ladies screaming and fighting
made it even more essential she find him. Who knows how many women the maniac
had destroyed? Women who hadn’t come forward! The statistics of these kinds of
unreported crimes were sickening. The females, who survived the horror, got on
with their broken lives and the perpetrators moved on to their next
victim.
Her investigation
had shown that he’d been incarcerated once for eighteen months. Had done his
time and swore to his cellmate he’d die before returning. A sinister perception
had formed when she'd learned this. She’d relish putting his ugly face behind
the bars he’d swore never to see again.
Not being a
gambler in a city where people lived and breathed gambling might seem strange.
But there was one sure thing she’d roll the dice on. As soon as she found him,
he’d be going down. And she would find him. Others had told her she had a
one-track mind. And the track she now fixated on had Earl Rhonda waiting at the
end.
Chapter Two
All of a sudden
the door swung open and the person who’d been the focus of her thoughts
appeared wearing a snug maternity t-shirt and black tights.
“Hey partner, you
still annoyed at me?” Debbie, glowing, wore a cheeky grin.
Aurora quickly hid
her welcoming grin and played at being the caustic cop who everyone recognized.
“Slumming today, Mrs. Ashton?” She stood up and approached the very pregnant
blonde who waited with apprehension showing clearly in her expression.
The yearning on
Deb’s face, her need for reassurance, forced Aurora’s arms to open seemingly of
their own power. Hugging, an action that didn’t come easily to Aurora began
before she could put on the breaks. And Debbie took full advantage. She moved
in close and clung.
After a quick
squeeze, Aurora backed away. The familiar musky perfume fed the previous
sadness and had Aurora blink quickly to stem the threatening moisture. God she
wished things were the same as before, when the two of them shared the joined
desks and worked as a unit. But it wasn’t to be. Instead she’d be having a new
partner, and Debbie would be having a baby.
Seconds of rethinking
made her inner bitch smile. I guess if I had my druthers, getting a new
partner isn’t so bad.
She’d felt the
protrusion of Debbie’s big belly against hers and a silly yearning started up
again from deep within. It’d been that way since the baby had been obvious.
During every moment spent with a radiant Debbie, strange feelings had surfaced
and were getting harder to hide, especially from herself.
Not in a million
years could she ever imagine being in that condition. Then why the hell was she
mooning over every baby that came into her sight? She had to get over this
shit.
“Enough with all
this girlie stuff. You’ll have the department thinking I’m getting soft instead
of the badass they’re used to.”
Debbie’s quirky
grin appeared “Face it my friend, we all know you’re a marshm—”
“Don’t say it or
I’ll have to hurt you. Even for me, hitting pregnant ladies goes against the
grain.”
“Yeah! Yeah!”
Debbie used Aurora’s favorite comeback against her and then laughed until the
restraint Aurora fought against melted and she chuckled also.
“Seriously, what
brings you to this dungeon now that you’re a free woman?”
“Have to pick up
Cory. He promised me a night out, and I’m holding him to it. You’re welcome to
join us.”
Since the day her
pregnancy had been revealed, Cory had moved in on Debbie and claimed his
rights. Their romance had flared, and they’d pulled off a Vegas wedding only a
few weeks ago.
“Thanks, but I’ll
take you up on that another time. I’ve got some good leads I’m working on and
need to keep searching.” She pointed at the computer screen as if it gave
credence to her refusal. No way did she want to play third party in a dinner
date between her boss and old partner. When those two were in the same space
with each other the
made it even more essential she find him. Who knows how many women the maniac
had destroyed? Women who hadn’t come forward! The statistics of these kinds of
unreported crimes were sickening. The females, who survived the horror, got on
with their broken lives and the perpetrators moved on to their next
victim.
Her investigation
had shown that he’d been incarcerated once for eighteen months. Had done his
time and swore to his cellmate he’d die before returning. A sinister perception
had formed when she'd learned this. She’d relish putting his ugly face behind
the bars he’d swore never to see again.
Not being a
gambler in a city where people lived and breathed gambling might seem strange.
But there was one sure thing she’d roll the dice on. As soon as she found him,
he’d be going down. And she would find him. Others had told her she had a
one-track mind. And the track she now fixated on had Earl Rhonda waiting at the
end.
Chapter Two
All of a sudden
the door swung open and the person who’d been the focus of her thoughts
appeared wearing a snug maternity t-shirt and black tights.
“Hey partner, you
still annoyed at me?” Debbie, glowing, wore a cheeky grin.
Aurora quickly hid
her welcoming grin and played at being the caustic cop who everyone recognized.
“Slumming today, Mrs. Ashton?” She stood up and approached the very pregnant
blonde who waited with apprehension showing clearly in her expression.
The yearning on
Deb’s face, her need for reassurance, forced Aurora’s arms to open seemingly of
their own power. Hugging, an action that didn’t come easily to Aurora began
before she could put on the breaks. And Debbie took full advantage. She moved
in close and clung.
After a quick
squeeze, Aurora backed away. The familiar musky perfume fed the previous
sadness and had Aurora blink quickly to stem the threatening moisture. God she
wished things were the same as before, when the two of them shared the joined
desks and worked as a unit. But it wasn’t to be. Instead she’d be having a new
partner, and Debbie would be having a baby.
Seconds of rethinking
made her inner bitch smile. I guess if I had my druthers, getting a new
partner isn’t so bad.
She’d felt the
protrusion of Debbie’s big belly against hers and a silly yearning started up
again from deep within. It’d been that way since the baby had been obvious.
During every moment spent with a radiant Debbie, strange feelings had surfaced
and were getting harder to hide, especially from herself.
Not in a million
years could she ever imagine being in that condition. Then why the hell was she
mooning over every baby that came into her sight? She had to get over this
shit.
“Enough with all
this girlie stuff. You’ll have the department thinking I’m getting soft instead
of the badass they’re used to.”
Debbie’s quirky
grin appeared “Face it my friend, we all know you’re a marshm—”
“Don’t say it or
I’ll have to hurt you. Even for me, hitting pregnant ladies goes against the
grain.”
“Yeah! Yeah!”
Debbie used Aurora’s favorite comeback against her and then laughed until the
restraint Aurora fought against melted and she chuckled also.
“Seriously, what
brings you to this dungeon now that you’re a free woman?”
“Have to pick up
Cory. He promised me a night out, and I’m holding him to it. You’re welcome to
join us.”
Since the day her
pregnancy had been revealed, Cory had moved in on Debbie and claimed his
rights. Their romance had flared, and they’d pulled off a Vegas wedding only a
few weeks ago.
“Thanks, but I’ll
take you up on that another time. I’ve got some good leads I’m working on and
need to keep searching.” She pointed at the computer screen as if it gave
credence to her refusal. No way did she want to play third party in a dinner
date between her boss and old partner. When those two were in the same space
with each other the
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