A number of emotions hit me all at once, first shock, then disappointment, followed by the third, anger. I was pissed that he was there, because somewhere in the back of my mind I’d been holding out hope that maybe he wasn’t a bad guy, that maybe he didn’t consort with criminals. But hope was often futile, and mine certainly was.

This was a place for underage kids looking to party and criminals looking for a place to do business. Since Lee wasn’t an underage kid, I had to assume he was the latter. My anger rapidly transformed into determination as I stood and walked toward him, leaving the big guy cuffed on the ground. I half expected Lee to turn and run, but he didn’t. He stood in place. Perhaps he was just as shocked to see me there as I was to see him, or maybe he didn’t think I’d actually arrest him. Well, he was dead wrong on that account.

Somebody must have found out how to cut the music, because it went off suddenly and a stark quiet fell.

“Turn around,” I barked.

“Karla,” Lee began, but I cut him off.

“I said, turn around.”

He must have seen something in my eyes that told him I wasn’t playing games, because his jaw firmed and he turned. I began searching him, my hands moving carefully down his body to check for drugs or weapons.

“You’re under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be used….”

“Snap, wait, will you listen to me for a second?”

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and shook my head.

“Stay quiet,” I clipped out, and continued telling him his rights. He didn’t have anything on him other than a wallet, a set of car keys, a packet of cigarettes, and a lighter. I pulled out my second pair of cuffs. When I looked down, I found that my hands were shaking, and I knew Lee must have felt it, too. A moment elapsed as I tried to gather some calm. My head was swimming, and the noodles I’d eaten earlier were gurgling around in my stomach, waiting for a chance to resurface.

Why did it have to be him? I could’ve handled arresting Lucifer himself, but not Lee.

For the second time in a matter of minutes, time stood still. I stared at his broad, muscular back and quietly gasped when he captured my shaking fingers in his. Everything slowed down, the air around me growing electric and tense. Lee’s thumb slid soothingly down the centre of my palm, and I shivered.

“Relax,” he whispered, and a string deep in my heart pulled tight. I swallowed, tried to steady my breathing, and abruptly shoved his fingers off mine. He made me feel so much, too much, and it was an intimidating task to assert my dominance over a man I desired. A man who was strong and virile, ever the alpha in any environment.

Finally, I snapped the cuffs closed and stepped away, my pulse pounding in my ears. Lee stood in place as I went and helped the other guy to stand, but I could feel his eyes on me the entire time. His friend must have been about two hundred and fifty pounds, so I was surprised he’d managed to run as fast as he did before I caught him.

As I led the two of them out of the building and lined them up next to the others who’d been arrested, I felt my throat grow dry with nerves. DI Jennings was there, barking orders at people, and for a second I had a nightmarish vision of Lee telling her he knew me, that I’d been to his house and that we’d kissed. None of these things were crimes, of course, but, knowing Jennings, she’d find some way to use it against me.

Nerves coiled tight in my belly.

Lee didn’t breathe a word, though. No, he wore a blank expression, hands behind his back, a stoic figure as he stood at the end of the line. I was just about to go and find Tony when Jennings spotted me, lips pinching tightly in my presence.

“Don’t move a muscle, Sheehan. I want you to help keep an eye on this group. Make sure none of them think to do a runner.”

“They don’t strike me as the type to sacrifice a thumb to get the cuffs off, Inspector,” a familiar voice butted in. It was Gavin. This night just kept getting better and better. He held his gun at chest level, his dark hair cropped short to his skull.

“I just gave the constable an order, Matthews, so shut that hole you call a trap and do something productive,” Jennings snapped at him, and I sort of wished we were friends for a second so I could high-five her. Unfortunately, we weren’t, and a second later she was gone, off shouting orders to somebody else like the little Hitler that she was.

“Karla,” said Gavin, giving me a quick sweep up and down. “How’ve you been?”

I was overwhelmingly aware of Lee standing mere feet away, closely watching the exchange. “I was great until I clapped eyes on you,” I replied grumpily, and thought I saw the edges of Lee’s lips curve in smirk.

“Bloody hell, you on the rag or something?” said Gavin, annoyed.

I narrowed my eyes to slits and shook my head. “Just piss off, yeah?”

A couple members of his unit showed up then, alongside a few constables, including Steve. Christ, what was this, the flipping wankers’ convention or something?

A woman who’d been arrested and who was wearing an indecently short sequined dress shivered, holding her arms around herself.

“Would you look at this,” one of the armed police said, eyeing the woman lasciviously. “Didn’t think to bring a coat, did ya, darlin’?”

She scowled at him and he laughed, as did the others. I made eye contact with Lee for a second, and yeah, he was still watching me. His stare was intense. I would have killed to know what he was thinking. His attention flicked to the men, and there was such loathing in his expression that it caught me off guard. He really didn’t like them, not at all. I guess it surprised me because they were cops, but so was I, yet he’d never acted like he hated me. Not once.

“If she brought a coat, she wouldn’t be able to show off those legs, now, would she?” somebody else butted in. Surprise, surprise, it was Steve.

“Or those tits. What are you, love, a D-cup?” said another. The woman looked like she was mentally decapitating each and every one of them, and I couldn’t blame her.

“Oi, you lot,” I called out. “Put your dicks away and go do your jobs.”

“Aw, don’t be jealous, Karla,” said Gavin. “You know I’ll give you a good seeing-to if you ask nicely.”

The men laughed, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Lee bristle, his shoulders tensing and his mouth drawing into a tight line.

“Pity I never had a taste for cocktail sausages,” I threw back, and Gavin’s smile fell instantly, while his buddies let out “ooohs” of amusement. If I wasn’t mistaken, Lee’s chest shook with restrained laughter, and it felt good to get one over on my ex.

Noticing the woman shiver once more, I turned and went over to the ambulance, nabbing a spare blanket for her. When I returned, I draped it around her shoulders, and she shot me a look of thanks.

“If they start in on you again, you let me know, okay?” I said, eyeing her meaningfully. Just because she was at this party didn’t mean she deserved to be berated like that. I sensed Lee watching the exchange, and glanced at him just in time to see Steve recognise who he was. An evil grin graced my coworker’s mouth as he nudged the guy beside him before slinking to the end of the line. I was too far away to hear what they said to him, but Lee looked about ready to blow a gasket.

A moment later DI Jennings was back, instructing us to lead those under arrest to police vehicles, where they were to be transported to back to the station. More than likely, most of them had a night in the cells to look forward to. They’d all been searched, so it was just a matter of paperwork now.

I found myself at the end of the line, right behind Lee. Steve and his friend had cleared off, but for some reason my protective instincts were kicking in. I wanted to stick by Lee to make sure Steve couldn’t get another ego trip out of him.

When we cleared the side of the building, I was vaguely aware of a small gap between two outer walls. Everything happened in rapid succession after that. One minute Lee was walking along in front of me, hands cuffed behind his back, and the next he was turning, using his broad shoulder to back me in between the walls. Since we were at the end of the line, nobody else was there to see what he’d done.

I struggled to get by him, but he leaned his entire weight on me, pinning me to the bricks. His scent invaded my senses and my whole body trembled.

“You have two seconds to let me go or I’m going to start screaming,” I threatened him, my heart rate picking up.

“Don’t shout. Just listen to me. You have to uncuff me, Karla,” Lee said, his voice soft and pleading. There was a desperation in his eyes.

“Why the hell would I do that? Do you know how much trouble I could find myself in?”

Lee’s breath hit my cheeks as he looked at the ground, his posture slumping. “I know. And I’m sorry for asking, but I can’t spend a night in the bin. Believe me.” His blue eyes flickered between mine, pleading with me to do it. I stared back at him, quite literally stuck between a rock and a hard place. Yes, he’d been at the rave. Yes, he was likely involved in some shady dealings. But he hadn’t had anything on him. Letting him go wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, would it?

Swallowing, I asked, “What were you doing here tonight? Because seriously, Lee, from where I’m standing, it doesn’t look good.”

He nodded, some relief shaping his features. “Yes, I know. It looks shitty, and it is shitty. I know this place has no licence, and I know alcohol and drugs were being sold to underage kids, but I was here for my friend. You remember when we spoke on the phone? I told you I was going to my mate’s birthday party. That’s why I was here. His party was inside.”

“In that case, you might want to be a bit pickier when choosing your friends in future. But why is it so important that I let you go? This is hardly a first for you.”

Lee swore under his breath and levelled me with a serious look. “The black eye your boy Steve had? I lied. It was me who gave it to him. I don’t have time to explain right now, but the fucker had it coming. And believe me, if you don’t let me go, sometime tonight that prick is going to round up his buddies and come find me. Let’s just say, I’ll be lucky if I’m not in a hospital bed come the morning.”

As I listened to him speak, it all sank into place. Since Steve was dirty, I well believed he’d put a beating on Lee once he had him locked up. It was difficult to think straight, but in that moment, I knew what I had to do. I had to let Lee go.

“Okay,” I said breathlessly. “Okay, turn around.”

“Thank you,” Lee whispered gratefully, letting his mouth drop to my forehead as he placed a soft kiss on my temple. The contact made me shiver. Unfortunately, just as I was about to pull out the keys to his cuffs, I heard Jennings’ voice shouting loudly, “Where’s Constable Sheehan? She was here only a moment ago.”

“Shit,” I cursed, and swiftly twirled Lee back around, grabbing his arm and pushing him forward.

Jennings was just rounding the corner when we stepped out.

“Sorry, ma’am, this one almost got away from me,” I said breathlessly, while internally I was freaking out. How on earth was I going to get Lee out of spending the night at the station now?

“See that it doesn’t happen again,” she snapped before walking with us back to the patrol cars. Lee was silent as I opened the door, placed my hand on top of his head and gently guided him inside. Tony, who was sitting in the driver’s seat, studied Lee through his overhead mirror, his brow furrowing. I walked around and got in the passenger seat, and then we were off.

“Isn’t that the bloke whose house we visited a few weeks back?” he asked me curiously.

“Yep,” I replied, a brick sinking in my gut.

“Huh.”

“You know, I’m right here. You don’t have to talk about me like I’m in another room,” Lee put in, the comment reflective of his usual cheeky personality. It was the tightness around his eyes that told me he wasn’t as relaxed as he was letting on.

“Shut it,” said Tony, eyeing Lee again with a stern expression.

Lee slumped back in his seat, and silence filled the car. All the way back to the station, I was tense and frazzled, especially since Lee wouldn’t take his eyes off me the whole time. They asked a question: Are you going to help me out of this?

The problem was, now that Tony had recognised him, there was no letting him go. If Lee just so happened to disappear, Tony would come looking in my direction for answers. Since I was on shift for the rest of the night, I determined to keep an eye on Lee and make sure Steve didn’t get him alone.

A couple of minutes later we reached the station, but it was almost three hours before we’d finishing booking everyone. Lee was taken to the cells with a number of other young men, and just as he was being escorted off, I shot him a look of apology. There was really nothing I could do for him, not here at the station where there so many watchful eyes.

I was back on the front desk again when I saw a call come in about a home invasion, so I asked Steve to go check it out. He didn’t look too happy to be sent away, but he didn’t seem suspicious, either. He had no idea that I knew Lee in any capacity other than an official one. Once he was gone, I felt like I could relax, and lost myself in paperwork. By the time my shift came to an end, I was ready to spend the day in bed.

However, as I was making my way outside, rummaging in my bag for my car keys, I spotted Lee and Stu leaving through the opposite door. Stu must have come to collect him, and other than appearing a little tired, Lee didn’t seem any different than usual. Steve hadn’t gotten to him, thank God.

“Hey,” I said, a small bit awkward. “Everything okay?”

Stu wore a hostile expression while Lee glanced at me and replied shortly, “Fine and dandy.”

It was only when he spoke that I heard the strain in his voice, which alerted me to the fact he was walking more stiffly than usual. He stood up straight but held his hand to his stomach as though he was in pain. They were both walking away when I hurried to catch up with them.

“Lee, hold on. Are you sure you’re all right?”

He turned slowly and stared me down, a moment passing between us as my gaze flickered over his face. There were no visible signs that he’d been hurt, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t.

“We need to get going, bruv,” said Stu, hands braced on the roof of his car.

“Are you driving home?” Lee asked, and I nodded.

“Follow us, then, and I’ll buy you breakfast.”

With that he turned and carefully lowered his body into the car. I stood there for a second while Stu’s car hovered just outside the station, as though waiting for me to get a move on. Sucking down a deep breath, I hurried to follow them, and a couple of minutes later we were parking along the street outside a small, rundown café.

Stu went in ahead of Lee, who waited for me to catch up. Despite the fact that he was clearly in pain, he held the door open for me. I stepped by him, murmuring, “You don’t need to do that.”

He only stared at me, and we walked to where a waitress was seating Stu at a table by the window. I was momentarily grateful for the fact that I’d changed out of my uniform and into civilian clothes before leaving the station, because if anyone here knew the Cross brothers, I was sure they’d find it odd to see them eating breakfast with a cop.

The brothers chatted while I sat next to Lee, quiet. I didn’t know how to bring up the questions I wanted to ask him, mainly because of how guilty I felt. Not only had I arrested him, but because of that he’d taken a beating. Unease twisted in my stomach. The waitress returned and took our orders. I asked for coffee and a croissant, while Lee and Stu ordered two full English breakfasts. Silence fell over the table as the brothers eyed me and I grew uncomfortable.

Unable to think of anything to say, I suddenly remembered Tony’s brain teaser from the night before. “Hey, are either of you good with puzzles? There’s this one I’ve been trying to figure out. It goes like this: If it were two hours long, it’d be half as long until midnight as it would be if it were an hour later. What time is it now?”

I thought I saw Lee’s lips form something close to a smile at my rambling. Then, without missing a beat, Stu answered, “Nine p.m.”

I frowned and looked at him. “Oh, have you heard that one before?”

He shook his head. “Nope.”

“Then how did you come up with your answer?”

 “Sixty minutes in an hour. X = 60. Midnight minus 180 minutes = 9 p.m.”

I stared at him wide-eyed, trying to figure out his equation and coming up empty. When I glanced at Lee, he was grinning. Stu got up from the table.

“I’m going to take a slash.”

I sat back, folding my arms. “Well, that was unexpected.”

“Stu’s got dyslexia, but numbers are his thing. I have him do all the accounts at the garage.”

“Seriously? Imagine what he could do if he hadn’t left school so early.”

“Yup.”

I was still contemplating Stu’s unforeseen show of intelligence when Lee began coughing fitfully. He winced as he held onto his stomach.

“Tell me what happened,” I said quietly, moving closer and touching him softly on the arm.

“Prick got to me around four this morning and brought two of his pals. Did a number on my ribs.”

I gasped and found myself scrambling for the hem of his T-shirt, pulling it up and finding two large, dark bruises along one side of his ribcage. “Lee! You need to go to the hospital.”

I was touching him then, frantically running my fingers along his injuries. He let out a gruff breath as he closed his eyes.

“Not that I don’t enjoy you fussing over me, but I’ve had broken ribs before, and these aren’t broken. It looks worse than it feels.”

“It doesn’t look like it feels very good.”

“I’ll heal.”

I couldn’t have been frowning any harder if I tried. “He can’t get away with this. As soon as I clock in for work tomorrow, I’m going to my sergeant and filing a report.”

Lee turned his body, and my hands fell from his bruised ribs. “Karla,” he murmured. “No.” There was a finality to the word that brooked no argument. I argued anyway.

“I’m doing this, Lee. Steve Burrows is a disgrace to the uniform he wears, and he won’t be wearing it much longer if I have my way.” Christ, I might even go to my dad about it.

“It was payback,” said Lee. “And, like the saying goes, she’s a bitch. I’ve had far worse beatings in my time. I’m not having you involved in this. Burrows will get his, never doubt that.” His hand slid along my shoulder before grasping my neck. I closed my eyes for a second, savouring his touch before I shifted away.

“So, why did you give him the black eye?”

“Huh?”

“Last night you told me you lied, that it was you who hit him but you had a reason. What was the reason?”

Lee huffed out a breath. “He came around again looking for money. I sent him on his way, just like I said I would.”

I didn’t like that, didn’t like how seemingly easily violence came to him.

“You hit David, too, to warn him away from Sophie. How long do you think using your fists as a solution is going to last, Lee?”

“If someone hurts my family, I hurt them back. If somebody threatens me with blackmail, I hurt them, too.” Lee shrugged. “I’m not saying I like it, but if you live in a war zone, you don’t survive with peace and love.”

“And what about when you get hurt? You’re hurt now, and you don’t seem to care.”

“Every method has its flaws.”

I stared at him sadly, thinking of the life he’d lived and how it had hardened him. Stu returned to the table then, and a second later the waitress was there with our food. I took my time stirring sugar into my coffee while the brothers dug into their breakfasts.

“These eggs are bullshit,” said Lee. “Have they ever heard of seasoning?”

I couldn’t help but smile, for a moment forgetting my worries. It was sort of cute how much of a foodie he was.

“It’s a greasy spoon,” said Stu, mouth full of bacon. “What do you want?” It sounded more like “whaddayawant.”

“Some cracked black pepper wouldn’t go amiss. Maybe a pinch of sea salt,” Lee replied, goading his brother on.

Stu shook his head and continued shovelling down bacon as he flipped Lee off. I wasn’t too sure if Stu liked me much, but in a strange way I enjoyed watching the two of them interact as siblings. Feeling my phone buzz in my pocket, I pulled it out and found a text message from Tony, informing me that the girl I’d handed off to the paramedics last night had to have her stomach pumped, but she was doing well now. Her parents had been called to the hospital.

I shot off a quick message thanking him for letting me know and glanced up to find Lee watching me. He raised an eyebrow.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” I answered, brow furrowing. “Uh, do you mind if I ask a question you might not like to answer?”

“Hit me.”

I cleared my throat. “Well, there’s this new ecstasy drug all the kids are taking. I helped a girl last night who’d been in a really bad way. You wouldn’t happen to know who’s distributing it, would you?”

Stu whistled low, shaking his head. “You have some balls asking that, Karla.”

Lee shot him a silencing look and turned back to me. “Sorry, but I can’t help you there.”

I knew instantly that he was lying. “So what you really mean is, you know but you’re not going to tell me.”

“I’m not your PI, and I’ll never be a snitch. So, like I said, I can’t help you.”

I narrowed my gaze at him. “Are you involved?”

Stu slammed down his coffee cup. “Fuck me, Constable. You need to stop asking questions.”

Lee seemed offended. “I told you how Mum died. She was a heroin junkie nearly all her life. Liam was born addicted, and it’s a miracle he survived.” He paused to look me dead in the eye. “I’ll never be involved in the drugs trade. Never. There’s your answer.”

I went quiet then, feeling guilty for assuming things about him. Unfortunately, being suspicious and asking lots of questions was second nature to me in my line of work. I finished the rest of my croissant in silence. At some point Stu’s phone rang, and he went outside to take the call.

“So,” said Lee once we were alone. “Now it’s my turn to ask some questions. What’s the story between you and the mouthy fuck with the gun?”

He was asking about Gavin. I should have expected it. “Not much of a story. We used to go out. He cheated on me, so I dumped him. End of.”

“Has he been trying to get back with you?”

I laughed. “No, and even if he was, it’d be a wasted effort. People get one chance with me.”

Lee smiled. “Bit of an ice queen, are we?”

“Not really. I just know that past behaviour is typically an indicator of future behaviour. Dr Phil taught me that.”

“You and Phil are tight, huh?” Lee joked. “I knew you were a cool broad.”

I narrowed my gaze at him, making an effort not to smile and failing. “Make a note — women don’t generally like being referred to as ‘broads,’ cool or otherwise.”

He shifted his body closer, and I noticed his slight wince, reminding me he was still in pain. “Oh, they don’t?”

His face was only inches away from mine, and I couldn’t help staring at his mouth. He had really nice lips; they weren’t too full, but they had a good masculine shape. He also had a strong jaw, and his skin was flawless even though he clearly hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep.

I let out a small yawn, and somehow Lee managed to move even closer. “Tired?”

I nodded. “You must be, too.”

“I’m exhausted. You should come back to mine and sleep with me.”

Inhaling sharply at his words and what they inferred, I shot him a wry expression. “Nice try.”

“I’m being serious, and I do mean sleep.”

I just laughed. He was such a chancer.

“Come on, Snap, don’t leave me sitting here feeling all rejected.”

Shaking my head, I asked quietly, “Lee, why do you like me?” The question had seriously been niggling at me ever since last night. There was clearly no love lost between Lee and law enforcement. In fact, judging by the deathly stares he’d been giving Steve and company, I’d even go so far as to say he hated cops. Therefore, I was genuinely puzzled as to why he was so keen on me.

He reached forward and took a strand of my hair between his fingers. His eyes stayed fixed on it as he answered, “Honestly, I’m still trying to figure that one out.”

What he said intrigued me. “What do you mean?”

He let out a breath and continued to toy with my hair. “When we first met, Alexis told me you were a cop, and, like a greedy little fuck, I wanted what I couldn’t have. Now, Jesus, Karla, I don’t even know. I just…I see you do things, and it kind of obsesses me. Like how you stuck up for that woman last night, or how you want to help me with Steve even though I can take care of myself. I understand it, and at the same time I don’t. Because I help people like you help people, but only if they’re family, only if they mean something. I don’t know why you’d do it for a stranger, someone who’d never do the same for you. When I stand up for my brothers, it’s to protect them and me, but when you stand up for any random person on the street, you’re putting yourself at risk with no payback. So I guess when I look at you, I see a little piece of myself, but braver. That’s why I like you.”

His answer surprised me the hell out of me, and I felt the need to help him understand my motivations. “It’s not so hard to comprehend when you think about it. Have you ever read the newspaper and seen some horrible story about a kid who’s been hurt or killed? Or about innocent people being victimised, and just feel so angry you could burst?”

Lee studied me. “Yeah, once or twice.”

“Well, that’s how I feel all the time. Maybe there’s something wrong with me, but ever since I was a kid, I always worried about people being hurt in the world. It was probably because of my dad’s job and being aware of all the awful things that happen. So I don’t really see it like I’m putting myself out there and getting nothing in return. I see it like I’m fighting against all the bad people, all the killers and rapists and paedophiles. They’re just one big giant wall of badness that I want to disassemble piece by piece. Knowing I do that every day lets me sleep soundly at night.”

Our gazes locked, the both of us silent as we shared a bizarre moment of understanding in a rundown East End café. After what I’d said, he was looking at me like I was the sexiest woman alive, and I wasn’t sure I understood his reaction. Maybe my hero complex was a turn-on.

“You’re kind of incredible,” Lee whispered, his breath on my ear as he bent his head to speak. “You should come back to mine. We’ll go to bed. I’ll even let you keep your clothes on. I’ll hold you tight, and we’ll fall asleep.” He stopped a moment to see if he was convincing me, before continuing in a lower voice. It hit me right in the pit of my stomach. “Then we’ll wake up a little while later. You’ll be wet, I’ll be hard. I’ll peel off your clothes and slip into you so easily, like I was always supposed to be there. Afterward I’ll cook, and we’ll eat dinner in bed. By the time you’re full, you’ll want me in you again.”

I was barely breathing once he finished talking, and my thighs were clenched so tight I was in danger of pulling a muscle. I wanted what he had described so badly it was almost a physical pain to say no.

“I can’t go back with you, Lee,” I whispered. “I’m sorry.”

He frowned at my reply, and I realised his hand had moved as he spoke and was now gripping my upper thigh. I shifted away from his touch just as Stu returned from his phone call, glancing between the two of us.

“All done?”

“Yeah,” said Lee, wiping his hands on a napkin. “We’re done. You can go wait in the car.”

Stu nodded and went back out the door. Lee nudged me with his hip, needing me to stand so he could get out. I rose and so did he, brushing past me as he walked up to the counter, pulling his wallet from his back pocket. When he was done paying, I moved to his side, catching him by the elbow and looking up at him.

“If I wasn’t me and you weren’t you, I’d go home with you in heartbeat. You know that, right?” I told him quietly.

For a second he glanced away, then bent his head to reply, his voice husky, “It’s because you’re you and I’m me that we want each other, Karla. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Before I could stop him his mouth dipped to mine, and he laid a soft, lingering kiss on my lips. His tongue slipped inside for just a moment, like a promise. Without another word he turned to walk away, and I stood there, my heart trying to beat its way right out of my chest.

“Thanks for breakfast,” I whispered, but he was already gone.