Passion Patrol Box Set 1

Combat-2-4

As she took the tube to Vauxhall she was both excited and apprehensive. She was about to meet the other members of the team who would be from all over the world. She had dressed in a neat dark blue suit with a white blouse. In the end she had chosen high heels, to show off her legs and somehow to reflect her new awareness of herself. For the same reason she had selected her sexiest underwear and had paid detailed attention to her makeup. She told herself it was all because she was meeting the new team. Deep down she knew that it was for someone else - someone she would never see again.

It was a short walk to the National Criminal Intelligence Service offices just off the Embankment in Spring Gardens, near to Lambeth Bridge. The first leaves of autumn drifted along the footway. The pushing tongue of the Thames licked around the pillars of the bridges. Instead of focusing on the meeting, her mind turned to Freddie. Of course he would never phone her. She was just a woman he had met by chance in the street. His looks, easy confidence and obvious wealth would mean that there would always be admiring females on hand. How could she let herself dream that there had been a special spark between them? For one stolen hour she had come to life and now it was time to get back to business. She smiled at the way he had put on the heavy accent, took a deep breath and bit her lip as she recalled the maleness of his presence when he had kissed her cheek. She looked out at the sunlight catching the muscle of the river currents, thinking of his large powerful hands and the depth that hinted behind his brown eyes. Everything around had reminders of him. For a minute she stopped and took in the view. She let the picture of him fill her, feeling her body begin to respond. This was crazy! She had met this guy for about an hour and for sure he had some kind of dangerous agenda. He had swept her defenses aside and had simply invaded. The thought of him was like an urgent profound stroking within her body that wouldn’t stop.

She was first to arrive at the office, grabbed a coffee from the machine and took it directly to the conference room. She rarely bothered with breakfast beyond an espresso doppio. Next to arrive was a pretty bottle blonde woman of about her own age. For a couple of seconds they looked at each other in disbelief before letting out a shared squeal.

“Judy... Judy... I don’t believe it, I thought you were on maternity leave for another couple of months?”

They hugged and stood back. Anna’s thoughts raced back to Brixton Police Station where she and Judy had been the first all girl crew on the emergency response area car Lima 3.

Judy had... well... gone blonde and expanded a little since those days! Anyone taking her for a plump Earth Mother would be making a big mistake. She could drive like a demon and toss a violent man over her shoulder.

“Anna - Ma’am... err,” Judy stuttered.

How she hated to be called 'Ma’am'! She had not designed the police rank structure and she had no time for self importance.

“Anna... plain old Anna or mate for God’s sake,” she beamed, “it will be great to be on the same team again - but I had no idea.”

She continued delightedly. Quickly she got an update on the baby, the three year old and her husband Brian who was a community cop.

“I spotted the assignment at the last minute and managed to rearrange childcare, so we could work together on this new squad. I only heard a couple of days ago that I'd got the job and thought I'd surprise you!”

Other members of the team drifted in. Some were shiny new detectives just out of the box. A couple were world weary old cops, glad to get out of the trenches for a while. The FBI had provided a bank of bright young analysts and a posse of special agents. Around the conference room conversations sprang up in French Italian and American. Anna joined in, well - she knew she was showing off, warming to her role as an Interpol liaison point between all the various groups. Finally the room fell silent. She looked up to see a familiar figure taking his place at the head of the table. Her heart sank and she found herself choking back rage. This had not been billed as part of the show! Her new boss was none other than her rejected ex lover, Commander Beaumont Locke.

He stood by his chair, motioning with his hand in an upward gesture indicating that everyone should stand in recognition of his rank and importance. Anna glanced across at Judy who returned a scornful roll of her eyes. This man was so in love with his image that if he had been gay, he would have married himself!

Anna suppressed a wave of loathing and cursed herself. She had let him inside her. Together they had dog rolled in the s**t of the Love word. Her mind dragged back to that day. That day when she had left the court, cleared of manslaughter. That day when the suddenly present mothers of the dead kids screamed for her blood as the TV cameras focused in on her tears. That day when Commander Locke had tried to crawl back into the henhouse now that the fox was gone.

When everyone had stood up and fallen silent he graciously motioned them all to sit down. In the context of international squads, few senior officers stood on their dignity. Beaumont Locke was a “Sir”. It was only a matter of time before the Queen realized he was right and made it official.

Various officers who had already worked on the enquiry for months gave their briefings. Despite her concentration she found herself drifting into a daydream. Freddie was looking into her eyes. His gaze moved to her mouth as he pushed his own lips forward and looked back to her eyes. She raised her chin to receive the warmth and caressing touch of his kiss...

A distant voice was pulling her back into the present. A Chief Inspector from the National Criminal Intelligence Service had been tasked with assigning roles within the squad.

“Detective Inspector Leyton will be responsible for all European police liaison. I have a note that she will report directly to Commander Locke with her own daily briefing,” he said in a flat monotone.

Reporting directly to her ex-lover! The rat who had abandoned her then returned wanting s*x the day she was safe. So he had fixed the whole deal. He had wanted her dangling on his string. She fired a glance in his direction and saw a smirk living its stinking life on his hateful face. Something venomous twisted in her gut. The fact that she had language skills and the track record as a top detective meant nothing to him. He had engineered her presence there for his amusement and in order to control her. She stared back at him with a contemptuous raise of her eyebrow. He avoided her eyes and looked away. It was a small victory - but a victory.

At last the meeting broke up for lunch. She collected Judy, grabbed a sandwich from the canteen and headed out of the building. The day was bright and clear and they found a bench overlooking the Thames.

“Come on Anna - what’s on your mind?” asked Judy.

“It’s just, you know after what happened... and having to work for Beaumont again?”

“Well, we all knew Anna,” said Judy, touching her arm, “look, it could have been anyone. We’re cops honey... we run on reflexes. We can all say if only this or if only that...”

“Maybe I should have gone to jail. Maybe I deserved that.”

“That’s rubbish Anna... look honey - it’s over. It happened.”

She smiled tearfully back at her friend. Judy just did not do sentiment.

“Beaumont is a piece of slime... he’s got me here out of spite... because I rejected him.”

“Well - you can deal with that I’m sure. Are you certain there’s nothing else bothering you?” asked Judy with an open sympathetic smile.

Anna took a deep breath, she still felt the same trust and ease in her friend's company. As she thought carefully she checked her mobile in case she had missed any calls. She noticed the mystery number from the previous night.

“Could you get a number checked discreetly?” she asked, scribbling on a business card and passing it to her.

“Of course, but come on Anna. Let’s pretend we’re on night shift at Brixton and we’re sitting up waiting for the next nightmare.”

Her mind turned back to how they had shared every danger and every personal secret. Okay - she would not short change her old comrade and anyhow, she needed to talk like never before.

“I met a guy - I met a guy who’s left me wondering about everything - about what I am and what I want,” she said, relieved to have opened her heart. Just the act of talking about him brought him alive.

“How long have you known him?”

“About an hour.”

“About an hour - are you serious? This is strong medicine! Give me the whole gorgeous picture.”

Anna gave her the story of their meeting, his humor, his looks and s****l presence. Listening to herself she realized that if there had been no more than this, she would have merely shrugged it off.

“But there was more than that,” she continued, “I wanted him completely. I wanted to care and give him everything - really absolutely anything - and I’d only just met him. I felt kind of enslaved and filled with power all at once. But I do know he’s some sort of crook.”

“God - what’s his name? Does he have a brother or at least a close relative?” asked Judy with a theatrical wistfulness.

“Frederic - Freddie, Freddie, Freddie, Freddie,” she replied letting the name bubble out joyfully as if to say his name brought him alive at her side.

“Freddie... I think I heard that name recently... something Brian said perhaps, but all he does is read the back page of the paper. But heck... what are you going to do?”

“There’s nothing to do. I won’t hear from him again.”

“Do you want to bet on that? We are on the gambling squad,” laughed Judy

Anna laughed too, unable to resist the delicious possibility that she would see him again. Judy reached out and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

“Look, this guy’s gonna call. Just look at you - slim - Miss World looks, educated and from a rich family. Damn near makes me sick!”

“Would you swap lives with me Judy?” she asked seriously.

Her friend looked out across the river and appeared to be thinking before she replied.

“To be honest, no. The two horrors at home drive me nuts and it’s an uphill slog to work and be everywhere else. But now it makes sense - at last something makes sense.”

“How come?” asked Anna, surprised to have received such a philosophical answer.

“Do you remember all the dead junkies, all those cops and robbers chases, all those desperate folk who’d just been robbed r***d or worse? Well, when you hold your baby - all new and innocent with a life ahead where anything is possible - it kinda tells you why we do it - why we care. Anyway that’s what they told me on the Home Office woman awareness course. It also tells you that something weighing ten pounds can contain twelve pounds of shit.”

Just when you thought Judy had found God she hit you with some excrement. She smiled at her friend. Those dead kids in that car had been babies once. Her own professional life was back on track. Not so long ago she could have been in that big truck on the way to Holloway prison.

They wandered back to the office in the warm sunshine still living on its memories of summer. Their friendship had been re-born and this unexpected reunion meant more to her than she could ever have imagined. Just as they reached the door she felt the vibrating alert of her cell phone. She snatched it out of her pocket and looked at the number. It was an unknown contact with an international prefix of 33. The caller was on a French phone. Her heart leapt and thumped. She stared at the phone without moving. It continued to buzz in her hand. All her conflicting feelings were beginning to shout at once.