“You just beam whenever you talk about her, and it’s even worse when you’re around each other. It’s sickeningly sweet. I love it.”
A blushing Ryan reached for the phone vibrating at her hip.
Seeing the number, she glanced up at Jake just as he rolled his eyes and gestured with his hand to hurry up and answer it.
“Hello,” Ryan responded.
“Hi, baby. How is your day going?”
“It’s much better now. How’s yours?”
“It’s going great. Your mother is a blast. We’ve been playing cards, but I’m starting to think she cheats.” When Ryan burst out laughing, she asked, “What’s so funny?”
“Tobi, my mother is a card shark. No matter what game she’s playing, she always wins. Don’t ask me how she does it because I have no idea.”
“Figures,” she said with a chuckle. “Not much going on, huh?”
“Nope, just a drunk who decided to use the cruiser as his personal puke pan.”
“That’s disgusting, Ryan. Whatcha doing now?”
“Jake and I stopped for a late lunch. We’re waiting for the food to get here. Have you been taking it easy?”
“Would your mother have it any other way?”
As the waitress set their lunch and drinks down, Ryan took a sip of her tea. “Mmm, not likely, honey. I’m glad to hear it, though; the rest is good for you.”
“I won’t keep you. I just wanted to tell you that I’m thinking about you and I love you.”
“I love you, too. Tell Mom I said hello.”
Ryan heard her relay the slightly muffled message. “She said hello back, honey, and not to spoil your dinner because she made your favorite.”
“Oh, chicken and noodles?”
“Yes,” Tobi said, laughing. “Be careful. I’ll see you later.”
“You got it, sweetheart.”
Ryan closed the phone and looked to an amused Jake. “Don’t even think about it,” she said with a raised eyebrow. She knew Jake well enough to know that if she let him get started, she would never hear the end of it. He loved to tease her, and it didn’t matter what it was about.
They finished lunch, dropped some money on the table, and headed back out. The last couple of shifts had been relatively quiet, so they both expected all hell to break loose at some point.
What they didn’t expect was for it to happen with only forty-five minutes left to their shift. They had been making regular rounds through the river bottoms after several reports of suspicious activity in the area. For over a week, they hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary, but on this day, they saw two unfamiliar cars in front of one of the warehouses. As they pulled around back, Ryan called in their location.
“I haven’t noticed these cars down here before, have you?”
Jake inquired.
“No. I’ve not seen either of them this past week. I’ll go around the left side.”
“I’ll meet you around front,” he said, heading toward the right.
Ryan kept her back to the wall and her weapon braced between both hands, and quietly made her way toward the front. A quick glance around the edge of the building showed that Jake was already in position. She scanned the perimeter and noticed there were three men, two of whom were in a heated discussion. As their hands gestured at each other, Ryan could see one of the men holding a gun. She glanced back at Jake, and he acknowledged that he saw the weapon, as well. Ryan thumbed her walkie-talkie, calling for backup. She and Jake kept surveillance on the situation while waiting for backup to arrive. Ryan couldn’t hear the conversation between the men, but the aggressive nature of those hand gestures and the raised voices put her on edge.
Fuck! We can’t wait any longer or this situation is going to
get out of control really fast.
She looked at Jake and circled her finger in the air. He nodded his agreement and stepped forward to announce their presence.
They would subdue first and ask questions later.
“Police! Drop the gun and put your hands on your head!”
The two men immediately quit arguing and turned to Jake. He stood with his weapon trained on them as the man with the gun threw it to the ground and raised his hands in the air.
“Shit!” he exclaimed, as Jake got closer to him.
“Turn around and put your hands on the car.” Seeing the other hesitate, Jake replied, “That means both of you.” As he patted them down and placed them in cuffs, Ryan knew Jake had not seen the third man stooped behind the car.
Ryan kept him in her sights as she walked closer to the car. He was standing on the other side, so she could not see his hands, but from his body language, she could tell he was becoming impatient.
She got as close as she could without exposing herself when he swiveled his head toward her and glared.
“Put your hands where I can see them!”
As if in slow motion, the man jumped across the hood of the car, putting Jake between himself and Ryan. Seeing no other option, he took off toward the back of the building.
“Damn!” Ryan mumbled as she holstered her weapon and ran past Jake. She rounded the corner in pursuit and could hear Jake talking to Dispatch asking where backup was. She caught a glimpse of the man turning left and knew he was headed toward the docks. If she didn’t cover some ground fast, he would be lost among the crates scattered about. She increased her stride and arrived on the docks a few seconds behind him as he darted behind the first large crate and disappeared from sight.
Ryan drew her weapon and crouched behind the same crate before slowly making her way around it. Pivoting, she swung into a squatted stance and took aim. The man was nowhere in sight, so she skimmed the area before moving ahead. Without making a sound, Ryan weaved around the various crates and barrels, eventually coming upon a large metal container where she stopped and listened. What sounded like a light scratching noise was coming from the other side. Ryan slid along the side and peered around the edge to see a cord hanging loosely from a tarp that was gently blowing in the breeze and rubbing against the crate. She barely had time to react as she turned and a large shoulder hit the right side of her chest, knocking her to the wooden floor and sending her gun clattering. Casting a glance over her shoulder, Ryan could see the rippling water of the river below.
Shit!
She scrambled to her feet as the attacker tried to wrap his arms around her shoulders, but a well-placed elbow to his gut and the back of a fist to his nose sent him sprawling.
“C’mon man, you don’t wanna do this,” Ryan said, holding a hand out to ward him off.
“How do you know what I want, bitch?”
Climbing back to his knees, he jumped at her. Ryan stood stock still, catching Jake out of the corner of her eye, hurling himself toward the man. In the process of intercepting him, Jake stumbled into Ryan. Her feet lost purchase on the dock, and her arms flailed as she tumbled into the ice cold depths of the water below. She gasped and inhaled a mouthful of water before sinking below the surface. As she drifted toward the bottom, Ryan kicked her feet to propel herself back toward the surface. Lungs burning, her head finally emerged. She felt several pairs of hands grab and pull her to the dock. Ryan coughed and hacked until eventually she rolled to her knees and vomited. She remained hunched down on her knees and rested her forehead against the wooden planks.
Trying to take deep breaths, Ryan felt a warm hand against her back and one on her arm.
“You okay, Thomas?”
“Yeah,” Ryan rasped.
“Let’s get you up then.”
With Jake’s help, she got to her feet, wincing at the ache in her ribs and chest. While they watched the man being led away from the dock in cuffs, Jake placed a blanket around her shoulders. She brought her left arm across her chest to hold her sore right ribs, then walked carefully back to the patrol car with him. Jake held the door for her as she gingerly eased her aching body down onto the seat. Jake helped her buckle her seat belt, shut the door, and climbed into the driver’s side.
“Do you need to go to the hospital?”
“I’m okay, just a little sore and cold,” Ryan said, shivering.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive.”
“Okay then, I’m going to take you home. I’ll go in, do the reports, and you can check them tomorrow.”
“My car is at the station, and Tobi is at Mom’s, so I need to pick her up. Why don’t you just take me to the station, and I’ll go home from there.”
“You gonna be all right to drive?”
Ryan rolled her head to the side and looked at him. “I’ll be fine.” She held his gaze a few moments before he finally nodded.
“I’m really sorry about that. I never meant to knock you into the water.”
Ryan placed her hand over his and squeezed gently before turning her head back and closing her eyes. “I know that, Jake.
I’m just glad you were there. He’d already gotten in a good shot to my ribs. Thanks for saving my butt.”
“That’s what partners are for,” he said as he handed Ryan her retrieved weapon.
Jake started the car and headed toward the precinct.
Tobi knew Ryan was supposed to be home almost an hour ago and began to worry. She glanced at the clock for the umpteenth time when she noticed Grace quietly observing her.
“She’ll be home soon, honey.”
“I know. It’s just that with everything going on, I guess I’m a little more anxious than usual.”
“I understand. Would you like another cup of coffee?”
“Actually, that sounds really good.”
Tobi followed her into the kitchen and watched as she finished filling their cups before speaking. “I really appreciate your letting me spend the day here. I’ve enjoyed it, and I know Ryan felt better.”
“It was my pleasure, Tobi. I liked having the opportunity to spend time with you. I happen to think you are a delightful young woman, and my daughter is lucky to have you in her life.”
Tobi demurely replied, “I feel like the lucky one, Grace. Your daughter is an amazing woman.”
“I happen to think so, but then, I’m her mother,” she said, smiling. “I hope you’ll always feel welcome in my home whether it’s with Ryan in tow or not.”
“I already do.”
They heard a car and made their way to the front of the house.
Tobi stood off to the side and waited while Grace opened the door.
“Good Lord, Ryan, what happened to you?” Grace asked with concern.
Soaking wet from head to toe and shivering, Ryan made her way into the house. Tobi scrutinized her closely but didn’t see any visible signs of injury. She noticed, however, that Ryan was moving rather gingerly.
“Are you okay, honey?”
“Yeah, I’m just freezing.”
“What happened?” Ryan’s mother asked.
“Well, we came across some unusual activity down at the river bottoms and while we were taking the men responsible into custody, one took off. I ran after him and followed him down to the docks. To make a long story short, Jake took him down but not before knocking me over the edge of the dock and into the water.”
With a sigh of relief, Grace replied, “Well, I’m glad you’re all right. Raef still has some clothes upstairs. Why don’t you go on up and take a hot shower before dinner?”
“Thanks, Mom. I’ll be right back down.”
Tobi watched as she made her way up the stairs before looking back to Grace. Taking her eyes off her daughter, Grace glanced at Tobi, and with a gesture of her head, said, “Go ahead.
I’ll holler when dinner’s ready.”
“Thanks,” Tobi said, hurrying up the steps. She met Ryan coming out of one of the bedrooms. Sweats and socks in hand, Ryan stopped and regarded her silently.
Tobi took her hand and said, “C’mon.” Walking into the bathroom, Ryan set the clothes on the counter and with shaking fingers attempted to unbutton her shirt.
“Here, let me.” Tobi moved Ryan’s hands aside, unbuttoned her shirt, and pulled it from her shoulders. As she tugged the shirt off, Tobi noticed Ryan’s white T-shirt clinging to her, revealing her well-defined torso. Tobi grasped the edge of the shirt and pulled it up and over Ryan’s head. She felt a quick stab of desire that was immediately extinguished when Ryan whimpered.
Dropping her eyes to Ryan’s chest, she could see a large mottled bruise already forming from just under her arm all the way down the side of her ribs and under her right breast.
“Is this where he got you?” Tobi asked as her fingers lightly moved across Ryan’s skin.
“Yeah,” Ryan said, kicking off her shoes and undoing her belt.
With some effort, she attempted to push her wet pants down her hips. Tobi watched her struggle, then knelt and peeled off Ryan’s pants. She removed her socks and took a cold foot between her hands.
“Let’s get you into the shower. You’re like ice.”
Tobi helped her out of her bra and panties then stepped aside so she could enter the shower. Ryan adjusted the water and stepped beneath the spray.
Tobi pulled the curtain. “I’ll be right here if you need anything.”
“Um, do you think you could help me wash my hair? It pulls too much when I raise my arms.”
“Sure.”
She slipped out of her clothes and climbed into the shower.
“Turn around, sweetheart.” Tobi released the band holding Ryan’s hair back and poured shampoo into her palm. She used her fingers and nails to massage the clean-smelling gel throughout Ryan’s hair before rinsing it out and applying the conditioner. Tobi lathered up a washcloth and gently ran it over Ryan’s bruised body.
“You don’t have to do that,” Ryan murmured.
“I know I don’t, but I want to, so just relax.”
As the water washed away the remaining soap and conditioner, Tobi leaned in and enclosed Ryan lightly within her arms to place a kiss above her right breast. Ryan wrapped her arms around Tobi and ran the tip of her tongue across Tobi’s bottom lip. She nipped lightly at Tobi’s top lip before slipping her tongue into her mouth. Heat coursed through Ryan’s body as their tongues melded. “I love you,” Ryan whispered through the intoxicating kiss. She shifted their positions, so Tobi’s head would not get wet then leaned her back against the wall and slid a silky thigh between her open legs. Moaning from the contact, Ryan pulled her lips from Tobi’s and nuzzled her way down her neck.
She brought her hand up Tobi’s side and clasped a nipple between her fingers, gently rolling it.