Page 12 of Charming But Reckless

And that’s why Detective Stabler and I were about to meet each other for the first time even though I’d been stalking him for weeks.

I watched him spout off his typical order then move down the line. It was time to put my plan in motion.

When he had his cup in his hand, I stood and made my way towards him. I kept my pace slow, as if I were simply going to throw something away or get a refill for the tea I’d been sipping. Instead of doing either of those, I bumped into the detective hard.

Some of his coffee splashed onto his hand. He hissed in pain. “Fuck.”

I gasped dramatically, then motioned to the napkins. “I’m so sorry. Let me help.”

It was as if he hadn’t heard me. Even as I gathered napkins and pressed them against his hands, his mind was somewhere else.

His distraction was the perfect opportunity. I slipped the burner phone in his suit pocket as I patted his hand. By the time he looked up at me, I had schooled my face into a neutral sort ofconcern. He would know that I wasn’t hitting on him, nor did I feel the need to keep the conversation going.

“It’s alright,” he said as he took the napkins from my hand and patted his own once more. “Accidents happen.”

I agreed. “They do. I appreciate your kindness. Have a good day, Detective.”

Spinning on my heels, I left him there before he could say another word. As I suspected, he followed me outside, his expression a mix of curiosity and confusion.

I ducked behind a car across the street, then dialed the number for the phone in his pocket.

It took him a second to realize the ringing was coming from him. The sidewalk wasn’t very busy, but still, most people knew their own ringtone. The one I’d set wasn’t his.

I’d gone with a recording of “Answer me, Detective. It’s imperative you do.”

“Who is this?!”

The bite in his words matched the fury I saw in his eyes as I peeked over the car.

“We’ll get to names later, Detective. I need your help.”

He scoffed. “Why would I help you? You’re some creep trying to play games. Do you know who I am?”

“Detective Reginald Stabler. Forty-six years old. Divorced. Father. Prefers to add his own extra sugar to his coffee. In need of knee replacement surgery within the next five years, though your doctors suggest sooner. Never been a big smoker, but the occasional drink after a long day helps. Should I keep going?”

His expression had turned from agitation to fear the more I spoke. He didn’t like me knowing all this about him. Didn’t like not having the upper hand.

Same, pal.

It fucking sucked.

“What do you want?”

“I want you to meet me at a location in half an hour. Come alone and don’t tell your superiors what’s happening. You’ll need to leave your normal phone in your car since it’s being tapped, and I can’t risk them hearing us.”

I watched as my words sunk in. “Tapped?”

“Yep,” I said sarcastically. “The people around you want to keep an eye on what all you’ve got going on. It's why I need you alone. I’m not a threat, Detective. I just need help finding someone, and there’s no one else I can trust to do it.”

His sigh was heavy, though I could see the way his shoulders dropped at my words. Giving him a small hint of what I needed was enough to lower his guard.

“I’ll meet you but know that I’ll shoot on sight if there’s a problem.”

I chuckled softly. “I have no doubt. That Glock at your side hasn’t seen any action in ages. Might feel good to pop one off.”

He didn’t take the bait of my comment. Instead he replied, “Where are we meeting? The clock is ticking, and I need to call in late.”

“The fishing docks. I’ll be wearing a white baseball cap with a black leather jacket. See you soon, Detective.” I hung up the phone, then watched to see what he did next.

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