Page 16 of Cisco

At this point it was just a procedural request, but it was always good to see if the paperwork matched what the ALPR had come back with.

“Oh. Right.” Ms. Gorner leaned over her interior console toward the glove compartment, but couldn’t quite reach. She then cursed, and struggled to remove her seatbelt before she was finally able to fumble with the latch, open the compartment, and retrieve her documents. “Here you go, officer,” she smiled up at him brightly and…winked? “Aren’t you the handsome one,” she preened, flipping her hair off her shoulder in a practiced flirt. “And a motorcycle-man, on top of all…that.” Her eyes traveled from his head to his boots and back again.

Hell, no. There was no way this woman was going to charm him out of writing her a ticket, and…he leaned down a little closer as she purred. Goddammit. That was alcohol on her breath. At one o’clock in the afternoon. He huffed to himself before addressing her. “I’ll be right back.”

He strode back to his bike, stood next to it, and examined her credentials while waiting for the cruiser that should be pulling up soon. He wasn’t going to have the woman get out of her car without backup present. Every now and then an officer made the mistake of underestimating a lone, drunk female, and got kicked, bitten, or nail-scraped for their miscalculation. Also, blamed for sexual assault. Cisco wasn’t going to be that guy.

When the black and white finally pulled up and stopped in front of the car, Cisco walked over to fill them in.

“Hey Lucas, Mitzy,” he greeted. “I pulled this one over for speeding, but now it looks like we might have a DUI on our hands.” He looked at the officers he knew well, and gave them a nonapologetic grin. “But since I’m actually off duty right now, and headed to my parents’ house for a late lunch, I’m hoping you can perform the necessary sobriety test.”

“Asshole,” Lucas grumbled. “Just what we need. A drunk woman who’s had a look at you, and thinks she might be getting off with a BJ instead of an arrest.”

“Hey,” Mitzy mock-scolded from beside him. “Stop stereotyping, asshole. Not every woman wants to suck Andera’s dick.”

Cisco winced and grinned. The banter between these two was always epic. Mitzy had been on the force for twenty years and spoke whatever was on her brain. Lucas was still wet behind the ears, and she was constantly giving him grow-the-hell-up shit, albeit in a partner kind of way.

“Who said anything about women?” Lucas replied jokingly. “I hear there are plenty of guys who’d give their left nut to get Andera naked.”

Time for some razzing from Cisco.

“You offering?” Cisco cut in with a grin toward Lucas, having heard it all before. “Because if you are, I hate to disappoint you, but fraternization between officers is frowned upon.”

Mitzy chimed in, just as Cisco had expected. “And that’s the only reason you don’t want a gobble and swallow from my partner?” she rebutted, busting his balls.

“Nope. I also heard he uses his teeth.”

Mitzy cracked up, and Lucas shook his head, grumbling. “Get the hell gone, Cisco, before I make you catch the woman’s ass when she falls over attempting to walk a straight line.”

Cisco saluted, handed the driver’s papers to Lucas, then turned on his heel and hoofed it back to his bike. He didn’t need to be told twice to get away from the inebriated, blonde piranha, nor did he miss the ire in her face as he passed her car and rode off.

Oh, well. It sucked to be her this afternoon.

Ten minutes later he was pulling into the driveway of his childhood home. He liked that it still looked exactly as it had when he was growing up; white paint, black shutters, a welcoming, red front door. Adding to the place’s charm, this time of year the flower beds around the house were overflowing with perennials, and if he walked out back where fields stretched back for several acres, he’d see wildflowers in various stages of bloom. Maybe he’d even see a cornflower…

Nope. He wasn’t going to allow his head to go back to the lovely Miss Hilly’s eyes.

At least not yet.

The door opened and his mother beamed as he turned off his bike, swung his leg over the saddle, and removed his helmet. Once again, his fingers went to his hair, where he pulled his thick curls into some kind of order before approaching his mom.

“Hey, Ma,” he said with a grin.

“Hi, sweetie,” his mother replied. “I’ve got lunch already on the table.”

Cisco chuckled. “I didn’t ask for lunch.” Even though he assumed he’d get some.

“But I know you.” She rolled her eyes. “Even if you’ve just eaten, there’s no way you’ll turn down a bonus meal.”

He walked up and gave his mother a quick squeeze, and a kiss on top of her graying head. She still looked mighty fine for a woman in her fifties, her face unlined, her runner’s body still chewing up the pavement every other day. And as far as Cisco knew, she also continued climbing trees in her job as an arborist with the town’s Tree and Park Department.

“You know me too well, Ma,” Cisco smirked. “But I haven’t eaten any lunch today, and I’m starving. What’s on the menu?”

“Egg salad sandwiches, chips, and lemonade,” she told him.

“Nice.” Cisco knew there’d be one for her, one for Pops, and three for him. That would keep his stomach happy for a few hours.

His father was already seated at the table, his reading glasses perched on the end of his nose as he scrolled through his phone. “Do you know that the County Commissioners are thinking of rezoning part of the waterfront for condo development?” he asked with a frown.

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