Calls in the middle of the night were never good. This one would be no different.

He looked at the feminine curves of the body sleeping next to him. Charly, his wife, could sleep through anything, even phone calls in the dead of night. As a detective’s wife, she had learned early to ignore interruptions to their daily routine.

His first reaction was to make up an excuse, say anything to the caller, just to wrap himself around Charly’s sensual shape again, breathe in the scent of her, run his lips across the nape of her neck and truly discover if she could indeed sleep through his version of anything.

He sighed, weighing his choices in a brief moment of indecision.

“Hello?â€? The voice on the phone’s other end demanded his attention. “Hello!â€? .

“Yeah, yeah….â€? he responded gruffly. “That’s Park Place?â€?

“South. Park Place South. And hurry…â€?

And just like that, the decision was made. This was not just his job, it was his life and the luxury of saying no was not an option.