Sunsets & Seduction. Tawny Weber
was someone in a position of authority. The badge on her belt, revealed as she put a hand on her hip, cleared that up quickly. Philadelphia P.D.
Her green eyes lit with pleasure on Jonas, and then with curiosity on Tessa.
“Jonas! You’re the guy who prevented a riot on the train car? I should have known,” she said with a wide grin.
“That would be me.”
“Well, that just made my job a whole lot easier.”
Jonas smiled widely, and a twinge of jealousy grabbed at Tessa. He had never smiled like that for her, so openly. How well did these two know each other?
“Rachel,” he said warmly, and accepted the woman’s brief hug as EMTs boarded and took the man out with them.
Tessa stood, too, holding out her hand, meeting the woman’s eyes. “Hi, I’m Tessa Rose.”
The green eyes narrowed as the woman’s head tilted slightly to the side. “Detective Rachel Pankewski. I know you. You’re Senator Rose’s daughter?” she asked.
“Yes, but more importantly, Jonas’s … friend,” Tessa said pleasantly, holding the woman’s stare.
The detective smiled widely, looking at Jonas again, seeming even more amused.
“So what happened here?” she asked.
“He started to panic when the lights went out. He was big, and started hitting, pushing.”
“Yeah, we have someone with a bruised eye where he clipped them.”
“I got him in a choke hold and tried to talk him down, but he got really riled up,” Jonas said. “I know it was risky, but it was getting bad in there.”
Rachel nodded. “He’ll be okay. He’s still kind of groggy and doesn’t know what happened exactly. We’ll explain the situation to him, and as long as the EMTs clear him, there’s no problem that I can see. He was a public danger to himself and others. We owe you one. We’re all doing whatever we have to tonight. It’s nuts. I had an assault close by, so I responded. I’ll write it up and catch up with you over the next few days. Thanks for keeping this from turning into a real problem.” Rachel smiled. “What are you two doing caught in this in the first place?”
“Tessa has an elderly friend in Germantown who needs some help, she’s low on insulin. We were trying to get there, but with the stoppage on the tracks, they rerouted us here,” he explained. “We’re trying to figure out how to get the next leg.”
“You’ll be stuck here for a while, and the streets are a mess. I have to go, but first let me see what I can do.” The detective quickly reached into her jacket for her phone.
Tessa noticed two other things: her gun in its holster and her wedding rings on a chain around her neck.
“Old flame?” she asked Jonas, her voice not as casual as she’d hoped it would be.
“Old friend. We were street cops together, not partners, but had the same shift and we made detective together. She’s a good egg. And very, very married,” he added with another twitch of his lips.
Tessa’s cheeks burned. She knew she was making an idiot of herself over a man who didn’t even necessarily like her very much, except for the explosive sexual chemistry they shared. She thought again about how he had rarely shared the easy humor or banter with her that he had with his old friend, and she realized it was something she wanted with him.
She craved the passion, and the explosive sex, but she was interested in the other stuff, too. The things that real relationships were made from. The shared intimacy of tiny details that all couples experienced in everyday life. Coffee in the morning, holding hands while watching television, finishing each other’s sentences.
She had no idea if Jonas wanted more than sex with her, or with anyone, for that matter. It pinched at her to think that was all they had, and barely that, even.
The detective joined them again. “Well, there’s no way for me to get a unit down here to take you … we’re stretched beyond capacity, as you can imagine. There is one possibility for transport, if you are open to it,” she said.
“Anything you can do would be wonderful,” Tessa said appreciatively, trying to make up for her previous jealousy. “My friend needs her insulin within an hour or so.”
“Well, we’ve recruited some help from mounted details, and I have officers willing to take you where you need to go, if—”
“Horses?” Jonas said incredulously.
“Yep. Some of the local cowboys and a few of the state police are offering services to get where regular transport can’t go. They can get you there with no stopping, unless the skies open up again.”
“I love horses, no problem,” said Tessa. “I learned to ride as a kid.”
Jonas looked less sure.
“I don’t know, Tessa, maybe you should go, and I can wait—”
“It will be fine, Jonas. Just trust in the universe. This could even be fun,” she said.
“Fun. Right.”
“Don’t worry. The officer will ride, and all you have to do is hang on.”
“Right,” he said again, sounding less than convinced. “Well, let’s go, then.”
The detective led them out through a side exit, and Tessa smiled at the large, handsome quarter horse that stood with his rider under a roof that protected them from the rain, which had lightened considerably, she saw with relief.
The quarter horse belonged to the state cop, who stood next to a younger man, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. Tessa recognized him as one of Philadelphia’s native urban cowboys.
The city had developed a program to help inner-city youth avoid crime and learn to ride, caring for their horses and riding them around the city, as long as they stayed out of trouble and did well in school. The program had some ups and downs over the years, and had had its share of controversies. Struggling to stay afloat in terms of funding, it still was active.
Tessa supported the program through her business, and knew her father did, as well—it was one of the few things they agreed on. It was a good idea, and she loved seeing the horses being ridden down a Philly side street in the evening, the cowboys appearing like some vision from the Old West. She also liked to think about the kids in the program getting a second chance.
“Ricardo? Officer Styles?” Rachel greeted them, and introduced herself, as well as Tessa and Jonas.
“You think you can deliver these two safely to Germantown? They have a friend in need,” the detective explained. “Jonas is a former detective with the force. Tessa owns a store down on South.”
Jonas spoke up upon hearing the younger man’s voice. “Ricardo? Ricardo Nunez?” he asked.
“Detective Berringer,” the young man said happily. “I remember you.”
“Not a detective anymore, but I take it you’re doing well?”
“Yes. Thanks to you,” he said. “Detective Berringer introduced me to the stables when I was a kid. He got me out of a crack house during a raid when I was ten and got me into a good foster home,” Ricardo explained to the rest.
“Ricardo is planning to go to the academy,” Officer Styles interjected. “He wants to be in our Mounted Division.”
Tessa saw the pleasure reflected in Jonas’s expression.
“Ricardo, that’s great,” Jonas said. “I’m proud of you.”
The young man crossed to Jonas, who held out his hand for Ricardo to find, shaking it and pulling the young man in for a quick, manly chest bump.
Tessa’s throat was a little tight with emotion