Chapter Text
"Just another wonderful night," I muttered under my breath. It was hot, muggy and altogether disgusting in downtown New Orleans. I was on foot patrol for the local police department for the third night in a row. It was just the beginning of the wild celebration that led up to Mardi gras and it couldn't have been over soon enough. Not that I didn't mind the people watching, but drunk and disorderly got old. Fast. I had to continuously remind myself that I moved two hours from home for a specific, purposeful reason. The job. Right. Keep telling yourself that.
I was just one of countless officers on patrol of the loud, overcrowded streets downtown. Unfortunately, it was a common duty all the stations gave the rookies, although I wasn't a rookie any longer. It was getting tiresome since I'd already been employed in New Orleans police for over five years. More than enough time to be stuck with the grunt work, in my opinion at least.
I walked with my partner and long time friend, Liv, down the jam-packed sidewalk. We'd grown up together and she completely supported my decision to become a police officer. Hell, she had to because my daddy was a cop all his life. And so much so that she ended up taking the plunge into the academy with me. I started as soon as I could as a dispatcher in my hometown and worked my way up from there.
"Lighten up, Tess. It's almost over and guess what- we don't have to come back to this for two whole days," Liv quipped. She stopped to refasten her straight blonde hair into a tight bun and cocked a matching eyebrow at me.
I rested my hand over the butt of my gun and gave her a sideways, curious glance. "We're awfully optimistic tonight. Did you get laid or something?" I laughed.
"No, not recently. Just over this crap as much as you are and I'm ready for a night that doesn't consist of drunk idiots yelling at me," she replied with a smirk.
I nodded immediately in agreement. Yelling, well, that led to spitting, among other things and I definitely didn't want that. Gross. People were gross. Drunk people were even more gross. And despite her size, Liv could hold her own. Little meant quick and she was fast. Not that I wasn't, but I didn't have the petite, stealthy stature she did. She packed quite a punch for five-foot-two. And quite the mouth. We scored similar in school, but I was much more reserved. She was a partier and substantially more outspoken while I remained the quiet, observant one. She did enough talking and tackling for the both of us.
Intoxicated patrons covered every inch of the sticky streets and we had to pry our way through the swarm of bodies to make it to our destination. Screaming and hollers erupted as beads continued to fly through the musty, late evening air. We were on our way to Wiggly's Lounge to provide back up to a couple of fellow officers and venue security. Wiggly's was an exclusive club on the edge of town that everyone who was anyone wanted to get into. There were always celebrities around and plenty of shows and concerts going on. We were never informed who was coming in, which I really couldn't care less about, we just had to be there to provide a little extra help to security if things got out of hand. With the amount of alcohol consumed during the week, someone was always bound to get wild. That night was no different when we arrived at the rear entrance. Two SUV's were surrounded by a moving mass of people. The officers we were assisting already had two men in custody.
"Is there a boy band in town?" I asked. It elicited a laugh from Liv and I shot her a small smile before meeting eyes with Deputy Matthews. He graduated with us and that explained why he was still on foot too. I grinned at him, tucking a curl behind my ear that came loose from my ponytail.
"Thing one, thing two," he told Liv and I when we walked up beside him, pointing to the pair of inebriated men in handcuffs sitting on the curb.
I nodded and tucked my fingers into the top of my belt. "Cage en route yet?"
He nodded too, his six foot-three frame standing over me. It was hard to hear anyone over the screams and I just hoped whoever it was in the trucks behind us had gone inside already. Our vehicle pulled up shortly after Liv and I arrived and we loaded up the two intoxicated individuals. Then, the door to the first truck opened and two gentlemen slid out. That was when the crowd closed in.
"Half of these assholes probably don't even know who these guys are," Liv snickered and I nodded. It was always the alcohol talking. And screeching. Enough to make me wish for the set of ear plugs I left in my locker that night.
We made our way toward the steel doors with people pushing and stepping on our feet when Matthews called out rather annoyed, "I need everyone to step back to let these guys through. I don't think anyone else wants to go to jail tonight." It shut some of them up but relentless bodies still closed in.
I was right along side him and managed to stand my ground. I was a seemingly average twenty-nine year old. Dark, chestnut curls, matching eyes and a few freckles. Nothing to write home about. Other than my wild hair. It might not have been as crazy to other people as I thought it was, but it made me long for Liv's straight blonde locks every, single, day. I stood six inches shorter than Matthews and I burned before I tanned, even though I grew up underneath the hot Louisiana sun.
Two large, hefty bouncers towered over me as well and did their best to keep people in check. No matter how many nights I spent in the city, I was repeatedly amazed at the audacity of tourists. The giant men handled the crowds the other eleven months of the year but for some reason, right about then, they needed a badge or two, or six, to step in. The evening air stunk of booze and sweat and did wonders for my hair. I wanted a shower, especially since I had a small woman clawing and grabbing at me, completely ignoring my attempt to stop her from getting by.
I placed my hands on her shoulders to move her back when a car door abruptly slammed into my skull, violently lurching me forward. I knocked the woman over and fell roughly to my knees, catching myself with my palms before my face hit the pavement. My head throbbed right away so my hand flew to the goose egg that had already formed on the back of my head. You've got to be fucking kidding.
"I'm so sorry!" a concerned voice exclaimed, carrying a thick, northern accent. There were a pair of hands on my arms an instant later and I turned to face wherever the voice was coming. I didn't recognize him despite the crowd of fans around him, and my vision was rather hazy from the blow. "Are you all right? I'm so sorry! Officer, please let me help you up."
Liv quickly apprehended the girl who had jumped up and darted for the man with his hands on me. "Jesus, Tess. That looked like it hurt," she laughed.
I winced and glared at her, "thank you, Captain fucking Obvious." I grumbled before looking at the man who'd come to my aid. I met piercing blue eyes and tried to shake the stars that were circling above me. As I found my footing, I took a few deep breaths to get through the shooting pain. "I'll survive. Let's move it along, please." I forced a smile as I rubbed the back of my head once again. The man who slid out behind blue eyes rushed to my side as well. The ache spread down into my neck that caused me to swear under my breath.
"Holy shit, Joey. We all know you like to make an entrance but you didn't have to use the car door on this poor girl. That's really rough man," he laughed as he helped me to my feet. His accent was just as loud but his voice was deeper. Huskier. His soft, brown eyes contrasted with the sound of it and looked me over before meeting my own. He remained blurry, just like his friend. It's for the better, you should get out of there before you say something mean, my conscience said.
Matthews quickly took their place and held me steady with a hand on my back. "You okay, Tess?" he asked.
"I'm fine, really. Just get them inside. Move it along, gentlemen. Please," I repeated, using my free hand to wave them forward. I needed a pain reliever, like yesterday. Especially if I was going to make it through the rest of my shift. I just wanted to get them inside and get on with the already awful evening.
Brown-eyes didn't move a muscle when Matthews attempted to play my protector. "You know, you can arrest him if you want to. Isn't that... What do they call it? Battery on a law enforcement officer?" he asked while he rubbed his short beard. I noticed it matched his smooth, chocolate locks when he finally came into focus. He stood taller than me with broad, masculine shoulders and I couldn't help but look up at him as I gathered my bearings. My vision straightened to completely normal a few seconds later, allowing me to notice his tousled brown hair with light touches of grey at his temples. It stuck out beneath his New York Yankees cap in a relaxed, casual manor. Damn Tess, he's sexy.
Matthews opened his mouth to respond but I shoved him off and sent him to help Liv with the crazy woman. "It's called an accident," I shot back, flashing him an unamused smile. He looked surprised at my retort but I was completely alright with that. I wasn't in the mood for a smart aleck and I wanted a shift that didn't include the drama of a celebrity. I'd already had enough of that for a lifetime.
"Right," he chuckled uneasily. He then shoved his hands into the pockets of his faded jeans and stilled in front of me for a moment. More yelling ensued and the crowd seemed to get even wilder as time went on. My head continued to pound as the ache escalated to my temples. Liv stepped back to my side and helped guide the men through the door. Four total. I watched my fair share of television and movies and I liked to think I was pretty up to speed with music, but I still couldn't figure out who they were. And they certainly didn't look like any boyband I'd ever seen. After we finally got them inside, the bouncers thanked us and we nodded and patiently waited for the door to shut before we had to face the hungry mass of fans. That's when I felt a hand on my arm. What is with everyone touching you tonight?
"Wait. I can't apologize enough for Joe and the horrible joke I made," brown-eyes said, hanging half of his torso out the metal door.
I pursed my lips before speaking. "You're right. You can't because I take it you're not Joe. Y'all have a good night," I said, half serious and half teasing as I raised an eyebrow at him. My Cajun took him a moment to comprehend but I threw him a smile while he tried to figure it out. The incident wasn't his fault, I knew that much. It wasn't anyone's fault. Accidents were bound to happen. It was a crazy week and the mayhem was to be expected. The crowd dissipated quickly which amazed me, although a few people still lingered around the doors. I heard them yelling names, trying to get the attention of the men already inside I assumed.
"We're doing a show here tomorrow night. You ladies- uh, officers, should come by," he began, grinning sheepishly at his correction. "We can put you on the list to get in. Get you tickets. It's the least we can do after assaulting one of Louisiana's finest," he said to me. My brows pulled together and I shook my head. Wait a damn second. Is he... Hitting on you?
Just then, another head popped out the door yelling enthusiastically about the show the next night and attempted to tug brown-eyes inside the door. "Come on, Q!"
"In a minute!" he yelled. My eyes went wide and I took a step back because the sudden outburst aggravated my head. "Please? I feel really bad about what happened," he said and he smiled. Sweetly. The overall look about him was gruff but there was a certain charm underneath. You think. He's some sort of celebrity for Christ sake, don't give him another minute of your time.
"She'll think about it," Liv cut in. I hadn't even noticed that she was at my side again, but I wasn't surprised. She had excellent radar. If someone was even thinking about partying she was all over it. I, on the other hand wasn't much of a fan of doing the whole downtown nightclub scene. I was a homebody and I certainly didn't like crowds. Or hangovers.
"Consider it at least. I hope I see you two tomorrow," he continued. His eyes were on me. Of all people and I had to check behind me to make sure I was the one he was really speaking to. He was a New York-er for sure. The way he enunciated everything clearly gave that away. I'd never met anyone from up north. He stuck out. And he was cute, there was no denying that. Who cares, Tess? Matthews is cute, too. I shuddered at the thought of Matthews and looked to brown-eyes again. He was only going to be in town for a couple days, if that, and I was just another face he'd forget before this night was over.
Apparently, Liv thought otherwise and seized the moment. "Oh, I'll definitely be here. Same time, good lookin'?" she flirted. That made me groan. She was the epitome of a guy's gal. Loved the game. You should live a little, my inner voice told me. I turned away and rolled my eyes. Crossing my arms over my chest, I waited for her to finish up and hearing his voice once more behind me, she conveniently rejoined Matthews across the alley.
"Psst. Hey. Curly." Turning my head, I looked at him over my shoulder and he spoke again. "Yes.You. When you show up tomorrow night, there's a drink with your name on it."
"Confident, are we?" I teased. I didn't give him enough time to respond before I turned away again. I smiled but definitely didn't let him see it. He didn't need another ego inflation or any other form of encouragement. But it didn't mean I couldn't enjoy the attention or boyish good looks. I'd been so focused on work that I forgot what it felt like to have any. Other than the jerks I worked with, of course. It made me feel good for a moment but I quickly remembered that Liv was the flirt. The outgoing one. She could make any man fall to their knees just by simply batting her eyes at them. I didn't think about it too much, assuming I would just be a fleeting moment in his life. I walked away and looked down at my watch. It was ten o'clock, which meant I'd only been on duty for three measly hours.
"Fuck me. It's going to be a long night," I mumbled as I walked out of the alley. Liv was nearby, tucking her flashlight back in her belt. My head throbbed continuously, sending sharp twinges of pain down the back of my neck. I used to get the adrenaline rush whenever I helped at Wiggly's but it faded the longer I had to assist security. Same shit, different day.
"You already said that," Liv chuckled. I rolled my eyes, wincing.
Matthews caught up to us a moment later. "You're not seriously thinking about meeting up with them, are you?" he asked.
"Why not?" Liv replied nonchalantly.
"You didn't recognize them? Those guys are on TV," he said. Don't get me wrong, Matthews was a nice guy but there was always something the matter with any man who paid us any attention. Hence the reason he tried to come to my rescue when two of the so-called celebrities were making sure I was okay. He was an annoying, overprotective older brother, as Liv said.
Liv shrugged her shoulders. "So what? They seem harmless."
"I'm sure they're just looking for a quick lay. You know, just to get the whole New Orleans experience," he replied, air quoting the last bit of his sentence.
"Matthews! We're grown ass women. We can handle ourselves. And not all guys are like you," she said. I let out a laugh, though it hurt. Liv never ceased to amaze me with what she let come out of her mouth.
He tried not to look offended. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, please," Liv groaned. "Don't try and play innocent with us. We hear all the stories about you."
He ignored her and continued on in front of us by a few steps. "Hey. Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you. Celebrities are only looking for one thing. And I'm just looking out for my friends," he said as he threw his hands up in surrender.
"We got this. It's about time our little Tess here got back in the saddle. If you know what I mean," she said as she nudged me with her elbow.
"Seriously, Alivia?"
"What?" Innocence was never her strong suit.
"There are things I tell you in confidence. I don't need the whole gosh darn department knowing about my love life," I told her.
"What's he gonna say?" she laughed.
My cheeks heated and I grabbed onto the shoulder straps of my vest as we walked further downtown. I shut my mouth because that was the only thing that would keep her from throwing me further under the bus and my personal life under wraps.
Seven a.m. couldn't have come soon enough.