Page 14 of Scotch & Shortbread

Where the Bad Guys Go

Growlingherfrustration,shereluctantly conceded to getting in the back seat. He held out his black-gloved hand to help her up.As if.Haughtily refusing his help, she instead grabbed an interior handle and lifted herself in, as a wave of dizziness washed over her. Closing her eyes and gathering her composure, she felt relieved to be seated, even if it was in the back of a police truck.

For a split second, a moment in time, she thought she’d finally cracked the cop's code. Found the man under the uniform. She’d even been momentarily convinced he was going to kiss her, but in an instant, Mean Cop made a comeback. Despite alcohol frolicking merrily through her, the rejection smarted, like the crack of a whip.

The warmth of his police truck enveloped her, melting away her agitation, and she sighed contentedly. Despite sitting in the spot reserved for jailbirds, she had to admit the toasty heat was heavenly on her frozen extremities. The comforting warmth was so deliciously distracting that she almost didn’t notice the dog eyeing her from the front seat. “Aww, hi, you sweet thing,” she said gently as she put her hand to the grate between them, and let him sniff her.

The driver's side door opened, and Quinn sat back in her seat. She silently watched as the tall broad cop slid into the driver’s seat. The first thing he did was get on his radio, Quinn couldn’t very well pretend not to hear what he was saying, so instead she listened intently. He was telling them about those assholes, and Quinn was surprised at how thorough a description he gave like he had a photographic memory. The one guy had been right in Quinn’s face, and she couldn’t recall the first thing about what he looked like—only that his smell revolted her. She shuddered recalling it.

“Aye, Barnes and Hanson are on site.”

“Calling into them now. Thanks, Sergeant. Enjoy your holidays.”

“Copy that. Thank ye, 10/4.”

The sudden silence made Quinn glance up, and she caught his stormy blue eyes studying her in his rearview mirror. She wished she knew what he was thinking, especially as he wasn’t wearing his usual scowl.

“Where are you off to? For your holidays?” Quinn asked curiously. “Hopefully somewhere warm. God, I’d love to go to the Caribbean and just lay on that white sand soaking in the sun drinking some fruity boozy drink with a little umbrella in it.” The vision made her smile. “Have you ever been to the Caribbean? The water in the pictures doesn’t even look real it’s so turquoise and clear. Do you think it’s like that in real life?” She paused to consider it, then continued. “Do you know, I’ve never even seen a palm tree.” She caught his gaze in the mirror, looking at him expectantly. She should have known she'd find nothing more than weary boredom on his annoyingly handsome face.

“Where are ye staying Ms. West?” he asked as if she hadn’t just been engaging him in conversation.

Quinn’s smile dropped, and she turned her head to look out the window. What an ass. She had to bite her tongue not to give him a piece of her mind, for all the good it would do.

“The Calen Mountain Inn. Down the road,” she said through gritted teeth.

“Aye, I know where it is.”

Quinn rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Clearly, he wasn’t interested in chatting which was fine by her. Between feeling frustrated and getting to the not-so-good stage of being drunk, she just sat in the back of the truck quietly feeling mildly irritated and also a little queasy. Actually more than a little queasy, and her head was really starting to swim. Even the heat was losing its bone-warming effect.

As he drove out of the packed parking lot, Quinn needed a distraction and asked, “What’s your dog’s name?” And almost kicked herself because she couldn’t seem to hold her tongue for a moment. Why was she trying to engage him in conversation again?

“Bear,” he responded.

Ignoring him, she spoke to the dog instead. “Bear, you’re so sweet, aren’t you?” she said, reaching up to the metal divider to scratch his soft fur through the grates as he leaned in to her touch.

“He’s on duty, so it's best to keep your hands to yourself,” Mean Cop said bluntly. She got the impression he wasn't just talking about his dog. Bear didn’t seem to be on duty, at least based on what she’d witnessed yesterday. His on-duty behaviour had been quite different from the behaviour of the docile dog looking back at her now.

But Quinn immediately dropped her hand, disappointed Sergeant Mackenzie didn’t even want her to pet his dog. Perhaps it was reasonable, but somehow, it just felt like she irritated the man by her very presence. It wasn’t like she asked for a ride. That had been his idea.

She eyed him in the rearview mirror from the back seat. Even in a truck, he seemed big—tall, broad, and muscular. His dark hair was cut short. She was a sucker for the clean-cut look. Curse him.

“Are you always so mean?” she asked, not wanting to think about how physically attractive she found him.

“Aye,” he said matter-of-factly. His eyes caught hers in the mirror, but there was a twitch in his lips right before he said it like he wanted to smile but held it back.

She huffed in disapproval and looked out the window again, trying to breathe through the little waves of nausea that had started to assault her as they drove. She was definitely tipsy, but it would be okay. It was probably just the motion of Mean Hot Cop’s truck making her feel worse.

“I’m no’ being mean, 'tis my job. Technically, Bear isnae on duty at the moment, but it is confusing for him to huv friendly interactions with someone who is sitting in the backseat of this truck.”

She could understand that, but why couldn’t he have just said that in the first place instead of making her feel like she was doing something wrong?

“Didn’t your mother ever teach you that you attract more bees with honey?” She crossed her arms, looking back up at him in the mirror.

“I’ve no desire to attract bees.” He sounded dumbfounded by her comment.

She laughed despite herself. “All I’m saying is that a little kindness can go a long way.”

“Aye, well, I’m saving ye from becoming an ice sculpture aren’t I?”

---