Highland County Heroes Collection

Chapter 2-1

Sergeant Hayley Moreno fumed as she made her way out to the car. Three times this week she’d gone to the trouble of packing a lunch only to find it missing when she went to retrieve it from the refrigerator. This s**t was getting old. Then, when she was bitching to herself about it, Warren Hathaway had answered. It had taken all her self-control not to jump and smack her head against the top of the ancient refrigerator the department refused to replace when his deep voice had drawled out behind her.

Damn, that man is s*x on a stick. She wanted to eat him whole. But there was no way it could ever happen. She worked too hard to get where she was. In a position of authority and to gain her men’s respect. Sleeping with one of the officers would blow all that hard work in one night.

Damn, that man is s*x on a stickOne hot and sweaty, extremely satisfying, night, she had no doubt. But it didn’t matter. No matter how much he got to her, how hot and bothered he made her, she had to ignore him. Or make him leave her alone. She did her best to keep things strictly business, strictly officer/sergeant, but damn if just the low rumble of his voice didn’t make heat and moisture pool between her thighs.

What grated even more was the knowledge she wasn’t alone. There was no missing the bulge in his jeans or the way he shifted his duty belt only drew attention to it, though she was sure he didn’t realize she was aware of it.

She got in the department issue squad car and started the engine, letting the engine run a minute to give the AC a chance to kick on. The oppressive heat today didn’t help her mood, nor did not having slept well for the past week. She was becoming sleep deprived and cranky. She’d been trying to ignore the irritating, yet somehow infuriatingly sexy man for a long time. Since he’d been rotated to her shift a week before, it had become nearly impossible. As had sleep. Imaginings of him, his cocky grin, his too-toned body, and his lippy mouth haunted her dreams, making what little sleep she managed to get only more frustrating. Her favorite fantasy was putting his smart mouth to use for something more than talking back. But every. Single. Time she woke before the job was finished. If this continued, she might have to find someone to give her some relief. Not that she was into one-night stands, but she was starting to see the draw.

With a sigh, she put the car in reverse and backed out of her space before putting it in gear and pulling out of the station house lot. When Hathaway suggested she order delivery she’d had to bite back the urge to tell him why didn’t he go pick her something up, but she couldn’t use the force as her own personal delivery people, even the ones she wanted to be sure understood she was in charge. She didn’t bother to tell him she’d ordered delivery two days before and it had happened just as she’d said. She’d been waiting for it to arrive, only to discover it already eaten by the time she realized it had been delivered. She had lost her cool and chewed out every squad member in the room at the time, threatening to give them each the shittiest duties she could think of. She’d thought it was over, until her lunch turned up missing again today. Come to think of it, Hathaway had been off that day and hadn’t witnessed her melt down. Thank god for small favors. Though, maybe if he’d witnessed it, he’d quit needling her.

Hayley pulled into the lot at Angie’s Diner, her favorite place in town, then used the radio to call in her lunch break. After letting the dispatcher know she wasn’t going to be in her car for a bit, she went inside.

She stepped in the door and pulled off her sunglasses, tucking an ear piece into her shirt pocket right below her badge as she looked around for an empty table. There. Her favorite table near the window, was open. She wove her way in between tables, making sure nothing on her belt smacked into patrons as she made her way across the room.

“Hey doll, you know what you want, or should I bring a menu?” Becky, the waitress, brought her a tall glass of ice water and set it on the table in front of her almost as soon as her butt hit the seat.

“Hey Becks,” Hayley knew all the waitresses at Angie’s, lord knew she came in often enough. “How’s Mario?”

“He’s good. Keeping busy, football camp starts next week and he’s trying to get everything ready for when the boys start showing up.”

“That’s good.” Hayley thought about what she wanted for a moment. She should have a salad, it would be better for her waistline, but damn, she just didn’t have it in her today. “Bring me the chicken fried steak.”

“Mashed potatoes and veggie? Or you want something else?”

“What’s the veggie today?”

“Steamed broccoli.”

Hayley made a face. She’d eat broccoli, but it wasn’t her favorite and the noon cook tended overcook it. “Bring me a salad, dry.”

“And mashed or fries?”

“Mashed is fine, gravy on those too, please.” If she was gonna have a fattening meal, she might as well go all out and really enjoy it. She could go back to eating healthy for dinner. She hit the gym regularly, not as much for her figure as so she could keep up with anyone she might have to chase. The last thing she needed was her men to think she’d made rank and gotten soft. She might not be able to keep her ass from spreading as she spent more time in a chair than on her feet, but she could sure as hell make sure she maintained her eight-minute mile.

“No problem. Water good or you want something else?”

“Water’s good.”

“All right. I’ll put this right in and bring you your salad.”

“Thanks, Becks.” Part of the reason Hayley loved this place was the staff knew if she was in uniform, she had a limited amount of time and would put her to the head of the line. She knew they did it for all the force and she tried not to abuse it by coming in too often, at least when she was on duty. Today, though, she needed what comfort she could get. And a good meal might help keep her from strangling one or more of her officers before the end of the shift. Taking a long drink of her water, she sat back, stared out the window and thought about her week. So far, it left a lot to be desired. Missing meals was just the start of it. She’d also had reports turn up missing from her desk, some she knew she’d seen, others that officers swore they turned in, officers she trusted. Someone was messing with her, she didn’t yet know why, but she was determined to figure out who it was and why they were trying to make her look bad.

Becky brought her salad and took off to check on her other customers. Hayley gazed unseeing out the window as she ate and considered some of the other things that had gone over the last week. Missing food didn’t make her look bad, it was just irritating. An officer under investigation for a car accident was a little worse, though it was only a fender bender and more of a headache than anything serious. Still, she suspected that the officer had been texting while driving, a real no-no that would make her look bad if it was confirmed. Though not as bad as it would make him look. He would be the one reprimanded, and if it happened again, he’d be fired.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized that putting all this together and coming up with someone out to get her might be a little much. She was having a bad week. So what? What she needed to do was get through today, then maybe go out and have a drink. Unwind a little. Today was her Friday, even though it was Wednesday. There was no reason she shouldn’t or couldn’t take the chance to relax. Maybe she’d call her sister and see if Denni wanted to go out tonight.

A quick check of her watch told her court was probably in session, likely making Denni unavailable. Denni usually spent Wednesdays in court, dealing with any number of clients. Not that she didn’t have court other days, but Denni’s position as a public defender meant she often spent Wednesdays in what Hayley thought of as petty crime court. It was a good bet that’s where she was now, so Hayley sent a text instead.

Hayley: Hey, you busy tonight? Want to go out and have a few drinks?

Hayley: Hey, you busy tonight? Want to go out and have a few drinks?Becky brought out her lunch and Hayley set the phone aside. It would likely be hours before her sister found it and responded. That was okay, it would be hours before Hayley got off shift and could think much more about unwinding.

She finished her lunch, paid and went out to her car where she radioed in that she was available again. Now she just needed to get through the rest of the day without killing or maiming anyone. Oh, and preferably, keep Warren Hathaway off her mind while she was at it. She wasn’t sure she’d manage that last one.

“There is this one guy,” Hayley heard herself saying, “he’s built like a roman god and twice as full of himself. If I could guarantee no one would find out, ever, I’d totally take a night, or ten, with him.” Where had that come from? She set her half-full bottle of beer on the table and stared at it. It would be her last. Glancing up, she couldn’t help but notice the wide-eyed look her sister gave her. She couldn’t believe she was telling her sister about Warren Hathaway but here she was, the words spilling out of her mouth as if they were a flood she couldn’t stop. She was still with it enough to make sure not to use his name, thank goodness for small blessings.

Denni had come through. She had responded to Hayley’s text mid-afternoon letting her know that hell, yes, she was in for a drink after work, and that she would take care of the designated driver. All Hayley needed to do was show up and have a good time. And Hayley had. It turned out her sister wasn’t alone, she’d brought along her friend Marissa Todd, who was another attorney at the PD’s office. The three of them had had a few drinks, talked about men, who they’d dreamed about and who wasn’t worth the time. Hayley was about three drinks in, which made her loose and just barely starting to buzz when she spotted him. Stalking across the room as if he knew exactly where he was going and he wanted to get there. Fast.

She couldn’t take her eyes off him as heat shot through her body. He was irritating and smart-assed, but she couldn’t forget how hot he was either. And tonight, in cowboy boots, tight jeans and an old-fashioned thin shirt she was sure would have pearl snaps down the front, it was even harder to forget how she wanted to either kiss his full, smart mouth or slap it. Both were equally tempting. As much as Hayley hated to admit it, she’d fantasized about both. Both had been equally satisfying.