scratched the back of his neck and to her relief he accepted the change of topic. “Zora has turned into the redheaded bridezilla of Silver Valley. She wants everything to be perfect, and if it wasn’t for her best friend, Kayla, being a florist and also heavily invested in the event, I’d have eloped with Zora to Atlantic City by now.”
“Atlantic City? Surely you’d have the class to at least take her to Vegas?”
“Yeah, well, you know what I mean. It’s hard to believe New Year’s Eve is only a few weeks away. How goes your date search?” He might be up to his ass with police work, since he was in charge of SVPD’s overall operation against the True Believers, but Nika could see Bryce was just as invested in his future wife’s wedding dreams. She wondered, not for the first time, if she’d ever meet a man who’d be willing to cater to her needs, her career. Not that she was looking, or even wanted to have more than a very short-term relationship with any man. Her heart was still too sore from her breakup with Ron.
“Stop asking. I told you I don’t need a date. If you insist, to make the dinner tables even, I’ll bring my mother.” Except then her mother would start the “when are you going to stop being a policewoman and marry a nice man?” routine.
“I know several young police studs I can fix you up with if you need me to, Nika. And none of them are Pennsylvania state troopers.” Compassion shone in his eyes and she wanted to spit.
“Now you’re just being gross, Campbell. And I’m over that jackass. I already told you that months ago.” Nika leaned over her seat and put her elbows on Bryce’s desk.
“I’ll believe you’re over him when you let your guard down enough to admit you could use some love in your life. We all need it.”
It’d be a long time before she’d be willing to do that, but she kept her thoughts to herself. “If we can drop the silliness, I have something to report. We had an incident while I was at the school today. Right before I left.”
“I saw the initial call come in.” Bryce whistled. “What happened?”
“A rock crashed through the class window, aimed at the exact point where Mitch Everlock usually stands when he’s lecturing.” She detailed the event, giving Bryce time to type it up into his computer.
“Don’t think for one minute I’m your secretary, Nika.” He grinned. “But I’ll send a copy of this to you when we’re done.”
“Thanks.”
“So, Everlock saw the rock coming before you did?”
“Neither of us saw it. The sound of it hitting the window alerted us.”
“I would have loved to see your face when Everlock shoved you to the floor.” Bryce teased her as well as her brothers did at family gatherings.
“There wasn’t anything to see since I was eating the floor.” She wasn’t about to admit that she’d been too aware of Mitch’s hard shape on top of hers.
There was a quick rap on the door frame.
“There she is, our brightest high school student. Tell me, Nika, have you tried out for the cheerleading squad yet?” Rio Ortego, another SVPD detective, leaned his head into Bryce’s tiny office.
“Screw you, Ortego.”
Rio laughed at her quick response.
“Is there a problem, officers?”
Rio straightened, as did Nika and Bryce. Chief of Police Colt Todd entered the space, his fit body and youthful good looks belying the twenty or more years he had on all of them.
“No, sir.” They spoke in unison, which made Chief Todd grin. His brows rose as he took in Nika’s civilian, teenaged appearance. “How goes it?”
“Fine, sir.”
“Officer Pasczenko was just telling me how hard she’s crushing on her new chemistry teacher, sir.”
Nika wanted to reach over the desk and give Bryce a quick sharp jab to the ribs. She loved her brothers-and sisters-in-arms but, just like a biological family, they had their days.
“Campbell, is that all you have to worry about, Nika’s love life? I guess that means you’ve figured out how we’ll take down the True Believers?” Colt Todd had a stern expression on his face and Nika almost felt sorry for Bryce. Almost.
“Actually, sir, Nika’s our best bet to find out who the families are that are most involved with the cult to date. Forensics yielded that the blood was indeed pig’s, and we’re taking samples from a couple of local butchers. We might get it down to the actual farm by the end of the week.”
“That’s great,” Nika said. “There are several kids in my classes who are involved in 4-H, and more that live on farms. It might all come together.”
Chief Todd nodded. “It will come together. We’re going to get this bastard. But I need all of you up to the task. Instead of busting each other’s balls—sorry, Nika—use that energy to bring this loser or losers in. I want every single one of those cult nuts back behind bars in short order. No one left on the outside to perpetuate their hate agenda.”
“Yes, sir,” they answered in unison again, and Chief Todd walked out. Rio waited a full ten seconds until he stage-whispered to Nika, “It’s okay if you have a hard-on for your teacher, Nika. It happens to the best of us.” Bryce harrumphed a laugh and Nika gave Rio a lovely hand gesture.
“Why don’t you keep your focus on your girlfriend, Rio? Don’t worry about me. I’m not going to try to jump the chemistry teacher any time soon, trust me.”
Rio winked at her as he left. The door was immediately filled by the SVPD receptionist. “Detective Campbell, Mr. Everlock is here to complete his report.”
Mitch Everlock stepped into the space and filled it with an aura of humor. Was his chest puffed out with more than just muscles? He nodded at Bryce and then shot Nika a shit-eating grin that left no doubt about how long he’d been waiting in the passageway to enter Bryce’s den of teasing.
Mitch had heard enough, enough to think Nika might indeed have the hots for her teacher.
* * *
“Mitch, have a seat.” Bryce motioned at the seat in front of his desk. Nika ignored the heat in her cheeks and sat straighter, trying to appear more professional as Mitch sat next to her. A waft of his unique scent immediately reminded her of the long moments she’d spent underneath him in the science classroom.
“Thanks, Bryce.”
Interesting. Bryce and Mitch had met, and Nika would bet it wasn’t just since the harassment against Mitch started. An air of camaraderie existed between them that she’d only ever experienced with the SVPD. As if they were law-enforcement colleagues.
“You two met earlier today.” Bryce pulled up a file on his screen as he spoke. Mitch’s eyes found hers and she had the ridiculous urge to look away. As if she were some kind of freaking shy schoolgirl.
“Nice to see you again, Nika. Now can you tell me where you keep your weapon while you’re in the school?”
“I could, but you don’t really need to know, do you?” She forced herself to continue to meet those beautiful eyes of his without wavering. Crap, this case was not going to be the piece of cake she’d hoped. Finding the perpetrator of the ugly written threats was only the surface of a much bigger problem. She felt it in her bones. Add her unwelcome and most inconvenient attraction to Mitch and it wasn’t looking pretty.
“Fine. Don’t tell me. I’ll figure out where you keep it.” Mitch’s smug smile didn’t have the effect she thought he’d want, as it made her stomach tighten, her awareness of him on overdrive.
“Nika, you know that Mitch is a former Marine, right? Spec Ops, wasn’t it, Mitch?”
“Something