Once Kissed: An O'Brien Family Novel (The O'Brien Family) (6 page)

I spent the next few hours in the cold, listening to my scanner and to all the calls I wouldn’t respond to. Considering it was midweek, there was a lot of shit going down. Two domestic violence calls so far, five thefts, and six breaking-and-enterings.

I should be there,
I tell myself,
watching backs, throwing down, getting the bad guys.

But would any of the boys in blue want me there now? I scoff. Probably not.

There was a time when I’d show up to crazy shit, and even crazier felons. Relief would flood my boys’ faces—even vets years into the force seemed happy to see me.

“You’re a good cop, O’Brien.”

“Thank God you’re here, O’Brien.”

“Hell, ’bout time you got here, O’Brien.”

That’s what I’d hear, and that’s what I’d sense. I tried not to let it go to my head, and for the most part I didn’t, too caught up in what was happening.

Turns out, they gave me too much credit.

Turns out, they were dead wrong.

It’s a long and hard fall from the top. And that shit hurts when you land.

I adjust my position and glance up at Tess’s apartment. The lights flick off except for one, which casts a shadow along her living room. I watch her lean silhouette cross the length of the room and into her bedroom. She moves slowly, as if in deep thought. Maybe she’s thinking through what she studied and learned. That’s my guess, until she pauses by the window and looks out, before quickly rushing away.

I laugh to myself. She did the same thing earlier when I caught her checking me out. And damn it all, she hadn’t liked me calling her on it, had she? Her sweet ass probably paced all over her apartment, pissed I was onto her….

Oh, shit.
I pass a hand over my face, muttering to myself, “Okay, asshole, exactly what are you doing here?”

“Fuck you. I’m here to get a report, dumbass.”

I grumble a swear. I don’t have to turn around to know Lu’s here, pissed, and has likely been eyeing me like a hawk. I glance at the clock. She’s early. Way early. Damn. Considering she’s two donuts shy of the big one, she moves like a shadow.

I hit the locks, allowing her into the passenger side. “What are you doing here, Lu? Your shift doesn’t start for another forty.”

She scrunches her small nose and gives me the once-over. “I’m here on account of you and me have a few things to cover.”

I straighten. “This about Joey?”

“Yup.” She waves me off when I start cursing. “Don’t get your thong in a bunch, O’Brien. The captain just wants me to check on you. See how you’re doin’.”

“I’m done talking. Did enough of it yesterday when Internal Affairs showed up.”

“Yeah, well, they’re just following procedure. Especially since the trial’s been moved up.”

“So I hear,” I mutter, knowing the county wants to get rid of this mess fast.

Lu taps the armrest, ignoring my scowl. “So, you gonna tell me how you are?”

“I’m fine.”

She stops drumming her fingers. “No, you’re not. You watched your rookie get shot to shit.”

“Don’t need reminding, Lu.”

She purses her lips and nods. “Actually, O’Brien, you sorta do. See, you and me, we kind of have this situation.”

I frown. “What situation?”

“We both need time.” She points to Tess’s apartment. “Take a look at where we’re sittin’. We’re in some goddamn senior citizen compound one EMS call from the morgue, watching some princess the mob’s not going to do shit to. You know why?”

“Enlighten me, oh wise one.”

“Don’t be a smartass, and pay attention on account of what I have to tell ya’s important.”

“Of course it is—” She smacks me upside the head hard enough to send my hat soaring into the dashboard. “Shit! What the hell, Lu?”

“You’re fucked up, O’Brien. You need the time this assignment’s offerin’ to screw your head on straight. Otherwise, five years from now, you’re gonna be that cop who goes down to his cellar and fires a round into his skull.”

I don’t like what she has to say, but that doesn’t mean I’m not listening. Suicide kills more cops than drug addicts and drive-bys.

She shrugs, the business of being a cop laying deep lines into her face. “Me, I need this gig to slide into retirement,” she says. “Six months, O’Brien. That’s all I have left before me and the old man hop in a Winnebago and leave the scum on the street behind us.” She rams her finger in my face. “I’ve had the shit knocked out of me by fat naked men with hairy asses, and dragged too many dead whores from the sewer. I’m done, O’Brien. But you, you’re just getting started. So take this time to get your shit together and maybe we’ll both make it to retirement in one piece.”

“Anything else?” I ask.

That earns me another smack upside the head. “Yeah. Don’t be an asshole, don’t get me shot, and don’t fuck the princess we’re supposed to be watchin’.”

It’s late Friday night and snow’s dropping like the evil bitch she is. Meanwhile, Declan’s scribbling notes at warp speed and Tess is alternating between flipping through law books and scrolling through her iPad.

Montenegro’s third was set free. He wouldn’t talk, and there was nothing to hold him once his snitches disappeared.

“Deck, it’s late. Call it a night. We’ve been at this for hours.”

Declan stops scribbling, his face tighter than panties on a prom queen. “No,
we’ve
been at this for hours. You’ve been sitting here watching.”

“Watching your ass, dipshit. You’re still alive, aren’t you?”

Tess focuses fully on Declan, like I’m not even here. Something she’s done a lot lately, and something that really pisses me off. “There has to be something we can bring to Judge Bronson so he can grant a search and seizure. Something we’re missing,” she insists.

Declan throws his pen down. “We have nothing. On paper, this perp looks cleaner than the priest who baptized me.”

“But he’s not. With all these witnesses suddenly making themselves scarce—”

“Or dead,” Declan finishes for her.

Her expression turns grim. Even with her limited experience, she wants to help. That much is obvious. “There has to be something we can do,” she adds, quietly. “There’s almost no point sentencing Montenegro and his second if this man’s set to take over the family.”

I scroll through my phone when she and Deck start talking strategy again. My sister sent me a text, bitchin’ about catching our little brother banging some chick in her bed. I laugh, picturing the look on Wren’s face when she walked in on them. I pocket my phone in time to catch Declan’s glare and Tess’s disapproving head shake. Great, two of them. “What?” I ask.

“This isn’t a laughing matter,” Tess tells me. “We need to bring in the third in command and put the squeeze on him.”

“ ‘The squeeze on him’? Seriously?” I look at Declan, ignoring her flushing face. “Guess what?” I say to him. “Wren caught Finnie screwin’ in her bed—on her new sheets, too.”

Declan’s eyes narrow further. “You’re such an imbecile,” he tells me. “Do you realize what I have on the line here—the opportunity to take down a mafia empire. Do you think I care what Finnie did?”

“You should,” I answer. “He got the girl pretending to be you.” I barely keep it together when he leans back in his chair and covers his face. “I’ve gotta give him credit,” I say, continuing to play dumb. “You and him do look a lot alike.”

Declan mutters a curse and reaches for the law journal closest to him. “Whatever, Curran. I’ve got a case to prepare for.”

Tess offers Declan a sympathetic glance before crossing her arms and fixing her tightening expression my way. I don’t know who’s more on edge, her or him. She’s barely spoken to me these past two weeks, even on the rides back to her place. She hasn’t smiled much and she sure as anything hasn’t laughed—not since I called her on checking me out.

I kept up with the jokes, trying to draw that smile that lightens her face, and occasionally I managed. But something’s off about her, and the more time that passes, the more she seems to fade away.

Maybe school’s getting to her. Her bag is always spilling with law books and notes when I pick her up at U Penn. Maybe it’s this case. Or maybe I’ve pushed her too far. Damn shame I can’t seem to stop trying to get a rise out of her. Just like I can’t stop picturing her naked since she brought it up. It’s times like this I wish for Superman’s X-ray vision. What I wouldn’t give to see her—

“I don’t believe you,” she says, interrupting my thoughts. “This is important, and yet you sit here swearing like a prepubescent boy drunk off his father’s stolen scotch.”

“Actually, we used to sneak Pop’s Irish whiskey.” She stills, like it’s taking everything she has not to fling Declan’s stapler at me. “Just speaking the truth,” I tell her.

She sighs. “Why can’t you be more like your brother?”

I grin. “You mean metrosexual with a small dick? Sorry, babe.” I motion to myself. “I gotta use the gifts God gave me.”

Declan looks up then. “Fuck you. I don’t have a small dick.” He coughs into his hand when Tess’s eyes fly open. If he hadn’t been working the hours he had, or putting so much pressure on himself, he never would’ve said anything like that with her around. “Look, Curran. Either help us or keep your trap shut,” he mutters.

I lean back in my chair. “Fine. What about his
gumad
?”

Tess pauses in the middle of reaching for the law journal closest to her. “What?”

“His
gumad.
You know, his mistress. He probably stashed evidence at her place.”

Declan levels his stare at me. “You know this for a fact?”

I consider his question. “What I know is she’s a former stripper who isn’t stripping, and who has sweet digs near the Liberty Bell. You don’t buy something like that with no money. Someone bought it for her. I’m guessing the third in command hooked her up.”

Tess cocks her head. “Why him specifically?”

“Because word on the street is the third owns the strip joint he met her in,” Declan answers with a grin.

I place my hands behind my head. “Word on the street also says she likes coke. Watch her. Catch her buying, get your search and seizure.”

“Can we do that?” Tess asks, excitement building in her tone.

Declan answers with a stiff nod. “Get me Santana from Narcotics on the phone.”

Tess scrolls through her list of contacts on her iPad and reaches for Declan’s office phone. “You couldn’t have brought this up earlier, asshole?” he asks.

I don’t hide my grin. “I would have if you’d asked nicely enough.”

“Excuse me, Declan,” Tess interrupts, but not before I catch her smiling my way. “Detective Santana is ready for you.”

He takes the phone, and within an hour, he has someone watching the
gumad.
Problem is, all the excitement gives him and Tess a second wind. “Deck, come on. It’s Friday night.” I motion to Tess. “Don’t you think your girl here deserves the night off?”

He surprises me by giving it some thought. “Maybe you’re right.” He looks at her then. “How about dinner?”

Da fuck?

Tess beams at him. “That would be wonderful—I mean, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“No trouble at all. Do you like sushi?”

Her smile brightens. “Oh, yes, I love sushi.”

I rise slowly, telling myself there’s no reason to beat his ass. No reason to call him out for being a two-faced prick. Never mind. There is. This is the same idiot warning me to keep my distance, and to stop “looking at her that way” every time I did.

He lowers his rolled-up sleeves, smirking when he latches on to my WTF expression. “How about it, Curran. Dinner at Itsu’s grab ya?” he asks with a wink.

My shoulders relax when I realize what he’s after.
Ah, Itsu’s.
Declan may have been hungry. But the excitement of nabbing Montenegro’s third burned a hole straight to his pants. Itsu’s is known for two things: sushi, and a smokin’ hot hostess Deck bangs like cymbals at a high school band concert. “Sure. Yeah. I like Japanese.”

Another badge tails Declan while I drive Tess to Itsu’s. She stays quiet and keeps her attention ahead, just like she’s been doing around me for the last two weeks. “What’s up?” I ask her.

“We’re going for sushi,” she answers barely above a whisper.

“You know what I mean. You haven’t said shit to me lately.” I give her a one-shoulder shrug. “You and me, I thought we were pals.”

She adjusts her gloves nervously. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be rude.”

“You weren’t rude.” I steal a glance in the rearview mirror, checking for tails.

“Yes, I was,” she admits, her voice lowering. “You’ve been very sweet—”

“Even when I asked you for that lap dance yesterday?”

She purses her lips. I think she’s blushing, but it’s hard to tell with the blaring commercial lights shining against her face. “Perhaps ‘sweet’ isn’t the best word.” Her expression softens. “Crazy and inappropriate antics aside, you’re very kind.”

“Kind?”

She nods, but keeps her attention ahead. “Yes. You’ve made every attempt to talk to me, and make me smile, although I’ve said very little in return. I…have a lot of stress in my life. But you’re not the cause. And I’m sorry if it seems I’ve been taking it out on you. Believe it or not, I don’t mean to.”

She seems sad, all over again. Just like she always was in college. “Got a lot on your mind?” I repeat, letting her know I’m listening and hoping maybe she’ll tell me what’s up.

“At times I think too much,” she agrees. Her voice is almost inaudible as we pass along the busy streets. “School, this internship, and…well, let’s just say I’m overwhelmed at the moment.”

I have the feeling there’s more here than what’s being said. “Are you sure that’s all of it?” I ask.

For all she tries to smile then, I catch that misery that always seems to plague her. “Isn’t that enough?”

“I s’pose.”

“What about you?” she asks.

My grip on the steering wheel tightens. “What about me?”

“You seem stressed as well.” She shifts her weight. “And when we go courtside, that stress becomes more pronounced, especially around the sheriff’s officers.”

“Nah. It’s just your imagination.”

“Curran…I’m not stupid.”

“Never said you were.”

The sharpness to my tone abruptly quiets her. I think she’s done pushing, and that’s good enough for me. But as I pull onto the street that leads to Itsu’s, she says something I’m not ready to hear. “You know that police officer who was shot. I know you do. And, well, I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry he was hurt. And I’m truly sorry for what you’re going through.”

She keeps her voice gentle, and I can hear the honesty in her words. That doesn’t mean I say anything back. This thing with Joey is messing me up ten ways to Sunday—more than I want to admit, and more than I want anyone to know, especially her. But in not responding, it’s like I confirm all her suspicions. Well, fuck me.

My eyes cut to the rearview mirror. No one’s following us, which is good considering I’m not paying enough attention. Tess threw me for a loop in bringing up Joey, and it’s something I can’t allow. She may not be on the mob’s radar yet, but eventually she might be—just like my brother already is. I have to stay sharp. No matter what anyone says.

And I have to get over this shit with Joey.

I park directly beside Declan, shielding his side with my truck and Tess with the cinder-block wall. “Wait till I come get you,” I tell her.

In her silence, I wonder if she’s feeling sorry for me. I slam the door, hoping she’s not. Given the choice, I’d rather meet a scowl and a swinging fist than pity. Pity’s for pussies and those too weak to fight.

And hell will freeze before I go down like a punk.

The other badge opposite Declan’s ride rolls down his window. “How long’s your shift?” I ask him.

“Got another two. How long do you have?”

“Four more.” I adjust my gloves. “Did you eat?”

“Nah, but the wife’s got dinner waiting. I’ll cover the outside if you want to head in.”

I nod. “Thanks.”

“Hey, O’Brien,” the badge calls as I leave to get Tess.

“Yeah?”

He taps on the wheel as if mulling over his thoughts. “I’ll see you around,” he finally says.

He means well, but what he keeps to himself isn’t doing me any favors. It wasn’t long ago people gave it to me straight. Those were the days, man. Days I won’t easily get back.

Declan and Tess follow me into the restaurant. “Booth in the back, please,” I tell the waiter who greets us, flashing him my badge pinned inside my leather jacket.

His eyes widen. “Of course. This way, sir.”

I motion Tess and Declan forward. Like a seasoned pro, Declan spots the hostess, Sally, or Cindy or who gives a shit what her name is? In that too-tight dress, she’s all Declan needs. They exchange brief nods from across the room, where she’s seating an elderly couple.

Tess doesn’t seem to notice, but she does notice how abruptly he excuses himself soon after he finishes eating. “Is everything all right?”

He smiles politely, though his attention is toward the front door, where his date is already waiting. “Heavy case is all. I’ll probably spend the weekend working.”

Or in bed,
I’m thinking.

“Would you like me to come over and help?” she asks him.

“No,” we both answer.

Deck narrows his eyes. A warning meant for me, which I answer with a stiff middle finger. Tess slaps her hands over mine and forces my hand against the table.
“Behave,”
she whispers. “We’re in public.”

“We’re also in South Philly,” I remind her.

Declan pulls on his coat and drops a few bills on the table. “Thank you for your help,” he tells Tess. “I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening.” To me he says, “Good night, Curran. Hope you can stay warm,
in your car all
alone.
”

Have I mentioned I don’t like being ordered around? “Don’t worry,” I tell him, winking Tess’s way. “I know how to turn up the heat.”

Her eyes are too busy widening to catch Declan slip away and out of the restaurant with this evening’s lay leaning hard against him. I angle my body around, making sure he reaches his car and drives off with his watch tailing him before turning back to Tess.

The waiter who seated us rushes forward, ready to bus our table.

My attention skims to Tess’s plate. It’s still half-filled with food. I hold out a hand, stopping the waiter from taking it away. “The lady’s still eating, buddy.”

“Oh, sorry.”

Tess stares from her plate to Declan’s empty one. “It’s all right. I probably had enough.”

“What are you talking about? You barely ate and you skipped lunch.”

She pushes her hair behind her ear, her attention returning to her food. “We were busy. It was hard to get out.”

I frown. “Which is more reason to eat now. You have to make up for what you didn’t get earlier.”

She glances up. “Are you going to eat?”

I ate quite a bit, but Tess isn’t going to eat alone. This much I know. “Yeah. I’ll probably order another few rolls.” I laugh to lighten the mood when she seems torn. “Come on. You don’t want me to eat by myself, do you?”