Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 32627 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 163(@200wpm)___ 131(@250wpm)___ 109(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32627 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 163(@200wpm)___ 131(@250wpm)___ 109(@300wpm)
Suddenly, pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place. Bess never told us the name of her friend, and we never met the friend either. Sure, there were a few phone calls where she spoke with this so-called “friend,” but they could have been faked. In fact, who knows if this person even exists? My heart begins to pound, and dread fills my chest. Ben and I have been scammed.
“But why would Bess do this?” I choke. “What does she get from all of this?”
Sarge merely shrugs.
“Not being hauled off to jail, for one. Dodging criminal prosecution, for another. Living a life in the lap of luxury, courtesy of you two, for thirds.”
Oh shit, I think miserably. The Sarge harrumphs.
“Look, I’ll be honest. Josh is the one who first approached me about this mess. I had my doubts because it’s Josh we’re talking about, but he told me he had proof that the two of you were spending time with a prostitute. He said he’d seen her in Overland Park and decided to do some digging once he figured out her name.” He leans back in his chair. “I’m not sure what the consequences are going to be, seeing that you two are police officers who were supposed to be on a sting, but needless to say, it’s not going to be pretty.”
“Sir, we had no idea,” my brother says in a rushed tone.
The older man nods. “I figured as much. I didn’t think you would knowingly engage with a prostitute, much less house one in your own home. But it needs to be remedied, immediately. I can’t have you out cracking down on crime in the streets only to engage with a working woman on your own time.”
I continue to stare at the innocent headshot of Bess under the bright headline. “How did Josh find out about this?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.
Sergeant Nelson shakes his head in response. “Don’t take this out on him. He was just doing his diligence.”
I disagree with my boss on this front, but decide to save that battle for another day. For now, my brother and I have to figure why the hell Bess lied to us, and what we’re going to do about it. We’ve landed in deep shit, and I’m utterly confused and angry, not to mention miserable.
My brother gets his act together first.
“Sir, do we have your permission to take the rest of the day off to address of this situation?”
Our boss nods slowly. “Take care of it, fellas. Sooner rather than later, because this kind of behavior won’t be tolerated in my house.”
Without another word, Ben and I exit the office. Our bodies are stiff and faces grim as we grab our stuff and climb into the car without a word. What the hell? It seems my life was a farce, concocted by a professional liar. We thought we loved her, but hell, it was all fake. For sure, there’s going to be a lot more than love coming from my mouth tonight.
As I drive, my heart pounds and my chest grows tight. Bess isn’t getting words of love now … she’s getting filth.
10
Ben
Sitting next to Brandon in the car, I try to sift through the details I’ve just learned over the past twenty minutes or so.
Bess is a prostitute, I repeat to myself for the tenth time since seeing that god-awful website, her photos plastered across it. I can’t get the images out of my mind. Her white thighs splayed, with a coy smile on her lips. Those big boobies encased in the tiniest of bras, or just barely-there pasties in that one photo at the end.
But the images don’t bother me that much. To be honest, I love how Bess looked, and how voluptuous and sexy our girl appeared. More concerning is the fact that she lied to Brandon and me about it. Why? Bess claimed that she was an innocent girl just sitting on a park bench that night, and we were the fools who fell for it.
I could punch a wall, I’m so angry. After all, we’re professional law enforcement officials, and we fell for the oldest lines in the book. It wasn’t me. It was just a coincidence. I was there, but not for what you think. Seriously, did all our training go out the window? Clearly, Brandon and I were thinking with our dicks and nothing else.
Still, to have fallen for a woman so deceitful makes me question everything. Should we even stay on the force? Our judgment was crap, and our behavior so many sides of wrong. Now, however, there’s no telling what might happen. Will we lose our badges? Our professional reputations? Our livelihoods?
I grimace even harder when I remember my confession in the Sarge’s office: that I’m in love with Bess.