Enjoying his lunch break the next day, Angelo grunts in time with his thrusts. With her skirt bunched over her hips, her legs wrapped around his body, her arms locked around his neck, she held on to him as he slammed her back against the wall with every thrust. Panting, she bucked against him, her orgasm hitting them both hard. She dug her teeth into his shoulder to stifle her cries as he continued to thrust into her hard, her body riding his as he thrust into her with one final powerful thrust. He stifled his cries out against her mouth as he came.

"Bravo," Martha claps from her position against the opposite wall.

"Fuck Martha," Angelo hastily pulls out of Indi, "How long have you been there for?"

"Long enough to know that she's a real little goer." Martha sidles up to Indi, looking her up and down. "Cute too." She smiles maliciously, "How about you share."

"Fuck you bit..."

Indi's retort is cut off when Martha slams her against the wall, her forearm across her throat. "Careful little girl or you may find yourself looking like your brother does at the moment."

"Martha, let her go."

Martha pushes a little harder, before stepping back. "Keep your dog on a leash Angelo and out of my club."

"Jealous Martha," Angelo taunts her.

"Of her, definitely not and I certainly don't miss fucking you." Martha glares at Indi, daring her to say something. "I just don't want her brother getting his wife coming by all the time, looking for her."

"My brother could care less about me."

Martha sneers at her. "You don't lie very well little girl."

"Stop calling me that."

"Angelo, send the little whore home, we need to talk."

"Later."

"Now Angelo."

"I'm busy," Angelo says defiantly.

"Not anymore." Martha glares at him, "We're being audited and it's all your fault."

"Fuck."

"Angelo, what's wrong?" Indi asks.

Angelo sighs, "You'd better go Indi."

Indi looks ready to protest until she sees the look on Martha's face. "Will I see you again?"

"Later."

"Is there anything between the ears," Martha remarks once Indi had gone, "Cause I swear she has a bad case of that 'he's so wonderful' sickness that goes around."

"Fuck you Martha."

"What the hell are you doing with her Angelo, she's trouble."

"You won't let me use the girls so I have to get it from somewhere."

"Find someone else."

"No."

"Angelo, are you forgetting who she's related to?"

"They think I put that little shit in hospital, but his sister doesn't and as long as she's with me, it makes me look innocent."

Martha just stares at him, shaking her head. "You're an idiot Angelo." Checking to make sure no one else was around, Martha launches into her tirade, her anger at his behaviour making Angelo blanch as she lets loose.

"Look O'Malley, after dealing with Martha, I'm not really in the mood for your whining."

"I'm telling you Angelo, that detective is getting close. She had me in her office earlier and she knows all about my debt and the fact that I just paid off all my late mortgage payments."

"You stupid fuck, you weren't supposed to pay it all off at once."

"I needed the bank off my back," O'Malley justifies himself, even though he knew he had stuffed up.

"And now you have that bitch on your back."

"She knows I lied about the alibi Angelo, she always has."

"She may suspect but as long as you keep your mouth shut, she can't prove anything."

"If I can't explain the money, I'm the one who's going to be under suspicion."

"It's no secret you have a gambling problem, just say you won the money."

"Oh that's a great idea," he says sarcastically. "Jesus Angelo, I don't exactly have any way to prove I won the money."

"Then admit you won it by betting illegally and take your punishment."

"I'll lose my job."

"That's not my problem."

O'Malley stares out the window, not even seeing the scenery as he wonders when his life had gotten so fucked up. "When is it going to stop Angelo, first Jack, then Trevor."

"O'Malley, how many times do I have to tell you that it was an accident, I didn't know Jack was there."

"That's the official report but I knew how much you hated Jack." O'Malley wipes his sweating palms on his pant leg. "Listen Angelo, you dragged me into this, I've covered for you on shift when you've had to do other things, the least you can do is be honest with me."

"Keep your mouth shut O'Malley. It was an accident and if I hear you saying any differently or see you talking to that bitch again, I might have to pay a visit to your sister," Angelo threatens, knowing exactly how to keep him quiet.

"Stay the hell away from her."

"Just remember O'Malley, I know how to hurt you. Now you've been well paid for your services, so just shut the fuck up."

"I want out Angelo."

"If that's what you want."

"Yeah it is. Angelo, why are you pulling over?"

"I think we have a flat." Angelo hops out of the car, "Yep, it's a flat."

O'Malley curses, getting out of the car when Angelo pops the boot. "It didn't sound like a flat." With O'Malley's back to him, Angelo raises the crow bar and brings it down hard, flinching slightly at the sound of O'Malley's skull cracking. When O'Malley twitches, Angelo hits him again and again, just to make sure.

"Now you're out of it all." He smiles, "And now you can't recant the alibi."

Later that night, Angelo was working out his frustrations at both Martha and O'Malley with Indi. Coming hard, he collapses on top of her. Catching his breath, he rolls to her side. "Sorry about that, you're probably going to have bruises."

Indi stretches, feeling her body ache from his use. "Bruises don't bother me."

Angelo glances at her. "You really do like it rough, don't you?"

"Maybe not quite that rough but I always believe if you can't feel it after you're finished, there's not much point in doing it." Indi snuggles up against him. "Did you sort out your problems?"

"What problems?"

"Your friend said you were being audited."

"Oh that, yeah, just a clerical error in the books of my folks restaurant," Angelo says, his ears still ringing from the extremely loud abuse Martha had hurled at him about bringing unwanted attention on them. "Why are you here Indi, surely your brother told you what I'm supposed to have done."

"Penny was the one who warned me away from you."

"Who the fuck is Penny?"

"My sister-in-law. She thinks going by her last name makes her sound mature."

"If she warned you away, then why are you here?" he asks again.

"Because it was her that warned me away. Penny is a stuck up bitch, always trying to tell me what to do and unlike her, I believe in innocent until proven guilty." She looks at him. "You didn't bash Dex, did you?"

"Of course not," he says easily. "I have nothing against your brother."

"Then why does she think you did it?"

"Because she and that bitch of a friend of hers have been after me ever since they came to the Bay," Angelo fumes. "They think I killed a cop and they don't give a fuck that I have an alibi."

"If you're talking about Joey, once she decides you're worthless or guilty, you stay that way in her eyes."

"Yeah well she's wrong this time and that bitch's constant interference has cost me my fiancée."

"You're not engaged?" Indi asks hopefully.

"We're taking a short break at the moment and as soon as that bitch is gone, Charlie will be back with me."

"So what's this Charlie like?" Indi asks about her competition.

Angelo smiles, "She's absolutely beautiful and amazing."

"Then why are you here and not trying to win her back?"

"When she realises what she's missing, she'll come running back to me."

"Does she like it rough?"

Angelo snorts, "God no. She's got this hang up about sex lately and as much as I love her, I've always found her to be a bit of a dull fuck. Aside from our first time being in the toilets at the station, she's always played it safe. She certainly wouldn't let me fuck her in the squad car or use handcuffs on her, hell, she won't even go down on me."

"Sounds like she doesn't appreciate you, so why stay with her?"

"I love her. When we're back together, I know we're going to be happy and in no time, we'll have little Rosetta's running around."

"You want kids."

"I want Charlie's kids. That'll tie us together forever."

"Is that the only reason you want kids?"

"Part of it but I've always wanted kids, to see my legacy carried on in my kids." He grins, "And with our looks, our kids are going to be gorgeous."

"I want heaps of kids."

"What about your brother, he planning on knocking up Graves anytime soon or doesn't he know how to?"

"God I hope not, then he'll be stuck with her and so will I."

"How did he ever manage to catch a hot chick like Graves."

"Despite her looks, no one else would touch her. She's boring and weird, plus her friends are total bitches."

"You really don't like her, do you?"

"She looks down at me like I'm scum and she's always going on about how she wants to help me but the bitch wouldn't even give me the money I asked for."

Angelo smiles at the scorn in her voice. "How much did you ask for?"

"Only ten grand."

Angelo's eyebrows raise at the casual way she said it. "That's a lot of money."

"Not for her."

"Oh?" Angelo's interest peaked even more.

"She's loaded, her whole family is."

"When you say loaded, just how much are we talking about?"

"Ten grand would be nothing to her."

"What can you tell me about her, I mean, she's not really Miss Straight and Narrow is she?" Angelo asks, the cogs turning in his brain.

"Hell no. For starters, she cheats on Dex."

"With Collins?" Angelo asks with relish.

"God no! She may be a queer lover but she's not queer. No, Penny's been banging the next door neighbour ever since she and Dex hooked up."

"You got proof of that?"

Indi grins, "I took a couple of photos in case I needed something." She sighs, "I just wish I hadn't left them at home."

"Couldn't you get someone to email them?"

Indi hesitates, "Ah, I suppose my roommate could."

"Send me a copy."

Indi looks at him curiously. "Why?"

"Because I want those bitches off my back." He smirks, "Wait, better yet, email them to your brother, let him see what a slut he's married to."

"How will that get her off your back?"

"She'll be so busy worried about her husband, she probably won't come back and if she does, her mind will be elsewhere and we both know how much Collins will hate that," he chuckles. "Hey, you got any dirt on Collins?"

She shakes her head. "I avoid her as much as I can."

"Why?"

"She's so cold, it's like there's no emotions at all when she stares at you." She shudders.

"That's ok," he forces her on to her back and moves over her, "I'll warm you up."

The following day, Joey looks up from her desk, frowning when Graves tosses a large envelope on her desk and sits down, her arms crossed aggressively.

"What's this?"

"Have a look and you'll see." Joey opens the envelope, whistling when she sees Graves in a very compromising position. "After being on the receiving end this time, I'm more glad than ever that you volunteered to be the blackmailee with Martha."

"Blackmailee? Is that even a word?"

"Who the fuck cares?" she snaps angrily, "Joey, those photos were sent straight to my husband."

"Dex wouldn't have doubted you," Joey says confidently.

"Not even for a second, but he's hurt because he knows damn well that Indi took those photos and altered them."

Joey stares at the pictures a little harder. "This is actually you, isn't it?" Graves blushes furiously. "And Dex?" Joey guesses.

"Indi must have had the camera on her laptop left on one time when she was staying with us. It was before we were married which means she's been sitting on those photos for awhile, just waiting for the right moment."

"It wouldn't surprise me if Rosey got her to send them. So whose head is on Dex's shoulders?"

"Our sleaze of a neighbour. The guy has a different girl just about every night." She shrugs, "I'd say judging by his expression, he was in the middle of a session with one of them, most likely Indi if she has the photo."

"What was Indi thinking, she must have known Dex would recognise the photos, even with the new head."

"She probably expected Dex to be too upset to think straight or even notice it was his body."

"Was there a note?"

She shakes her head, "They were sent straight to Dex, so I think it was just to stir up trouble, not to blackmail me."

Joey looks at the photos again. "This is sloppy, I mean, if you look closely, you can see where the head was cropped."

"Like I said, I think Dex was just supposed to react and not think."

"Indi really doesn't know Dex if she believed that."

"Dex would never doubt me," her anger continues to simmer. "If that little bitch wasn't Dex's sister, I'd be ramming those photos down her throat."

"You're not the only one after her. I've made a few calls, she's into some serious trouble."

Graves sighs, "God, I just knew it."

"She borrowed money off a loan shark to pay off her car and has been late making payments."

"That explains the trip here. Ten grand is a lot of money to owe a loan shark."

"Especially when the loan shark has a history of putting those who renege on repayments in hospital."

"As much as I wish she'd just go away, we have to do something, for Dex's sake."

"You're going to pay off her debt?"

"I don't want to because she'll just expect to be bailed out again and again but she's Dex's sister, I can't do nothing, not if she's actually in danger."

"Hold off on the money for now."

"Why?"

"The guy is already up on charges and chances are, he's going to end up in jail for quite awhile, so we just need to keep Indi away from him, which shouldn't be too hard."

"As long as she's fucking Rosey, she's not going anywhere. You really think he's behind the photos being sent?"

"If Indi's waited this long to use the photos and she didn't mention them when you turned her down the last time, I'd say she got a bit of a nudge."

"Fuck," she mutters. "First he puts my husband in the hospital and now this, I tell you what Joey, I'm not sure if I want to wait to arrest the prick."

Joey chuckles, feeling the same way. "Just hold off for bit."

Graves narrows her eyes at her. "Did something happen while I was gone?"

"O'Malley paid off all of his unpaid debts, including his overdue mortgage payments."

"I take it you asked him where the money came from?"
"He couldn't really say. I think he's ready to crack but there could be a slight problem."

Graves sighs heavily. "What now?"

"He missed his shift today and he didn't call in."

"Shit, he's done a runner."

"Or he's been shut up," Joey says, meaning he was dead.

"Fuck, I'm sick of this."

"There is some good news. I received word that the ATO have found enough discrepancies in the Rosetta Restaurant books to conduct a full audit which means that for the time being, it's too risky for them to launder money through them."

"That makes the next shipment even more important then."

"Exactly and especially on top of losing those girls on the Maru. Graves, we're the closest we've ever been."

"I know that." She runs her hand through her hair in frustration. "I just want this over with so I can finally go on my honeymoon."

"Everything is in place, all we can do is wait for Martha to make her move."

"Assuming the information we have is accurate."

"She's kept a lid on things, trying to throw us off but we know the next lot of girls are due in soon, we just need a time and place and then we can put an end to all this."

"God I hope so. Do you think we've id'd all the dirty cops here though?"

Joey thinks for a moment, before shaking her head. "I'm still thinking we're missing someone, one who knows how to keep off the radar and avoid raising suspicion."

"Why do you think that?"

"The cops we've id'd are only Constables and I don't know, I've always had the impression that there's someone higher up."

"You may be right. I guess we just keep our eye on them and hopefully once we have Rosetta and Martha, we'll get all the others."

"We're finally getting there Graves."

"About time, too."

Joey sits back in her seat, regarding her friend, "So other than the photos being a dampener, I hope you took my advice and had some time off?"

Graves nods. "Once Dex's exams were over, we did manage to go out and have some fun, or as much as we could with his injuries."

"Where is he?"

"At Georgie's, probably resting." She shrugs, "With all the studying and his injuries, it's all kind of caught up to him."

"Well, now he can relax."

"Until he gets his results."

"He'll more than pass."

"Yeah I know, we're just not sure where he's going to be posted."

"Where ever it is, I'm sure they need cops."

"Uniforms maybe, not detectives."

"I'm sure everything will work out."

"As long as we're together, I guess I don't really care where we end up." She grins, "It's not as if I actually need to work."

"You'd be bored out of your mind sitting at home counting your money."

"I must admit, I do enjoy catching the bad guys."

"And your parents have recovered from their shock."

Graves chuckles, "I still get a kick out of the look on their faces when I told them I had joined the force."

"Anything like the one on their faces when you told them you were marrying Dex?"

"They love Dex, they just thought we were too young to be married."

"Georgie said the same to me when I married Riley. Don't worry about their doubts Graves, I have every confidence that you and Dex will be sitting on the front veranda in your bright fluoro silk robes when you're in your 90s."

Graves snorts, "I can do without the fluoro robes."

"They'll match the blue rinse of your hair." They both chuckle at the image.

"What about you, do you see yourself with Charlie then?" Graves asks, regretting it the moment she sees the change in Joey. "Did something happen between you and Charlie while I was gone?"

"Charlie is still having doubts about coming out and even more so after this morning."

"What happened?"

"I was over there for tea and a movie last night and we kind of fell asleep on the couch. Anyway, this morning when she went and got the paper, her neighbour was eyeing off my car, the cogs turning in her bigoted little mind."

"Shit."

"Shits right and even though we hadn't actually done anything, Charlie got all panicky and I kind of accused her of never being ready and she accused me of pushing her and it just kind of went downhill from there," Joey says sadly.

"Joey, sort this out with her and quickly."

"She's not working today, but I was planning on picking up something at the diner and heading over there after work as a kind of peace offering."

"I know what you told Dex, but it's really starting to get to you, isn't it?"

"I love her and I hate that she feels so scared of people finding out."

"Just give her time Joey, she's had a lot of changes to deal with lately."

Joey nods. "I just hope I am wrong about her never being ready because I don't plan on being in a secret relationship forever."

"It's times like this I realise how lucky I am. Other than people thinking we're an odd match, no one really turns a head when Dex and I are out."

Joey sighs at the unfairness of it all.

Angelo smirks when Graves walks out of the station, his smirk disappearing when a car pulls up and Dex jumps out, greeting her with a kiss. "What the fuck!" Angelo watches the couple walking hand in hand back to the car. "You sent the photos didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Then why do they look so happy."

"Maybe Dex is just happy to have her instead of being alone," Indi lies, not wanting Angelo to know the photos were fake.

"Fuck."

"Are you finished work now Angelo?"

"I asked you not to come here Indi."

"I know, I just missed you."

"Look Indi, you're a great fuck, but that's all I'm interested in, nothing more."

"I'm not looking for anything more, either," Indi lies again, her heart breaking. "Can we do something now?"

"I don't have time Indi." Angelo grins, "All my dreams are coming true." He leaves without giving Indi a second thought.

Indi watches after him, hurt by his rejection.

Walking up the footpath toward Charlie's, Joey stops dead, staring in disbelief at the couple in the window. She squeezes her fists tight against the bags of food in her arms, watching as Charlie and Angelo kiss. For a moment, Joey thinks about rushing in, believing he was hassling her, until she sees the smile on Charlie's face as Angelo slides the ring back on to her finger. Her heart shatters even more when Angelo picks her up and spins her around, their lips firmly pressed together.

NEXT CHAPTER: Charlie ends things with Joey and a devastated Joey reveals the big secret.