Conflicting Interests (12 page)

“So are you going with us to San Francisco?”

“Do you think Seth would mind if I didn’t?”

“Hmm.” Molly was feigning contemplation. “Let’s see. Do I
think a thirteen-year-old boy would care if his father spent spring break with
him at his grandparents’ house in San Francisco? Really? Jake and Seth likely
won’t even want me around. Or Mom and Dad for that matter. Trust me, they’d
prefer to take vacation without us entirely at this point. We’re grownups and
that means we’re the most uncool people on the planet.”

He chuckled at her but it didn’t ease the guilt one ounce.
She was right. Seth wouldn’t care at all, but Dillon did. Dillon also cared
about a certain beautiful woman’s safety and the idea of trusting her safety to
some uniformed officers for ten days wasn’t going to happen.

“Is this about her?” He nodded slowly as he let his eyes
travel out the dining room window to see the boys playing basketball in the driveway.

“I feel guilty though. This is spring break. I’ve been
planning on going and I’m choosing to stay here.”

“Okay, well think about it this way. If she were safe—without
a question safe—would you go to San Francisco?”

“Of course.” And then as an afterthought he muttered, “I
might try to drag her along too for my own enjoyment but yes. Of course.”

Molly laughed. “My little brother’s got himself a crush. How
cute.” Then her face went back to serious. “If Seth could make this decision
for you he’d tell you to stay. He’d also probably guilt-trip you into buying
him a new Xbox game too but basically he’d want you to stay. He likes her a lot
and he would understand. There isn’t much choice right now. She needs you
here.”

He nodded, staring off into space. He was confused and
spring break was likely the least of his confusions. He was falling for her.
More than falling for her. He wanted her desperately. He wanted her so much he
was ready to risk his job to be with her. He wanted her so much he couldn’t bear
the idea of not having her.

But it wasn’t just the want. It was the worry, the care, the
strong pulsing need in his chest to give himself to her. If he never had the
chance to give her what they both wanted he’d regret it for the rest of his
life. At the same time, if he jeopardized her in any way with his selfish
needs, he’d never forgive himself. Absolute confusion.

“I’ll take the boys to Mom and Dad’s. You stay here and take
care of the teacher.”

They stood and joined the boys outside. He and Molly took on
Jake and Seth in a round of HORSE and by the time dusk stole their light he was
exhausted. He and Seth walked the short stretch to their house while Seth
bounced the basketball.

“I think I have to miss spring break, bud. I’ve got a
witness in danger and I can’t leave knowing how unsafe it is for her.”

“Is it Ms. Page?” He hadn’t expected that one.

“Why? What makes you think that?”

“I’m not stupid. She looked like she’d been beat up a month
or so ago. Kept saying it was nothing but she was lying. She just didn’t want
anyone to worry. Plus you two. You’re weird around each other. I mean I know
you have a crush on her but…” He shook his head for a second. “It’s her. I know
she’s in trouble. She’s different than she used to be.”

“How so?”

“I don’t know. Just different. She spaces out a lot. Seems
tired. Flinches sometimes when someone surprises her.”

“Ever thought about being a detective, Seth? That’s quite an
eye you’ve got.”

Seth laughed. “So are you going to tell me if it’s her?”

“Of course not.”

“Of course it’s not her, or of course you’re not going to
tell me?”

“Of course not.” He grabbed Seth by the back of the neck as
he steered him through the door. Seth threw his hands up in the air, letting
the basketball get away from him across the entryway floor.

* * * * *

When Chief Greenwood called him and Stephens to his office
the next morning, Dillon’s blood pressure spiked. He got along fine with
Greenwood but the man didn’t call a person to his office just to chat about the
weather.

“Sit down.” Greenwood was staring at an open folder in his
hands as he stood in front of his window. He didn’t even look up at them as
they moved to the chairs and sat. “Care to tell me what these are?”

He didn’t bother showing the folder to both of them. Instead
he tossed it onto Dillon’s lap. Dillon opened the folder, hoping there wouldn’t
be any more Photoshopped nightmares inside.

What he wasn’t expecting to see were real pictures. He might
not have been naked and fucking her like he had been in the doctored images
left at her home but these were just as damning. He was walking beside her on
the sidewalk in one. She was practically in his arms in another. The worst was
as he walked her around his car with his hand on her lower back. From the
angle, it practically looked like he was groping her ass.

“Chief, this isn’t—”

“Isn’t it? Showed up addressed specifically to me. Not a
print on any of them.”

“I was driving her home from her evening class downtown.
This picture was taken when a skateboarder nearly took her out! This isn’t what
it looks like.”

“And where was Stephens?” It might have been a question but
he was on the verge of yelling. Dillon just sat silently, shaking his head. He
was feeling a bit fucked at the moment. “And let’s not forget the pictures your
perp left at her house the other day.”

“And I’m responsible for that too? The man’s a lunatic!”

“I asked where Stephens was when these pictures were taken.”
Greenwood was two shades away from scarlet and he was close to losing it.

“He wasn’t there.”

“I couldn’t go and I told him to go without me.” It was a
lie and Dillon’s jaw nearly dropped as his eyes flashed to Stephens’ quickly
before dropping to his lap. He hadn’t told Stephens anything about going to see
her that night.

Chief Greenwood glared at them both. “I’m putting Smith and
Terrell on this one. You two are being reassigned.”

“What? Chief—”

“Silent! Stephens out, Adler you stay put.” He was panicking
as Stephens stood to leave. Smith and Terrell were fine detectives but this was
Katrina. His Katrina and he couldn’t very well let go of her safety just to
hand it over to someone else. As the door closed behind Stephens, Greenwood sat
on the edge of his desk. “Do you have anything you need to tell me?”

He just stared at Greenwood for a moment. “I think this is a
mistake. Stephens and I know what we’re doing and there is no reason to pull us
from this just because of a couple of stupid pictures that are being taken out
of context!”

“You’re right and if that was all I was going on, I’d be
wrong to remove you. Care to tell me why you went to see her at her friend’s
house alone a couple days ago?” Dillon was silent, staring at the top of
Greenwood’s desk. “No? How about the day before that? Hmm? I assigned a patrol
officer to monitor Imogen Graham’s property as well given Ms. Page is living
there. Didn’t quite expect to see so much of you there.”

“It involved the case.”

“Right. And yet you forgot to take your partner. Again. Ms.
Page is Seth’s teacher. You know her, even if only casually. She’s pretty and
you just can’t seem to stay away from her. This has become as much a liability
for you as it is for her.”

His voice was reined in as he studied Dillon. “The man
that’s doing this to her has taken pictures of you as well. He may or may not
have identified you yet but he’s targeted you nevertheless. I like you, Dillon.
You’re a damn fine detective. That’s why I’m taking you off this case—to
salvage your fucking career before you throw it out the window for a piece of
ass.”

Dillon couldn’t even keep his butt in the chair at that
point but when he stood abruptly ready to fire back, Greenwood cocked his head
in warning. Dillon took a deep breath, cramming his fury down painfully. He
shook his head. “Smith and Terrell—”

“Are damn fine detectives too. They’ll do their jobs and
since I absolutely think your head is getting clouded on this one, you’re just
going to have to deal with it. Believe it or not, I’m looking out for your best
interest. Hers too for that matter. Let them work the case, you stay out of the
way and you let the smoke clear before you go anywhere near her, you hear me?”
He didn’t react at all. He was still too stunned to move. “I said, do you hear
me? I want you to stay the hell away from her until this thing is long gone and
done.”

“Is that an order, sir?” His jaw was nearly too tight to
speak.

“No. It’s a strongly worded suggestion I fully expect you to
comply with. You’ve created a conflict of interest and I don’t need that
conflict popping up and biting us on our asses if this thing even ends up in
court. A decent defense attorney will have a field day with these pictures
alone. If there’s any truth to the relationship Mr. Crazy Pants is insinuating
exists that will only make it worse. Now get out. I need you to bring Smith and
Terrell up to speed before the end of the day.”

When he returned to his desk Stephens was sitting there with
his hands rested behind his head. He was watching Dillon, saying nothing.
Dillon sank into his chair, staring at nothing. How the hell was he going to
hand over her safety? His guts were clenching and he was scared shitless.

“What are you thinking?”

“I’m afraid they’re gonna fuck it up and she’s gonna end up
hurt.”

“Yeah? And that’s why you’re not allowed to care for her.”
Stephens stood and walked away.

She’d been trying to reach him all weekend but he wasn’t
returning her phone calls or messages. She didn’t know how to feel about the
new detectives on her case. They were crotchety old men, unlike her handsome
Dillon and his gruff yet oddly cute sidekick.

She liked the new detectives fine but they weren’t him. And
he was refusing to speak with her. She’d asked Detective Smith when he and
Detective Terrell had come to Imogen’s for a chat on Monday afternoon why
Dillon and Stephens had been replaced and the most he did was shrug his
shoulders and give her a vague excuse.

“Happens.”

“But why?”

“Just happens.” She needed to get this man into her
classroom and teach him a thing or two about communication. But neither of them
ever came to her classroom or her house or Imogen’s if they could help it. Hell
they didn’t even know how to get through Imogen’s security gate and Kat had no
intention of telling them.

They didn’t give a shit she had a cat she had to feed every
day—they didn’t seem to understand her concerns at all. But it wasn’t them.
They were likely fine. They just weren’t him and she was sour about it. He
always showed his concern, he was always there when she needed him, she never
had to feel alone even if it was just to talk on the phone. She just missed him.

It had been three days since she’d seen Dillon, kissed him,
touched him. And it was the last week before spring break. She was still
staying with Imogen and pretty soon she’d have the fortress to herself for
almost two weeks. She didn’t want to be alone at Imogen’s but she certainly
preferred to be alone there than her own home. She’d grown to resent her house
and she was just plain over her need to stick it out there.

The officers still patrolled her neighborhood—not that she
was there to see it—and now they patrolled Imogen’s as well. She had no reason
to believe the psycho knew where Imogen lived or that Katrina was staying there
but they weren’t taking any chances.

Imogen would be leaving the next morning for the UK to spend
a couple weeks with her family and Kitty had finally made the journey to
Imogen’s place to live. She’d caught her saucy Brit friend poking Kitty on more
than one occasion. She’d murmur sweet pet names to the old lady and then poke
her on the face or the chin. She really did think she was being sweet but—she
poked.

And now it was late Tuesday night, Imogen’s luggage was
stacked by the front door and they were cracking open a rather large bottle of
pre-made margaritas. When her cell rang, she snatched it up from the counter.
She was half drunk already and the moment she saw his number she choked. Her
heart started racing and her face dropped. Imogen saw it instantly and grabbed
the remote, turning down the overloud stereo system.

“How are you?” She walked out onto the deck as he spoke and
she flopped down on one of the wooden loungers.

“Umm, I’m not sure how to answer that. I guess I’m fine.
You?” She could hear the defensive tone in her voice.

“Katrina, I’m sorry. Being taken off your case wasn’t my
choice.”

“I don’t really care about that. I’ve tried to reach you for
a few days now. I just wanted to know what was going on and why a couple of new
detectives were suddenly showing up at the door. You could have at least called
to tell me.”

She listened to him breathe slowly. “I was told to stay away
from you.”

She didn’t have a clue what to say to that. “But—but that
doesn’t make sense. You’ve been taken off the case. They can’t tell you to—”

“Of course they can and they have. I’m not allowed near you
during the course of the investigation or any ensuing case. Our relationship
gives the appearance of impropriety and the force isn’t going to tolerate that.
I just didn’t want you to think I was ignoring you at my own choosing. I
wouldn’t do that.”

“So wait. You’re saying you’re no longer on the case but now
you can’t even talk to me or see me or…anything?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want this to happen.”

“I think this fucking sucks.” She was pissed. And the
alcohol coursing through her system was making it very easy for her to voice
that anger. “I want you. I mean,
I want you,
want you. I don’t want to
stay away from you and I sure as hell don’t want you to stay away from me.”
Apparently the alcohol was making her mouth divulge all sorts of things. “This
isn’t fair.”

“This is my fault, Katrina. I shouldn’t have let things—”

“What? Get personal? I want personal.”

“I do too but that can’t happen. Not anytime soon.” He was
silent for a long time and her drunken mouth had quieted with his last words
too. “I just wanted you to know I’m sorry. I didn’t intend for this happen and
I hate it.”

He didn’t really give her a chance to say anything more and
he disconnected quickly after that. Well that certainly explained a lot and she
hated all of it just as much as he did.

When Imogen brought her the margarita she’d left on the
counter, she flopped down next to her. “He was told to stay away from me.”

“Shit. That explains the unreturned messages. What are you
thinking, love?”

“That I shouldn’t care as much as I do. That this shouldn’t
matter to me as much as it does. That I should want to protect his job and stay
away from him. That I should understand that my own safety is more important.”

“But?”

“I hate it.”

“I’m sorry. Is he in trouble?”

“He didn’t say he was. Only that he was off the case and
regardless of even that he still has to stay away from me.”

“Well that’s that then.”

“I feel bad. I feel like this is my fault. Like I drove
things in this direction. I was so stupid. I just—thought about myself and I
risked his job, risked my own safety for that matter.”

“Stop. You’re being too hard on yourself. You like the guy.
You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I grabbed his penis.”

“Well okay, yeah. That was wrong.” She offered a weak smile.
“But this isn’t about that. This is about how he feels about you. He wouldn’t
have put himself in this position if he didn’t care about you.”

“What difference does it make?”

“Sorry.” It didn’t make any difference and Imogen knew it as
much as Katrina did.

* * * * *

When Katrina woke the next morning Imogen had already left
for the airport. She had her night class that night and a couple more days of
school and then she’d be forced to endure a week of sleepless nights alone in
Imogen’s house.

She really wasn’t ready to face the reality of the fact that
Dillon wasn’t going to be a part of her life anymore. It was odd considering
she wasn’t even sure what part in her life he’d been filling up to that point
but he was missing from it and all she felt was sadness for the loss.

Knowing she could pick up the phone and call him whenever
she needed, even if it was the middle of the night, had gotten her through a
number of sleepless nights. She may have only used that privilege a time or two
but just knowing he was there and she could gave her a feeling of security. She
couldn’t imagine ever picking up the phone to call Detective Smith or Terrell
and she suddenly felt very alone in this.