Heat (The Stark Affair Book 1) by Skylar Cross Read Free Book Online

you.”
    Breathe, Sofia. 500... 499... 498...
    “Dad,
I’m fine. I don’t need anyone to take care of me.”
    “All
women need a good man.”
    497... 496... 495...
    “So
what did you do today?” I say.
    “Some
woodworking.”
    “What
are you making?”
    “New
coffee table.”
    There’s
a perfectly nice coffee table in the living room, but whatever. Staying busy is
good.
    “So
this rich guy you’re staking out. He hang around in
all the usual rich guy places?”
    “Pretty
much.”
    “Then
while you’re there, put on a nice dress. Act ladylike. Once you find the right
guy, you can quit the force.”
    494... 493... 492...
    “Why
quit the force?” I say. “Why not marry a man and stay a police officer?”
    “How
can you have kids if you’re a cop?”
    “Dad,
we’ve had this conversation a million times. I don’t want kids.”
    “Not
yet. You will. It’s born into you. Hasn’t hit you yet. Besides, what man wants
to be married to a girl cop?”
    491... 490... 489...
    I
put my pizza slice down. I feel myself losing it. I had planned to stay and
wash the dishes, but there’s the tremble in my hand. I need to punch a heavy
bag... soon.
    “Kind
of like The Cleaver,” he says. “Nobody married her . Looks like a goddamned truck driver in a skirt with makeup.
You want to end up like that?”
    I
pick around the edges of my pizza slice.
    “She’s
incredibly good at what she does, Dad. Even your old buddy, Frank, likes her.”
    “Frank
is just playing along until retirement like I’d be doing if I hadn’t been shot.
How’s Frank doing?”
    “He’s
a lot quieter than he used to be. Stays at his desk a lot. No clue what he works
on. ”
    “See?
Playing it smart, like I said. He knows. Women are good for stings, intel , and secretarial stuff, but
shouldn’t be in charge.”
    Why?
Why does he always do this? What’s the point? Why pick and prod at me? Why can’t
he just accept that I’m a cop after all these years?
    Eat your pizza, Sofia. Eat your pizza.
    I
take a bite and chew.
    “Women
are too emotional,” he says. “Can’t always handle the job. Plus, they got a
thing for criminals. They like bad boys. All of them.”
    I
see the dead girl’s face again, lifeless eyes lit by the flashing lights. She’s
looking right at me. Her handsome boyfriend smiles at me as Mike drags him out
in cuffs. Ten minutes earlier, the fucker had convinced me that he wouldn’t
hurt her. Charmed me with his swagger. Then he killed her the moment I left.
    A
little dam bursts in my head.
    “What’s
that supposed to mean?” I say.
    “Oh,
nothing,” says my dad. “Just a tough job, that’s all. Tough jobs need to be
done by tough men. Who don’t fantasize about tattooed scumbags in their beds. ”
    I
stand up. My fists are clenched.
    “Uh-oh,”
he says. “Looks like I said the wrong thing again. That never happens.”
    “I’m
tough, Dad. What happened two years ago could have happened to anybody. It wasn’t cuz I’m a girl.”
    “Uh-huh,”
he says in that damned condescending tone as he takes a sip of his beer. “But
you had to spend a lot of time with that shrink afterward.”
    Here
it comes. I can’t help myself. It just bubbles up and over.
    “Why
do you always do this, Dad? For once, why can’t we just have a nice quiet
friendly meal together? I am what I am. That’s not going to change. And I’m
damned good at it too! I’m not some emotional girly girl who’s going to cry
every time she...”
    I’m
about to say misses the chance to save a
girl’s life but I check myself.
    My
dad’s eyes meet mine with the same coldness from that day on the front stoop
ten years ago.
    Five
million rants are swimming around in my head. But I know from experience that
all of them are a waste of breath.
    I
need to hit something!
    I
finish my beer, grab my purse, and head to the front door.
    “Bye,”
he says. “Thanks for the pizza.”
    I
have my hand on the knob, but I turn and walk back into the