I’m already having a crap day. My partner, Decker, and I put a lowlife away last month for dealing drugs outside a junior high school in lower Manhattan, and this morning that bastard got off on a technicality. One of my informants was a no-show at our prearranged meeting, the captain has been on my ass about taking a vacation whether or not I want to, and my sister-in-law is being more of a pain than usual about my love life—or lack thereof.

The point is, my day was a piece of shit already, so by the time I pulled the car into the alley between the warehouse and the restaurant, I was on edge. And my partner knew it. He told me tonight was gonna be an easy night. We know Donavan has been branching out from petty low-level crimes and into the large, more lucrative world of narcotics.

We need to catch him with his contact and try to flip him so we can get the guys he works for. Donavan isn’t very bright, and that works in our favor, but he’s jumpy and paranoid, so it took weeks to get someone to infiltrate his crew. We finally got an in. And tonight, in this alley, we were supposed to get that bastard once and for all.

My undercover guy was in position, as was my team. I ordered them to stay as alert as possible because Donavan has been getting high off his supply and is extra jumpy. He’d shoot a rat thinking it was someone out to get him. It was important that Donavan feel at ease. So imagine my surprise when some crazy-ass lady jumps out of a window and into the dumpster. Right away Donavan begins to shoot at any and everything.

I race out of the car and push the crazy lady out of the way before he can make holes in her. Donavon takes off and Decker goes after him with sirens on. And now, I’m left in this alley, lying on top of this insane nut job. I’m so fucking pissed; it’s all I can do not to lose it. Her face is covered as I yell at her and ask her what the fuck she thinks she’s doing. She removes her hands, and I get a clear view of her face.

She has vibrant, sparkling grey eyes that pull me in and make even the thought of looking away painful. Her small frame and delicate features make her look more like a doll than a grown woman. But one look at the slope of her breasts and the curve of her hips lets me know she is all grown up. We lock eyes. I hate her. Mostly.

Aside from ruining my night, she awakened my cock, and damned if it’s not seeking her out. What’s even more insane is she’s fresh from the dumpster, dipped in trash and slime. And yet, I have never seen a woman more beautiful…

Well, beautiful or not, this crazy woman just screwed up an operation that took three months to plan. And she will damn sure pay for it.

Her name is Winter Bennett, and she’s stubborn as fuck. She fights tooth and nail not to have to go to the hospital. After the EMT guys check her out, they tell her she’s good to go. But that’s not gonna happen.

“Get in the car,” I order her.

“I don’t need a ride,” she says dismissively.

“Hey lady, I’m not your fucking driver and this damn sure ain’t a car service. I’m taking you down to the station.”

“What? You’re arresting me?”

“Not yet, but the night is young,” I reply as I open the back of the squad car and watch her get in. She’s so pissed her face is red, and she’s glaring at me like I’ve just killed her dog or something. I tell one of the uniforms to drive her to the station and I will follow. As the car drives away, “Ms. Charm School” turns and gives me the finger. Decker runs towards me and tell me that Donavan is in the wind. Fuck.

“We have a BOLO on him but for now, he’s gone,” Decker says.

“Let’s send a couple of units to his ex-girl’s house in Queens. They’re not together anymore but she might know where he’s likely to run to.”

“I’m already on it. What’s the deal with the dumpster diver chick?” he asks.

“I had them take her in.”

“Wyatt, you think she’s a part of this?”

“In my gut, no. But she’s screwed this up for us and I just want to make sure she has nothing to do with this investigation.”

“Did she say why she jumped out of a window?”

“No, but I’m guessing it was to get away from someone, a boyfriend maybe.”

“Well shit, how bad does he have to be for her to prefer the trash?”

“There are plenty of times I’d pick the trash over facing one of my exes. Hell, leaping into a dumpster might be the smartest thing she’s done.”

“You’re right. I should have picked the dumpster a few times myself. Like on my wedding day. That way, I wouldn’t have to deal with the shit storm I’m in now,” he says bitterly. I can tell he’s thinking about his soon-to-be ex-wife because his face is twisted in anger. Decker is an easy-going guy and a really fucking good cop. But his ex has done some really messed-up shit, and now it’s easier to get out of a war-torn country than to get out of his marriage.

“You need help with the nut job?” he asks.

“Nah, I got it. Go home. Get some rest. We’ll regroup in the morning.”

Decker nods back towards me. “By the way, stay away from her. The hot ones are always the craziest.”

***

It’s easy to see she doesn’t belong in an interrogation room. Her big eyes scan her surrounding with uncertainty. I introduce myself. She remains silent. I study her. She’s even more mesmerizing than I first thought. I place a notepad in front of her and ask for her statement. When she’s done, she slides it across the table to me.

“You need to let me go. I didn’t do anything wrong,” she says firmly. Her tone wants to come off as in control and in command. But it’s easy to see that behind her eyes, she’s panicking. I’m pretty sure she’s not involved but I need to know for sure. I also find the thought of letting her walk away from me…unsettling.

“You have no idea who this man is or what he does for a living?” I ask as I place the mugshots of Donavan on the table in front of her.

“No,” she says with an attitude.

“And what about these guys?” I ask as I place pictures of Donavan’s crew before her. She shakes her head.

“Why did you jump? Did some woman enter the restaurant and find you with her man?”

“What? No!” she says, clearly affronted.

“Then what could have been so bad that you had to jump?”

“If you must know, I was running from an ex. Okay?”

“So, just to be clear, you’re single?” I ask before I can stop myself.

“Does that matter?”

“I ask the questions here. Not you.”

“You’re holding me here against my will. So am I under arrest?”

“No.”

“Then I can go.”

“Yeah, you can.”

“Good,” she says as she marches towards the door.

“Hey,” I call out.

“What?!”

“Your ex was a dick.”

“You don’t even know him,” she says.

“It’s an educated guess.”

“The shots must have sounded closer than they were, right? I mean, how close did I come to…” Her voice trails off.

She came very damn close to a bullet in the head. Had I gotten to her a fraction of a second later, we’d be making notifications to her family. But I can’t bring myself to say that to her, not seeing the terror in her eyes as tonight’s events begin to sink in.

“Donavan is a lousy shot,” I lie.

She nods and gives me a small smile but it’s not real. She’s freaking out. She’s just doing it internally. I get it. She turns towards the door and I spot her hands shaking. Crap.

“Hey, I’ll take you home.”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Yeah, I know. Still taking you home.”

“I can refuse,” she pushes.

“Let’s go,” I order as I walk towards her. I open the door and wait for her to walk through it.

“You don’t have my permission to take me home, Mr. Hunter,” she says, gritting her teeth.

“Here’s what you need to know about me: I don’t ask permission.”