Happy Monday! Hope this next part gets you through the day! Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed and even those who have reached out here and on Tumblr! Y'all are the absolute best.
This is on the shorter side, so I will try my best to get the next part up soon, but my week is insane, so there is no telling!
Jay felt that his head was going to explode. The incessant waiting and worrying and wondering what was going to happen next had him on edge. He didn't like it.
It had been almost three days since the meeting at the warehouse, and all he had heard from Reyes was that he was out of town on business. He considered texting Erin then, but the quick after thought was that maybe she was with him.
The words from his sergeant still echoed in his mind. "Do what you need to do." That was certainly not something he was used to hearing from Voight, but that didn't mean his boss's words should be ignored. He would know exactly what to do to make sure Erin could get out and stay out and not be charged for any involvement in Reyes's crimes. They could swing it, he knew, with very little information from her and get her probably zero jail time.
His thoughts were soon broken when the sound of his ringing phone filled the cab of his truck. He had needed to get out of the apartment where he was temporarily living and the drive around the city led him to the silos.
"Hello?" he answered.
"Chase, my man!" came a very chipper-sounding Reyes. What the heck.
"Hey man, what's up?" he replied.
"No much. Just got back to Chicago and wanted to let you know I accepted your offer. I knew we would have something great here. I also wanted to apologize for my behavior the other day. One of my other clients decided he couldn't pay, and we can't have that. But, to make it up to you, I'd like to send you something. Just to show my appreciation."
"Oh, that's not necessary," Jay tried to explain.
"Of course, it is! Just give me your address and I will have it sent over within the hour."
Jay thought back to Jared's words from day one. Say yes.
He quickly gave him his address as he started his truck back up. He needed to actually be at his apartment if Reyes was sending something, whatever that may be over.
Jay made it back in what seemed like record time, and the next thing he knew, there was a knock at his door. His heat rate suddenly picked up, because in a rare moment of his life, he didn't know what to expect.
The sorry excuse of an apartment lacked a peep hole, so he was left with zero heads up. As he approached the door, his right hand fell to the gun he had tucked in the waistband of his jeans. Rather be safe than sorry, and with that he cracked the door open, not expecting what lay behind it.
"Hey," came Erin's soft voice.
"Umm hey," Jay replied before opening the door more. This was happening, apparently.
He let Erin in and just watched her take in the minimal surroundings of his place. His mind quickly flashed to him letting her into his actual apartment.
The actual apartment he shared with another woman he was pretty sure might not be there anymore.
"So, Reyes, sent me over to thank you," she began, sitting down on the couch in the living room. She didn't hesitate at all to take off her jacket and kick off her heels. It looked like she actually lived here.
"Yeah, but I wasn't expecting this," he replied, shocked by the words that came out of his mouth. But he had to play it up. For the ops' sake.
Erin just laughed, crossing one toned leg over the other and leaning into the hard cushions.
"He usually saves me for the people he likes the best."
Jay was stunned. Had Reyes sent Erin over here for his apologize? And she was expected to do what? Service him?
He was soon brought out of his stunned state when he saw her moving towards his position in the hallway, her hips swaying just a little more than he's noticed before.
"Umm what are you doing?" he asked as she made her way closer.
"What I was sent here for," she replied, her voice become deeper than its normal rasp. Even with the statement, Jay felt all his blood rush south and his mouth became dry.
"Jordan wanted me to make sure you were well taken care of," she said as her hands fell to his hips and her mouth landed just below his ear. Jay was sure he could die right here and be fine.
"He cares about his clients," she said, her lips moving to the hollow of his throat. A groan escaped him when her tongue touched the scar there. Allie had never done that and he never knew it was such a turn on for him.
"Erin," he said, his voice strangled. What was this woman doing to him?
He tried her name again but her lips continued to move down his chest along the exposed skin from his henley. Her hands, at the same time, were getting dangerously close to certain parts of him that did not need more attention from this woman.
"Erin," he said forcefully, his mind finally remembering he was working on a case. His hands grasped her arms, pulling her off his body.
"While I appreciate the apology, but I can't accept this," he said.
Erin's lips soon moved into a frown and her head cocked to the side, clearly trying to analyze him and his statement.
"Are you sure?" she asked, "because it seemed like you were appreciating it."
Her lips turned up into a smirk as her hands fell to his belt, quickly undoing the buckle as her hands grazed the zipper of his jeans. He had to bit his lip to escape any sound from coming out or showing her just how turned on he was right now. But he figured she knew that. He needed to difuse this situation and avoid her, avoid what she was doing to him. Because this woman was already making him feels thinks he never felt for another woman before.
"Yes, I am sure," he said, moving towards the living area and putting much needed distance between them.
Erin soon followed but made no other moves. She came to stand in front of him opposite the couch, her arms crossed across her chest and her eyes narrowing slightly to show her dislike of the situation.
Had what just happened affected her as much as it did him?
"Well what would you like then?"
"To talk," was all he replied.
She sighed, knowing now this wasn't going how she thought at all.
"About the warning? Or the note?"
Jay just nodded and moved to sit on the couch on the arm of the couch, seeing as there were no other options.
"Your team just needs to be very careful," she whispered after a while.
His head then snapped to hers and his mouth started moving before his mind caught up with what was happening.
"My what?" he asked, anger and shock seeping into his voice.
"I know you're a cop," she said, turning her body to face his.
Jay was stunned as a million questions ran through his head. He felt the beginnings of a headache forming between his eyes and his heart rate began to speed up again.
"I didn't tell anyone," she continued.
"Explain. Now," he said. Jay was surprising himself at how angry he was becoming, but he chalked it up to the repercussions of what could happen if this knowledge got into the wrong hands and maybe a little of the frustration he was now feeling following the events that just occurred.
Erin took a deep breath before finally meeting his eyes, moving to sit on the coffee table in front of him.
"A few years ago, before I got in with Reyes, I got questioned as a witness in a drug deal gone wrong. Buyer got shot when the seller jacked up the price and couldn't pay. You were one of the officers on the scene."
Jay's mind vaguely remembered the case, but it was still foggy.
"How long ago?" he asked.
"About five years," she answered.
Five years would put him back on patrol. No wonder why he wouldn't remember.
"I am assuming I didn't question you, otherwise I will feel like an ass for not recognizing you."
Erin laughed again, a real one this time, and Jay decided then and there he needed to hear that again.
"No, you didn't, I just remember thinking you were too pretty to be a cop."
Now it was his turn to laugh. Five years ago would put him fresh out of academy and the service, back when he still had a "baby face" as Allie always said.
"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" he asked.
"I didn't want anything to happen to you, because I agree with what you're doing. Reyes has been doing this for too long, but I knew I couldn't say anything."
"Why would you think that?" he questioned. What did Reyes have on her, if anything?
"I don't suppose a girl working for a black-market dealer with priors can walk into a police station and confess everything and expect to be believed."
She had a point. Before this case, he would think she was insane or trying to pull their legs and get them caught up in something more dangerous.
"But when I saw you, I knew you could help, because why else would you be here?"
She was smart, he had to hand it to her. Based on what he knew, he would be a month's pay that she knew how it all worked.
"So, do you have any ideas?" he asked, giving in to this questioning.
Erin smiled, "I just might."
