Tactical Pursuit

by Lynette Mae

  “Parents?”

  “My dad left when I was four. My mom died about ten years ago.”

  “Sorry,” Jessie said.

  “It’s all right. We weren’t really close.” She didn’t elaborate further, indicating the subject was closed.

  “Now, since you know about my ex, tell me about your last serious relationship. I can’t believe some smart woman hasn’t laid claim to a woman as attractive as you.” She smiled appreciatively and Devon felt her ears burning with heat at the compliment.

  Devon made it a point not to discuss her personal life as a rule. She didn’t let people in, but it felt different with Jessie. Opening up to Jessie actually felt possible, and Devon knew she would eventually tell her about Jillian and Alex. But not now. She didn’t want to dredge up bitter memories tonight. “Can I promise to tell you another time?”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to pry.” Looking down at their intertwined hands, Jessie said, “You can take as long as you want.”

  “Thanks. And, you’re not prying.” Devon rubbed her thumb over the back of Jessie’s hand to reassure her.

  “Ready to get out of here?” Jessie asked quickly. The joy had returned to her face, automatically lifting Devon’s heart.

  “Sure, where to?”

  “You just leave that to me.”

  They raced effortlessly through the night down the winding beach road with the moon and stars reflecting on the water to their right, Devon once again following Jessie’s lead. She slowed after a time and they pulled off into a small parking strip along an area of high dunes. Devon watched Jessie dismount, struck again by the quiet confidence and inner beauty that always shone through. Jessie was already barefoot, having stowed her boots on the back of her bike. She started toward the sand before stopping to hold her hand out do Devon. “You coming?”

  Anywhere.

  “Yeah.” Devon hustled to strip off her boots and catch up. They slipped their arms around each other’s waists and walked silently along a path to a secluded beach hidden from the road by the dunes. The mist of crashing waves and the smells of the bay were carried on the warm breeze blowing through their hair. They stared into one another’s eyes for long moments. Devon pulled Jessie closer, wrapping both arms fully around her, anchoring their hips together.

  A question crept into Jessie’s expression.

  “What?” Devon asked. When Jessie didn’t answer Devon placed a gentle kiss on her lips. She searched Jessie’s face and hesitated, seeing uncertainty there.

  “I’m having such a fantastic time,” Jessie said, but her tone faltered.

  Devon’s eyes locked onto Jessie’s. “And this has been one of the best nights of my life. Is there something wrong?” She chewed on the inside of her lip anxiously waiting for Jessie to explain.

  “I am so attracted to you. So much that I’m afraid. This feels special to me and I just want…” Jessie stopped, searching for words.

  Devon reached out and brushed windblown strands of hair away from Jessie’s face. She felt her heart flutter in her chest. Was it possible that she stood here truly contemplating opening herself fully to a woman, after so many years of self-imposed distance from real intimacy? She wasn’t even sure she knew how to open her heart anymore. Devon shocked herself by saying, “Jess, I’ll do anything you want, just tell me.” As she spoke the words, the truth of that statement hit her full force. The pull of her soul toward this woman felt like the lunar control of the tide. “If I’ve done something wrong—”

  “No. You’re wonderful. I just want to make sure we’re both ready. I’ve screwed up so much in the past. I don’t want to rush anything.” She ran her hand through Devon’s hair and then rested it along her face. “This is too important.”

  Devon turned her head and kissed Jessie’s palm. Her old demons still lurked inside and made her question whether she could give Jessie everything she deserved. But being with her made Devon believe in every possibility. Jessie was becoming the reason to stop hiding behind her fears.

  “I agree, you are much too important.” She kissed Jessie again, her lips softly exploring, waiting for the response signaling her welcome. When Jessie’s lips parted, Devon let her tongue tease gently inside, and she groaned when Jessie’s tongue whispered across her own. As their mouths slid together in that perfect fit of their lips, she surrendered to the wonder of Jessie. The combination of contentment, safety, and bone-melting need intensified with every touch they shared. She lost all sense of the world around them. Jessie’s kisses made her lightheaded as the blood fled from her brain to pulse between her thighs.

  Devon sat and pulled Jessie onto her lap, loving the feel of their bodies together. “You are so very beautiful.” She sifted Jessie’s hair through her fingers, reveling in the silky sensation. “And.” She grinned wickedly. “Here we are in this romantic spot.” She leaned in for another kiss before dipping to kiss the pulse point on her throat. “You drive me absolutely crazy.” Her hand slid down Jessie’s shoulder to her breast, teasing her nipple through her cotton shirt.

  Jessie sucked in a sharp breath at the contact, her face betraying pure desire, her nipple hardening against Devon’s palm of its own accord. She recovered and removed Devon’s exploring hand. “Anything worth having is worth the wait, stud.” She was valiantly attempting to sound resolute, although it was obvious her body didn’t mind the attention.

  Devon eyed her with playful skepticism. “Is that so?” She chuckled as Jessie gripped her wrist to prevent the return of her hand to her breast.

  “Stick around and see.”

  “Oh, I intend to,” Devon said in a low, seductive voice.

  “Walk with me.” Jessie stood and pulled Devon to her feet.

  They strolled hand in hand along the surf for a time, needing no words. Jessie stooped to pick up a seashell and then suddenly splashed water on Devon. When Devon tried to grab her, Jessie laughed and darted away. Devon caught her in a few dozen strides, sweeping her off her feet and spinning them both around until they fell giggling into the sand.

  “You make me feel special,” Jessie said.

  “That’s because you are.” The radiant smile Jessie flashed in return drove the air out of her lungs, and somewhere in the back of Devon’s brain it registered that she would never forget this moment.

  Later, outside of Jessie’s parent’s house, they leaned on Devon’s bike and spoke softly. After a while they didn’t even speak, content to simply hold each other and look up at the stars sparkling in the dark.

  “I guess I should get on the road,” Devon finally said without much conviction. She hated the thought of being so far away from Jessie after the connection they’d shared tonight. She stared into Jessie’s eyes, unable to look away. The deep ache within her screamed to be released, but she wouldn’t push until the time was right. Jessie was too important. She felt that as surely as she felt her own heartbeat. Devon knew that once they made love she would never want to be without her again. She looked down at their joined hands and drew a deep breath to steady herself.

  Jessie reached out and gently lifted Devon’s chin, searching her face. “I had a wonderful time tonight.”

  Devon couldn’t speak around the lump of emotion in her throat. She leaned in and kissed Jessie fully, thoroughly, surrendering to the power of her emotions, shutting out her fear. Everything about this was right. Her brain swam in the intoxicating pleasure until she became aware of Jessie’s body tensing against hers.

  “My mom’s on the front porch,” Jessie said through the kiss.

  “Was she waiting for us?”

  “No. She sits out on the porch sometimes at night.” The tip of a cigarette glowed red in the shadow.

  Devon started to pull back, but Jessie held her in place. “Don’t worry, she doesn’t own a gun.” At that moment they heard Jessie’s mom clear her throat. Their eyes locked and the sheer comedy of the moment sank in and they broke into uncontrollable laughter.

  “Wow,” Devon finally
gasped, wiping tears from her eyes. “I can’t believe at thirty-three, I’m getting caught by my girl’s mother.” More laughter gripped them, providing a relief from the sexual tension and eventually they fell silent. They leaned against each other, Jessie’s head on Devon’s shoulder.

  “Am I?” Her voice was muffled by Devon’s shirt.

  Devon looked down at her. “Are you what?”

  “Your girl? You said…” Her voice trailed off and she shifted as though she might move away, but Devon held her fast.

  “I know what I said.”

  “Did you mean it?”

  Somehow in Jessie’s eyes Devon saw a future she desperately wanted. “Yes.” The resulting kiss sealed that vow and promised so much more. When it ended, she placed her hand on Jessie’s cheek and traced her bottom lip with the pad of her thumb, wishing she had the words to fully explain how deeply Jessie moved her. Jessie covered her hand with her own and somewhere in her soft smile Devon knew she felt the same. The simplest touch conveyed the deepest feeling, and Devon was humbled beyond words.

  Now it really was time to go. She stepped back with a sigh, certain that this craving for Jessie’s touch would keep her up the rest of the night. She raised a hand in the air and called toward the porch, “G’night Mrs. Kilbride.” When she turned back to Jessie, her resolve nearly melted in the smoldering, sexy look in her big green eyes. What Devon wanted to do was kiss her senseless and not stop until she felt Jessie’s orgasm rage through her. Instead, she climbed onto her motorcycle and started the engine before she changed her mind.

  Jessie leaned in for one last exquisite kiss, and then they exchanged a final smile before Devon tugged on her helmet. She pushed up the face-guard so that Jessie could see her eyes. “See you tomorrow?”

  “Count on it.”

  Devon pulled away into the night. In the rearview mirror she watched Jessie walk toward the front porch, feeling her heart follow.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “HERE YA GO. Turkey on whole wheat and a heart attack special.” Mac set bags of food on the table for Devon and Kelsey. Kelsey had enlisted Devon’s help with the wiretap, and they'd started to achieve some minor gains in the last week.

  The wire room was a tiny windowless space that might be more aptly described as a roomy closet. The back of an old stackable chair prevented the door from opening more than a foot and a half, and Mac was forced to close it in order to fully enter. Devon pushed the headset off and swiveled back toward the table. She wondered why fried food always smelled so good when it was clearly horrible for you.

  Kelsey tore open the Bennie’s Burgers sack and dug the foil-wrapped sandwich from inside. “Good, you didn’t forget the fries.” She spread the wrapper open and dumped the jumbo portion of fries beside the double cheeseburger, happily focused on her task. Devon reached over her arm to pluck one from the pile and Kelsey pulled her food away. “Get your own.” She shook her head in disgust. “Freakin’ health nuts always making fun, but when the fries come, then they want one.”

  Devon poked her in the shoulder. “I’m not a health nut, but I can feel my arteries hardening just looking at all that.”

  Kelsey took a huge bite. “Thanks, buddy,” she said to Mac.

  The wire activity was fairly high today, and Devon was glad to be helping Kelsey out for a couple of hours prior to her shift. Most of the talk so far dealt with narcotics trafficking. Devon was learning the lingo used by the players in this game, making it a bit easier to understand what was happening and to distinguish between various identities and criminal behavior. Dopers used all kinds of language in their trade that she would have missed before. A guy saying, “I’ll meet you halfway” really meant “I can get you half an ounce,” usually cocaine or heroin. And a reference to “AK47” wasn’t about weapons at all. It referred to a potent variety of marijuana plant that has an orange color. Kelsey had explained that in doper slang, they say the wooden stocks on the AK47 rifle are sort of orange, hence the reference. Listening in was truly an eye-opening experience.

  Devon took advantage of a brief break in the conversation in her ear to take a bite of her sandwich and nodded approvingly at Mac. “Good.” Another call came in. She held up a finger when Mac started to speak. The number on the screen sent a jolt of excitement through Devon as she listened.

  “Yeah?” A male voice answered.

  “Pick up the black SL Benz after one o’clock. It will be in the usual parking lot under the expressway. Drive it to the lot on 50th Street. Got it?” The call originated from Roy’s shop, and earlier in the day they had already identified the voice as Roy himself. Devon made a notation of the time to mark the conversation in order to preserve it for evidence. She only hoped one of them mentioned anything she could relate to drugs, or the conversation would be inadmissible in court.

  “Got it.” The voice was an unknown male. She added that to her notes as they continued. “How am I gonna get there?”

  “Jay will pick you up in plenty of time. He’ll drop you off close, but not too close. That time of day it will be easy to blend in with all the other foot traffic,” Roy explained. Devon wondered if Jay was the guy’s name or initial, jotting a corresponding line: J or Jay? “Don’t be late ’cause he’s got some shit to take care of for that baller he runs for. That’s not my deal. You got us hooked up with these guys, so you tell him not to leave any of his fish scales in my cars. I can’t afford any fuck-ups, understand?”

  There it was. Devon scribbled fish scales on the pad and ran a few circles around it triumphantly.

  “I told you, I’ll handle it.”

  The conversation ended and Devon sat back to look over what she’d written on the notepad. Could the other voice be Honeycutt’s? Maybe, but she couldn’t be sure. And what about this Jay? They would have to check employees at Roy’s place for anyone named Jay or a name beginning with the letter J. She scribbled as an afterthought: Check known criminal associates for J or Jay—Roy and Vincent. She hoped that the unidentified voice turned out to be Honeycutt, but whoever it was obviously was the narc connection.

  “Are you getting anything?” Mac asked as Devon wrote her remaining thoughts.

  “It’s slow going.” Kelsey spoke around the next bite of her burger. “We have to sift through the insignificant BS and wait for the crumbs of info about the cars in the midst of the main communication, which is the narcotics dealing. We can listen in two-minute increments. If the chatter isn’t about drugs, we have to stop for a while. But. If during the two minutes they mention drugs we’re good, even when they start talking about other stuff. The trick is to be able to understand what they’re talking about. That’s how the narc guys let me know about the cars.”

  “Huh. That’s interesting," Mac said. “I had no idea.”

  Devon reached back to the electronic console to press the button for the speaker that would allow them to hear when the next call came in. Then she pulled off her headset and pushed the pad in front of Kelsey. “We might have just picked up a little speed. Check this out. Mac, I think you just brought us some good luck.” She got up and went to the giant whiteboard that took up three-quarters of the wall behind them. All of the names of various players were displayed in a sort of flow chart of who’s who. Devon added the name Jay or J beneath Roy Beckman’s name.

  “Fish scales. Good job, Dev. You learn quick.” Devon and Kelsey high-fived.

  Kelsey said to Mac, “That term refers to high quality rock cocaine. The purer it is, the more crystalline, and shiny like fish scales.”

  Mac’s brow knit together. “That’s a stretch.”

  Kelsey raised her hands. “I told you, it’s doper slang. I don’t make the shit up, I just report it. Do you know which lot he’s talking about along the expressway?” she asked Devon. Mac was looking over Kelsey’s shoulder to read the details as well.

  “No. Problem is there are miles of lots in that area, if he’s talking about the toll road. If it’s the interstate there’s even more area to cov
er.” Devon gave Mac a sly grin. “Unless whoever is canvassing the area has a bird's eye view. You interested?”

  “Me? Interested in an excuse to fly? And the added bonus of catching a second-generation lowlife in the process? Was that a trick question? Of course I’m in.”

  “Good. Then you can supplement our coverage when I have to take other calls.” Devon checked her watch. “Speaking of which, I’ve got to get going, Kelsey. My shift starts in an hour and a half, and I want to hit the gym before roll call.”

  “Have a good shift. Thanks for coming in and helping me out this morning. With any luck, we’ll get these assholes with this new information. Even if we don’t, I think there’s enough proof of a criminal enterprise going on here that I can get my major to authorize some additional manpower. Next time you might even get paid for doing this with me.”

  “Now that would be amazing.” Devon said. She turned to Mac. “You wanna walk me out?”

  “Sure.”

  “Kelsey, I’ll talk to you later. Call me if anything comes up.”

  “Will do, Dev. Be careful.” Devon picked up her keys and started to leave but Kelsey snapped her fingers. “Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. Remember the call last week with the multiple high-end cars taken? We may have caught a break there, too. The responding officer did some more looking around after I left.

  Damndest thing. She found some metal shavings in the parking lot that look like they may have come from duplicating the keys. Then, when she looked closer, she found a blank key in the dirt. I guess they dropped it and didn’t notice. Somebody stepped on it, so it got covered. The tech got a good picture of the shoe impression. They’re working on the partial print left on the key. Great spot, I’ll tell you. That officer impressed me. I’ve never seen her before. Kilbride. She’ll make a great detective some day.”

  Mac and Devon shared a look, but said nothing. Devon was inordinately pleased with Kelsey’s compliment of Jessie’s work. “Thanks for the info, Kelsey. I’ll call you later.”