Are those… nail marks?
“Have your back? Fuck you. You were fucking my ol’ lady!” my guy snaps, trying to rip himself out of my hold.
“Really, fellas? A domestic dispute? You couldn’t give us something juicy? Like drugs?” Emerson sighs and a guy off to the side smoking a cigarette next to his bike chuckles.
“Ah, come on, Emerson. You know better than that. We’re clean.”
“As the bathroom stall at the station,” Emerson grumbles. “Which is not clean, to clarify.”
I snicker and all heads turn towards me.
I gulp.
Oh, fuck me.
“Who’s the badge, Emerson? New guy for us to play with?”
“Be nice, Taz,” Emerson warns.
“I didn’t know she was your ol’ lady, man. I didn’t know. Why aren’t you mad at her? She’s the whore.”
“You don’t know when to shut up, do you?” my guy sneers at his friend.
His ex-friend?
“We got a report about gun shots?” I finally manage to speak up, keeping my hands locked around my perp’s wrists.
“Cause he tried to shoot me.”
“Oh, fuck you, Pudge. You were fucking my woman, of course I tried to shoot you.”
“Come on, Fingers. It ain’t like that. I didn’t know you had made that decision.”
“Do you want to file charges?” Emerson asks Pudge. His name makes no sense to me, because he isn’t fat at all. The guy looks like he can bench press eight of me.
“No,” he scoffs. “Are you kidding? I really meant no harm. I wouldn’t ever do that on purpose.”
“And will you play nice? Maybe you guys can learn to share,” I offer to them before I realize what I had just said. Everyone’s eyes fall on me, including the two we have in cuffs. “Uh, what I mean is… what I mean… I meant—”
Everyone bursts out laughing, including Emerson. His big belly bounces and he presses a hand to his side.
“Shit, Emerson. Where did you find him?” The one named Taz tosses his cigarette on the ground and strolls to me.
I swallow when I see all of his tattoos and scars.
He could kill me.
“You don’t look like you’re old enough to drink,” he notices.
“I’m eighteen.”
“Fuck me. Can’t believe you can be a cop at eighteen yet can’t drink a beer. Tell you what, when you get off work, I’ll buy you one.”
“I didn’t hear that, Taz. Come on. You can’t say shit like that around me,” Emerson gripes.
“I was kidding,” he protests, adding a wink as he stares at me. “Tell me, Badge. What makes you think they would share? Some of us don’t like sharing.” He lifts a pierced brow at me and sweat begins to bead around my temples.
It’s my first encounter with a known dangerous person. My heart is racing, but it’s different from when I was driving the car past the speed limit. I’m afraid if I say the wrong thing, he’ll kill me.
“Relax, Badge. Relax. You won’t get hurt. We like the cops. You do things for us, we do things for you. It’s a good system.”
“Right.” I let out a breath. “I just figured maybe she wanted both of these… gentlemen. Maybe it’s an option they can pursue if they want. I don’t know.”
“You have an ol’ lady?” Taz’s eyes fall to my wedding ring.
“Yes, sir. I have a daughter, too. She’s two months old,” I say proudly and without shame. I might be young, but I’m proud of my family.
“Good for you,” he says. “When that fails, you come to me, okay? I’m always looking for prospects like you.”
I keep my snort in check. It isn’t the first time someone openly has had no faith in my marriage, and it won’t be the last.
“Thanks for the offer,” I tell him honestly because in the back of my mind, something tells me I’ll need to take him up on his offer.
It’s okay to have a Plan B.
“I’m okay with it,” the guy I’m holding, Fingers, mumbles under his breath.
“Really? I don’t mind either,” Pudge agrees, and Emerson rolls his eyes and unlocks the cuffs from around the perp’s wrist.
I follow his lead and do the same. The two guys hug it out, then run inside. A girl’s playful scream fills the air and then a door slams.
“Glad we could be of service,” Emerson says before stomping over to the patrol car and slamming the door. He picks up the box of donuts we got earlier and bites into one.
Taz slaps my shoulder before I can move. I know I’m a cop and he should be somewhat afraid of me, but I know it’s him that has the upper hand. “He’s just mad. Emerson is the kind of guy that loves a little action. He doesn’t get much of it these days. We try to humor him,” he explains.
“Sure. Well, it was nice meeting you, Taz.”
“I’m the President of the Ruthless Kings Oklahoma Chapter. I have a feeling you’ll be back. I’ll be seeing you around, Badge.” The orange flicker of the lighter ignites a faint glow on his face as he lights another cigarette. “Kiss your wife for me,” he adds with a smirk. Taz turns around to head inside and I’m stuck staring at the skull on the back of his cut.
Feels a bit familiar. I don’t know why.
“Come on now, Rookie. Our shift is over. I know you want to see that cute baby of yours,” Emerson hollers out of the car.
I settle my hands on my belt and head to the driver’s side. I take one last look at the clubhouse, then climb into the patrol car.
“He doesn’t ask everyone to prospect. He must like you. Makes sense. You’re a loyal guy. Loyalty goes a long way here,” Emerson explains as I reverse out of the parking lot.
I lift a shoulder. “He doesn’t know anything about me.”
“You told him you were eighteen, married, and with a baby. That’s all he needs to know. You might not see it, but not all teens are like you. They don’t all push forward like you did. You can make a career here. If you haven’t heard, I’m proud of you for that.”
I nod and clear my throat. It feels so good to hear. “Thank you, Emerson. It means a lot.” My parents might be great with their grandbaby, and I know they love me, but I know they aren’t proud of my situation. They wanted me to enjoy my youth and now I’m strapped down.
But I wouldn’t change it for the world. I love Amber.
“Just stay away from my donuts and we won’t have issues.”
We both laugh and, fifteen minutes later, we pull into the police station. I get to take the patrol car home tonight, which I’m so excited about. Amber loves the lights. I drop Emerson off at his car and head home.
There are only a few cars out this late and the ones that are speeding aren’t going too far over the speed limit, so I let it slide. I just want to get home at this point.
I pull into our small two-bedroom home and notice the living room light on, which is unusual for this time of night, but I figure Haley is awake with the baby.
A breath releases from me and I tilt my head back against the seat, shutting my eyes for a second before I go inside. It’s going to be the same old same old.