The Rogue
Chapter 8

Ryan sat at a two-top table in the coffee shop where Addison had asked him to meet her and nervously drummed his fingers on the Formica. He’d seen her just this morning when they’d met up for breakfast, and she hadn’t had much to say about Bishop, other than she was still checking into every angle and could he please be patient for a little while longer. Ryan knew she was doing him an off-the-books favor with her regular updates; reality was, Addison only owed updates to Chloe.

But Chloe had assured Addison that she’d share any news on the case with him, anyway, and he only had Chloe’s safety at heart. The last four days had been hell on her. Hopefully they’d be putting an end to that tonight.

He hadn’t seen that haunted look in Chloe’s eyes since she’d come to live with Lou and Carleen ten years ago, and he’d do whatever it took to erase it now.

Addison appeared in the doorway, her cheeks flushed from the cold. Ryan’s pulse pumped out a steady stream of want-want-want, but he shook it off with a frown. They’d been there and done that, and she hadn’t even stuck around for a proper goodbye, let alone a chance for a repeat. His horny inner self was just going to have to replace someone else to get all happy-hard-on about.

Addison turned to pick up her order from the call-ahead counter, her a*s pure perfection in her just-snug-enough jeans, and Jesus God, was she trying to kill him?

“Hey,” she said, smiling sweetly as she slid into the seat across from him, placing a cup of what smelled an awful lot like the dark roast coffee he favored on the table in front of him. “I didn’t mean to presume, but it’s coffee and you’re human, so…”

“Thanks.” Ryan eyed the frothy, whipped cream and sprinkle-topped iced coffee in her cup with a brow up. “Okay, I’ve got to ask. How can you drink that?”

She took a sip, leaving a hint of her pale pink l*p gloss on the straw. “How can you not? It’s freaking delicious.”

“It’s liquid diabetes,” he said, taking a draw from his own cup. Give him plain old coffee, just as God intended, thanks. “Anyway, I take it you didn’t ask me to meet you because you missed my sparkling charm and handsome face.”

“Or your modesty,” she added. A beat passed, during which her smile faded and his gut fell toward his knees. “So, I haven’t spoken with Chloe yet, but we reviewed everything we could replace on Myles Bishop, including all the footage from the night that Chloe says he followed her home.”

“He did follow her home,” Ryan bit out, his frustration at a full simmer. She couldn’t be serious.

Addison sighed. “I believe her, Ryan.”

“But?”

“But there isn’t a single shred of evidence to prove it, and as far as we can tell, he hasn’t gone anywhere near her since she made the complaint.”

Ryan’s laugh was a brittle thing. “As far as you can tell? Well, that’s reassuring.”

“It’s a good sign,” Addison countered, but nope. No f*****g way. Ryan had reached his limit.

“The only good sign would be if you arrested him! Or, at the very least, had enough for Chloe to get a protective order.”

Addison paused. “Well, I don’t.”

“So, what does that mean, exactly?” Ryan asked.

“It means we have to drop the case.”

“No,” Ryan snapped. The couple sitting at the table adjacent to theirs had both turned to look at him, but he was far past giving a shit. “You’re supposed to be protecting her. Not giving up on her.”

Addison shook her head. “It’s not that simple—”

“Actually, it is,” he said. “If you drop this case, Bishop could show up anywhere, at any time, and do much, much worse than glare at Chloe, and what then? You’re just going to say ‘sorry, but there wasn’t any proof until he actually hurt her’?”

“That isn’t going to happen,” Addison said calmly.

But Ryan only burned hotter. “You’re damn right it isn’t. If you won’t keep her safe from Bishop, then I sure as hell will.”

Addison’s gaze flashed with bright irritation, and she leaned over the table to nail him with a stare that landed directly in his solar plexus. “Listen. I can’t do anything about the fact that my sergeant and the ADA have told me there’s nothing to pursue, here.”

Ryan’s jaw dropped a fraction. “You called Tara in on this?”

“Of course I called Tara in on this,” Addison bit back. “I told you I’d do everything I could to pursue Bishop, and I did. There’s no evidence to proceed. That doesn’t mean I won’t protect Chloe. It just means we can’t press any charges.”

“But—”

“Nope. Not finished,” she said, silencing him with a lift of her hand. “I need to go tell Chloe that we have to drop this case, and that’s going to be hard for her to hear. What won’t make it any easier is you blowing your stack about it in front of her—again. Your being all jacked up on doomsday juice is only going to freak her out more than she already is. So, for the love of God, Ryan, could you please help me help her by keeping her calm while I figure out how to make sure she stays safe even though I can’t pursue Bishop on the books?”

He opened his mouth. Waited for something intelligent to come out. And failed spectacularly. “Wait. You still want to keep her safe?”

Addison’s expression translated to a total sum of duh. “Did you seriously just ask me that? For cripes’ sake, I’m a cop. Also, not an a*****e.”

More light dawned, and oh, hell. “Is that why you’ve been so chill about this case from the start? Because you want to keep Chloe calm?”

To his surprise, Addison laughed. “Of course. Why, what did you think it was?”

Ryan had two choices. He could blow her off with a shrug and a good, old-fashioned “never mind”, or he could come clean with the truth. The latter was going to sting, but he was quickly realizing that Addison deserved nothing less, so he said, “Well, to be honest, I guess I kind of thought you wanted to keep your distance a little because of…you know. What happened between you and I at Christmas.”

Her lips parted in surprise. “You thought I was non-committal about this case?”

“No. I don’t know. Maybe a little.” Christ, he was murdering this. “I mean, I know you investigated Bishop and everything, but you haven’t gotten even the slightest bit riled up over him harassing Chloe.”

“Not outwardly,” she said, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. “Look, it’s true that I did want some distance between us after”—she formed an imaginary loop between them with her index finger—“But that doesn’t have anything to do with how I’m handling this case.”

What little was left of his pride evaporated, right there in the coffee shop. “Glad to know I ran you off.”

Addison’s expression softened. “You didn’t, Ryan. My wanting distance had nothing to do with you, at all.”

Before he could ask how that was even possible, she said, “I know that sometimes, being calm when the shit hits the fan can look like indifference, but come on. You don’t get all lathered up at the scene of a fire, do you?”

“Well, no.” As impulsive as he was, even Ryan knew that was the fastest track to making the kind of decisions that could get you dead. “But you avoided me like a virus for two months, then when I finally did see you at Chloe’s, you were all cool and detached, even when my sister was clearly in danger. You and I used to be friends, before…” He shrugged. “So, yeah, I just thought it was part of you ghosting me.”

“Well, it wasn’t. It isn’t.” Addison blew out a breath. “Do you remember how I told you I don’t really hook up with friends?”

“Because it gets awkward,” he said, and she nodded.

“Well, by ‘don’t really’, I actually mean ‘don’t ever’.”

Surprise stuttered through Ryan’s chest. “Like, ever-ever?”

“Like, ever-ever,” she confirmed. “I’m not really big on strings.”

“I kind of got that from the fact that we had a one-night stand,” he said, unable to keep the corners of his mouth from hinting at a smile.

“Nobody likes a smartass, Dempsey,” Addison said, although—ha! She was smiling, too. “Look, I shouldn’t have ghosted you. The truth is, I enjoyed that night a lot more than I thought I would.”

“Thanks,” he said dryly. “And just so we’re clear, my ego just died.”

Her laugh slid under his skin, and damn, he really didn’t hate that. “I’m not talking about the se*x. I knew that would be good from the minute we decided to leave together.”

His brows popped. She was the one who had been so insistent that it be just se*x. Not that he’d wanted to get all no-you’re-the-schmoopie with her, but… “Okay, you’ve lost me. If you’re not talking about the se*x, then…”

“Let’s just say, I don’t tend to fall asleep in anyone’s bed other, than my own,” she said quietly, her face uncharacteristically serious. “And I definitely don’t tend to wake up in someone else’s arms, all comfortable and happy and warm and stuff. But I did with you, and we’re friends, of all things. You’re, like, the last person I wanted to do that with—because remember, no strings and awkward—and…well, I guess that just freaked me out.”

Ryan looked at her, piecing the whole thing together. “Wait. So, you like me?”

“Don’t push it,” Addison said.

So, naturally, he did. “You like me,” he said, teasingly enough to make the corners of her mouth edge upward.

“I was just telling you why I didn’t stick around that morning, that’s all. But, for the record? None of that had anything to do with how I acted about Chloe’s case. I’m taking her complaint very seriously.”

“I know,” he told her. “I mean, I do now. I get that you want to keep her from freaking out.”

“And I get that it’s hard not to fly off the handle. Just because I’m not losing my cool externally doesn’t mean I’m not pissed purple that there isn’t enough evidence to pursue charges, too.”

The reminder made Ryan’s gut squeeze, smacking him back to reality. “Addison, I’m not trying to be a pain in your a*s, but I meant it when I said I’ll do whatever I have to in order to keep Bishop far away from Chloe. Even if there isn’t enough to pursue charges or get a protective order.”

She sat back, her eyes full of promise as she looked across the table at him. “I get it. But I think I have a plan that will make everyone as happy as they can be in this situation, and I can guarantee that it’ll keep Chloe safe.”

“I’m listening,” Ryan said.

But Addison’s only response was a smile sweeter than the frap-whip-sugar bomb she took a sip of as she stood up. “No, you’re riding shotgun. Chloe’s going to need some support when I tell her about Bishop. And, if you behave, I might let you stick around while I let her know what I’ve got in mind.”

Ryan pushed back from his seat and matched her smile. “I’ll keep it together for Chloe’s sake, but let’s get one thing straight. Good behavior?”—he arched a brow as he gave her a long, slow stare—“Is never gonna be my thing.”

She didn’t bat a single, golden lash as she said, “Suit yourself. But just so we’re on the same page, handcuffs aren’t always fun, and I’m not afraid to use mine.”

And then, she walked toward the door, leaving him no choice but to discretely adjust his very sudden, very insistent hard-on and follow her.

Addison dida mental run-through of her Tae Kwon Do combinations—twice—before her hormones simmered down enough to allow rational thought. But it wasn’t her fault that A) Ryan had surprised the crap out of her by bringing up the one-night stand that she still couldn’t loosen from her mind’s eye, B) rather than running screaming when she’d blurted that she’d felt good waking up in his arms, he’d flirted with her, and C) they were now sitting less than a foot from each other in the warmth of her car and he smelled far too fresh and cedary and delicious for his own goddamned good.

“So,” Ryan said, and great, his voice was like warm butterscotch. Kill her now. “Are you going to tell me about this plan of yours before we get to Chloe’s?”

“Nope.”

“Are you going to tell me why not?” he asked.

Whether it was because the question had merit or she was just weakened by his smell-good pheromones, Addison couldn’t be certain. But she said, “Because Chloe made the complaint. I know she’ll tell you everything, anyway”—which was still foreign AF to Addison, although she was getting used to it between Ryan and his siblings—“but she gets dibs.”

“Fair enough,” he said. “You think it’s weird, don’t you? That Chloe and I are so tight.”

“What, are you zoning in on my brain waves, now?” Addison asked, but he just laughed.

“No, but your expression is pretty much a dead giveaway every time it comes up.”

She exhaled her relief that she hadn’t been entirely transparent. “Oh. Well, yeah. I mean, there are tons of things that don’t make sense to me. Nuclear physics. Hot dog eating contests. Leg warmers coming back as a trend. Not knocking any of those things, or how close you are with your siblings. But, no. I don’t really get it.”

“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” Ryan asked, and Addison swiftly covered the tensing of her shoulders with a shrug.

“No.”

He waited a beat, but since she’d rather go skinny dipping in a tank of hungry piranhas than elaborate on her family situation, she waited out the silence.

“Well, I’m obviously close with all of mine,” Ryan said, his affection for them written all over his face. “We always have been. Our parents, Lou and Carleen, raised us to be best friends, and to always look out for each other. But Chloe’s the youngest. She came to our family last, and…well, I don’t want to tell a story that isn’t mine to share, but let’s just say that she had it really rough before that. It took her a long time to be okay, and now the idea that she might not be—”

“I understand,” Addison said, barely a whisper.

“You do?”

The surprise in his voice told Addison she’d been sloppy with her armor, and damn it, she needed to get herself on lockdown, fast.

“Yep,” she said, just a hair too brightly. “I’m a detective, remember? We see a lot of people who have suffered from trauma in some form or another. It makes sense that you want to see her safe. I do, too.”

Thankfully, there were only a few minutes left in the trip to Chloe’s apartment building, and they passed without further mention of families, trauma, or anyone’s past. Addison parked in the visitor’s lot, scanning the street meticulously as she and Ryan made their way to the front door.

“I texted to let Chloe know we were coming, so she’s expecting us,” he said, tugging the door open and ushering Addison into the space where a row of mailboxes lined one wall and the resident directory and intercom stood on the other. Chloe buzzed them up after a second text from Ryan, and Addison looked at him across the elevator as soon as the doors lumbered shut.

“You’re going to keep your cool, right?”

Ryan flashed her a smile and held up three fingers. “Scout’s honor.”

She snorted. “Like you were a Boy Scout.”

He straightened, throwing her a look of mock offense. “I most certainly was. Where do you think I first learned about fire safety, anyway?”

“You’re just loaded with surprises, aren’t you?” Addison asked, stepping off the elevator with her curiosity spinning like a tornado.

Ryan arched a dark brow at her as he followed her into the hallway. “I do try.”

His expression grew serious as he knocked on Chloe’s door, following it up with, “Hey, Chlo. It’s me.” The chain rattled against the doorframe a minute later, the deadbolt flipping slowly before Chloe opened the door with caution.

“Hi,” she said, letting them both inside. Shadows ringed the space under her eyes, but her gaze brightened a little at the sight of Ryan and the tight hug he offered her once she’d shut and locked the door.

“Hey, Chloe. How’s it going?” Addison asked, following the younger woman into the living room.

“Okay, I guess.” She sat on the couch with Ryan beside her. “I did my morning shift at Sweetie Pies, then went to both of my classes. I haven’t seen Myles, and my boss said she hasn’t seen him at all this week. Not even when I’m not there.”

“That’s a really great sign,” Addison said, hoping like hell she could use it to reassure Chloe once she had to tell her the rest. “I’m glad he’s not bothering you.”

“Me, too, but…” Chloe broke off, staring at her hands in her lap. “I don’t know. He looked so mad. I guess it’s still really freaking me out.”

Addison leaned forward from the spot where she sat across from Chloe, infusing as much empathy into her voice as she could. “That is completely understandable.”

“He overstepped. Hard,” Ryan said, sanding down the edges of his words with a squeeze of Chloe’s arm. “Don’t feel bad for being rattled. We’re here for you. We Dempseys always look out for each other, remember?”

“Yeah.” Chloe managed a small smile. “Jack and Miguel and Gracie check in with me, like, six times a day. You guys should probably start a schedule, you know.”

Addison was grateful that the mention of her siblings’ support comforted her, because ugh, this next part was going to svck. “Listen, Chloe. I’m going to be honest with you. My unit did a thorough investigation of your complaint. We looked at everything we could get our hands on.”

“Okay,” Chloe said slowly. “So, why does it sound like you’re about to tell me something bad?”

“Because despite an exhaustive search, we couldn’t replace any conclusive proof that Bishop followed you home the other night. I’m so sorry, but we can’t pursue charges against him without any evidence.”

A beat passed before Chloe’s eyes went wide. “So, there’s nothing you can do? Like, that’s it?”

“Technically, the RPD can’t pursue charges or offer enough evidence to a judge for a protective order,” Addison said, “and I have to follow the rules in that regard. So, no, there’s nothing else I can do as a detective. I do have an idea for something that I think might help you feel safer, though.”

Chloe blinked back tears. “But you just said there’s nothing the police can do.”

“That’s true. There’s nothing more the Intelligence Unit can do, and we can’t follow Bishop or track his whereabouts to make sure he stays away from you. But I could keep an eye on you, if you’d like.”

A whisper of surprise crossed Ryan’s lips. “Like, a bodyguard?”

At that, Addison had to laugh. “That might be making it sound a lot bigger than it is. When you’re at school and at work, you’ve got a lot of people around you. I don’t think Bishop would risk bothering you with so many potential witnesses, and the truth is, all of this could be overly precautionary. He might have gotten the message and moved on. But I know that’s probably not making you feel any less stressed out when you’re home alone at night.”

“It’s not,” Chloe whispered. “I’m sorry. I know I’m probably overreacting—”

“No,” Ryan said, and here, Addison had to agree.

“You feel what you feel, Chloe. It’s very, very normal to feel anxious and scared after you’ve been harassed, and I know that not being able to pursue charges doesn’t make that easier.”

“What do you have in mind for this bodyguard thing?” Ryan asked.

Addison split a glance between the two of them. “Well, it would be up to Chloe, of course, and like I said, bodyguard is a stretch. But I could just keep an extra eye on you here and there on nights when I don’t have to work. Nothing official—just think of it as a friend looking out for a friend.”

“Would you be here with me? Like, in my apartment?” Chloe asked, her eyes darting around the tiny space.

“No. I don’t want to invade your privacy or impose,” Addison said. Plus, Bishop had already proven to be pretty stealthy. Not that she was going to air that little reminder, but she was probably more likely to keep Chloe safe with a wider vantage point. “You won’t even know I’m here. I’ll just come check the building, hang out for a bit outside to make sure Bishop stays away. Easy-peasy.”

Chloe blinked. “Somehow, I doubt it’s easy. But it would make me feel a lot better.”

“Great. Consider it done.”

“Actually, consider it done twice,” Ryan said, and damn it, Addison should have known better than to think he’d back down.

“That’s not a good idea,” she said carefully.

Was he having it? Hell, no. “It’s a great idea. Since it’s not an official police investigation, you won’t be violating any rules if I tag along. I’ll be able to see for myself that Chloe is safe, and you’ll be able to make sure I stay in line because I’ll be with you the whole time.”

“Just because it’s not an official investigation doesn’t mean there’s no risk to your safety.”

As soon as it was out of her mouth, Addison realized that was probably part of the appeal for him.

Ryan confirmed it with a wicked smile. “I’m oddly fine with that.”

She paused. Part of her felt the urge to press the argument—the last thing she wanted to have to do if Bishop showed up to harass Chloe again was worry about Ryan trying to throttle him, and being in close proximity with him sent her lady bits into serious swoon mode not even an hour ago. But Ryan was going to keep an eye on Chloe, no matter what. At least if they did that together, she could keep him in line.

“Fine. But you need to promise you’ll do what I tell you to—and listen when I tell you not to do something—every step of the way.”

He wanted to argue. Addison could see it all over his ridiculously handsome face. But he slid a glance at Chloe and gave up a nod.

“Deal.”

Now all Addison had to do was keep Chloe safe, keep Ryan at arm’s length, and keep her hormones in solitary confinement, and she’d be a-okay.