The Line That Binds Read online

  The Line That Binds

  Carolyn LaRoche

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Carolyn LaRoche

  This is a work of fiction. All people, places and

  events are products of the author's imagination

  and are used in a story of fiction.

  None of the contents should be

  construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events,

  locations, organizations or persons,

  alive or deceased, is completely coincidental.

  The Line That Binds

  Copyright 2019 Carolyn LaRoche

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any method, electronic or print without written permission, with exception of brief quotations for the purpose of reviews.

  Created with Vellum

  For my sisters in blue.

  There is strength in our numbers.

  Greater love hath no man than this,

  that a man lay down his life for his friends.

  Chapter One

  Eleanor

  "Hello, ladies." Even after so many years together, Eleanor's husband could still kick her heartrate up a notch just with the deep bass of his voice.

  "Hey, Gary," Eleanor's best friend Vivian waved a burrito. "Eat something before you go. There's plenty."

  "Hi, Gary." Marietta, the youngest of the three and the newest member of their little friend group, picked up a chip and dipped it in some queso.

  Gary crossed the kitchen and leaned down to kiss Eleanor on the cheek. She stood up and turned in to his arms. "Oh, no you don't, Officer. I want the good stuff."

  Eleanor giggled as Gary held her close and dipped her like an old-style movie, kissing her on the lips. When she stood upright again, she slid her arms up his chest and behind his neck.

  "Get a room!" Vivian laughed, shooting bits of rice and cheese out of her mouth.

  "You're just jealous." Eleanor stepped back, fanning herself with her fingertips. She the blew a little kiss to her friend. "You only wish Antonio had half the moves my man has."

  "Yeah, you could be right about that." Vivian frowned. "This here burrito might be the closest thing to an orgasm I've had in ages."

  "Viv!" Marietta turned a dark shade of red as she put a hand over her mouth and nodded toward Gary. "Shh!"

  "What?" Vivian gave Marietta her best innocent look, complete with batting eyelashes. "My husband works a lot of hours."

  "What are you ladies up to this afternoon?" Gary opened the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water.

  Eleanor removed the clip from her hair, regathered the hair and clipped it once more. "oh, you know. Girl talk. Margaritas."

  "You should try some. It's so good." Vivian took another bite of her food, moaning at the same time then chased it with a swallow of her margarita.

  "That is the last time I feed you!" Marietta tried to grab the burrito from Vivian but Vivian was quicker—shoving the rest in her mouth all at once. "That's my Abuella's recipe and you're ruining it!"

  "Gee, Mari, it's just food." Vivian stuck her rice and beans covered tongue out at the other woman.

  "Disgusting." Mari wrinkled her nose. "Tan infantile."

  "It looks delicious." Gary pulled a dish from the cabinet. "I'm gonna fix myself a plate before I have to get ready for work. Ricky's on tonight too, right?"

  Marietta scowled. "Of course, he is. I swear I feel like I'm the other woman to that job. You and Antonio see him so much more than I do."

  Gary grabbed a spoon from the drawer and scooped up some rice. "It's normal, Marietta. New officers often get so caught up in the job that they forget there are other things in their life. If you want, I'll have a talk with him."

  Marietta waved a hand in the air. "Go ahead if you want. It's not gonna matter. I talk until I'm blue in the face and he doesn't hear a word. It's been almost three years. He should be over it already. If I'd known this was what it would be like, I'd have stayed in the city with my momma."

  Eleanor wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulder. "I know it's not easy. The first five years are the hardest. If you make past those, you'll be a seasoned veteran wife like us. Right, Viv?" She pointed at Vivian who currently held a spoonful of rice and beans to her lips as she chewed the rest of her burrito.

  "Mmm hmm." Vivian swallowed and took the next bite. "I'm gonna hate myself tomorrow. I can just feel it."

  "Should we leave you alone with that?" Eleanor asked. Vivian responded by shoving yet another spoonful in her mouth.

  Gary nodded. "Eleanor's right. I've seen it over and over again. That five year mark is totally like a switch that flips. That's when cops go from 'gung ho, gonna save the world' to 'I just want to make it through the night and get home to my family'."

  "Yeah, well the way things are going, he's never going to have that family if he doesn't spend some time at home." A stray tear slid down Marietta's cheek. She reached up and swiped at it.

  "Aw, Mari." Eleanor squeezed her friend lightly in a side hug. "It really does get better."

  "I'm just extra emotional right now. The doctor gave me some new meds to try and straighten out my messed-up self. Maybe if my husband would spend a couple of hours with me this weekend, we might be able to make something of it."

  Gary stood at the counter dishing more food onto his plate. "Do you want me to tell the sergeant to make him take a night off this week?"

  Marietta shrugged. "Not that I'd ever interfere with his job, but I won't complain if you do."

  "You got it." Gary picked up his plate, stopped to give Eleanor another kiss then headed to the family room.

  Marietta sighed and rested her chin on her folded arms on the table. "Why can't Ricky be like Gary? You're so lucky, Ellie. He's handsome, kind, romantic, and obviously loves you to the moon and back."

  "Yeah, and housebroken too." Vivian scooped some salsa up with a chip. "You done good, girl."

  Eleanor laughed. "You don't think he was always like this, do you? It's taken years of training."

  "You should offer classes. You know how to train your husband." Vivian popped another chip in her mouth.

  "You are too much, Viv." Eleanor brought the pitcher of margaritas to the table and refilled her glass. She held it up. "Anyone else need a refill?"

  Marietta sighed dramatically as she pushed her glass across the table. "Might as well. Not like I have any reason not to."

  Eleanor filled Marietta's glass then topped off Vivian's.

  Vivian waved her hands in front of the glass. "That's it. That has to be my last one. I gotta get home later."

  "Don't worry, I got the ride share app already to go on my phone." Eleanor laughed and reached for the bowl of salsa.

  Vivian wrapped her arms around the chips and salsa. "You can't have it. Mari's homemade salsa is the bomb and I don't want to share."

  "I'll make more. I'll give you a gallon of it for Christmas." Marietta tried to unlock Vivian's hold on the dishes.

  Vivian flopped back against her chair, grabbing her drink in the process and taking a long sip. "Fine."

  Eleanor pulled the bowls in close and made
a big production out of eating several chips. "Pass the queso over here too."

  Marietta slid it across the table. "You remember that barbeque last summer?"

  "Yeah," Eleanor said. "It was the perfect day. All the guys were off. Everyone was relaxed and just had a good time."

  "That was the last time Ricky and I had sex without planning it on the calendar."

  Vivian spit out a mouthful of margarita, spraying the liquid all over her shirt and the table. "You schedule sex?"

  Marietta shrugged and took a sip of her drink. "Like you said earlier, my husband also works a lot of hours."

  "Yeah, but I was joking." Vivian reached for the chips. "Give me back my salsa."

  Eleanor reached over and gave her friend's hand a squeeze. "It's okay, Mari. All marriages go through dry patches."

  "Not you and Mr. Perfect Romance."

  Eleanor shot Vivian a shut up or I'll lock you in a closet look. "Like I said, all marriages have dry patches."

  Vivian finished off her drink and refilled it. "We've had to be pretty creative at times, with Tony around, but me and Antonio are very spontaneous. He's a real Italian Stallion."

  The kitchen fell silent as Eleanor and Marietta looked at their friend.

  "What?" Vivian looked back at her friends. "It's genetic. Italians know how to ride. Or, be ridden? Whichever one it is."

  All three women dissolved in laughter. Eleanor laughed so hard her side hurt. Marietta developed a case of hiccups. Vivian had tears rolling down her face and Eleanor was doubled over when Gary strolled back into the kitchen.

  "Seems like you ladies went a little heavy on the tequila and maybe forgot the mixer this time."

  Eleanor wiped at the tears that had formed from her laughter. Gary stood at the sink, placing his dish in it, fully dressed in his uniform. She frowned. "You got dressed already?"

  He leaned down and kissed her. "You and the girls were having so much fun I didn't want to bother you. It's all good. I know how to dress myself."

  Eleanor frowned. "It just feels weird, breaking the routine. I always strap your vest on for good luck."

  "Well, now you can walk me to the door and give me a proper goodbye kiss for luck instead this time." He leaned in close and whispered, "and maybe I'll get a little boob grab in for extra luck."

  Eleanor felt the heat rise in her face as her husband grinned and winked.

  "I'll be right back, girls." Eleanor stood and followed Gary from the room.

  "Don't rush back on our account!" Vivian called. "Give that man something to think about in his cruiser late at night!"

  "She's so lucky," Eleanor heard Marietta say. The wistfulness in her voice worried Eleanor.

  They reached the door but Gary didn't open it. Instead, he took her hand and tugged her in between him and the heavy wood. "I'd like to do a whole lot more than kiss you goodbye but I'm gonna be late for line up if I do."

  "Wake me up when you get home." Eleanor ran her fingers through the short hair at his neck. "You know what tequila does to me."

  Gary grinned. "Like the song says; it makes all your clothes fall off. Damn. Now I am tempted to call out."

  Eleanor stood on tip toe and kissed him. "Go. Play hero. I'll be here when you get home."

  "I love you, baby. See you soon."

  "I love you too. Stay safe and come home to me."

  "Always." They did and said the same things at the start of every shift from Gary's first day on the streets. Cops were superstitious. At least Gary had become that way. He liked everything to be the same.

  He opened the door and left. Eleanor watched him from the window until his truck pulled out of the driveway. His patrol car was in the shop so he had to use a pool car for a few days which meant he took his own truck to work. Even that felt wrong.

  When she returned to the kitchen, Vivian and Marietta had full glasses and full plates once more.

  "I thought you weren't having any more drinks?" Eleanor pointed at Vivian's glass.

  "I figured we'd try out that new app you downloaded." She raised her glass. "Cheers."

  "Shop with a Cop is in two weeks. Are Gary and Antonio volunteering?" Marietta asked as she rolled her burrito tighter, trapping lettuce and cheese that had tried to escape.

  "Gary always does. He's one of the founding officers of the event," Eleanor replied. "He says watching kids spend the money they are gifted on everyone but themselves reminds him that there is still good in this world, despite the evil he sees all the time."

  "Of course, he is." Marietta exhaled heavily. "Gary really is the perfect man."

  "Antonio is a founder too." Vivian lumped sour cream on her burrito. "And he's a complete pain in my ass."

  "Yeah, but he's Italian so it's genetic," Eleanor teased, knowing full well her best friend had also been born of two Italian parents.

  Eleanor's phone jingled in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw a text from Gary. Just wanted to say I love you baby.

  Love you too. She typed quickly then stuffed the phone back in her pocket.

  "How's Tony's season going?" Eleanor took a sip of her drink.

  Vivian got up and refilled her own glass. "I can't believe he is a senior. There are so many colleges looking at him."

  "That's fantastic."

  "What about the twins?" Marietta asked. "Won't they be home for Thanksgiving soon?"

  "About a week." Eleanor pointed to the refrigerator. "I've got to get to the store. They'll starve if I don't. Gary and I don't buy a fraction of the groceries we did when they were home."

  Vivian nodded her agreement. "Tell me about it. I almost need a second mortgage to keep Tony fed. Has it been hard having Jameson and Jackson gone? I'm not ready to have an empty nest."

  "We thought we might hate it but, honestly, with Gary set to retire once they graduate, we're kind of looking forward to the freedom to do what we want."

  "I really hope I have that problem someday." Marietta sighed and took a long sip of her margarita. "My nest feels like it will never be full let alone empty again."

  "You'll get there." Eleanor squeezed her hand. "You two are young. You have plenty of time."

  "Tell that to my Abuella. She insists she had five babies and another on the way by the time she was my age."

  Vivian laughed. "I hope I meet your Abuella someday. I'd like to ask her what the heck she was thinking."

  Three hours later, Eleanor bid her friends goodbye as the Uber driver pulled up in front of her house.

  She hugged Marietta. "Stay strong, mi amiga. Being married to a cop isn't easy but it's totally worth it. Ricky is a good man and he'll get it all sorted. Gary'll help him along."

  "Thanks, Eleanor. I hope so." Marietta waved as she walked down the sidewalk.

  By the time she climbed in bed, it was nearly eleven. Switching on her favorite show, Law and Order: SVU, she leaned back on her pillow.

  The sound of her phone ringing on the nightstand was the next thing she heard. The unique ring tone she used just for Gary cut its way through the thick fog of sleep that had barely begun to settle in. She glanced at the clock as she grabbed for it. Eleven forty-five. Gary's name flashed on the screen. It wasn't like him to call so late, or pretty much at all once he got on the streets.

  "Is everything okay?" she asked, trying not to sound panicked.

  Gary chuckled. "Hey, baby. Did I wake you?" He sounded fine, thank God.

  Eleanor sat up in the bed, yawning. "It's okay, I wasn't really asleep yet."

  "Sorry. I thought you'd still be up watching television." She could hear the tell-tale clicking in the background that told her Gary was working on his computer.

  "I was, before I started to doze off. You didn't answer me, is everything okay?" A burst of static sounded, accompanied by the garbled voice of a dispatcher. The sounds suddenly disappeared. Gary must have turned his radio down.

  "Everything is fine. I'm about to go on a warrant call with the organized crime guys. Just wanted to tell you I love you."

/>   Something still felt a little bit off. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention, a long-time warning to her when something was about to happen. Eleanor unsuccessfully tried to shrug it off. "I love you too. Are you sure everything is okay?"

  "Yeah," he said, not exactly convincing her but she decided not to push the issue any more. "I just felt like hearing your voice. Did you have fun with the girls?"

  She laughed. "We always have a good time. Did you tell the sergeant to make Ricky to take a night off?"

  Gary laughed too. "I did. He said he'd handle it. Everyone on the shift knows how Vasquez is."

  "Marietta is lonely."

  "It's tough being married to a law man. I lucked out. Got the best wife in the department."

  She could hear his radio in the background again. The dispatcher sounded stressed and hurried. "Busy night?"

  "Non-stop. Hang on, El." She heard someone else's voice in the background but couldn't make out what they were saying. Gary came back to her. "Gotta go now, baby. Love you."

  "Love you too. Be safe."

  "Always."

  When she went to disconnect the call, she dropped her phone on the floor. As she picked it up, she heard voices through the line. Gary must have tossed his phone on the seat beside him without ending the call. The distant echo of the sirens on his car filtered through her phone, giving her a little spike of pride. Gary didn't have to play hero. He had been born to do that job and she loved seeing him in action. Setting the phone on speaker, she shut off the television and lay back against her pillows. The few times she'd ridden with Gary while he worked had been fun. She could almost feel his adrenaline as he handled his police car. In the background, excited voices passed over the radio. Some of them she recognized, most she didn't. The words were hard to decipher as the engine roared, matching the roar of her blood in her ears as her heart raced.