Mr. Cop: An Enemies to Lovers Romance Read online

  “Elka, let’s—”

  “You should go, Antonio.” I tried to talk to her, to make her listen, but Elka was beyond that now. “You’ve fulfilled your obligation as a Hometown Hero and I’ll be sure to let Janey know. Oh, hang on.” She cleaned her hands and dug into her back pocket where she produced her phone. After snapping a few images and typing on her screen, she glanced up at me briefly. “Required photos for the day also sent.” She turned her back to me once more and I didn’t have the heart to stay when the tears began.

  I was as asshole and I didn’t deserve her, but hearing her say she loved me changed everything. I would find a way to make this right.

  I had to.

  Elka

  The past few days had been a whirlwind and I’d spent them holed up in the cottage that was still mine. Just mine. For now, anyway.

  Fulfilling and packing orders had taken up most of my day but the sound of the bell upstairs provided the perfect excuse to take a break. Wiping sweat from my brow, I pushed away from my work table with a deep sigh and I made my way to the door. “Penny. This is a nice surprise. Come on in.” I’d gotten calls from Janey and Nina, Max and even Bo, congratulating me on the chili cook-off.

  Penny was put together, as usual, wearing a deep-pink dress that fit her like a glove. She stepped inside and kicked off her heels before hugging me close. She pulled back and glanced around the living room. Filled with boxes. “Was coming in second place so bad that you have to leave town?”

  I let out a shaky laugh at her attempt at humor. “Actually, second place feels pretty damn good. Kind of like first.” I’d never really competed in anything other than video and word games against Austin, so that second place ribbon and gold-plated chili pot felt incredible.

  “But you’re still leaving.” There was hurt and disappointment in her voice and I hated that I might have hurt her.

  I nodded. “I am but maybe the second time is the charm. Starting over in Tulip didn’t work out so well so I’ll try someplace else. But don’t worry, all of the things I volunteered for have been taken care of.” I could leave town knowing that I wouldn’t leave anyone hanging.

  “I don’t give a damn about any of that. I mean, thanks for doing it, but why are you leaving? I thought we were friends and you’re just up and leaving. Would you have said anything if I hadn’t stopped by?”

  “I would have,” I insisted, even though I didn’t know for certain if that was the truth. “But I haven’t made any decisions beyond leaving. I don’t have a destination in mind or a place to live.”

  She frowned and I motioned her inside. “Then why are you packing?”

  “Because packing makes it feel real to me. It’s a constant reminder that I need to do better on my next move, maybe not draw as much attention to myself. Choose a town that’s a little bigger than Tulip.” A place where nosy cops had actual criminals to worry about.

  I could feel the weight of her stare on me as I pulled grilled veggies from the fridge for lunch. “Antonio is in hell too, you know. If that makes you feel better.”

  “It doesn’t, but thanks for trying.” I didn’t care that Antonio felt like crap; he should be happy since he finally got everything he was looking for. “He betrayed me, Penny. I thought things were different but they’re not.” They never were. “Besides, I’m sure my parents have spouted their lies all over town to anyone who’ll listen. I’m done here.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Absolutely not, but I nodded. “I can’t stay, Penny.”

  She pulled an envelope from her purse with a sympathetic smile. “I’m afraid that you have to, for the time being anyway. This came across the mayor’s desk this morning.”

  Inside the envelope was a subpoena to appear in front of Judge Mayburn the day after tomorrow at nine in the morning. I groaned as anger welled up in me but the tears fell first. “They filed an injunction to stop me from spending any more of the insurance money.” My own damn parents. How despicable could one couple be? I was half-tempted to ignore the subpoena and let them keep the money. But I couldn’t. That money was mine, and Austin wanted me to have it, not them. I had to fight it because my pride was the only damn thing I had left. “Thanks for letting me know, Penny. You’ve been a good friend to me.”

  She nodded, looking sad and resigned to how things were. “What will you do?”

  “There’s nothing I can do but show up and hope it all works out. I’m not holding my breath though.” If life had taught me anything, it was that good didn’t always triumph over evil, that bad people won just as much as good people, and that anytime my parents wanted to screw me, they would.

  “I’m here if you want to talk, Elka. I know they put you through hell, but you’re an adult now and you don’t have to do it all on your own. That’s the beauty of friends. Strong shoulders.” She flashed a smile and snatched half of my veggie sandwich from the plate.

  “It’s the only way I know, but I’m hoping to change that,” I admitted. Leaning on people wasn’t easy and nothing about my life had been easy since I moved to Tulip.

  “Somewhere else,” she said and it wasn’t a question.

  “Yeah. Everyone probably thinks I killed Austin for the insurance money so they’ll be happy to see me leave.” It hurt to say but leaving this time would be easier because there wasn’t a lifetime of memories and hurt here. This time, it was a few friends and some great memories. And some bad ones too.

  “You’re wrong about that, but I can see you don’t believe it.”

  “Why would he do this, Penny? Everyone keeps telling me what a stand-up guy he is, how nice he is and kind to others, but I’m not seeing that guy. Not enough of him, anyway.” And I was the idiot who’d slept with him. Fallen for him.

  Penny flashed a smile that wasn’t mean-spirited but it was … weird. “Some men go crazy when they fall. They don’t know how to handle it, aren’t ready for it, and make a mess of everything before they fix it. I think that’s the category Antonio found himself in.”

  “That doesn’t make any of this better.” Certainly not my pain.

  “Then forget about him. What about the rest of us? Haven’t we made you feel welcome and cared for since you moved here? Why isn’t that enough?”

  “It is,” I insisted. “But I can’t live my life with someone actively trying to run me out of town. No one can live that way forever.” And that’s what it came down to, the fact that this would never end. “I’ve thought about it from every angle and I can’t do it. I’ve already lived my first twenty-four years as a disappointment and I can’t do it again. I won’t.”

  “Well I can’t argue with that, but I’m not giving up on getting you to stay in Tulip. You’re just the right kind of weird for this little town and I think we’d all be better off with you around.” Her words brought tears to my eyes and when Penny wrapped her arms around me and squeezed, I let a few fall in farewell to the women who’d opened their hearts to me and called me a friend.

  “Thanks for saying that, Penny.”

  She left with a sad smile, but I wasn’t fooled for a second. In the next few days, there would be a group of women on my doorstep making a pitch for me to stay, which meant I had less than twenty-four hours to get a plan together and leave town.

  But first, I had to go in search of the materials I needed for court.

  Antonio

  Elka was avoiding me, more like ignoring me completely and honestly, I couldn’t blame her. That didn’t mean I was done trying to get her to talk to me, because I wasn’t. Instead, I was determined, that’s why I woke up early this morning and went for a long run to clear my mind. It didn’t work, my mind was anything but clear or focused since Elka had refused to see me when I showed up at her house, refused to talk to me when I called. Hell, I couldn’t even get her to return a damn text message.

  Again, not that I blamed her. I didn’t. Not at all. I screwed up. Made assumptions I shouldn’t have and hurt her feelings in the process. Worse, I made her
feel unwanted just as I noticed how devastating it would be to her.

  The run didn’t do a damn thing to help me figure out what to say to her when I saw her at the courthouse. Since I knew exactly where she would be today, I decided to ambush her and by ambush, I mean show my support. And to show her how much she meant to me. That didn’t mean I had a clue what to say but at this point I had to figure the words would just come.

  Or they wouldn’t.

  At five minutes to nine I stepped into Judge Mayburn’s courtroom and stopped right in front of the swinging doors and I enjoyed them less when they smacked into my backside. “Looks like I wasn’t the only one with this idea.” The courtroom was filled with people, most of them sitting on the left side. Behind the empty table.

  “Not so special after all,” Preston mumbled beside me, a smug knowing smile on his face.

  He wasn’t wrong. Everyone had shown up. Nin and Janey were in the front row, of course, but so was Bo and Penny, Mayor Ashford, Ry and even Nate. Looks like Elka had made an impact on more than just me. Only unlike me, these people were all smart enough to enjoy and appreciate her from the beginning. “Yeah, I guess not. Where’s Elka?”

  Preston shrugged. “No one knows. She’s been barricaded in her house for days. Nina thinks she’s packing up and leaving town.”

  Shit. That thought never crossed my mind, which it should have. Elka wasn’t from Tulip, this wasn’t her home. Not really.

  But she wanted it to be and I took that from her. “Dammit.”

  Preston clapped me on the back and flashed a sympathetic smile. “Don’t listen to Nina. I think you still have a chance. You see them,” he pointed to where Elka’s parents stood talking with their well-dressed attorney, all three looking like the proverbial fish out of water in their expensive clothes and accessories. Miles Nyland wore expensive wool slacks, despite the heat, a sky blue Oxford shirt with a tie and wing tips. Clara wore white pants with a red blouse and sky high heels that would’ve been more appropriate for a Junior League meeting than a small town courthouse. “They are the reason Elka is upset, not you.”

  “I brought them here.”

  “You trying to help, she’ll understand.”

  “Maybe.” Elka was a nice woman with a big kind heart that could’ve gotten her in trouble if she hadn’t landed in Tulip, under normal circumstances she might have understood. “But I’ve been such a shit to her from the beginning I don’t think she will.”

  “If she loves you, she will.”

  That was a big fucking if. She loved me, she’d said as much herself, but that was before I screwed up royally. Before I violated her trust and proved all the worst things she believed about herself. “There’s the judge now.”

  Mayburn entered the room hunched over with a bright smile on his face as he made his way to the bench, smiling and waving at so many of his friends and neighbors in the seats below. “Good morning. We have a big turnout this morning, am I missing some things on my schedule Judy?”

  Judy shook her head and kept her gaze on the oversized calendar that lay on her table to the left of the judge. “No, Judge.”

  “All right then,” he grinned and banged the gavel which always seemed to put an even bigger smile on his face. “Court is now in session. Today we’re here because Miles and Clara Nyland want to stop Elka from collecting on the life insurance policy on which she is the beneficiary. Stop me if I’ve got anything wrong.” The Nyland’s lawyer stood, flustered by Mayburn’s informality.

  “Our understanding is the same, Your Honor.”

  They went back and forth and I looked around the room, wondering where in the hell Elka was. This was her chance to stand up to her parents, to tell them where to shove it, and she hadn’t shown up. Did that mean she was done fighting or was she already gone?

  “Good. Ms. Nyland has opted not to attend this hearing, for personal reasons.”

  “Your Honor,” the lawyer was back on his feet, scowling at no one in particular.

  “After reviewing the evidence Ms. Nyland dropped off with my assistant,” another nod to Judy, “I granted her request not to attend. But this is a court of law and as such we must abide by the laws and rules and such. We’ll play the evidence for the record and then I’ll make my ruling.”

  The sounds of muttered conversations all around the courtroom rose up, curiosity and gossip and theories were the main topics while everyone waited for Judy to set up the laptop connected to the giant flat screen donated by Preston’s parents.

  Finally the black screen dissolved into a smiling face that looked just like Elka. Austin’s skin was pale, making his strawberry blond hair appear closer to red as he sat on a bed with dark blue bedding. Shockingly blue eyes smiled into the camera, the freckles on the bridge of his nose the only real difference between him and Elka. “I know this isn’t something you’d ever do for yourself even though no person with a heart or a brain would blame if you did. Luckily you have me to do it for you. Inside my old stack of titty mags you will find a life insurance policy for a re-damn-diculous amount of money.” His smile was wide, similar to Elka’s when she had those rare, unguarded moments of happiness. “You were deprived of everything normal because of me and even though I was so damn grateful to have you by my side, I hated that it was a prison for you. My sister and my best friend.” He shook his head, floppy waves making him look so damn young it was heartbreaking. “This is my gift for you and I’ll be dead so you have to take it or the evil insurance company gets to keep it. Take this money and go to one of those pins on the map in your closet, conquer the world and make your dreams come true. Hell, make a few of mine come true too by jumping from a plane or climbing a big ass mountain. Miss me everyday kiddo because I’ll miss the hell out of you, but don’t cry too hard. You’re an ugly crier.” He laughed again and discreetly wiped a few tears from his eyes. “Love you. Live big.” He winked into the camera, pale face still full of life and fight, not ready to say goodbye.

  Eyes sad but trying to hide it, just like his sister.

  I walked out of the courtroom before the judge made his ruling because it was clear Elka had done nothing wrong and probably would have found a way to make Austin take it back if she’d known about it before his death. I needed to get home, to her. Now. She didn’t need to be alone, not now. Not when I know she spent all weekend watching that video, wondering if she was worthy of it.

  I needed to make her see that she was, that I thought she was worthy. Hearing that even Austin knew what kind of hell Elka had lived in, was disheartening. It was actually fucking heartbreaking to know that she hadn’t had a life of her own until now. And I was the one who threatened her new life. “Dammit!” Her brother was an example in selfless love, spending what was probably a small fortune to make up for all that she missed because of him. No, not him, because of her parents.

  I could now understand the depth of her pain at missing him and that made me even more determined to make her listen to me. Elka needed more than just a little tender loving care, she needed someone to let her shine. To show her just how special she really was.

  * * *

  “You’re leaving.” It wasn’t the most scintillating thing I’d ever said but pulling into the driveway to see another damn trailer blocking the sidewalk threw me for a loop.

  “That’s the plan.” She didn’t look up which was fine by me because I didn’t have my words yet and because she was still a damn fine sight to these eyes. “Why are you here Antonio?”

  “Figured it was time we talked.” It was clear Elka had no plans to make it easy on me.

  She scoffed and pushed up from her spot on the floor where she’d packed books only recently unpacked. “You mean now that you have unequivocal proof that I’m not the terrible person you think I am? No thanks.”

  “I deserve that,” I conceded because I’d condemned her without any facts.

  “Damn right you do, but thanks for your permission.” Even though she was pissed at me, I liked this fiery, ta
ke no prisoners version of my little fairy.

  “I’m not…shit, Elka, stop twisting everything I say. I’m trying to apologize for-,”

  “Don’t you get it Antonio, I don’t want your apology. I wanted you to trust me, to see me for me before you made up your mind. That’s what I wanted.” And once again, what she wanted didn’t matter. She didn’t have to say it for me to know she was thinking it.

  “So you’re saying its too late?” I couldn’t stand to hear that, not for one fucking second. “I screw up one time-,”

  She laughed and it was pure, unabashed bitterness. “One time? Let’s not do this, Antonio. Knowing you has been…,” she trailed off and when her blue eyes landed on me, her smile was sad. Almost wistful. “A learning experience.”

  I was sure that wasn’t what she’d been about to say but I also wasn’t sure I wanted to hear the original ending to that sentence. “Don’t you want to know how it all turned out?”

  “What difference does it make, Antonio? The unspoken accusation is out there, out here in a small town. It will never be forgotten.” She was humiliated on top of everything else and in that moment, I wished I could make it all better for her.

  “That’s where you’re wrong. Nearly the whole damn town showed up to support you in court today. They all sat behind your empty chair, glaring at your parents and their lawyer.” The stunned, wide-eyed expression on her face was priceless and if she wasn’t trying to dart out of town on the next stiff breeze, I might have been able to find the humor in it.

  She sucked in a breath and took a step back before she dropped down onto the sofa. “So they all saw the video?”

  “Of the amazing thing your brother did for you? Yeah. We all saw how much Austin loved you and how much of you he saw. How he believed in you and that’s nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing at all.”

  She slumped forward and blew a stray curl out of her face. “Maybe, but saying it doesn’t make it so.”