"Aren"t you being just a bit presumptuous?"
"Hmm, well were you just about to buy me a drink and chat me up?"
"Well," Tyler stumbled, not sure what to say next. She had never had her motives questioned and it was irritating her.
"Well?" Ashley asked back.
"What"s wrong with buying a beautiful woman a drink?"
"Nothing, as long as that"s all it is," Ashley said as she grabbed both drinks and started to leave.
"Wait, who told you about me?"
Tossing her head towards the dance floor, Ashley said, "She did. She said she"s a good friend of yours."
Tyler looked and saw Kelly, her best friend, waving at her.
"s.h.i.t, how do you know Kelly?" Tyler asked, waving back at her friend.
"She"s my partner."
"You"re on the force?"
"Yep, and she told me all about you. Night," Ashley said, walking towards Kelly.
"s.h.i.t," Tyler said, slapping her hand on the bar.
"What"s wrong, Stud? Get shot down?" Max snickered again.
"f.u.c.k you, Max."
"Sorry, Honey, not tonight. Maybe next time." With that, Max was at the other end of the bar chatting with a s.e.xy blonde.
Aggravated, Tyler pushed her way to the back of the club and leaned on the pool table. She was rarely turned down. It had been a long time since someone had rejected her bed. Well, the conversation hadn"t gotten that far, but Tyler had hoped it would, considering how beautiful the woman was. Sulking, she watched as women danced against each other. The s.e.xual energy in the room was rising with each song. She searched for the two prospects she had pegged earlier, but couldn"t find them. It was turning out to be a c.r.a.ppy night and she hated being alone when she wanted company. A pair of hands reached around her stomach and pulled her close.
"Hey s.e.xy," a voice whispered, caressing her ear.
"Hey Kell," Tyler said, as she pulled on the arms, prying them from her. "What gives with that gal?"
"Oh, you mean Ashley?" Kelly said, looking over her shoulder at Ashley.
"Is that her name? I guess I didn"t get a chance to ask her, since she already knew so much about me." Tyler sat on the corner of the pool table and palmed a ball.
"Look, Tyler, I can explain. She"s my partner and when she started going all gaga over you after the fire, I needed to set her straight. She"s a nice gal and I don"t want to see her hurt."
"What are you talking about, Kell? She"s an adult who can make her own decisions, right?"
"Yeah, and you"re a player, Tyler, plain and simple. You use women like placeholders for Jill. Well, news flash, Jill isn"t coming back. So let her go and move on."
"What are you talking about? I know Jill is gone. I was there when she died, remember? I held her in my arms and watched her die, remember?" Tyler became agitated as she relived that day.
"Look Tyler, it"s been over a year since Jill died and you live like you don"t expect to see tomorrow," Kelly said, biting her lip. "The motorcycles, going back to being a firefighter, the fast cars and even faster women. I"m surprised you haven"t caught a disease or two. You haven"t, have you?"
"Screw you, Kell." Tyler reached in her pocket and pulled out her keys. She didn"t need this and she wasn"t about to stand around and listen to Kelly talk about Jill. "If you haven"t noticed, I"m not sitting around feeling sorry for myself. I know Jill is gone and I don"t need you to remind me."
"I"m sorry, Tyler. I know you think you"re fine. But watching from the outside, I see it differently," Kelly said, grabbing Tyler"s arm to stop her from leaving.
"Take your hand off me." Tyler"s tone became menacing as she stared Kelly down. "I don"t need someone rating my dating habits. Now, if you will excuse me."
"Tyler, I"m sorry. I know you think I"m out of line, but I"ve known you for a long time. I"ve never seen you like this and I"m really worried about you."
"Well don"t worry. I can take care of myself. I"ve been doing it for years."
Tyler tossed the cue ball down the table and started to walk off.
"See you Sunday," Kelly said to the retreating back.
"Sunday?
"Michael"s birthday," Kelly reminded Tyler. "He wants to see his G.o.d-mother"s motorcycle."
"You got a bike," Tyler said without turning back.
"Yeah, but mine is for work. It doesn"t have flames and skulls like yours."
"What time Sunday?"
"One o"clock is good."
"Fine."
"Tyler? One more thing." Tyler felt Kelly put a hand on her shoulder and knead the muscle underneath. "Could you make sure to cover your tank? I don"t want any of the mothers mad at me because their son saw a naked lady."
Tyler had painted her motorcycle two years ago in memory of Jill. A nude angel, in Jill"s likeness, sat on the top of her gas tank and flames and skulls framed the sides. Tyler told everyone it signified the h.e.l.l she was going through without Jill. The truth was Tyler didn"t want to be without Jill, no matter where she was.
"Whatever."
"Sorry. I hope I didn"t cause you any problems with Tyler," Ashley said, wiping the sweat from her gla.s.s.
"Naw, Tyler"s cool. She doesn"t like to have the reality check cashed. Her dad handles her with kid gloves and women just throw themselves at her, so I get to do the heavy lifting when it comes to dealing with her."
"I don"t understand." Ashley looked at Kelly and wondered what she was trying to say. Throwing up her hands, Ashley said, "You know what, it isn"t any of my business. Forget I said anything, "kay?"
"It"s probably better that way. Besides, it"ll give you and Tyler something to talk about next time you see her," Kelly said, taking another pull from her beer.
"I thought you warned me off her. I"m confused."
"If you think that was the last time you"ll see Tyler, think again. When she wants something, she goes after it. Besides, you turned her down. You"re a challenge now." Kelly smiled at Ashley and wiped the foam from her lip.
"Okay, so ...?" Ashley said, searching Kelly"s face for an answer.
"Go with your gut when it comes to Tyler. She"s a great gal, she just doesn"t know it."
"But you just said earlier she knows how good she is." Ashley was completely confused now.
"She knows she"s good in bed. She just doesn"t know what a great catch she is. She"s too busy running from herself to get caught."
Ashley took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She was confused and starting to feel like she was in a Laurel and Hardy movie and she didn"t know who was on first. She was attracted to Tyler the first time she saw her at the fire, but Kelly had warned her about Tyler. In fact, Tyler had quite a history with more than one woman in the department. She was known as the female Casanova of Precinct One. Tyler "started fires and left "em burnin"," was how one female officer had said it. Another said that Tyler had given her "third degree burns in all the right spots". Ashley figured she had heard every fire metaphor when it came to Tyler.
"I don"t understand."
"Tyler was married to the only female officer killed in the line of duty. It happened two years ago and, ever since then, she"s been meeting the devil head on. She takes risks she shouldn"t take, and does things she would never do if Jill were still alive."
There were a few who talked about the other Tyler, too. She had heard the stories of Tyler being in love with a fellow officer named Jill Sherman, who had died in the line of duty. Jill"s picture hung on the "wall of the fallen" and it had been the first thing Ashley had seen when she came to the precinct. Her beautiful face made Ashley choke up when she realized where Jill"s picture was. Jill was young, too young to be hanging on a wall with just a few other older male officers. But it was a fact of life for officers on the force and no one was exempt from the chance that they could give their life in the line of duty.
"I see. Well I"m not the fix "em type, if you know what I mean," Ashley said, wishing she hadn"t been so harsh with Tyler now that she knew about Jill Sherman.
Chapter Five.
Tyler slammed her hands against the steering wheel of her car, cursing. Who cared how she lived her life? She wasn"t hurting anyone. She wasn"t a drunk and she didn"t hide away in a dark apartment, depressed. No, she didn"t fall apart after Jill"s death. She had kept it together, so whose business was it who she slept with?
Losing both her mother and her lover in the same month nearly killed her. She sure as h.e.l.l didn"t owe Kelly an explanation about her behavior and she didn"t need to explain her life to anyone, including the beautiful redhead, Ashley. Tyler flicked the lights on and gunned the fastback. Every muscle in her body was strung tight, on the verge of snapping as she watched the speedometer click past eighty. The deserted road was no match for her fastback as it ate up the pavement. Thoughts of Jill flashed before her as each mile brought her closer to her lover.
Stop, Tyler. No good can come from this. Jill"s voice echoed in Tyler"s head as she stomped on the accelerator. Jerking on the wheel, the car made a quick right on to a dirt road. Dust kicking up in her wake made her invisible to anyone stupid enough to follow. Weaving between scrub brush, she pushed the car faster, burying the needle past one hundred ten miles per hour.
Stop this now, Tyler. Jill"s voice thrummed in her head now as she kept her foot on the gas. She was starting to outrun her headlights, the car running over small patches of brush in her race to outrun the voice. Suddenly, Tyler stomped on the brakes with both feet, feeling the car start to slide sideways, coming up just short of hitting a ma.s.sive oak tree. Her head throbbed as adrenaline pumped through her. Her body started to shake as she looked at the ma.s.sive oak filling up her side window. Getting out of the car, Tyler fell to the ground and started pounding it with her fists.
"Get out of my head, d.a.m.n it." Tyler choked on the dust billowing up around her. "d.a.m.n it, Jill. Why couldn"t it have been me instead? Why? Why you?"
Sitting back on her heels, Tyler felt her body sag with defeat. She hadn"t had a moment like this in years, so why now? She was sick of the innuendos, the looks of sympathy she still got from some of the police officers and the pity that always followed. Her life had stood still, captured by bookend tragedies that now framed the way she lived. Moving on wasn"t the issue. Dealing with the pain she tried to outrun was. She and her father had faced the tragedies together. One solid and unwavering as it overshadowed her life, the other devastated from the loss of the woman he had been married to for thirty-five years.
Had her years in combat changed her so much that outwardly she couldn"t grieve? For Tyler, to grieve would show a weakness she didn"t want anyone to see, least of all her fellow firefighters or Jill"s fellow officers. They lived with risks and no one complained. As firefighters, they faced death nearly every day. Tyler had even faced her own mortality on the battlefield, only to cheat it. Perhaps, that"s why death claimed Jill and her mother, because she had eluded it one too many times. Maybe that"s why her fellow officers still looked at her with pity, because she hadn"t broken down like her father. To be weak would get you killed. Losing your edge would get someone else killed, so she tucked it all away in some dark corner of her mind. But the memories revisited when they wanted and she knew she couldn"t control when they came, only when they would leave.
Tyler sat back against her car. Tears etched their way down her dust covered face. A warmth enveloped Tyler as she heard Jill"s voice again, I"m always here with you, my love. But you can"t keep doing this to yourself. It"s time to move on, to love again. Then, Tyler felt a soft caress on her cheek. The memories of Jill"s touch were fainter and fainter with each pa.s.sing episode and she was afraid she would lose them completely, so she hung on as long as she could to the moment. Sobs racked Tyler as she lost control. The command left Tyler speechless, her heart breaking at the thought of moving on.
"Don"t leave me alone here, Jill. Please," Tyler pleaded, wiping her face as she stood and looked around. "Please don"t leave me," she whispered, in desperation.
Chapter Six.
Ashley finished the ticket and handed it with a warning to the young driver. "Don"t let me catch you horsing around again. Driving is a privilege so you better treat it like one or you"ll lose that privilege, understand?"
The driver, barely sixteen, nodded and blew out a deep breath before rolling up his window.
"d.a.m.n kids." Ashley slapped her ticket book against her hand as she walked back to her car. As she reached for the door handle, a loud motorcycle blew past her. Even before Ashley looked up she knew it was breaking the speed limit. All she saw when she did finally look up was a white tank top, a black helmet, and a blur of blue.
"s.h.i.t. What is it today?" Tossing her hat on the seat next to her, she flipped the lights and siren and waved at the driver still sitting on the side of the road. "Better not let me see you anytime soon, kid," she said as she merged into traffic giving chase to the motorcycle.
She watched as each car cut her a wide path, merging into the right hand lane. Maneuvering past the cars, Ashley accelerated to catch up to the motorcycle. Within a few seconds she was right behind the speeder, who was clearly oblivious to the lights behind him. Ashley keyed her siren on and off. The driver looked down into the mirrors and for the first time acknowledged her presence. The driver watched for an opening between two cars and merged right, but there wasn"t enough room for Ashley"s cruiser so she picked up the mic to the PA.
"Driver." When the driver on the motorcycle looked back at Ashley, she continued, "Yes, you. Pull over."
Traffic eased back and Ashley merged behind the motorcycle as it pulled off the pavement. Calling dispatch, Ashley requested wants and warrants on the license plate of the motorcycle and waited.
"No wants or warrants on Bravo, India, Tango, Echo, Mike, Echo. The motorcycle is registered to an T.J. Jackson, 1342 West Haven Drive."
"Roger Dispatch."
Ashley grabbed what she referred to as her "smokey" hat and slid it on. She had a "take no prisoners" att.i.tude when dealing with men, especially with men who rode motorcycles. They usually had att.i.tudes as big as their d.i.c.ks and they let everyone see it. She was sure if they could, they would expose themselves at the drop of a hat just to prove they had the b.a.l.l.s to ride that fast. The driver was still seated on the bike and watching her approach as she opened her ticket book.
"License, registration and proof of insurance, Mr. Jackson," Ashley said, as she started to fill in the necessary license plate information for her ticket. As requested, Ashley was handed the doc.u.ments and a wallet. "Please take the license out of your wallet, Mr. Jackson." Still not looking up, she looked at her watch noting the time and day of the month and adding it to the ticket.
"Uh, hum."
Ashley heard the slight tenor of his voice as Mr. Jackson cleared his throat. Obviously he was p.i.s.sed at being pulled over, but Ashley didn"t care. He had broken the law. A long slender gloved hand tossed a license and other paperwork on her ticket book.
"Let me know if you need any more information, Officer." The last word hung like a slap across the face.
Ashley watched the slender man sit back down on his motorcycle, turn on the radio and prop his feet onto the handlebars. Leaning against his backrest, he reached up and laced his fingers behind his head, clearly dismissing Ashley. She could feel her temperature rising at the lack of respect displayed for her authority. Obviously, Mr. Jackson wasn"t too concerned about breaking the law and his actions showed how patronizing he was. The demonstration only solidified Ashley"s opinion of men. Arrogance rolled off the rider and it agitated Ashley. Well she would show the rider his mistake.
"Mr. Jack-"
"Ms. Jackson, Officer ..." Ashley watched as the driver paused, pulling down her shades and looking at Ashley"s nametag. "Officer Henderson. Interesting."
Her shades. Ashley thought, immediately realizing her mistake. Looking the rider over she noticed the firm b.r.e.a.s.t.s tightly bound in the white tank top and a ponytail peeking out from under the helmet. Great, she had been so preoccupied with the ways she wanted to torture the rider that she completely overlooked the obvious slender figure of a woman. Geez, she said to herself, thinking about the apology she was now going to have to offer.
Ashley watched the woman swing her long legs off the handlebars and plant her feet firmly on the dirt shoulder. Slowly her gaze traveled up from the thick black boots, to the denim clad thighs and rested on firm, full b.r.e.a.s.t.s. The woman was tall, athletic and buff. Bare muscular arms ended with gloves so short Ashley thought they looked more like black finger cots attached to a leather pad. Never had Ashley taken such an a.s.sessment on a woman and she felt her body tighten at the sight.
"Uh hum."
Ashley"s head popped up to look the driver in the eyes.
"My eyes are right here," the rider said, pointing to her face.
"My apologies, Ms. Jackson. I just a.s.sumed that you were a man. I don"t usually get many speeding females riding motorcycles." Ashley adjusted her hat, wiping the sweat from her brow. Narrowing her eyes she took a second look at the driver. A familiarity swept over her, but she couldn"t place it.