Fatally Yours

Chapter 1

•INDIANA•

I lazily tilted my head to the side, gazing out the window as I watched our prime suspect pace back and forth inside his apartment, the translucent light inside the room highlighted his silhouette through the disgustingly beige curtains over his French windows.

I drummed my fingers lazily around the steering wheel, waiting, strategizing, looking for a way to lure the little pest out of his not-so-well-hiding place so I could cuff him and take him down to the precinct for questioning.

But Ricky Allister was a cunning man.

He knew we would be on his ass after catching him in one of the security footage that was recorded near the crime scene. He knew he would likely be the prime suspect in this case so he fled the scene, giving him enough time to cover his tracks.

His alibi checked out but that doesn't mean the idiot was no longer on our radar. Brock and his team from the homicide department quickly let the idiot go and I see them as the bigger idiot for doing that.

I was not easily convinced that Ricky was innocent, which is why I have spent three nights in a row monitoring his location, watching his every move like a hawk and just waiting for him to show his true self so I can drag his ass to jail.

My phone buzzed noisily inside the cup holder, momentarily distracting me from watching Ricky. I spied on the ID caller and a lazy smile spread across my face as I reached for my phone and pressed answer.

"Reece." Brock's deep, sensual voice vibrates throughout my eardrums, making me lean my head back against my seat.

"Hi Brock," I answered sweetly, my eyes roaming back outside toward Ricky's window again.

"I thought I told you to keep your sexy ass in the office and let me and my boys handle this. This is our case, you know."

I chuckled into the phone and propped my elbow on the window sill.

"And I thought I told you that you need me more than your boys if you want to catch Ricky and take him in."

The line went silent. I knew he had me on speaker, and his team members had likely heard everything I had just said.

None of it was a lie though—they do need me if they want to make this work. I like to believe they're just scared to ask for my assistance because I will, without a doubt, do their job better than them and take all the credit for it.

Plus, the praise and satisfactory awards that my uncle, the Chief of Police, liked to shower me with—not because I'm his niece and he favors me the most, but because I work hard and excel at what I do. It's not my fault that I'm the top female detective in the New York Police Department.

"You're getting in our way of doing our job," Brock said and I almost wanted to laugh out loud.

"Oh please, I'm doing nothing while sitting in my car."

"Exactly. You're parked fifteen feet ahead of us and you don't think we know that if Ricky makes a run for it, you will get a head start?"

I leaned my head back inside and looked up at the rear-view mirror. Sure enough, there was a black minivan parked fifteen feet behind me and I could see Brock sitting in the front with his partner Mortis.

Brock waved his fingers teasingly at me and I smirked right back at him before relaxing my posture comfortably back in my seat.

"Okay fine. I'll let you get a five-minute head start while I wait here and yawn."

Brock sighed. "Reece, I swear to God, if you don't leave right now-"

"Op-look!" I loudly exclaimed to interrupt him. "Ricky is leaving and he's going to spot the van in less than five seconds and he's going to make a run for it."

Ricky did see the van at the exact time I mentioned to Brock, his eyes widening with shock while he stumbled back and almost dropped the black duffel bag in his right hand.

No doubt the drugs we've been trying to locate are inside that bag. I glanced at the rear-view mirror and saw Brock and Mortis jumping out of the van, at the same time the back door slid open and his team spilled out and started running after Ricky who made a beeline back inside the apartment building.

I chuckled while watching Brock and his boys run past my car and run after Ricky inside the building. I looked at the time displayed on the screen of my phone and smiled to myself.

I'll give them at least six minutes to chase him around the entire building before he decides to come out and play in the real playground.

Six minutes later, right on time, Ricky finally decides to come out of the building, running from Brock and his men in full sprint. I straightened my spine and cocked my head to the side, watching him through the windshield and doing a slow countdown in my head.

Three...

"Stop!" I hear Mortis yell from nearby, his gun raised and aimed at Ricky.

Two...

Ricky glanced over his shoulder towards Mortis, sweat droplets coating his entire face and he was breathing heavily. Through the goddamn mouth.

He started running toward the direction where my car was parked and I slowly reached for the handle. The black duffel bag swung back and forth by his side as he continued to run from the cops. His grip around the handle, tight with a will to never let go.

One!

I opened the car and he slammed right into it with so much force, it probably left a dent on it. I hissed in fake sympathy as he fell over on the ground, the back of his head hitting the pavement so hard I thought I heard a crack.

I stepped out of the car and sauntered over to him while twirling my handcuffs around my finger. He was still lying flat on the ground, groaning in pain and holding his head.

"Ricky Allister. You're under arrest." I announced before going down to one knee, pulling him up by the shirt, and roughly turning him over. I grabbed both arms and pinned them behind his back, earning another loud painful groan.

I cuffed his hands and then pulled him up to stand on both feet just at the same time, Brock and his men jogged to us and stopped to speculate the situation. I smirked and pushed Ricky into Brock's arms.

"He's all yours big boy."

Brock narrowed his eyes at me before slowly shaking his head and pushing Ricky to walk towards the van parked nearby. I watched them go and the rest of Brock's team members followed suit. But Mortis remained, his arms crossed tightly together and his glaring eyes pinned on me.

"What?" I asked nonchalantly.

"This is our case and you're getting on my nerves, Reece."

I scoffed. "Where's my 'thank you'?"

He took a threatening step towards me and glared straight into my eyes.

"Quit acting like a know-it-all and stay on your turf. If you ever get in my way again, I will not hesitate to do whatever it takes to get you out of the way."

I met his glare head-on and tipped my chin up.

"Is that a threat?"

The corner of his lip slightly tilted up before he scoffed.

"You'll know if it's a threat when I put you in your place."

He started heading back towards the van and I turned around and glared after him. Mortis has always been an asshole and I tend to remind him of that. There was no way he was going to threaten me from doing my job when he could barely do his own properly.

Weak ass bitch.