Page 89 of A Dirty Business
Oh. Fuck no. That was Bear’s bar, and I wasn’t sayingfuck nobecause it was his place, but, well ... because it was his place. There’d be conversation done between him and me, and it would center on my mother, and thinking back on Trace’s sister’s revelation, I was filled up with the need tonotsee or deal with or talk to my mom. She hadn’t been blowing up my phone since Saturday, so why would I want to seek more of her out? Still. I groaned as I texted back.
Me:Sounds good. Time?
Val:Who the fuck knows. Whenever everyone finishes their shifts.
Me:Why are you going? You can’t drink.
Val:I can smell it. I can pretend. Don’t take this shit from me. I need it.
Me:Is Officer Reyo going to be in attendance?
Val:Fuck off. See you at training.
Right. I laughed but then groaned again.
That sex dream was still with me. What was wrong with me? Oh, right. I had horrible, horrible taste in men, but Trace wasn’t horrible. He was amazing. What his family did, what he sometimes helped with ... I needed to stop thinking about it.
I’d need a hard workout this morning.
Bear was behind the counter when I walked in.
In a way, he resembled his pub. He was shorter, around five six, but he was built like a literal tank. He kept his head bald and clean, the same way he kept his bar clean. His pub was small, closed in by bricks on the inside and out. He’d kept the old building’s charm when he’d done renovations. He was ex-military, and when he’d come back home, bought this place, the word had gotten around. Veterans, cops, firefighters, paramedics, and sometimes hospital staff showed up too.
Bear saw me and gave me a slight chin lift. I returned it but bypassed him for the table I spotted Val already had claimed. We were far in the back, and knowing Val, she would’ve had a private word with Bear to only bring her nonalcoholic beer. Bear being Bear, he’d probably comp her drinks.
That was just Bear.
“Officer Montell.” Val wasn’t alone at the table. Brian Wittel was there, and judging from the verynotsubtlety of Val wiggling her eyebrows, this was a date setup.
I slid onto my stool and gave him a nod and small smile back. “Officer Wittel.”
I liked Brian. We’d hooked up in the past. He was a good cop, kept himself trim, and he kept his mouth shut. Whenever he was on a scene for one of my guys, I knew I didn’t need to worry anything extra would pop off. He was as professional as professional came for us. Plus, he was easy on the eyes. Handsome. He had dark features, and he was good in bed. The past with us had been clean, no messiness. We’d hooked up with the understanding if the other wanted another go, just send a text. No strings. Nothing else. Val knew about the hookup, and I was guessing this was payback for me messing with her about her Officer Young Stud.
I glanced around and didn’t see him. “Where’s Little Romeo?”
Brian started laughing while Val growled at me. “Shut up. Shut up! Shut up! Okay?”
I frowned. “Sore spot? You guys break up already?”
She hissed under her breath, half rising out of her chair and leaning over the table to me. She pretended to give me a whack on the face. “That’s still under wraps.” Her eyes darted to Brian. “Except Brian knows, but no one else. Okay? Got it?”
I laughed as Bear showed up at our table, sliding a pint in front of me. “I was figuring Brian knew but wasn’t totally sure. Hence the code name Little Romeo.”
She gave me a withering glare. “Brian knows because he caught us leaving my apartment building.”
Brian laughed. “Perks of living in the same building.”
I turned to Bear. “Thank you.”
He gave a small nod. “Been a while since you came in, but figured you’d want what you usually drank.” Bear knew I’d drink anything he brought over. That was respect for him, but his gaze skirted the table before landing back on me. He gave a slight nod toward the corner and dropped his voice. “A word in private?”
All laughing went by the wayside. I slid off my stool.
“Sure.” I shared a look with Val before I followed him to the back corner. He led the way through into his kitchen, and he didn’t stop. The cook was in the back, and he raised a knife in the air. “Heya, little Jessie!”
“Hi, Tony. Food smells delicious tonight.”
“Always, but especially for you tonight now that I know you’re out there.”
