Justice

by Piper Davenport

  “Fourth floor, this is Vicki.”

  “Hey, Vicki, it’s Macey. Someone paged me.”

  “Oh, yeah. There’s a Bruce Daniels here to see you. He’s down at reception. You also have a few messages from Dallas.”

  “Thanks, Vick. I’ve talked to Dallas, so you can chuck those. I’ll call reception and find out what Bruce wants.”

  “Okey dokey.”

  Vicki hung up and I dialed reception. “Reception.”

  “Hi, this is Macey Gilbert. I understand someone’s waiting for me.”

  “Yes. Sheriff Daniels is here.”

  “Could you tell him I’m on shift and can’t have visitors right now, please?”

  “He says it’s urgent and it looks like he might be here on official business.”

  I sighed. “Okay, I’ll be down in a bit.”

  I hung up and faced Alec.

  “What does your ex want?” he asked.

  “How did you know he was my ex?” I held up my hand before he could answer. “No, don’t bother.”

  “Dallas just wanted me to keep an eye on you.”

  “Yeah, figured that out, Alec. And in answer to your question, I don’t know what he wants. Apparently, it’s urgent.” I grabbed my half-finished food and put it back in the refrigerator. “Why he didn’t just call me…”

  “You don’t have your cell phone,” Alec pointed out.

  “Smart ass,” I droned.

  “It’s a Stone family trait.”

  “Yeah, picking up on that,” I agreed with a smile. “If I’m not back in fifteen minutes, send out a search party.”

  I arrived at reception and Bruce walked toward me, his smile slow and calculated. We hadn’t had much contact since the incident. He called more often than I liked, but I didn’t typically answer. I’d answered his last call, mostly to ask him to stop calling, and it had not gone well. He’d said he’d never give up on our love and I’d been so creeped out by him, I told him to lose my number and never bother me again. He didn’t listen.

  “Macey, I’ve been calling you for weeks. Why aren’t you answering my calls?” he demanded.

  I wondered how I ever thought I could love this man. I supposed it was because he was from such a different world than mine. Son of a prestigious judge, his life of privilege was fascinating to me. His appointment to sheriff probably bought, or so the rumors flew. He was tall and muscular, his blond hair long and styled professionally. I once thought he was gorgeous, but now he didn’t even rate. Especially not next to Dallas.

  “I told you after our last phone call to lose my number. And in my official, written email to quit harassing me. Now you’re coming to my place of business? Not cool.”

  He grabbed my arm, pulling me off to the side for a modicum of privacy. “I have to talk to you.”

  I pulled out of his grip. “I’m working, Bruce. Why does nobody seem to care that I have a job today?”

  “If I need to make this official business, I will.”

  “What’s this about?”

  He glanced around nervously. “I can’t discuss it here.”

  “Bruce, I’m not going anywhere with you unless you tell me what this is about.”

  He settled his hand over his holstered gun. “I can add obstructing an officer to the charges, Macey.”

  “Add them?” I asked, my heart racing. “Am I being charged with something?”

  “Macey?” Alec said as he walked up to us. “I need you back on the floor.”

  “Macey needs to come with me, Dr. Stone,” Bruce countered.

  “I don’t believe we’ve met,” Alec said.

  Bruce smiled smugly. “Nevertheless, I know who you are.”

  “Apparently.” Alec crossed his arms. “Why does Macey need to come with you?”

  “That’s confidential.”

  Alec raised an eyebrow. “Is she under arrest?”

  “Not yet.”

  “What?” I squeaked. “What do you mean, ‘not yet’?”

  “We can avoid all of this, if you’ll just come with me,” Bruce said.

  “How about this?” Alec said, ignoring me. “Dallas will bring her down to the station when he gets here.”

  “When he gets here?” I asked.

  “She’ll come down to the station now,” Bruce said.

  “Well, if you two are going to talk about me like I’m not here, I’m gonna head on back upstairs.”

  Alec took my arm gently, still focused on Bruce. “Macey’s going to wait for Dallas.”

  “She needs to come with me.”

  “Macey’s going to make her own decisions,” I grumbled, attempting to pull away from Alec. He glanced at something over my head and I turned to see Dallas, Brock, and Jaxon stalking toward me. I threw my hands up in the air. “Well, this is just great.”

  Dallas scowled at Bruce as he pulled me behind him. “Bruce.”

  “Dallas,” he said.

  “Something you need?”

  Bruce nodded. “I need Macey to come down to the station.”

  “Why?” Dallas asked.

  “That’s above your pay grade,” Bruce said with a sneer.

  “You fucking piece of—”

  “Dallas,” Jaxon warned, and laid a hand on his shoulder.

  “You do realize I’m FBI, right?” Dallas asked.

  Bruce’s face got red and he focused on me again. “You need to come with me.”

  “Macey’s not going anywhere with you,” Dallas said. “You need to talk to her, you’ll do it with me in attendance.”

  “You’re not a lawyer,” Bruce pointed out.

  “I need a lawyer?” I squeaked.

  “Then I’ll get her one.” Dallas gave my hand a squeeze. “But you will never… and hear me on this, Bruce… never be anywhere with her alone.”

  “Call off your watchdog, Macey,” Bruce ordered.

  I gasped, ready to rip him a new one, but before I could respond, Brock shook his head. I wrinkled my nose, not liking his silent censorship, but stayed quiet.

  “I want you down at the precinct in two hours,” Bruce said. “If you’re not there, an all-points will be issued in your name. Hear me?”

  Bruce squared his shoulders and stalked out through the hospital’s front doors.

  “What’s going on?” I whispered as Dallas pulled me into one of the offices behind reception and wrapped his arms around me.

  “I don’t know, but we’ll sort it out.”

  “How? How exactly will you sort it out? He just went off on me in front of a crowded waiting room.”

  “Macey, Bruce is messing with you. Everything he did just then was so far out of the scope of police procedure, it wasn’t even funny. I don’t know why he’s doing it, but I will find out. Word on the street is that there’s an investigation into his winning votes.”

  “Really?” I stared up at him, trying to stamp down my fear.

  “Really,” he said.

  “He’s been sheriff for five minutes,” I said.

  “And the powers that be are figuring out he may not have gotten the position legally. I have a feeling he’s not gonna have his job for much longer, babe, and even if he does, he can’t hurt you.” His expression gentled and he smiled. “I’ve got you.”

  Out of the prying eyes of spectators, I allowed myself a vulnerable moment and laid my cheek to his chest. “I’m so scared, Dallas.”

  He stroked my hair. “I know you are, baby. You and I are heading out of town for few days.”

  “We are?” I looked up at him. “Where?”

  “Secret,” he said.

  “I can’t just bail on work, Dallas. That’s kind of frowned upon. Plus, what if Bruce really does put an all-points out on me.”

  “Official FBI business, sweetheart. Matt will take care of the A.P.B., and Alec will deal with your boss.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Is it really official FBI business or is this unofficial Macey business?”

  He sighed. “FBI.”

  �
��Crap, really?”

  Dallas nodded. “Bruce is up to something, which is why I need to get you the hell out of here for a while.”

  “And?”

  “And nothing.”

  “Meaning, you’re not going to tell me anything else, right?”

  “Right. Say nothing to anyone, babe, yeah? You’ll finish out your shift. Payton will pack you a bag and then you and I are heading out without a word to anyone.”

  “Which brings up an interesting point, Payton will know.”

  “No, she won’t. She thinks I have something romantic planned. She won’t know anything.”

  “Safe house?”

  He nodded.

  I groaned. “Bailey nearly went crazy being locked up with you three. Are you seriously saying I have to do the same?”

  Dallas smiled. “She nearly went crazy because she wanted Brock and couldn’t act on it… at least for as long as he kept it in his pants. You and I are going to have some much-needed connection time… mostly alone. Jax will be there from time to time, but only to deliver information. Brock’s staying here to keep an eye on Bruce and his cronies.”

  “How long?”

  “I don’t know, babe. A week, maybe a bit more.”

  “I have some vacation time, but if it goes much longer, I might have to take time off without pay… which means I’ll have to pull money from savings for rent and—”

  “Breathe, Mace.” He chuckled. “Rent’s covered. Don’t worry about it.”

  “Oh, right,” I droned. “I’m a kept woman.”

  “You’re my woman… so yeah… I’m keeping you.” He checked his watch. “Shift is over in an hour, right?”

  I nodded.

  “Okay. Jax is gonna hang out here while I head to your place, then I’ll pick you up and whisk you far, far away.”

  I clasped my hands at my chest and said in a southern accent, “Oh, kind sir, please will you save me from the bad, bad world?”

  Dallas leaned down and kissed me, pressing me against the wall and cupping my cheek. He waited until I sighed before breaking the kiss and dropping his forehead to mine. “I will save you from the bad, bad world.”

  “I want you to do it naked,” I whispered.

  He squeezed his eyes shut. “God, babe, you’re killing me.”

  I giggled. “Serves you right. You might come in here all, ‘I’m gonna protect my woman, hear me roar,’ but at least I know I can bring you to your knees with a kiss.”

  “You can do that without a kiss.”

  “I’ll remember that.” I smiled. “I have to get back to work.”

  “I’ll walk you up and touch base with Jaxon.”

  I almost argued, but knew it would be wasted breath, so I led him to the elevator and enjoyed one more kiss before I went back to work.

  Macey

  DALLAS ARRIVED TO pick me up five minutes before my shift ended. We walked outside to find Jaxon waiting for us, so I handed him my keys, so he could drive my car home and then climbed into an unmarked, unfamiliar SUV.

  “I take it this is an official vehicle,” I said once I was buckled in.

  “It is,” he confirmed, and buckled up. “It’s also untraceable and without bugs.”

  “I didn’t even think of that,” I admitted. “Where are we going?”

  Dallas pulled out of his parking space and headed south. “Newport.”

  “What’s in Newport?”

  “Jaxon’s parents have a little beach house that’s under his mother’s maiden name. They’re not there right now, so Jaxon organized it so we could be.”

  “How could they afford a “little beach house” with six kids?” I wondered aloud.

  Dallas chuckled.

  “What?”

  “You’re just funny,” he said.

  “Why am I funny?”

  “I shouldn’t say funny, I guess. You’re always so surprised when something is outside of your grasp. Jaxon’s parents aren’t rich, obviously, but it’s not like they’re destitute. His dad’s a dentist, his mom’s a teacher, so they make a decent living. The house has been in his mom’s family for a long time. I guess they’ve been using it as a vacation getaway forever, which means, next to no cost to stay and it’s close enough they can drive.”

  “Sounds pretty rich to me,” I said.

  “Does it?”

  “Yes!” I exclaimed. “My dad was a school custodian, Dallas. He didn’t make much. Mom didn’t work, so yeah, we never had any money. Even when I moved in with my grandparents, things were tight. I was really grateful for the small life insurance my parents left, because it covered college, but not all of it. Not by a long shot. So, I guess it’s outside of my grasp because I have no concept what it would be like not to worry about money.”

  He linked his fingers with mine. “You just seem to forget there’s somewhere in between. But you’ll figure it out babe.”

  “I will?”

  “Yep. Because you will never worry about money again.” He smiled. “We might not have the gobs of disposable income my parents have, but we’ll have enough so you don’t worry.”

  I grinned. “This is why I love you.”

  “No, you love me because I give you multiple orgasms.”

  “Yeah, that too.”

  He laughed and focused back on the road. I found myself drifting in and out of sleep as we drove the hour and a half to Newport.

  The jolt of the car going over a bump woke me, and I blinked my eyes open and stared out the window. “Oh, this is cute.”

  The house was really more of a box with a little windowed conservatory acting as a porch on the front. It was painted a Cape Cod blue with white accents and dark blue shutters, and overflowing flower boxes hung below the front windows.

  Dallas hit a button on his visor and drove the SUV into the attached garage at the side of the house, before climbing out and opening my door.

  The sea air wafting in made me smile. “Best smell ever,” I said.

  “Yeah, it’s pretty awesome,” he agreed. “Let’s go inside and then I’ll get our stuff.”

  I nodded and climbed from the car, following him to the porch. He unlocked and opened the door, and then stood back for me to precede him inside.

  I stepped into a typical beach house I’d seen pictured in home magazines. Light blue walls, shells and beachy accessories everywhere, sofas covered in white canvas, obviously for easy removal and cleaning. A lit, wood-burning fireplace in the center of the room crackled its welcome as it warmed up the space. Hardwood floors throughout, except the kitchen, bathrooms, and mudroom, which all had tile.

  To say the home was adorable was really an understatement. “I think I’m in love,” I said.

  “I’m with you.” Dallas smiled. “Come check out the deck.”

  I dropped my purse on one of the sofas and followed him through the living room. I passed a door on the right that led to the kitchen, and out French doors to the back deck, gasping as I took in the view. The deck had stairs that led to a small patch of grass overlooking the sea. Directly in front of that was sand. The sun was beginning to set over the Pacific Ocean and I marveled at how close we were to the water. “Oceanfront property is literal in this case.”

  “Yeah. We’ll head down there tomorrow if you like.”

  “Um, hells yes.”

  Dallas chuckled. “You explore, and I’ll grab our stuff.”

  “I can help.”

  He leaned down and kissed me. “It’s not much, baby. You go pick where we’re going to sleep, and I’ll take care of everything.”

  I clapped my hands and nodded. “Twist my arm.”

  We left the doors open to let in the breeze and I grabbed my purse and walked the house. It was surprisingly bigger than it seemed from the outside with three small bedrooms, each with either two twin beds or bunks, a hall bathroom, and a master suite, big enough to fit a king-sized bed, with its own en-suite. A double sink ran along one wall with a toilet and stone surround shower with dual shower
heads.

  I set my purse on the bed and slipped my shoes off, heading back to the kitchen to see what I could get going for dinner. It appeared as though Dallas had brought our food in first, so I went about putting everything away.

  * * *

  Dallas

  I set our bags in the master bedroom and peeked in the other rooms, looking for Macey. “Babe?” I called.

  “Kitchen,” she called back.

  I closed and locked the French doors before heading into the kitchen. I walked in and ran a hand through my hair in an attempt to fix it. The wind had picked up, dropping the temperature and driving home the fact I’d need a haircut sooner than later. Macey licked her lips as I approached, and I couldn’t help but smile.

  “Beer?” she asked, holding a bottle up.

  I grinned, leaning down to kiss her as I took the beer from her hand. “You read my mind.”

  Macey grinned. “Well, refrain from reading mine right now… it is filthy.”

  “How filthy?” I set the beer on the counter and lifted her up next to it. She settled her hands on my shoulders and scooted forward so she could wrap her legs around my waist.

  “Pretty filthy,” she admitted.

  “How about we order a pizza instead of cooking? I’ll fuck you while we wait.”

  Macey laughed. “I hear a new slogan in there somewhere.”

  “Your pizza’s baking… we’ll fuck you while you wait?”

  “No.”

  “Your pizza will arrive in thirty minutes or less… in the meantime, let us deliver you a hot salami?”

  “Ew, okay, no, maybe not.” She wrinkled her nose and giggled. “I thought we couldn’t let anyone know we’re here.”

  “Jax can pick up the pizza, babe.”

  “Oh, right.”

  I slid my hands under her top, cupping her breasts as I kissed her neck.

  “Let’s forget the pizza for now,” she said, her breath coming in pants as I pulled her bra down and rolled a nipple between my fingers.

  I slid her off the counter, keeping her firmly in my arms as I carried her back to the master bedroom. “I’m gonna let you go, baby.”

  She nodded and fell onto the mattress. I stretched out beside her and slipped my hand into her hair, pulling her head toward me to kiss her.

  Out of nowhere, Macey pushed at me with a whimper. I leaned back and frowned. “Babe?”