Giving her a squeeze, he said, “Go on up and grab your toiletries and clothes, and we’ll have some people here in a few minutes.”
Moving on automatic pilot, she did as he asked, taking Jack with her. It was not long before she heard the rumble of pickup trucks, several of them pulling trailers. Looking out her bedroom window toward the drive, she recognized Hunter, Zac, Gareth, Aiden, and Brogan. She went downstairs, and each of them offered a hug to her and high-fives to Jack, saying how glad they were that everyone was uninjured.
It did not take long for that many strong men to get her, Jack’s, and George’s bedroom furniture loaded into the trucks and trailers. Colt suggested she get some of her kitchen items as well, and she hid a grin, having seen his poorly stocked kitchen this morning.
As Colt walked back over, she said, “They loaded up my bookcase and comfy chair as well.”
He replied, “It’s no big deal to move it out and then move it back in when you’re ready. But while you’re with me, I want everyone to be comfortable. That’s why we got some more of George’s furniture that wasn’t water or fire damaged.”
She could not argue with that logic, so she shrugged in agreement. Once everything was loaded, he locked the doors and they made their way back in the caravan to Colt’s house.
Colt had been honest in wanting to get Carrie and Jack out of the duplex and safe while the thefts and George’s subsequent fire were being investigated. But it was no secret to his friends that his ulterior motive was to get closer to Carrie. Pulling into his driveway, he was not surprised to see other vehicles parked out front.
Piping up from the back seat, George asked, “You got a party going on here, Sheriff?”
Carrie exclaimed when she saw Belle and some of the other women coming out onto the front porch, including her mom. Belle met Carrie in the driveway as she alighted from the SUV and said, “We figured Colt had very little food in his refrigerator, and we were right. So some of us girls all got together and went grocery shopping to tide you over. We also got a few things for you and Jack, just to make your stay feel more at home here.”
Colt walked up and heard Carrie say, “That was so sweet of you, but I don’t think we’re going to be here very long.”
Belle grinned and said, “Honey, just go with it. Colt is like the rest of our men. They know what they want, and they’ll protect it to their very last breath.”
Colt winked his thanks to Belle as he walked over to the first truck to begin pulling things out. As easy as it was to load up the furniture from the duplex, it did not take long to unload it and move it into Colt’s house. He had Carrie’s bedroom furniture placed in the large bedroom directly across from the master bedroom. Jack’s furniture was placed in a smaller bedroom that was still much larger than what he had had at the duplex.
Katelyn soon showed up with subs from Finn’s pub, Trevon’s wife brought boxes of pizzas, and Joe and Mavis showed up with BettyJo, their arms full of the diner’s famous fried chicken. Aiden and Brogan supplied the beer, and after everything was moved in, an impromptu party on the back patio took place.
Colt stood with his hands on his hips, surveying the gathering. He remembered when his grandparents were living, they were very social and used to enjoy throwing parties in their backyard. He shook his head slightly, having not thought of those memories in many years. Casting his gaze around, he saw George flirting with BettyJo and Della, Jack excitedly hanging with the men, soaking up their stories and their wisdom, and Carrie being surrounded by good women who had her back and also knew she would have theirs if the circumstances were changed.
Carrie, used to serving others, made her way back into the kitchen to restock some of the bowls with chips and dip. He followed her in and stilled her hands as he grasped them in his own, drawing them up to his chest. Keeping her pinned there closely, he held her questioning gaze, not speaking, instead, taking the moment to kiss her lightly. She stiffened for just a few seconds and then melted in his embrace.
“Carrie, we haven’t had much privacy lately, but I’m going to take this moment to say what’s on my mind before we get interrupted. You’ve had a hellish couple of days, and I know there’s a lot on your plate. But as far as I’m concerned, your days of going it alone are over. I’ve told you I was interested in you for a long time, but I let too much time pass. I don’t want to do that anymore.”
Licking her dry lips, she said, “Colt, honey, you’ve picked a crazy time to want to start something with me. Lately, I don’t know if I’m coming or going.”
“Then that just tells me that I picked the right time. You need help, and I want to give it. You need protection, and I want to give it. Give your trust to me, and I’ll help you know if you’re coming or going.” He kissed her again, this time taking it deeper, and she moaned into his mouth. He felt her full breasts crushed against his chest, and he finally broke away, groaning, “If I don’t stop, I’m gonna walk out of here with my dick leading the way.”
She giggled, and he thought it was the sweetest sound he had ever heard. The door opened behind them, and he turned to see Della walk in, her eyes jumping between her daughter and him. Carrie’s eyes widened as he leaned in one more time—in front of her mother—and kissed her.
Della grinned, grabbed one of the bowls on the counter, then said, “Don’t know if anyone cares, but it’s been a little while since Jack had a sleepover at his grandmother’s house. Thought I’d ask to see if you’d like him to have one soon.” Still smiling, she moved through the sliding glass door to the patio.
“Now, that’s an offer I hope you take her up on,” Colt said, grabbing two more of the bowls, winking at Carrie, and following Della back to the party.
17
Three days. Three days of questioning and investigations, and the Sheriff’s Department was no closer to finding who was committing the break-ins or who set the fire at George’s house.
Three nights. Three nights of going to bed after having dinner sitting at a table with company he enjoyed then laying on his bed with thoughts of Carrie in her bed just across the hall.
Scrubbing his hand over his face, Colt looked up as Loretta stepped into his office and let him know that his meeting was ready to start. Nodding his thanks, he moved down the hall to one of the small conference rooms where Hunter, Elizabeth, Mark, and Trevon were sitting.
“Okay,” Colt said, “what have we got?”
Elizabeth began, “We brought in Will Penland from Stuart’s Pharmacy as well as going to the pharmacy to talk to the pharmacist. Will appeared genuinely concerned that the thefts were happening and were happening to some of the clients of the pharmacy. He said he had never given any information to anyone about who he made deliveries to.”
“How often does he deliver?” Colt asked.
“Generally, he just delivers on Wednesdays,” Elizabeth continued. “But he admitted that it can be a lot more. If one of the shut-ins in the area gets a new prescription that they have to have right away, then he’ll go out whenever they need it.”
“Daniel Stuart is lead pharmacist now for his grandfather’s business,” Hunter said. “When I talked to him, he said that in truth, they made deliveries almost twice every week now, and sometimes three times a week. It’s not Will’s only job at the pharmacy, but Daniel admitted that, because of the need, it was the biggest part of Will’s position.”
“Any similarities in the drugs that the victims are taking?” Colt asked.
Trevon replied, “I took the lists from our victims, and had Daniel take a look at them when Hunter went to question him. I’ve done some research into them as well. The most common denominator between them is blood pressure medication and pain medication. Other than that, many of the older people have an average of five to ten different medications that they’re taking for a variety of reasons, any of which could be sold on the black market.”
“Okay, do we have something else that’s tying our victims together?”
“We’ve looked at the doctor off
ices, but while many of them go to the county clinic that offers reduced fees, not all of them go there.”
A knock on the door had them look up, and Loretta popped her head in to say, “I hate to interrupt, but Chief Freeman is here.”
Colt said, “Send her in.” He offered a chin lift to Hannah as she walked into the room and greeted everyone.
Sliding into an empty seat, she said, “I hate to interrupt, but we just had a prescription medication theft reported from inside the town limits of Easton. My people are looking into it right now, but what I can tell you is that it’s an older person, they were sound asleep at night, didn’t hear anything, but when they got up the next morning, their front door had been jimmied and their medication sitting on the kitchen counter had been taken.”
Shaking his head, Colt said, “Same fuckin’ MO.”
Trevon added, “None of the victims tried to fight back or even woke up, except George. That’s got to be the reason somebody went back and made an attempt on his life. Perhaps they were afraid that he could identify them.”
Nodding, Colt said, “I was beginning to come to the same conclusion.”
“Are we still looking at gang activity?” Hannah asked.
Trevon looked up and said, “This no longer smacks of gang activity. That tends to be more random, and this is purposeful. Gangs will have robberies as one of their initiations, but this is planned and takes a little more time. I know the Maryland Eastern Shore, and even Liam in Accawmacke has had some Bloods and others, but I just don’t see this as being that type of gang activity.”
“Unless we’ve got a different type of gang that’s operating down here,” Colt said, drawing their attention. “Something new. Something that’s slowly organizing.”
Hunter said, “We’ve asked for a list from Stuart’s Pharmacy for the shut-ins that they deliver to. He wants to assist, but he says he needs a court order before he can give that to us.”
“Go for it,” Colt said. “We need to be able to warn people—without causing massive panic—that they may be at risk for robbery.”
The five continued their meeting, but when Colt left for lunch, he felt no closer to stopping the robberies than when they began.
The lunch crowd was almost finished when Carrie looked up to see Colt coming through the door of the diner. Her lips curved as he made his way over to his seat at the counter.
It did not matter how many times she saw him in his uniform or which uniform he wore. Dark brown shirt and pants or khaki shirt and pants. The patch on his arm and over the chest pocket, the insignia on his collar, and the badge over his heart. She wondered what size he had to buy, considering his chest was wide and muscular. Today, she could tell there was no body armor underneath the shirt, but she had seen him when he had it on, and his chest was even larger.
For the past three nights, she had stood in the upstairs hall of Colt’s house, Jack already asleep, and with her arms wrapped around Colt’s neck and his arms banded tightly around her, they kissed wildly with the promise that both wanted more. Each night, they finally broke apart, her breasts tingling, her sex heavy with need, and the feel of his cock firm against his zipper.
Blowing out a breath at the memory, she moved behind the counter, walked down to the end, and leaned on her forearms toward him. “Howdy, Sheriff,” she grinned.
He leaned forward, his eyes roaming over her face, and grinned in return. “Howdy, Ms. Beaumont.”
“What can I get you?”
“Only one thing at Joe’s Place that I’m interested in,” he said.
“Is it on the menu?”
He flashed a white-toothed grin, and said, “It better not be. It better be just for me.”
Glancing around and seeing no one’s eyes on them, she leaned forward and quickly kissed him on the lips. “That’s just a taste.”
She heard the growl deep in his chest, but the bell over the door had her pulling back quickly.
“Mom! Colt!”
They both turned at the same time to see Jack bounding into the diner, his face alive with excitement.
“Colby’s mom wants to know if I can come over for a sleepover tonight,” Jack said, his eyes hopeful.
Nodding, Carrie said, “Of course. Give him a call and tell them that I can drop you off when I get off shift.”
While Jack made his call, Carrie turned to see Colt’s gaze intensely staring at her. She licked her lips, finding it hard to breathe with the air so thick between them. Leaning forward, keeping her voice low, she said, “If you’re thinking what I’m thinking, then the answer is ‘yes’.”
This time, Colt’s growl shot straight to her sex as he said, “George will be in his room over the garage. Jack will be at a friend’s house. That means tonight, you and me…”
“Won’t say goodnight while standing in the hall,” she finished. She watched as his eyes dilated and locked her quivering knees to keep her body from becoming a puddle on the floor.
“His mom says that’s fine!” Jack said, clambering up on the stool next to Colt.
Thankful for the interruption, she said, “How was camp today?” Looking over at Colt, she said, “Today was the middle school science camp.”
“It was fabulous!” Jack said, his enthusiasm loud enough for anyone in the diner to hear. “We learned how to make fire.”
Carrie huffed, “I would think you’ve had enough excitement about fires recently.” Jack rolled his eyes, but it was Colt’s reaction that snagged her gaze. He was always attentive to Jack, but now turned on his stool and faced him.
“What did you learn?” Colt asked.
“How to make fireballs. You can actually hold them in your hand!”
Carrie gasped, and Jack looked up at his mom. “Mom, we were perfectly safe.”
His voice steady, Colt asked, “Tell me about the experiment.”
Jack grinned and puffed out his chest. “I wasn’t afraid at all. Some of the kids were, but not me. I figured if Mr. Jamieson could do it, then I could too.” He shifted slightly on his stool, and began, “We learned that fire is made up of light and heated gases from combustion. You can actually control the temperature of fire because some fuels burn with a cool flame. And if you’ve got the fuel on a substance that doesn’t burn, you can make a fireball that you can even hold in your hand.”
“Okay, keep going,” Colt prodded.
“Mr. Jamieson said it’s best to use cotton…one hundred percent cotton fabric and thread. You make up a ball by using the cotton material and wrapping it completely with the cotton thread. He says if you use something else, then the material might melt, and that could be gross…or painful.”
“I’m beginning to wonder if this science camp is a good thing,” Carrie said, her hands landing on her hips at the thought that her son had spent the morning playing with fire.
“Mom, it’s perfectly safe.” He turned his attention back to Colt, and said, “We learned that we needed a cool fuel. He said it could be kerosene or…um…something like napa. Something like that. Anyway, you soak the ball and then you light it. He said the fuel burns at a low temperature so you can actually hold it in your hand for a little while. Once the fuel burns out, then the cotton will actually catch on fire, and that’s too hot to hold.”
Carrie watched the enthusiasm on Jack’s face, and while she hated the idea of him playing with fire, she knew that the camp was a great experience for him.
Joe placed plates on the pass-through and called out, “If you want to learn about fire, Jack, come on back here, and I’ll show you how to cook over it!”
Carrie grabbed the plates, setting them down in front of Jack and Colt, grinning at how both loved their hamburgers and french fries. Soon the burgers were decimated, and the plates were empty.
She had been walking through the restaurant, checking on orders and refilling drinks. Seeing Colt stand, she hurried back over and said, “I’ll see you tonight.”
He glanced at the back of Jack’s head as the boy was animat
edly talking to Mavis and leaned closer, whispering, “If all goes right tonight, darlin’, I’ll be seeing all of you.” He kissed her cheek, right by the side of her mouth, and she sucked in a quick breath. She turned and watched as he waved to Jack, Joe, and Mavis, then headed out.
Mavis sidled up to her and said, “Jack’s been talking about fire, but I think tonight there’s going to be some different sparks.” She did not reply, and Mavis placed her hand on Carrie’s arm, saying, “Are you okay about that?”
“I’m nervous.” She glanced to the side and saw Mavis tilt her head to the side slightly. Explaining, she said, “It’s been a long time. I’ve been real cautious as to who I wanted to bring into my life because of Jack. Made for a lot of lonely nights, but I’d do it all over again just to make sure I wasn’t bringing someone into our lives that wasn’t going to care for my son.”
Mavis patted her arm. “Girl, you’ve done right by your boy. Not a lot of women would have sacrificed everything you have for their child, but you did, and he’s turning out so good.” Jerking her head in the direction of the door that Colt just left through, she continued, “If you were holding out for a man that’s worth it for you and Jack, then you found it. And if Colt’s been holding out for somebody worth it to him, then you and Jack are it as well.” Leaning forward slightly, she said, “So, tonight, honey, you go for it.”
Carrie felt Mavis squeeze her hands before letting go. Biting her lips nervously, she could not keep the grin from sliding across her face.
18
Colt drove to the middle school with Elizabeth as his detective. Having timed it almost perfectly, he watched as Tad Jamieson stood outside, waving goodbye to one of the students. Parking, he and Elizabeth climbed from his SUV and walked toward the young teacher.
Tad had dark blond hair, slightly longish, with a lean runner’s build. Colt knew he was in his late twenties, still with the youthful looks that the girls in his classes would probably define as cute. Tad looked up as they approached, a smile on his face.
Our Time (Baytown Boys Book 11) Page 14