Read Online The Promise He Made Her by Tara Taylor Quinn - Free Book Online

what he’d heard, she’d never seen it either until she’d been forced, while working as an undercover dilettante, to buy some designer clothes and learn how to wear makeup.
    â€œI’m stopping by my place to change,” she said, shrugging. And then grinned. “It drives Colin nuts, and it’s good to keep him on his toes,” she said. “Keeps him from taking me for granted.”
    He harrumphed. Had no interest in being privy to any romantic entanglements between...anyone.
    â€œI thought you were living with him.” He only thought about the arrangement because she’d been the talk of the station a few months before. A real Cinderella tale. And he’d had his doubts about how a beat cop tomboy would fit in with the highfalutin lawyer’s fanciness. Eating off fine china every day.
    â€œHim and his sister, at the family estate,” she said. “But I kept my place, too. Colin’s actually started to like slumming with me a night or two a week. Gives us time alone. And gives Julie, his sister, a chance to entertain without us around.”
    He’d heard about the girl only enough to know she’d been a victim of date rape. He nodded politely, ready to move on, and noticed his captain coming toward them.
    The grim look on the black man’s face didn’t bode well. If it was a case that was going to take him out of commission he’d have to pull some kind of favor and get out of it.
    â€œYou’ll be getting the email shortly, but I wanted to tell you personally, you didn’t get the approval for extra coverage,” Captain Salyers said. He didn’t sound happy. “With the new regime, with everyone looking, we can’t pull favors. Most particularly not for the town’s elite.”
    The words running through Sam’s mind weren’t for speaking.
    Chantel’s booted feet landed on the floor. “How is it a favor to protect a woman whose ex has threatened her life and who’s getting out of jail on a technicality? How is that not a given?”
    â€œThat’s just it,” the captain said, looking between the two of them. “The threat against her life hasn’t been substantiated in any official way. And the reversal on the case wasn’t our mistake. The commissioner said to take it up with the prosecutor’s office. Get them to come up with the money for off-duty cops. If the prosecutor’s office does it, it’s fair pay for wrongdoing. If the commissioner allots funds, without wrongdoing on the part of the police department, it’ll look like he’s doing favors.”
    And the new commissioner had some heavy footsteps to obliterate.
    â€œBecause we don’t have a crime here,” Sam said succinctly. Nodding. He understood. Cops weren’t officially in the business of prevention. Only cleanup. It was messed up.
    But nothing he was going to change in time for his purposes.
    Salyers made a couple of suggestions regarding requests made to the district attorney’s office, who to contact, what he might want to say. Sam could feel Chantel’s gaze on him as he listened to his superior. He nodded, took down a name and thanked him.
    â€œYou think the DA’s office will move on this today?” she asked as soon as Salyers was out of earshot.
    â€œI’m not going to risk it,” he told her. He’d put in the request. Stupid not to. And if approval came at some point, great. But in the meantime, “I’m on to plan B,” he told her.
    â€œYou can’t afford to pay for round-the-clock protection on your own, Sam.”
    â€œI made a promise to that woman. I promised that if she testified she’d be safe.”
    â€œYou promised her her ex would be in prison for the rest of his life.”
    Chin jutted, he nodded slowly. “He will be. And I intend to keep her safe until that happens.”
    â€œI’ll talk to Colin...”
    Sam’s head