Welker’s POV

Hey, guys! I know, I KNOW, it’s been way too long since I posted anything with this story. Sorry, not all that sorry. Writer’s block is a bitch… life’s bullshit gets in the way… I’ll try to keep this coming, no promises. Anyway… enjoy this journey.

Welker wished the guy standing in front of him would shut the hell up. He just pulled a ten-hour shift. He was tired, hungry, and all he wanted to do was eat and pass out. He might just pass out and forget about food.

“C’mon man. You should come with us. There’s gonna be a lot of drunk women there.”

His co-worker, Shane Bennett, asked him for what felt like the millionth time. Shane was Welker’s partner. They did almost everything together. Their partnership was like a marriage minus the physical part. They were both single men. Shane was in his 30s while Welker was at the ripe age of 43.

“Not tonight. I’m exhausted. I need food and sleep.”

“You need to get laid.”

“And,” Welker ignored him, “I need to take care of Max. He’s probably just as hungry as me.”

“Man, I love that dog. Think Phoenix would notice if I take him?”

“She’ll kill you if you take her precious Max.”

“She scares the Hell out of me. That little thing is feisty. Mean as fuck. I hate to see what her mother is like.” Shane took a deep breath and added, “Okay, fine! Go take care of Max so that tiny little woman doesn’t kill me.”

“I’ll make sure she knows how Max saved your life. I’m sure she’ll love to hear that.”

“Later.”

Welker threw his bag into the passenger seat of his truck and climbed in. He and Shane were assigned to one unit, so they shared custody of the old Crown Vic. It was Shane’s week. Welker turned the ignition only to hear clicking noises indicating the battery was dead. Fuck!

Welker leaned his head on the headrest of the driver’s seat. This was the last thing he needed. This day was fucked an hour after he arrived at work. First, he spilled hot coffee on himself and on very important case reports. Then, the surveillance video of last night’s armed robbery didn’t record. Without that video, they had nothing to go on. Now, this shit happens. Can’t one good thing happen today? A soft tapping on the window forced him to reach for his weapon.

“Having trouble” The sound of his partner’s voice both calmed him and irritated him. He re-holstered his weapon and reached for his bag. Jumping out of the truck, he followed Shane over to the shared unit. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“You’re driving me home.”

“You coming out with me?”

“No.”

“Then get the fuck out. This baby’s going straight to Zeus’s bar.” Shane patted the dashboard.

Welker stared at his partner of the last three years and contemplated if he should have shot him while he was still in his truck. He couldn’t kill him, Shane was sometimes useful. He should have shot him in the thigh or something.

“You’re thinking of shooting me, aren’t you?”

“Nope.”

“Fucking liar. I know how you think.” Shane shook his finger at Welker then put the car in gear and drove off toward Welker’s house. “Although I could use some vacation,” Shane added.

“Don’t tempt me.”

Welker was itching to shoot something and Shane was egging him on. He thought of how he could get away with it and what excuse he could use. He was sure Internal Affairs would let him off. They think of Shane as a royal pain in the ass.

“Now, you’re thinking of how you can’t get away with it.”

“Fuck man! Are you psychic?”

“Nah, I know you better than you know yourself. I’m your best friend. As your BFF, I think it’s time for you to get laid and I know just the place where you can easily find the lucky woman.”

Welker laughed and shook his head. He almost sighed out loud when his driveway come into view. As the car turned, his eyes instantly scanned each dwelling on his property. His property was very large. His family once owned a plantation with several smaller homes surrounding the main house.

Over the years, he updated the homes bringing each one into modern times. He also turned a few of the barns into apartments. Welker was proud of his accomplishments. He wasn’t just a detective; he was a landlord and had a large to-do list. His biggest project was keeping his tenants safe. Everything appeared safe. Everything looked the way they were supposed to.

“I thought Phoenix was on assignment,” Shane mumbled.

“She is. Why?”

“The house is lit up and there’s a truck parked in front.”

Welker’s eyes shot up toward the house. Sure enough. There was an unknown vehicle parked in front of the house. No one was supposed to be there except the large black boxer, who’s starving right about now. Shane didn’t need to be told. He immediately turned the headlights off and jumped out of the car with his weapon drawn.

Welker crept closer to the house. He memorized the Louisiana license plate and wondered why someone from the south would be here alone. Shane quietly moved toward the back of the house while Welker walked around the other way.

Welker slowly approached the small two-bedroom house. He lived here once upon a time. He knew every sound that floated through his ears. He also knew the way around the house without making a sound. He checked the windows. Nothing looked out of place. Looking into the windows, he noticed Max out of his cage and intently staring a pizza box on top of the refrigerator.

Pulling the key ring from his pocket, he searched for a particular key. He kept spares for all his tenants. Shane approached the front porch. Welker quietly pushed the key into the lock. He turned the key and slowly pushed the door opened. Shane instantly bolted into the home, entering to Welker’s left and Welker entered to his right. The smell of pizza invaded his nose, causing his stomach to growl even harder if that was possible. Max came bolting from the kitchen wagging his bottom. Welker put a finger to his lips like a silent command for Max to keep quiet. Max obeyed and plopped his ass down. The dog watched both men slowly walk through the rest of the house.

Once the kitchen and living areas were cleared, they headed toward the bedrooms. He froze at the sight before him. A barely covered woman stood before him. Her skin beaded with water as if she hadn’t dried off completely after her shower. Out of habit and training, he automatically yelled the familiar command,

“Hands above your head. Lace your fingers and don’t move!”

The woman stood frozen. At first, she just stared at him. Then slowly, she obeyed his command, yet showed no fear as if she was used to this type of thing. The woman was beautiful. She was curvy, just the way he liked it. He didn’t care for skinny women. For a man his size, he needed comfort and lord knows the woman standing in front of him had it. She had pale skin and reddish hair with blue eyes. She wore purple shorts with a rather small top that caused her amazing chest to fight from popping out.

He couldn’t help but notice that her nipples fought to be free from her top. They poked through the material, screaming for him to suck on them. He couldn’t take his eyes away from them, no matter how hard he tried.

“Holy fuck!” Shane shouted from somewhere behind him. Welker completely forgot Shane was here.

“My name is Vanessa Lyndon. Phoenix is my daughter.”

He heard the woman say enough to lower his weapon, but his eyes remained focused on her chest. She sighed and bent down to his level until his eyes met hers. She repeated her name. He finally found the words,

“Vanessa, I heard you.”

This woman, Vanessa Lyndon, was stunning. He felt his heart beat faster and his dick grew thicker the longer he stood in front of her. He hasn’t felt this way in a long fucking time. Sure, he’s been with other women but never wanted one as much as he wanted this woman standing half-naked in front of him. Thank you, God!

“Right.” She answered.

“Phoenix’s mother.”

“Yes. That’s me.”

“Whoa! Phoenix’s mother?” Shane shouted from behind me. Shane decided to flirt with the one woman he wanted. He gonna shoot Shane later and watch him bleed out. Then she asked if they wanted pizza. She announced that she was going to change, but not before she threatened both our lives if they touched the pizza. He wanted to follow her and help her remove her clothes. He wanted a lot more than that, but he had to calm his dick down. Should he eat or just leave? It would be rude to leave. Before he could make a decision, Shane had the pizza and plates already on the table.

“What the fuck are you doing?” He gritted through my teeth.

“What? We’re eating.”

“No, you’re leaving. Don’t you have some unfortunate woman to bring home?”

“I would love to have that woman.” He nodded toward the direction of Vanessa. Yep. His decision was made, he would kill Shane. “Why are you looking at me like you want to kill me?”

“Because I do.”

Before he could kick Shane out of the house, she returned covered wearing jeans and a T-shirt. She pulled her hair up. She was even more beautiful. He decided he had to get this woman.