As someone deeply concerned with the bad things going on in Fairhaven, the records division at the local police department was probably the last place I should have been employed. But unfortunately, there was nowhere else in town I felt comfortable working at that paid as much.

With almost every other business bearing the name of Mayor Sullivan in ownership, or being otherwise associated with The Amato Group, the only place left was the coffee shop in the middle of town.

Sure, I could have mixed espresso drinks with the best of them, but I loved Blissful Brews too much. If I worked there, I was sure I'd grow to hate it, and I never wanted to hate it.

So, instead, I found myself filing neverending piles of paperwork in the annex of the police department, and I liked it just fine.

There was something to be said about sorting through the delicate business of Fairhaven's residents, handling the documentation of their troubles with care, and making sure everything was stored properly online. The work was mundane but important.

Though, I suppose not everyone saw it that way, as displayed by the chatter of my fellow coworkers one gloomy morning at the office.

It had been a month since Dalton died, and I was still about as dismal as the gray and cloudy sky that followed me into work that day. Even if things were slowly getting back to normal, it was still hard most of the time, and their conversation wasn't helping my mood.

"Carl says he answered another call at Rob and Ginny's two nights ago," Debbie said to Marceline. Her voice held the secretive hush of someone who had no desire to actually keep a secret. Whispery but not really, dripping in intrigue as she tacked on a quick, "Domestic."

Marceline's eyes lit up. "What happened?"

"Same old," Debbie answered with a shrug. "Rob talked Carl down with the whole misunderstanding line while Ginny stayed quiet and let him get away with it. You know how it is with those two. But that's not even the most interesting part..."

All at once, the air in the room shifted. The smell of coffee and the buzz of the giant printer in the corner seemed too casual for the suspense Debbie had brought in with only a few words.

"Do tell." Marceline dipped closer, all ears as our coworker shared more tidbits of information she received from her officer husband.

"Carl went to check on them yesterday afternoon and they were gone."

I shifted in my seat, letting out a disgruntled sigh as I set my eyes on the computer screen in front of me, my stomach uneasy.

Having loose lips was one thing, but hearing Debbie turn Rob and Ginny's actual police business into gossip was another level of inappropriate.

"What do you mean gone?" Marceline asked.

"As in, they left without a trace."

"Both of them?"

"Mmhmm," Debbie shared with a twinkle, using the same tone she employed last week when announcing there was cake in the breakroom. "Rob's truck was gone and Ginny's Volvo was still in the carport, but there was no sign of either in the house. Carl looked through the side window, said the bedroom was trashed like they'd packed in a hurry."

"Weird," Marceline mused softly. "I wonder if they're just getting away for a few days."

"Right after a domestic call?" Debbie barked an exasperated laugh. "It's all in here," she said. I looked over just as she started waving the report around like it was a prized teddy bear at the town's annual fall carnival. "Read what he wrote about Ginny's mannerisms. She didn't have to say anything for Carl to know that she was in distress. And then they both just...vanish the next day?"

"You're right," Marceline said, her head shaking with dismay. "It seems fishy."

"Exactly." Debbie sighed and then her voice dropped low. "Especially since Rob spends his fair share of time by the river docks, if you know what I mean. And there's a stack of other reports around here with his name all over them too."

Good grief.

She was allowed to assume all she wanted about the activity that went on by the river. We all did. But when she brought up more reports from our little section of the police department, I couldn't take it anymore.

"You know, Debbie..." Turning in my chair, I snatched the report out of her hands. "This isn't a job to take lightly. Lots of sensitive information comes through these doors, and it's our job to make sure it's secured and distributed as needed. Not used for gossip material."

Marceline at least had the decency to look guilty, her head bowing down to avoid my gaze as she got back to work. Debbie just rolled her eyes.

"For your information," she said with all kinds of attitude, "I didn't have to read the report to find most of that out. Carl told me all about it this morning."

"That's not the flex you think it is," I said with a laugh. "The details of a case aren't for pillow talk. Your husband could get in a lot of trouble for sharing them, and the situation with Rob and Ginny could get a lot worse if you start the rumor mill."

"I'm hardly starting the rumor mill," Debbie huffed, finally returning to the work in front of her. "It is public record, after all."

"Doesn't make it right."

"Makes it legal."

"Yeah..." I tilted my head at her, brows furrowed with disbelief. "And a little grimy too."

Debbie turned back to me, and when she laughed again, it was smug as could be. "You're one to talk."

My spine straightened as I narrowed my eyes at her. "What does that mean?"

"Just a friendly reminder that I'm not the only one sleeping with an officer." She gave me a pointed look. "I'm sure Spencer's pillow talk doesn't always follow the rules."

My stomach spun at the pillow talk jab, but as the seconds ticked by between us, her gaze finally collected a smidgen of something that looked like remorse, so I let it go.

It's not like it was a secret that Spencer and I were hooking up. Everyone in town was in each other's business, whether we liked it or not.

"These guys have a hard time out there," Debbie continued, her mouth tipping downward with a frown. "They witness things no one should ever have to see, and it's their job to shut up and take care of business. Sometimes, they need to talk to someone about all the shit they deal with. If hearing him out makes me a bad person, then so be it. But don't pretend your hands are pristine, Davina. We all know what your family's legacy looks like."

Debbie was a charming overstepper and a supreme gossip, exceedingly good with words. Which is probably why they continued to unravel me. This time, though, it had less to do with workplace integrity and more to do with her audacity.

Being associated with the unsavory parts of my family's livelihood was a nasty thorn in my side, and I couldn't do anything about it. I'd been trying so hard to separate myself from what my dad left behind and the things Dante grabbed the reins of, it was harsh being called out for the sins of blood I had no choice in sharing. Especially by someone who had no idea how deep the ties went or how hard they were to cut.

If Debbie thought Rob's time at the river was a hot topic, she'd go nuts if she knew what my own brother actually did.

Dante spent more time handling business by the river docks now than our father ever had, pedaling illicit substances to the tri-county area and using muscle to secure the sale of firearms on a nationwide scope.

The Amato Group was sailing plenty of business deals down the Kingston River. It was constant and atrocious, dangerous and far-reaching enough to claim Dalton's life three states away. Every morning I woke up missing a piece of myself, I hated the whole lot of them more and more. Dante got a pass because he was family. I could never hate him, but I sure hated what he did.

By the time I turned back to my own workspace, my grieving heart was racing and my hands shook with frustration. Debbie could kick rocks.

The slide of the office door was a welcome distraction as my best friend and always late coworker made her usual entrance, approximately seventeen minutes after she was supposed to be at work. Typical.

Leann Martin was as bold as her bright blue hair and couldn't be bothered with rules. I was relieved at the sight of her, happy to have her late arrival disrupt the tension between me and Debbie.

"Beautiful morning, ladies," Leann acknowledged all of us as she took her seat with a flair, but one glance in my direction let her know that I wasn't having a beautiful morning. "Davina, why does your face look like that?"

"No reason." I wiped all traces of irritation, my eyes flashing to Debbie for a quick second before floating back to Leann. "How was your drive in?"

"Dismal in the rain," she sang out, "but not nearly as dismal as your face. What's wrong? Didn't get your Lovejoy fix yet?"

Her shoulders shook with an amused laugh, entirely too pleased with herself for that little remark about Spencer. She had no idea how bad her timing was.

"Leann, please," I muttered, not daring to look over and see if Debbie caught what she said. I didn't want to give her any more ammo than necessary.

"What?" Leann turned her computer on, her voice distracted now as the ancient screen came to life. "I just saw him outside the chief's office." Another laugh. And then, "There's still time to grab a kiss."

I wanted to tell her that we didn't do that kind of thing. I only let Spencer kiss me when we were having sex, and even then, I tried to avoid it. But that felt too personal to share. 

Besides, I was too hung up on the first thing she said.

Spencer should have been out in his cruiser by now. What was he doing outside the chief's office?

My eyes drifted up to the wall of windows that separated our annex from the main building, taking in the view over there as people in business casual mingled with those in uniform.

I located Chief Barlow's office like a homing beacon, and sure enough—Spencer was right there, still standing outside the door with him.

I watched as they exchanged a conversation I wished I could hear, my stomach rolling with the anxiety of possibilities. Then they wrapped it up with a handshake before Spencer strolled off toward the exit.

As he passed by reception, he checked his watch before coming to a stop and greeting Doris with a smile.

She was a friend of his family, old and beloved. She liked to pinch his cheeks and treat him like the adorable toddler she once knew, tarnishing his tough cop routine any chance she got. And yet, he always stopped by her desk on his way out. Even if he was short on time, like today, because he was in the chief's office.

Why was he in the chief's office?

It was an absurd question to ask, considering he was a police officer and all, but no one ever went in there if they could avoid it, and my mind was always reeling. Especially with Debbie's comments fresh in the air.

The truth she shared about my family was hard enough to swallow, but when it came to Spencer, my feelings were a bit more confused.

He'd been my forever crush for as long as I could remember, but he was among the many people in Fairhaven that I simply couldn't trust.

Not only did his family history speak for itself, he also seemed to have a close working relationship with Captain Parisi, who was Giovanni Amato's cousin and personally appointed by Mayor Sullivan.

That alone was damning, but he also liked to dance around the truth when I asked him about any...extracurricular work he did for the department. Heck, he rarely told me about the regular stuff.

While Debbie seemed convinced that most cops were the sharing type like Carl, that couldn't have been further from the truth with Spence. He was tight-lipped about work.

I'm one of the good guys, he always said to me. No specifics, no details. Never any more than that vague declaration of goodness.

Dante told me every chance he got that Spence was as crooked of a cop as his old man, and it was getting harder to disagree. As much as he hailed himself as one of the good guys, the evidence continued to stack against him.

I kept my eyes on Spence as Doris reached for his cheeks. They turned red and not just because of her exuberant pinching.

At the heart of it, underneath the uniform and behind those vigilant wolf eyes, he was soft. Gentle. Sometimes goofy. I'd seen all the parts of him, knew them intimately and otherwise, and this was my favorite him. The guy who made time for Doris and let her fawn like a proud grandma.

I hated the other stuff that got in the way.

Beside me, someone cleared their throat with an obnoxious grunt, and my concentration was broken. When I followed the sound, I found Debbie's smug grin pointed right at me, undoubtedly pleased that she caught me staring at Spencer.

I should have just gotten back to work, not given her any new reasons to gossip around town about the two of us, but I couldn't shake the urge to catch Spence before he left.

When I jumped to my feet, I noticed Debbie shake her head from the corner of my eye. Marceline arched her neck to get a better vantage point on my sudden movement. Leann made kissing noises as I fled the room.

I didn't care about a single one of them.

I caught up with Spence right as he was climbing into his cruiser, holding tight to a leather-bound notebook he always kept close when he was on shift. I was about to call out to stop him from leaving, but as soon as he sat down in the driver's seat, he turned his head toward me like he knew I was coming all along.

"Diva Davina," he said, smiling through his chewing gum as I approached the car. He tossed his notebook to the passenger seat. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"Nothing, I just..." I took a composing breath, more flustered than I wanted to be, but that was often the story of my life in his presence. "I thought you'd be gone already, but uh...I saw you leaving Barlow's office, so I figured I'd come say hi. And bye."

Spencer's mouth quirked into a charming smile, and he brushed a hand through his hair. As his shirt sleeve shifted with the motion, I caught a glimpse of the ink that ran along his arm, starting at his wrist and going up.

"Well, then. Hi," he said, voice dropping low as those wolf eyes held me captive. Then he glanced at the clock on his dash, and the ghost of a frown touched his lips when he added, "And bye."

I placed one hand on the door of his car and the other on the roof, not allowing him to close it and leave just yet. "Everything okay with the chief?" I asked him without thinking.

Spencer's eyebrows dipped together. "Why you asking me that?"

Cinnamon invaded my nostrils. I was standing far too close to him, but I cleared my throat and kept going, like an idiot. "I just...is there anything I should know about your conversation? For the sake of records and documentation and all that?"

He blinked a few times and licked his lips. "Not that I know of," he answered slowly. "Everything okay with you, Davina?"

I laughed off the awkwardness. I was terrible at investigating. "Yeah, of course. I'm just, ya know, being thorough."

"For the records," he stated, nodding. "And the documentation and all that?"

"Yeah, exactly," I said, nodding right back and trying to be casual. But he caught it. The question in my eyes that lingered behind all the stupid word vomit.

Are you one of the good guys, Spencer Lovejoy?

He sighed and looked out the windshield, collecting his thoughts for a moment before turning to me. "Everything is fine," he said, his voice flat and his eyes strict, that multi-colored gaze catching mine as he added softly, "I promise."

My head bobbed up and down while his words sank in and did a number on my chest. Everything felt tight where I ached for the lax sensation of relief, but I swallowed back my emotions and doubts.

"Okay," I said with a smile, my eyes trailing along his face and then over the interior of his cruiser, where lights blinked from the patrol screens on his console and the sound of the radio offered a background of familiar static in my ears. "Be safe out there, Spence."

"I always am."

His eyes held mine hostage again, and I should have moved, but I didn't. I lingered by his car door as silence stalled in the air between us for a few seconds, thick with the scent of cinnamon and anticipation. And something else that shouldn't have been there.

I kind of wanted to keep talking to him, but that wasn't supposed to be us. And when I decided nothing else needed to be said, I turned to leave.

I didn't make it one step before he snagged my wrist. "Davina, wait."

The warmth of his hand sent a tingle up my spine, and my name was a plea on his lips. It had me spinning to face him like it was all I knew how to do. "Yeah?"

"Will you come over tonight?"

My shoulders fell with a relief I didn't want to admit out loud. "Yeah, of course." I nodded. "I have plans with Leann at eight, but I'll swing by before."

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