Tomorrow Is Never Promised

Chapter 11

Oliver

I awoke the next morning to actual sunlight coming through my window. I stretched, feeling like I was in one of those sleep aid commercials where the person wakes up from a great nights rest. I only wish that were true in my case.

I didn’t sleep too well. In fact I had the same nightmare I did a few nights ago, only this time it transformed to me being chased by the killer through my own house. Lovely.

I swung my legs out of the bed and grabbed a shirt out of my closet, pulling it over my head as I shuffled out of my room and walked down the hall. As I approached the guest room where Ethan was I noticed that the door was left slightly ajar. I glanced through the wide gap and stared at the beautiful specimen taking up most of the bed within.

He was laying on his stomach, his left leg slightly kicked up at the knee and his arms stuffed under the pillow he was resting his head on. I couldn’t help but stare at the miles of muscle that sculpted his body. Every time I had seen him he was obviously clothed, but here he was, laying in my guest bed in nothing but a pair of thigh high shorts, which should honestly be made illegal with how tight they hugged his ass and legs.

His breathing was deep and even, and I watched almost mesmerized at how his back rose and fell with each breath. What it must be like to wake up next to him every morning.

I avert my gaze and continue my trek to the stairs, descending them more quietly then usual as I didn’t want to wake my new guest. Once I reached the bottom of the landing I made a beeline for the kitchen, intent on making some coffee to stave away this tiredness that was surrounding me.

I ground some beans for the coffee and then turned the machine on, letting it work it’s glorious magic. My stomach growled in revolt so I decided maybe some breakfast was in order.

I turned the wireless speaker on the kitchen counter on and turned the volume down lower. I liked to cook while listening to music, but I didn’t want to be too loud.

I scrolled through some playlists on my phone and landed on a 70’s station. Normally I wouldn’t listen to 70’s, but for some reason I felt a little nostalgic.

My dad used to love listening to the Eagles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, basically all the classics. Given everything that’s going on, maybe some nostalgia would be a good thing while I cooked up some bacon and eggs.

I mumbled along to The Long Run as bacon sizzled in the skillet, sending sweet aromas of maple and pork into the air, while also taking a swig from my coffee mug. I didn’t even hear anyone come into the kitchen.

“You like the Eagles?”

I jumped and turned around to see Ethan, sleepiness teasing his eyes, hair swooped back as best as it could be but still a little messy in an obnoxiously sexy way. He was leaning against the island, unfortunately wearing a shirt, but also fortunately a tank top so I still got a nice view of his arms and tattoos.

You're such a perv.

“I was feeling a little nostalgic.” I admitted, turning my attention back to the stove.

“Nostalgic?”

“My dad,” I looked over my shoulder at him to see a small smile form on his lips. “He listened to this kind of music all the time.” I smiled as good memories started to come back. “I remember, when I was a kid, my dad would make us Sunday breakfast and he would always be singing along to one of his favorite bands.”

“Sounds like you guy’s had some good memories.”

“We did.” I nodded, ignoring the pain that formed in my chest.

We may have had really good memories, but that didn’t erase the fact that he always set impossibly high standards for me. Be the best, get the best grades, stand up straight, I didn’t raise a quitter. That was my favorite.

“Raegan’s aren’t quitter’s son.” That’s what my dad would always say when I wanted to drop out of something. Whether it was a class that I thought interested me but it turned out didn’t, when I tried learning the cello…

“What was Herring talking to you about last night?”

I gave Ethan a quizzical look. He was staring at me from above the rim of his coffee mug, clutching it in his big, rough hand, like his hands were impenetrable to the heat the coffee put off through the porcelain.

“Who?”

His eyebrows pinched together. “Herring, that beat cop you were talking to in the parking lot.”

“Oh!” I shook my head and plated the bacon that was finally done. “He was just asking if I was okay.” I admitted embarrassingly as I turned around and finished up the eggs.

“And are you?” He questioned softly.

I turned back around to see a concerned look ghosting behind his bright green eyes. Just that look made my heart swell slightly.

Ethan really did care.

I gave him a silent nod, but that didn’t seem to appease him. He shook his head and stared down into his coffee pensively.

“You don’t have to pretend with me ya know.”

It was my turn to give him the confused look. “What are you talking about?” Even though I knew exactly what he was talking about.

“Just this whole-“ he gestured aimlessly at me. “Front you put up.”

I gave a humorous chuckle and pushed a plate of bacon and eggs in front of him, hoping that would shut him up.

“You’re one to talk. You’re not fooling anyone with your grumpy, surly, bad boy persona.”

“Bad boy persona?” He c****d an eyebrow at me.

“Yes. The earrings, the rings, the leather jacket, the muscle car, the ‘don’t give a s**t’ attitude.”

“Are these bad things? Because, from what I’m hearing, you seem to enjoy them.”

I scoffed and stammered, trying to come up with a response to deny that accusation. I couldn’t let Ethan know that he was getting under my skin, even in the best way possible.

“I-I don’t even know what your-that’s absurd.”

He took a drink of his coffee, smiling facetiously as he watched me struggle for dear life. How could watching a man drink coffee be so god damn sexy?

The melodic jingle of the doorbell jerked my gaze past Ethan towards the front door. I exhaled in relief at whatever it is on the other side saving me from this moment.

“I should-“ I gestured and Ethan gave me a mischievous grin and a nod of his head.

I hated him in that moment.

I crossed to the front door and jerked it open finding no one on the other side. The porch was empty in fact, the only occupant being a small box wrapped in brown paper. I picked it up and read who it was addressed to.

Dr. Oliver Reagan

23689 Cathedral Lane

Portland, OR 97203

The box was relatively light. I shook it slightly to discern its contents but there was no sign. Maybe it was something breakable and it was packed full of packing peanuts or something. There was no return address so I didn’t know who it was from.

I heard a cell phone ring out behind me, followed by Ethan’s gruff voice as he answered the incoming call. I turned on my heel and made my way back into the house, closing the door behind me with my bare foot.

“Yes sir, I understand sir. But if I may-“

I looked at Ethan, who had a look of both annoyance and frustration. I strained to hear who was on the other end of the call but came up short.

Giving up, I opted to setting the box down on the counter and returning to my coffee and breakfast. The contents of the mystery box could wait till later.

“Yes sir.” Ethan grumbled. He brought the phone down from his ear and turned his gaze to me.

“That sounded serious.” I stated.

“Cap wants to see us, now.” He replied.

I frowned. “Did he say why?”

“Nope,” Ethan ran his fingers through his hair. “But he sounded annoyed, so we should probably get going.”

I nodded in agreement, shoveling a forkful of eggs into my mouth and gulping down the last dregs of my coffee. Captain Harvey did not like to be kept waiting. That much I knew from experience.

As I made my way up to my room I tried to think of what could possibly be so important that the captain called Ethan directly and demanded we come into the station. Usually it’s the supervising detective, in this case Sully, who would call if something required our attention this urgently. The captain couldn’t be bothered with such things.

Although, this was a pretty high-profile case, gaining media attention by the day and reddit already blowing up with theories about who the killer is and who the next possible victim could be.

Honestly, I couldn’t help this nagging feeling that what the captain wanted to talk about was me. I wasn’t stupid. After last night I’m sure that Captain Harvey caught wind of the victim and the spine-chilling picture that was left with the body connecting her murder to me. I was going to be taken off the case, and there was nothing I could do about it.

That feeling followed me all the way out the front door and all the way to the station. When we stepped into Captain Harvey’s office where we were met by Sully, Wolf, and Captain Harvey himself, looking as grumpy as always behind his oversized desk, it only solidified the feeling further.

“Wolf?” Ethan approached him, his eyebrows pinched together.

“Hey bro.” Wolf sounded a little sullen, not wanting to make eye contact.

Oh yeah, something was up.

“I’m gonna get right to the point.” Captain Harvey barked. “Reagan, you're off the case.”

I dropped my gaze to the tile floor and huffed sarcastically.

“What?” Ethan’s tone was shocked to say the least.

Captain Harvey continued to talk as if I wasn’t there, standing right in front of him.

“After the attack on Reagan and then the victim last night, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that Reagan is connected too closely to this case.”

“You can’t do this-“ Ethan argued.

“I already have.” Captain Harvey interrupted.

“This is bullshit!” Ethan’s voice raised a couple of degrees.

“Ethan.” I heard Sully warn.

“No! You need the best on this case. And Ollie is the best profiler we have in the department.” Ethan continued to argue.

“Detective Beck!” Captain Harvey barked, causing even me to stiffen my back and my body to go cold. Ethan had officially broken through the thin ice on which he was skating upon. I glanced over at him and I could see by the way he straightened his posture and by the look in his eyes that he knew it also. “Unless you want to be taken off the case as well I don’t want to hear another damn word!”

There was a long pause in which Ethan swallowed hard and then replied in a hoarse tone. “Yes, sir.”

Captain Harvey’s hackles lowered slightly and he relaxed back into his seat. “Now, I’ve already asked Rawlins to join you on the case and he’s graciously accepted. I expect the two of you will put an end to this bullshit and bring this cocksucker in. Are we in agreement?”

It wasn’t exactly a question, more of a statement. Nevertheless, Wolf and Ethan nodded their heads in agreement and both responded in unison. “Yes, sir.”

“Good. Now get out of here.” He waved us off dismissively.

Ethan and Wolf shuffled on their feet as if to move but I stayed firmly planted in my spot. “And what about me?” I asked.

Captain Harvey sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Right, Reagan I’m requiring you to take a leave of absence.”

Leave of absence? He might as well have suspended me. First I lose my case and now I can’t even work. Are you kidding me?

“Am I being punished?” I accused, my heart rate beginning to pick up.

“No Oliver,” Sully was the one to speak next. He gave me a sympathetic look which was worse than the annoyed one that Captain Harvey gave me. “With everything that has happened, the department feels like the best course of action is for you to be as far away from this case as possible.”

“With all due respect-“ I began to object but Captain Harvey cut me off.

“The decision is final.”

I stared between Captain Harvey and Sully, not sure which one I should hate more. I scoffed and tromped out of the office, jerking the door practically off it’s hinges, and ignoring the sideways glances I got form people as I stormed out of the department.

If they thought I was going to quit on this case, they were seriously senile. I would just have to take the investigation into my own hands. Regardless if it would get me into trouble or not.

Ethan

“Ollie, wait.” I called out, finally reaching him at the elevator. I could practically feel the rage rolling off of him. I refrained from reaching out to touch him, not knowing if it will set him further or not.

“I can’t believe this.” He shook his head, his arms crossed. “It’s just as bad that they want to take the case away from me, but now I’m basically forced to take a leave of absence.”

I didn’t know what I could say to make this better. On one hand I was just as upset that he wasn’t able to be my partner on this anymore. On the other hand I was a little relieved that he wasn’t. Things got messy if you had personal ties to a case. Not to mention the legal ramifications that came with an investigator having personal ties to a case. It could ruin our entire investigation. Which would be just as bad if not worse.

I didn’t need to explain any of this to Oliver though, he knew. That didn’t excuse the fact that he probably felt gutted from losing a case that he was so invested in.

“I’m sorry.” I responded, not really sure what else to say.

He shook his head and jabbed the elevator button repeatedly. I grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him to face me.

“At least one of us is still on the case, not to mention I’m with Wolf. If I were to be with anyone else on this I would want it to be him. He’s damn good.” I tried to be as reassuring as possible, tried to make him see the silver lining in all of this. But it didn’t seem to touch him.

“I just want to go home.” He stated in a defeated tone.

I nodded and the elevator doors opened with a pleasant ding. I placed my hand on the small of his back and guided him onto the elevator. Just before the doors were about to close Wolf came into view and flagged me down.

“Ethan, wait up!”

I stopped the elevator doors from sliding closed. “I’m taking Ollie home, what is it?”

He glanced between the two of us before settling his eyes on me. “The case is gaining a lot of media attention. Cap wants us to brief him on the case, the Chief of Police and the mayor are coming in.”

“Shit.” I muttered.

“Go.”

I look down at Oliver feeling completely torn. I wanted to take him home, b***h with him about him being taken off the case, maybe even drink a little and gorge ourselves on ice cream. But I did have a job to do.

“Your no good to the case babysitting me.” He retorted.

“I would hardly call it babysitting.” I responded. I pulled out my phone and began scrolling through it to find Gavin’s number, which I got after Oliver was seen in the hospital after his attack. “I’ll have Gavin take you home and stay with you until I get back.”

“I-“ Oliver started to protest but I interrupted him.

“Don’t need a babysitter? Yeah I know. But guess what? You’re on the buddy system, remember?”

He rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

I grinned at his annoyance with me, taking pleasure at being able to get under his skin. I stepped off the elevator, Oliver close behind me, and made the phone call to Gavin. He was more than happy to take over “Ollie watch” as he called it and said he was on his way down.

It felt wrong leaving Oliver behind. He was just as much an asset to this case as I was, if not more so. But I needed to carry on the investigation for not only future victims, but Oliver as well.

The meeting with Chief of Police Song and Mayor Horton was an eventful one. Apparently the Chief of Police and Captain Harvey had a rather checkered past, go figure with how pleasant the captain is. The poor Mayor was forced to play the mediator. Although she held her own, able to keep the two of them in their place with a stern glance and few choice words which got Wolf and I to chuckle under our breaths. I definitely wouldn’t want to get on her bad side.

By the end of the meeting it was decided that there would be a press conference held tomorrow morning in front of the Justice Center. With yours truly being a speaker at said conference.

“I’m sorry, what?” I replied in a shocked tone.

I wasn’t much for public speaking, in fact, the idea made bile rise up in my throat.

“We need the lead investigator on the case to speak to the press.” Mayor Horton replied.

“With all due respect Madame Mayor, I don’t talk to the press.”

She c****d an eyebrow at me, placing her perfectly manicured nails on her hips. “You do now Detective.”

I could see now how she won the race for Mayor as I gulped and then nodded my head in submission. She knew how to get people to do what she wanted.

After the meeting was over and I begrudgingly accepted my fate for tomorrow morning, Wolf and I made our way out of the office and into the now mostly empty office space. I wanted to get back to Oliver’s house and see him, see how he was doing after being booted off the case. I knew that was particularly rough on him and I wanted him to know that I supported his outrage in the matter.

“Detective Beck?”

I looked over my shoulder to see Mayor Horton approaching me, her heels clacking noisily on the tile floor. She flipped her head, tossing her dark wavy hair slightly. She was a striking woman, and probably the youngest Mayor I had ever seen, easily in her late thirties maybe early forties.

“See ya tomorrow Ethan.” Wolf stated, giving me a reassuring smile before walking off in the direction of his desk.

I turned my attention to the Mayor, who was now a few feet form me. I straightened my posture and folded my hands behind my back, giving her the respect that came with her job title.

“Yes Madame Mayor?”

She rolled her eyes and held up a hand. “Please for the love of god, call me Abby. This Madame Mayor stuff makes me sound like a dried up old woman.”

I grinned and relaxed my posture only slightly. “My sister’s name is Abbi.” I stated.

“She must be one of hell of a woman then.” She stated with a cocky grin.

I chuckled and nodded my head. “That she is.”

There was a short pause before she spoke again. Her tone going back to a more business fashion.

“When I heard that you were the lead detective on this case I looked into your arrest record back in Boston and I must say, I’m impressed.”

A blush crept into my cheeks and I averted my gaze. “Thank you Ma-Abbi.” I corrected when she c****d an eyebrow at me.

“I also noticed,” She stepped closer leaving a small space between us. “The circumstances surrounding your transfer here.”

My stomach gave an unpleasant flip and ice formed in my veins.

“I-“ I began but she held a hand up, interrupting me.

“Let me finish,” There was a look in her eyes that I couldn’t place, maybe sadness? “My brother, Mark, was a cop in our hometown, and he also was forced to re-locate under similar circumstances to yours. Unfortunately though, the stigma followed him. He faced a lot of bullying, but he never reported it, and unfortunately it got the better of him.”

I didn’t need her to elaborate any further regarding what the outcome for her brother was. The way she talked about him, the circumstances that were similar to my own. I too had been in that deep, dark hole, with no clear way out. If I hadn’t been able to come to Portland, I probably would have met the same fate.

“I’m sorry.” My tone was solemn.

She shook her head and dropped her gaze to the floor. “It happened a while ago. But,” she brought her gaze back up and gave me a reassuring smile. “I just wanted you to know that if you ever face anything like Mark did here in Portland, that I will personally make sure it get’s investigated. Hate has no place in this city.”

I nodded my head in response and she returned with warm smile.

“Have a good night detective.”

“You as well.”

She brushed past me and headed in the direction of the elevators, leaving me with a feeling of hopefulness.

Ever since I had left Boston and the ridicule, the bullying, and the ignorance of the the people I had once considered my family, I had this fear that it would follow me eventually all the way out here to Portland. I figured that it would be an issue that I had to face for the rest of my life. But after that conversation, I felt a little lighter. I felt like maybe I could make a new family here, and the idea of that. Well, that felt f*****g good.