Dawson
“Looks like a .22,” Kyle Wilson, my partner of four years, said. He held out the shell casing to me. “What do you think?”
I didn’t have to examine it to know. “Yeah, it’s a .22.”
I looked at my partner, his expression as grave as my own. This was the fourth home burglary in this general area within the last month. Though, this was the second one that had the additional element of homicide. In both cases, the perp used a .22 slug to shoot and kill his victim.
“Think it’s the same guy?” Kyle asked.
I stepped around the body, working my way about the disheveled room. “The point of entry was the same at all four residences. All took place within the same time frame—sometime between midnight and three in the morning. And none of the houses had security systems.” I nodded, my face grim. “Yeah, I’d say it’s the same bastard.”
“Lovely,” Kyle muttered dryly. “The son of a bitch is escalating. Nothing like good news to start your weekend off right.”
We removed our crime scene gloves and exited the house, letting forensics take over and do their thing. It felt so odd that it should be such a beautiful day outside when an innocent man was dead inside that house.
But homicides happened every day, rain or shine.
That was the sad reality of our job and the world we lived in.
Kyle sat in the passenger seat as I drove us back to the station. We had both gotten out of Narcotics at about the same time, and had been partnered together right off. We balanced each other out, so it was a good fit. He was the smartass to my hard ass. He was the smile to my scowl. Even when I wanted to punch him out, I still loved the guy.
“Thought anymore about the promotion?” he asked after lighting up a cigarette.
The one bad habit I’d never started. Which, in a cop’s world, showed remarkable willpower.
“All the time,” I answered honestly. “But I still don’t have an answer.”
He flicked the cherry out the window and took another pull on the tobacco stick. “What’s your deadline?”
I tilted my head to the side to rub the tension out of my neck. “Lieutenant Allen gave me a month.”
It was quiet in the car for several moments. “I’m not just saying this as a way of sucking up to my potential superior,” Kyle said, “but you’re one of the only people at the station I would be willing to take orders from.”
We didn’t often get sentimental with each other. We’d never make it as cops if we did. But his admission meant a lot.
“Kiss ass,” I said.
He laughed, our easy-going camaraderie restored. “Well, if you do go for it, you’re going to have a long road to hoe, buddy. You know half the force and most of the City Council members can’t stand Captain Johannsen.”
I blew out a breath. “Yeah, I know.”
“However, the gala in three weeks would be a good opportunity to schmooze over a lot of them,” he mused.
I groaned, my head falling back against the seat. “Son of a bitch,” I hissed. “Is that next month?”
Kyle blew out a stream of smoke. “You bet’cha. And boss or not, don’t expect me to be any less drunk at it than I was last year. Especially if we have to endure another hour-long lecture from Commissioner Shafer again.”
Mickie was always my date to the Annual Boys in Blue Gala. I really didn’t know what this year was going to look like. If she would even want to attend with me. “You taking Christie?” I asked, referring to Kyle’s long-time girlfriend.
“Yep,” he answered. “She already has her dress, and I didn’t have to go shopping with her to pick it out.” He winked. “It’s a banner year for me.”
I was glad things were going so well for him. Me, on the other hand…
“How’s life going with the sex-bots, by the way?” he asked a few minutes later.
I rolled my eyes at the reminder of my sex-crazed roommates and their amorous nighttime activities. “I’m looking into sound-proofing the walls, if that tells you anything,” I replied.
He chuckled. “I told you, man. You’re always welcome to stay at my place.”
“Yeah, and I’m sure your girlfriend would love that.”
“Christie wouldn’t mind.” He grinned, waggling his eyebrows. “I’ll tell her to keep her screams to a minimum.”
I huffed out a laugh. “As fun as that sounds, and as much as I appreciate the offer, I’ll be all right. Besides, I think I’m making progress with Mickie.”
I hoped, anyway. Prayed. I couldn’t live with Mason and Sage and all their lovey-dovey happiness for another month. I’d lose my fucking mind.
I wanted my woman back.
Kyle’s head whipped around. “She’s letting you back in?”
He’d been a helpful ear throughout this rollercoaster ride with Mickie. Between him, Mason, and Parker, I’d had some pretty good confidantes in my corner.
“No, not yet. But we had an…interesting conversation the other night.” To say the least. “She finally told me what she wants.”
I want you to want me.
That had sure as hell stung. The fact that I hadn’t been making sure she realized, without a doubt, that she always had been and always would be the girl of my dreams. That she no longer felt that from me was a real eye opener.
She was the woman I still fantasized about.
The only one I could ever possibly want.
No one made me feel the way Mickie did.
Kyle narrowed his eyes. “And?”
“She wants things to be like they were when we were dating,” I replied. “When we were still getting to know each other, and things were new and exciting.”
I want to know that after all these years, I can still make you crazy.
How did she not already know that? She made me crazy on a daily basis. Every time I looked at her. Hell, every time I thought about her. And anytime I was near enough to breathe her in?
I went out-of-my-mind insane.
He shrugged, nonchalantly. “So? Give it to her.”
I gave him a wide-eyed look. Did he know something I didn’t? “How am I supposed to do that?” I asked. “We know everything there is to know about each other.” Or so I’d thought. “We have two kids together. How can we go backwards and act like everything is brand new?”
He tapped his finger against his knee, a tick he had when he was mulling something over. “I don’t think it’s necessarily about making if feel brand new. You just make her feel special, like you did when you were first getting to know her and trying to impress her. Women need that attention, no matter how long you’ve been together.”
“And how the hell do you know that?”
He groaned. “Dude, I have two sisters, and they’re both divorced. I could write a damn manual for men everywhere of what not to do in a marriage.”
I snorted. “I’d probably be your first reader. Is that why you haven’t proposed to Christie yet? Because you’re afraid you’re going to screw up?”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, dick.” He glared when I laughed. “I haven’t proposed to Christie because we aren’t ready for marriage yet. We’re enjoying things the way they are now. No need to rush anything.”
“I don’t think three years would be rushing,” I pointed out.
“You only say that because you proposed to Mickie after, like, six months.”
And it was still, and forever would be, the best thing I’d ever done.
“Anyway, back to you,” he said. “Do some of the things you guys used to do when you were dating. Even though your relationship might not be new, you can still experience new things together. Take her—” His face lit up and he pulled out his phone. “Oh, I’ve got it!”
“If you make another suggestion about taking her to a strip club, I’m going to punch you in the face.”
“Hey, they’re not just for single men,” he said, his grin mischievous. “Couples can enjoy them together, too.”
I looked at him in question.
“And yes, before you ask, I did mean it that way,” he added.
I closed my eyes and groaned. “Ah, I don’t need to know these things, man.”
His laugh was loud in the small car. “What can I say? My girl is adventurous. No, what I was going to say was, you should take her here.” He held up his phone for me to see.
I squinted down at the screen and immediately shook my head. Adamantly. “No. No way. Absolutely not. I don’t do that.”
He gave me a stern look, similar to the one I often turned on Leo and Gabby when they weren’t behaving. “Knowing Mickie, she will appreciate it. I’m telling you, do it. You’ll thank me later.”
I wanted to slam my head against the steering wheel.
How had it come to this?