Badge of Honor (The Town of Pearl 9)

Michelle took their drink orders and then Lauren cleared her throat.

“I really do have some shopping to do at the grocery store. I think I’ll skip lunch,” she said and began to move toward Gus like she was getting up and for him to move. Gus, with his light shadow of a beard and dark eyes, held her gaze. His eyes slowly swept over her lips, his expression firm.

“Tell us about New York,” he said and she felt her chest tighten.

She looked around them to be sure no one could overhear.

“Nothing to talk about.”

“Darling, from the file we got on you and your situation, I’d say there was a bunch to talk about,” Galvin added.

“What file?”

“All you need to know is that we expect the truth from you. No lies. No bullshit, just the truth,” Galvin told her firmly.

She shot from the hip without even thinking.

“Who the fuck are you? I don’t have to tell you shit,” she stated firmly, drawing some attention from other patrons in the room.

Harper leaned closer. “Lower your voice. We’re not the enemy. We’re here to help you.”

Her eyes widened.

“So you did just show up in the woods to try and gain my trust. You lying bastard,” she exclaimed.

But then Harper cupped her cheeks with his palms and held her firmly.

“What in God’s name are you talking about?”

She covered his hands with her hands.

“You lied. You were told to find me in the woods over a week ago and then to become friendly with me so you could get information.”

“No. I didn’t. We met by chance. I couldn’t get you out of my head so I told my team about you. But then we heard from a man we do special jobs for and he mentioned you,” Harper explained.

“I don’t believe you,” she stated and turned away from him causing his hands to leave her cheeks. She felt the loss of his touch, and that manliness of his embrace.

“I’m not lying, Lauren,” Harper told her again.

“Enough of this. It doesn’t matter. What matters is your safety. You’re a new member of this community,” Galvin told her as Michelle arrived to take their food order.

Lauren rambled off the grilled chicken salad with diced apples and raisins because it was the first thing she saw on the menu. The others ordered burgers.

“You know what? Those sound good. Forget the salad and make my order a burger, Swiss, mushrooms, and those fried onions that he ordered,” Lauren told the waitress as she directed a thumb toward Gus. The men watched her closely and Lauren wondered what they were thinking. Then she warned herself to stay on guard. For all she knew, these men could accept a payoff to kill her if they were offered the opportunity and the right amount of money. Trust no one, Lauren. No one but yourself.

* * * *

For every question or transitional topic that could lead back to Lauren revealing more about herself or the incident in New York, she had a counterresponse that drew attention away from her. She was very good at counterinterrogating, too. That became apparent as she got Harper to talk to her about them being SEALs and how they all lived together in one house.

Galvin watched her closely as he received text messages with updates from Mace and Orin.

They informed Galvin that Lauren was a very highly accommodated detective who’d received numerous awards in her profession as a cop since the academy. He was impressed.

“So what made you decide to become a cop?” he asked her after Michelle brought over the burgers.

She had just taken a bite of hers and watched him.

“Someone has to find and lock up the bad guys. You know. Make the streets safer,” she said in that thick New York accent that was pretty damn sexy. Galvin popped a fry into his mouth.