Line of Fire (Protect and Serve Book 4) Read online

  LINE OF FIRE

  PROTECT AND SERVE SERIES

  BOOK 4

  BY: NADINE HUDSON

  Copyright © 2020 Nadine Hudson

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Description

  Veronica

  I have finally proven myself to everyone at the academy, but now there’s just one more person I needed to prove myself to. The chief of police...good old Dad. I came into this job with all the confidence in the world only to be weakened at the knees by my new partner.

  The outrageously sexy and secretive Finn Carter. That’s a BIG no no V. Not only is he your partner, but he’s also one of your dad’s best friends. Eyes on the prize. You still have to prove yourself, but I suppose some harmless flirting wouldn’t hurt, right?

  Finn

  Is she flirting with me? I knew this partnership was going to be a problem the moment I’d laid eyes on her. There’s not even a trace of the younger girl I remember-but before me stands a full grown woman with curves everywhere a man likes to see them.

  Snap out of it Finn!

  This is Henry’s daughter I’m fantasizing about. I have to get a grip on myself! I can do this. At least until I grow tired of that smart mouth of hers. Then I might have to see how she handles it when I stop ignoring her advances and return fire instead.

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  Table of Contents

  Description

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  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  What Happens Next?

  Follow Me!

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  Chapter One

  Veronica

  I caught a ride back to the city with Finn, and it was the most awkward ride of my life. Neither of us spoke, both staring straight ahead at the blacktop. The sun shone in the window and usually I would want to lean against the window and soak it up, maybe nap a little bit, but I was too upset.

  I’d just broken my father’s heart.

  The only reason we were up at the cabin in the first place was because of my dead brother’s birthday, and now, my dad would be up there alone, staring at the walls and wishing both Finn and me out of his life for good.

  To make matters worse, Finn was stone-faced and silent. I wanted words of comfort, something reassuring. I craved some kind of promise from him that this was going to work out, but no. He could have at least reached for my hand, let me know he was there for me no matter what. Instead, he kept his hands clenched on the steering wheel and his gaze fixed on the road, his mind clearly working on something.

  Finn pulled into the parking lot of my apartment building and pulled into a space. I half expected him to leave the engine running while I grabbed my bag, but he shut off the ignition and sat staring straight ahead. I didn’t know what to say. Obviously, I didn’t think I was supposed to get out of the car if he’d turned it off, but he didn’t even look in my direction.

  So I sat there, too.

  “I’m sorry, Veronica,” he finally said after an intensely long pause.

  “Me too,” I said, nodding slowly.

  “No, I mean… because this isn’t going to work out. I really wanted it too, and I was stupid enough to think that maybe there was a way. But… there’s not.”

  I didn’t speak. I couldn’t. Only two hours ago he’d been the one promising me that everything would be okay, that we could find a way to be together. Apparently, that had been a lie, or worse, it wasn’t worth the effort for him to try.

  “Got it,” I said.

  I took off my seatbelt and reached over the seat for my overnight bag and my purse. I couldn’t help but notice how Finn pulled away, mistaking my sudden movement as some way to get closer to him, to close the already small distance between us. I froze, pausing to let the brief stab in my heart subside, then pulled my bag in front of me. I reached for the door handle and opened it.

  “Thanks for the ride,” I muttered before getting out of the car and forcing myself not to slam the door shut in anger.

  I made it inside before losing my shit.

  I flung my bag down and paced the apartment like a wild animal, raking my hands through my hair to push it out of my face. I kicked a small pile of laundry that I’d forgotten to put away with my foot, but that felt so weak, useless. I kicked at a pair of work shoes this time, and that was more satisfying, especially when they hit the wall with a thud.

  “Dammit!” I screamed, practically snarling as I fought to breathe.

  I sunk down on the sofa and leaned back, throwing my arms over my eyes. I lost track of the number of calming breaths I’d attempted, but the fact that they were completely useless only pissed me off even more. And why was I feeling rage rather than sadness?

  Because Finn hadn’t been willing to fight for me.

  At the first sign of an obstacle, he’d folded like a cheap paper plate. I was half-naked and lying beneath him when he’d made the decision that I just wasn’t worth the trouble. And it had just cost me everything.

  My job. My hopes of a relationship. My dad…

  Oh god, my dad. If there was one thing in the world Henry Miller probably never thought he’d have to see, it was me with my shirt off and his best friend practically grinding on top of me. There’s not enough eye bleach in the world to take care of that sight.

  But it hadn’t escaped my notice that my dad hadn’t texted once to check on me, to say, “I’m mad but I love you and we’ll talk later,” nothing. He’d said he didn’t want to see me, and apparently, he meant every word.

  Step one, then, was to find a job. I couldn’t very well waltz into the precinct next week and pretend that nothing happened. Even if I could stomach the thought of having to see Finn—who was probably just as fired as I was—I couldn’t very well show up for work if the boss had ordered me out of his sight for good.

  I turned on my laptop and grabbed a soda from the fridge. Job hunting was the last thing I wanted to be doing, but at least it was something to do besides think about Finn. Besides, next month’s rent wasn’t going to pay itself. I brought the laptop over to the sofa and sat down, curling my leg beneath me and pulling the computer into my lap.

  I opened the browser and tapped away at a few keys, then let my eyes fall down the list of search results. Luckily, job postings weren’t in short supply. Law enforcement jobs in my area that didn’t directly report to my dad, though…well, that was a different story.

  I filled out as many applications as I could then checked the time on my phone. There were still no messages from either Finn or my dad, a fact that I’d probably just have to get used to. It’s not like I really expected either one of them to reach out or apologize.

  The next day was Sunday, and it was smack in the middle of a three-day weekend, so I certainly hadn’t expected to wake up to six emails from different departments, offering me a phone interview. I tapped out quick replies to all of them, already feeling a little better about my prospects.

  Maybe things weren’t going to be so awful after all.

  ***

  Finn

  I dropped Veronica off at her apartment and did the only respectable thing I c
ould think of: I stopped off at the liquor store and stocked up, prepared to drink my way out of sorrow and rage.

  For the most part, it worked. It had been a long time since I’d decided to go for a full-on, blistering drunk, so it didn’t take much to render me kind of stupid. By the time I had made a serious dent in one of the bottles of whiskey I’d bought, there was a knock at my door.

  Veronica.

  I hesitated for a split second, torn between wanting to throw open the door and drag her up against me, and not wanting her to see me like this. I pushed up off the couch and opened the door, then nearly stumbled backwards.

  “Hey there, you,” my next-door neighbor said, flinging back a lock of her long, blond hair and leaning against the porch rail. “I saw your car in the driveway all day. Been hanging out all by your lonesome?”

  “Hey Tammy,” I said, trying to keep from slurring. Or swaying.

  “Hey yourself.” She bit her lower lip and I swear she looked me up and down, but that could have been my vision faltering for a minute from the whiskey. “So, can I come in?”

  I thought about it for a split second and had already rejected the idea when Tammy smiled up at me and ducked under my arm, mistaking my quiet pondering for a lack of resistance. Or maybe she just smelled my weakened state, since I’m sure the alcohol was coming off me in waves like desert heat.

  I closed the door and followed her into the house, my eyes instinctively falling to her backside. Her hips slid back and forth as she walked, a not-so-subtle sway that I knew was no accident.

  “Make yourself at home,” I said slowly as she fell back on my sofa and looked up at me with a hungry expression.

  “Don’t mind if I do,” she said before patting the seat beside her.

  Part of my mind—the coherent part that was struggling to get through the growing fog—was desperately thinking of some way to avoid her. A larger part, though, was pulled in by the inviting fit of her sundress, the way the bodice hugged the roundness of her chest and let a very enticing amount of skin mound off the top of it.

  “You don’t look like you’re in a good mood,” she said, then she patted the sofa seat beside her. “Come over here and tell me all about it.”

  “I don’t think… that’s a good idea,” I started to say, trying to find the words. I knew I wanted to be polite—sure, Tammy had been a little too domineering ever since I’d moved in next door, and unashamedly eager to throw herself at more than a few guys—but I was struggling to think of a response that would send her on her way without hurting her feelings.

  She mistook my silence for agreement, reaching forward to take my hand and pull me closer. With no will to fight or argue, I ended up sitting beside Tammy and looking at her smiling face. She wasn’t unattractive, not by a long shot, even if she wasn’t really my type. But at the moment, my brain was losing a battle with whatever she was doing to my arm, trailing her long red fingernails up and down the muscle until I shivered in a good way.

  “I just hated to think of you over here by yourself, feeling lonely,” Tammy said, simpering in what I’m sure she thought was a playful, pouty way. “It’s practically my civic duty to come over here and make sure you’re not feeling blue.”

  I mumbled some kind of response before she slid her bare leg up over the top of mine, simultaneously pinning me down and offering me her golden, silky-smooth skin. I suddenly wanted to wrap my large hand around her ankle and pin it back behind her head, something that I thought we would both enjoy very, very much.

  Tammy looked at me, her eyes nearly as hooded as mine felt, the longing I saw there understandable even in my state. Her finger tips tugged playfully at the collar of my cotton t-shirt before her nails grazed a path down my chest.

  “So, do you want to have a little fun, Officer?” she asked, biting her lower lip for a second time.

  I licked my lips, stalling while I thought of the right response. Before I could answer, Tammy tugged on a handful of my t-shirt, pulling me down towards her until I was stretched out on top of her, our mouths meeting ferociously in a wild, unstoppable kiss.

  Chapter Two

  Veronica

  I didn’t think it was possible to feel any worse than I did, at least not without imploding into some kind of human black hole and letting my body turn itself inside out until I literally disappeared. Sadly, it is possible to feel worse… and those black hole-body eaters aren’t real.

  After replying to all of the responses I’d gotten on my job search, I had a sudden flash of inspiration. Both Finn and my dad weren’t supposed to be at work today, and it was a holiday weekend—which meant more officers out on patrol and a smaller staff on office duty. It would be the perfect time to sneak up to the precinct and clear out my locker and my desk without having to answer a lot of questions.

  I brought my gym bag with me for good measure, just in case anyone saw me.

  The locker was easy, just get inside and throw everything into my duffel bag. My desk in the main office was a little harder since anyone walking through might notice me, but luckily, I hadn’t had time to bring tons of personal crap up there yet. Just a couple of things to stash on top in my duffel bag, and I’d be out the door.

  “Ronnie! Hey!” someone called out behind me right as I made it to the door to leave. I froze, remembering Lopez was working this weekend.

  “Hey there!” I said with a forced smile, turning around as he approached.

  “What are you doing up here? I thought your old man worked it out so you could have the weekend off?” he said, giving me a playful but knowing smirk.

  “Yeah, and wouldn’t you know it, I still had to come in,” I answered. I lifted my gym bag slightly and added, “I forgot some things we needed for our trip.”

  “Oh right,” he said, nodding. There was an awkward pause before he brightened up and said, “Wait, can you give something to Officer Finn? I borrowed it and forgot to return it, and he told me he’d be on the lake with your dad this weekend too. I’ll be right back.”

  Shit. I racked my brain to think of some good reason to tell Lopez I couldn’t help him. What in the world could be so important that it couldn’t wait until after the weekend? I thought about just slipping out the door anyway and leaving—after all, it wasn’t like I’d have to see Lopez again either after this—but he was back before I could turn around.

  “Here you go,” he said, holding out a plastic grocery sack that he’d tied shut. “Thanks a bunch.”

  “Yeah, no problem. See you later,” I muttered, taking the white bag and leaving.

  I tossed both bags on the front seat of my car and slid behind the wheel, shutting and locking the door as if someone was going to chase me down and demand an explanation. Way to think so highly of yourself that everyone should care about your business, V, I thought sheepishly. I pulled out of the parking lot and was about to head back home when I glanced at Lopez’s bag.

  No, I was going to do that unpleasant task now. First, I’d said I would, and Lopez had been clear that Finn needed it this weekend. More importantly, once it was done, I wouldn’t have to see, speak to, or think about Finn ever again.

  I was feeling a lot less confident once I was actually standing on his front porch though, ready to knock on the door with my fist. I didn’t know if I could stand to be rejected all over again, or worse, told some shallow, empty promise that Finn wasn’t going to honor.

  I finally knocked, more so I could get this over with and get back to planning Veronica’s New-and-Improved Life. It took less time than I would have expected for him to open the door on a Sunday morning, but I heard the sound of the deadbolt turning before he pulled the door open.

  Don’t look at his chest… don’t look at his chest, I told myself, but of course, I didn’t listen. His bare chest practically called out to me, but I refused to do more than just that glance I'd inflicted on myself.

  “V,” Finn said absently, looking for all the world like he was trying to figure out why I would be on his porc
h.

  “Lopez asked me to give you this, I couldn’t tell him no,” I said, thrusting the bag at Finn without even waiting to see if he caught it.

  Before I could leave, another person came into view behind Finn. Some blonde wearing only a bedsheet stepped out into the hall, saw me, and darted back into the bedroom. To her credit, she didn’t seem to be the least bit happy that someone had seen her there.

  And no… I wasn’t happy, either.

  “Sorry, I didn’t know you had company,” I said through clenched teeth, my anger threatening to make me say or do something I’d regret.

  Finn jerked in surprise and looked over his shoulder, then cursed under his breath. “V, wait—”

  But it was too late. I had already made it down the steps and towards the street where my car was parked. I slid behind the wheel and peeled out, getting a twinge of satisfaction from knowing there would be literal tire tracks in front of his house from where I drove off in a rage. Every time he so much as stepped outside, he’d be reminded all over again what a jerk he is.

  Finn

  Shit, I thought for the tenth time, watching Veronica’s car disappearing down the street before she turned the corner. In my vaguely hungover state, my fuzzy mind tried to sort through what had just happened.

  V had come over with something from Lopez? I’d never loaned that smug little punk anything. Then, she happened to see Tammy coming out of the bedroom, but why was Tammy only wearing a sheet? She’d been fully clothed when I told her nothing could happen between us, and I went back out to sleep on the couch—or sleep it off, that is.

  “Hey there,” Tammy said quietly when I went back inside and shut the door behind me. “I’m just gonna… I’m gonna get out of your hair now.”

  “Yeah, that’s fine,” I answered, not looking at her.