Sin City Uniform 01 - All Fired Up Read Online Free PDF Page A

severely dislodged.
    “Yeah. Banged my elbow a bit, but I’ll live.”
    “You should get it checked out.”
    “Sure, Everly. I’ll do that when you’re getting your lip checked out.”
    He tried to smirk at her, but it pulled on his cut. They were both stubborn asses when it came to things like that. They spent the next thirty minutes or so wrapping up the scene, getting the information they’d need for their reports later on and keeping the crowds back.
    Darren and Parker would transport the suspect he and Vicki had fought and another cruiser would take the one Shawn had let go. The other officers had been able to chase him down with help from some witnesses.
    Fire and Rescue came out from Station 32, but there was no engine in sight. He wanted to bust his own lip again for being so stupid as to think that Trent might be his hero once again. Vicki was right. If he wanted any action from the guy, he would have to be the one to make the first move.
    Obviously, he has no clue I’ve been eyeing him the way he’s been eyeing me.
    Their sergeant who’d shown up at the scene insisted they both get checked out by the paramedics. They jointly rolled their eyes at one another and went through the motions.
    Once they’d finished with that, they went back to their patrol. In his peripheral vision, he noticed that Vicki was constantly stealing glances at him.
    “You got something to say to me, Powell?”
    “Just that you’re a little slow on the uptake, Everly.”
    “Yeah? Any suggestions?”
    “Tell him you like him and wanna get together some time.”
    He resisted the urge to halt completely again. He’d been testing the waters as far as being openly gay was concerned. Vicki was the first person he’d come out to since moving and she’d actually wondered why he’d even brought it up. It had been awesome.
    Besides the homophobe brother, the tough and hardcore task force he’d worked for in Los Angeles had not been the place for him to be out and proud. And despite the diversity of the large city, there was a very unhealthy assortment of bigots and racists in the department.
    He’d been part of a macho group where he hadn’t felt completely comfortable disclosing his sexuality without it impacting his career. One of his hopes for his new home was that he could live more openly.
    “Maybe I will.” He grinned. “Of course, I’ll have to get him to stand still long enough. He sure runs off quick.”
    “See? Too slow.”
    Shawn let out a good laugh. His radio crackled and he answered the call.
    “Did you get that?”
    Vicki nodded. “That’s the new place between Hooters and the Tropicana, right?”
    “Yeah, Showstoppers. I heard the food’s pretty good.”
    “According to that call, it sounds like the hookers are even better.”
    They picked up a trot to get there within a reasonable amount of time. Typically, they would have let a cruiser handle anything off the Strip, but it was a busy Saturday night and Darren and the other officers were probably still dealing with the guys they’d hauled off earlier. Run-ins with prostitutes were one of the more common issues that he and his partner faced on a nightly basis. The lure of big money and a steady stream of willing customers had women—and men—traveling from all over the country to make some quick cash. What they never took into consideration was the danger and potential for disease.
    They arrived at the large restaurant and bar a little out of breath. The new establishment sported a burlesque theme and they entered through the lounge door. As soon as they appeared, a man dressed in a nineteen thirties suit, complete with a top hat, approached them.
    “I’ve been waiting almost twenty minutes. Where’ve you guys been?”
    He had herded them into a corner but still had to keep his voice at a raised level. The pounding show tune music was difficult to hear over.
    Shawn leaned in. “We apologize. There’s been a lot of activity out there