Hix didn’t extend that further courtesy.
“She lost guardianship doin’ time for puttin’ him in a place like that after drivin’ him home drunk from a party. Greta looks after him. And she wasn’t feelin’ a lotta love for her mom so she took her off the visitor list. Tawnee felt her next move was causin’ a scene on the day she knew Greta came to spend time with him. This didn’t go well, not because Greta’s seein’ me and I intervened, but because Andy doesn’t really give much of a fuck his mother was arrested. But this is neither here nor there for you. These aren’t serious charges, we’ll just make a note of the arrest on her record and I’m happy to release her to you under her recognizance and her promise that she doesn’t do that shit again.”
Becker still said nothing.
“Did I lose you?” Hix asked.
“We got a problem because of this?”
“You mean a bigger one than the last one she caused?” Hix asked for clarity.
“Yeah,” Becker bit out, not sounding happy.
The light went out of his voice when Hix ordered, “Come get her ass and impress upon her I don’t want it in my department again. Be convincing, Becker. And for your efforts, I’ll share you know I don’t like what you do. You also know you bought me steppin’ over the deal you had with Blatt. But I figure you further know I got dick on you or I’d have been up in your shit after you made your last bad play. So that’s where we are. You trip up, I catch it, we’ll go from there. You stay smart, I won’t have any choice. In the meantime, you buy me not feelin’ the need to get really fucking nosy for a good while, you get that woman to refocus on something other than her daughter and son.”
“Not sure how you got the idea she means that much to me,” Becker replied.
“Then she has a problem and so do you because right now I’m feelin’ your connection more than you are, and everything she pulls, I’ll read as shit comin’ direct from you. And I can assume you’d understand it doesn’t make me happy to walk into my department and have her offer up a taste so I can compare mother and daughter.”
“Jesus,” Becker muttered.
“Those blowjobs probably don’t seem so awesome right about now, am I right?”
“I’ll send a man to get her,” Becker stated on a sigh.
“Obliged.”
He gave it a beat before he said, “I didn’t know about her boy, Hixon. That shit’s fucked up.”
Like him understanding the concept of a mother disabling her own son because she operated a vehicle inebriated made Hix think he was a better person.
“You’re correct,” was all he said.
“I’ll deal with her for you then I’m scrapin’ her off. Too much trouble,” Becker declared.
“That’s not my business. Just take her off my hands, and for now, we’re good.”
“My man is already on his way.”
“Thrilled,” Hix muttered, said, “Good luck,” and he hung up.
“Please, God,” Bets begged, walking in the second he put his phone down, “let me record five minutes of that woman and then let me shoot her. Judge Bereford won’t arraign me, he listens to five minutes of her crap. He might pin a medal on me.”
“Becker’s sending a man to pick her up.”
“Becker?” she asked.
“Ms. Dare likes to be multi-faceted in the ways she’s a piece of work.”
“Can I hide in here until he shows?” Bets asked.
He smiled at her and joked, “Where’s badass Deputy Bets?”
“Badass Deputy Bets is badass enough to admit she can’t spend another minute with the trash in our cell and she’s okay with that, that trash is so trashy.”
“Then go on patrol, don’t bug me.”
She grinned. “Good idea. I’ll take Donna with me. And Larry. And Hal.”
“Bring me a coffee from Babycakes.”
“You got it, boss.”
He looked down to the file he’d never finished reading but back up to her when she called his name.
Then he braced when he saw her face.
“It was uncool,” she said hesitantly. “I was just bein’ stupid. You’re a good guy and there’s not a lot to choose from around here, but you were—”
“It’s okay, Bets,” he said quietly. “Forgotten.”
“Yeah?”
He nodded.
She shot him a relieved smile and disappeared.
Five minutes later, he got up and walked to the door she’d left open when Tawnee screamed, “Where’s everyone going? Fuck you! I didn’t do dick! Let me out!”
He shut it, shutting out her voice.
He did it thinking that Donna’s suggestion had merit.
They looked alike.
But Hix had concerns when they handed Greta to her mother in the hospital, they’d given her to the wrong woman.
“So, he likes you.”
“Yeah?”
“Like, a lot.”
“Good.”
Hix and Greta were not on her porch that night.
They were making out, stretched on her couch.
As well as, apparently, talking about her brother.
Hix didn’t want to talk about her brother.
“What we got?” Hix asked to change the subject, sliding his mouth up the side of her neck.
“What we got?” she asked back breathily, sliding her hands up either side of his spine.
He made it to her mouth and looked in her eyes. “Hours.”
She knew exactly what he was talking about.
“Twenty-two.”
He grinned against her lips.
She frowned against his.
“Shaw’s gonna be home soon,” she noted but did it with her arms closing around him.
“Yeah,” he grunted, doing it rolling off her, to his side, and taking her to hers in front of him.
She shoved her face in his throat and held on to him.
He buried his face in her hair and held her back.
“Thanks for today,” she whispered against his skin.
“My job in two ways.”
He felt her press close.
It was a good response.
And all she had to say.
She tensed against him when she warned, “She’s just warming up.”
“We’ll get through it.”
“You’ve got kids.”
“She sinks even lower, which it’s clear she’s capable of, I’ll talk to them and then we’ll all get through it.”
She pulled her face out of his throat and he tipped his head down to look at her.
“If that guy dumps her—”
He’d told her about Becker.
“Baby,” he gave her a squeeze, “we’ll get through it.”
“Just . . . batten down the hatches.”
He grinned. “Consider them battened.”
She frowned at him. “It sucks you can be cute and hot and you won’t have sex with me.”
“Twenty-two hours,” he reminded her.
“My nose is not attached to my lady parts, Hixon.”
He started laughing, gathering her closer. “It feel better?”
“Yep.”
“Every day?”
“Yep.”
“Then trust me.”
She rolled her eyes.
When she was done doing that, he ordered, “Now kiss me. I gotta go home to my son.”
“Just to say, after I’m done with my clients, I’m helping you move on Saturday. I’ll be done at three.”
“You can unpack boxes.”
“My nose is also not attached to my arms or legs.”
“You can unpack boxes,” he repeated.
“Part of me thinks I should not find a protective man annoying, but I do,” she informed him.
“Get over it.”
“I also find a bossy man annoying,” she shared.
“Get over that too.”
“And a repetitive one.”
“Greta?”