Maine Warden Service Headquarters
Augusta, Maine
“Chief Markel, thanks for taking the time to see me.” I slide into the mahogany chair on the other side of his desk.
His glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose, he scans through some documents.
“Sergeant Taylor, what brings you in this morning?” He doesn’t look up from his work.
Usually, our daily work doesn’t involve the chief, and the only time we ever have to meet with him is for serious reasons that can only be handled by the chief. That has been never in my case. But, if we want something done, we need to go straight to the source.
“Superior job on the Lago case. I read through your scene reenactment. Top-notch.”
“Thank you, sir. But I’m here this morning to ask about Ronan Fields.’”
The chief stops. Looks up and meets my eyes. “Oh?”
“It’s been disclosed to me that there was a hit taken out on me.”
He’s quiet.
“That true?”
The chief removes his glasses from the bridge of his nose and stares. “Where did you hear this?”
“I’m sorry, sir, but I cannot reveal my source.”
The chief sits back in his large leather chair.
I clasp my hands together. “It either is, or it isn’t, Chief. It’s that simple.”
“Sergeant Taylor, if there was a threat put on your life, I sure as hell don’t know about it. I haven’t heard a word on this.”
I shrug. “Rumor is, Dubbs came to law enforcement and snitched out a man named Ronan Fields and that Fields killed Dubbs.”
It isn’t a secret that Dubbs is my father. The Maine Warden Service is aware that my father isn’t on the good side of the law.
“I’ll make some calls and be in touch with you by the afternoon.”
“Thank you, sir.” I stand and shake his hand.
I trust the chief, but I’ve also got to stay diligent in protecting myself, and finding Dubbs has become my mission.
I’m walking through the main floor of headquarters when a hand jerks my arm from behind and pulls me into a dark closet. The door shuts behind me, and my back hits the wall.
Lips meet mine. Soft lips. Hands meet my dick through my pants.
This would be an easy out. Allow my mind to escape just for a few minutes because that’s all it would take.
There are two things I know for sure. One, these lips don’t belong to Merit. Two, I can’t do this with anyone else. Not anymore.
My zipper is eased down, and I can feel her hand against me, pushing herself closer to me.
Fumbling in the dark, I pull her hand from my dick and push her off of me. “Stop, Faynette.”
Though I can’t see her, I know she’s standing in front of me, fucking pissed.
There’s a drawstring light to the left of the small closet, and she pulls it on.
She pulls her shirt open, exposing her gray lacy bra and her overflowing tits. Faynette unhooks her bra and allows her tits to fall. Quickly, she takes my hands and pushes them over her tits, against her erect nipples.
I slowly pull away, trying not to embarrass her. “Faynette. Stop. I’m not doing this with you. Get your shirt buttoned up.” I take a deep breath, putting my hands on my hips, as she buttons her shirt back up. “Look, I’m in love with someone else.”
I’ve never said those words out loud. In fact, I’ve never said those words. In and love were never part of my vocabulary.
“I’ve never taken you for a man with willpower, Ryan,” she says hastily as she finishes her buttons. “I’ve never taken you for a man to be in love. A nomadic heart and good with his dick? Perhaps.” She shrugs. “A troubled childhood and a shitty life are what made you.”
My head jerks back. “What did you say? How the hell would you know what my childhood was like?”
Faynette crosses her arms. “Looked through your file. Look, I had to know what I was getting into before I slept with you.”
I laugh. “Are you fucking kidding me? You looked through my file?”
“Ryan, all you’re good for is a great fucking lay. You’ll never commit. Don’t fool yourself. You’re going to live a long and lonely life, afraid to commit to anyone. Because, one day, you’ll be old. You won’t look the way you look today. You’ll drive your warden truck until you’re sixty-five. They’ll force you into retirement because you can’t seem to keep up with technology. And then you’ll think, as you sit on your porch, drinking your Ensure, I wonder what happened to Faynette.”
As I hear this come from her mouth, I realize she doesn’t know me at all. “Well, you’ve got one thing right, Faynette. I’ll work until I’m sixty-five. But you, on the other hand? I’m not so sure. You’ve just sexually harassed me.”
She laughs out loud, dropping her head, and then stops. “You can’t prove that. Nobody will believe you.”
“That’s the thing about body cams. They’re so damn little that you just can’t see them.”
Faynette’s mouth falls open.
I turn and grab for the door handle. “The thing is, I told you no, and you kept coming at me. I wonder what the chief will think when he sees this. I’d probably start packing your things.”
I leave Faynette in the closet as I quietly shut the door behind me. She’ll need a minute.
Will I turn over the body cam?
Not unless I’m told to do so.
I don’t want to embarrass Faynette.
But, if I’m asked, I’ll be truthful. The camera will corroborate my story.