Police Officer's Princess Read online

  I didn’t see much more than a big ball of hair as I scooped her up from above. And when she took off out that door her hair just flew every which way. I didn’t see her face at all, but something about the way she moved reminds me of someone. I just can’t put my finger on it.

  “Going on patrol and I need a partner. Want to ride along?” I look up and see Rico. If there was ever a real Rico Suave he’d be it. He’s even got the first name.

  He’s tall, dresses to the nines, and has been dancing since he was just a kid. He spent his summers down in Colombia kissing all the girls when he was younger. But now that he’s in Vegas full time? Watch out ladies. He’s irresistible to the opposite sex. Locals and tourists of all ages and backgrounds can’t resist his charms. The other guys just call him Rico, but I prefer another name.

  “With Officer White Pants? You gonna be blasting that Romeo Santos music like always?”

  “Okay…you’ve been listening to him off duty, huh? I saw you trying not to shake your hips to Propuesta Indecente last time we rode together.”

  “The only indecent proposal is the one you’re offering me. I ride along, but no romantic songs. Comprende?”

  “No problema, amigo.”

  I drop my pen and we walk to the car.

  “Where’s Officer O’Connor today?”

  “Wife’s pregnant again. That guy cannot keep it in his pants. I mean he’s having a new one every eighteen months tops. This is number six. Let me repeat that in case you missed it. Six! Can you believe it? Guy needs to get a hobby. Take up golf or something.”

  “Because chasing around a little white ball on Saturday mornings would help him keep his hands off Sarah? Have you seen her? Have you seen the way they still look at each other even after all those kids?”

  “Sarah is a beautiful woman, no doubt. But come one, dude. Six kids? That’s just too many. I mean how are you even going to feed all those hungry mouths?”

  “Well not everyone eats as much as our boy Twelve Pack,” I say. I jab him in the ribs as we pass him in the hallway.

  Rico laughs. “True, but man. That’s a lot of pressure. All those kids.”

  “Pressure? Are you kidding me? Having six kids sounds like the dream scenario to me. A big house full of laughter and excitement. I’d be on top of the world.”

  “Man we get enough laughter and excitement here at the station. When I get home I just want to chill out.”

  “Sounds like my life these days. I mostly just chill with Charlotte. I mean it’s far from chilling. She’s got the energy of fifty puppies that just got turned loose at the dog park, but yeah…it’s just her and me. I really wish she had some brothers and sisters to play with. And more than anything I wish she had her mom.”

  “Come on, man.” Rico puts his arm around my shoulder. “No more talking about Carissa. You know the rule.”

  I nod. The rule he’s referring to is that I have to put double in the donuts and coffee jar every time I mention her name. I don’t care though. I’ll gladly throw in twice. The guys are like family to me and there’s nothing I value more.

  “Your dad still trying to set you up?” Rico asks. We exit the building and make our way to the motor pool just out back of the station.

  “Oh man, he won’t stop,” I say. I roll my eyes at the thought of the women he’s been sending my way.

  “One of them is going to work out. It’s bound to happen.”

  “You wouldn’t say that if you saw the girls coming my way.”

  “Well, I can help you out in the ladies department if you need a little assistance.”

  “What? Teach me what goes with white pants?”

  “Ladies love the white pants, man! They glow on the dance floor. But no. That’s not what I’m taking about. If you’ve got too many dates you just call up your boy Rico, and I’ll—”

  “Keep dreaming, Rico.”

  “Just trying to help a brother out.”

  “You can help me out by letting me pick the radio station,” I say.

  Rico signs the form for the squad car and a few minutes later we’re patrolling.

  I hear a strange chirp coming from my pocket.

  “Incoming,” Rico says. “It might be your next hot date. Just don’t forget. You need any help…”

  It’s the ringtone I have set for my best friend. I haven’t heard it in months.

  “Victor!”

  “Chance. What’s up my brother?”

  “Nothing much. Just out patrolling.”

  “Oh, so I’m nothing much,” Rico whispers. He throws his hands up before quickly putting them back at the ten and two positions on the wheel.

  I can see how Rico does so well with the ladies. He’s fun. He’s playful. He likes to tease. All the things I used to do with Carissa. She loved Victor. We all met in high school and were one heck of a team ever since.

  But it didn’t start out that way. Victor and I were both trying so hard to get a date with Carissa, but it wasn’t happening. Finally, after months, she relented and went out with me. Victor was definitely disappointed but he still took the time to congratulate me. We both had it bad for her, and I won. Luckily for me Victor was cool about it. He was a true gentleman, and one of the reasons I knew he’d be a friend for life. My best friend.

  “It’s good to hear your voice.”

  “Good to hear yours. It’s been too long, Vic.”

  “I agree, and that’s exactly what I’m calling you about.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “I’m coming out to Vegas over New Year’s. Wanted to see if you were up to grab a drink.”

  “Are you kidding me? That sounds great.”

  “Awesome. You gonna be in Vegas the entire time?”

  “I don’t go much of anywhere these days. I’ll be here.”

  “Chance,” he began. “You need to get out a little, buddy.”

  “I know. It’s just that. Well. Not yet. You know.”

  “I do know and that’s what concerns me. You’re gonna go crazy locked up in that house with your firecracker of a daughter. You owe it to her to do some stuff with her. Take some time off and go traveling. Just the two of you. Shoot, you don’t just owe it to her. You owe it to yourself.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “You holding up okay?”

  I know what he’s referring to and it take’s me right back to when she was here. When I had my own perfect family. I didn’t have six kids like O’Connor was about to have, but we sure wanted to.

  “Yeah, I’m good,” I say.

  I lean forward in my seat and run my calloused hands through my hair. My hands are rough from all the clutching at the top of her gravestone. I go there every week, often multiple times. I just sit there next to her and all the pain and anguish and hurt comes out until I’m on my hands and knees asking why. Sometimes it almost seems like it would have been better on everyone if we never met, but there’s no going back.

  And I’d never trade what we had. One minute with her was worth this entire lifetime without her. She had me that deep. She came in like a crisp, fresh breeze in spring and woke me up when I didn’t even realize I was sleepwalking through life. I was just a young, dumb high school boy and there she was. She was a fresh face, different than anyone I’d ever met. More caring, more natural, and just more everything than anyone that I’d ever known.

  She rarely wore a stitch of make-up, and she damn sure didn’t need to. I remember the way the rain ran down her cheeks after prom. It was four in the morning and I walked her home. It started to rain and we foolishly decided it would be a good time to dance. Fools we were…for each other.

  But nothing ever seemed foolish with her. Only right. Dancing in the rain. Running naked along the Mexican shores in the middle of the night after a couple of margaritas. Even just relaxing on the couch together when we both had loads of work to do. Nothing else mattered. The work could wait. Heck, the world could wait. Time stood still when we were together.

  I’m clearly n
ot good.

  “Okay, man,” Vic says. “When I get there we’re going to do lots of fun stuff.”

  “We sure are,” I say.

  “We’re gonna hike Red Rock Canyon. Maybe go jet skiing on Lake Mead.”

  “This isn’t California, Vic. It’s cold this time of year.”

  “Whatever. We’ll go anyways. Nobody tells us what we can and can’t do.”

  “Okay man,” I say. I’m laughing now. Vic has definitely cheered me up. I can’t wait to see him again. It’s been too long. “Any particular reason you’re coming to town?”

  “Yeah, you didn’t hear?”

  “Hear what?”

  “Violet just moved there. I thought you knew. She’s been there a few weeks now.”

  “Your little sister?”

  I lean back in my seat and a smile comes over my face. Just the thought of her changes my mood instantly. She was such a cute kid. Her awkwardness was charming. All legs and freckles. Parts of her grew too fast and the rest struggled to catch up.

  She was always a bit of a tomboy. Something between a tomboy and a loner. I was never sure if the loner thing was her own doing or Vic’s. She definitely wanted to hang out with the guys, but sometimes Vic’s voice would grow just a little deeper and he would stand up just a little straighter and taller and tell her that she’s a girl. He would strongly and very convincingly suggest that she needed to go home and do girl things more often.

  I hadn’t seen her in years. I do the mental math. Seven years it’s been.

  “That’s her,” Vic says. “But she’s not so little anymore.”

  “All those Flintstones vitamins paid off?” I joke.

  “Chance, she’s my sister. I mean it’s hard for me to describe her without feeling really weird, but let’s just say she’s an adult now.”

  “She must be if she’s out here in Vegas all by herself.”

  “Exactly. And that’s why I’m coming in to see her. To check up on her.”

  “Where’s she living?”

  “Not too far from the station.”

  “Main station or my station?”

  “Your station.”

  “So it’s the perfect excuse to come visit.”

  “Come on, man. I don’t need an excuse to see my two favorite people in the world. But yeah…it couldn’t work out any better.”

  “So we’re going to be the three musketeers again huh?”

  “You still have the picture of all of us with the hats?”

  I laugh. “Yeah, it’s in a box in my house somewhere. I need to dust it off and give it a look. See what we looked like back then.”

  “You’re not going to recognize her anymore.”

  “She changed that much?”

  “Dude! She was a kid back then. That was what…seven, eight years ago?”

  “About seven I think.”

  “A lot happens in seven years.”

  “It sure does.” I can only imagine. “Remember when she had a crush on me when we were kids?”

  “Come on, man. I’m coming all the way out there to visit you and you’re going to remind me of that?”

  I can hear the change in Vic’s tone. I can tell he’s mostly joking. He’s still her older brother so I’m sure it’s not a topic he wants to dive into too deep.

  “Don’t worry, man. I’ll drop it. I just wanted to rib you for a second. Plus it was a long time ago and lasted all of about what…a day? The important thing is that you’re coming for a visit. That’s what matters most. It’s going to be great to see you again.”

  “It’s going to be great to see you.”

  “I have to go now, but message me her location. I’ll drop by and say hi. It’s good to let her know I’m here. She’s all by herself so there’s nothing better than to have a uniformed officer close by to help her out in case she needs anything. You know how we do it. One for all and all for one.”

  “I’ll do that. I think she’ll be stoked to hear that.”

  “Stoked huh?”

  “California surf slang never leaves you, no matter how old you’re getting to be.”

  “Okay, I better go. I’ll get in touch with Violet though, after you send me her info.”

  The other end of the line goes silent. No noise. No dial tone.

  “Come on, man! I’m not going to try anything. I’m still thinking about Carissa. To tell you the truth I’m not sure if I’ll ever move on. Not only that, I don’t think I want to. Plus Violet isn’t my type. She was one of us. Remember? We’re friends forever.”

  “Maaaaaan. Um huh. Okay.”

  “What? You don’t believe me?”

  “I can hear you trying to convince yourself. You’re giving too much information to try and reassure me, but all it does is makes me wonder even more.”

  “No need to wonder. Hands off. I can’t guarantee I won’t hug her, but that’s it.”

  “Don’t lean into that hug too much, buster!”

  “Neck hug. You know me. I’m not an over-hugger.”

  “The world’s got enough of them already.”

  “True.”

  “Okay man. Over and out. I’ll be in touch.”

  “Thanks. Looking forward to it.”

  I end the call.

  “Man you got it bad for her,” Rico says.

  “For who?”

  “Your buddy’s sister.”

  “What are you talking about, dude?”

  “Everyone at the station wants to call me Rico Suave. You know why? Because I know a thing or two about the dynamics between women and men. And I know you want to be the man for this woman.”

  “Get outta here.”

  “You can deny it to yourself, but you can’t deny it to me.”

  “All units we have a 211 at the Riverside Apartments. Repeat a 211 at the Riverside Apartments. Requesting all cars.”

  “Robbery in progress!” Rico throws on the light and makes a U-turn right in the street.

  “I know that complex. It’s packed with tenants. We’ve got to get there fast.”

  Rico puts the pedal to the metal as we speed through Vegas on our way the same kind of call that brings back the worst of memories.

  CHAPTER 6

  Violet

  “Thanks, Penelope,” I say. I hand her the uniform she loaned me.

  “No problem? How’d you do?”

  I look through all my tips and realize it was a pretty good shift. Even though I only worked half of it, and the pit boss yelled at me, things turned out okay.

  “I think it’s my best shift ever.”

  “Do anything different?”

  “Not that I know of. I think I was a little bit out of it the whole time too.”

  “Doesn’t matter when you have a high roller at your table. One that’s winning the way that guy was at least.”

  “Yeah, he was generous.”

  “And he looks like he’s superstitious. Once your shift ended he quit playing. You know what that means?”

  “I’ve got a stalker.”

  Penelope laughs. “Some would call him a stalker, I’d call him a money making machine. As long as he’s winning he’ll keep coming back.”

  “But that could change at anytime.”

  “Girl, look on the bright side. You went from almost getting arrested to having one heck of a payday.”

  “Yeah. You’re right. How have you been?’

  Violet’s left eyebrow raises. She pulls a water bottle from her locker and takes a swig. “You really want to know?”

  My brother used to say that all the time. I’m not sure if it gave him a second to make his stories more tame before he told me, or if it just bought him time to decide whether he was going to tell me anything at all.

  Victor was definitely a gentleman, but he did have a way with the ladies. He and his best friend Chance. I remember girls trying to befriend me just to get close to either one of them. Victor was one thing, but Chance was a whole other.

  I’d had a crush on Chance for as
long as I could remember and I wasn’t about to let anyone else get close to him. At least not on my watch. I wasn’t about to help out the competition.

  But I was only fooling myself. There really wasn’t any competition, at least not as far as I was concerned. The reason being was that I wasn’t even in the running.