“Yeah,” I sigh. “Maybe I should.”
Grabbing her hand, I walk her to the front of the SUV, before reaching in to get my keys. It takes a few seconds, but I get my house key off the ring. “Here ya go.” I hold it up to her.
She palms it. “Thanks, I’ll leave it on your counter.” She stands up on her tiptoes, kissing me softly.
Wrapping my arm around her, I hold her to me. “Nah, I got another one hidden at the house. You keep this one.”
“Tuck?”
Surprise colors her face red, her eyes dart back and forth, probably wondering if I’m being serious or not.
“It’s time, Karsyn. You keep it. Whenever you feel the need to be close to me, don’t hesitate to use it.”
Tears pool, and she does her best to blink them away. “You’re special, more special than you’ll ever realize.”
Gently, I grab her around the neck, tilting her face up to mine. “You’re the only person in my adult life who’s made me want to be special, Karsyn. Don’t forget that. It’s you and only you. We may have fucked this up before, but I promise you, we’re not fuckin’ it up again.
She smiles widely. “I’ll see you when you get home.”
As she walks off, I find myself calling out to her. “Be safe.”
“You too, Officer.”
With a laugh and a wave, I watch her drive away. The smile doesn’t leave my face and I don’t think it will for the rest of the night.
Chapter Nineteen
Karsyn
Floored is an understatement, I never expected Tucker to give me a key to his house. Parking in his driveway, I feel a warmth in my heart I haven’t felt in a long time. I’m trying to temper my expectations, but it’s hard when Tucker keeps blowing them out of the water.
My cell buzzes in the cup holder. Reaching over, I grab it out, smiling as I see a message from the man on my mind.
T: The code to turn the alarm off is 6701.
K: Thank you! I didn’t even think about that.
T: The last thing you need is the alarm company calling the cops because you’re in a cop’s house without the alarm code.
K: True! Unless that means you’re gonna be the one cuffing and strip searching me! ::wink::
Grabbing up all my stuff, I get out of the car, shutting the driver’s side door with my hip. It’s odd, turning this key and walking into his lair. It’s like the culmination of a dream I knew I had, but didn’t want to admit.
For the first time, I allow myself to look around, to really gaze into the life of the man I’ve loved for longer than I care to admit. Without his watchful eye, I take a few moments, looking at the pictures on his shelving unit. A grin breaks across my face as I see Major front and center. There’s Ransom and a couple of the other men he’s trained, Rambo and Major together, and the group of Laurel Springs officers. There’s an older couple that has to be his parents. He doesn’t talk about them much. There’s a picture of him in his military uniform. What stares back at me is a younger man, without the facial hair, his lips flattened into a firm line. Behind him the American Flag is superimposed. He must have been in his early twenties. I wonder what he was like back then. Would he and I have gotten along?
Maybe it’s something I should ask him. How he’s changed.
The air kicks on, scaring the hell out of me. I’ve snooped enough, and it’s like the house knew it.
Deep in my subconscious I can hear my alarm going off. Typically I let it go for longer than I should, but I’m at Tucker’s, I remind myself. He probably just went to sleep a few hours ago, and he definitely needs his sleep more than I do.
Grabbing the phone, I stab my finger at it to shut the alarm off. That’s when I realize I’m wrapped in strong, firm, masculine arms. With a sigh, I sink deeper into them, wondering how in the world this is my life.
“Morning,” his scratchy voice whispers in my ear.
“I didn’t mean to wake you up,” I whisper.
“S’okay, I’m a light sleeper. It comes from years of getting woken up to go run a mission or to be at a crime scene. I’ll go back to sleep soon.” He kisses the side of my temple.
“I’ll grab my stuff and go get ready in the other bathroom.” The promise is in my voice, but I can’t seem to pull myself out of his arms.
“No, I like knowing you’re getting ready in here while I’m sleeping.”
The softly admitted secret is enough to make my heart pound faster. Like who knew this could be Tucker? As hard as we fought against one another, who knew this could be us?
“If Major acts like he needs to go out, can you let him? He’ll let you know when he’s ready to come back in by scratching on the doorframe. He’s really good about it.”
“Yeah.” I grin. “No problem.” I lean over, kissing him on the forehead. “Go back to sleep.”
He drifts off and the grin is stuck there, him giving me something to do for Major is like giving me something to do to watch his child. It’s a supreme act of trust and I’m floored by it.
“You spent the night at Tucker’s?” Kels squeals as we’re getting ready to open the clinic.
“I did.”
I still haven’t been able to wipe the smile off my face. My sleep last night was better than anything I’ve had in years. I don’t know if it was because I was in his bed, or because I felt so safe in his space. Waking up this morning was the best.
“He even asked me to take care of Major for him.”
“Girl.” She looks at me, her eyes wide, smirk tilted up. “That’s progress. You know as well as I do those dogs should just be their kids.”
“I know, and I’m almost giddy at being trusted with him. Maybe this is a turning point in our relationship.”
“Do you think he’s changed?”
It’s hard to be objective because that’s my biggest hope, that he’s willing to allow me in his life. I don’t want to get all fucked up about it and be like one of those women who think just because we had sex he loves me, but there’s something different here this time. The way he looks at me is softer, the way he holds me is stronger, and I swear sometimes it’s like he’s touching my soul when we’re together.
“Yeah, I think he has. I think he’s willing to look at things from my perspective now, and just maybe I’ve wormed myself into his heart, ya know? We’re definitely closer than we were.”
“I’m so happy to hear that.” She reaches over, giving me a hug. “I want everyone to have a love like mine and Nick’s. He cautions me though, all the time, that I don’t need to get involved.”
“Trust me, I know,” I laugh. “It’s hard, but I think this time, Tucker and I have figured some things out. We’ll see, but he seems to be opening himself up to me in ways he’s never opened up before. The thing hanging over my head this time isn’t Tucker.” I frown as I think about the parole hearing.
She immediately stops what she’s doing, glancing over at me. “What’s going on?”
“My kidnapper,” I still hate saying that phrase, giving him the power over me he’s assumed over the years, “is up for parole. I’m going to go before the board and speak. I’m nervous,” I admit.
“Oh Karsyn.” She gathers me up in a hug. “When did you find out about this?”
“A few days ago. Tucker went with me to meet my new victims advocate, and I think I have a very good shot at keeping him in prison,” I trail off. “It’s just stressful, I hate talking about what he did to me, I resent having to go back through it, and I just don’t understand why I have to honestly be the person who holds him accountable.”
“It sucks, it seems like the perpetrators sometimes have more rights than the victims.”
“That’s exactly what I said to Tucker, and I felt awful saying that because he works so hard to put the bad guys away.”
Kels is quiet now. “Is everything okay with you?”
She clears her throat. “Yeah, it’s just…” she trails off.
“Just what?” I prompt her.
“This is
so fucking embarrassing,” she giggles.
“Hello.” I look around at where we are. “We work in the medical field. We’ve not only seen embarrassing situations with other people, but with ourselves too. You know you can tell me anything.”
“Okay,” she sighs. “Since we had Ella, Nick and I haven’t, ya know?”
I’m not understanding what she’s saying. “No, I don’t know. You’ll have to spell it out for me.”
“We haven’t had any time alone. Either Ella needs to be taken care of, or D needs something. And let’s not forget when D walked in on us. Mom and Dad are always watching Caleb and Ruby’s kids when I want to ask them to watch ours, and I feel awful giving them four kids, one basically a newborn to watch. Caleb and Ruby don’t get enough time as is, Stelle and Ransom have one of their own, and the three times we tried to ask Whitney and Ryan to watch Ella, they were already watching Keegan. Our timing is just totally off.” She finishes the rest of her story, pressing the words out in a rush.
“You need someone to watch your kids so that you and your husband can have uninterrupted sexy time? Am I understanding this?” I need to make sure I get where she’s coming from.
“Yes.” She buries her face in her hands. “I told you it was embarrassing.”
I start giggling until it turns into a full-body laugh.
“This isn’t funny.” She crosses her arms over her chest. “I fail to see the humor in the situation.”
“It’s not that big of a deal.” I wipe below my eyes. “I thought you were going to tell me something completely awful.”
“Dude it is! We’re going on like six months here. Things are getting critical.”
I laugh harder again. “I can watch them.”
The offer is out before I even think about it.
“Are you sure?” She looks at me with mixed parts hope and uncertainty.
“Yeah, I used to babysit kids when I was younger. It’s not that big of a deal. If you need some time alone, I can watch them for the afternoon, evening, whatever you want. I’m probably not good for overnight,” I caution.
“We would never ask that.” She bites her nail.
I can see the hope in her eyes, the excitement.
“Let me talk to Nick about it, and I’ll get back to you?”
“Just let me know what you wanna do, Kels. I’m here for you, just like you’re here for me.”
“You are.” She reaches over, grabbing my hand in hers. “And if you need me when you have to go the parole hearing, just let me know.”
I nod, trying to ignore the dark cloud hanging so low over my head.
Chapter Twenty
Tucker
“What the fuck is this meeting?” I have a seat next to Ransom.
I was awoken by a phone call saying that every available officer in the area needed to report to the Laurel Springs PD for a mandatory meeting.
“No fuckin’ idea,” he yawns. “My ass was asleep, I didn’t even brush my hair.”
Glancing up at him, I see that it’s every which way, and Rambo is most definitely asleep at his feet.
“Same.” I grin.
“Fuck you, dude, you don’t even have to brush your hair.”
“I was still woken up, so don’t bitch at me like I don’t understand your plight.”
He rolls his eyes. “Do you have to use such big words?”
“Yes, yes I do.”
He flips me off, and right as I’m about to say something else to him, Mason steps in front of the group. “I’ll be giving a briefing in just a few minutes, if everyone could start to settle down and find a seat.”
That’s his way of letting everyone know we’re being too loud and he wants us to shut the fuck up. I’m cracking my back as Nick and Caleb enter the room. I wave them over to sit with us.
“Fuck, man.” Nick runs a hand over his face. “I had just gotten Ella down and was about to try and get a few hours when the phone rang.”
“Who’s watching Ella?” Ransom asks as he looks over at his friend.
“Your mom,” he laughs. “Don’t even ask how it came to that, it just did. She’s a saint.”
“That’s my mom, she’ll have your kid wired up on sugar in less than an hour. RIP to any sleep you wanted to get today.”
“Fuck me.” He reaches over, grabbing his bottle of Mountain Dew.
“This all makes me thankful all I have to worry about is a dog.”
“Screw you,” Ransom mumbles. “I’m sure your day is coming.”
For the first time in years I think about what it would be like to have a kid. I’ve only thought about it once before, with a woman I should never have imagined it with. But with Karsyn? I can see it. She’s such a giving person with patience and a real desire to help anyone out that needs it. She and I are a lot alike in that respect. It’s one of the things I love most about her.
Still weird to think about love, but at least I’m admitting it now.
Menace whistles, hoping to get everyone to stop moving around.
It takes the room a little under thirty seconds to calm down and pay attention to him, which is the epitome of a good leader.
“First of all, I wanna thank everybody for being here.” He nods to a few members of the group. “I know we woke some of y’all up, and for that we’re sorry. I think though, after we give you the briefing, you’ll be glad we did.”
Now I’m sitting up straight, and wondering what the fuck is going on. He’s not the type of guy to say things for reaction. If it’s important, he makes sure we know it. He wouldn’t have gotten all these men out of bed if there wasn’t a good reason for it.
“There’s been some talk at the federal prison in Birmingham that there’s going to be an attempted break.”
Shit.
“Do we know who?” I ask immediately. That prison holds some of the worst offenders. Any federal prison is dangerous, but this one? It’s housing some bad people.
“No,” he confirms. “Which is what makes this even worse.”
“How did we find out?” Caleb calls out from where he sits.
“Jailhouse informant,” Mason answers immediately. “Most of the time these things are taken with a grain of salt, but this particular informant has been right about two other incidents that have happened recently. If you’ll hold all of your questions, I’ll tell you what we do know.”
The room is slightly buzzing with an undercurrent of unease. All of us know what this means, depending on who gets out, we could have a crime spree, and if that’s the case, it’s going to take not only the Birmingham officers, but the LSERT will be called in to assist, especially our K-9’s.
“What we know is that the plan is for no more than ten to break out, no less than five. The facility is a medium to maximum security prison, but it’s one of the oldest in the country, meaning there are weaknesses in its infrastructure that smart enough prisoners could breach. Let’s face it. They got nothing but time, so I think we have to take this seriously.”
I raise my hand and when Menace nods at me, I ask the question burning in my gut. “Do we know what the plan is?”
“That’s where this gets tricky,” he explains. “There have been several mentioned. Anything from a secret tunnel to someone faking a medical emergency. We honestly don’t know.”
And that’s the worst part about doing what we do. So many times we only have part of the plan and none of the information we really need to protect the public. That only comes when someone talks, or the plan is already in motion.
“What I’m saying to all of you is that we need to be on high alert. Whatever this is, I don’t think it needs to be taken lightly. It’s been over a decade since anyone tried to break out of that prison. It’s time.”
Fear immediately settles deep in my stomach, because that’s the prison I’ll be going to, to be emotional support for Karsyn. Something doesn’t sit well with me about this whole situation, but I keep it inside as we continue to pay attention to Menace. Some of us take
notes, but the rest of us, we listen with passive faces, doing our best to rein in our emotions.
“Do we know when this is supposed to happen?” Nick asks. “Like do we have any sort of timeframe?”
“I wish I could give you that.” Menace rocks back and forth on his heels, running his hand along his gray beard. “But I can’t. All the info we have is what I’ve given to you today.”
“Which is jack shit,” Nick whispers.
A laugh almost works its way past my throat, but this is too serious a situation for that kind of response.
“Well fuck,” Caleb sighs as we get done. “That wasn’t helpful at all. I hate that we don’t even know when we can expect this shit to happen.”
“At least we have a heads up.” Menace comes to where we’re standing, putting a hand on his son’s back. “You know me, you know if I didn’t think it was credible, I wouldn’t have pulled everyone together for this.”
“Oh I have no doubt, and trust me when I say this isn’t about you, it’s about the uncertainty. I fucking hate it.”
“We all do,” I pipe up. “I’m going down there in the next few days. Not to go into the whole story, but Karsyn knows someone who’s up for parole, and she’s testifying against them.”
Menace’s eyebrows draw together. “Are you fuckin’ kidding me?”
“I wish I was.”
“This shit isn’t sitting well with me.” He runs a hand through his hair. “Birmingham seems to think it’s not as credible as I do, but I’ve got a really bad feeling about it.”
“I do too,” I admit. “It’s almost like when you’re in a forest with no noise, you know more than anything there’s something there that can kill you, but you don’t know who or what it is until they show themselves.”
“Exactly.” He shoves his hands in his jeans pockets. “I just need you all to be ready, it’s the only reason I called this meeting. There’s a bigger LSERT meeting happening tomorrow, which I don’t expect you all to attend. I wanted to be able to talk to y’all separately.”
Enigma (Laurel Springs Emergency Response Team Book 3) Page 10