Page 1 of Merrick

Chapter 1

“You wanted to see me?”

“Come in and close the door behind you.” Commander Williams was going on seventy but was still the tough, no-nonsense leader of the precinct and there was no doubt as to his authority and his ability to run the squad.

His mahogany skin was stretched tautly across his face and his hair was almost white and shaved close to his scalp in a precise military style.

Margo sat on the single chair across from his scarred desk and waited until he had finished signing some sheets.

Pushing away the folder, he looked up at her and folded his large hands in front of him as he studied her face.

“You’re back.”

“I am, yes.”

“And I had to hear it from Michaelson.” His thick bushy brows lifted as he continued to give her his standard intimidating look that would have anyone else in his squad room in a puddle. But not her – Margo Sullivan was one of his best cops and as tough as they come.

“Michaelson talks too damn much. I had every intention of dropping by after I finished the dreaded paperwork. Sir.”

He had to bite back a smile as they both knew she tacked on the last part as an afterthought. He had more or less adopted her since she came on a little over thirty years ago and everyone knew that she was his favorite. She had come fresh from the academy and proven herself from the very beginning.

But then, Margo Sullivan had been hungry and determined to prove herself. Having been brought up in the system, she hadbasically had to fight for everything she had and had grown up learning to depend on no one but herself.

She was tough and focused on her work. Getting the bad guys was the focal point of her career, leaving room for little else.

“How was it?”

She was about to say that it was all in the report but belatedly realized that this man was her superior and deserved her respect. Besides, he was much more than her boss. Over the years, she had reluctantly opened up a small portion of her heart to him.

“Productive.” She laid it out for him as concisely as she could. She was just fresh from an undercover stint that had taken five months to wrap up instead of the three she had estimated. Someone had been cutting open homeless people and performing unauthorized surgery on them.

The two sick bastards were brothers – one a disgraced medical doctor and the other just a freaking moron with an axe to grind. They both had the idea to rid the city of the ‘scum’ of the earth and harvest organs for the purpose of selling them.

“You were injured in the line.”

She shrugged it off, reluctant to get into it. “One of them had a knife. Tried to slice me open but was not quite successful.” She grinned fiercely. “He is now nursing injuries to his precious jewels and strapped down in bed with restraints on. The other brother is more practical. He is spilling his guts.”

Commander Williams gave her a steady look and knew she was downplaying her injuries.

“Go home Sullivan. You are off for the week.”

“I want to finish up the paperwork and I have some cases…”

“That was not a request. Take the week and regroup. There must be some personal things needing your attention.”

She struggled not to let him see the resentment. She had wrapped the case, but work was her justification for living. Without it, she was usually at loose ends with no idea what to do with herself. She was not in the least domestic. Her apartment was nice enough, but just somewhere she slept – sometimes.

Several nights she would just crash here at the precinct when she had worked herself to the bone. A week free was going to leave her with nothing to focus on and that was not good. She hated having nothing to do.

“Sir, with respect, I would prefer to spend the time…”

“No.” his face hardened. “You have been out for five months. The case was a dangerous one and you were injured. We have protocols in place for a reason. Take the week, go to a spa…,” he almost grinned at the look of horror on her lovely face. Even though she constantly tried to downplay her looks, it was undeniably there.

Her complexion was a flawless cocoa brown, and her lips were wide and full, giving her a sultry look that was not contrived and had men coming onto her at every turn. She had taken the time to clean up and was wearing faded denims and an old washed-out flannel shirt, which had seen better days.

She had taken out the braids she had worn for this undercover stint and her natural hair was brushed severely into a coil at the nape of her neck. Mahogany brown eyes were large and widely spaced with sooty lashes making shadows on her cheeks.

She was long and lean and solid with defined muscles. “Or just stay home and do nothing.”

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