Page 1 of Duress
CHAPTER 1
DANE
Istare at the message on my phone, brows knitted together in confusion, trying to make sense of the words on the screen.
Bryce
I need you to come over tonight. Have an issue I need your help with.
Individually I understand the words. Combined as a text message from my mostly estranged half brother who barely tolerates me is the part I find bewildering.
We haven’t spoken in months. We try not to unless our jobs force us to cross paths. The last time we were in a room together, it nearly resulted in us coming to blows.
Before I have the chance to type out a response, a cup of coffee appears on my desk, stealing my attention away from the demanding message. Glancing up, I see my new rookie partner, Serena Roberts, leaning her hip against my desk, dangling a to-go bag from Brewed Awakening infront of my face. The tantalizing scent of orange and cranberries wafts from the bag.
“Oh fuck. Is that one of Marge’s cranberry-orange scones?” I toss my phone to the side, frustrating older brother immediately forgotten in favor of fresh baked pastries. I reach out to snag the bag from Serena, but she jerks it away at the last second.
“What the fuck, Serena?” I shoot her a petulant glare.
“What the fuck, indeed, D. You can have it, but only if you tell me why you took my sister-in-law on the most awkward date ever. She said youshook her handwhen you dropped her off and said goodnight. Like you were closing a business deal. If you didn’t want to go out with Naomi, you could’ve just said so.” Serena’s full lips press into a disapproving, thin line as she stares down her nose at me.
Closing my eyes, I slump into my seat and hide my face in embarrassment. Serena has been trying for weeks to set me up with her husband, Kai’s sister, Naomi, and I finally relented, thinking maybe just getting back out into the dating pool would be good for me. Naomi is wicked smart and fine as fuck, with a smile that could light up the night sky. She also has an amazing sense of humor. There was absolutely no reason for me to say no, at least on paper, so I took her out on Saturday night. The date was one awkward disaster after another, and I’m the only one to blame. I knew when I drove away after the world’s lamest handshake that there would be zero percent chance of Serena not giving me hell about it.
“Do you know how weird game nights are going to be now? What the hell, D? I thought you were interested ingetting to know her?” She gives a sharp flick to my forehead, shaking her head which causes her curly hair to dance around her face. She is younger than me by a couple of years, but being lectured by her feels a lot like letting my mom down.
My cheeks heat in shame at Serena’s chiding. She and Kai host a weekly game night where Naomi and I both regularly attend. There has been some light flirtation between the two of us, and in my defense, I thought I was interested in getting to know her. But once we were on our date, my mind kept going back to a certain set of enigmatic hazel-green eyes that belong to the one woman I can’t have. The one woman I’ve been longing after for almost a third of my life. The woman married to my shithead older brother.
“I thought so too, Serena. I swear. But…” I huff out a sigh as I shrug helplessly. Serena’s eyes narrow, her arm still holding the bag full of pastry out of my reach.
“But what, D?”
“It’s not Naomi; it’s me. I’m just not ready to date right now. I thought I was, but I was wrong. I’ll call her and apologize.”
Serena holds my gaze for a long moment, the gold of her irises reminding me of a lioness, causing me to shift uncomfortably in my seat. She’s a natural at this, and it’s why she will make an excellent cop once she gets some experience behind her.
“Fine, but do it before game night. I don’t want shit to be weird next time you’re both in the same room.” Serenaplunks the bag down on my desk, stealing a scone from it before moving over to her desk across the aisle.
“Yes, Mom,” I respond, around a mouthful of scone.
“Boy…do you want to die today?” She shoots me another glare from her desk as I almost choke on the scone, holding a laugh back.
Serena and I have an interesting history together. She’s not just my partner; she’s a friend and the ex-fiancée of my former partner Dominick Reeves. I had a bad feeling about Dominick pretty much as soon as I joined the Birch Falls PD, and spent the better part of a year trying to come up with evidence of his shadiness. Unfortunately, Serena fell into his clutches before I could come up with anything concrete to use against him, but his abuse of her and harassment of Kai, then her best friend, was the final piece of the puzzle needed to put him away.
Serena has made it her personal mission to make sure other victims have someone safe to turn to, while I’ve become disillusioned of the whole idea of upholding the law. Between cops like Dominick, and shady as fuck defense lawyers like my brother, some days it feels pointless to even try. Dominick is already working on an appeal of his sentence, and some days it feels like this nightmare will never be over. I’m sticking it out though, at least long enough to help Serena get her footing on the force. It’s tough breaking in as a rookie. And as a female rookie? Forget about it. So here I am, going through the motions, hoping the spark that made me want to get into law enforcement will reignite, while Serena settles in and learns the ropes.
* **
My phone buzzes against my desk again as I finish off the last of the coffee Serena left for me. Flipping it over, I roll my eyes when I see it’s another text from my brother.
Bryce
Leaving me on read? Very mature Dane.
Bryce
Be at my house at 7.
My back teeth are on the verge of cracking from how hard I’m clenching my jaw. I want nothing more than to tell him to fuck off. This is how it’s always been with us. Bryce says jump and expects me to ask how high. The only reason I go along with his demands is because he supports our mom with his big flashy lawyer salary. After my dad’s death, Mom slipped into a pretty severe depression and became a recluse. She no longer works, and Bryce pays the rent for her small cottage. He loves to hold this over me, like he’s some benevolent ruler caring for his people, instead of being a son doing the bare minimum to help his own mother out. He knows I can’t foot the bill on my police officer’s salary, but it doesn’t stop him from threatening to cut off her funding if I don’t play along.
