Tara Randel - The Lawman's Secret Vow

“Tell me what went wrong.”

“It’s not important.” His fingers repeatedly squeezed and released her bicep in a rhythm she doubted he was aware of. That was Dante, always moving. “What is important is that I need your help.”

One eyebrow rose. She knew what was coming.

“I’ve been relegated to desk duty until Chambers decides to give me a break. I’m behind on paperwork. Any chance I can talk you into a late-night catch-up session?”

“Reviewing reports? Why would I do that when I have my own to manage?” She held up the folders to prove her point, immediately missing the warmth of his grasp on her blouse-clad arm when he dropped his hand.

“We can go out for drinks afterward.”

“I don’t think—”

“That’s right. You don’t drink. How about grabbing some food?”

“I haven’t even agreed.”

A slow smile spread over his lips. “Come on, Ellie. Help a coworker out here.”

Eloise’s face burned. He was the only person in her life to have ever given her a nickname. “Eloise will do.”

“But you look like an Ellie.”

Did she? Her name happened to be a bit old-fashioned, probably the reason why her parents had given it to her when she was born. Literary professors, they loved classics from centuries past. But Ellie? The woman who dressed in a white blouse and navy or black skirt every day? Pulled her hair back in a no-nonsense bun to keep it out of her face? She was an Ellie?

Eloise tried to ignore his cologne, a musky aroma mixed with spice, tickling her nose.

“C’mon, Ellie. What do you say?”

“If I do help you, and I’m not saying I will, you’d owe me.”

It was only fair she ask for something in return. She might be dedicated to the job, but she wasn’t going to let him use that knowledge to push his work off on her.

His eyes lit up. “Sounds intriguing. What did you have in mind?”

Definitely not what his expression suggested, which probably included wild fun. She couldn’t imagine Dante living life any other way. And why was she reading anything into it? He was so far out of her league. Besides, her one experience with an almost work romance had crashed and burned. She didn’t care to replay that mistake ever again.

“My request would be that when we work together on a case, you listen to me.”

He tilted his head. Sized her up. “I don’t listen to you?”

“It’s not so much me as other officers you’ve worked with. You have a bit of a rep.”

Brows beetled over his eyes. “A rep?”

Like he didn’t know it. “You aren’t exactly a team player.”

“I get the job done.”

The edge in his voice told her she’d touched a nerve. “Let’s face it, you do rush into situations.”

“When it’s called for.”

Great, the chummy coworker was gone. He had his cop face on now.

A loud cough from behind drew their attention from the conversation and back to the lieutenant.

“How about we table this discussion and revisit it later?” she suggested.

He nodded, then strode away.

“Every time,” she muttered under her breath. Whenever she’d mentioned his...flaw, he withdrew. Because she called him on it? Or was he well aware and embarrassed? After all, he had cost the department an important case.

Hitching her shoulders back, she headed for her desk, ready to get some work done before any calls came in. The Palm Cove PD wasn’t huge. A two-story structure, the bottom floor was the command center of the building. Desks for officers were located on one side of a waist-high wall, the detective’s area on the other. Half of the desks were occupied, with low voices from fellow officers making follow-up calls or the slow tap, tap, tap of others writing up reports on a computer, and the remaining surfaces were littered with files and paperwork or messages.

A front desk situated behind glass in the lobby spanned one side of the building with a wall separating it from the officers’ desks; a holding cell took up the complete other side. Burned coffee emanated from a small kitchenette down the hallway in which they’d just stood.

Upstairs held administrative offices, including the chief’s domain. As the town grew, thankfully so did the budget. There were fifteen officers employed right now.

She’d just dropped the files on her desk when a chirpy voice waylaid her.

“Girl, we need to talk.”

Eloise turned to find Brandy Cummings resting a curvy hip on the side of the desk. In her midtwenties, she’d been hired fresh out of college, taking over the crime scene investigation position Eloise had vacated when she’d become a detective. Brandy was eager, smart and knew every detail of what went on in the department, official and personal. Eloise admired that. Physically, Brandy was the exact opposite of Eloise’s willowy shape and studious demeanor. And yet despite their different approaches to the job—hers methodical and well thought out, Brandy’s spontaneous but effective—Eloise wasn’t surprised when they’d become good friends.

“I overheard Lieutenant Chambers on the phone talking to someone about the sergeant position.”

Eloise glanced around them. “You know you shouldn’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Listen in on private conversations.”

Brandy swiped a nonchalant hand through the air. “You need to know. He mentioned your name.”

Her heart accelerated.

“And Dante Matthews.”

And then came to a screeching halt.

“Dante? I’m surprised. The lieutenant doesn’t like Dante.”

“That’s for sure.” Brandy chuckled. tossing her thick, black hair over her shoulder. “Chambers calls him a danger and a disgrace. I swear I’ve seen his eye twitch when Dante’s name is mentioned.”

“That’s harsh.” Even if the danger part rang true.

Brandy shrugged. “Which means you’ll get the promotion.”

“I don’t know,” Eloise hedged. Even though she wanted the job. More than anything.

The rumors of the promotion had been circling the department for weeks, especially since they had yet to fill the sergeant position left open by a recent transfer. She’d passed the civil exam without a problem, made sure Chambers was informed of her grade and made her desire to be considered for the position known, then secretly kept her fingers crossed that she’d be offered the chance to move up in rank. She’d been on the Palm Cove police force for four out of her six years as a police officer, a detective for two, and hoped her experience weighed into the decision making.

“Chambers respects you.”

Eloise straightened the files and other office supplies positioned on her compulsively neat desktop. “That’s because I do my job and get my reports in on time.”

“And you work well with everyone. You’re good at supervising and making decisions.”

“So is Dante.” She remembered his earlier request. “Well, everything but desk duty, that is.”

“Yes, but you are the complete opposite of reckless.”

She stilled. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“No. I mean, I’ve learned a ton from you. But sometimes you have to think outside the box. Dante has that ability in spades.”

Eloise frowned. “I could be reckless.”

Brandy burst out in a merry laugh. “Oh, honey.”

“Really, I could,” Eloise fumed. “Watch me.”

Brandy merely patted her on the arm and strolled away to start a conversation with a patrol officer who’d just walked in.

Who was she kidding? She plopped down into her chair.

Reckless was not a word she’d use to describe herself. She always had to push herself out of her comfort zone, especially since becoming a cop, and she was extremely proud of herself.