What had I ever seen in him? I glanced around the bar, and the only one paying attention was Autumn. She raised a brow, shooting a look at Brian. I gave a little shake of my head. No way I wanted Brian getting involved, which would only end with Chad mad and mouthing off.
“I’m working, so please let go of my arm.”
The toad tightened his fingers just enough to hurt, then let go. “I’ll be back when you get off.”
My first reaction was to tell him no, but I was going to have to have a firm conversation with him, and I might as well get it over with.
“Fine. See you later.”
It had turned out to be a disappointing night. Chad had shown up and Dylan hadn’t.
6
~ Dylan ~
I’d been sittingin my car for fifteen minutes in a lot across the street from Vincennes, watching Jenny’s boyfriend—hopefully ex-boyfriend—as he leaned against the hood of his Beamer. It didn’t surprise me that he wasn’t going to give up easily. He was the kind of man who couldn’t handle a woman walking out on him. Good-looking, big ego, high-powered job, daddy’s money. Yeah, I’d checked him out. My instincts had yet to lie to me, and they were buzzing over this guy.
This afternoon I’d debated going to Vincennes for dinner but had decided it was too soon to see Jenny again. Didn’t want her to think I was trying to make a move on her while she was still tangled up with Pretty Boy.
I’d spent most of the day unpacking and getting my apartment in order, only leaving to go to the grocery store to pick up some sandwich supplies for dinner. My intention had been to spend the evening preparing for Monday and my first official day on the job. But having been closed up most of the day, I was going a little stir-crazy and decided to take a ride.
Since there was only one main street in Blue Ridge Valley, I couldn’t help driving by the restaurant. As I passed, I saw Chad Perrine turn into the parking lot shortly before their closing time. I pulled into the lot across the street, turned off my lights, and eased into a space that allowed me a good view. I wasn’t going to try to fight Jenny’s battles for her, but if things got nasty, I’d be nearby.
Perrine straightened when Jenny appeared. Had she made up with him?Don’t break my heart, Jenny Girl.I watched her body language, pleased that she stopped a few feet from him, putting her hands on her hips. I wished I could hear the conversation, but I was at least able to keep an eye on her, make sure the discussion stayed civil.
They talked back and forth for a few minutes, then Perrine reached for her. She shook her head as she backed up. When he stepped toward her, I put my hand on the door handle. Jenny reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone, backing up some more as she said something. My guess, she was threatening to call the cops. Smart girl. He got in his car and slammed the door, spinning his tires as he took off.
“Real cool, dude.”
I decided I’d follow Jenny home, make sure the man didn’t decide to show up there. She disappeared around the back of the building where I assumed she parked. A few minutes later a car came into view.
“I’ll be damned,” I murmured. We had matching Mustangs. Amused, I stayed far enough behind her so she wouldn’t notice me. After she arrived home and disappeared into her apartment, I stuck around for ten minutes or so, just to make sure Perrine didn’t show up. Once I decided he wasn’t going to make an appearance, I headed back to my place.
Monday morningI made sure to get to work before the seven o’clock shift change. I figured it was safe not to have any cars out on patrol this early for the forty-five-minute meeting I had planned, so when the cops coming off shift and those going on were all gathered, I gave them my spiel. The ones on the three to eleven were also here, and as I introduced myself, my gaze slid over the group both seated and standing around the lobby. Everyone except for Jansen looked crisp and sharp.
“I’m sure all of you know my name by now, but if you missed that bit of news somehow, I’m Dylan Conrad, your new chief. I’m a fair man, but…” I scanned the room, meeting each of their eyes. “But my word is law. Are you paying attention? I hope so, but I’ll repeat it one more time so there’s no misunderstanding.” I turned my gaze on Moody and Jansen, who were sitting together, both with bored expressions on their faces. They were going to find themselves very bored when they were out of a job.
“My word is law. No ands, ifs, or buts.” Moody narrowed his eyes, and I deducted five points. The man was digging a deep hole but was too stupid to know it.
“I won’t be making any changes right away… Actually, that’s not true. From this moment on, there will be no more poker games in this building. There will be no cursing, not even a ‘damn’ when on duty. My favorite word is ‘fuck,’ but you’ll never hear me say it again when I’m on the clock.”
“This is fucking bullshit,” Jansen muttered.
Why was I not surprised he’d be the one to test me? “You’re suspended for the day without pay, Jansen. Go home.” I deducted a thousand points, making sure he’d never dig his way out. Jansen leaned back on the chair he was squeezed into, crossed his arms over his belly, and glared at me.
“You have a very short memory, Officer Jansen. My word is law. You’re now suspended for three days. If you’re smart, which I have my doubts about, you’ll leave this second. If you don’t, my next offer is a week’s suspension.”
He heaved his massive body up and stomped out. I heard a snicker and turned my attention to Reddick. “Something funny, Officer Reddick?”
His eyes widened. “No sir.”
“Didn’t think so.” He was surprised I knew his name, but I knew the names of every man and the two women sitting or standing in this room, even the ones I hadn’t met. They didn’t know how much I loved assigning myself homework. Except for the few who’d had contact with me last Friday night, they didn’t know what to expect. As I continued on with my little speech, I began to see respect in most of their eyes. My work here was done, at least for this morning. Other than Moody and Jansen, I gave each one of them five points as a bonus because I was feeling generous.
“Bottom line, ladies and gentlemen”—I gave a nod to my only two women officers—“this police department is going to be the pride of Blue Ridge Valley. You do your job and do it right, I’ll have your back. That is my promise to you. If you have any questions, now’s the time to ask them.”
One of the women raised her hand. “Yes, Officer Griffin?” Again, the wide eyes of surprise that I knew her name.
“Ah…maybe it’s too soon to complain, but we hate our uniforms. Is there any chance of getting new ones?”
