Truth Avenged (Green Division Series Book 1) (22 page)

C
hapter Eighteen

While waiting for Amy
to come over to keep her company, Chance decided to catch up with Mr. Fitton.  The media had hounded him and she wondered how he’d held up.  Their discussion was short, Mr. Fitton was tired, but he sounded different.  Relieved.  Happy.  She wished him goodnight, thanked him again, and hung up the phone.

“
Cha-annnn-ce!”  Amy pushed her way inside and shoved Abby aside.  Abby could be a smidge over affectionate at times.  “I brought our favorites!”  Amy dropped a bag of food on the counter and a bottle of wine.

“
When did wine become one of my favorites?”  Chance picked up the bottle.

“
Yours is the food.  Mine is the wine.”

“
Clearly.”  Chance rummaged through the bag.  Amy had done well getting all her favorite comfort foods.  “How’d you manage to get away from your hubbie?”

“
Kids are at his parents and he’s out to camp.”

“
I see where I stand.”

“
I made plans first.  You aren’t my backup plan.”  Amy poured herself a glass of wine.  “Who is the guy?”

“
Huh?”

“
Don’t play dumb.  We may not see each other very often anymore, but I’ve known you my whole life.”  She refilled her cup.  “Most of my life.  You have that face, the you got your ass beat up by love face.  Who is it?”

Amy knew her too well.

“Come on.  I have to live vicariously through someone.  You apparently are getting more than I am.”

“
You have three kids.  You must be doing something.”

“
Mmm, have kids then tell me how amazing your sex life is.”

“
I don’t have a sex life.”

“
Well, I know you and Paul aren’t going at it, so—” She pulled out a box of French fries.  “Who could it possibly be?”

“
Go ahead and guess.”  Chance bit into her burger.  This should be interesting.

“
I don’t know.”  She brought her food and wine to the table.  “You’ve been a busy little bee this past month.  Someone at your work.  That new guy, the intern!”

“
The intern you’re thinking of left six months ago.”  Chance rolled her eyes.

“
Don’t be a bitch.”  She nudged her.

Chance
’s mouth dropped.  “It’s not my fault you’ve become all domesticated and forgotten about us poor single people.”

“
Back to the topic.  Not the intern.  Anyone at work?”

Chance shrugged her shoulders noncommittally.

“Anyone I know?”

She shrugged again.

“Ooooh, tell me.”

“
There’s nothing to tell.  I thought he was perfect.  But, perfection doesn’t exist. I should have known better.  He’s an asshole.”

“
You really liked him.”  She put her fries down.

Chance looked away.

“I’m sorry.”

“
It’s okay.  Is what it is.  And it’s over.  I’ve moved on.”

“
Oh you haven’t.  You better tell me.  All of it.  All the details.  Who was it?”

“
I don’t want to talk about it.”

“
Too bad.  Spill.”

“
You wouldn’t know him.”

“
That’s why you’re going to explain to me what he looks like in detail.  Height, weight, hair, size.”  She winked.

“
Tall, muscular, brown, and very, ah, satisfying, unfortunately.”  As much as she’d like to say otherwise.

“
Really.”  Amy grinned.  “Big, huh.”

Chance bit her lip.

“Who is he?” She leaned forward entranced.

“
I told you, he’s an asshole.”  She shut her eyes.

“
A talk, dark, handsome man with a huge Johnson.  Who cares if he is an asshole.”

“
Funny.”  Chance said sarcastically.  Ironic Amy had chosen the word Johnson to describe Tuck’s member.

“
Love sucks.”

“
I’m not in love.”  Chance came back quickly.

“
Oh boy.”  She pouted her lip.  “You have it bad.”

Chapter Nineteen

“I still can’t believe you kept it from me.”  Paul sipped his coffee.  He’d continued to dwell on her concealing what she’d found weeks prior.

“
You keep bringing that up.  You’re never going to forget, are you? I tried to talk to you in the hospital, but you thought I was delirious.” 

Paul agreed.  “
I got a call from Random House today.”

She choked on her coffee.

“They’ve offered you a book deal.”

“
What?  No!  Are you serious?”  She said shocked. 

“
Congratulations.”  He took her hand across the table.  “You deserve this.”

“
I can’t believe it.”

He passed her a piece of paper with a name and phone number on it.

“They want to meet with you.  Call and set up an appointment.”

“
I don’t know…”

“
Listen you, this is the opportunity of a lifetime and this story is yours.  Write it before someone else does.”

She smiled.  “
I should, huh.”

“
You will.  It’s not an option.  I told you things would work out.”  He released her hands.

“
Yeah.”  Her mind drifted.

“
Stop it.  We’ve had an intervention about this.”

She laughed.  “
I’m not thinking about him.”

“
Good girl.”  He sat back.  “Even though I don’t believe you.  I’ll still kick his ass if you want.  I have a bum knee, but I still have a mean right hook.”

She s
miled at him.  “And I told you no good will come of it.  Let it go.  I’m over him.”

He put his coffee down and rested his hands on the table.   “
Liar.”

She sighed.  “
I’m trying.”

Chapter Twenty

“Two weeks suspension and you can’t see Miss Phillips for six months from the time the investigation started. That’s the Colonel’s decision.”  Kerr passed him yet another write up.  “Rather fair.”

“
Very fair.”  He signed the sheet of paper.

“
After seeing you these past couple weeks, I’m not sure who took advantage of who.”

“
She’s certainly not the victim.”  Tuck stood up.

“
That plane she found, it’s still hard to believe.  Who would have guessed such a cover up would have been lost in the North Woods for all those years.”

“
Yeah, it’s something.  Can’t turn on the TV lately without seeing you, or her.”

“
The department wants to suck up all the PR it can get.”

“
I see that.”  Tuck walked to the door.

“
She’s just as broken as you, you know.”  Kerr had spent a great deal of time with her during the aftermath of the plane’s discovery.

“
You almost sound like you care.  You were the one who told me what a piece of shit I was when you found out I was involved with her.”

“
We all make hasty judgments.”   Kerr made snap judgments.  “What you did isn’t kosher by the rulebook, but I understand.”

“
The rulebook was right in this case.”  Tuck closed the office door behind him.

Chapter Twenty
One

Two months passed.  Nothing further in the case had developed. 
Jason hadn’t been spotted since.  He’d done well to drop off the face of the earth.  Truth be told, they didn’t search as hard for him as they should.  He wouldn’t be charged for his actions other than leaving the scene.

The Tranton grocery store was empty for a Friday evening.  Dressed down in his tattered hat, vin
tage tee shirt, ripped jeans, and shoes, Tuck was as unwardenly as humanly possible.  He rounded the meat aisle and picked through the steaks.  His cart was bachelor food—pizza, chicken wings, French fries, healthy all American foods.

Two men stood talkin
g beside a grocery cart ahead.  One was Paul.  What the hell were the odds?  He stared at him unconsciously and Paul caught him.  Tuck’s eyes didn’t wander.  Paul walked toward him with the look of a man on a mission.

“
Paul, stop!  Leave it alone!”  The man with Paul pleaded.

“
This will be fun.”  Tuck said to himself.  He, unlike Paul, had to think of his job.  He’d like to flatten Paul, but he needed to move on and let it pass.  That chapter was over and closed.

“
You are the biggest flaming fucking asshole in the history of this god damn earth.”  Paul poked his hand into Tuck’s chest.  Tuck’s face turned red.

“
Get your hand off of me.”

Paul
’s face matched Tuck’s.

“
Paul, don’t do this.”  The man with Paul begged.

“
I’ll meet you at the checkout Jon.  Me and warden boy here need to have a talk.”

“
Warden boy…” Tuck repeated lowly.  “Watch your mouth pretty boy.”

“
You’re the one who needs to watch himself right now.”

“
She’s all yours pal.”  Tuck was livid underneath.

“
You aren’t very intelligent are you?”  Paul poked his hand in chest again.  That intelligent line had been used several times lately, coupled with asshole.

“
If you’re okay with her fucking around and settling for you at the end of the day—” 

Tuck didn
’t have time to react from Paul’s lightening hook.  Tuck dropped to the ground.  Two old ladies moved as fast as they could into the next aisle, but watched intensely.

“
You are so god damn blind with jealously you don’t see it.  She’s too damn good for you.”

Tuck recovered
and got to his feet, pushing Paul away from him.

“
And you’re a better man?”  He yelled.

“
Better than you any day of the week.”  Paul said confidently.

“
I’m not fighting you for her.  You can have her, she’s all yours.”  He wouldn’t give up his career for her again. 
Walk away.  Just walk away Tuck.
 

“
You’re wrong about her.”  Paul pointed his finger at him.  “And if I wasn’t worried about going to jail, I’d kick your ass.”

“
That was a lucky hit.  It won’t happen again, I guarantee you.”  Tuck wiped the blood from his lip.  “Enjoy your life with her.  Good luck with the faithfulness issue.”

Paul walloped him a second time.  This one wasn
’t as easy to recover from.  Tuck attempted to get up, but Paul kicked him back with his polished wingtips.  Paul didn’t have the look of a fighter.  Looks were deceiving.

“
I don’t need to explain myself to you, but I’ll put this in context.  Jonathan is my partner.  I’m in a loving, devout relationship with him.  HE is my lover.  Not Chance.  Chance is my best friend.  She loved you. And you cop boy, are a fucking idiot.”

“
What?”  No, had he said he was gay?  Tuck must have misheard.

“
I said, I’m not fucking Chance.  She’s my friend.  I’m gay.  You’re a fucking idiot.  Good night.” 

Paul walked away satisfied.  He
’d been wanting to do that since Chance collapsed on the floor overwhelmed with emotion.  It was the first time in all the years he’d known her that he’d seen her so upset.

“
God that felt good.”  Paul said to himself proudly and met Jonathan at the front of the store.  Jon had checked out and gave him a disapproving look.

Tuck lay flat on his
back recovering from Paul’s blows.  It was the first time he’d had his ass kicked and he wanted so badly to return Paul’s hits, but he’d take a few punches rather than getting his ass in trouble for assault, regardless of whether it was deserved or not.

You are a fucking idiot, Tuck.

“Are you alright?  Should I call the police?”  A man from behind the deli counter asked.

“
No, it was a misunderstanding, I’m fine.” 

He pushed his
cart to the side and found a restroom to clean himself up.  He splashed water on his face and the sink turned red.  Paul knew how to box, not what he would picture from the delicate gimp.  All the things he said to Chance came flooding back at once. He should be elated that Paul was her friend, not her lover.  But, it didn’t matter.  He’d burned that bridge, torched it flat.  Even if he wanted to grovel, he wasn’t to have contact with her for four months.  Tuck held a bloody wet paper towel to his lip and stared at himself in the mirror.  This would be fun to explain. 

Tuck emerged from the bathroom and a Tranton officer met him at the checkout.  The few witnesses collaborated Tuck
’s version, that he hadn’t assaulted the other man involved.  Tuck told the officer he didn’t wish to press charges.  Of course they took Paul’s name and were going to further follow up.  Now he’d have to explain his injured face to Kerr, but that wasn’t his primary concern.