Damaged by Indigo Sin

she’s dynamite in bed and doesn’t let you sleep, or she’s causing you some major stress. Judging by your shitty attitude lately, I’m going to have to go with the second option.”
    Seth snorted. Evan had no idea. “I’ve had to fight tooth and nail to get her to open up and trust me. She’s been through some s hit, but refuses to go into detail.”
    “ Well, the fact that you’re putting up with it and pushing tells me that you really care about her,” Evan said. “You’re not one to stick around when things get iffy with a woman.”
    Evan was right. Dealing with drama was never something he did well. In the past he would have just cut her loose and moved on, but it was impossible with Monica. “I’m going to run some background checks to see if I can come up with anything. Let’s just keep this on the down low, okay?”
    Pinning his partner with a stare that dared him to do otherwise, Seth breathed a sigh of relief when Evan’s hands came up. “Hey, this is your mess. I’m staying out of it,” he sighed. “I’m just glad you’re talking.”
    Seth narrowed his eyes. “You should start wearing a skirt. You sound like a woman with all this talking shit.”
    “You wish, big boy,” Evan shot back. “Speaking of, the annual law enforcement ball is coming up next month; will we be getting to meet this mystery woman?”
    Shit , he was taking it one day at time as it was with Monica. Who knew what could happen in a couple weeks? Would she still be around? “I don’t know.”
    Evan rose from his chair and strolled to the door. “Dude, you’ve gone stag the last three years. Live a little,” he goaded. “Oh, by the way, apparently the thefts have come to a stop, so the Chief is talking about dropping the case. I’ll meet you outback to leave for patrol.”
    Seth stared at the door after it closed, grinding his molars together. The thought of Monica leaving again made him sick to his stomach. He was definitely asking her to accompany him to the ball. Whether she accepted or not…that was another issue completely.
    Turning to his computer, he logged into the database and did a preliminary search for Monica Cassidy. Her driver’s license popped up, but there was very little information to go with it. The address on the license was a Chicago residence, and it was expired. Digging deeper into the system, he found numerous reports of domestic violence in her childhood home. The man listed as her step-father, Dan Jurgins, had an arrest record a mile long, mother had a drug problem, and smack in the middle of it all were three children, Monica, Jack and Sarah. The reasons for her secrecy were becoming clear.
    Running a hand over his head, Seth sat back in his chair and blew out a breath as he scrolled through the pages of information, becoming angrier by the second. He shook his head at the disgusting things he saw there. She was on the run, hiding from her parents, and he could now see why. When she had taken Sarah and Jack with her the night she left, she probably saved their lives. There wasn’t an official warrant, but more than likely she was wanted for taking the kids. Oddly, though, no missing person reports could be found on any of them. What were the parents hiding, that they didn’t risk filing reports?
    Unable to stand looking at the disgusting information on his monitor any longer, Seth pushed away from his desk and paced his office, balling his hands into fists at his sides. He couldn’t change her past, but he could definitely give her a better future. Now he just had to figure out how to bring this whole thing up to her. She was going to be pissed that he’d gone digging into her business, but that was a risk he was just going to have to take. If there was one thing he’d learned throughout the years, it was that you fought for those you cared about, especially when they had no one else.
    Grabbing his jacket from its hook, Seth pulled the door open and made his way down the back hall