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Risen To The Top CHAPTER 146
Detective Ryan Dole watched the crowd from a corner in the ballroom, back in the shadows. These people always made him nervous. Movers and shakers and people who could end his career with a phone call, and nothing the union could do would save him because they were in bed with them, too.He’d watched Tori dance with the guy she was definitely involved with. It didn’t take a detective’s eye to see the comfortable way in which their bodies glided across the dance floor. She was a gushing young bride, if he wasn’t mistaken. He’d have to talk to them again about cavorting with someone who was a suspect. He thought he’d made himself pretty clear earlier.Hormones.He’d seen girls fall for these soldiers before. His sister had been one of them. Thought she’d snagged a soldier, but in the end he’d been killed in Afghanistan. She was left with a broken heart and a little girl she had to raise on her own.The soldier married h
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 147
The guests were leaving the grand ballroom. Sean noticed Dole as he filed out between Rachel and Tori. He gave the detective a nod but no smile. He knew part of the reason Dole was there was to watch him interact with the Hoades family.Everyone trying to play psychiatrist. Get inside my head. He saw the man disappear behind a potted plant and then reappear before they made it out on the driveway at valet parking.“Where’s Aaron?” Dole asked Rachel.“Oh, he’s back there talking to a friend. He’ll be along. Asked us to get the car.”Dole gave a brief nod of recognition and then spoke to Rachel again, ignoring Tori and Sean. “Might I have a word with the two of you ladies? No offense, Sean.”Of course I take fucking offense. He wondered what Dole was up to.“I’ll go get your father, “ Sean said to Tori as he kissed the top of her head and removed his arm from around her waist.H
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 148
Tori was trying to concentrate on a television program her mother was watching, but she found herself daydreaming, and hoping Sean would want to spend the night. She knew he’d have to get back to take care of phoenix. She’d left her dress and stockings on. So had her mother.Both women stood when they heard the key card and then watched the door open. Dr. Hoades looked tired, coming over to give his wife a hug. Sean gave a boyish grin to Tori.Thank God. All is well.At least they appeared to be getting along, and that was a huge relief. Sean had his shirt unbuttoned, and the back of his hair was mussed a bit, as if he’d been rubbing it. The dark blue of his suit matched his dusk-colored eyes. She could watch him forever, how he walked with that free-flowing style of a world-class athlete, slight hip movement and flat stomach muscles. And the best of all, he was walking straight to her, eyes fixed on her mouth.That’s
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 149
Sean stopped by the McLaren and retrieved phoenix, who wasn’t used to riding in Duke’s truck, and he had to help the dog up and into the second seat. As planned, Sean stopped by the Hotel Del and picked up Tori, who needed some things at the house. Rachel had also given her a list of things to bring back for her and her dad.Tori was dressed in mid-calf capris and a stretchy peach top that showed off all the parts Sean liked the best. But he preferred to not have to feel or look through stretchy cotton and lace, even though it was enticing as hell. He was hoping somehow they’d be able to get lucky over at the house, but he didn’t want to push Tori into anything about which she felt uncomfortable.“Dad told me you guys really had bonded last night in the bar,” she ventured. “Must have been pretty important. Neither my mother nor I could get him to say two words about it.”Sean made a note that this was a good sign, and he trusted th
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 150
Tori slammed the door and dug in her purse for the front door keys. phoenix was taking a long pee on her mother’s flowers in the front yard. Sean stood watch, searching up and down the street, his duty bag slung over one shoulder, hands in his front pockets.“All clear?” Tori yelled out to him.Sean put his finger to his mouth, but nodded. phoenix followed him as the three of them entered the foyer. Sean spotted an open sliding glass door to the patio from the kitchen.“I don’t like that at all,” he said to her. “Stick with me. We’d better check things out first.”Tori came up behind him and embraced him from the rear. “I have no intention of going anywhere.”They looked through the kitchen windows to the back yard and, other than the sprinklers running, nothing appeared out of place. They locked the slider and then tried all the windows downstairs. Sean made sure the plywood covering the broken window in her dad’
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 151
Detective Ryan Dole was on his way over to Detective Manson’s office, on recommendation of Sean’s liaison, Marshall. He was determined to check out Sean’s background. He knew the kid wasn’t the real suspect. But the case wasn’t going anywhere at the moment, and he had to be doing something. So, eliminating him as a person of interest was part of the job he could do. He wasn’t focusing on what he couldn’t do.His cell phone chirped. It wasn’t a number he recognized.“Dole.”“Detective Dole, this is Joe Manson of the downtown precinct. I’m afraid something’s come up, and I’m not going to be at the office.”“Sorry to hear that. Can I meet you later today?”“Um. Well, it’s kind of a personal thing. Not sure how long it’s gonna take.”“I got you.” Dole was disappointed. He’d wanted to get this done today. “Look, this isn’t really a big deal, Manson. What I’ve got to ask you will only take five o
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 152
Sean picked up Tori’s bag in one arm, and wheeled out her mother’s suitcase with his free hand. That didn’t leave his hands free to touch Tori’s ass as she sashayed down the hallway and then bent over to give phoenix a pat on the head, encouraging the dog to go down the stairs.He was beginning to lose track of how many times they’d fucked today, orally or otherwise. He was getting addicted to her and he couldn't withdraw.Like every true addiction he’d run across, the more he got inside her, the more he wanted her.He was even finding it hard to pull out, whenever they got into it, he loved hearing her moan ring, whenever he touched her.Sean shook his head, he was getting addicted to her, it was a bad and good thing in both ways. He was going to have to talk to Marshall. Maybe he should sit out the next rotation until this fever died down.Right. Like that will happen. That’s when he kne
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 153
Dole didn’t like tattoo parlors, because he didn’t like seeing people violating their paroles. Even with the increased popularity of tattooing, inking their skin was still something the underworld crowd habitually did with their spare change. Some were excising demons, and others were decorating or memorializing their bodies. It was impossible to tell, just from the size, color and subject matter of the tattoos what statement they were aiming for.But now he had a pretty good idea about this frog footprint tattoo. He needed confirmation of his hunch.Monique was quite the stunner, just like Lucas had told him, and side-by-side, Dole probably would have chosen her over Libby. But he could understand why Sean had made his decision. On Dole’s radar, a woman with lots of worldly experience was way more valuable, and probably more able to deal with his personal demons, not that he ever wanted to show them.He knew Monique could pick up