Page 23 of No Broken Promises

“But when we deployed…”

Emma laughs. “Remy, we were all excited about Nox. But Parker never pretended with us. Mom and Dad love her, we all do. Especially since she stays close for us to be near Nox. But don’t get it twisted. Danny was a selfish prick and only married her so that Mom and Dad wouldn’t kill him for getting her pregnant and leaving.”

My traitorous heart starts to race, and it was only then that I realize my body cam is on. With a curse, I make a mental note to ask my sergeant to erase the video for me. No one needs the gossip I shared with Emma to be subpoenaed for anything.

Instead of pelting Emma with questions about Parker and Danny, I turn around. “So you checked everywhere?”

Emma huffs, seeming satisfied with herself. “Yeah. She must have gone with Kennedy or something.”

My shoulders slump and I pull my phone from my pocket irately. “You didn’t call Kennedy before you called the police department to have me break into the house?”

Emma shrugs prettily and sits down on the couch behind us with a flourish. “You live to protect and serve, Remy.”

I am ready to throttle her like she is my own little sister. Instead, I dial Kennedy and step into the kitchen.

“What do you want, Remington?” Kennedy’s sweet voice fills my ear, and I can hear raucous noise in the background.

Well, since she’d decided to use the ridiculous nickname that Parker gave me in grade school, all cards are down. “Where are you, Kenny?”

Laughter behind Kennedy somewhere leaks through the speaker. “I’m at the mall with Parker and Nox.” I sigh deeply and shoot an annoying glance in Emma’s direction. “We’re shopping,” Kennedy adds.

“Can I speak to Parker, please.” Trying not to lose my patience while still maintaining my control over the situation, I use my free hand to rub at my temple, where I can already feel my fucking head throbbing.

“Why? We’re busy, Remy.” A loud whistle has me pulling the phone away from my ear. “Damn, Parker. You look hot in that dress.”

“Kennedy,” I snap. “I need to confirm that she’s okay. Her sister-in-law called the police because she was worried something might have happened to her. I’m just doing my job.” The tone of my voice doesn’t change, but only because I really feel like I am at the end of my rope for the day.

After being on shift for the past eight hours, all I want to do is go home and sleep for a fuckin’ week. Except I can’t because I have to take Daisy out to Birch Elementary every week for a walk-through of the campus.

While I wait for Kennedy to pull her head out of her ass, I silently count to ten. Finally, when I get to thirteen, Parker comes on the other end of the line.

I hear her ask Kennedy who it is in the background, followed by a grunt. “What do you want, Remington?”

I cough and put on my best ‘cop’ face, even if she can’t see me. “Emma called the station for us to do a well-check when she saw your car here and no one answered.”

Parker doesn’t say anything, so I keep going with my explanation.

“I caught the call, and we checked the house to make sure there wasn’t anything wrong. Just following protocol and making sure that I speak to the party in question.”

Parker sighs deeply, and I get the distinct impression she is trying to decide whether or not she should hang up on me.

“I’m fine,” she finally spits out. Although her good manners kick in, because she waits for me to say something rather than just disconnect the call.

“Thank you.” I lower my voice, turning away from Emma, who’s popped up out of nowhere. “When she couldn’t find you, Emma got worried.”

There is another sigh on the other side of the line, followed by the unmistakable sound of Kennedy’s laughter in the background. “I’m fine, Remy. We’re busy, though. Do I need to come by the station later to sign paperwork or something?”

I cough, clearing my throat. “No, Parker. You’re fine. I’ll document it and you should be all set.”

Parker hangs up without saying anything else, and I can’t blame her.

Fuck.

I can’t blame her for hanging up on me.

I won’t blame her if she hates me for the rest of her life.

I’m the asshole who ignored her for years. Sure, I saw her occasionally with Nox when he was younger. Our families are best friends, after all, and we live in the same town. I see the way she watches her son, ignoring every other person on the planet, when I am home on leave.

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