Parker helped Frankie out of the squad car at the station and held her arm as they walked up the stairs to the main office. The street lights around headquarters flickered sporadically, making the raindrops look like tiny fireflies.
"Here you go ma'am, ladies first." He held open the door and allowed her access ahead of him, keeping a light hold of her other arm. He knew she wouldn't try to run or make a fuss; she just had that feel about her. Parker also knew that, although Lonnie denied it, something was going on and if this lady was displeased at anything that was happening he would eventually find out and start on him about it. It happened with Lana; even though the situation was completely innocent, Lonnie questioned Parker about it like he was on trial, and he hated it. Lana made him turn into another person no one knew, and they were all relieved when he finally came to his senses and stopped acting like an ass.
Boy was he glad she was out of the picture. 'Such a shame ' he thought ' Being the Chief's daughter and all, but man was she nasty.' He cringed at the memory and Frankie gave him a side eye, a little suspicious.
"Oh no ma'am – sorry just lost in thought, nothing against you." Frankie gave him a forced smile and looked at her feet as she walked in the station. Parker was about to bring Frankie down to booking when Luann picked up an internal call and stopped him.
"Yes Sir" She rested the receiver on her shoulder "Parker, the Chief wants to see you."
"But I'm going down to booking" He was taken back a bit; a consultation with the Chief happened after booking.
Luann shrugged "He wants to see you now."
"Chief-" Parker knocked on the open door and brought Frankie in Gillespie's office. A silver haired man with reading glassed perched upon the bridge of this nose looked up from a file he was studying. He closed it and placed it to the right on top of a mound of other cases and folded his age-spotted hands in front of him. Taking his glasses off, he placed them in the left chest pocket of the blue uniform shirt neatly.
"Oh yes, please come in Parker." The stout man rose from behind the desk and made his way slowly to the front of it, coming to rest one hip on the edge crossing his arms comfortably.
"This is one of the suspects from the Break and Enter on Floyd. The other woman is…"
"…in the hospital. Yes, Lieutenant Jamison called it in. Please have a seat" Chief Gillespie motioned for Frankie to sit in the chair directly in front of his desk.
'Jamison' She recounted silently, he asked for her license 'Lieutenant Jamison. I hope I'm booked and in the cell before he comes back here.'
"Miss?" The Chief questioned.
"Yes Sir?"
"Now.." Gillespie readjusted himself on the desk and folded his hands in front of him before continuing. "I'm wondering why I received a phone call from a Chief Rizonou from OPS earlier today; said he'd be down to see me later this evening. Do you know anything about that?"
'Okay' Frankie thought optimistically 'So the boys were at the house and got the message to the Commander…then…where the hell were they when the shit hit the fan? And why did they let us get arrested?' She wondered curious and angry at the same time. Changes in plans were made with meetings, not on the fly so people were not put at risk. She knew there had to be a good reason for that protocol switch, but being on the receiving end of it sucked - hard.
"Miss, did you hear me? He spoke in a slow southern drawl with one eye brow lifted, staring down at her from his seat on the desk.
Frankie heard him. She looked up at with a dull expression and didn't say a word. Any questions that involved her Commander were met with a stony silence until he arrived; or the powers that be contacted the local law enforcement and forced them to comply with their procedures. Shit always rolls downhill. It was strictly against orders to talk at this point. She did not answer, just stared at the floor.
"Miss Paige the Chief asked you a question" Parker said surprised and a little annoyed. She was talking to him, why wouldn't she answer the Chief? She looked up at Parker, then stared at the floor again.
Muffled voices and footsteps from the hall echoed down the corridor. 'Oh God' She thought 'Please don't let this be him.'
"Um, Jamison, will you come in here a minute" The Chief called out as Lonnie was coming up the hall. Frankie's stomach sank.
"Yes Sir" His deep, southern drawl made her wish she was in the cell right now, away from that sexy, manly voice.
"This one of the women you arrested tonight?" Lonnie refused to look at her, but he knew it was her. He recognized her perfume – smelled it as soon as he walked in. Light, and a bit sweet, it smelled good. 'Stop it.' He scolded himself.
"Yes this here is Francesca Paige from Jackson. The woman in the hospital is Marty Copella, also from Jackson. Parker and I found them in the house at 2103 Floyd Street and arrested them there."
"What were you doing in the house Miss Paige?" Gillespie moved off the desk and began walking around the chair Frankie sat in. She was silent.
"The Chief asked you a question and you'd be right to answer it." Lonnie rose his voice, and finally looked down at her. Her wavy hair was matted and wild and wet. It was sexy as hell. He clenched his fists so hard that blood from his nails digging into his palms would surely be there when he relaxed them. What the fuck was he thinking?- And in the Chiefs office to boot. She made him angry. So angry. "Ma'am I'm not going to tell you again" He spoke more firmly now, but she still just stared at the floor.
"Okay, if that's how you want it Miss Paige…" The Chief was calm and spoke in a kind of non-chalet way. "Jamison, take her down and book her."
Lonnie grabbed her arm and walked her down the hall to the stairs. Frankie's mind was racing; not because she was being arrested, that happened all the time with her occupation. It was him; she would have to look at him again and she was mortified. Even now when he had his hand on her she liked it, how sick is that? What the hell was happening here?
He opened the cell door after he booked her and pushed her in it. He didn't push hard, just enough for her to know he wasn't messing around. Usually, she would have turned to give the person shit – it was uncalled for, who do they think they are, etc.. But this time she just walked over to the cot and sat down with her back facing him.
She could feel him staring at her, waiting for her to do something. 'Not this time' she said to herself stubbornly.
Lonnie stood in the threshold of Frankies cell with his hands on his hips and his stone-cold poker face shooting daggers at her. He hoped the awkward feeling of his stare would make her turn around, it usually worked. Why isn't it now? Although his facial features gave the appearance of an icy demeanor, he wanted her to look at him again, he wanted to see her face. Her beautiful face… He closed his eyes and his lips pursed tightly into a sneer; exhaling agitated at his new inability to not think of this woman in any fashion but adoring. She was not adoring…she was not even close….
"Lueitenint!" Corporal Ken Covey called from the door to the cell block "Chief wants to see you!"
"Tell the Chief I'll be up as soon as I'm finished here!"
"Yes Sir Lieutenant"
Lonnie closed the cell door and the latch echoed as it clicked and locked. "You should think hard about changing your mind and talk Missy, or you'll be stuck here for a long while" He turned to leave when Frankie huffed "We'll see about that" Immediately he was at the door again with his hands wrapped tightly around the bars and his face pushed up against them.
"What did you say to me?" He spat at her. 'The nerve of this girl' He felt his blood beginning to boil. "I said" His voice deep and irritated "What did you say to me?"
She took in his deep voice and closed her eyes. She didn't know what it was, but it made her entire body weak. She caught herself allowing him to make her feel things that affected every part of her. Frankie balled her fists and stood up off the cot, trying to regain the upper hand. Turning around to face him she pulled her tattered hair back off her face. Staring him dead in the eyes she repeated herself in a breathy tone, "I said, we will see about that."
Hearing her speak like that made his knees rubbery and he squeezed the bars tighter until his hands hurt.
He stood his ground, putting all his energy in to not permitting himself to be hypnotized by her again.
"You'd do well to watch your tongue young lady. The hours can be pretty long waitin' in here alone. Good behavior does have its rewards." Frankie walked straight up to the cell door, standing there with one hand on a turned hip fuming.
"Are you threatening me?" She hissed at him.
"Don't be stupid. It's not a threat, it's a fact." The condescending undertone in Lonnie's voice made her irate. She hit the bars of the cell hard with her palms right where his hands were, just missing his knuckles that were still wrapped around the bars and now white from anger.
"That's it I have had it with you" He growled and unlocked the door. It swung open, and crashed in to the bars at the front. His long legs made only one lunge forward and he had her by the back of the shirt. She smacked his hands off and he yanked her arms behind her back. Lonnie pushed her up against the wall while he tried to cuffed her again.
"That's another count of resisting arrest and now you've added assaulting a police officer to your charges! Now hold still ya hear!" He spun her around so she faced him and ground her body into the cement wall. She winced in pain as his weight pushed up against her. He was a big man; tall and muscular, well over 6 feet with a wing span just as impressive. His large hands and thick fingers made quick work of grabbing her. His leg was in between hers to stop her from kicking at him. She knew he had her, and Frankie's moves finally slowed. There was nothing she could do in a small cell, or in this position.
In any other circumstance she would have been able to get out of it, she was trained to do so. But this was an Officer, and her Commander was already going to chew her a new one for getting caught in the first place, never mind all the trouble these charges would bring down on her. She was in deep trouble.
Frankie stopped struggling against him and let herself relax in his grasp. When Lonnie felt her relent, he loosened his grip and moved himself away from her, only to realize he was holding onto her wrists above her head, with one hand while the other still held the cuffs. The bloodied gauze that surrounded her hands began to fall apart and unraveled down his forearm. He gently lowered her arms to rest in front of her and she wiggled them to take away the pins and needles. When Frankie looked up she saw him staring at her with those intense, hypotonic eyes and her stomach filled with butterflies. Despite everything that just happened, when she looked at him she felt like she just came home. Frankie felt his hands still wrapped around her arms just above the wrist. He hadn't let go yet. His touch was gentle and penetrating, and it gave her chills.
Lonnie stared at her like he could fall in to her and never hit the ground; like she was an angel on a cloud. Her eyes were magnetic and sucked him in. He felt like he had known her forever, she felt warm to him, and he was completely content. He unconsciously rubbed tiny circles on the inside of her wrists with his thumbs as he held them. Her skin was silky smooth and made him want to touch her all over. He had never been taken back by anyone this way in his life. He wanted to know everything about her; he wanted to feel her hands on him, he wanted his mouth all over her…
"Excuse me Lieutenant - Chief's waiting" Ken's voice came from the open cell door. He stood there trying not to smile while he looked at them. He couldn't see much of anything, but after what Parker told everyone about what happened in the squad car between these two, Ken knew the Lieutenant wasn't just giving her a talking too. 'Well, I'll be damned' he smirked to himself 'Parker was right.'