Page 7 of Bazooka

“Fiiine. I live in a rented apartment on the other side of town,” I replied, sniffling. “Why?”

“Do you live alone?”

“Yes.”

He gazed into the distance, mulling it over, as I cursed my damn temper. I didn’t want to argue with him. I didn’t want to be Bazooka-less again. I just wanted to… cuddle.

When he looked at me, his expression softened.

“Do you have a fever?” he said, feeling my forehead. “Your cheeks are flushed.”

“I don’t know,” I replied, refusing to look at him.

His hand on my forehead made me want to cry for some reason.

Maybe because it was an act of kindness that I didn’t expect from him.

Maybe because I was hurting inside and out.

The food that I ate felt like a pile of bricks in my stomach.

The pain returned too, because my real painkiller stopped killing it.

“You don’t have a fever,” Bazooka concluded, sounding relieved. “Look…”

I glanced at him, probably looking as miserable as I felt.

“I have to go back to work. When I return, we’ll have a little chat about what happened. You can spend one more night here until I figure out what to do with you.”

“Why can’t I just stay here?” I said sulkily, playing with the cushion next to me.

“I can’t take care of you, Luz,” Bazooka replied. “I work long hours. I’m never at home. I barely have time to eat. You need someone who can give you proper care.”

Yeah, him.

“You’re lying,” I accused him. “You’re just afraid I’ll jump your bones.”

My words made him laugh.

“Do I look worried about that?”

I looked at him suspiciously. “And why aren’t you?”

He cocked his eyebrows.

“‘Cause I’m not attracted to you in any way, shape, or form?”

Oh, fuck him.

He turned to leave, while I yelled after him, “It sounded like a question, by the way!”

I heard him opening the fridge and messing about in the kitchen while I threw the cushion into the wall, fuming. I didn’t want to leave his place. I wanted to stay here. Forever. But how?

When Bazooka returned to the room, he brought a bottle of water and an apple with him.

“Remember to take your painkillers,” he said, leaving the bottle of water on the bed. “John Smith will drop by later today to check up on you. Use the spare key to let him in. Do you need anything else before I go?”

“A kiss?” I said, looking at him from under my lashes.

Bazooka grinned and bit into an apple. “In your dreams, Luz.”

Then he left, leaving me to mumble, “We’ll see” to an empty room.

Bazooka

“We appreciate you joining us, Detective Bradley,” Chief Bibb said as I sat on the chair across from his desk. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to welcome you this morning. I was getting my wisdom tooth extracted.”

“No problem, sir,” I said, hoping he wouldn’t elaborate further. “I’m glad to be of help. I presume this is about The Ripper?”

“Exactly,” Chief Bibb replied. “Our sources tell us that Rio Mendoza a.k.a. The Ripper is expanding his firearms trafficking operation. He plans to send shipments to Grangetown via Smitsville and across the border. GPD and SPD are working together on this, but you guys in New Mesa know him better than anyone. That’s why Chief Stensland agreed to lend you to us for the time being.

You had a run-in with Mendoza in the past, if I’m not mistaken? ”

“Yes, sir. We raided his warehouse in New Mesa a few months ago and seized a large shipment of weapons. I was in charge of the operation, so Mendoza is not a fan of mine.”

“I heard he shot you before he got away?”

“He just grazed my arm, sir. If I may ask, how reliable are your sources?”

“Very.”

“Then we’ll have our hands full. He’s a tough man to catch.”

Chief Bibb stood up. “That’s why you’re here, Detective Bradley. Please, follow me.”

I followed him into the headquarters, where the senior detectives were stationed. When we entered the room, three heads raised to look at us. One did not.

“I believe you already know Detective Markland and Detective Slade?” Chief Bibb asked me before glancing at the men in question.

“Yes, sir.”

I met both men briefly during my involvement in the Butcher of Smitsville case.

Adam “The Scarface” Markland was an asshole.

It pretty much summed him up. He was a big, strong guy, built like a brick wall, with a scar on his face and a chip on his shoulder the size of a Cadillac.

His nickname was self-explanatory. He disliked everyone, and people disliked him back, with one exception.

Jordan “The Shadow” Slade was the aforementioned exception.

He was a timid, confused-looking guy with a bland personality, but his head was screwed on right.

He was a decent police officer before his career went down the drain, just like everyone else’s in the Loser’s Division.

Why was he called The Shadow? Because where Adam went, Jordan followed, so masochism was clearly one of Jordan’s traits, too.

“As you can see, Bruce Dyer and Shelly Constanza are not here with us,” Chief Bibb continued. “Constanza is on maternity leave, while Dyer retired for health reasons. I believe he is now fishing somewhere… or giving singing lessons… or both. This leaves Markland partnerless. Any volunteers?”

A few chuckles could be heard before Jordan tentatively raised his hand.

Adam looked at him incredulously. “Are you fucking kidding me? Get that hand down, weirdo.”

Jordan made a show of snickering at him, but he did what Adam had said.

“I need you flying solo for now, Detective Slade,” Chief Bibb said, unperturbed by their exchange. “That means Markland and Bradley are now partners. The Ripper case is yours. Don’t screw it up.”

Adam Markland made a noncommittal shrug that told me he hated me a tad less than others.

I wasn’t too happy to be partnered up with him either, but he was a better option than the other two sitting in the room.

I guessed those two were newcomers, which turned out to be correct after Chief Bibb introduced us.

“Everyone else, meet Detective Bradley. He came here from New Mesa to help us with the Ripper case, which is our utmost priority. Detective Bradley, this is Detective Vile, who joined us last week. She was transferred here from the Domestic Violence Unit.”

“It’s a pleasure,” I said, shaking the hand of a cute, blonde woman who approached me with a wide smile.

“All mine,” she said, checking me out. “Welcome to the LD.”

Immediately, I knew two things about her.

She was a former model because she had the looks, and a mom because she wore a bracelet only a child would make.

Judging by her cheeky smile, she was a flirt, too, which was why I didn’t want her as a partner, so I dodged a bullet there.

Another dodged bullet sat in the corner of the room, staring at his screen as if none of us were present.

It was also the only head that didn’t raise when the chief and I entered the room.

“This is Detective Maddox,” Chief Bibb said, following my gaze. The black-haired, black-eyed man looked up from the screen, only to lower his eyes again. Without. A. Word.

“One of those silent types,” Chief Bibb murmured, looking uncomfortable. I couldn’t blame him either. The black-haired dude seemed intense.

“By the way,” the chief said, turning toward me. “I heard we have another Luz situation.”

I made a face, wondering how to explain that mess. “Yes, sir. He got attacked outside of Pete’s last night after defending one of his friends. I still don’t have his official statement, but he was severely beaten up.”

“Where is he now?”

“I had no choice but to take him to my place, sir. He refused to go to the hospital.”

“Good, good,” Chief Bibb mused. “We owe that boy, but trouble seems to find him wherever he goes. Either that or he has the worst luck in the world.”

“It’s a good thing you showed up, Bazooka,” Adam said, chuckling. “I’m sure Luz’s luck will change now.”

I would have flipped him off, but… wrong place, wrong time. Also, when did Luz’s obsession with me become public knowledge? Oh, right… When he almost set a woman on fire at Tye and Carter’s wedding, just because she was chatting with me.

“You’ll take over Luz’s case, Detective Bradley,” Chief Bibb said in a tone that left no room for negotiation. “Find the attackers. Deal with this shit. It’s already given me a headache, and that’s not a good sign.”

After Chief Bibb disappeared into his office, Detective Vile spoke to me in a low voice.

“Is the chief always this serious? He’s making me nervous.”

“I don’t know him that well, but I’d say he is,” I mused. “But he’s a good man, unlike my chief in New Mesa.”

Detective Vile wrinkled her nose in distaste. “Chief Stensland, right? I heard he’s bad news.”

“Yeah, the rumors are correct.”

“Dipped his fingers into a few forbidden jars, from what I’ve heard,” she said with a frown. “Sorry, I’m very blunt.”

“And very correct. No one can prove it, but it’s public knowledge. Honestly, it was a relief to come to the LD, even for a short while.”

Detective Vile giggled. “That makes one of us. But now that I’m here, I can see the appeal.”

Her double entendre didn’t miss me, nor the suggestive way her gaze slid down my body, but I pretended not to notice.

“I’m Patricia, by the way. I look forward to working with you, even for a short while.”

“Me too. I’m Levi.”

“If I may ask, why do they call you Bazooka?”

“No idea,” I replied thoughtfully. “I think it’s because some people find me intimidating, believe it or not.”

She burst into laughter. “Have you looked at yourself in the mirror, Levi? You would stand out in the company of giants, let alone us humans.”

I chuckled. “And I wondered why the criminals don’t like me.”

When someone cleared his throat behind me, I turned, only to see Jordan Slade standing there. He looked anxious. Or constipated?

“I’ll leave you to it,” Patricia said, patting me on the arm. “See you later, Levi.”

I nodded before shifting my gaze to Jordan.