Running From the Law

by Albright, Jami

  “What? Oh, my word. How exciting. Congratulations!”

  He ignored the stunned look on Charlie’s face. Maybe he should’ve talked to her first, but she’d have to get over it. She was his, and he wanted everyone to know it. He’d decided to ask her to marry him when it had been almost a month since she’d heard from Raul Perez and he’d heard from the DEA.

  There was no way he could make this commitment to her with that business between them. Maybe he should’ve contacted Agent Sheridan, but his philosophy was no news was good news. Also, Pod’s birthdate was quickly approaching, and he wasn’t lying about wanting to be married before the baby came. Call him old-fashioned, but that’s how he felt.

  “I can’t believe you told Trudy. It’ll be all over town by the time the lunch rush is done,” Charlie whisper-yelled. “I haven’t told Pops or… Oh, my Lord, Honey. If she hears this through the gossip tree, she’ll kill us.” She yanked out her phone and dialed. “Pops? Is Honey with you? Put me on speaker phone.”

  As she waited, she gave Hank another fake dirty look and put her phone on speaker too, then turned down the volume.

  “Which button is it?” Wardell asked.

  “It’s the button on the screen that says, speaker.” Charlie tried to help without cracking up laughing.

  “On the screen? Right here?”

  “Yes, that’s the one.” Honey’s voice came over the phone line.

  Finally. The clock was ticking on this thing. It was only a matter of time before Honey heard the news now that Trudy knew. “Okay, can y’all hear me?”

  “We can hear you, Charlie,” Honey said.

  “Good.” She reached for his hand. “Hank and I are getting married.”

  “Oh, my word! That’s wonderful darlin’!” Honey’s squeal rang through the line.

  “’Bout time,” Wardell grumped.

  Hank laughed. “You’re right, Wardell.”

  “Hank?”

  “Yes, Wardell. It’s me.” He winked at Charlie.

  “Considering the circumstance, I’m going to forgive you for not asking me first.” Charlie’s grandfather sounded miffed. He’d never really thought of asking Wardell.

  “Don’t be such an old fuddy-duddy. She’s a grown woman and can make her own decisions,” Honey admonished.

  Charlie bit her lip, obviously trying to hold in a belly laugh. “Well, I’ll let y’all go. I just wanted you to know.”

  “Bye, darlin’. Congratulations,” Honey said.

  “Are you happy, Charlie?” Wardell asked.

  “Ecstatically happy, Pops.” Her blue eyes found Hank’s, and the faces of all the other women in the world disappeared.

  “Well, then I’m happy too. We’ll see y’all later.” There were some odd noises on the line. “How do you turn this fool thing off?” her grandfather complained.

  “Just push the button, Wardell,” Honey said.

  “Which one? There are about a hundred on here.”

  “That one, right there.”

  “I don’t know which one— Oh, this one.”

  “Yes. You’re cute when you’re all flustered, you know that?” Honey cooed.

  “I’ll show you flustered, woman—”

  Charlie hung up her phone before her grandfather could complete his sentence. Him showing his girlfriend how flustered he could get was on the list of things she never wanted to hear. Her hands went to her ears. “Make it stop.”

  Hank squeezed her hand. “Let’s just hope we’re still as…um…active as they are at that age.”

  “Are you trying to make me lose my appetite?”

  He barked out a laugh. “Not at all, just statin’ a fact.”

  Trudy returned with their drinks, then retreated to check on their order.

  “Are you happy?” He hoped he didn’t sound insecure, but on some level, he guessed he was. She was a Hollywood star, whether she claimed it or not, and had been exposed to hundreds of handsome, sexy men. Maybe she was regretting her decision to tie her wagon to a small-town sheriff.

  Sunlight burst from her smile, and he took an easy breath. “I’m blissfully happy. Why wouldn’t I be? I’m marrying the best man I know, I’m about to open the shop my grandma and I dreamed of, and I’m pregnant with that good man’s baby.”

  The muscles in his shoulders unknotted. He wasn’t the best man, as evidenced by the fact that he’d not told her anything about Raul and the DEA, but that seemed to be behind them, so he’d spend the rest of his life trying to be the best man she knew. “I’m glad. I’ve never been happier.”

  “Oh, gosh!” Her hand went to her mouth. “I almost forgot.”

  “What?”

  “Raul called me this morning.” There was that sunshine again. “He’s making my first delivery tomorrow.”

  What. The. Fuck.

  She sipped her iced tea. “Isn’t that great?”

  One terrible scenario after another played out in his head. Each one worse than the other. She’d never forgive him. He knew it. This shop was who she wanted to be, what she’d created for herself and Pod, and he was about to be part of polluting it. In the back of his mind, he knew what had to happen to keep her safe, and she’d hate him for it.

  “Hank?”

  “That’s great.” The statement was as hard and rigid as concrete.

  “Are you alright?” Her open concern for him was just another slice to his conscience. She’d bared her soul to him, trusted him not only with her heart but with their child, and this was how he was repaying her. With lies and half-truths. But what was he supposed to do?

  He plastered on the best smile he had in his devious bag of tricks. “Yes. That’s great.”

  She laughed. “You already said that.”

  “Sorry, this day is just filled with such good news that I’m having trouble keeping up.” He was definitely going to hell for that one. This was the worst news possible.

  “Here you go.” Trudy set their plates in front of them.

  “Thank you, Trudy.” Charlie unwrapped her silverware and dug in.

  His phone buzzed with a text. Agent Sheridan’s name popped up.

  Hank, we’ve got new info. Be there this afternoon.

  Charlie pointed with her fork. “Aren’t you hungry?”

  The chicken fried steak on his plate mocked him. It dared him to take a bite and see if he could hold it down. He couldn’t, not with the lining of his stomach spewing acid.

  “Anything wrong?”

  “Huh? Oh, no.” He turned the phone face down but continued to stare at it like it was a ransom note, which it was. Sheridan and Murphy were holding his future with Charlie hostage, and it wasn’t going to end well.

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  Three hours later, Hank was pacing his office and using all his intellect to make sense of what Agent Sheridan was saying. “Say that again.”

  “We’re going to take Perez and Chang at Ms. Klein’s store.” The man said it like he was reciting the daily weather report.

  Hank massaged his temples and tried to think rationally about the situation. But it made no sense. “Why? We can take them at Chang’s, or anywhere between there and Charlie’s store.”

  “We want to take both men while they’re delivering the product,” Murphy said. “And you should calm down, Sheriff. We need cool heads to pull this off.”

  It was official. He hated Agent Murphy. “She’s eight months pregnant, for God’s sake!” The last of his professionalism had gone right out the window.

  “We’re aware,” Sheridan said.

  The calm demeanor of both agents only ratcheted up the growing turmoil shaking around his insides like a bag of dry bones.

  “With my child.” Control of his tone was out of the question.

  “I told you he couldn’t be objective,” Murphy said to Sheridan.

  Bitch.

  He yanked on the tattered restraints of his emotions and hauled them in. They might cut him out of this, and then he’d be completely out of the
loop, and no help to Charlie at all. “Fine.” He sat behind his desk again. “Tell me.”

  Sheridan crossed one leg over the other and ran his thumb and forefinger down the crease of his pants. No doubt to give Hank a little more time to calm down. “We want both men, and if we take them at Thomas Chang’s place, then his lawyers could claim he didn’t know about the drugs Perez was funneling through his business. But if we get the two of them unloading the shipment, we can build a tighter case against both of them.”

  “Ms. Klein will never be in danger,” Murphy supplied.

  He only gave her a dead-eyed glare, then turned back to Sheridan. “You can’t know that. What if things go south, and she’s caught in the crossfire?” He should’ve gotten Charlie out of this at the start of this nightmare.

  “Before you go all caveman,” Agent Murphy said, “you need to remember our objectives here. And that’s to protect the good citizens of Zachsville, including the children, and to put Perez and Chang behind bars. Isn’t that what you want? Those two locked up and away from Charlie?”

  “Yes, I want them arrested and put away for the rest of their lives. But…” The thing that had been lurking in the back of his mind, and that he’d prayed wouldn’t happen, suddenly became the only way to keep her safe. “You have to take her into custody too.”

  “What?” Murphy asked.

  “Just listen.” He stood and began to pace. “If Perez or his associates think Charlie had something to do with his arrest, they could come after her.” He couldn’t control the barely restrained terror in his voice.

  He looked to Agent Sheridan. The man held his eyes without blinking. “It’s possible.”

  The horrible scenarios of what might happen if these people believed Charlie was responsible for bringing down Perez and his operation took over his brain. For her protection, it had to be done. “Then we don’t have any choice but to take her into custody too. If they see her being arrested right along with them, then they’ll think she wasn’t working with the Feds to set them up. If not…” There was no need to finish the sentence. They all knew what these people were capable of doing.

  Sheridan exchanged a look with Murphy then turned to Hank and nodded. “Okay. This is probably none of my business, but are you prepared for the fallout from this plan?”

  Hell, no. “I’ll deal with it. The only thing that matters is that she and the baby are safe.”

  “Keeping her in a cell should be a joy,” Murphy said.

  “No.”

  “No?”

  “The only way I will participate in this is if you move her to a safe house as soon as possible after her arrest.” He stared down Agent Murphy. “She will not spend the night in a cell.” His intensity ticked down a notch when he turned to Sheridan. “I want your word.”

  The man nodded. “You have it. But if we’re doing this, Ms. Klein has to believe she’s actually being arrested. If not, then the whole thing will be for nothing. You can’t tell her ahead of time. I know she’s an actress, so she might be able to pull it off, but for her safety, we can’t take any chances. I’m sure you understand.”

  “I do.” He understood alright. He understood that his entire future was going up in a blazing, fucking bonfire.

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  Charlie filled the sink in Hank’s kitchen with water. She’d made his favorite meal to celebrate and to reassure him that she was thrilled with their decision to get married. The herbs and spices from the dish made the homey house even cozier.

  She wasn’t living with him—the Zachsville gossip mill could only handle so much scandal—but she stayed here more than at Wardell’s.

  Her heart grew two sizes at the thought of making this house a home for her little family. The permanency of it all gave her hope that Pod would have what she never did—deep, abiding roots that would help her grow into a strong, confident woman. Her ever-present companion kicked and did a barrel roll in agreement.

  Not long now, little Pod.

  She couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that in just a few short weeks, she’d be holding a baby. It was incredible how nine short months could change everything.

  Warm arms went around her waist, and Hank’s big hands rested on her belly. “Dinner was delicious.”

  His strong and steady body supported her as she melted into the embrace. “I’m glad you liked it. I’m afraid you might get sick of it after we’re married. It’s all I know how to cook. Well, that and grilled cheese.”

  “I love grilled cheese.” He buried his head into the crook of her neck and inhaled, but he didn’t kiss and nuzzle like he usually did. He seemed to be drawing comfort from her. She turned in his arms, and the stricken look in his eyes stole her breath.

  She took his face in her hands. “Hey. Are you alright?”

  “Fine.”

  He sure as hell didn’t look fine. Her hand went to his forehead. “Are you ill?”

  “No, just tired.”

  It looked like more than fatigue, but if he wasn’t ready to tell her, then she’d wait. She gave him her flirtiest grin. “I guess we’ll have to go to bed early then.”

  “Oh, I don’t…”

  Her hand went to the back of his neck. He melted into the kiss as soon as their lips touched, drinking her in. He deepened the kiss, and she fell a little more in love with him. If she could ease his pain just a little, then she’d give what she could.

  He pulled back and rested his forehead on hers. “I love you, Charlie. This life with you is everything to me. You know that, don’t you?”

  “Hank? What is wrong?”

  He shook his head. “Tell me you know it.”

  She captured his face in her hands again. “I know. You know that I’ve always loved you too?”

  The watered-down version of his brilliant smile when he nodded didn’t make her feel any better. “Yes.”

  She took his hand. “Come with me.”

  He followed without protest. The lost look in his eyes nearly broke her heart. What was wrong with him? It wasn’t her or their relationship, she knew that, but something was definitely wrong. A tiny niggle of unease bumped up against her happy world. She refused to let it in. This was the life she’d built, and she’d protect it with everything she had, including her body. He needed her. She could see it all over his face. He wouldn’t use her, but it wasn’t using if she offered.

  In the dimly lit bedroom, she made him sit on the edge of the bed. Confidence shot through her when she slid her dress over her head and let it drop to the floor. A passenger no more in her life, she had the authority to direct it and change the course of how things went.

  Three steps and she was between his legs, her bare feet next to his. Her hands went to the hem of his shirt. A quick tug and it was over his head and on the floor.

  Tears stung her eyes when he leaned forward and placed an open mouth-kiss on the place where Pod grew. “Love you.” Another kiss. “Love you both.” A shadow of misery lingered behind the adoration shining in his need you gaze. A slow blink, then two, and only tenderness remained.

  His hands went around her and flipped the clasp of her bra. She held the cups in place, then slowly peeled them away from her breasts. Cool air and his heated gaze teased the sensitive tips. The sensation rippled along her nerve endings, snapping her body to life.

  With a slight shove she pushed him back on the bed. His body was ridiculous, but it was the fire blazing from his green irises that caused aching need to pulse between her thighs. “You are…too much, Hank Odom.”

  He didn’t speak, only continued to stare at her like he was memorizing every inch of her body. Like if he blinked, she might disappear. Silly man. Didn’t he know she wasn’t going anywhere? Not without him, anyway.

  * * *

  Hank reached for words to express what the sight of her standing before him like this did to him, but they were gone, hidden behind the guilt in his chest. He committed every inch of her body and the love pouring from her to memory.
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br />   A strangled gasp was all he could manage when her soft fingers traced the trail of hair that disappeared into the waist of his jeans. A flip of the button, the glide of his zipper, and she slid his pants and briefs down his legs.

  All the blood rushed to his erection when she slipped her panties down her legs, crawled onto the bed, and straddled his hips. “This okay?”

  “So okay.”

  She rose to her knees and placed her hands by his head. Her belly made moving awkward for her, so he slowly rolled her to her back, careful to stay on his hands and knees to protect her. Her blonde hair fanned out around her head in a halo. Appropriate. She was the angel that made everything right in his life. And he’d just made plans to blow her world apart.

  The impossibility of the situation twisted his gut. The time for deciding a different path had long since passed. He’d made the best decision he could to protect her, but he knew she wouldn’t see it that way.

  A cold, hard reality settled behind his ribs. This could be the last time he would make love to her. His heart recognized the prickling pressure behind his eyes. He swallowed those emotions down and concentrated on making her feel as good as possible. If this was it for them, then he would hold nothing back. “I love you.”

  He didn’t give her time to respond before his mouth claimed hers. He poured devotion into every stroke of his tongue and slide of his lips. All the things he couldn’t tell her, he poured into the kiss.

  Please forgive me.

  I’m lost without you.

  Trust me to make this right.

  Desperate love trailed his mouth down her neck, over her chest, to the tip of her breast, finding its mark as he lapped and swirled his tongue around her nipple.

  She arched off the bed with a hiss. Her fingers threaded through his hair, and she held him in place. “Hank.”

  Long sucks, twirling licks, tiny biting nips had her writhing and pleading for release. He slid a hand between her legs and found her wet and wanting. One finger slipped into her body. Her deep, satisfied moan threw kerosene on his desire to bring her pleasure. He circled his thumb over the hidden bundle of nerves and she came in huge wracking shudders, clawing and gripping his shoulders.