Page 4 of Heat of Justice (Duty #3)

“I agree with you.” Quinn went to sit close to her on the couch, both facing Lia’s laptop on the low table in front.

Again, Lia reached for her hand to hold it tightly in both of hers. When Quinn leaned against her, unconsciously seeking a bit more reassurance, Lia was prompted to pass one arm around her shoulders.

“It’s going to be okay, babe.”

“Yeah, I know.”

It felt bloody good to hear Lia say it, though. Getting called into her commander’s office earlier that day, Quinn had no idea of what was about to hit her. The dark look on his face hinted at some bad news, but working special crimes came with its share of this. Of course, she never imagined it would be about her. The blog that her captain went on to show her was short but nasty. Even so, it may not be so bad at first glance, as it only related to a bunch of false accusations. Yes, Quinn had sailed a little close to the line after the incident with Ellie; but like she told her at the time, nothing was ever completely black and white in their area of work. The blog clearly adopted another point of view.

“It says you lied, falsified reports, and destroyed evidence. What the hell.” Frowning in dismay and disbelief, Lia turned to her. “How can Wilson believe any of this crap about you?”

“To his credit, he doesn’t.”

“Is it the mayor, then?”

“The mayor doesn’t know what to believe. If Wilson backs me up, he’ll go with that.”

“Then why on earth are you on suspension?”

“I guess because it’s an election year, and Mayor Everleigh needs to be seen to be doing everything by the book. Especially in matters related to security and the police. You know these are hot issues.”

Lia’s dark eyes flashed in anger this time.

“This is about politics?” she exclaimed. “You have got to be kidding me!”

“I wish.” Quinn shrugged with a quick sigh. “I guess it’d be one thing if I were the only one accused of wrongdoing in this article, but it also points the finger at Wilson and Everleigh.”

“Without proof.”

“True. But it’s bad publicity.”

“That’s for sure.” Incensed, Lia stood up to pace in front of the window. “And suspending their finest officer, in the face of unproven, reckless accusations, goes to show how spineless they both are! I’m still involved in PR for the department,” Lia added. “Wilson should have called me in straight away to record an official statement. Both he and Everleigh should be issuing a joint one right now, to make it clear to everyone that this blog is just a piece of trash. And that they support you one hundred percent.”

Quinn sighed again. She was right, of course...

“I told Wilson everything you just said,” she nodded.

“And what was his reply? Oh, wait, I know: to sacrifice you to the gods of public opinion!”

“He said he was sorry; that his hands were tied. I still have my badge and weapon. This reaction… A lot of it is for show, you know.”

Lia narrowed her eyes. “But not all?”

Quinn rolled her neck under another wave of unwanted tension. “There will be an investigation.”

“You have impeccable records.”

“Yes, I do. But again, I kept Ellie’s loss of control out of my report at the time.”

“And has she given you or anyone else any cause since then to regret it?”

“No, Ellie’s a great cop.”

“There you go. You did the right thing, Quinn. And Wilson knew, didn’t he?”

“Yes, I told him everything.”

“He signed off on your report,” Lia insisted.

“Yes. He did ask me if there was any chance this thing might come back to bite us on the ass, and I said no. In a way, this is still correct. Gonzales, the convicted child abuser, couldn’t be behind these allegations. He’s serving a twenty-year sentence at a max-security prison in New Mexico. He’s got no access to a computer, and any communication with the outside is monitored. I’m told he’s been keeping a low profile.”

“Good. And good riddance. I hope it’s hot in New Mexico and that he’s got no AC.”

She was so fired up as she delivered that line and looked so gorgeous that Quinn forgot for an instant the trouble she was in.

“I love you, Lia,” she told her with a grin.

“Me too, babe.” Lia returned to straddle her lap and lock her arms around her neck. “I thought Wilson was a good guy, you know? But now, not so much.”

“Like I said, it’s not his fault. He’s under a lot of pressure from above.”

“Then I hate Mayor Everleigh’s guts even more for putting that wounded look in your eyes.”

Again, she sounded fierce, and she sure did not mince her words. Quinn did not dispute that being wounded was exactly how she felt. Betrayed. Her superior, angry himself to have to kick her to the touch, had made it clear that he disapproved of the mayor’s decision. Wilson said he had advised the man strongly against it. Still, the result was the same. Quinn pulled her wife closer onto her lap. She laid her fingers on her thighs, drawing comfort from the feel of her.

“It helps to be able to share this stuff with you.”

“Good.” Lia kissed her again, nice and slow.

“I snapped at Miller and Ellie earlier. Shouldn’t have done that.”

“They’ll live. Who do you think is behind this blog?”

“Unfortunately, I have no idea.”

Lia trailed her fingers gently through her hair, helping to ease some of the tension in her shoulders.

“You do make a lot of enemies in your job.”

“Yes… Then again, the article makes a veiled reference to the internal investigation that was conducted at the time of the Gonzales affair. Only a handful of people knew about it.”

“Are you looking at an insider?”

“No. At least I hate to think it could be,” Quinn added with a wince. “But someone who’s got access... a person who knows where and how to dig. That, yes. Definitely.”

“Well, I know how to dig, too,” Lia declared with narrowed eyes.

“I don’t want you involved in this, Lia.”

“Too late. Already am.”

“I mean it,” Quinn insisted, and her heart tightened.

It wasn’t a new feeling where Lia was concerned. From her first day on the job as a police reporter, when she strapped on a Kevlar vest and went out on patrol with Lewiston P.D. officers, Lia had been intimately involved in her professional life. Before this, as a war reporter, she had spent time on the ground with various military units. She had taken plenty of risks in her own career and lived to tell the tale. She was streetwise, far from na?ve, and Quinn had seen her in action too. She knew her wife was well able to fend for herself. Even so, the desire to protect her, to keep her safe and out of harm’s way, was always a strong impulse.

“Anybody could be behind this stupid blog,” she muttered. “I don’t want you to take risks.”

“No risks, I promise. But I will take a look.”

Quinn hissed in frustration. “You can be so damn stubborn; you know that?”

“Why, thank you, darling, it’s one of my best qualities.”

“Not funny, Lia.”

“Isn’t it?” Lia challenged with a roguish smile. “What did you expect when you married a reporter?”

“Exactly. A reporter, not a private detective.”

“Some would argue there’s a fine line between the two.”

“Whatever. Just don’t cross it.”

The smile turned into a smirk. “Or what, Lieutenant?”

The way her dark eyes flashed so invitingly and a familiar, attractive rush of color across her cheeks also prompted Quinn’s temperature to rise. Before Lia could react or wriggle off her lap, she wrapped both arms tightly around her waist and twisted to the side, pinning her startled lover to the couch with the weight of her body. The move earned her a delighted giggle.

“Run out of words to argue your case, babe? Going to resort to force now?”

“If you ask me nicely.”

As Lia laughed, Quinn trailed a line of heated kisses behind her ear, down the side of her neck, along the edge of her jaw. She nipped playfully at her bottom lip but pulled away a little when Lia tried to steal a kiss.

“Behave yourself, Ms. Kennedy.”

“No,” Lia shot back with a fiery grin.

On that, she fisted her fingers firmly in her hair and yanked her back down to claim the kiss she wanted. Quinn offered no resistance; just a smile as she melted into it. Lia had so many adorable ways to disarm her… Quinn often marveled at the fact that she understood her so well, and also that Lia seemed to want her for exactly who and what she was, scars and all. This kind of love was special. A gift, for sure, and the best feeling in the world. Especially after today. Quinn thought she had done pretty well in Wilson’s office to control her initial fury, even as she told him, point blank, what she thought of the suspension order. She did regret letting her temper show with her detectives afterward, but yeah, as Lia said, they were tough cops. They’d deal with it. Compared to the sort of anxiety Quinn used to be plagued with, debilitating flashbacks of traumatic times in the army and equally disabling panic attacks, letting out a verbal rebuke was nothing. The rest of it hurt, though, and Lia would be able to guess how much. To have her ethics brought into question when Quinn took her duty so much to heart was like a vicious punch in the face. To realize that she was not trusted at the higher levels, not worthy of proper support when she held her oath to serve and protect over and above even her own life, was so totally—

“Relax,” Lia murmured. “Stay with me, Quinn, don’t drift off in your head.”

To help with that, she slipped both hands under her t-shirt, raked her fingernails over the strong muscles in her stomach, and grunted when she encountered a sports bra instead of naked breasts.

“Take this off.”

“Roger that, Ms. Kennedy.”

As Quinn sent her t-shirt and bra flying across the room, Lia rolled off the couch to do the same with hers. She stood there half-naked, with her nipples at attention, and flashed a devilish grin.

“Catch me if you can.”

Laughing, she took off down the hallway, prompting Quinn to chase after her. They rejoined at the entrance to the bedroom and fell on top of the bed with their arms wrapped around each other. It had not taken Quinn very long to discover that married sex was incredibly better than all the meaningless encounters she used to have. Married sex with Lia easily topped off the mind-blowing chart by a mile. As they fought briefly for dominance, a playful tussle, Lia lost her panties, which happened to be her last remaining item of clothing.

“Now, what will you do?” Quinn teased, already naked and facing her on her knees across the king-size bed.

In reply, Lia licked her lips, lunged forward, and brought her down in a rough tackle. Before Quinn had time to retaliate, she pressed her leg in between her thighs and pushed upwards. The result had Quinn seeing stars and moaning out loud.

“Mm,” Lia purred. “Tough cop that you are, you do squeal like a girl.”

“I do not,” Quinn laughed.

“I beg to differ.”

“No, I think you just want to— mmm…”

Lia flashed a mischievous smile as she captured her mouth. The move sent another spark of heated tingles between her legs that made Quinn forget her own name, let alone other words of argument. As the exchange turned slower, languid, she gave up trying to regain control.

“Are you going to behave now?”

Lia’s warm breath, like a caress against her ear, made her shiver again.

“Yes,” she murmured. “I surrender.”

With an erotic chuckle, Lia whispered a satisfied ‘Good’ and then resumed the kiss. Quinn stopped moving. She stopped thinking. She focused only on the exquisite sensation of her wife’s talented hands skimming all over her, sparking desire on her skin, expertly stoking her arousal until she was struggling to breathe.