My silence is my only answer.
“Shit, that’s a conflict of interest, Ashford.”
“I know.”
“Then why did you take the case?”
I let out a heavy sigh. “Because I know he didn’t do it. Someone is setting him up, and I have to find out who.”
He runs a hand through his dark hair as we round the corner of the hallway, heading toward the exit. Once we’re outside, he stops me with a hand on my elbow. “I have to report this. Ican’t—I won’t compromise the investigation.”
The tightness in my chest worsens. “Can you please just give me a little time before you do?”
He gives me a sympathetic look. “You know I can’t do that.”
My legs feel numb, but I’m not surprised. Ramirez is by the book, and deep down, I knew if he found out, he’d report it, but I also had a small sliver of hope that he wouldn’t find out. Or at the very least, we could find out who was behind this before he did, and then it wouldn’t matter. Either way, I know that after he reports back to my superiors, I’ll be suspended or fired.
“Don’t worry about it,” I say, handing him the file and shouldering my bag. “I’ll tell them myself.”
As I walk toward the parking garage, my legs feel numb and my panic rises, but I stomp it down. I can do this. I have to do this.
For him.
It’s been a while since I’ve had a drink, longer since I’ve been drunk, but fuck it. I need something to numb this shitty day. Motioning to our server—who’s been eye-fucking me since I got here an hour ago—I signal for another round of whiskey. Usually, I would be all over her silent invitation, but my dick isn’t interested, which pisses me off because I know why.
I’m still in my uniform. I didn’t bother to go home and change. Doesn’t fucking matter anyway. They’ve already stripped me of everything important to me.
“I’m not holding your hair back tonight, Cunningham,” Sawyer says, sitting across from me. Dressed in street clothes, he takes an easy sip from his whiskey tumbler.
His first to my third.
“Don’t worry. I don’t plan on gettingthatsloppy.”
Leaning forward, he crosses his arms on the table. “Could’ve fooled me.”
The server sets the drink down in front of me, winking at me before she turns and walks away.
Fuck my life.
Nothing would be more satisfying than finding a dark corner or a bathroom stall and fucking my pretty waitress until all images of Karmen have been burned from my mind for good, but I know that won’t happen. I’ve been trying for years to fuckthat woman out of my system with zero success.
Sawyer eyes me carefully as I toss my whiskey back in one gulp, welcoming the warm burn before slamming the glass down on the table harder than I mean to.
Why does it have to be her?
Why does it have to be the one woman I’ve never been able to shake? The one woman who was able to twist me into so many knots, I’ll spend the rest of my miserable life trying to untangle them. “Tell me exactly what happened,” he demands.
Levi Sawyer is a no-bullshit kind of guy. He doesn’t care about feelings or emotions, just the facts. We’ve been close friends since I started at the department. I’ve tried to get him to come over to my unit multiple times, but he loves the thrill of the streets. I can’t blame him. I miss it myself sometimes.
Less politics and bullshit.
“I can’t believe they suspended you.”
“They took my badge, my gun,everything. They’re treating me like I’m a fucking criminal.”
“What I want to know is how the hell the drugs have gone missing from our lockup without a trace, not a camera glitch, nothing?”
I let out a heavy breath. “Someone cloned my fingerprint.”
