Free Superbia (Book One of the Superbia Series) by Bernard Schaffer Page A

straight-faced.
    “I can’t take you
serious when you look like that.   I’m
used to you looking goofy,” Vic said.   “Two years ago we needed a young female undercover officer for a job I
was working with the task force.   I found
Aprille when she was a cadet.   She was
hired here and immediately attached to me.   I trained her.   Kept her away from
everybody.   And we started building
cases.”
    “She went right
to undercover work with no street experience?” Frank said.  
    “That’s right.”
    “Was she any good
at it?”
    “She was the
best.   Better than anything I’ve ever
seen, because she didn’t have any street cop experience, she didn’t have the
attitude.   She didn’t have the
self-righteousness.   She was just a
kid.   People sold her drugs like their
hair was on fire.”
    “So why did she
leave?”
    “She got
pregnant.”
    Frank rolled his
eyes and said, “Whatever.   I thought you
were being serious.”
    Vic leaned
forward and folded his hands together.   “I am.”
    Frank nodded with
understanding.   “Was it yours?”
    “No.”
    “Another cop’s?”
    “It was a person
I thought I could trust.   She thought he
would do the right thing, he didn’t, and things got bad.”
    “How bad?” Frank
said.   
    Vic leaned back
in his chair and said, “After she lost the baby?   Pretty fucking bad.”

7.   There was a soft knock at the door that made
Vic jump off of the couch and turn off the television.   He stood against the door and slowly turned
the handle, backing up so that he stayed out of sight when it opened.  
    “Where is he?”
his daughter’s tiny voice said.   
    “I don’t know,”
Dannaid said.   “Why don’t you go in and
look for him?”
    Penelope’s tiny
head bounced past him, calling out, “Dad?   Where are you?”   She stopped and
looked both ways, calling his name again.   Vic reached down and poked her on the side, making her scream and giggle
at the same time.   He swept her up in his
arms and buried his face in her neck, gobbling her up with kisses.
    Jason unslung his
backpack at the door and said, “Hey dad.”
    “Come here!” Vic
said.   He pulled his son in close to his
side and kissed the top of his head.   “I’m so glad to see you guys.”   He
looked up to say hello to his wife, but stopped when he saw the short-skirt and
tight shirt.   Her hair was done up in
curls and she’d put makeup on.   “Going
somewhere?”
    “I have a girl’s
night out,” she said quickly.   She smiled
at him with pursed lips and nodded, standing in his doorway.   Lying her brains out.  
    Vic said,
“Okay.   Have fun.”   He moved to close the door but Danni came
through the door and started looking around the apartment.  
    “You have dinner
for them?”
    “I was going to
order a pizza,” he said.  
    She walked around
to corner to his tiny kitchen and opened the refrigerator, inspecting its
contents like a child welfare worker.   She looked up at the cereal boxes on top of his fridge and said, “I
don’t want you giving them nothing but sugar.”  
    “I don’t always
give them cereal,” he said.   “Look, can
you just go?   I’d like to spend some time
with the kids if you don’t mind.”
    She closed the
refrigerator door and walked past him toward the kid’s bedroom.   “I have a right to know what conditions the
kids are living in.”   She opened the door
to the bedroom , seeing the daybed for her daughter and the small single bed
for Jason.   “They need their own rooms.”
    “No kidding.   Right now, it’s all I can afford.”   He could smell her perfume.   He reached out to touch her bare shoulder
with the tips of his fingers and said, “Or maybe I could just come home.”
    Danni quickly
stepped away from him and turned, hoisting her purse over her shoulder where
he’d touched her.   “Jason has a birthday
party to go to tomorrow at noon.”
    “No he doesn’t, I
was going to take them to