“I wouldn’t be calling if I didn’t. The report you wanted should be hitting your inbox any second.”
“You’re amazing. Thanks for all your help.” With a turn of the key, the engine rumbled to life, and he plugged his phone into the port. “Can you give me the bullet points version of what you found?”
“What, you can’t read it yourself?”
“I’m in the car.”
An exaggerated exhale carried over the car’s speakers. “Dennis Heckler, age thirty-six, born in Jacksonville but grew up in Palatka. His parents divorced when he was fourteen, and he went to live with his father. He earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at UF and from there he went into the academy. Upon graduation, he worked for several police departments in Central Florida before being hired by Avalon Springs, where he’s steadily risen in the ranks for the last eight years. From what I can tell, he recently became eligible to take the lieutenant’s exam but has yet to do so. Clean record, no arrests, not even a parking ticket, which isn’t too surprising for a cop. He’s got a few dings on his personnel record, though.”
That got Pinto’s attention. “What for?”
“It seems he has a habit of roughing up suspects while his body cam is supposedly on the fritz.”
The seat belt tightened across Pinto’s chest as he straightened in his seat. “How many has he roughed up?”
“Internal Affairs investigated six. He was cleared of wrongdoing every time, but the charges were dropped in four of the cases. Three of the four sued the department and settled for undisclosed amounts.”
So Heckler either had serious anger management issues or simply enjoyed beating the crap out of people. Neither was a good personality trait for someone charged with serving and protecting the community.
He couldn’t help but wonder if the asshole had ever laid hands on Fiona. She’d given no indication that their relationship was physically abusive, but she might not have wanted to discuss something that sensitive with a man she barely knew. Real girlfriend or not, just thinking about the possibility made Pinto’s blood pressure soar into the stratosphere.
“Did you find the names of the people who sued?” He was curious to see if any of them were willing to talk about their experience.
“Now you’re just trying to insult me.” Sloane snorted. “Read the file when you get a chance and let me know if you need more information. If I’m not in my office, leave me a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
“Will do.” Eager to get home so he could read the full report, he pushed down the clutch and slid the car into first. “Thanks again, Sloane. I appreciate your help.”
“You’re welcome. And Pinto?”
“Yes?”
“Be careful with this guy.”
Chapter 10
Itwasn’tnormalforPinto to feel edgy before a date. He’d gotten over those kinds of jitters back when he was a teenager. Yet here he was, on pins and needles, because somehow this felt different.
After one last check in the mirror, he shut off the light on his way out of the bedroom.
For starters, this wasn’t an actual date. It was more along the lines of neighbors helping each other out. Sure, he liked Fiona. She seemed like a decent person, was incredibly easy to talk to, and he enjoyed spending time with her. And that kiss.Fuck, that kiss.Try as he might, he couldn’t stop thinking about how good she’d tasted the other night, how perfectly she’d fit in his arms. How much he’d like to—
He stopped himself before he veered deeper into dangerous territory.
Bad shit happened whenever he let his hormones do all of his thinking.
Like it or not, their relationship was purely transactional. His mind wasn’t in the right place for anything more. He needed to keep reminding himself of that, or he’d start getting ideas—hot, filthy, sweaty ideas—that he had no business contemplating.
As he tucked his wallet into his back pocket, Pinto brushed his insecurities aside and stuffed them into a deep, dark corner of his mind. It was how he’d prepared for missions while serving in the Navy, and he didn’t see much difference between venturing into a combat zone and visiting his mother.
Pinto left his apartment, went upstairs, and knocked on Fiona’s door. He still regretted not being able to squeeze in that additional tactical planning session. On the plus side, it had kept him away from temptation. But it also kept them from practicing being a couple, and now it had him a little nervous about their ability to convince his mother that she didn’t have to worry about her son dying alone and unloved.
After a few moments’ wait, Fiona opened the door, and even though she was dressed conservatively, his mouth went completely dry. She wore black slacks, a blue blouse that showed the faintest hint of cleavage, and black shoes with low heels. A heart-shaped pendant hung from a chain around her neck. Gold studs dotted her ears. Her makeup was subtle, while her long, blonde hair was swept up in an intricate twist.
“Wow, you look fantastic.”
A touch of color flushed her cheeks, and he decided to tell her how attractive she was as often as humanly possible.
She smoothed a hand over the front of her shirt. “Thank you, but it’s not anything special, just something I wear when—”
