Goddess of Justice by Dwayne Clayden (mobi ebook reader TXT) 📕

snow off her black Sorels and tossed her multi-colored ski jacket onto the seat before sliding in. She wore an unbuttoned red and black lumberjack shirt over her black T-shirt. “There was no way I was keeping up. Not on those icy roads.”

“Another thing I learned at TSU. We seldom stopped when responding, not for red lights, traffic, traffic accidents we caused, not anything. If traffic was jammed, we drove on the wrong side of the road. Which works great. When people see a huge Suburban heading straight for them, they react fast.”

A waitress with a red perm and large hoop earrings stopped by the table. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

Brad held his hand out to Toscana.

“A beer, Labatt’s Blue, please,” she said.

“Old Vienna for me,” Brad said.

The woman’s red hair bobbed, and she headed off to get their drinks.

The waitress came back with two beers. Brad ordered the pizza special.

“You may be right.” Brad held out his beer, and they clinked the necks. “Acting sergeant, that’s an accomplishment.”

Toscana shrugged. “I worked hard for it.”

Brad held up a hand. “I meant no offense. Truly, it’s impressive.”

“Sorry. I’m used to guys figuring I got the opportunity based on lying on my back.” She pulled at the cuffs of her red and black lumberjack shirt.

“Well, you must have impressed the right people. What areas have you worked?”

“Right out of the academy, I was assigned temporarily to Vice. At first, I was thrilled they chose me. I worked hard in classes and figured I’d earned the opportunity.”

“But—”

Toscana tilted her head to the side, raven hair swinging with the tips barely touching her shoulders. Her lips twisted. “They needed female a cop to play hooker so they could arrest the vermin that prey on the prostitutes. It had nothing to do with excellent marks or hard work, just that I was female.”

Brad nodded, staring at his beer. “It doesn’t hurt that you’re great looking, also.”

Her dark-brown eyes rolled. “Sure. The guys stared at me first. I was assisting in loads of arrests, but my name never appeared on any arrest reports.”

Brad frowned. There were some sides to policing he didn’t like. The archaic boys’ club still had a firm hand on the police service. They’d be kicking and screaming and holding fast to the timeworn ways. He knew how hard it had been with Maggie as a student paramedic in the fire station.

“You must have done something right.”

“My partner, Tony DeMarco, was outstanding. He was my sole backup most of the time. Too often, a guy would get rough, and I needed Tony. I can hold my own in a fight, but when you are in a tight skirt and six-inch heels, you lose any advantage. By the time Tony was through with the guy, I doubt he’d ever try to pick up a hooker again.” Her eyes crinkled at the edges as she smiled.

“Those types of guys will find another outlet for their rage.”

Toscana stared at her beer. “He was my mentor. I owe him a lot.”

“The Italian connection couldn’t hurt.” Brad cocked his head. “Sounds like there’s more to that story.”

Toscana nodded and pursed her lips. “Yeah. It’s not good spending most of your time with one person. There were other guys on the team, but Tony was my partner. We always worked night shifts on the weekend. The city shuts down after 3:00 a.m. Then it was the two of us alone in a car, and me dressed to the nines.”

“Was he married?”

Toscana chewed her lip and nodded. “Nothing happened, but it was going to. He asked for a transfer. They made him a district sergeant in the northeast. I wanted to transfer there, also, but I didn’t. For the next four years, I got some magnificent opportunities to work on some serious crimes. I did research, paperwork, and all the stuff the detectives didn’t want to do, but it got my foot in the door. I’m sure Tony had a say in this opportunity.”

“Do you still talk to him?”

“For the first couple of years we’d get together for beers or run into each other at The Cuff and Billy. Then the beers became infrequent and we haven’t talked in two years. I heard he and his wife had a baby three months ago.” Toscana took a long drink of beer. Her brown eyes glistened.

Brad realized it was time to change the topic. “What do you want to know about TSU?”

Toscana set her beer down and slid off her lumberjack shirt, leaned back and crossed her arms under her breasts. He thought they’d pop out of her T-shirt.

“I want to know everything. I want to know how I can get on TSU.”

Toscana’s arms weren’t just toned, they were defined and bulging. She was a solidly built lady. “That might take more than a beer, something to eat, and fancy shooting.”

Her eyebrows arched and she smiled. “I’m fine with meeting again.”

Oh, oh. Was this only about TSU? Rather than feeling safe in the back corner of the restaurant, he felt cornered. Then he gave his head a shake. Feeling a bit high on yourself, are you? “Where do you want me to start?”

“How was the team originally formed?”

“That’s a loaded question.” He sipped his beer. “Some ex-military Airborne were robbing banks and Brinks trucks. They were an elite Canadian unit, not as skilled as the US Navy SEALS, but they were proficient. They stole all the guns and ammunition they needed. As well, they were trained in tactics and worked well together as a team. The police were hopelessly outgunned, and our revolvers and shotguns were no match. They’d already killed my partner.” Brad’s grip tightened on his bottle.

“Sorry,” Toscana said, meeting his eyes.

Brad peered out the window. “Sergeant Jackson went to Los Angeles and met with their SWAT team. He then convinced two members of LA SWAT to come back and train us. The SWAT guys told stories about stuff we have never encountered here. Riots, gang wars, and