Bad Cop Read online

  BAD COP

  Linda Verji

  Copyright © 2018 by Linda Verji

  www.lindaverji.com

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior consent from the author, excepting brief quotes in reviews.

  This is an original work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), events, businesses or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Design by Duong Covers

  A BWWM Interracial Romantic Mystery

  Rated 18+ for Explicit Sex & Strong Language

  Table of Contents

  About This Book

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  What’s Next?

  About This Book

  There are good cops… then there’s Lucas!

  No one has ever accused Lucas Gallo of being good. He’s the kind of man they warn women about. Checkered past, man-whore, cocky… and hot as sin. Good girls can’t handle him. And that’s exactly what Jasmine ‘Jaz’ Mitchell was when they first met; a dewy-eyed good girl who believed in love, roses and everything nice.

  Then he broke her heart!

  Now she’s back in his life and she’s different – feisty, a little cruel and outrageously irresistible. Innocent, sheltered Jasmine was cute, but this brave, new Jasmine is sexy as hell. Lucas knows that he shouldn’t get close to her because he’ll just hurt her again. However, that doesn’t change the way her sweet-as-sin kisses have his heart racing and blood boiling. Worse, she keeps diving head-first into danger and has somehow landed on a dangerous murderer’s kill list. Lucas will do anything to keep her safe. But can he keep his desire on a tight leash while he does it?

  Bad Cop

  ‘People who are meant to be together, find their way back. They may take a few detours, but they’re never lost.

  ~ Unknown ~

  PROLOGUE

  Ring. Ring. Ring.

  The chiming sound echoed loudly, shattering the eerie silence that had eclipsed the large library just seconds before. Sixteen-year-old Jasmine Mitchell looked up from the physics textbook she was reading to find the librarian standing by the reception desk still ringing the bell. Though the librarian didn’t say anything everyone knew what that ringing meant; closing time. The shuffling and moving began; people closing their books, zipping their bags, standing up and leaving.

  Unfortunately, Jasmine wasn’t done with the section she was studying. She pushed her glasses up her nose as she looked around nervously. There were a few other people who weren’t done, and they were furiously scribbling in their books. She did the same. By the time the second bell rung, she was done. She pushed her seat back and stood. After stuffing her books into her backpack, she set the books she’d borrowed on the trolley before heading to the exit.

  The moment she stepped out of the building, the cold night air smacked her right in the face. It was so chilly that it seeped straight through her oversized sweater and mom-jeans. She rubbed both her arms to warm them but it did nothing; only the safety of a warm house could get rid of this cold. But she didn’t want to go home. Not yet. She wanted to see him!

  She reached into her pocket for her phone then dialed his number. It rung for quite a while but he didn’t pick up. As usual. Still, she tried again. He still didn’t pick up. Even though this wasn’t the first time he was ignoring her, Jasmine couldn’t help the sharp disappointment that swept through her.

  Any other girl would’ve taken the hint and left him alone. But Jasmine couldn’t. She’d loved that boy since she was twelve. No matter how hard she tried to ignore him and hurt him like he was hurting her, her heart always found its way back to him. She didn’t even need to call around asking for his location. She knew him so well that even his daily habits were engraved in her memory. With a sigh, she headed towards the local skate-park.

  If Jasmine had to describe the brightly lit skate-park, she’d use two words; Teen City. Despite the late hour, the place was teeming with teenagers. Though some were standing around the park in groups, chatting and laughing, most were on the ramps. They took turns dropping down the curved concrete surface, grinding on the rails, jumping over stuff and zooming around each other in some kind of chaotic order that only they understood.

  Jasmine felt out-of-place in this world of creative disorder. All the other kids seemed so cool in their fashionable clothes, caps turned backwards and even in the way they spoke. Yet here she was looking nerdier than ever with her glasses, baggy sweater and book-bag. Her difference from everyone else was made even more obvious when the pack of boys who stood near the entrance vaping weed looked her up and down then laughed. Her stomach tightened in immediate tension.

  God, she wanted to leave this place! But she couldn’t. Not until she saw him. Her fingers tightened over the strap of her backpack as she steeled her shoulders then strode deeper into the park. It took a while to find him, but finally she did.

  Lucas Gallo.

  He was on his skateboard, expression grave and determined as he stood on the edge of the highest ramp. Eighteen looked good on Lucas. He was all sun-bleached, unkempt hair, stud in his ear, leather jacket, white t-shirt, gray ratty jeans and delinquent energy. Though he was tall, his slender, long limbs made him look even taller. Add in the good looks, it was no wonder that many of the girls around the ramp had their eye on him.

  Jasmine had seen him do this a million-and-one times, but her heart still dropped to her stomach when he sped down the ramp in a burst of explosive energy. In a fluid effortless motion, he carved the steep banks of the various interconnecting ramps.

  Even when on the ground, Lucas had a beautifully dangerous vibe to him. But up in the air, he was amazing. His skateboard transcended its state of being a piece of sporting equipment and became an instrument of art. It was like an electric guitar being played by a master rock-star. He flowed through the course in the same way that water finds its natural course. When he finally brought his skateboard to a stop, there was a burst of applause.

  Smirking cockily, he gave his observers a curt nod as his gaze swept over them. Inevitably his eyes landed on Jasmine. When their eyes met, it felt like getting zapped by electricity. It had always been like this. No matter how much distance there was between them, when they saw each other, everything seemed to disappear leaving just the two of them.

  Lucas’s smirk dropped. Jasmine stepped forward, ready to meet him as soon as he moved towards her. But he didn’t move towards her. Anger flashed in his eyes right before he turned away from her. His stride was purposeful as he moved even further from her, his skateboard in hand.

  He ended up standing next to some tall, goth-looking girl, with pink and blue streaks in her hair and black l
ipstick. It was bad enough that he’d walked away from Jasmine. However, when he slung his arm around Goth-girl’s shoulder, pain and anger shuttled through Jasmine with a ferocity that left her balling her fist. How could he be that disrespectful? Just two weeks ago, he’d thrown a fit because she’d smiled at Ryan Wood during lab and now here he was hugging some girl.

  Jasmine swallowed to get rid of the bitter taste in her mouth, but it still lingered. She knew that the right thing to do in this situation was to leave and stop torturing herself because of some guy who didn’t appreciate her love. But she couldn’t; her feet refused to move towards the exit. Instead, she found herself edging towards him.

  Though Lucas’s eyes were on Goth-girl, Jasmine could tell that he knew she was coming. His body was stiff and the smile he was giving his companion was faker than a Fucci bag. But it was Goth-girl who acknowledged Jasmine first.

  “Yeah?” Goth-girl stared at Jasmine with raised eyebrows. “Do you know me?”

  “No, I don’t.” Jasmine came to a halt right in front of Lucas, where he couldn’t ignore her. He was so tall that she had to look up at him as she asked, “Can we talk?”

  He didn’t even look at her. “No.”

  “Lucas!” Jasmine tried to grab his hand, but he jerked it backwards.

  “Do you know her?” Goth-girl looked up at Lucas.

  Lucas smiled at his companion and his arm tightened around her shoulders. “She’s nobody.”

  “I’m his girlfriend,” Jasmine corrected despite the sudden tightness in her throat and itchiness behind her eyes.

  “Girlfriend?” Lucas finally looked at her. His blue eyes were glazed with icy dismissal. A derisive smirk lifted the sides of his lips as he guffawed. “No you’re not. Don’t you remember? We already broke up.”

  “No, we’re not broken up.” Jasmine shook her head vehemently. “You can’t just tell me we’re breaking up and expect me to accept it.”

  For the last one year or so, Lucas and Jasmine had been joined at the hip. They were the unlikeliest of pairs. She was a bookworm and so smart that she’d skipped a few grades and ended up in the same class as Lucas. He, on the other hand, was just going to school because it was a thing kids did. In fact, the first time they’d talked, he didn’t even know the name of their homeroom teacher. How they’d become friends was a mystery, but a couple? They’d shocked the whole school.

  Despite his roguish charm and notoriety, Lucas had only eyes for Jasmine. No one could have ever imagined that wild Lucas who skipped school like it was breakfast and had been caught smoking several times could fall for a nerd like Jasmine. But he did, and he was a surprisingly good boyfriend.

  Cool kids didn’t go for picnics; Lucas took her to a few. Cool kids didn’t leave boxes of chocolate and flowers on your desk on Valentine’s day; Lucas did. Cool kids didn’t hang around in the library just because their girlfriend was there; Lucas did. He was a good boyfriend! Until three days ago when he’d declared that he wanted to break up.

  “I can’t believe it.” Jasmine stared at Lucas trying to read his face. “Why would you want to break up?”

  “I just want to.” Lucas shrugged and brought Goth-girl closer to his body. Goth-girl smirked at Jasmine as she wrapped an arm around Lucas’s waist.

  Something hot and bitter bubbled in Jasmine’s chest as she watched the two. Oh, how she wanted to snatch Goth-girl’s hair by its dyed strands and yank her away from Lucas. Still, she held herself back as she pleaded. “Can’t you at least tell me a reason so I can fix it?”

  “There’s nothing to fix,” he retorted.

  “Luc, I don’t understand why you’re doing this.” She grabbed his arm and stepped closer to him. “I love you and I know you love me.”

  “Don’t touch me!” Lucas snatched his arm away and stepped back, taking Goth-girl with him.

  His abrupt movement as well as the volume of his voice startled Jasmine. Lucas had never shouted at her or refused her touch. In fact, whenever he was mad at her, all she had to do was touch him and he’d cool down. What was happening here? Why was he doing this to her? Had she done something wrong? She had to have done something wrong for him to act this way.

  “I’m sorry,” she apologized.

  “What are you apologizing for?” His top lip lifted in a sneer. “Have you done something wrong?”

  “I don’t know.” Her hands fluttered nervously as panic settled deeper in her stomach. “You’re trying to break up with me so-”

  “I’m not trying,” Lucas cut her off. “I’ve already done it.”

  “Why?” she pleaded as a tear slipped down her cheek.

  “Do I need a reason?” Lucas retorted flippantly, unmoved by her tears.

  “Of course you need a reas-” Jasmine stopped speaking and swallowed to clear the lump that was clogging her throat. She swiped her palms over her cheeks to get rid of the tears that were now flowing freely. “Luc, I love you. Please don’t do this-”

  “Ugh! Seriously.” Goth-girl interrupted. “Are you really going to do this here? With all these people staring? Gawd, I hate girls like you. Don’t you have any self-respect?”

  Jasmine glanced around only to find that they’d attracted the attention of other kids. Everyone was looking at her with contempt, like she was some pitiful puppy begging for crumbs of love from a guy who didn’t like her. A few were even laughing. Jasmine wanted to stop acting so pathetic, but she couldn’t help herself. She just wanted Lucas back.

  She turned away from their observers to meet Lucas’s eyes again. “Can’t we talk about it?”

  “Talk about what?” Lucas rolled his eyes then huffed loudly. “Fine, you want a reason? Here’s your reason then; I broke up with you cause I’m bored. You bore me. You’re boring. Satisfied?”

  Jasmine was stunned. She’d never expected that to be the reason, never expected him to say such words. Yet, in a strange way, it all made sense. She wasn’t cool like him. She was the girl who sits in front of the class with her face tucked into a book. She was the girl who didn’t fit in skate-parks like these and always looked like the odd one out. Of course she was boring.

  “Okay, okay. I’ll change.” She grabbed his arm again as she desperately offered, “I’ll do better. I’ll be more fun.”

  “Stop, just stop!” Goth-girl stepped forward and shoved Jasmine away.

  Jasmine wasn’t prepared for the shove, and she went down butt-first. To break her fall, she set her palm on the ground. A tendon in her wrist must have twisted because she felt a sudden pain streak through her arm as her lower body met the ground.

  “Ow!” Jasmine whimpered in pain.

  “Is it so hard to understand?” Goth-girl was still speaking. “He doesn’t want you anymore.”

  Tears of pain clouding her eyes, Jasmine looked up at him. His gaze softened, and he stepped forward as if on the verge of helping her up. But then his eyes changed, hardened. Then he turned away from her.

  “Let’s get out of here!” He slid his arm down Goth-girl’s back to her waist.

  “Yeah.” Goth-girl sneered as she and Lucas skirted past Jasmine. “God, you’re pathetic!”

  Lucas didn’t say anything, didn’t even look back. He just kept walking away. It was the last memory Jasmine would have of him for quite a long time. Of his back turned and another woman walking beside him.

  CHAPTER 1

  ~ THIRTEEN YEARS LATER ~

  “You need to set up a trust for the kids, Derrick,” Jasmine advised her client.

  “I know. I know,” Derrick, the client in question, said. Even though she could only see him on screen, Jasmine could tell that the man was in his living room. He said, “But it doesn’t have to be now. I’m only thirty-nine.”

  Jasmine, who was in her own office, said, “Death doesn’t choose people based on their age.”

  “Wow! That’s morbid.”

  “It’s my job to be morbid so I can keep you and your family safe,” Jasmine said. “So listen to me. Let’s set up a
trust.”

  “But I already wrote up a will like you told me to,” Derrick complained. “Isn’t it enough? We both know that Brian and his husband will take the kids if Gabriella and I kick the bucket.”

  “I know but a will is just a suggestion,” she explained. “It doesn’t have the power to force the courts to send your kids to Brian. The judge gets to make the final decision about who is appointed their legal guardian, and it might end being someone else. However, if you have your living trust, you can specify who handles your financial future…”

  And on she went.

  Helping other people manage their personal finances might seem boring to other people, but Jasmine loved her job. Money, like numbers, had always fascinated Jasmine; how to make it, how to multiply it, how to make sure you don’t lose it. Back in college, she’d even had a YouTube channel where she talked personal finances, investment and playing the stock market.

  The channel had blown up while she was still working as a financial advisor for a local bank in New Orleans. People had started asking for advice on how to manage their own finances and invest. Somehow that had led to Jasmine becoming an online consultant. At first she offered advice for free, but some people needed more in-depth consultancy and they paid her for it. Soon her income from her consultancy exceeded what the bank was paying her, and she’d quit.

  Maybe for someone else it might have been a risky move, but she still had all her money from playing the stock market. Transitioning into freelance work had been easy. Online consultancy had somehow expanded into a real business with an office, employees and taxes. So here she was; the founder and CEO of Mitchell Finance.

  “Okay, let’s set it up,” Derrick conceded. “What do I need to do?”

  Jasmine explained to him the procedures for setting one up. Since he was in Wyoming, she recommended a lawyer she knew out there to help him out. She’d just signed off with Derrick when there was a knock on her door.