After Adelyn had dropped Justin back at the apartments, she drove back to the station, ready for a day of work. She had been so preoccupied with Justin and Colby's cases, that the rest of her work had been almost neglected. Now, she had to deal with a huge pile of paperwork that was waiting for her on her desk.
When she arrived, she noticed Pertel sitting in a metal folding chair next to her desk. His arms were crossed over his chest and the frown on his face seemed permanent. She tried her best to ignore him, but he grabbed her arm as she walked by, forcing her to look at him.
"What is it?" she asked, her tone sharp.
"We need to talk," was all he said as he held tightly to Adelyn's arm.
She pulled away from him and sat down at her desk. "What could we possibly need to talk about?" she wondered as she started organizing her papers. "Oh, wait." She didn't give him a chance to respond. "Is this about how you verbally attacked my boyfriend today?"
Pertel's eyes widened. "I was only responding to his comments. You're looking at this the wrong way, Brady."
"Maybe if you weren't so mean to him, he wouldn't be so defensive," she shot back. "Can't you give the guy a break? He's trying to do the right thing!"
"Yeah right," Pertel snorted. "All he wants is to get you in bed."
It was Adelyn's turn to widen her eyes. Her surprise at his bluntness didn't last long, and before Pertel knew it, he was staring into angry eyes.
"As if any of this was any of your business!" she told him. "Justin does not want to hurt me, and if you would just lay off of him, you'd see that!"
Pertel stood up and looked down at her. "And if you would just step back and pay attention, you'd see that he's a pompous jerk just using you for your position."
She stood up so that they were at each other's level. "For your information, Pertel, Justin didn't even know I was a cop when we first started going out."
"Yeah," he replied. "But once he found out, he sure went after you full force, didn't he?"
She narrowed her eyes at him and took a breath. "I don't have to take this from you. If you can't cool down and control yourself, then I'm going to have to report your behavior to the chief. You know I don't want to do that, but if you leave me no choice..."
"I get it," he said. "And I'm gone. Talk to you later." And with that, he turned around.
Adelyn sat down at her desk and looked up at his back. "Oh, and Pertel..." she said. "In case you wanted to know, I was the one who seduced him."
Pertel stopped walking for a moment, but then started back up. He was out the door quicker than she could get back to her paperwork.
"And what am I supposed to be doing?" Pertel asked the chief moments after he'd walked away from Adelyn. "They're going inside and you want me hiding in a bush waiting for something to happen?"
"What do you want me to do, Pertel? Sneak you inside?" He didn't get the officer time to answer. "The less people inside the better."
"You've got to admit, chief... leaving Brady inside with two psychos does sound a little dangerous, doesn't it? What if this Justin guy decides to join forces with his boss again? Then where does that leave Brady?"
"Are you forgetting that Brady is more experienced than you? She's perfectly capable of handling herself."
"No, I didn't forget that." Pertel finally sat down in front of the chief's desk and sighed. "I just don't want anything to go wrong here. I don't trust Timberlake."
"Well, then you've got a problem," the chief told him. "We have no choice but to trust him. He's our link here. Without him, Brady wouldn't be able to get in the first place."
Pertel sat up straighter and took in a quick breath. "But what if he doesn't let them in? Then what are they going to do?"
"Then they'll break in," the chief answered, not missing a beat. "Justin's the type of guy who can talk himself out of anything."
"Yeah," Pertel said, slumping back down in his seat. "Only if he wants to."
He closed the door, locked it, latched it, dead bolted it, and then slowly dragged a heavy oak bookshelf in front of the door. He pushed it as far as he could get it to the molding, and then stepped back to inspect his work. If anyone was going to get through this door, they'd have to use an ax.
It was perfect.
He turned around and walked back down the cement hallway. It wouldn't be long before they started taking action. If they actually got through that door, that's when the nightmare would begin. He shuddered just thinking about it.
Adelyn knocked on Justin's door twice before he came to answer it. When he pulled the door open, she threw her arms around him and fell into his embrace. He brought her inside and shut the door behind them.
"That's just what I needed after a long day in the office," she told him.
He gave her a confused look. "And that would be..."
"Your arms around me," she said, giving him a soft smile. "You wouldn't believe the things Pertel said to me today! He sure is acting weird."
Justin broke away from Adelyn and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "The guy has it out for me, that's all. He's mad because I'm out of jail."
Adelyn took his hand as she led him to the couch. "I don't know... I really think there's more to it than that..."
The couple sat down next to each other and, Justin patted the top of her hand with his other one as he looked at her. "Like what?" he asked. "Do you think he's going to be a problem when we nab Colby or something?"
"No, it's not that."
Justin thought for a moment. "Does he have the hots for you or something?"
Adelyn sighed. "I had really hoped not, but the more I spend time with him, the more I'm starting to think that."
"You let me know," Justin said, his face turning a shade of pink. "You tell me if he does anything inappropriate. If he so much as lays a finger on you, I'll-"
"Justin," she interrupted. "Pertel is a good guy... he's just... misguided."
"Misguided? Well, send him to a psychiatrist, then!"
She almost laughed at his seriousness, but stopped herself just in time. "Not that kind of misguided. He just needs someone to show him into the swing of things." She paused for a second, and he nudged her to continue. "I don't think I'm a very good teacher."
Justin put his head on her shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Of course you're a good teacher. It's not your fault he fell for you... though I really can't blame him for doing so."
Adelyn chuckled at him.
"Maybe the chief should pair you a female officer. All the guys seem to be falling head over heals for you."
"You met the female officers of our division at that picnic. Do you really think I want to be partners with any of them?"
Justin shook his head. "No, I don't. Sorry for even suggesting it!"
It was silent for a moment, and Adelyn was just drifting off to sleep when Justin spoke up.
"Can I talk to you about something?" he said softly next to her ear.
She nodded. "Sure. What is it?"
"I got fired," he said, in an even quieter voice. "The Tribune left this message on my machine..."
"Justin," she said as she pulled him closer. "Why didn't you tell me before? Are you going to be okay?"
"I didn't want to depress you or anything," he told her. "But I don't know about that being okay part. I barely had enough to pay off that fine with what Colby gave me... and how am I supposed to get another job with a criminal record?"
"You could move in with me until you get back on your feet," she suggested, out of the blue.
He sat up straight and looked at her. "We haven't known each other for that long," he told her. "And you shouldn't have to do this for me. I can always go live with my mom for a little while."
"But, Justin... I want to do it for you. It would be so much easier for you to move your stuff down a floor than to rent a moving truck and drive it all the way back to your mom's house. You can rent another room here when you find another job. It won't be for long," she told him, but then added, "if you don't want it to be."
"I know why I love you," he said as he looked at her, blinking his tears back.
Adelyn watched as he leaned in to kiss her. "Why?" she dared ask.
He stopped an inch away from her lips. "Because you have so much love in your heart... and I want to be just like that. I want to know what it's like to have a heart as big as yours."
Before she could get a word in, he captured her lips with his.
Chapter 23
Paying the Consequences
Justin {Fiction}
My Fiction
I'll Never Stop {Fiction}
Email me: irishgirl982@yahoo.com