this task force, a.s.suming she'd decided to accept the opportunity. How would she gure into the mix: in a new position, working for someone she despised, chasing a drug dealer who could very possibly be a killer, watching acrimonious lovers at each other's throats, and dodging a supervisor with a crush on her?

Alex sighed. Why did combining attractive women and police work always involve drama?

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* 72 *

CHAPTER SIX.

Any chance of restful sleep vanished into visions of Alex's full, moist lips coming closer to hers again and again through the night. The uttering in her stomach woke Keri long before the alarm sounded. She listened to her father make coffee in the kitchen as he did most days since her mother's health began to decline. Coffee had been her job, but now he prepared it the very same way, even though he never drank it.

Her body craved caffeine and the complete muscular meltdown she knew would follow her morning run with Pat. She dressed quickly and started down the hall, pausing to tiptoe into her mother's bedroom.

Marie Morgan opened her eyes when Keri dropped a light kiss on her forehead, and gazed at her with the blank look that was becoming more and more frequent. She attempted a weak smile before she drifted back into the dark void that was consuming her life.

"Coffee?" Bobby Morgan motioned toward the steaming pot when Keri shuf ed into the large country kitchen. His coveralls showed wear on the outsides of the pockets where he rubbed his weathered hands as he looked over the garden from their kitchen window every morning.

"Thanks. Been up long, Dad?" Keri grabbed her usual coffee mug with the Granville PD logo from the dish tray and poured it full of the steaming brew.

"A while." He didn't look at her much when she spoke, and she understood why. Her resemblance to her mother was uncanny, and some days she sensed he just couldn't bear it. It must be one of those days. He swept back his thinning gray hair, not bothering to comb it anymore.

* 73 *

"I've been checking on the garden. The peas and new potatoes are coming in."

Keri's chest tightened. Her mother loved sweet peas and new potatoes. They picked the first batch together every year and ate them for supper the same night. Her father would be thinking about that, too.

She gave a phony cough and changed the subject. "I had my interview for that drug task force a.s.signment yesterday." She glanced sideways at Bobby Morgan, always afraid he'd slip back into his angry default response.

"Are you going to do it?"

Keri thought about her decision anew. It would be her first major a.s.signment, and all the other of cers on the team wanted to make a name for themselves with this case. There was Alex to contend with every day. She was like a splinter in the back of Keri's mind, always just beneath the surface, waiting to be teased out and nally exposed.

"Yes, I want this chance," she said.

He turned away from the window to face her. "You're sure?" His voice cracked. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Yeah, I have to do it." Keri knew she couldn't explain to her father that he, as much as her mother and Josh, was part of her decision.

"You gotta do what you think is best. I understand that." He shoved his hands inside his faded bib pockets. "Keri, I want to talk to you about something."

Keri's muscles tensed and her hands sted automatically. "We don't have to talk about it."

"We do...someday, maybe not today, but soon."

"It'll keep. We've got vegetables to pick."

Keri took another sip of the rich, dark coffee, washed her cup, and placed it back on the drain board. "I've got to go. Pat's waiting for me.

I've got just enough time to get Mom dressed. I'll help with the garden when I come home."

Bobby Morgan reached out to pat her on the shoulder, and then pulled back. He took a deep breath as if his next thought was painful, changed his mind, and settled on, "Just be careful."

v * 74 *

Alex glared at the phone coiled like a predator on the edge of her ancient desk. So far the calls to DEA and the Caldwell Police Department had gone smoothly. Their of cers would be reporting for duty in the morning. The last call, the one she'd avoided all afternoon, was to the Layton Police Department. Alex leaned an elbow on her desk and propped her forehead in her hand. Her droopy eyelids grated.

She felt like she hadn't slept in days. Her mind refused to let go of last night's near kiss in the gym. Every time she thought about Keri, feelings ooded through her in waves. Emotions she'd tucked carefully away poked at her and demanded attention, and her body throbbed with a wanting she hadn't experienced in years. The need for an intimate human connection gnawed at her insides.

Frustrated with her lack of focus, she picked up the phone. She had an appointment to get to later this afternoon and she needed to get this conversation out of the way. It would help if she could concentrate enough to form coherent sentences. Alex steeled herself as she dialed.

"Captain Callahan, Tactical Division, can I help you?"

The voice cut through Alex with precision. It plunged into her heart and stuck there, slicing deeper with each ragged breath. "This is Lieutenant Troy with the Granville Police Department."

After the slightest pause from the other end, Helen Callahan's voice changed to liquid s.e.x. "Well, aren't we formal today, darling? To what do I owe this de nite pleasure?"

"You know why I'm calling, Helen. It's about the Sonny Davis task force. I understand of cers Siler and Fields are under your command.

I need to arrange-"

"Slow down. Don't I even get a h.e.l.lo and how're you doing? It's been almost a year."

"This is business. Let's keep it that way. Can your of cers report for a.s.signment in the morning at ten hundred?" Alex knew Helen's tactics and waited for the inevitable barrage of personal comments and s.e.xual innuendo.

"I think we should get together and talk about it first. I left a message at your home, but you didn't return my call. Can we meet for drinks after work? Please, honey, I've missed you."

Helen's sultry voice was the de nition of phone s.e.x. In spite of her best attempts at control, Alex felt herself responding. She closed * 75 *

her eyes and was back in the elevator in Helen's apartment building ve years ago, Helen's hands cupping her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, teasing her nipples into pinpoints of erection and that exquisite mouth and tongue working feverishly between her legs, licking and sucking the life out of her one pleasurable morsel at a time.

"Alex...are you still there?"

Alex's nails dug into the esh of her palms. Summoning darker memories of her drunken ex, she regained her composure. "No, Helen, I won't meet you for drinks. Just have your people at the meeting on time."

Before Helen had a chance to snare her in further with her verbal foreplay, Alex dropped the receiver noisily in its cradle and scooted her chair back. Plopping her feet on the corner of the desk, she took a deep, relieved breath. Afternoon sun spilled into her of ce through the antiquated metal crank windows around the room. Its warmth induced another wave of sleepiness and Alex let her thoughts retreat from the bitterness of Helen to take sanctuary in Keri.

An authoritative knock on the door disrupted her musings and she dropped her feet to the oor, calling, "Come in."

The face she couldn't dislodge from her mind appeared around the corner of the door. "Your secretary wasn't in. Am I disturbing you?"

Disturbing was certainly an interesting way to describe the jolt of excitement that ran through Alex at the sight of Keri Morgan. Her pulse escalated and heat rose to the surface of her skin. She remembered the caress of Keri's breath on her face as they'd almost kissed and involuntarily licked her lips.

"No." Alex motioned for Keri to take one of the chairs in front of the desk. She was thankful for the physical barrier between them.

"What can I do for you, Of cer Morgan?"

Keri hesitated. It had been too long since those amazingly deep brown eyes gazed into hers. The last time, Keri knew what she'd seen in them and knew Alex had seen the same yearning in her. Now she was mesmerized by the slight upward curve at the corners of Alex's mouth. She couldn't explain the simultaneous feelings of disbelief and exhilaration for the woman she'd once considered her archenemy. She didn't understand when she'd begun to see Alex Troy differently, when her feelings started to change. And more importantly, she wasn't sure what, if anything, it meant.

* 76 *

"I tried to tell you last night." She ushed with the memory of Alex's lips so close to hers. "I've made a decision about the task force a.s.signment."

Alex held her breath as her pulse pounded deafeningly in her ears.

She started to send up a silent prayer for the answer she wanted but realized she was no longer sure what that was.

"I'd like to be on the task force, if it's not too late." Even as she said the words, Keri questioned her own motives. She wanted the chance to prove herself in Narcotics, but now, perhaps just as much, she wanted to gure out this enigma that was Lieutenant Alex Troy. Walking away was no longer an option, professionally or personally.

Alex released a long breath, unsure if she felt defeat at having to accept Keri on the team or relief that she would now have a legitimate excuse to spend more time with her. The quiver of arousal in her core hinted at an answer she wasn't ready to acknowledge. "The last time we spoke, you had serious reservations." Amazed that her voice sounded even, she asked, "Have you resolved your concerns?"

"I'm not sure anything has been resolved." Keri sat back in the chair and crossed her jeans-clad legs, muscles bulging along their length in a seductive dance of invitation. "All I know is that I very much want a chance to work on the team."

"And what about our history-the investigation-can you let that go? This case is too important to let personal feelings get in the way."

Alex felt hypocritical as the annoying ache between her legs persisted just being in close proximity to the young woman.

Keri wanted to be honest and rea.s.sure Alex, but words failed under the searching look Alex was giving her across the desk. Something in her expression tugged at Keri's heart and in that moment, she ached to give Alex whatever she seemed to be asking for, if only she could be sure what it was. Alex cleared her throat, obviously awaiting an answer.

Of course, Lieutenant Troy was all about business. Anything else Keri wanted to read into her stare was all about her own tangled-up fantasies and s.e.xually deprived libido.

Alex continued, "I want us to have a very clear understanding about this. If you're willing to put the past behind us, I'm willing to move forward, to start fresh."

"All I really want is to be treated fairly," Keri said. "If you can promise that, I promise I'll put everything else behind me." Keri * 77 *

wondered if she would ever be able to leave the memory of Alex's touch behind. The thought of it heated her esh still.

Alex studied Keri's expression and body language for signs of deception. Seeing none, she said, "Good, it sounds like we agree."

"Great. When do we start?" Keri's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.

In spite of her best efforts to stay focused on work, Alex wished she was the reason for that glimmer of excitement. But now that the deal was done, she had no choice but to put thoughts like those out of her head and do what she did best-run a professional, focused investigation.

"The first meeting is here in the morning at ten hundred hours. At that time we'll make the a.s.signments and develop a game plan." The usual ease with which Alex shifted into supervisory mode was disrupted by a nagging thought. She was now the one who would decide how deeply involved Keri became in the case, who would place her in harm's way. Only she would be ultimately responsible if anything happened to her. A shiver ran up Alex's spine as the realization fully registered. "To protect and serve" suddenly took on a whole new meaning-a personal one with the highest stakes of her career.

"Keri, this case could prove dangerous. We've already tied the deaths of several coeds to the same batch of street drugs, and there's the possibility that Stacey Chambers's death may also be connected. If we can prove the bad ecstasy is coming from Sonny Davis, we'll have a good chance of indicting him on more than just drug charges. But in order to do that, we need much more evidence."

"It sounds like you're trying to talk me out of this before we even get started." Keri c.o.c.ked her head to one side and gave Alex a mischievous grin. "I'm not afraid of hard work, and you've already seen that I don't scare easily. Not administratively and not on the street."

Keri's point was clear. She hadn't backed down in the past, or during the hostage call. Alex could respect that determination; in fact, she intended to use it. Keri could turn out to be quite an a.s.set in an investigation like this. Already Alex's mind raced at the possibilities.

She'd ruled out in ltration so far, but having a beautiful young woman on the team could change that equation.

"I just want to make sure you know what you're getting into,"

Alex said.

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"I do, Lieutenant, and I'm in all the way. I've developed some pretty good informants. We might be able to use one of them."