Page 7 of Creed

“My old captain recommended?—”

He huffs out a little bit. “Look, things are run different here. We have a whole county to look after, not just one city. The sheriff is elected, not chosen. He owes more to the people than handing favors to his chief. I got you a job. That’s all I can do.”

I blink at him, taking another sip of water. He didn’t get me the job. I earned my place and they had an opening.

I also don’t want to counter him, hating when he treats me like I don’t know anything about law enforcement. A sheriff’s department is different from a police department, but not by much.

That one city I had to patrol in Arizona has nearly the same population as the county we’re in. Bluport nearly holds the entire population since it’s right near the shore. “Thank you. I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful. I just have a few years already under my belt, and?—”

“Then you should have stayed there if you were looking to climb the ladder.”

I swallow down the ache in my throat and the sting in my chest. “I came to be closer to you.”

He wipes his mouth roughly with the napkin and then tosses it on his plate. “You came to nag me about the doctor appointments.”

I laugh at his absurdity. “Is that a bad thing? I want you to continue to get healthier.”

My father glares. “I’ve been taking care of myself for years without your help. I don’t need you coming and trying to boss me around while using my name to make a career for yourself.” His jaw is tight and he leans back in his chair.

The pulse in my neck is strangling as it thunders away. I don’t want to push him too far, but his anger confuses me. “I don’t have much control over our matching names. When I got the call you were in the hospital, that scared me, and I realized that you could be gone any minute, and I just figured…I don’t know, we could spend time together.”

He sighs, cracking his neck and reaching for his beer. “I’m fine. That’s why they got me on all those meds. It won’t happen again.”

“We can only hope it won’t happen again.”

The hard clink of the bottle slamming on the table makes me wince. “Damn it, Morgan! Leave it be! If you want a promotion, work for it like the rest of the sorry asses in the department.”

I clear my throat again and mutter an apology. We eat for another few tense, silent moments. “I got a couch the other day, so my apartment is all set up.”

He grunts but doesn’t comment further. I push the food around my plate, not having the energy to eat or try again.

I knew it would be hard to come back and try to reconnect with him. We never had a strong relationship while I was growing up. Half the time he was too tired from his work to engage with me, and the other half he spent yelling about how much of a disappointment and burden I was.

It’s why when the judge in my parents’ nasty divorce and child custody court case asked if I wanted to go to boarding school for high school, I jumped at the chance. It’s why I ran out of state for college, away from both of them and with a full scholarship, so I didn’t have to ask for help.

Between him and my mother, at least there were days when he just ignored my existence. She used every opportunity to bash him, and if my presence couldn’t be used against him, then I wasn’t worth her time.

3

CREED

“Shit.”I glance over my shoulder, confirming the red and blue lights are not from the delirium of riding for almost five hours straight.

My fingers tighten on the clutch, and I have a flicker of a thought to outrun them before I sigh and signal I’m pulling off to the side.

Gage, my club’s president, would kick my ass if I got thrown into jail again. Cowen, our tech expert, would probably blackmail me to clear the record ‌too.

Plus, I know for a fact I wasn’t doing anything wrong. They can pull me over, but I’ll get Judge to fight whatever ticket they want to stick me with if Cowen decides to be a little bitch.

The car stops a distance away from me and I straddle my bike, pushing the toes of my boots into the dirt as they climb out of their vehicle and head toward me. I turn off my bike, resting my keys on the tank because I’ve learned they assume I’ll run.

I recognize Warner. Punk bitch. He’s not the worst one in the department, considering he usually leaves us alone unless hehas an audience to cater to. Which draws my attention to his partner, the dainty thing walking up to me without even waiting for him.

Something electric tingles under my skin the closer she gets, a thrill of anticipation as she draws to my side a few feet away.

It takes less than a second for me to register her face. It’s vastly different from the dark smoky eyes and tousled “just got fucked” hair. No, today she’s in an uptight bun, and I’d say fresh face, but what the fuck do I know?

Either way she’s still a fucking bombshell. Can’t hide those shining blue eyes and pouty rosy lips that I sucked on. I sit up straighter as my cock hardens in my jeans, the pinch painful as it runs out of space to keep growing.