by Chloe Lang
Suddenly, she smiled. “That’s for sure.” Just as fast her lips thinned into a frown. “But none of this would’ve happened to Destiny if it hadn’t been for me coming here.”
“Stop being so hard on yourself, Nicole.” Sawyer put his arm around her. “We were already on the Mitrofanov’s radar before you got here. You know about Amber. Sergei came looking for her, not you. You being here is a help, not a hindrance.”
Nicole leaned her head into Sawyer’s shoulder.
Reed was impressed by his brother’s words. Sawyer knew just what to say and when to say it. “I thought we’d have Henry by now.”
“Henry may not be the insider, Reed.” Nicole repeated the mantra she would say anytime Henry’s name came up in the conversation. “We don’t know it’s him.”
Sometimes Reed wished he were more like Sawyer, knowing when to talk and when to shut up. “What about you, Mr. Intuitive? What are your thoughts on the topic?”
Sawyer shrugged. “I’ve never met the guy. My talents usually depend on knowing someone or at least meeting them in person.”
“Like you did with me?” Nicole asked. “You seemed to get me from the first moment we met.”
Sawyer grabbed her hand. “Exactly like that, sweetheart. Henry is innocent until proven guilty in my book.”
“What about your book, Reed?”
“Sure. Why not?”
Nicole huffed out her frustration and then began chewing on her luscious lower lip.
Reed took another bite, but no pop of flavor hit his taste buds. After swallowing the bland food, he reached over and cupped her chin. “Baby, who knows who is coming or even if anyone is coming. My vote is to pull the plug on this and get to work on finding your friend back in Chicago.”
“Please. Let’s give Alexei’s plan another day,” Nicole said. “I do have a favor to ask though.”
“Anything,” Reed said, knowing he would move mountains for her if need be.
“I’ve never missed a weekly meeting since my recovery started two years ago. I checked online before I came to Destiny to see if there was a local group session here. There is. It meets tomorrow. Do you know who runs it?”
Sawyer nodded. “Sam O’Leary. He runs several groups in town. He’s married to Ethel.”
“I thought her husband was Patrick. That’s what she called him on the phone during the fire anyway.”
“Patrick is Sam’s brother. They are both married to her.”
“Following the Destiny tradition I see.” Once again, the woman who invaded every one of Reed’s thought smiled. God, he would never tire of seeing her happy. Never.
“Patrick is the businessman. Sam is the psychologist. Neither of them can settle into retirement.” Sawyer stood up. “Let me get him for you, sweetheart.”
As his brother walked away, Reed grabbed Nicole’s hand. “What makes you think you’re an addict, Chicago? I’ve known a lot of addicts in my life and you just don’t fit the bill.”
“But I am, Reed.” She squeezed his hands with her delicate fingers. “I don’t deserve you and Sawyer. And you guys deserve better than an addict like me.”
“Baby, you’ve got it turned around. Even though you deserve better than two cowboys like Sawyer and me, I’ll be damned if I’ll ever let you go now that we’ve found you. You’re stuck with us, Chicago.”
“Sounds like you’re thinking something more permanent to me, cowboy. You always work so fast.”
“Not until you, Nicole.”
Sawyer returned with Sam by his side. Sam, like his brother Patrick, was a distinguished-looking man. Both were like grandfathers to him, Sawyer, Erica, and all the other orphans from the plane crash. Sam’s bright blue eyes shined behind the lens of his John Lennon-looking glasses. Though bald, Sam wore a full silver beard. As usual, Sam’s smile lit up the room. Reed looked over at Nicole, who was just as entranced by Sam as everyone else.
“Miss Flowers, I am so glad to finally get to meet you. Ethel has told me so much about you I feel like I already know you.” Sam offered his hand to her, which she took gladly.
“Nice to meet you, too, Dr. O’Leary.”
“Please, just call me Sam.”
“If you call me Nicole, you have a deal.”
“Done, Nicole. Sawyer said you were interested in attending a meeting I run.”
“Yes. I looked on the Internet and it says there’s a meeting tomorrow at nine.”
“There is. We actually meet every day of the week over in my office at O’Leary Tower. We would love to have you. Coffee and donuts are served, too.”
“I’ll be there,” she said.
“Excellent. Now, I better get back to my post before Dylan and Jason dock my pay for this stakeout,” Sam said, smiling, and went back to his booth.
Sawyer sat back down. “How much longer before we move to the next locale?”
Nicole looked back at the iPad’s screen. “Fifteen more minutes. What can we do to fill this time?”
“Fifteen minutes isn’t long enough, but I have an idea what you might enjoy, Chicago.” He touched the back of her hand, wishing again they were alone and back at the cabin.
“Hold your horses, cowboy. You know how I feel about our situation already, Reed.”
“You’re right, baby. It is our situation, and you know how I feel, too.”
“Have I missed something?” Sawyer asked.
“Chicago thinks she’s not good enough for us. Can you believe that shit, bro?”
Sawyer shook his head. “I wish you could see yourself like we do, sweetheart. It doesn’t matter if you were an addict or not. The past is the past. This is the here and now.”
“And the future,” Reed added, hoping to get Nicole to warm up to them.
“There’s also another issue,” she said in a very firm tone. “What about your lifestyle, guys?”
“We’ve already gone over that, Nicole.” Sawyer brushed the hair out of her eyes. “Whatever you need us to be, we’ll be that for you. BDSM or vanilla. All that matters is for us to be together. We’ve got something here. Something special. Can you deny that?”
She shook her head, and then fixed her gaze on Reed. “But is that enough for both of you?”
Reed wanted to tell her what Sawyer had just said. Whatever she needed him to be, he would be. But could he? Being a great Dom was something he’d always prided himself in. But could he be that with Nicole? He wasn’t sure. Detachment from emotions helped him in the life. Hell, helped his life, helped him live. Feelings had nearly crushed him after his parents’ death. Now, he was open to letting them in for her. For Nicole. For the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. But BDSM? He couldn’t see how that would fit with her, but even more how it would fit with him being a slave to his feelings for her. He couldn’t be good at dominance, not really. Vanilla wasn’t ideal for Reed, but for her, he would embrace generic with both hands. Time to convince her.
“Chicago, do you know what went through my head when the floor collapsed at the fire?”
She shook her head, and he saw her eyes water.
“You. Only you. I’ve never felt like this before, baby. I’ve never wanted anyone as much as I want you.”
Nicole closed her eyes. “Me either.”
“Forget your old life. Let it go. You, me, and Sawyer can embrace our new life. Together.”
“I want to, Reed.” She turned to Sawyer. “I do. You both are amazing and wonderful. So different in many ways but in the ones that matter the most—like kindness, honesty, warmth—the same. You keep talking about a future with me. Maybe there is a way to get there, but this is all so fast. Too fast, really. And I can’t even think about that right now until I find Henry. Can you understand that?”
He and Sawyer each grabbed one of her hands. “Yes, Chicago. I understand and I know Sawyer does, too.”
“I do,” Sawyer said. “This is fast, sweetheart. You have a heavy load. We’ll be patient with you. I promise.”
“W
e also promise that when this is all over, me and my brother are going to win you. Trust me.”
“I want to,” she said, smiling weakly. She looked down at the iPad. “Time to go. Back to Alexei’s schedule.”
The bell on the entry door to Lucy’s chimed. A man walked in. A man in a Chicago police officer’s uniform. He and Sawyer leapt from the booth, placing themselves between Nicole and the intruder. Like everyone else in Lucy’s, their guns were out and pointed at the man.
Was he the dirty cop that Alexei’s elaborate trap had been set for?
God, Reed hoped so.
If the insider had taken the bait of the bad information Alexei had sent up to Nicole’s station—and that was a very big “if”—the insider was likely in town looking for an opportunity to get to her. Traipsing the woman he was in love with around town to lure out the villain wasn’t something he wanted to continue to do.
“What the hell is going on?” the guy barked.
“Best to put your hands up, fellow,” Sam said.
The man’s face stormed with shock and fire, but he wasn’t a fool, sending his arms over his head.
“Let me see,” Nicole said, coming out of the booth in a single bound.
“Chicago, you can look but no closer than by my side,” Reed ordered.
When she saw the man, her eyes widened. “Jaris?”
Chapter Seventeen
Nicole couldn’t believe Jaris was in Destiny. “What are you doing here?”
“What do you think this creep came to our town for, Nicole?” Reed snapped. “He’s the rat we’ve trapped.”
“What kind of place is this?” Jaris looked around the room of customers, each pointing their weapons at him. It took her back to the secret he’d kept for her when she had—while high on patrol—almost shot him.
“For you, young man, think of it as your last stop,” Gretchen said, holding a fifty-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun. “Best not to move or you’ll be looking more like Swiss cheese than a person.”
“Can’t you people see I’m a cop?” Jaris kept his hands above his head.
“Everyone stop this. Please,” she said, as her mind went back to that alley where they’d been chasing a mugger.
“Nicole, I’ll go around the building and cut him off,” Jaris said. “You keep going.”
Her mind was fuzzy. Another night without sleep, spent caring for Granddad, had taken so much out of her. She’d popped an additional two pills to try to get some rest. She was still groggy this morning from the effects. She needed coffee.
Nicole headed down the alley, trying hard to focus. A man jumped in front of her. She pointed her gun at his chest. If anyone was going to die today, it wasn’t going to be her.
“Nicole,” a familiar voice said. “It’s me, Nicole. It’s Jaris.”
His face came into view and her hands began to shake. She’d almost killed her partner.
Jaris never told anyone of her mistake.
Entering the restaurant from outside, Dylan, Jason, and Alexei came in behind Jaris, pulling her back from her thoughts.
“Henry, put your hands behind your back,” the sheriff ordered, holding a pair of cuffs in one hand and his revolver in the other.
“He’s not Henry, Sheriff,” Nicole told him. How could Jaris be the insider for the Mitrofanov’s? It just didn’t make any sense. But here he was. In Destiny.
“Who are you?” Dylan asked.
“I’m Jaris Simmons. I’m a cop, for chrissakes. What’s this all about, Nicole?”
“Don’t talk to her, asshole. Don’t even fucking look at her,” Sawyer’s rage clearly was boiling inside him apparently fueled by his desire to protect her. But she didn’t need protecting, at least not from Jaris. Or did she?
“Sawyer, stop. I know him. He’s my old partner. Let us talk.”
“Fine, baby. Talk. But no closer. You stay here and that asshole can stay there.”
“You got a deal. Thanks.” She turned to Jaris, the man who had pulled her out of the proverbial gutter on more than one occasion. “What are you doing here?”
Jason cuffed his hands behind his back while all of Lucy’s customers put away their respective guns except Reed and Sawyer. Their weapons remained locked in on Jaris.
“Henry is missing.”
“I know. How did you know where I was?”
“He told me the day you left. Said you were working on something dangerous.”
“And?”
“And Henry said he had contacted the sheriff here to keep an eye on you in case things got out of hand.”
“You still haven’t answered my question, Jaris. Why are you here?”
“I came here for you, Nicole. When Henry didn’t show up at the station without so much as a word, I went to his place. No Henry.”
“You working alone, Simmons, or are there other of Mitrofanov’s men in my town with you?” Jason asked.
“Mitrofanov?” Jaris looked her in the eyes. “Is that what you’re working on, Nicole? Damn it, do you know how dangerous that is?”
“Quite the actor, Simmons. Academy-Award-winning performance, if you to be asking me,” Alexei said.
“Sheriff, can we take this to your office? There’s something you need to know.”
“Everyone in here is deputized, Simmons.”
“Everyone?”
“Yep. So whatever you have to say to me, you can say right here in front of these good people.”
“It’s sensitive information.”
“Spill it, mister,” Ethel said. “I’m the county judge in Swanson and you’re wearing my patience thin. You don’t want to piss me off.”
“Jaris, please,” Nicole said, still in shock to see her friend here in Destiny. “Do you know where Henry is or not?”
“I don’t, Nicole, but I am working undercover with the FBI. Or at least I was before I got to this town.” Jaris shook his head. “They recruited me to help smoke out the mole in the station. I’ve been on the job with them for over a year now.”
“Easy to check out,” Dylan told Jason. “I’ll make some phone calls. I can have the facts by tomorrow at the latest.”
“Until then, Simmons, you’ll be enjoying the comforts of the Swanson County Jail. Come with me.”
“I’m going with him,” Nicole said.
“The hell you are.” Reed blocked her from moving closer.
“He’s my partner. Don’t try to stop me, cowboy.”
As Jason led Jaris out of Lucy’s, Reed cupped her chin. “I won’t try. I will stop you.”
A shiver ran up and down her spine. “I’m a cop. When will you two get it through your thick heads I can take care of myself?”
His tone softened slightly, warming her insides. “Now that we’re here you don’t have to, Chicago.”
“What if he’s telling the truth?” she asked, hearing her voice come out so small it surprised her.
“If his story pans out, then you can talk to him but not until.” He kissed her on the forehead.
She wanted to argue with the maverick giant in front of her, but couldn’t seem to find the words. Something about his change in demeanor had a powerful impact on her. She felt tiny, feminine, and protected. The truth was she liked how he made her feel right now. Was this his Dom side showing? If it was, she definitely wanted to see more of it.
“Where to until Dylan gets back with us?” Sawyer asked.
“Our cabin,” Reed said.
Our cabin. Nicole loved the sound of that.
Chapter Eighteen
Still reeling from the knowledge that Jaris might actually be the insider and the one responsible for Henry’s disappearance, Nicole followed Sawyer and Reed into the cabin that had been a kind of sanctuary for her from the life she’d left behind a few days ago. Still, her past had followed her here to Destiny somehow.
After placing his Stetson on the hat rack by the front door, Reed stepped right in front of her, his eyes full of sympathy. “Baby, would you like us to get a ba
th ready for you? It might help take your mind off of all this shit.”
“Nothing is going to be able to do that.” Henry? Where are you? She collapsed on the sofa and brought her hands to her face. If Jaris was a dirty cop, then she couldn’t be certain about anything anymore. Her judgment was worthless. “I can’t believe this is happening.” This was one of the lowest points in her life, and she’d had more than her fair share of them. Jaris had helped pull her out of one of the worst.
“Chicago, look at me.”
She felt Reed’s fingers in her hair, stroking gently. “I can’t. This is too much. I can’t handle this.”
“Bullshit. Now, open your eyes and look at me.”
She blinked and Reed’s face came into focus.
He smiled. “Good. Your mind is buzzing like a fallen beehive.”
She was exhausted and finding it hard to hold back the damn tears that were stinging her eyes. Her world had been turned upside down, twisted, and shredded. Nothing made sense anymore. “So? Can you blame me? Henry is gone, maybe dead. A man who I’ve known since my rookie days might be a criminal. I came to Destiny to try to do some real police work because of a missing persons report with my name on it. I thought I could fix everything. Clear Henry’s name. Get my old job back. Bring down the Russians. What did I do? I fucked up everything. I brought hell to Destiny. I–I…I can’t…” The dam broke and the salty tears streamed down her cheeks.
Reed kissed her eyes closed. “Shh. You’re trying to make sense out of something that can’t be sorted out tonight. Not by you. Not by us. Not by anyone. Dylan is the man to get to the bottom of things. That means tomorrow we’ll have the facts of whether Jaris is telling the truth or lying.”
She opened her eyes and looked from Reed to Sawyer and back again. “Jaris is a friend. A real friend. You don’t know what he’s done for me.”