“I… what?”
She tapped his cup. Turning it in his hand, he was horrified to see the hotel’s logo stamped in big, golden letters across the pink background. “Careful, pal. That’s how rumours start,” she said, a wide smile spreading across her face. She dropped her head close to his ear. “But between you and me… good on you. That’s one hunky piece of alpha meat.”
“Jesus Christ, will you shut up?”
“Not denying it though, are you, Ollie?” She said with a self-satisfied smirk.
“I didn’t… it’s not… and justwhoare you looking at, anyway?”
Nancy chuckled, twirling her red braid around a finger. “Oh, only the most beautiful blonde you’ve ever seen. After you, of course. But that’s all I’ll say.”
“Listen in,” Lucas’ voice boomed across the briefing room. Everyone fell silent as they turned their eyes to the front. “Thank you for coming in early. I know some of you are running on very little sleep.”
Nancy’s eyes slid to Oliver, and he answered her smug expression with a scowl.
“Familiarise yourself with the briefing document,” Lucas continued. “We’ll be heading out in ten minutes. DC Purslow, do you have a list of call signs?”
With a piece of paper clutched in her hand, Nancy stood and cleared her throat. “Yes, DS White. Shall I begin roll call?” Lucas nodded. “Right. DS White you are bravo delta one, DS Smith bravo delta two…” She carried on until she reached Oliver. “DC Reed, you are charlie papa one, myself charlie papa two…”
When she had finished, Oliver frowned and nudged her with his elbow. “Charlie papa, I get. Child protection. But what’s bravo delta all about?”
Nancy smirked, hiding her mouth behind the sheet of paper. “Big Daddy,” she said, biting her lip to contain a laugh.
Oliver rolled his eyes. “You’re an idiot, Nance.”
Nancy smiled, “But you love me.”
“It’s a good job I do,” he replied.
They rodein near silence in the back of the police van, the only sound coming from an exceptionally chipper Special Branch alpha, who sat in the corner chewing and popping a piece of gum. Oliver sighed, trying to ignore the way his stab vest pinched under his armpits, or how tight it felt across his shoulder blades. Either, all the training he’d been doing at the club was paying off, or he’d eaten too many biscuits over the winter period. Either way, he wished he’d have loosened the straps before putting it on.
“You’re a detective?” A voice came from opposite him. It was another Special Branch alpha, his dark green eyes drifting to the epaulettes on Oliver’s shoulder. He was handsome. Extremely fucking handsome now that Oliver was looking at him. Dark hair and a jaw so sharp it could crack open a bottle of beer.
Oliver nodded. “Child protection,” he said, his neck bristling at how their knees almost touched across the gap.
The officer grimaced. “Child protection sounds depressing.”
Oliver shrugged. “It can be.”
The officer grinned and leaned forward, the Glock strapped to his thigh brushing Oliver’s leg. “Don’t worry, little beta. I’ll protect you.”
Oliver sucked his teeth and leant forward. “Thankgoodnessfor that.”
“Sidney,” Lucas barked from the front of the van. “Head in the game.”
“Yes, sarge,” the alpha replied, dropping his gaze before leaning back in his seat.
Oliver smirked, resting his forearm on the handcuff harness and bite-back spray at his hip. That was until he felt Nancy’selbow in his ribs. “I’m beginning to think you have a type, Ollie,” she whispered close to his ear.
“And I’m beginning to think you should be quiet.”
Nancy chuckled. “Please don’t be rude, because my rude will out-rude your rude.”
The van rolled to a stop at the rendezvous point as each team confirmed their roles. Then, all hell broke loose as they descended on the dealership. Oliver expected to meet the worried faces of the staff, all of whom were probably completely innocent. Instead, the only worried faces were those of the customers perusing the showroom.
“Shit!” a man in sales yelled, dropping a clipboard as he shoved past an elderly couple that were neck-deep in a show-vehicle’s boot. It caused a mechanic with a white streak of hair to shout and drop his toolkit, sending spanners skittering across the floor. Then the receptionist threw herself around the desk and sprinted towards a back door. Eight members of staff star-burst in different directions, and Oliver couldn’t decide who to chase first. The radio clipped to his chest burst into life as a flurry of call signs hurriedly relayed observations to the control room.
“Bravo delta two, suspect making towards the main road,” he heard DS Smith shout up.
