Page 24

24

Axel

I t was such a long night. I missed everyone coming and going this morning. I wanted to get home in time to see them off, but my relief was late.

As I’m pulling out of the parking lot, a text message pops up on my dashboard monitor.

Katy: I need to talk to you as soon as you’re free.

Axel: Is everything okay?

Katy: I’m not sure, but you’re the one I want to talk to.

Axel: After school?

Katy: Can you come by at lunchtime? 11:45?

Axel: I’ll be there.

What could be so wrong that she can’t or doesn’t want to talk to Lincoln, who’s right there in the building with her?

I huff and drop my head back on the seat as I wait for the traffic light to turn green. I guess I’m not getting much sleep today.

When I arrive home to Spencer’s house, that we’ve all taken over as ours, I notice something tucked under the windshield of her small SUV.

“Fuck.” As I approach her vehicle I recognize the handwriting scrolled on the back of a picture. I spin around, looking at every dark and hidden corner of the yard. Is he still here somewhere, watching?

I quickly run to the front door. Using my body to hide the keypad, I get inside and close the door behind me, locking it.

My mind is in a tailspin as I rush to her room and fling open the door. No sooner do I spot her figure in bed, she’s sitting up aiming a gun at my head, half braced over a body next to her. I forgot Miller was here and she wasn’t alone.

“Oh shit.” I thrust my hands in the air and step back, slamming into the door frame. “Spencer. It’s Axel. I’m too pretty to die this young.”

“Dammit, Axel.” She drops her hand to the bed, and I lower my arms. I want to pretend their quivering is muscle fatigue from holding them in the air, but it’s the spike of adrenaline coursing through me. I bend and brace myself on my knees, catching my breath.

“What’s going on?” A groggy Miller sits up, assessing the situation. “Shit”

“I’m…sorry…Tails.” My panting breath is labored. Maybe there was a touch of fear mixed with the adrenaline. I puff out a long breath and stand straight.

“What’s wrong? Why did you barge in here like that? Are you just getting home?” Her gaze flicks to the door, trying to see what brought me into her room in such a frenzy.

“Wow. So many questions. Yes, I just got home. I barged in because I forgot you weren’t here alone, and there’s a picture on your windshield.” Her fingers wrap tighter around the handle of her gun.

“Relax, Smithy. You’re safe.” Miller eases a hand from her elbow down to her fingers and she relaxes with an exhale.

“What is it? What is the picture of?” She pushes the blanket off and swings her legs to the floor. I’m momentarily transfixed by the length of her toned legs. Her biker shorts crept up in her sleep, exposing their entire length. She stands and pulls them down, and I’m probably about to drool when she snaps her fingers.

“Axel. Focus now. Gawk later.”

Miller chuckles behind her, and I shoot him a glaring look.

“Sorry, Tails.” I shake my head and give her my full attention. “I didn’t touch it. I only saw the handwriting on the back. It says, DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM YET?”

“What an asinine remark. Of course, we know who he is.” As simple as the word asinine is, she never curses and has twice in this conversation alone. “What time is it?” She lifts her cell phone and swipes her screen. “I have no unusual motion notifications. How did he get past my security?”

“This fucker is unreal. Let me grab the picture now that I know you’re okay.” I nod at Miller and stalk out of the house on a mission. This guy is getting bolder, and although it’s just pictures right now, stalkers always escalate.

My mind is singularly focused on Spencer’s windshield, and I miss the figure standing near her passenger door.

“Which one are you?” I whip around and see Spencer’s father staring at me, eyes squinted, gun at his side. What is it with everyone around here having guns?

“I’m Axel, Sir. I’m the nurse.” He may be retired, but he’s just as intimidating with his high and tight haircut, which is more salt than pepper. His dark brown eyes assess me, and I can only imagine how someone felt on the opposite side of an interrogation table with him.

He grunts and tips his head toward Spencer’s window. “Another one?”

“Yeah, the first since the big envelope.” I pull it off and read over the message. It’s written hastily in black marker.

He shakes his head and looks toward Spencer’s door. “It’s not. I’ve got half a dozen in my house. I’ve been grabbing them off before she sees.”

What? “There’s been more?” I flip the picture over, and I’m stunned. “Holy fuck.” Mr. Hall snatches the picture from my hand.

“It’s not the first like this either.”

It’s a similar picture to the previous one with the note, but this one is of Lincoln carrying Katy out of the alley by the school.

“He was there? Is he always watching her?” He opens his mouth to speak, and the door opens behind us.

“Axel, what’s taking—Oh, hi Dad. What’s going on out here?” Mr. Hall turns his back to Spencer and hides the picture.

“She already knows about it. I told her I saw it when I got here. I went right inside to check on her.” He mumbles, “dammit,” and turns back around.

“Let’s go inside, Spencer. We have to talk.” He walks toward the door when Miller appears behind Spencer. “You’re the…not the normal partner. That’s Justin. He just had another baby with the blonde. But I’ve seen you leave and come back with my daughter.”

“I’m Miller, Mr. Hall.” He extends his hand out, and Spencer’s dad takes it.

“Eddie. Please, call me Eddie.” I can tell there’s a firm shake going on between them based on the colors their hands are turning.

“Dad.” Spencer’s warning tone lets everyone know she sees it, too. “I promise I keep good company. Miller is a firefighter and a paramedic filling in for Justin while he’s on paternity leave.” Their hands release, and we all walk inside.

Eddie’s head is on a swivel as he takes in the room.

“You’ve done a lot to the place. It looks nice.”

Has he not been here? I got the impression there were some troubles between them, but I didn’t think it was this bad.

“Thank you, Dad. Have a seat, everyone.” Spencer opens a cabinet and pulls out a bag of coffee and the filters. Coffee sounds amazing. My adrenaline is officially gone, and the lack of sleep from working all night is starting to get to me. If Katy didn’t need to see me in a few hours, I’d be crashing until I have to work again tonight.

“Is the cop here?”

“Lincoln is at work, as is Tucker?” Spencer answers him without even turning around.

“I don’t know Tucker. Is he the one who always dresses like a cowboy?” Miller laughs from across the room.

“Yes, Dad. Tucker owns a club. Midnight Moonshine. It’s a country line-dancing bar.”

The coffee pot begins to brew, and the smell makes my mouth water. I grab several mugs, the sugar container, and the milk and creamer from the refrigerator. I begin to make my mug sans coffee, and Miller eyes me with a puzzled look. The moment the hot, heavenly liquid is done, I’m finishing my cup.

“So which one are you dating, or are they all like your bodyguards or something? Can’t say I’m upset that you and that child aren’t ever here alone.”

Miller and I look everywhere but in Eddie’s direction. I have no clue where to even begin to answer that question. There hasn’t been any talk of titles or relationships. There wasn’t even talk about us basically moving in here. It just happened, and that was it.

“They are all my partners.” She drops that sentence like saying the sky is blue. There’s confidence and a matter-of-fact tone.

All my partners .

“All, huh? Well, you’re a special girl, and it takes a special man, or sounds like men, to give you what you need. Now, let’s talk about this asshole.”

That’s it? No grilling or arguing? No accusatory speeches about monogamy? It seems he’s just going to let it go and move on to another topic. Alrighty then.

“I have a confession, and don’t be mad at me, Spencer. I’ve been taking pictures off your car for a bit now. This isn’t the first one.” Spencer puts the pot of coffee on the island and looks at her dad. No, she’s looking through him. I want to give them their moment, but every nerve in my body is begging me to grab the coffee pot and caffeinate my tired body.

Eddie sighs and looks away first, and thank god . Their trance is broken, and I eagerly reach for the pot to fill my cup, wishing I could IV the caffeine straight into my veins. I haven’t even changed out of my scrubs yet or showered, and I’m feeling every inch of the grime and sickness of the Emergency Department that lingers with me.

“What are the pictures of?”

“All of you. Individuals of you all doing various things. This is the first one with a note, though. Well, other than the original one.” Spencer nods as she listens and takes in all the information. Miller seems just as awake as I feel, and he nurses his coffee like a lifeline. All three of us were on night shift last night, and they couldn’t have been asleep for long before I barged in. How Spencer looks so awake and alert is beyond my comprehension.

“Should we call the police? Other than Lincoln.” No one has even mentioned contacting them at any time during all this.

“There’s no point. They will protect their brothers in blue. It’s why, despite any physical marks I ever had, I never reported him.”

“Spencer…” Eddie says her name with so much emotion. It sounds like years of torment and sorrow.

“Detective, we’ve been over this time and time again. I don’t blame you, and you shouldn’t blame yourself either. It’s in the past.”

“And it’s coming back to haunt you, dammit.” He slams a fist on the counter and Spencer doesn’t flinch. It’s a testament to the trauma she’s endured, and it cuts me in fucking two. No one should be that conditioned to not react. She lifts her coffee and takes a sip, ignoring her father’s outburst. I want to wrap her up in my arms and hide her away from all of this, but that’s not who she is. Spencer faces her problems head-on and with confidence.

“What do you propose?”

“I don’t know.” He sinks back in his seat, defeated. “I don’t fucking know. Pictures aren’t proof of anything. Have your cameras caught him?”

“Not that I know of. I’m not getting any strange notifications on my phone. He’s somehow alluding my cameras and I don’t like it.” She takes another sip of her coffee, and I admire her tenacity.

“This is fucking ridiculous.” Miller perks up from his outburst. “I thought we were on the good side. Why does a dirty cop get all of the privileges?”

“Because brothers in blue protect their own. Ask Lincoln; he’ll tell you the same. It takes a lot for them to turn their backs on each other.” Eddie sounds guilty again, and he glances at Spencer in his peripheral.

“So we just do nothing and let him taunt us until he escalates? And then what? It sounds like we’re stuck with no solution.” There has to be more that we can do. My exhaustion is turning to frustration.

“That’s exactly what we’re going to do. Nothing.”

I can’t help my jaw dropping at her statement. “But how? Why?” I don’t understand.

“Because he wants a reaction. We have to keep living our lives and hope he gets bored.”

“Are you kidding me, Tails? How far back do some of those pictures go? It’s obvious he hasn’t gotten bored yet, and now we’ve just given him more things to be interested in.”

“Yes,” she sighs. “Yes, I realize that too.” Her index finger taps along her mug. She’s beginning to feel overwhelmed or out of control, and I don’t blame her.

I lock eyes with Miller and motion to Spencer’s hand so he can see what I’m seeing.

“Hey, Tails, I need to take a shower. Would you like to join me?”

Before she can respond, her father stands.

“I don’t want to impose any more than I already have. I’ll be more vigilant at keeping watch on your house. I’ll speak to the neighbors as well. He has to be coming in from the back or the side.” He gives each of us a goodbye nod, and Spencer walks him out, locking the door behind him.

Miller meets her as she reenters the living room and pulls her into him. It’s the type of hug we’ve seen Tucker give her when she’s on the verge of falling apart.

“How about the three of us all take a shower, and you let Axel and I take care of you?”

That’s the best idea Miller has ever had. He doesn’t wait for an answer. He spins her toward her bedroom, which has a large stand-up shower, and guides her toward the doorway.

“You game, Axel?”

I don’t need to be asked twice. I’m already stripping off my scrub top and undershirt and following.

I turn on the shower while Miller undresses himself and then Spencer. She’s trusting and allowing us to take care of her, which I know is a weighty step for her. I undress and test the water temperature and signal to Miller that it’s good. I step in first and extend my hand to her. Miller holds the small of her back as she joins me. There are shower heads on both sides of the walls, allowing us to all enjoy the hot water.

I pull Spencer into me, and she rests her head on my chest and closes her eyes. I can feel her body relaxing when Miller steps up behind her. We stand under the stream of water, cocooning her between us.

I can tell when she feels in control again. Her body radiates the confidence that we’re used to seeing. Her mask is off, and she isn’t hiding. Her body slides between us, and she lifts on her toes and pulls me down for a kiss. It’s slow and sensual, and I can feel her appreciation in each stroke of her tongue.

“Tails, that’s not why we’re in here.”

“I know. Just kissing.” I won’t say no to that.

“Smithy, can I wash your hair?” She nods against my mouth, and Miller reaches around us to grab the shampoo bottle. She sighs in contentment as his fingers massage her scalp. “How about you, Axel?”

I pull back from Spencer, tilting my head. “Me?”

“Can I wash your hair, too?” Oh.

“Um…” The mood in the room wants me to say yes, but I momentarily panic, thinking how my special hair products are in the other bathroom.

Don’t ruin the moment, dumbass.

“That sounds nice.” I spin Spencer so her back is to the stream, and as I tilt her head back to rinse her shampoo, Miller’s fingers run through my curls. “Oh fuck.”

I feel the air on my shoulder as he huffs. “Problem?” Miller’s lips scale across the back of my neck, and I feel the heat from his mouth. It somehow burns hotter than the water.

“N-no. Your hands feel incredible. I’ve never had anyone but a hairdresser touch my hair.” He kisses feather-light lips across my shoulder, occasionally sucking in my flesh. “Miller?”

“Shh. Just kissing. That’s what Spencer said.”

“Just kissing,” I mumble through the pleasure of his massage.

We readjust in the shower so I can rinse my hair and Spencer can wash Miller’s. We play this dance until everyone has been shampooed and conditioned, and by the time we’re ready for soap, there are two very prominent extra members in the shower with us.

“You can’t blame us for this, Tails. You’re a temptress on a good day but wet and soapy and add in kissing; you’re a fucking Goddess.”

“I’m not complaining.”