Page 42 of The Brothers Next Door

Chapter 17

Two Months Later

Darrin

The shift was almost over, and I just had to check out for the day. It had been a hectic day, though if truth be known most days were hectic days. We were on the verge of a breakthrough with the Black Skulls, the group that was at fault for my ex-fiancé’s death, and I could feel that closure was around the corner.

But despite the craziness of the day, I had one thing to look forward to… seeing Layla. It had only been a couple of months since I’d first met her, but meeting her had changed me. It felt like my life finally had meaning again. I didn’t even realize how badly my life lacked until I met her. Life had lost meaning after Gabriella’s death to the point where all I lived for was my obsession to see the bastards who murdered her either dead or behind bars, though if I had my way it would be the former over the latter.

Pulling the patrol car into a spot in the underground parking lot, I shut off the ignition and let my head fall back against the headrest. I’d already dropped my partner off at his place and told him not to worry, I’d take care of returning the car and logging us out.

My mind hadn’t been with work this afternoon, it was on something else. Though to be exact, it was on someone else—Layla and how I was setting myself up for a fall.

Getting out of the car, I locked it via the key fob. Believe it or not, even police cars get stolen. Criminals have just about as many qualms stealing from cops as they do normal citizens.

There was a buzz of excitement in the station. Layla immediately faded from my thoughts as I picked up on the electricity in the air. The closer I got to my division, the stronger the buzz became. Something big had gone down or was about to. My pace quickened and I burst through the doors of the division, heading straight to my desk.

“Sergeant, the Captain wants to see you.” I halted in my steps and turned to face the secretary for my division as she continued. “He wanted me to catch you when you came back from patrol since he wanted to be the one to tell you. It’s important.”

It felt like people were looking at me, or maybe it was just my paranoia. As I looked around me, I realized it wasn’t my imagination. Several officers were staring at me, but as soon as they noticed they’d been caught, they quickly looked away, attempting to appear busy.

My pulse began to race. Something big was indeed going on and it seemed to be centered around me. My pulse raced faster, so fast that I could hear the rapid thumping in my ears. Quickening my pace, I reached the captain’s office just as two detectives were leaving.

Seeing me approach the open doorway, Captain Holloway waved me in. “Shut the door behind you, Striker.”

I did as told, my brow furrowing as I took a seat across from my boss. “What’s going on?”

“There’s going to be no pussy footing around, I’m just going to out and say it. We’ve found Gabriella’s murderer.” He paused, giving the information a moment to sink in.

Gabriella’s killer. The person who meant to shoot me and killed the love of my life instead. “Are they in custody?”

“No.”

“Fuck.” My heart sank. I’d have given just about anything to be the one to look that bastard in the eye and pull the trigger. “Then why call me in here?”

“He’s not in custody because he’s dead. His accomplice is in custody and singing like an canary, hoping to get a reduced sentence in a plea bargain. He’s squealing on the entire gang. We’re preparing a task force to end the Black Skulls reign now.”

“How did he die? What in the fuck happened?” Anger flared up in me. I wanted to be the one to get justice for Gabriella. ME!

“Our snitch had a confrontation with a man who was bragging about killing Gabriella. They found out he was talking to us and was going to have to answer to the gang bosses. They fought and our snitch got spooked and shot him, a bullet to the head. He was dead upon arrival of the medics. Our snitch has been in interrogation for two hours now.”

I slumped back into the chair, not sure what to say.

“It’s over. As much as I would like to have you on the task force for the raid on their compound, I’ve decided it’s best for your mental health to take the next few days off.”

Anger surged though me again. “I don’t need any fucking time off! I need to be a part of that raid.”

The captain shook his head. “No. This decision is final. You’ve been grieving for a long time and now there’s resolution. That can fuck with a person’s head, and don’t be so arrogant to think you’re any different. This isn’t up for debate. You’ll take the week off. You’ll get your head on straight and decide where your career is headed from here.”

The captain stood up and walked around his desk and grasped my shoulder in his hands and stared down at me. “She’s been given justice. You can move on…”

~*~TT~*~

Layla

I had wonderful news and was dying to tell someone. Neither Nate nor Darrin were answering their phones. This was frustrating as shit. But Darrin should be home by now and if I remembered correctly Nate would be home late in the evening—that just meant that I got to share the good news twice!

As soon as the elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open, I bolted from the box and nearly ran down the hallway of my floor, though my heels were hampering my progress. Over the past couple of months, myself and the brothers had come to an understanding: if the door wasn’t locked, walk on in and make yourself comfortable—clothing optional—so that was exactly what I did when I arrived at Darrin’s door.

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