chin forward. From the look on her face, Vance guessed she wasn’t thrilled with Emmett so freely offering his opinion to a stranger.
“You can call her Susie,” Emmett offered.
Vance looked at her for confirmation.
“Oh, call me whatever the hell you want.” She waved her hand. “And don’t listen to Emmett. Cops are cops. Nothing new there.”
Emmett rubbed his jaw ruefully and squinted one eye at her. “Felt like something when they beat the crap outta me and left me for dead on the East side.”
It was Vance’s turn to rub his jaw ruefully, memories resurfacing at Emmett’s words. “Actually, they’ve been doing that one for a while. That happened to me my first month in St. Louis. The polo-shirt crowd was harassing a homeless cripple. I shot my mouth off at them, and a nervous bar owner called the cops because he saw a fight brewing on his sidewalk. Cops sided with the money and didn’t want to deal with the paperwork of arresting me.”
Otis and Emmett nodded sympathetically. Susie wrapped her arms around herself a little tighter, her frown deepening as she muttered. “Told you, Emmett. Hell’s hell, and we found it.”
“I don’t doubt it.” Vance’s tone was gentle. He wondered what happened to the woman, what journey had brought her to this point. The conversation moved on, but Vance’s mind wandered back to it later that night as he lie in his bed, sleep eluding him.
That beating wound up setting him on a path that would change his life. In the darkest of night, as his mind danced between dreaming and waking, Vance could remember the event quite vividly. He’d been lying on the cracked blacktop thinking he was going to die in the filth with no one to see or care. He might have been able to muster the strength to crawl or even get up if he had the will, but with nowhere to go it seemed the better option to lie there and die.
As the minutes had ticked by, he’d had time to bemoan every choice he’d made, every injustice piled on him. By the time a pair of high-heeled feet came into view, he’d begun to feel properly sorry for himself. So much so, he was hoping his end would be swift. But then the woman attached to those high-heeled feet knelt gingerly beside him, reaching two delicate fingers out to check his pulse.
“I’m alive,” he’d croaked, his embarrassment mounting as he realized just how pretty the woman was. Her blond hair was pulled into a messy pile on her head, tendrils escaping to tumble about her bare shoulders. She studied him with her big, blue eyes. He squinted up at her through his own swollen lids.
“Just barely from the looks of you, sweetie.” She ran her fingers down his cheek in something that felt like a caress before taking his chin in her hand and tipping his head up so she could better assess his injuries. “How’d you get yourself into this mess?”
Vance’s sharp laugh was cut off by the blinding pain it sent through his ribs. “That’s a long story.”
“What’s the short version?”
“Pissed off a cop.”
The woman regarded him a moment more before giving a slight nod. “You’re coming with me.”
Vance hadn’t had time to process her words before a second set of heels came into view. That woman also leaned down, her face bearing less kindness as she took him in. “Jessie, leave him. We’re going to be late.”
“You go on without me, Marie. Tell Spence I’ll be there soon.”
“I’m not taking a hit for you,” Marie retorted.
“Then tell him you don’t know where I am. I’ll deal with him later.”
Marie scrunched her face unattractively. “Just because you’re his favorite doesn’t mean he’s going to let this fly. You’re gonna push him too far someday.”
Jessie’s eyes didn’t leave Vance’s face. “Something tells me this one’s worth the risk.”
Vance opened his mouth to tell her he didn’t want her to get in trouble for him when she interrupted.
“Don’t bother arguing with me. I’m helping
“You can call her Susie,” Emmett offered.
Vance looked at her for confirmation.
“Oh, call me whatever the hell you want.” She waved her hand. “And don’t listen to Emmett. Cops are cops. Nothing new there.”
Emmett rubbed his jaw ruefully and squinted one eye at her. “Felt like something when they beat the crap outta me and left me for dead on the East side.”
It was Vance’s turn to rub his jaw ruefully, memories resurfacing at Emmett’s words. “Actually, they’ve been doing that one for a while. That happened to me my first month in St. Louis. The polo-shirt crowd was harassing a homeless cripple. I shot my mouth off at them, and a nervous bar owner called the cops because he saw a fight brewing on his sidewalk. Cops sided with the money and didn’t want to deal with the paperwork of arresting me.”
Otis and Emmett nodded sympathetically. Susie wrapped her arms around herself a little tighter, her frown deepening as she muttered. “Told you, Emmett. Hell’s hell, and we found it.”
“I don’t doubt it.” Vance’s tone was gentle. He wondered what happened to the woman, what journey had brought her to this point. The conversation moved on, but Vance’s mind wandered back to it later that night as he lie in his bed, sleep eluding him.
That beating wound up setting him on a path that would change his life. In the darkest of night, as his mind danced between dreaming and waking, Vance could remember the event quite vividly. He’d been lying on the cracked blacktop thinking he was going to die in the filth with no one to see or care. He might have been able to muster the strength to crawl or even get up if he had the will, but with nowhere to go it seemed the better option to lie there and die.
As the minutes had ticked by, he’d had time to bemoan every choice he’d made, every injustice piled on him. By the time a pair of high-heeled feet came into view, he’d begun to feel properly sorry for himself. So much so, he was hoping his end would be swift. But then the woman attached to those high-heeled feet knelt gingerly beside him, reaching two delicate fingers out to check his pulse.
“I’m alive,” he’d croaked, his embarrassment mounting as he realized just how pretty the woman was. Her blond hair was pulled into a messy pile on her head, tendrils escaping to tumble about her bare shoulders. She studied him with her big, blue eyes. He squinted up at her through his own swollen lids.
“Just barely from the looks of you, sweetie.” She ran her fingers down his cheek in something that felt like a caress before taking his chin in her hand and tipping his head up so she could better assess his injuries. “How’d you get yourself into this mess?”
Vance’s sharp laugh was cut off by the blinding pain it sent through his ribs. “That’s a long story.”
“What’s the short version?”
“Pissed off a cop.”
The woman regarded him a moment more before giving a slight nod. “You’re coming with me.”
Vance hadn’t had time to process her words before a second set of heels came into view. That woman also leaned down, her face bearing less kindness as she took him in. “Jessie, leave him. We’re going to be late.”
“You go on without me, Marie. Tell Spence I’ll be there soon.”
“I’m not taking a hit for you,” Marie retorted.
“Then tell him you don’t know where I am. I’ll deal with him later.”
Marie scrunched her face unattractively. “Just because you’re his favorite doesn’t mean he’s going to let this fly. You’re gonna push him too far someday.”
Jessie’s eyes didn’t leave Vance’s face. “Something tells me this one’s worth the risk.”
Vance opened his mouth to tell her he didn’t want her to get in trouble for him when she interrupted.
“Don’t bother arguing with me. I’m helping
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