Promises Unbroken: A Hot Paranormal Shifter Romance (Hidden Hills Shifter Book 5) (6 page)

While his excuse of needing to sew the buttons on his uniform had been true, he probably should have asked her to help as he’d done a crappy job. In his defense, the all-night pharmacy hadn’t had a big selection of sewing kits.

Selena pushed back her chair and secured her weapon in her holster.
Must be show time.

Not wanting to appear eager, he waited for her to approach. With her gaze averted, she walked toward him. From the way she was holding her shoulders so stiffly, she appeared to be suffering as much as he was.

“Got a lead,” she said, though her tone held little excitement. Perhaps the thieves were people she knew.

Regardless, he was happy she’d found a clue so fast. This case was important to her. “Want me to come with you?”

“We are partners.”

He wasn’t sure how to interpret her comment, but he wasn’t going to question her. He gathered his jacket and weapon and followed her out.

“I trust Cheyenne’s father found something?” They seemed to be okay when talking about work.

“Actually, I listened to the video of the robbery and identified one of the voices.” She then explained about confirming her suspicion with the former Alpha of her Clan.

“Fantastic.” For him it would have been difficult to arrest kids he knew.

“I’ll drive since I know the area,” she said.

Once more, he didn’t argue. His goal was merely to keep things on an even keel. Even after they arrived at the bowling alley, he didn’t question why they were there as it was her show.

“Leonard Snow said the boys often come here on the weekends.”

“That’s a good thing. They can’t cause much trouble there.”

“Let’s hope.”

Inside, Selena nodded toward the two skinny kids on lane four. “How about letting me speak with them first?”

“Sure. I’m here as backup.”

Her brows rose. He’d said the same thing that fateful night they’d first met. As she headed toward the boys, he kept a close eye on her. While he couldn’t hear the exchange, the kids looked rather uncomfortable with her questions. To his surprise, when she stepped from the lane, they followed her.

“Boys, this is Officer Kenner. One false move, and he’ll be on you like white on rice.”

Seriously? Did she believe that line would work?

“Yes, m…ma’am.”

Apparently it did. As much as he wanted to ask her what she’d said to the boys, now wasn’t the time. He escorted them outside and placed them in the back of the cruiser, happy they didn’t shift and bolt. Cheetahs might be faster than panthers, but he had endurance and size on his side.

With the doors now locked, they wouldn’t be going anywhere. Jackson could definitely smell their fear, possibly because the kids could detect he was some kind of shifter. They’d assume he was another cheetah, as he and Cord were the only panthers in town.

At the station, when Selena led them to a holding cell, Jackson remained off to the side, curious how she was going to handle their arrest since the boys were underage.

“I’ll call your folks and let them know what’s going to happen to you,” she said in a very matter-of-fact tone.

“We have most of the money left,” the younger of the two said. “If we give it to Mr. Kraft, can you let us go?” His voice shook as he bounced a leg up and down.

These poor kids were victims of their environment and Jackson nearly caved by offering to pay the remained of what they’d stolen from the owner, but if he bailed them out, they’d never learn. It was one of the major lessons his father had taught him and his siblings—that of personal responsibility. Selena glanced over at him, and when she shook her head, a shiver tripped up his spine. Though impossible, it was as if she’d read his mind.

“I wish it were that simple,” she explained to the young men. “You’ll have to pay back all of it and do community service. Sit tight, and I’ll be right back after I’ve called your folks.”

As soon as she stepped from the holding cells, a slight smile captured her lips.

“Care to share how you took down those two most-wanted criminals?” he asked slipping along side of her.

For the first time in a long time, she smiled, and his heart pinged. “As soon as I told them I had them on video tape, they folded.”

“Did they forget they had on masks?”

“Maybe, but I also mentioned the camera on the outside caught the license plate numbers of the scooters and that we looked up their names.”

“I didn’t know Kraft had cameras on the outside.”

“He didn’t.”

She was clever. He had to give her credit. She seemed to understand the juvenile mind well. “So what happens now?”

Her shoulders sagged as if the next leg of the journey would be hard. “I’ll call the parents and have them pick up the boys. I’m going to offer them either juvenile detention or fifty hours of community service. They’ll have to pay back Mr. Kraft either way.”

“Sounds reasonable.”

“I thought so. I’ll make the calls.”

In Baltimore, a judge would be the one to decide the punishment and not the officer, but Hidden Hills was a smaller community. Perhaps because the boys were from her Clan, she was able to pull some strings.

Jackson had wanted to congratulate her, but he had a plan on how to win her over, and being overly eager wasn’t part of it.

An hour later, the boys had been processed and released to their parents. It was nearly seven, and Jackson wondered if she was interested in having dinner with him. They had an hour break each night to eat. If the conversation heated up and they spent too much time out, they could make it up by staying later.

He stepped up to her desk. “I was wondering if you wanted to catch a bite to eat?”

She stilled for a moment, as if she hadn’t expected his request or desired it. After all, she’d insisted he not ever ask her out again. “Where do you have in mind?”

His dick stiffened at her positive response. Most likely she was hungry and thought it would look rude to turn him down and then go out on her own. “You pick.”

“How about Rough Riders?”

“I’ve never been, but I’m game for anything.”
As long as I can be with you.

She smiled once more and he hoped this new cheerful Selena would be a common occurrence.

“Then you’re in for a treat.”

He’d be in for a treat because he could learn more about the woman he was growing very fond of. His panther side was ready to claim her, but his human half needed to win her heart first.

“How about I drive?” he offered. A man could only handle a woman being in charge for so long.

This time she chuckled. “How about we walk? It’s only four blocks from here.”

Damn. If he didn’t stop making tactical errors, she’d never want him.

The night was balmy, and as they strolled toward the restaurant, a wave of contentment descended. This was what life could be like if Selena accepted him.

Once inside the rustic place, the hostess led them to a corner booth, which was cozy and romantic. Because his senses seemed to misfire whenever he was near her, he wasn’t able to detect if the intimate setting made her uncomfortable or not, and that concerned him.

The waiter rushed right over. “Hi, Selena,” he said. “What will you have?”

The hairs on Jackson’s neck rose, but when she barely glanced at the young man, he relaxed.

“I’ll have coffee. Black.”

“Ditto,” Jackson said.

As soon as the server left, Selena leaned back in her seat. “So, why did you come to Hidden Hills?”

He had wondered when she’d get around to asking and was pleased she wanted to know. Fortunately, the question held no bitterness, only interest. “Cord seemed really content here, and I guess I wanted that peace of mind, too.” There was no need to mention how he’d let a drug dealer slip through his fingers, and as a result a young man had died. Jackson’s guilt level had finally reached his limit.

“What did your family think about your move to North Carolina?”

He winced. “My family is very supportive, and while my dad never complained, he loved to brag how one of his sons worked for the DEA. If he’d had a say in the matter, he’d rather have me work for the government and live near home.”

Her brows rose and then her shoulders sagged. He bet she wished she’d had a supportive father. Having her learn about his rather idyllic upbringing might backfire, but he didn’t want to lie to her.

“How many siblings do you have?” she asked.

She had none. His purpose in talking about his life was to show her they had things in common, yet at the moment the gap was widening. Having extremely wealthy parents didn’t help either. “Three brothers and two sisters, and every one of them is ambitious, just like my dad.”

“That must be nice to be surrounded by so many siblings.”

“It was. What about you? Any brothers and sisters?” In theory, he knew nothing about her.

“No. My dad left when I was one.”

Jackson didn’t believe anything he said would help. “I’m sorry. That had to be tough.”

“It was, but my mom suffered the most.”

Dwelling on negative thoughts wouldn’t bring them closer and asking too many questions might tip her off that he’d checked up on her. “Tell me a good memory.”

“A good one, huh?” She leaned back, glanced at the ceiling for a second then smiled. “I was maybe twelve and had gone hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains when out from behind a tree this baby deer appears. It couldn’t have been more than a month or so old. I looked around for its momma, but I couldn’t see her, so I shifted into my cheetah form.”

“That didn’t scare the poor thing?” He found that when he shifted, the smaller animals ran.

“To my delight, no. The lost fawn crossed the river separating us. We ended up playing for at least an hour.” Selena glanced to the side as if she were reliving that moment.

“Then what happened?”

She shrugged. “The fawn must have heard her mother and left. But during that time, I felt a strong connection with her, almost as if we’d always been friends.”

Selena acted as if connecting with anyone was a rarity. “It sounds wonderful.”

“It was. What about you? What was your happiest moment?”

“Finding you.”

Heat colored her cheeks. “Jackson, please. Can we not talk about the present? Or us?”

He chuckled. “For tonight, we’ll stick to the past, though from what you’ve said, it wasn’t all that great.”

“No, it wasn’t.”

Wanting to salvage dinner, he needed her to understand that his parents weren’t so different from hers after all. “Just so you know, my father grew up poor, too.”

“Really?”

“Yes, from the age of sixteen, he worked at a small novelty store in Washington, DC, where he earned minimum wage. Since he couldn’t afford schooling, he remained there, working seven days a week. His mom passed away suddenly when he was eighteen, leaving him and his dad to fend for themselves. When my father was just twenty-five, the owners were killed in a tragic accident. The owners’ elderly parents said they’d give him fifty percent of the profits if he ran the store.”

“That was generous of them.”

“It was, but without my father, they would have made nothing, as he was the only one who understood the ins and outs of the place.”

“How did it work out for him?”

“Within ten years, Dad had expanded to five stores. From there, the empire grew.”

She whistled. “Empire?”

He hesitated telling her the extent of his parents’ wealth because it might put a wedge between them, but they were mates. “Yes. Those stores were the start of KenMart.”

Her eyes widened. “Are you kidding me?” She pushed back her chair, as if she couldn’t wait to get away from him.

Shit. Jackson reached out and clasped her hand. “That’s my dad, not me. He’s the one with the money. We kids have to earn our wages.” Though he had a very sizeable trust fund at his disposal at any time.

The tension seemed to leave her body. “You aren’t rich then?”

“Rich is a relative term. What’s important is that I work for a living.”

She sagged back against the seat.

The waiter came with their drinks and took their order. Not wanting her to view him as some rich boy who didn’t take responsibility seriously, he needed to change the subject. “What made you join the Force?”

She sipped her coffee, her glance shifting from side to side. Clearly, she could see he wanted to move on. “I wanted to help protect those who struggled.”

“Why not work at a woman’s shelter?” He hoped he hadn’t misinterpreted what she meant.

“I thought about it, but I wanted more. For once in my life, I wanted to be the one in control.” She leaned forward on her elbows. “Becoming a detective and leading a case is everything I’ve dreamed of. I’ve had to work hard my whole life, helping to support my mom, and I want something to show for it.”

“It seems as if you’ve done a good job both at work and with your mother.”

She blew out a breath. “You’re just being nice. You’ve seen where I live, but at least my mom is in a nicer place.”

She was a good daughter. He hesitated to suggest the two of them share a space as that would put a cramp in his plans to be with Selena. Fortunately, their food arrived before he said something that would ruin the tentative bond between them.

As soon as he ate the first bite, he realized how ravenous he was. Both of them scarfed down their meal. There wasn’t time to linger as their hour break was drawing to a close.

Once they paid, they walked back to the station. She looked up at him and smiled. “You suck at sewing, you know that?”

He clasped a hand to his chest to cover his handiwork. “I do not.”

She laughed. “You don’t think it’s a bit tacky to have mismatched buttons, not to mention that your lapel isn’t straight?”

“I came up one short, so I had to improvise. Perhaps when you get home, you can look for the missing one for me.”

She stopped in the street and ran her hand down the lapel of his shirt, flooding his body with hormones. “I can do that.”

He expected her to turn and continue walking, but she looked up at him with lust in her eyes and his throat tightened. “Selena?”

Chapter Six