After Bo's dinner with Rainer, she had agreed to appear in one commercial for her father. That was it; she refused to do more than that.
She sat awkwardly with her father waiting for the filming to start. Out of boredom and annoyance, she scrolled through her phone.
Her father leaned forward and squeezed her knee with a smile. "I'm so happy you're marrying Lauren. She's a quite a catch: beautiful, smart, a doctor."
Bo nodded in agreement, with her eyes still on her phone, she couldn't argue with that, she felt really lucky being engaged to Lauren.
Harvey continued. "When I first met Lauren I knew she was the woman my little girl would marry." Bo's eyes drifted up to meet his. "If she was smart, which you are." He patted her back.
Bo shifted in her chair and glanced at the time on her phone. "How much longer? I have a case I'm working on." It felt odd having this conversation with her father. At best he was a distance acquaintance lately, talking about her relationship with him made her uncomfortable.
He raised his eyebrows in question and held her eyes for a long moment. "Don't you want to know how I knew?" He asked as last.
Bo shrugged and averted her eyes away from him. "How?"
He tilted his head into her line of sight and smiled. "Because of how she looked at you. You can't fake that. I know from experience that you can fake just about anything but not that. Not the look of love."
Despite her annoyance, she laughed; she couldn't believe she managed it. "Look of love, huh?"
"It's real, genuine and all in the eyes." He tapped his finger on his temple. "I can read people, Bo. And that girl loves you. Be good to her."
"It's a good thing she said yes then." Bo rocked back in her chair, tapping her foot against the floor. She never realized this whole thing would take so long. She wanted it over with, so she could get back to work. Fulfill her promise and be done with the whole thing.
"Absolutely. None of this career stuff matters without someone to share it with." Rainer entered the room, and Harvey rose to stretch. "Remember that." He nodded before walking over to where Rainer stood.
Bo decided against telling him, maybe he should remember that.
XXXXX
Bo glanced around the station room, feeling all eyes on her. She grimaced and headed to her office. She dropped into her desk chair and rubbed her temples in frustration.
She craned her neck and peered out her window, catching a few glares from a couple of officers. She downed her cup of coffee before she tapped a pen on her forehead and paged through the case files again. Inwardly, she admitted that she was obsessing over this case, but she couldn't escape it.
Her attention turned to her door when she heard a light knock and Hale entered. "I'm taking over Ryan's duties until a replacement can be found," He explained with his body halfway out the door.
She tapped the pen harder on her head and hesitated. "Is it my imagination or was everyone staring at me out there?" She gestured at her window and watched his face.
Hale frowned and closed the door behind him before taking a seat in front of her. "Ryan…I'm sorry to say, but word's gotten out that you slept with him. Rumors are flying around that that's why you got him fired."
She tossed her pen onto the desk and shoved back in her chair. "Shit. That's not the truth."
"I know." He smiled with a soft expression. "It'll blow over. When someone gets sacked, they always look for someone to blame. Rumors spread around here like wildfire." He eased out of the chair. "Cops gossip more than middle schoolers and act just as immature sometimes."
"So, everybody knows?" She groaned. She knew there was a good chance word would get around the department, but she hadn't expected everyone to know. People talked, spread rumors, they always did. Everything about this situation was frustrating, but Ryan was gone, and she could handle a few cops talking behind her back. She had no choice.
He paused with his hand on the doorknob. "I think so. But don't let it get you down. You're great at your job, that's all that matters." He gestured at the window. "And those guys will get bored and move on to something else."
Bo flipped through the papers on her desk. "I would like to re-question a potential witness. Do I have your permission?"
"Take back-up," He answered over his shoulder as he left her office.
XXXX
An hour later, Tamsin and Bo drove to question the homeowner of the house Bo was shot at.
"Mmm." Tamsin murmured eating a cinnamon roll. "This is so good. I see why you're marrying Lauren. I'd marry her for this cinnamon roll alone." She licked her fingers and smiled wide.
"Haha." Bo gave her a sideways glare.
Sensing, Bo's edgy attitude, Tamsin changed the subject. "Why are we questioning this guy again? He was cleared."
"Best-case scenario we get a little more information than we have now."
"Worst case, you get shot again." Tamsin laughed at her own joke.
"Funny. You're on a roll today." Bo snapped and shot her an irritated look.
Tamsin's eyebrows rose in surprise. "And you're on edge today. What's wrong?"
"I just want a lead." Bo said, but that was only a half-truth. She hated that people were talking about her behind her back, spreading rumors about her. Now she was the cop that slept with her boss, and that would be a hard reputation to shake. "To put this case behind me," She added after a moment.
Several minutes later, Bo parked in front of the house. "Let me do the talking," She ordered, unbuckling herself and opening the door.
Tamsin rolled her eyes but didn't argue as she got out of the car and followed closely behind Bo up the driveway.
Bo knocked hard and waited, tapping her boot on the ground. Tamsin surveyed the house, peeking into a window while they waited.
Bo knocked again, and her arms folded across her chest as she paced back and forth in front of the door.
"No one's home," Tamsin suggested after a few more knocks and no answer.
Bo stood her ground, searching Tamsin's face, considering their options. Then she heard the faint sound of heavy footsteps from inside. "Listen," She whispered and pressed her ear to the door and strained to listen. She heard voices, low and unintelligible.
Tamsin mirrored her and listened at the door. She heard the voices, banging and thumping. Her fingers brushed over the handle of her gun. "What are they doing?" She asked quietly.
"Shh." Bo frowned and concentrated on the sounds from inside. She knocked again. "Police open up," She shouted through the door.
When no answer came, she hit into the door with her shoulder. To her surprise, the old door fell apart on impact, and it shot open quickly.
"That wasn't as dramatic as I thought it would be," Tamsin whispered from behind her, pulling out her gun and following Bo into the house.
"They're upstairs, I think," Bo said in a hushed voice, pointing to the ceiling.
Quietly, they climbed the stairs, cautious, listening for noises from upstairs with their weapons drawn.
Bo kept Tamsin behind her, and Tamsin watched their backs as they reached the top of the stairs.
The sounds of voices, heavy footsteps grew clearer and louder. They paused outside the room, and Bo nodded signaling it was time to enter.
Bo pushed into the door, and it crashed opened, the banging noise echoed off the walls.
The room was empty excluding a dark mound in the center of the floor, which appeared to be a sleeping body. But Bo wasn't fooled. She'd heard voices a moment earlier.
"Don't move," Tamsin ordered with her gun pointed at the body.
At the same time, Bo caught a glimpse of another person emerging from a dark corner. Within a heartbeat, he hurled himself toward the open window, throwing himself over the window ledge just as Bo raised her gun.
"Stay here," Bo ordered, launching herself toward over the window's sill after him.
"Didn't we kill you once before?" The man in the middle of the room asked, turning over to look at Tamsin with his hands raised.
Bo heard that just before she was out the window. She recognized the voice, the same emotionless, flat voice she heard so many weeks before. She'd never forget their voices. It was them, the killers she was looking for, she had no doubt.
Tamsin glanced up to see Bo jumped out the window. Without hesitation, she reached behind her back with her free hand and pulled out her handcuffs.
He gave her an emotionless stare and spat at her feet in disdain.
"That's assault, you know." She took her gun and hit him across the face, and he fell backward.
In a quick, smooth movement, she bent down and secured him in the handcuffs. With her eyes locked on him, she fished out her phone and called back up.
Within a few minutes, Bo came back into the room looking angry and out of breath.
"He got away," She said, looking around the room with a clenched jaw. Her eyes fell on the suspect handcuffed in the middle of the room. She knelt down, stared at him for a moment. She grabbed his chin and squeezed. "Where'd he go?"
He laughed in her face and didn't answer.
She shoved him backward and stood promptly. She paced the room and cursed silently. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw flashes of blue and red light across the room; she peered through the window down at the two cop cars parked at haphazard angles beside her car.
Bo stalked over to the man and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him up. "Let's go have a little chat." She drawled into his ear, pushing him out the door.
XXXX
Bo stared at Ched Smith through the tiny square of reinforced glass in the interview room. The guy was cold, silent and emotionless, and he didn't look like someone who'd been interrogated by the police for hours. He looked disinterested and bored.
They weren't getting any answers from their questioning, and Bo watched as Hale leaned over him, asking him more questions. She scrubbed her face in an attempt to calm the fury and frustration rushing through her. She wanted to burst into the room and question him herself, or maybe punch the answers out of him.
His partner had gotten away, and they had no clue where the third man, who owned the house was at the moment. Dead was Bo's guess. Her stomach churned with a mix of excitement, and anxiety, excitement for catching him, but uneasiness about the other still being at large.
Ched's eyes flicked to Bo, and he winked at her, and Bo stared back, silently, with intensity. Bo's anger seemed to solidify deep in her stomach.
Minutes later, Hale joined Bo in the other room, looking tired and worn down.
"It's him, Hale. He and his partner shot me. I know their voices." She pointed a finger at the glass. "They killed those people."
He glanced at her and rubbed the back of his neck. "I believe you, but so far we aren't getting anywhere."
She held her stare on him for long seconds. Finally, she said. "Let me question him."
"No way." He grabbed her shoulders and guided her from the room. "Go home, and get some rest. You did good work, today. Let us take over."
Bo shook her head in exasperation but allowed Hale to push her out of the room.
XXXX
Later that evening, Bo's eyes traveled down Lauren's body as she approached the table and she bit her lip. "Wow, you look great." Her heart leaped at the sight of her, and some of her frustrations eased.
Lauren laughed and scooted into the booth next to her. "Thanks, so do you." She took a moment to look Bo over, and then she picked up her menu. "Sorry, I'm late."
Bo peered at her over her wine glass and her mouth quirked up into a smile. "It's ok, I've had enough bread for three people, so I'm not even hungry anymore."
Lauren smiled and looked down at her menu, she, on the other hand, was hungry from her long shift at the lab.
Bo wrapped her arm around her shoulder and kissed her cheek. Relieved to have this moment with her fiancée after the long and infuriating day she had. During this dinner, she was fully invested in not thinking about any of it. She wanted to pull Lauren into her arms and forget about all of it.
After deciding on the meal she wanted, Lauren glanced to the side and saw Bo roll her neck and stared across the room.
"What?" Lauren asked, suddenly feeling concerned. "What's wrong?" She ran her hand up and down Bo's leg, waiting for her response.
Bo shifted her eyes back to Lauren. "We caught one of the killers today." She paused and picked at her bread. "You know the ones that shot me."
"That's great, Bo. Congratulations." Lauren reached for Bo's hand. She stroked her fingers as Bo's curled her fingers around hers. "I know how much that case was haunting you."
Bo nodded and rubbed her thumb over Lauren's. "One down, one to go." Her body tensed, and she stared at some faraway spot ahead of her. She hated that one of the killers was still on the loose. It was hurt not to fixate on the fact that he was right there and got away from her. She knew she would feel responsible if he hurt anyone else.
The server arrived, and Bo was thankful for the interruption, she wanted to enjoy her time with Lauren and not worry about work. They placed their orders as Lauren filled her glass with wine.
"I heard some interesting news from Dyson about your boss." Lauren prompted slow and carefully.
Bo watched her and hesitated for a moment before starting the conversation she didn't really want to start. When she drew in a breath, a lump settled into her throat, and she had to swallow hard to clear it. "Ryan was fired a few days ago."
Lauren frowned and waited for her to elaborate.
Bo took a deep breath and began to tell her everything about Ryan's behavior towards her. "When his comments and behavior got out of line, I had to do something, so I filed a complaint." She continued to explain while Lauren silently listened to every word.
Amidst their conversation the food arrived, and Bo ate slowly as she told Lauren everything about her father stepping in and getting him fired.
For long moments after, Lauren was silent while she thought over what Bo had told her.
For a split second, Bo thought she was going to be upset or angry, but she didn't get a chance to say anything because Lauren spoke first. "I wish you would have told me sooner, that you were going through that at work." She studied Bo thoughtfully.
Bo's eyes dipped, and she played with her fork. "I'm sorry." She felt a stab of guilt and regret that she didn't tell Lauren months ago what was happening. In truth, she didn't know how to bring it up, and maybe a part of her thought she deserved it as punishment for her mistake.
Lauren took the sides of her face and gave her a long lingering kiss. When she drew back, she said. "No, I'm sorry. I didn't exactly make that an easy subject to bring up, so I understand you were trying to avoid it. Avoid a potential argument. But I don't want you suffering on your own. You can talk to me about anything."
"At least he's out of my life now. It's a relief." Bo said, and took a generous sip of the wine.
Lauren leaned back and held her glass loosely between her fingers, swirling it slowly. "Well, it's time to completely put all that behind us. We have a wedding to plan after all." Her eyes lit up when she spoke.
Bo groaned in jest. "Can't we just skip that and get married in Vegas or something?"
Lauren swatted at her shoulder, lightly. "No way. I don't want anything big, but I want our family…" She paused thinking about her father. "Your family and our friends to be there."
"Ok, but I better get a sexy honeymoon out of this. And you better leave all your clothes at home. I want you naked the whole time." She teased and danced her fingers on Lauren's leg under the table.
That was such an outrageous statement that Lauren laughed a little too loudly. "I'm sure I'll be doing that," She added a playful eye roll.
A smile spread across Bo's face, warm and bright, her eyes slid down Lauren's neck and back up to her lips. "Home, let's go home," She said quietly, with her head now buried in Lauren's neck, sweeping her tongue over her luscious skin and breathing her in. Everything felt so right, so perfect at that moment.
Lauren sat up straight at the coaxing, Bo's lips and tongue were molten, and she pulsed with need. She cleared her throat when Bo moved behind her ear. "Ok, let's get the check." She forced out, and Bo smiled against her skin.
XXXX
The next evening, Lauren hurried away from the lab with her head down, reading her texts. She was leaving the lab late again because she wanted to work as much as possible to catch up on everything she could.
As she approached her car, she heard footsteps behind her, someone was following her, the certainty turned her stomach. She had to fight the sudden urge to run. Some primal instinct told her that would be a mistake, to panic, to lose her head.
As she continued to walk, her nerves spiked with adrenaline. The tension and danger in the atmosphere was palpable.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when her phone rang. It was Bo. She swiftly answered it.
"Where are you? I'm naked already," Bo said, cheerfully on the other end.
"Bo, I think someone's following me," Lauren said in a quiet tone.
"What? Where are you?" Bo's voice turned panicked.
"In the parking garage walking to my car," Lauren whispered into the phone, her eyes surveying her surroundings. She didn't see anyone.
"Trust your gut, Lauren. If you think something's wrong, then it probably is. Do you still carry your mace?" Bo's voice was surprisingly calm and even.
Lauren glanced over her shoulder, but she still didn't see anyone, only the dimly light garage, and a few cars. "Yes." She slowly reached into her bag to pull it out. She drew a breath and steadied her body.
"Stay on the phone and get to your car quick," Bo said, her voice now cracking.
When Lauren approached her car, the tires were flat, and her windows were smashed. "Shit. Someone's slashed my tires and broken all my windows." She stared at her car for several seconds; the scene was so over the top, dramatic, it was almost comical.
A slight breeze picked up, catching her hair and sweeping it over her face. She pushed it aside, and Bo's voice from the phone hit her like a splash of icy water. "Get back inside, Lauren. Quick." She frowned, her gaze seeking the building in the distance.
At the same time, Bo burst into Tamsin's room, not wanting to hang up with Lauren. She put the phone down. "Send a patrol car to Lauren's lab," She ordered quickly before rushing out of the room.
Tamsin blinked rapidly, startled by Bo's abrupt appearance into her room, and immediately reached for her phone to call for help.
"Lauren, I'm on my way, help's coming. Get back into the building as fast as you can. Don't hang up." Bo's voice was thin and breathy, as she bolted out of the apartment to her car.
Feeling, terrified and uneasy, Lauren took quick steps back to the building. She clutched her phone and mace tightly in her hand. She strained to hear, but the footsteps were gone. But with every step, her heart pounded faster in her chest, she suddenly felt desperate to get to the security of the building, where she would be less exposed. She refused to give in to her anxiety and marched determinately forward. But deep in mind, an alarm flickered on, and she hastened her pace.
Lauren was unaware of the eyes that watched her enter the building. The stare burned more venomous with each second. Minutes later, the assailant gazed at the closed door, then glided across the parking lot following behind Lauren.
Safely inside the warm confines of the building, Lauren hugged her phone close to her head, keeping her finger tightly on the mace can trigger and waited for Bo.