Iron Cross: The Dartmouth Cobras #6 (19 page)

Not that she would let him off easy if he was involved in the disturbance, but she could let him off with a warning if he was just being a little loud. Slip in the nudge and hope he could take over from there.

Being in control is a Dom’s duty, after all. Did he miss the memo?
Not something she’d ever say out loud, but she let out a laugh under her breath as she pushed open the heavy door made of thick wood planks painted a bright grass green.

The sweet scent of spirits and cigars hit her as she crossed the threshold. She strode up to the bar, nodding to Mr. Roget who was wringing his long
-fingered hands and staring at something toward the back of the bar. He must have been really worried, and not just because he’d called. There were wet circles from the beer bottles all along his precious walnut bar top. He’d had the place redone a few years back and had spent a fortune on wood for the shelves, the tables, and the bar. His waitresses had to pass the test of putting drinks on coasters for the patrons they served before getting hired long-term.

A particular old man, but nice enough. Made a damn good stew and encouraged police presence by letting them eat free here whenever they had enough time for a sit down lunch or supper.

She was going to have a word with “her Cobras” about bothering him. But first, she needed to find out what they’d done. She inclined her head to the bartender. “Good evening, Mr. Roget. I’m here about the disturbance?”

“Those big boys—hockey players, I’ve heard about the trouble they’ve been causing, but I never believed it until I saw it for myself.” Mr. Roget shook his head, staring past her as though remembering something from the past. “Players in the old days had respect. They’d be dirty on the ice, but gentlemen the rest of the time. Nothing like these big brutes who—”

“I understand.” She hated to interrupt, but if she didn’t they’d get nowhere. “Could you tell me what they were doing, Mr. Roget?”

“They’ve been taking shots of whiskey and guzzling beer. Not that I mind a man who appreciates his liquor, but they’re dangerous. My poor girl—”

Laura inhaled very, very slowly. This might be worse than she’d expected. But she had to stay calm. Assume nothing. “Was one of your waitresses injured?”

“I’m not sure how she couldn’t have been! That big black man knocked her right off her feet, then picked her up like a rag doll and sat her on his table.” Mr. Roget looked scandalized. “And they haven’t let her leave! I would have told the dispatcher it was urgent if she’d struggled at all, but the girl has no damn sense.”

“I see.” Laura kept her expression neutral, but she had a feeling Mr. Roget was used to an older clientele that didn’t have his girls all giggly and gushy. The Cobras using his bar as a new hangout wouldn’t go over well, but she couldn’t force them to stay away unless they’d actually done something wrong. “Was there any damage done?”

“All the glasses on her tray! Broken! And those boys wouldn’t even let her clean up the mess. They
…” His face went red. He shook his head again. “They need to go. I won’t press charges if they leave now.”

“I've got the gist of what is going on. I am gonna have them settle their tab, pay for the broken glasses, and leave a big tip. I will ask them to leave.” She was happy to see the old bartender relax a bit more with her every word.
This should go smoothly
. “If they refuse then I will be forced to take action.”

The last was said mostly for Mr. Roget’s benefit, but as she approached the table all the way in the back, she wondered if she’d spoken
too soon. Just the soft, gentle rumble of Raif’s laugh made the hairs on the back of her neck rise. Even without catching exactly what he said, hearing the deep resonance of Dominik Mason’s voice gave her a little rush. She had goose bumps, which made it harder to keep up the shield of badass bitch cop.

Not
one Dom, but two. Neither were easy to deal with alone at the club. Both?

You’re not at the club. They’ll understand.

They hadn’t noticed her yet. The waitress had, but she kept her attention locked on Dominik’s each and every word.

“She’s a wonderful woman. I don’t know why people say bad things about her.” Dominik glanced over at Raif and frowned. “Wish you’d stop taking my damn phone, man.”

“You’ll thank me tomorrow, Mason.” Raif rested his hand on the table by the waitress’s hip. Laura scowled as the twit, a fake-boobed brassy blonde who looked like she’d bathed in tanning spray, wiggled her hips and giggled.

And Mr. Roget’s blaming the men for the disturbance?

“I’m only gonna call Oriana to give her a heads-up. I liked that she used to need me. Akira used to need me too, but I call her this late and me and Cort’s gonna have words. Kinda like him.” Mason pinched the flesh between his eyes as though he was thinking hard. “Could call him. He gets Ford to check on Oriana and it won’t be weird.”

Brassy blond
e put her hand on Dominik’s cheek. “Or you could just stay here and hang out with me. I really appreciate how you saved me from—”

That’s quite enough.
Laura stepped forward after sharply clearing her throat. “Hi, guys. Sorry to cut the night short, but you’re going to have to settle your tab, pay for the damages, and finish off your night somewhere else.”

Dominik’s lips slanted into a half-smile. Then he reached out and slammed the back of his hand into Raif’s chest. “I’m glad you’re here,
officer. This man stole my property.”

“Dominik, I think you should let Raif take you home.” Laura had to fight hard not to laugh at the way the big Dom blinked at her, like she wasn’t speaking English. He was always so composed at the club. Only lost it on the ice
while defending his men. But she’d never thought she’d see the day he’d try to drunk dial his ex. Still, she had a job to do. “We don’t want any trouble here.”

“No trouble. Didn’t see this little girl walking by.” Dominik slung his arm over the waitress’s shoulders, making her giggle again like a toy that made noise when you shook it. Only more annoying. “Don’t mind paying for the broken glasses.”

The waitress covered her mouth with her hand and rested her head on Dominik’s chest. “You cleaned up all that glass, and it’s my fault I’m such a klutz. I’ll cover the damn glasses. You can’t arrest them for this! I won’t let you!”

Oh joy.
The men she could deal with, but the way Brassy blonde was glaring, she was going to be a problem. But Laura had dealt with mouthy drunk females before. This girl just needed to be reminded Laura was law enforcement, not competition.

“Ma’am, please take a seat and shut up before I’m forced to arrest you for public intoxication,” Laura said in full cop faux pleasantness. She kinda hoped the girl would give her an excuse to haul her ass to jail. If she’d been doing her damn job instead of flirting, the men could’ve enjoyed their night in peace.

Brassy blonde sat up straight, her eyes wide. “This is a bar, you—”

Raif cut her off with a finger over her lips. “Hush now. You don’t want to make the nice police officer mad, do you? Dominik will blame himself for buying you so many drinks.”

That Raif referred to Laura as “the nice police officer,” almost as though he didn’t know her, pleased her more than it should have. She had trouble not letting it show.

“It’s not his fault.” Brass
y blonde hugged Dominik’s arm. He was busy staring at the pay phone between the male and female bathroom doors. “He was very sweet.”

“He was. Please bring us the bill, Susan.”

All right, she liked Raif even more now. His direct tone had the waitress slipping off the table with little more than a sigh. Once she was gone, Laura figured the worst was over.

Until Dominik put his hands on
Laura’s waist and picked her up. She was too shocked to protest until he put her down out of his path. But he clucked his tongue when she opened her mouth. “We can discuss this in a moment, sweetie. I just need another beer.”

Enough is enough.
Before he could take a step away from her, she grabbed his forearm, her other hand on her portable by instinct, ready to call in backup. This time, the sharp words came without hesitation. “Mr. Mason, we are not friends here. Assaulting an officer—which includes putting your hands on me in
any
manner—is a very serious offense.”

He stopped. Went perfectly still. And stared at her. “I’m sorry, Laura.”

“Officer Tallent. And I would like you to come with me.” Without releasing his arm, she led him straight out of the bar, not bothering to check if Raif was following. She had nothing on Raif and this situation needed to be dealt with. She didn’t stop until she got to her unit. She opened the back door and pointed at the backseat. “Sit.”

Dominik sat. Wet his lips a few times, parting them as though to speak. Pressing them shut and rubbing them with his fist when he changed his mind and remained silent.

Good boy.
She took a few minutes to calm down and ease off the adrenaline rush. If she’d been dealing with anyone besides one of the Cobras—one of the
Doms
she trusted absolutely at the club—she wouldn’t have thought twice about calling backup. Having dealt with such a big man alone, even though he was harmless, went against all her training.

But he was cooperating. She was fine.

What the fuck am I going to do with him now?
She ran her tongue over her teeth, watching him watching her. “I should arrest you for that, Dominik. What the hell were you thinking?”

“I apologize, pe—”

“You call me pet again while I’m in uniform and you’ll be sleeping behind bars. I give this advice a lot, but I suggest you take it very seriously. Do not say another word. Let Raif—” Did Dominik even know his teammate’s first name? “—Zovko bring you home. Sleep it off. And don’t come back to this bar. Nod if you understand.”

He nodded.

“Good.” She inhaled deeply, glancing over as the front door of the bar opened and Raif came out. He approached slowly. Stopped at a respectful distance. “I paid the tab, the damages, and gave the owner extra for the trouble we caused. This won’t happen again.”

“Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Zovko. And you’ll see that Mr. Mason gets home safe?”

“I will.”

“Good.” That settled, she let herself smile a little. “When you have a minute, I’d like to speak to you.”

“Would you?” His brow lifted slightly. “On official business?”

She would not blush. Asking to talk to him wasn’t inappropriate, but he made her feel like it was. “No.”

“Then it can wait. Please call me if there’s any other issues that arise because of tonight.” He waited patiently as she got out her pad and pen. Gave her his number. Then offered Dominik his hand after making sure the man was free to go. “I think you’ll regret this enough to last you quite a while. Aren’t you glad I didn’t let you call Oriana?”

“Don’t remind me about that
, please.” Dominik rubbed his hand over his face. Glanced at her. Didn’t say a word before heading to Raif’s car. “The boys hear about this, I’ll never live it down.”

Raif chuckled, then gave Laura a look that tempted her to toss her badge and gun into the backseat. “Would it be wrong of me to say you may use my number for any reason?”

His husky tone did very bad things to her tough, professional self. She was pretty sure her inner slut was trying to smother her goddamn dignity.

She planned to nod. Shook her head instead.

“You may have your minute once I see him home. Under one condition.”

She shivered as she met his eyes. “Which is?”

That evil smile he gave her was downright criminal. “You will not be wearing that uniform.”

* * * *

A change of clothes and switching from a bun to a ponytail shouldn’t make Laura feel this vulnerable. Blue jeans, a Johnny Cash T-shirt, and a big black bomber jacket—she didn’t look like law enforcement, but she was usually fine hanging around other officers dressed like this. Just one of the guys.

But standing on the sidewalk in front of the condo where Raif lived, she knew if she went in
side, she wouldn’t be anything other than a sub meeting privately with a Dom. She’d known from the second he’d said “Hello” when she’d called him, minutes after getting home. No matter what her intentions were, that switch would be flipped the second he looked at her, or spoke to her. If she went inside, she’d hand over her control all too willingly.

She couldn’t make herself move.

Her submission to Chicklet was always so liberating, so pure, simply surrendering, the only pleasure she took was from pleasing her Mistress. What she’d come here for was anything but.

You’re not doing anything wrong. Tyler wants this.
She took a deep breath. Let it out in a puff of white air.
You’re just helping him get it.

She reached out to pull the glass door open.

A low laugh from the shadows made her jump. Her hand went to her hip. She wasn’t armed.

“So jumpy, pet. I apologize. I wasn’t expecting you to ever go in.”

Raif
. She was almost relieved to see him, except for the very strong urge to smack him for scaring her. She watched him approach, trembling already at the sight of those warm brown eyes with a predatory gleam, eyes that saw right through her. Those big hands covered in black leather that could—that
would
restrain her so easily.