Chapter One
The ringing phone cut through the silence and the shadows of the apartment. It rang once, twice and a third time before a hand emerged from beneath the covers and grabbed hold of it.
“What?” The muffled voice sounded as the young woman pressed the phone to her ear through the fabric.
“Parker, you’re up.”
A once sleepy, and a little irritated, Hayden tossed the covers off her frame and sat up in bed, fingers fumbling across the bedside table until she found the light switch for the lamp, face twisting with distaste at the harsh light. She sniffed and ran her fingers through her disheveled hair.
“Are you serious?” she asked, her voice still thick with sleep, blue eyes glancing momentarily at the clock on the bedside table that flashed two am in bright red digits.
“You have thirty minutes to get your ass to HQ. Don’t make me regret recruiting you.”
The call went dead before Hayden could say anything in return. She looked at the phone and heaved a sigh.
“Asshole,” the single word muttered as she set the phone down.
Hayden felt a hand slip around her stomach and tug on her body, urging her back onto the bed. She turned and looked at her girlfriend, Jeanette, now looking at her with a sleepy smile.
“Hey, who was on the phone?” she asked.
Hayden gave her a smile and leaned down to press a kiss to Jeanette’s cheek. “Work, I gotta go,” she whispered before depositing another kiss to Jeanette’s cheek. Jeanette groaned in evident disapproval and Hayden couldn’t help but smile when she saw the pout forming on her girlfriend’s lips.
“No, stay, please,” she whispered, her fingers all but clawing at Hayden, trying to urge her back down onto the warm bed, back beneath the covers, back into her arms where she wanted her. Hayden wanted to stay and, had it been any other day and any other call, she would have gladly said ‘fuck it’ and stayed right there in that bed with her girl.
But this was the call she had been waiting for. This was her moment to shine, to show them just what she could do. Besides, when they called, you came. The people she worked for were not the kind you fucked around with and usually, they weren’t the kind of people who took being told no lightly; she had learned that the hard way.
“Sorry beautiful, but I gotta go,” Hayden whispered, pressing her lips to Jeanette’s in a tender kiss. “I’ll be back, I promise.”
Jeanette made a soft sound that was somewhere between a moan and a whimper and, despite it sounding cute, it carried a clear message to Hayden; She did not approve of her leaving, but there was not much she could do. Jeanette sighed, opening her eyes fully now to look at Hayden. “Please, just…be careful, okay?”
“You know I am,” Hayden replied, a teasing edge to her voice.
Jeanette rolled her eyes. “I’m serious Hayden. Please be careful. I’d like you coming back to me in one piece.”
Hayden sighed and nodded her head before stealing one more kiss. “I’ll be careful,” she uttered the words against Jeanette’s lips, holding her gaze. Jeanette had wrapped her arms around Hayden’s neck and held her in place, her green eyes searching the striking blue of Hayden’s. When she was satisfied that Hayden meant what she had said, she nodded her head and released her hold.
“Get your ass out of here before they come and drag you out,” Jeanette said, tugging the covers back over her body and rolling onto her side to hide the worry she had in her eyes.
Hayden lingered for a moment or two before she pushed herself up from the bed and made her way to the bathroom to get herself showered and dressed. She was going to be cutting it close but, she could make it to HQ with maybe a minute or two to spare…if she rode her bike like a damn demon straight out of hell and didn’t get stopped by the cops whilst doing so. There was a part of Hayden that was nervous, that wasn’t sure about this at all, but it was being overruled by the rest of her that was excited and revved up.
This was her time to really shine.
