by Bella Juarez
“As best I can, Chief. She’s a sweetie!” Shaq said, smiling.
“Make any moves on her and I’ll get up out of this bed and kick your ass.”
Amy was flooded with relief. Gavin was speaking and moving again. He was alive! She knew if she said anything she would start to cry and that was the last thing he needed to see. Instead, she sat and listened to the gentle verbal sparring that Shaq and Gavin were engaged in. She could see Gavin’s eyes get heavy. Shaq noticed, too, because he made a graceful exit, leaving them alone.
“You need to go home and rest, honey. I’ll be okay,” Gavin assured Amy.
“Would you leave me?” Amy asked. Gavin smiled weakly. She knew the answer without him saying it. “I’m not leaving. We’re walking out of here together,” Amy said, gently taking his hand.
* * * *
“Amy, honey, I’m okay! Go home!” Gavin said.
“No! I’m not leaving you.”
“Well, at least go to the hotel room for the night so you can get some good sleep. I’m going home tomorrow.”
It had been almost four weeks since Gavin had been airlifted to the trauma center hospital in Corpus Christi. He had been in intensive care for two and a half weeks and the rest of the time in a room recovering from a gunshot wound that almost killed him. Captain O’Malley and Master Chiefs McGuire and Jones had been regular visitors. Lieutenant JG Harman had been Amy’s lifeline. Shaq had stayed with her throughout this whole ordeal and they had become friends.
“Please, Amy!” Gavin said.
“No! Damn it!” Amy snapped.
Gavin smiled and stood slowly. It was obvious that he was still in a lot of pain. Amy wondered how she would keep him still once they got home. He was supposed to be off duty for the next six to eight weeks. He slowly lowered himself next to Amy on the small love seat in his room.
“I love you, so much,” Gavin said, taking her hand and kissing it. “Where’s my iPod, I need to play your song so you’ll relax.”
“I love the song, but I don’t want to listen to it now. There’s something I want to know, Gavin.”
“What’s that, honey?” Gavin leaned his head back and squeezed his eyes shut.
“Are you in pain?”
“Is that what you want to know?” Gavin asked, opening his eyes slowly.
“No. How did a bullet get through your bulletproof vest?” Amy asked.
Gavin chuckled. “Well, a bulletproof vest is not really bulletproof. Apparently, I was shot by a sniper they had out there. The bullets snipers use are a large-caliber projectiles. Those kinds of bullets will go through walls. Bulletproof vests are made to withstand smaller-caliber bullets and projectiles.”
“So what’s the point in wearing it?” Amy asked with a frown.
“You’ve got to make a choice. Do you wear nothing and have no protection, or do you wear something and have some protection.”
Amy said nothing as she thought about what Gavin said. She was still worried. They hadn’t caught Marco Lima and Lima was the one who had kidnapped her. She briefly wondered if he was the one that had made the attempt on Gavin’s life. Then she recalled Lima had been hurt, and from her vantage point at the time, it had looked serious. For the first time in her life, she wished for someone’s death.
“I’m glad we’re going home,” Amy said.
“Me, too, honey. I hate hospitals,” Gavin said.
* * * *
Gavin kissed Amy good-bye as she left for work and made himself comfortable on the couch. He picked up his cell phone and made a call.
“All clear, come on over,” Gavin said.
Within a few minutes of the call, Gavin heard a knock at the door. He let the people standing in the doorway inside. Rock, Lieutenant Gamez, and JG Harman all entered the house. Lieutenant Gamez and Shaq set up the equipment as Gavin and Rock talked quietly.
“You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know,” Gavin said as he handed Rock a cup of coffee.
“No?” Rock asked.
“Nope. I had it figured out that day at the warehouse. I was about to bust some ass as soon as we were done there.”
“That’s how Lima got away. We lost sight of them once they got on the highway.”
“No one but my SWAT officers knew you were there.”
“When do you plan on saying something?”
“I don’t know yet. I’m not cleared to go back to work for another six weeks. Maybe I’ll let them think this whole thing has blown over.”
“Here are those wire transfers from Livingston’s computer,” Lieutenant Gamez said, handing Gavin a piece of paper.
“I don’t need to see the surveillance video. This just confirmed everything I already knew,” Gavin said.
“Why don’t you make damn sure this is who you think it is before you do anything,” Rock said.
They sat in front of the laptop screen and watched the vehicle drive to an area near the warehouse they had raided. The driver knew exactly where to go and how to get into the area. Lima climbed into the back and the car drove away. Gavin shook his head.
From another angle of the surveillance video, they could see the slight powder flash of the sniper’s gun. The sniper had been hidden underneath the overpass of the highway that faced the warehouse. It was too dark, and despite all the enhancements they could do, the sniper remained anonymous. The sniper was a professional, and from the bullet recovered, the sniper was either military or ex-military. The bullet serial number was a NATO-issued number, not a civilian number. Gavin knew all of the ammunition that was ordered for the Victoria Police Department carried a civilian serial number.
“How are you planning on handling this, badass?” Rock asked.
“I don’t know, Rock. I think there could be more and he needs to stay in place. That contact with the department needs to stay put for now,” Gavin said.
“Why do you think there’s more?” Rock asked
“I don’t know how I know. I just know. This isn’t over yet.”
They finished up their business and left before Amy came home for the day. Gavin went to the kitchen and started dinner a few minutes before she was scheduled to leave work. He had been home two weeks and he was going stir crazy. He had thought about calling the doctor’s office and asking them if he could just go back half days and sit at his desk. He smiled to himself. Amy would be pissed if he did that. She had done a little personality shift during this whole ordeal and it was very sexy.
“Hey, hottie!” Gavin said from the stove as Amy walked into the kitchen.
Amy walked to Gavin. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. He could feel his cock spring to life. It had been a long time since they had been together. It was getting increasingly uncomfortable to sleep next to her and not reach out and do what he really wanted to do. He kissed her again, this time pulling her closer and kissing her more aggressively. She moaned.
“We need to stop. You’re not ready for this,” Amy said.
Gavin saw Amy’s skin was flushed. She was just as hungry as he was. He turned back to the stove and looked at the skillet where the meal was cooking. It was almost done. He turned the burner off and put a lid on the skillet. She was searching through the fridge when he grabbed her by the waist and slammed the door shut.
“Gavin!” Amy cried.
“I want you.”
Gavin spun Amy around to face him. Her expression was surprise and a little aggravation.
“Gavin, you’re—”
“I want you and I’m having you, right now.” Gavin latched his mouth to Amy’s.
“No! You’ll hurt yourself,” Amy said sharply, pulling away.
“I don’t give a fuck! I’m horny, damn it, and you’re driving me crazy!” Gavin barked.
Gavin backed Amy into the table as he took off her blouse. She grabbed his hands and tried to stop him.
“Gavin! Please, I don’t think this is a good idea.”
“Do you want me to pick you up and throw you on th
at table?” Gavin pulled down Amy’s capris.
Amy grabbed the edge of the table and didn’t budge. He knelt down and kissed her belly. He felt her shiver with delight as he started licking and kissing around her belly button. He could feel her grab his shoulders and hold on for dear life.
“Oh, my God!” Amy cried as she threw back her head.
Gavin reached in between Amy’s legs and palmed her pussy through her underwear. She was soaked. Gavin stood and took a step back.
“Get the rest of those clothes off and get that sexy ass up on that table,” Gavin commanded.
Amy stared at Gavin.
“Amy…” Gavin warned.
Gavin stood and unhooked Amy’s bra. She shimmied her panties down her legs and hoisted herself up onto the edge of the table. He sat down in a chair and put his hands under Amy’s knees and pushed her backward onto the table.
“I’m hungry…” Gavin latched his mouth on to Amy’s pussy.
Amy screamed as Gavin lapped at her clit. He sucked and licked her clit until she begged him to stop. He knew she had climaxed by the way she was shivering. Her nerve endings were raw with adrenaline when he touched her. She sat up on the table and slid down in front of him. He helped her unbutton his jeans and free his cock. She knelt in front of him and looked up at him as she licked the head of his cock.
“Fuck!” Gavin took in a sharp breath.
Amy was working his cock with her tongue as he gripped the table. He could feel her luscious, warm mouth take him inside and fuck him ever so slowly. He could feel her tongue tease the tip and head, making him insane.
“Amy, stop! Stop and get back up on that table. I want to fuck you,” Gavin commanded.
Amy lifted herself back onto the table. Gavin roughly threw open her legs and stood in front of her, teasing her slick pussy with his cock. She screamed as he tormented her.
“Gavin! Please!”
“Say it!”
“Fuck me!”
“All right, my hottie, here it comes!” Gavin snarled.
Gavin impaled Amy with his cock as he started pumping himself in and out of her pussy. He watched her claw the table. He gripped her thighs and could feel her hot pussy clutch him. He increased his fucking and grabbed her hips when he heard her cry out her climax. He let himself go at the same time.
“Amy!” Gavin roared as he came.
Gavin slowed and squeezed his eyes shut in pain. He would pay for his fun.
He helped her sit up and she wrapped her arms around him. He pulled her to his chest and kissed the top of her head.
“Oh, baby. I missed you,” Gavin said as he stroked Amy’s long hair.
“I missed you, too,” Amy said quietly.
“I think dinner’s ready.”
Amy giggled. Gavin smiled as he backed away. She jumped down from the table. She picked up her clothes and went to the bedroom, returning a short time later. He set the table and they ate a quiet dinner. He looked at her and thought about Rock’s visit today. He hated keeping secrets from her, especially after all they had been through.
“So what’s the deal with the wedding?” Gavin asked, redirecting himself.
“I’ve got a date in February. Do you know who you want to invite?”
“I have a small list,” Gavin said with a smile.
“We can rent a pretty big place when we go down. It has six rooms and can hold up to twenty people. It was really reasonable for a week.”
“Since we’re asking people to travel all that way, we should try to carry some of the cost,” Gavin said.
Gavin’s cell phone rang and he answered it quickly when he saw who it was from. He frowned when he heard the information. He ended the call and excused himself, making another call as he walked outside.
* * * *
“Okay, boss. I’ll start the schedule back up again and I’ll keep it on the down low,” Jimmy said.
“Three guys, Jimmy,” Gavin repeated.
“I got it.”
Jimmy ended the call and shook his head. He knew that Gavin was in no shape to work, but the man was relentless. Jimmy contacted the three officers the lieutenant had requested to start working the surveillance detail that had ended when Rivera had died. Apparently, the boss’s crystal ball, namely the SEALs he was working with, had found something. The action was about to pick up again.
Chapter 20
Victoria Police Department
Office of the Chief of Police
Victoria, Texas
March 19, 2008/1350 Zulu
“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me this!” David demanded from Gavin.
“Because you didn’t have a need to know at the time!” Gavin roared back.
“This is my fucking department and those are my officers. You report to me!”
“I’m asking for a search warrant, David. Let’s make this clean and go local or I will go federal. I don’t think you want the press that goes with it.”
David sat back in his chair and stared at Gavin. He was really pissed at being left out of the loop on this one.
“Okay, badass. But I’m going with you. I want to make sure no one else gets hurt.”
Gavin stood and left. After being gone for over six weeks, he was glad to be back at work even if it was sitting behind his desk for a few hours a day. It was easy to talk his doctor into the early release program, but it had been hell convincing Amy. She finally relented as long as he did half days and was home before she was. If he wasn’t home she would come to the police station looking for him. He smiled. As soon as he got better they needed to have another little chat. She was getting downright bossy.
Amy had expressed her concerns because they had not been able to locate Marco Lima. Gavin tried to reassure her as often as he could that it was over and things would be returning to normal. Deep down inside he knew things actually would get worse before they got better. He had worked on the evidence for the warrant he wanted issued. He had already talked to the DA and the DA was comfortable asking a judge to issue a warrant for the raid he wanted to conduct. It gnawed at him that the dirty cop was still out there.
For the next couple of days, a plan was developed on how Gavin and his SWAT officers would handle the raid on the small inner-city home. Rivera, it seemed, had taken out some insurance and had probably hidden it in his mother’s house. It was evidence regarding the business Rivera had been conducting with Lima and Bakri. Rivera had a laptop stowed away and Marco Lima had just started a trace to find it.
Finding that laptop had turned into a race because the Mexican Mafia was looking for it as well. They had gotten wind of how lucrative this deal was and wanted in on the action. Getting that laptop they figured would go a long way in cutting out the middlemen in M-22. They planned on dealing with the terrorist directly. Why Lima needed the laptop was still a mystery. Because Lima was going after it, Gavin knew there was something bigger and more involved.
Gavin was notified that a judge had granted his request for a warrant. He was briefing his men when David arrived in the briefing room. David sat and listened to the tail end of the plan. David’s eyes narrowed when he saw Captain O’Malley and three other SEALs walk into the briefing room. David pulled Gavin aside.
“What the fuck are they doing here?” David demanded.
“I have an interagency agreement with them, Chief. They’re working with us.”
“You can’t do that! What the hell is wrong with you? The military can’t operate on US soil. You’ll get me fired!”
“They aren’t operating. They’re here in the capacity of advisors. These are enemy combatants we’re dealing with and the Navy has a particular interest in what happens because of an incident on a Marine base. The FBI has an interagency agreement with the Navy. I am the FBI. I did my paperwork and it’s all legal. Now, Chief, are you staying or coming along for the ride?” Gavin asked.
David gave Gavin a dangerous look. “You better not fuck this up, badass.”
They got into Gavin’s
truck and followed the rest of the team. As the team got into place, they waited in the truck a safe distance away. Gavin looked at David with interest and decided to get some things out in the open.
“David, tell me the truth. Why don’t you want me and Amy to get married?” Gavin asked.
“Because you’re not the man for her.”
“What kind of man do you think is for her?”
“She needs someone stable and consistent, low risk. The last thing in the world she needs is to worry about you not coming home. I’m surprised she made it through your little hospital vacation.”
“She’s a lot stronger than you think, David,” Gavin said. The two men stared out into the darkness and watched the little house in the impoverished neighborhood. “Why don’t you want us together and why do you keep saying she’ll get hurt?”
“Because you’re fucked up in the head,” David grunted.
“Am I?” Gavin asked with a smile. “Well, then, tell me something else…”
“What’s that?”
“Why did you do it?”
“Do what?”
“You set it all up between Tim and Jorge. You got Tim the money he needed to move to Corpus Christi and go away. I understand why you did that. You were protecting Amy. What I don’t understand is why you turned dirty. Why did you take Bakri’s money? You don’t need it. What the fuck were you thinking?” Gavin asked, giving David a hard look.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” David demanded.
“That’s been your problem, hasn’t it, David? Of all the people on the force, I was the one you couldn’t control completely. That’s why you didn’t want Amy anywhere near me and that’s why you were afraid she would get hurt. You knew they were trying to kill me. Who was the sniper? It wasn’t anyone in the department. That kind of shooting takes serious training.”
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” David snapped.
“David, don’t fuck with me. I know you’re on the take and I know you’ve been the one feeding them information on all of our ops. In fact, I set you up the night I was almost taken out. Too bad it didn’t work out for you. I know you’re dirty, I have proof. Did you think about Amy and Irene and how this would affect them when you got caught? Did you seriously believe I would never be able to figure this out?” Gavin asked.