Page 59 of Protected by the Biker (Grim Reaper MC)
If Mason was one of the crooked cops, then he did a hell of a job hiding it because I never would’ve suspected a thing from him. He had acted a little strange when he realized I was on the Dellucci case, but Mason was always a little bit strange. I scrolled down my phone and landed on the email O’Malley sent, ordering me to meet with him at our spot later that afternoon. Fuck. I was so fucked when it comes to that meeting. I tossed the phone onto the nightstand and tried to close my eyes again, but it was no use.
When my clock finally read 8 AM I grabbed my phone and called Carina. Her voice was groggy when she picked up.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Carina. I just got your voicemail.”
“Oh, right. What time is it?”
“Just past 8 am, aren’t you supposed to be getting up for school?”
She stifled a yawn. “Yeah, I’m getting up now. I have to be there by 8:30. Are you busy later? I wanted to talk to you about stuff.”
“No, I’ll make time for you this evening. Maybe we can step out somewhere and talk.”
“Yeah, I’d like that.”
“Alright. Well, I’ll call you later on then, ok?”
“Sounds good.”
“Alright.”
I hung up the phone. I was excited to see her again, but O’Malley’s warning started to become the annoying voice inside my head. Could she be setting me up like he thought? Did she tell her family about me? If she did, then would they be there ready to take me out? I’d been in dangerous situations before and I always made it out alive, so I wasn’t really worried about that happening. I just had to make sure I was prepared in case I did end up in that situation.
I got dressed and made my way to meet with O’Malley outside of the abandoned building. When I got there, he puffed on a cigar the same way he always did. I stifled a laugh because with the cigar and the damn fedora he was wearing, he looked like a private detective from one of those old movies. He stood just to the side of his vehicle with his eyes locked on my every movement. He spoke through a cloud of smoke as I approached him.
“Tell me something good, Harrison.”
“I wish I could.”
“Don’t bullshit me. You’ve been on this case for nearly a month, so spit it out.” I took a deep breath and folded my arms over my chest. The only progress I’d made was seeing Mason meet with Nico. And I wasn’t about to bring that to O’Malley’s attention just yet. I wanted to be sure before I threw one of my friends under the bus. I didn’t say another word and after that, he knew I wasn’t bullshitting.
“What the fuck is wrong with you, Harrison?! What in the holy fuck is wrong with you!? One fucking month on this case and you don’t have shit for me? Huh? What the fuck are you doing? Wasting my time and money while you twiddle your fucking dick in the process?”
“No, Captain. I am just having a hard time going–”
“That Carina, huh? She’s got you wrapped around her little fucking finger, doesn’t she? God, damn it,” he said, laughing. Not in a way that signaled joy, but in a way, that showed how pathetic I was in his eyes.
“If I would’ve known that you couldn’t handle this shit, I would’ve never put you on the case. You are a fucking embarrassment right now, Harrison. A complete and total embarrassment. What do you have to say for yourself?”
A brisk wind blew against our bodies and carried the cigar smoke off into the distance. I squinted my eyes at the freeway as a herd of cars sped past us. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke again.
“You know what, Harrison? I’ve had enough of this bullshit. You are off the case.”
“What?” I felt my heart rate start to pick up. I had never been taken off a case.
“You heard me. You are off the fucking case. I am tired of you pussyfooting so now, you can go and do whatever you need to with that Carina girl. You can help her family for all I care because right now, I am suspending you from the force.”
I clenched my fist as I felt anger course through my veins.
“For what?”
“Non-compliance. Insubordination. Fucking treachery. You pick. Give me your badge and your fucking gun, Harrison.” I glared at him as he loomed just ahead of me. After all I had fucking done for him. I’ve had several successful undercover operations under his watch, and now because this one was taking a little bit longer than expected, he had to fucking fly off the handle. He took another puff of his cigar as the ashes glowed on the butt.
“Your fucking badge,” he said with the cigar dangling from his lips, “and your gun. I will not ask you again.”
I reached into my waistband and pulled my gun out. “Slowly,” he said as I removed it from the holster. I put the gun on the hood of his vehicle, then tossed my badge right beside it. He took the cigar out of his mouth.
“Good. Now, you have some time to clear your fucking mind. Hopefully, a few weeks will help you remember what fucking side you are on. Until then, I don’t even want to see your face at the precinct. If I do, I will have you arrested for interfering with police business.”
He took the gun and my badge off the hood of his car, then got inside and drove off, leaving me standing alone near the abandoned warehouse.
Fucking prick. One way or the other, I was going to get to the bottom of this shit, with or without the shield.
Chapter 18
Carina
I got dressed to meet with Harrison later that Friday evening. I was anxious because I hadn’t seen him in what seemed like forever. I could hardly contain my nerves as I stood in front of the mirror and put on makeup. I wanted to look good, but I didn’t want to look like I was trying too hard. We were supposed to meet at a spot just outside of Chicago. I’d never been there before, but I assumed that it was because he didn’t want certain people to see us together. As much
as I hated to admit it, the thought of sneaking around with him was kind of hot. It turned me on in more ways than one.
He texted me the address to The Lux and as soon as I got it, I was on my way to meet him. I was nervous like it was our first date together. I had so much to say to him and I hoped that I didn’t sound like a bumbling idiot whenever we finally got the chance to talk. Two weeks felt a lot longer than what it really was.
When I arrived at the restaurant, I sat in the parking lot for a few minutes, hoping to spot his car. Out of nowhere, there was a knock on my passenger side window and I screamed out loud and dropped my phone when I heard the noise. It was Harrison. Damn. He looks just as good as I remembered.
He walked to my side of the car and opened the door for me as I tried to calm my nerves. With his hand extended in my direction, he helped me out.
“So, you’re just going to scare my apologies out of me, huh?”
“I didn’t think you would react that way.”
“Well, I am in an unfamiliar spot and a knock on my window. That would be enough to scare me.”
He smiled as we stood in front of each other, silently. Without warning, he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around my body. I hugged him back and for the first time in weeks, I felt like I was protected. His strong arms held me tight and I felt that I could stay in that position for the rest of my life. He kissed me on the cheek, then released me. I wanted to feel his lips on mine, but maybe that was asking for too much, too soon. I was willing to take whatever he wanted to give me. He took me by the hand and led me into the restaurant.
The hostess directed us to a seat along the edge of the dining area. She smiled and handed us menus.
“Your server will be right with you,” she said. Her smile lingered in Harrison’s direction. I held my tongue and went through the menu to see what they had to offer.
