�Where were you last night?� Kevin questioned Jenai, as she walked in the front door the next morning.
�With Jakob,� Jenai replied. �Where else would I be?�
�I told you to come home after you left the club.�
�I went to Jakob�s and I fell asleep on the couch.�
�You were supposed to come here.�
�God, you�re not my father and I�m 24; I can take care of myself. If I want to spend the night at Jakob�s I will. He�s been the only true friend I have since Brianna died. Do you want me to write him off or what? Well I can�t do that and I�m sorry if that bothers you. That�d be like me telling you to forget about Kristin and she�s your damn wife.�
�I ain�t telling you to forget him or anything. Right now I just want ya to tell me where ya go and shit. Do you think you can do that?� She just looked at him. �Jenai, I just want ya to be safe that�s all.�
�But I can take care of myself. You, Tim, Gerald, dad, and Marty never let me prove that. Hell, Jakob doesn�t let me either and I can�t stand it. I�ve studied martial arts and karate my whole life. I have a black belt in both and know how to defend myself.�
�I know ya do, but I just want ya to be careful.�
�I will.�
�And let me know where you�re at.� She sighed.
�Fine. I�m going to go shower alright?�
�Ok, but I got to get to work. Maybe we can do lunch.�
�I guess.�
�I�ll see ya.�
�Later.� Kevin walked out and Jenai dropped herself on the sofa, as her cell rang. She dug it out of her bag and turned it on. �Talk to me.�
�JJ?� came a male voice.
�Yeah; who�s this?�
�Detective Carter.� Jenai sat up and smiled.
�Hey.�
�Hey. I ain�t bothering you am I?�
�Not at all.� God, his voice was so sexy, she thought. �What can I do for you?�
�Well I was wondering if you were free for lunch.�
�I have plans actually.�
�Alright, um�what about dinner?�
�I�m free.�
�So am I.�
�Good; where are you going to go?�
�Your choice.�
�Ok then�uh�do you like Italian?�
�Yeah.�
�Then there�s this take out restaurant on Alpine Drive called Stefano�s. You can get us some food and then meet me at the old lovers bluff at sundown.�
�Alright; I ain�t going to ask any questions.�
�Good.�
�Well I got to head to work.�
�Ok.�
�I�ll see ya tonight.�
�Yeah.� She heard a click and turned off her phone. She smiled and left out a sigh. What was she doing, she thought? Nickolas is a cop and she doesn�t get involved with cops. He was very cute though and she had to admit it. He seemed nice and everything anyway. She smiled and thought about what it would be like to kiss him. His lips on hers and their tongues massaging the others while�she shook her head. �Snap out of it, Jenai, he�s a cop.� She got up and walked towards the basement, where her room was. �You don�t get involved with cops. Hell, you�re not even attracted to them�except this one.� She sighed and went down to her room.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
�Hey, Danny,� Jenai said stepping into the detective wing of the police station.
�Hey, JJ,� Daniel said.
�Is my brother here?�
�He�s in his office with Detective Carter.�
�Thank you.� She smiled and walked over to Kevin�s office just to be stopped and she looked. �Detective, Timberlake.�
�Hey, JJ,� He grinned. �How�s it going?�
�Why do you care? You didn�t care eight months ago.� He sighed. �How�s Miss What�s-her-face-with-the-fake-tits? Ya get married yet?�
�We broke up a couple months ago actually.�
�I�d say I�m sorry but I ain�t.�
�Do ya have to be so bitchy whenever ya see me?�
�If ya weren�t such a dick.� She grinned and walked away.
�We both know you still want me, JJ.�
�You only wish, Justin.� He smiled, as she opened Kevin�s door and went in. �Creep.�
�Who?� Kevin asked, as Nickolas smiled at Jenai.
�Your rookie out there,� Jenai replied. �He still wants me. Either you put that boy on a leash or I�m kicking ass.�
�I�ll talk to him,� Kevin said.
�It�s been eight months since he told me he was marrying Miss Fake Tits, and he doesn�t care. Maybe if he wasn�t a cop it�d be different and I just might like him again.� Nickolas looked at her, as she looked at him. But now you�re in the picture, she thought. To reassure herself she said, �I don�t get involved with cops�romantically anyway.� Except you, she thought looking at Nickolas and giving a little smirk, as he looked at her. �Justin doesn�t seem to understand that.�
�Well ya dated for 3 � years and he was in school for this kind of job.�
�But he wasn�t a cop, Kevy.� Nickolas looked at them and raised an eyebrow. �And it was more like an affair because he was with what�s her face.�
�What are you doing here?�
�I�ll leave you two alone,� Nickolas said getting up and walking to the door.
�Jenai, this is Nick,� Kevin said. �My other rookie.�
�We met last night actually,� Jenai said. �Nice seeing you again, Detective Carter.� Nickolas loved the way that rolled off her tongue and he smiled.
�Like wise, Miss Richardson,� Nickolas said and he walked out, as Jenai watched.
�Nick�s kind of cute,� Jenai said smiling and sitting in the chair Nickolas was in.
�Don�t even think about it,� Kevin said.
�He�s a cop, Kev.� She grinned. �Since you were too busy for lunch I brought ya some.� She put the bag on the desk. �I was in China Town so I got ya some of your favorite Chinese shit.�
�That was nice of you.�
�I know; it�s my little apology from this morning. You�re just looking out for me and I should respect that. Marty ain�t here so someone has to�although I don�t need it.�
�Did ya here from Marty lately?�
�This afternoon actually. He�s in Iceland on a job for like four days.�
�Is he coming to see you anytime soon?�
�Next week; he has a couple days off after six straight months of working.�
�It�s got to be hard for you�the both of you being apart all the time.�
�I live with it. I got you and Kris though.�
�As well as mom and dad and our brothers.�
�Yeah.� She sighed, as there was a knock and they looked. �Hey, Drew.�
�Hey, Jenai,� Drew said. �Sarge, Sergeant Stevens wants to see you upstairs ASAP.�
�Alright,� Kevin said. �She probably wants to yell at me for reaming out her top detective.�
�Detective Fatone is a dick,� Jenai said. �Everyone knows it, including Portia. She�s probably just keeping him around, because he�s giving her hot sex.�
�I�ll ignore that.� She grinned. �Are you going to stick around?�
�Actually I was going home to practice my moves. Or perhaps stop by the dance studio. They�re giving free tango lessons all month.� Kevin nodded. �Afterwards I was going up to the old lovers bluff and watch the sunset.�
�Alright, I�ll see ya tonight then.�
�Ok.� Kevin walked out and Jenai sat there a few minutes alone. She looked out the window at the detectives working and sighed. She looked at them individually and stopped at Nickolas, who was talking to Jakob. She watched Nickolas smile and smiled herself. �Wow, he is so cute.� She continued smiling, as Nickolas looked up at her. She gave a little wave to him and he gave one in return. She saw Jakob look at her and shake his head. She rolled her eyes and looked back at Nickolas, as him and Jakob went back to work. She saw a smile form at the corner of Nickolas� mouth and she sighed delightfully. She got this feeling inside her, she never experienced before, whenever she had a thought about Nickolas. She felt it last night when she saw him and again right now; it was even stronger than before. �What is wrong with me? He�s a cop.� She grinned. �But he�s so cute and seems so sweet.� She shook her head and got up, as Kevin�s phone rang. She reached for it, but stopped when she saw Callen�s picture and file. She looked at it a moment then picked it up. She looked over it and came across the autopsy report. She read over it and stopped at the word �cocaine.� �Cocaine? Callen never did drugs.� She stood there thinking a moment when Nickolas walked in to see her holding the file.
�That�s police property,� Nickolas said and Jenai looked.
�You�re working on the Callen Michaels case with Kev, right?�
�Yeah.�
�Did you search her apartment yet?�
�We�re doing that this afternoon.�
�Oh.�
�Kevin said Callen was one of your best friends.�
�Yeah, we were like sisters.�
�Are you doing all right?�
�Yes; something bothers me though.�
�And what�s that?�
�The autopsy says cocaine was found in her system.� Nickolas nodded. �Callen never touched the stuff. Her parents were crack heads and her and Dani swore they�d never touch the stuff.�
�A lot of people have secrets.� He took the file from her. �She was probably one of them.�
�I guess so.� She stood there thinking a moment before she heard Detective Fatone�s voice. She looked and saw him harassing Justin. �I better go, because you boys got work.� Nickolas nodded, as she picked up her bag. She stopped and looked out at Joseph, as she remembered something Callen said to her.
�If something ever happens to me, JJ, there�s a box at my apartment that has valuable information on Detective Joseph Fatone. He knows I have it and will do just about anything to get it and keep me quiet�even kill me. It�s in the corner of my bedroom closet on the very top shelf. You must promise not to tell anyone and promise to get it before Joe does. If you don�t get it before he does everyone will be in danger. If anything happens to me promise you�ll get the box.�
�I promise, Cal.�
She looked at Joseph. �Oh my God.�
�What is it?� Nickolas asked and she ignored him and ran out.
CHAPTER 5
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