Black Heart (Cursed Hearts 1)

Tristan cursed inventively at that piece of news as Marty cleared her throat. “So, basically I’m his chauffer and assistant?”

Hank nodded. “Among other things. We can’t afford to be down by one detective and his injury isn’t so extensive that I would request another detective to come here only to ask him to leave in a matter of weeks. So, since I have other things that I need you to do and I need him back, I’m going to combine your workloads so that I have my lead detective back full time, you get your training, and I get some help.”

Marty looked thoughtful as she took it all in. Hank turned his attention back to Tristan, who looked ready to kill someone. “You’re to go to all of your appointments. If I find out that you missed one single physical therapy, doctor’s, or therapist session, then you will be back on full medical,” Hank promised.

Tristan ground his jaw, but nodded. He didn’t like this one bit, but he would suck it up if it meant that he was working again.

“Good. Now, I expect you both back here bright and early tomorrow morning ready to work,” Hank said, sounding completely pleased with himself as he stood up and left the room.

Marty looked up to find Tristan glaring at her. “Well, it’s good to know that you’ll never have to lift a finger as long as nepotism is still alive and thriving,” Tristan bit out coldly as he stood to leave.

She scoffed. “Yeah, you would know.”

Tristan paused by the door. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Marty turned in her chair to face him. “Like you don’t know.”

He closed the door behind him and folded his arms across his chest. “Why don’t you enlighten me since you seem to know it all.”

“Fine,” she said, pushing to her feet. She walked over to the desk and leaned back against it, never taking her eyes away from him. “How do you think you got this job?”

“Because I’ve earned it.”

She chuckled with forced humor. “Puhlease.”

He took a menacing step towards her. “Listen, sweetheart, I’ve been busting my ass since I was fourteen taking summer and evening courses. I had my first bachelors degree by eighteen and my masters by twenty-one. I graduated in the top position at the academy and had the highest scores. I’ve earned my place on the SWAT team and I’ve earned this, baby, so don’t try insinuating anything else.”

She hadn't known all that, but that wasn’t going to slow her down. She knew that she was given this part of her job and first dibs at her new position because of her father, but having it thrown in her face by him was not happening. So of course, she had to keep pushing him.

“You don’t find it odd that you’re only twenty-nine, but you’re in charge of two detectives? One of them is fifteen years older than you and has been on the job longer? And you have your own office?”

He took several more steps until she found him nose to nose with her, but she wouldn’t back off. If she did he would know that he could push her around and she wasn’t having that.

“You don’t know shit. I’m lead detective because I have the highest rate of solved cases, the most education, and I put more hours in than the two other detectives combined. I also have my own office, Princess, as you will soon find out, because I am, without any regret, the biggest ass**le you will ever meet. I give you a week before you go begging Daddy for a new desk.”

She squared her shoulders even though inside she was trembling. From his anger? She didn’t think so, and she most certainly didn’t want to examine the reasons any further. “I give you a week before you give up and go back to full medical. If you think you’re going to push me around like everyone else, then you have another thing coming. So, you better cut the shit and stop trying to push me or I’ll push back until you leave here crying for your mommy to lick your wounds, Mama’s boy.”

Oh….crap. Perhaps she’d went just a tad too far with the “mama’s boy” comment judging by the homicidal glare he was sending her. She opened her mouth to backtrack when he leaned in, placing his mouth next to her ear.

“Better get a change of panties and a box of tissues, sweetheart, because you’ll be leaving here in the same fashion as your predecessor,” he whispered harshly in her ear, sending a tremor throughout her body that had nothing to do with fear.

Chapter 7

You can do this, she repeated in her head as she walked through the station on Monday morning. Her arms were filled with boxes of pastries and donuts, making walking through the pit difficult. She’d picked them up on a whim on her way into work. She thought it would be a nice gesture on her first day, but she was also nervous, very nervous and when she was nervous, she ate. Usually when she got this nervous she snacked away on her favorite fruit, but she ran out of apples over the weekend and hadn’t had a chance to go to the market to get more. She really should have bought more. The idea of working with Tristan was enough to give her an aneurism.

She really hoped that he'd calmed down by now. When he’d stormed out of the office yesterday after their little spat, she had a feeling that she’d just stepped into hell. Unfortunately that feeling only increased overnight. Now she was on the verge of hyperventilating. Maybe an apple fritter would calm him down? She could only hope. If they did she was running out and buying ten dozen for him. She’d do anything to keep that side of Tristan hidden from her.

For years she’d heard people bitch and whine about him. Never once had she truly believed any of it. It was just gossip, she'd thought. That is until the past couple of run-ins she’d had with him changed her mind. Now she had to wonder how he’d managed to keep that side of him hidden from her all those years ago. The man truly was the biggest prick that everyone claimed him to be and she was stuck with him.

Just great.

“Good morning, Marty!” Rosemary, her father’s secretary, said cheerfully as Marty entered the pit. She didn’t know much about the woman other than she was a busybody. The older woman came around her desk and walked towards her.

“Oh, aren’t you a sweetheart! Here let me give you a hand with all of that,” she said. Her “hand” was gesturing Marty towards the break room and standing back while Marty struggled to place the boxes down without dropping any of them.

Marty stepped back as the woman began searching through the bags. “Oh, the boys will love you for this!” she said as she helped herself to several pastries.