Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 73311 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73311 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
I shook my head.
“They provided the vest, which was expensive as fuck,” I told her. “Apparently, most new officers have to pay for their own gear here, but since Big Papa wanted me in, he waived it.”
“Hmmm,” she murmured, peeling the Velcro back slightly before dropping her head to rest on my chest.
“You be careful,” she ordered. “And try not to get too banged up your first day on the job.”
She started to back into her apartment in the next heartbeat, and I closed the door of my own apartment.
“I’ll call you to see if you want to meet for dinner after my shift.” I jiggled the handle to make sure it was locked. “And from what I hear, the super is supposed to be coming in later to make sure that my air gets fixed. He’s also supposed to be bringing a copy of the key that you had to give back. I told him to leave the extra key with you when he was done.”
She smiled. “I’ll be looking forward to your call.”
I’d look forward to the call, too.
I was already hesitant to leave her what with the new apartment’s occupants who had moved in while we’d been gone over the weekend.
But with no other recourse, I pulled her in for one more quick kiss and left her without another word.
My eyes didn’t miss the way that the men who’d appeared over the weekend watched me. They also didn’t miss the way that the men stiffened the moment they saw me walking to my bike.
Before they’d only seen me in passing as Imogen and I had made our way back from the airport.
Truth had dropped us off in his pick-up that he’d left in short-term parking, and the men holding up the wall had only seen Imogen and I dropped off at the front door.
I’d not had the time, nor the energy, to do anything but to go up to my apartment and collapse on the bed.
I stopped beside the bike and looked down at Tank instead of looking at the glaring men any longer and said, “You ready to roll?”
The dog didn’t answer, but I assumed that it was answer enough when he nudged his leash that was gripped between my fingers and thumb.
Grinning, I straddled the bike and started it up, my eyes on the dog the entire time.
“I hope you enjoy walking to work,” I told him. “Because I have nothing but the bike.”
The dog didn’t answer, though that was expected. He didn’t much have anything to do with me unless it was dinner time.
Lucky for me and him, though, I was very close to town. Less than half a mile if you went through the apartment parking lot—which would also be the way he would be getting to work.
Not that I was worried about him getting tired out.
Stone used to run marathons, and the dog would be by his side the entire way.
Tank could handle a short jog to the station.
Which he did. Beautifully.
He loped on the sidewalk beside me all the way there, much to the excitement of three women who were out walking their Shitpoos, or whatever the hell the little white demon dogs were called.
I’d just pulled into the first parking spot directly in front of the station, which happened to be the only open parking spot, when a car tried to swing in at the same time.
Seeing as I was already there and swinging off my bike with Tank at my side, the car had no other recourse but to find elsewhere to park—which happened to be across the street.
I didn’t miss the fact that the woman was pissed, though. She didn’t like that I was in the only spot which forced her to find parking elsewhere.
It was also clear that she thought I was a thug with the way she took in my vest and attire of jeans and a t-shirt.
Since it’d been such short notice, and I’d had to go out of town this weekend, I’d gotten the okay from Big Papa to go ahead and wear a black polo and nice jeans instead of the standard uniform that other officers were fitted for.
The vest, I knew, would have to come off, but I didn’t have to take it off until I got inside and took it to Big Papa’s office seeing as I didn’t have a locker yet, either.
I’d just grabbed hold of Tank’s leash and grabbed my Kevlar vest in the other hand when the woman driving the car stormed across the street and headed straight for me.
“You can’t have a trained police dog unleashed like that,” she snapped. “That’s a misuse of city property.”
I blinked, staring at her.
“Is that right?” I asked, not caring one single bit what she thought about anything.
Then I walked away without another word to her.