Page 15 of We Own Tonight
I can’t believe him. “It was not about me or you, it was abouther.”
“Take a minute to think about who left who, Heather. You were gone a long time before I walked out thatdoor.”
Matt turns around and walks out. How fitting. It’s a different time, but the same result—he walks away first. We’ve had this fight before, several times, and each time, it reminds me of what a selfish dick heis.
“You ready to hit the road?” My partner Brody asks as he slaps me on the shoulder, breaking me from staring daggers at the door Matt walkedthrough.
I sigh and relax. Thank God for Brody. He’s funny, gets my sarcasm, and is completely dependable. I know he has my back in the same way I have his. It’s a relationship that is essential between partners. Aside from Nicole, Kristin, and Danielle, Brody is my best friend. We’ve been riding together for the last seven years, and there’s no one in this world I trustmore.
“Yup. I need lots of coffeetoday.”
“Do you need me to sing to you?” he asks with a smirk. “Heard that does it for you. Or do I have to be rich andfamous?”
My heart freezes, and I squeeze my eyes closed, mortified. I completely forgot about the concert. It all comes back like a freight train. The singing, the dancing, the sex with Eli Walsh. How the hell could I forget that there are probably videos and . . . ohGod.
I look around the break room and there, on the bulletin board, is a photo of me sitting on the stage with Eli singing tome.
Damnit.
Shit. Shit.Shit.
I walk over and rip it down, trying to pretend as if I don’t care. “Real funnyguys.”
“But,” Whitman, one of the idiots on my squad jumps in, “you’re my once in a lifetimegirl.”
“Shut up,” I crumple the paper and toss it in the garbage. “You’re alltools.”
“We all know what you like, Covey. Maybe we should just pretend to be cops on television, then you’ll think we’resexy.”
“You need to lay off the greasy food and lose some weight. Then maybe the half blind lady down the street will think you’resexy.”
A few guys laugh, and jab hisside.
“Yeah? Tell your boyfriend that we don’t all eat donuts! I work hard for this physique. Besides, we need to be in a boy band to get you tossing your panties atus.”
This is never going to end. The more I feed into them, the worse this will be. I grab the keys from Brody’s hand and walk off. They start to sing and yell at me, but I keep moving. Idiots. I work withidiots.
Brody climbs in the passenger seat and chuckles. “Oh, come on, Heather. We’re just havingfun.”
“Clearly. It’s not that, though.” I toss my hat on the dash. “Stephanie had an episode, which is why I didn’t come inyesterday.”
Brody’s eyes soften, and he sighs. “I’m sorry. I figured you were recovering from your night of singing and drinking. Is shebetter?”
“She’s okay now, well, as okay as it gets forher.”
Brody was the one who helped me move Stephanie in to Breezy Beaches. He’s been more of a husband than Matt ever was. His wife Rachel has been great. I’m glad she and I have become as close as we are. There’s a very strange bond between partners, which can lead to a lot of questions, and I’ve seen more than one wife accuse her husband of cheating. I’ve also seen more than one occasion where she wasn’twrong.
As much as I love Brody, it’s a brother-sister kind of love. I would take a bullet for him, but his “gun” isn’t going anywhere but in hisholster.
“You should’ve called me, Rachel and I would’ve come to thehospital.”
“No.” I shake my head. “That would’ve been totallyunnecessary.”
“Let me guess, you had it?” His tone is laced withsarcasm.
I turn the key in the ignition and start to drive. I’m not going to let him goad me. He’s way too good atit.
We drive toward the section we’re patrolling. Even with Matt being the asshole he is, he always puts me in the section near Tampa General Hospital, which is something that I should probably thank him for. At least I’m close if something changes with hercondition.
