The Dangerous Ones [✔️] (#1 in the Chilvati Series)

BONUS CHAPTER-Deleted scene #2

I mentioned that Jack had much more character development in the rough draft of this book. This scene was early on, right after the fundraiser (with the waiters and the guns) when she leaves with Jack (chapter 5). It was cut mainly because there was some confusion by early readers over who the real love interest was going to be. Even now, through the beauty of Wattpad comments, I can see people wondering about that in the first few chapters. So in the end it's good that I removed all of this. I originally wanted people to get to know Jack before he was gone, but my editor felt that readers were only going to get angry if they got too attached to him before he was killed. Good advice. Since you now know what happens, it's probably safe to let you read it. Don't go falling in love with him though :) 

You will recognize some things here that had to be shifted to other chapters due to the edit.

The night shift was at the station when they arrived. Virginia was able to clean up and change, putting on jeans and a blouse that she kept stored in her locker. She did some repair work on her hair, knowing any attempt to take it down would be a disaster what with all the spray that had been built into its design. The bruise by her mouth was minimized with a little makeup.

The dress got tossed in the garbage.

Jack had dropped her off and gone home to ditch the tux. She had offered to do all the paperwork, but he had said no, that he wouldn't be long, to leave it for him to do when he got back. Left waiting, she had way too much time on her hands. Tired of picturing Tom with his arm around another woman, she decided she needed a drink. Or two. Maybe five.

The bar across the street was a favorite with the guys at work. She had been in there a few times for birthday celebrations, retirement send-offs, stag parties, those kinds of things. It would do just fine.

The place was moderately crowded when she walked in. She picked out a stool at the empty end of the bar, distancing herself from most of the patrons. Looking around, she didn't see anyone she knew. It was definitely a younger crowd late at night.

The decor was nice. Nothing fancy by any means, but it was clean. The bar gleamed, solely due to the efforts of the middle-aged, diligent bartender who had a special kind of . . . charm. He was the owner, an ex-biker who, after a few run-ins with the law, had decided to put down some roots and run a legitimate business. Being a don't-bullshit-me kind of guy was a plus considering the majority of his patrons were from across the street. Contrary to popular belief, cops were not always the easiest customers. A sign that read TAKE NO PRISONERS hung prominently at the back of the bar. That pretty much summed him up.

She ordered a beer and kept an eye on the young couple at the far end of the bar as she drank it. The two sat huddled together, smiling, touching, occasionally leaning in to touch lips—completely engrossed in one another.

Virginia could barely remember what that felt like. She'd have to dig through a lot of memories, all the way back to a political science class during her third year at UCLA when she found herself dazzled by the handsome, fun-loving man sitting beside her. She had been taking the course as an elective toward her criminal psychology degree. Law enforcement was in her blood, having a grandfather and two uncles that were former cops and a circuit court judge for a father. Tom had been taking the course as part of his career choice. His family had a long history in politics and had pushed Tom in that direction.

They had been so young and stubborn. Married right after graduation, Virginia's parents had been a little wary of the speed of it all but had supported her nonetheless. Tom's parents would have preferred that he'd picked one of the daughters of their many friends at the country club. They were cold, stuffy people—around her anyway—but Tom had reassured her that his parents' opinion didn't matter, as long as they were together.