Page 12 of Twisted Attraction

“You know we’ll have to submit DNA samples if Justin’s isn’t a match.”

I nodded, having considered that ahead of time. “I’m aware, but you know we have nothing to worry about. We didn’t do anything wrong, Spike.”

“I know that, and you know that, but that doesn’t mean the captain will believe us.”

Which was precisely why we had to come clean now before we fucked around and dug ourselves any deeper into this investigation.

“Well, we’ll find out soon enough.” I pulled in at the precinct and parked at the front of the building. “Let me do all the talking, yeah?”

Spike rolled his eyes but didn’t refute. He knew just as well as I did that our captain was quite an intimidating son of a bitch. He’d served just over twenty years in the military and had an endless number of connections that could bring any officer’s career to an end with just a simple phone call. Captain Burgess was well respected not only throughout Seaview Pines but by his fellow officers, too. Spike was skating on thin ice thanks to him letting his temper get the best of him, so for his sake, it was better for me to take the lead. With any luck, the captain would show some leniency and still let us work the case. It was a shot in the dark and a massive conflict of interest, but it was a shot work taking.

We entered the building and stepped inside the elevator, tapping the button for our floor. When we stepped out, Officer Peach—I mean, Brown—came storming toward us with an annoyed look on her pretty face.

“Captain wants to see you in his office.”

Spike and I shared a look then. It couldn’t have been about the case because we hadn’t given him the details yet, so if my gut feeling was right, then this likely had to do with the incident with Charlotte.

“Thanks, Peach.” I grinned at her, chuckling as she scoffed and then proceeded to flip me off before walking away.

“One of these days, that woman is going to shoot you in the face.”

“It’s just a bit of harmless fun,” I replied, grinning bigger as we approached the captain’s office. “I mean, come on, you can’t tell me she doesn’t look like Princess Peach.”

“Maybe a little,” Spike agreed, bobbing his head as he glanced behind us to stare at her. “Yeah, I can see it. Still though, give it a rest. Last thing we need is her filing a complaint on you for pestering her, even if it is just harmless fun.”

By the time I could knock on the door, the captain had already opened it and was politely waving us inside. Spike and I took our seats and did nothing but glance through all of the military awards and certificates displayed on the desk and hung up in frames all over the walls. Captain Burgess reclaimed his spot behind the desk and then sighed heavily as he scrutinized us with his brows raised.

“I just got off the phone with Chief. He tells me you two were there when Officer Karl Greene attacked his ex-wife, Charlotte Greene. I understand Harley has her working the rape case with you?”

“That is correct, Sir,” I agreed, a little surprised I’d proven myself right. But with that surprise were also some levels of concern. Was everything okay? Is Charlotte okay?

“We saw everything,” Spike said coolly.

He and I watched as Captain Burgess scooted closer to his desk with a stiff expression on his face. “Tell me in your own words what happened.”

“We were in my car waiting for Charlotte to meet us. When she arrived, a police cruiser pulled up behind her and parked. Charlotte got out and Officer Greene did the same. He grabbed her and then proceeded to slam her against the side of her vehicle.”

“He slapped her too,” my partner did not hesitate to add. “Hard. Left a nice handprint on her face. Rhodes and I approached the scene with our guns drawn. He released Charlotte and then it wasn’t even five minutes later when Chief showed up to intervene.”

“Are you two willing to go on record and file a report?”

Spike and I shared another look. “What’s going on?” he asked first.

“Yeah, Boss, is everything okay with Charlotte?”

“Yes, she’s fine. Charlotte wants to pursue getting a restraining order against her ex-husband. Since you two are eyewitnesses to her attack, your statements would be quite beneficial to her.”

“I’m fine with filing a report.” When I saw Officer Greene put his hands on Charlotte, it’d taken everything in me not to shoot the fucker in his kneecaps. I hated abusers and worst of all, so did Spike. It was the sole reason why his career was hanging on its last thread. Charlotte may have been a stranger to me, but she was also somewhat of a colleague now that she’d been assigned to Delilah’s case. I made a vow when I became a cop to always protect the innocent. I’d do whatever I could to help keep her safe from Karl Greene, even if it meant I had to sit in court and testify what I saw to a judge.

“Hutch?” Captain wondered, surveying him closely.

“Yeah, Cap, I’ll file a report. Whatever I can do to help.”

“Excellent.” He sat back in his chair with a pleased smile splitting his lips. “Now that that’s out of the way, tell me where you’re at in the rape case. What have you gathered so far?”

“We’ve made a little progress, but I’m afraid we have a bit of a problem, Sir.”

Captain Burgess straightened his spine with his head slightly cocked to the side, his penetrative eyes shooting chills through me. There wasn’t an easy way to tell him, so I just came out with it, starting with the interview with Delilah, ensuring not to leave a speckle of detail out.

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