Energetic Love

Episode 1

Please don't go office.

Jhon plunked his juice glass back on the worn table

and stared at Bunny in confusion.

“What the f**k are you talking about, Bunny?”

The older man shoved a tired hand over his face, a face that was now deeply

grooved with wrinkles and fatigue. He’d called Jhon earlier in the morning and

asked him to meet him here . Jhone was due for his physical

evaluation in a hour. The last obstacle in his return to work as a Sidney.

He’d been plagued with doubts. What sane person wouldn’t be? He hadn’t

been completely sure he could return to a job when Alex, his partner, wouldn’t.

Ever. But, of course, he’d go back. Rio’s killer had to be caught. Justice had to

be done. All that was standing in his way was a doctor’s okay on his physical

condition and a shrink’s assessment on the state of his noggin. He could easily

bullshit his way through that one.

“You don’t think I can hack it anymore?” Jhone asked when Bunny still didn’t

respond.

“That’s not what I’m saying.”

“Then what the hell are you saying?”

Bunny focused grief-stained eyes on Jhon. He seemed so worn down now.

Not at all like the big, barrel-chested man with a booming voice and personality

to match.

“Hear me out. I have a favor to ask.

Jhon flinched, not because Bunny called him boy, but because Bunny’s real boy

was gone. Lost to them both. “I want your help bringing Rio’s killer to justice.”

Jhon should have seen this coming. Bunny was beyond frustrated at the lack

of progress in Rio’s murder case. Understandably so. It mirrored Jhon’s own

burning sense of injustice. Which was why he was so eager to get back on the

job. So he could find Rio’s killer and make the bastard pay.

“But you don’t want me back on the force.”

“They dropped the ball on this investigation,” Bunny said harshly. “You know

it, and I know it. They’re all standing around with their thumbs up their asses

while my boy’s killer is running free. They don’t even have a suspect. Rio was

a good cop. Damn good cop. He didn’t deserve to go down like that.”

Jhon’s eyes narrowed at the slight. It wasn’t directed personally, but still, it

raised his hackles to have Bunny question the departments’ handling of the case.

Nothing he’d seen had led him to believe anyone was taking Rio’s death

lightly.

“Why don’t you want me to go back?” Jhon prompted, trying to push Bunny

back to the point. He didn’t want to dwell on Rio. Not now. Not when it had

taken him this long to be able to think about his partner without feeling like

someone torched his insides.

A waitress walked over with a coffeepot and started to refill their cups. Bunny

waved her away with an irritated gesture. She quickly retreated, eyebrows raised

at the dark scowl on Bunny’s face.

“I’ve been doing some investigating on my own.”

Jhon frowned. Was this why Bunny looked like death warmed over? Had he

been devoting every hour of the day, forgoing sleep, in a desperate attempt to

bring a killer in?

“You’re retired,Bunny. Leave the police work to us.”

Hurt filled Bunny’s eyes. “I’m going to forget you said that, boy.”

Jhon shook his head. “What have you found? “I think I have a solid lead on who may have killed Rio. He was at least at

the scene that night, so if he didn’t do it, he damn sure knows who did. But my

gut is telling me he’s the bastard who shot Rio in the back.”

Jhon’s stomach churned, and all the coffee he’d consumed burned like acid.

Images of Jhon, facedown, like a piece of discarded trash, blood pooling on the

ground.

“If you have evidence, why haven’t you gone to Melbourne, and why are you

here asking me not to go back to the job?”

“Because Melbourne is an obnoxious prick who has his head so far up his ass

he can smell last week’s dinner,” Bunny growled. “I went to him when I

uncovered information on the guy who was there. ”

“You know his name?” Jhon broke in.

Bunny held up his hand. “Let me finish. I know a lot more than the asshole’s

name.”

Jhon nodded and tried to relax in his seat. He glanced at his watch. He was

going to be late.

“I went to Melbourne. Told him everything I knew. He blew me off. Told me I

was a washed-up has-been who needed to leave the police work to the

professionals. Told me when he needed my help, he’d damn well ask for it. It’s

going around the department that Rio was at fault in the shooting.”

“What? What the f**k?”

“I’ve been hearing rumors, Jhon. Seems that the prevailing belief is that

Jhon acted without cause, and that his death was an unfortunate consequence of

his actions. The words ‘blatant disregard of duty’ were thrown around more than

one conversation.”

Jhon stared at Bunny in disbelief. “You can’t be serious. I was there. I gave

my report.”

“You’d say anything to cover for your partner. Jhon curled his lip in a snarl.

Bunny held up his hand. “That’s what they’ll say. Not me.”

Jhon leaned back, taking deep breaths to calm the rage boiling inside him.

He took a long, hard look at Bunny. Was he jacking with him? Trying to get him

pissed off enough that he’d agree to whatever Bunny wanted? He’d never known

Bunny to be anything but straight up, but losing a son had a way of bending one’s

conscience.

Bunny propped his elbows on the table and leaned across, staring intently into

Jhon’s eyes. “You go to your evaluation, son. You talk to Melbourne. If you think

I’m full of s**t after you’ve been back at headquarters for a few hours, then by

all means, you go back to the job and forget we ever had this conversation. But if

you find out I’m right, you give me a call this afternoon. I’ll come over, and we

can talk about how we’re going to nail the son of a b***h who killed my boy.

Your friend.

Bunny slid out of the booth and threw a few wadded-up bills on the table

before stalking toward the exit.

It had been hard to calmly request a leave of absence when what he wanted to do

was put his fist through the wall. Jhon had considered tanking the psych

evaluation, but that s**t went on his personnel record forever, and he didn’t want

that to follow him for the next 25 years.

He stood in the living room of his apartment, pacing, too agitated to sit down

and wait for Bunny to arrive. The old man hadn’t sounded the least bit surprised

when Jhon had called him. Didn’t even ask what the word around headquarters

was.

But then he knew. He’d told Jhon, but Jhon hadn’t believed him. Jhon had

gone back fully intending to ignore Bunny’s request. No matter what, Jhon

wanted to be here where he could help with the investigation, not on some wild-

goose chase. But Melbourne had drawn a hard line in the sand. Jhon wasn’t allowed

anywhere near the investigation. Too close and all that bullshit. Like he needed a

bunch of psychobabble when his friend’s killer was on the loose. When he’d

point-blank asked about the rumors floating around about Rio being at fault

Melbourne's had flatly denied it, saying the investigation was ongoing and that the

department would do everything in its power to bring the murderer to justice.

Jhon had also asked about Samuels and his possible connection to the murder,

but Melbourne had refused to comment.

He’d left the office frustrated, only to be met with many sympathetic stares

from fellow cops. Many murmured their opinion that no way had Rio done

anything wrong. But the fact that they had to say it pissed Jhon off to no end.

There should be no question. It had raised questions in his mind about the

direction the investigation was going.

Bunny walked in the door, not bothering to knock. Jhon met his gaze and

found raw determination simmering there.

“So now you know,” Bunny said quietly. “Are you going to help me?”

“I arranged for a five-month leave,” Jhon said shortly. “Now tell me

everything you’ve found out so we can nail this bastard.”

Bunny walked over to the couch and sank down on the cushion. He eyed Jhon

purposefully. “I need you to go to Australia.”

“What’s in Australia?”

Jenly Desouza.”

Jhon folded his arms over his chest. “What does she have to do with

Samuels?”

“Maybe nothing. But she’s the only lead I’ve got right now.”

“So what about her? Who is she?”

Bunny scratched at the back of his neck then shifted his head. Samuels

hooked up with her mother right about the time of the shooting. They both

disappeared just a few days after Rio got shot. No one’s seen them. I had her

investigated. Pretty much a loser like Samuels. Goes through jobs like candy and

has a history of drug abuse.

“Her daughter works for Leon, the man who adopted her. He owns Desouza and Sons Security. Top-notch firm. Colors outside the lines. You’d

like him.”

Jhon waited impatiently for Bunny to get to the point. It didn’t much matter if

he’d like Desouza or not. All that mattered was whether or not his daughter could

lead them to Rio’s killer.

“Apparently Jenly took care of the mother for most of her life until a few

years ago when the mom and Desouza stepped in and took Jenly back to

Sydney. Since then, Mom has sporadically called the daughter up, mostly

wanting money from what I’ve gathered.

“Last time she called her was a year ago. Now, my thought is, if the mom is

in the habit of calling up the daughter when she needs money, she might very

well start calling her again now that Samuels has entered the picture. Samuels is

desperate. He needs money now that he’s on the move. Money that the mother

doesn’t have.

“If you get close to the daughter, do some snooping, she might very well

lead us to Samuels through the mother.”

Jhon nodded. So far it made sense. Mom and boyfriend were on the run.

Probably low on cash. She might very well contact Jenly and ask for help. For all

he knew, the girl might know exactly where her mother was.

“My buddy Fin is friends with Desouza, and Jenly owes him a favor,”

Bunny continued. “I’ve arranged for you to have a job with his security company.

He knows who you are, that you’re a cop and that your friend was killed.”

“But nothing else, right?”

Bunny shook his head. “What he knows is that you’re on leave while you deal

with the death of your partner and make the decision about whether or not you

want to return to the job.”

Jhon looked sharply at Bunny.

Bunny shrugged. “It seemed a plausible enough explanation.”