Internal Affairs by Matthews Alana

Author:Matthews, Alana [Matthews, Alana]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Harlequin Intrigue
Published: 2012-01-01T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Dinner crept up on them faster than anyone had expected. Chloe unpacked the toys she brought in the living room as Lisa and Bea helped Grandma Natalie in the kitchen and a still-groggy Rafe set the dining room table.

Lisa remembered what a wonderful cook Grandma Natalie was. One Sunday every month, the entire Franco clan gathered here at the house to break bread and catch up with one another. Grandma Natalie would prepare a feast and the wine flowed as if it were coming from a fountain in the floor.

Lisa had been part of one of those Sundays. Had met Rafe’s brother, Vincent, and his aunts and uncles and cousins, all of whom seemed to have some connection to firefighting or law enforcement. Sheriff’s deputies, firefighters, beat cops, detectives, arson investigators. The Franco family was permeated by the culture and seemed to revel in it.

On the drive in, back then, Rafe had warned Lisa that she was about to be surrounded by some of the toughest cops she had ever encountered—not that she had encountered many—and that she shouldn’t let them intimidate her. That they were loyal to the badge, but they were also good people. Compassionate people.

“My family,” he had told her, “lives and breathes by our own code.”

“Code?”

“It’s based on what’s informally called Code Blue, the police code of conduct.”

“Sounds a little ominous to me,” she had said.

Rafe shook his head. “Just the opposite. Since childhood, I’ve always been taught by example to respect others, show empathy and humanity, do no harm unless it’s justified, protect those who can’t protect themselves, trust and help one another when needed...and...”

“And what?”

“Avoid bringing shame on the family. I know it all sounds a little goody-goody, but it works for us.”

At the time, Lisa had thought this code painted a vivid portrait of the Rafe she knew. He had always been a man—a boy then, really—of integrity, who seemed very sure about who he was and what he believed in. Cop confidence was part of his DNA, but never in that annoying, holier-than-thou way demonstrated by so many of the campus police officers.

Rafe was the picture of solid, but gentle, self-assurance. A picture Lisa had found quite attractive.

Still did.

Not that Rafe didn’t have his doubts at times. He had often told her about his reluctance to follow in his siblings’ footsteps and join the force. But that had come more from a fear of disappointing them than anything else. He was afraid he wouldn’t live up to the Franco family name.

He was especially concerned about living up to the example set by his sister, Kate—whom Lisa hadn’t met that Sunday. She was apparently one of the shining stars of the Franco family and Rafe said he often felt inadequate around her.

But now it looked as if he had finally conquered that fear and had grown and matured since making his decision to join the department. And helping her with Oliver proved that he still lived by the credo the Francos so cherished.

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