Next - Second Chances

CHAPTER 5

Officer Nolan Chance raced at speed through the alley and in the back of his head he recognized the sound of the patrol car taking a hard turn to cut off the perp from another angle. His boots felt heavy and everything on his utility belt rattled, but he had his target in sight and nothing was going to detract him from his prize.

“Freeze!” he yelled again, but they never did. If anything, it made them run faster. He often joked with his partner Mike that they should yell “race ya!” instead.

He was so close now, and about ready to launch himself for a flying tackle when the patrol car appeared from around the corner blocking off the perp’s path who slammed into the bonnet and doubled over onto it. Nolan slowed to a stop and put a hand on the perp’s back to hold him in place while he caught his breath. He looked up and saw Mike climb out of the car with a wide grin.

“This counts as mine,” Nolan said between breaths.

“What are you talking about?” Mike argued as he came around the front of the car. “I clearly stopped him. You were just the bait.”

“Bait?”

“Well, maybe the sheepdog that herded him down here, but there is no mistaking it was me who stopped him.”

“I had him.” Nolan’s breath was back to normal now, and he pulled a pair of cuffs from the back of his belt.

“What do you think?” Mike asked the perp they were chasing, as he leaned on the bonnet with his elbow and put his head in his hand. “Which one of us stopped you?”

“I dunno man, but you got the wrong guy.”

“We do?” Mike said with mock surprise. “Nolan, he says we got the wrong guy.”

“Yeah?” Nolan had the perp cuffed and was rummaging through his pockets. “It wasn’t you we saw selling on Mayor Avenue?”

“No man! I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“So you just normally carry around this much cash?” Nolan asked as he pulled wads of bills out of the perp’s pockets and put them on the bonnet of the car.

“Those aren’t mine!”

Mike was chuckling now as he pulled on some gloves and bagged everything Nolan took out of the guys' pockets and shoes. Nolan read him his rights and put him in the back of the patrol car while Mike put the evidence into the trunk. Nolan climbed into the driver’s seat and grabbed his water bottle from the center console to take a long replenishing drink.

“You got the wrong guy!” the backseat passenger said.

“Okay, well, if that’s true, I’ll apologize to you when the time comes. In the meantime, shut it.”

Mike climbed in beside him and smiled. “Feeling winded?” he teased.

Nolan drove them to the station, the quick trip marred only by the perp's declarations of innocence. After booking the perp and securing the evidence, he grabbed a coffee, but a wave of tension seized his upper body. Then a sudden, heavy slap on his shoulder made him wince and grunt.

“What’s up with you?” Mike asked as he fixed himself a drink.

“Nothing, just a little stiff.”

“It’s been a while since I saw you take off like that after a perp.” Mike poured some milk into his coffee and grabbed a muffin from a box on the counter. “I thought you were gonna pull a muscle.”

“Me too.”

Mike chuckled and split his muffin, then passed half of it over to Nolan, but Nolan waved him off and walked out of the room. He went into the changing room and rummaged in his locker for some painkillers. His head was splitting with a sharp pounding headache. His whole body was tense and heavy, and he needed a release.

The second that thought entered his head he remembered her.

Her silky, wavy brown hair fanned across the mattress before she tied it up. Her grey eyes, initially open and interested, soon seemed to look through him. Her warm, satin-soft skin was quickly covered by another man's t-shirt. He had left his number on her fridge, but she hadn’t called. He’d gone back to that weird honky-tonk bar a few times but never saw her there again.

This wasn’t him. This wasn’t how he usually was. He was no stranger to a hook-up in a bar. A one-night stand or a stolen weekend with no real follow-up. But he had always been the one to walk away. He had no interest in being in a relationship. There were way too many flavors out there he had yet to taste. He wanted to live free and wild and avoid the snare of a single woman’s claws. But he couldn’t stop himself from thinking of her.

Especially when he was home alone in bed. Or in the shower. When his d**k tingled with the need to come, or his balls hummed with electric pulses. He jerked off thinking of that night. How he ate her out. Her taste, her smell, her everything. He had only slept with three other women since then, a dry period for sure, but every climax was weaker than the one before, which probably explains why he was so frustrated and pissed off right now.

“Nolan!”

Nolan shook his head to rid himself of those distracting thoughts, and looked over his shoulder to see Mike leaning against the locker beside him. He was half frowning, half smiling and shaking his head slowly.

“What?” Nolan said as he shoved the painkillers back into his locker.

“What is up with you?”

“Nothing, just a headache.”

Mike narrowed his eyes and tried to decipher if he was lying, then deciding whatever it was, he wasn’t going to spill everything in the changing rooms.

“Did you go out last night? I thought you went home after shift.”

“I did go home.”

“Are you sure?” Mike asked, and he leaned in to get a closer look at his grumpy partner.

“I didn’t go out!” Nolan said, clearly trying to keep a hold on his anger. “I haven’t been out in ages.”

“Maybe that’s the issue. You need to get laid.”

“f**k you,” Nolan muttered.

“I’m kidding man,” Mike said and put his hand on Nolan’s shoulder. “If you’re not feeling well, do you want to go home?”

“No, I’m ok.”

“Well, we only have an hour left on shift…no point in going back out again,” Mike said as he pushed away from the locker with his shoulder. “I’m going out to the bullpen to finish up the paperwork from today’s shift.”

“I’ll be right out.”

Mike left and Nolan slammed his locker shut. He wasn’t used to being so caught up in bullshit. He was usually adaptable and let stuff roll off his back, but this woman snagged on his every thought, and he could not get rid of the image of her face when she came.

“Shit.” He cursed as he dry washed his face, then took a long, slow deep breath and walked out of the room to meet with Mike.