by Anne Rainey
“I was thinking that I’m starting to fall for you.”
Jonas had to be hallucinating. It wasn’t possible that Deanna had just confessed her love, right? And yet, she seemed totally unaware of the precious gift she’d just given him. “You aren’t the only one falling, sweetness,” he murmured.
Deanna’s gaze darted to his. “I’m not?”
Jonas smiled at her surprise. Did she still think he was just in it for the sex? “No.”
“But what—”
“Wait,” he said, stopping her before she said too much. “Not over a video chat. I’d rather do this in person, wouldn’t you?”
“You’re right.”
“Rest for now. Tomorrow I’ll pick you up and we’ll go to dinner.”
“Sweet dreams, Jonas.”
He pressed a kiss to his palm and blew it at her. “Sweet dreams, kitten.”
As he shut down the video chat screen and logged off Skype, Jonas’s mind went haywire. Had she been aware of what she’d said, or had she just been feeling emotional because of what they’d shared? He didn’t know and he suspected the not knowing was going to keep him up most of the night.
Jonas tried to remember a time when someone had said those three little words to him. I love you. No memories sprang to the surface. His stomach knotted when he thought how fucking pathetic that seemed. Hell, people said the words all the time. Mothers, fathers, husbands, and wives. Sometimes they said them without thinking, but to Jonas those three words were sacred. Maybe because he’d never had them directed at him—not even by his parents. Sure, they cared—in their own screwed-up way. But love? That wasn’t something they were familiar with.
Jonas knew beyond anything else that with Deanna he didn’t just want to say the words; he wanted to shout them from the rooftop. He wanted the world to know she belonged to him. Being with her, even for five minutes, was precious time spent to him. He tried to remember exactly when it had happened, when his feelings for her had shifted from desire to this all-consuming need to be with her, but he couldn’t recall.
Jesus, he’d never had a yearning to wake up next to the same woman day in and day out. To share coffee and breakfast with her. Yet, he ached to have that very thing with Deanna. Going to bed with her tucked up real close, watching movies on a lazy afternoon, even listening to her share her day, Jonas wanted it all.
Tomorrow, when they went out on their date, he would tell her, lay it on the line, and pray like a man possessed that she didn’t toss his heart into the trash.
22
The next morning, after Jonas handed the monitor over to Wade so he could stake out Valdez, Jonas headed to a meeting with a friend. He’d decided the only way to get Cade back on the straight and narrow was to put the fear of God into him. Barring that, the fear of Granger Manet.
He and Granger had gone through basic training together, but when Jonas had moved on to the Special Forces, Granger had finished his four-year enlistment, then later went into police work. Now he was one of the most respected narcotics officers on the force, and one of the toughest.
As Jonas pulled into the parking lot of Raven’s Diner, he saw Granger’s hunter-green SUV parked near the front. Jonas shook his head. The man always showed up at least fifteen minutes early to a meeting.
Entering the restaurant, Jonas went straight to the counter where a broad-shouldered African American sat devouring a stack of pancakes.
“Eating enough to feed a small country as usual,” Jonas said as he took the empty seat on Granger’s right.
“A man needs to keep up his strength, doesn’t he?”
Jonas rolled his eyes. “Keep eating like that and you’ll be in the hospital.”
Granger snorted. “Like you’re the first asshole to tell me that line of crap.”
Jonas waved the waitress over and asked for a cup of coffee. After she left, he turned his attention to Granger. “Thanks for meeting me.”
“I knew if you were asking for a favor it must be serious,” he said around a mouthful of food. “So, spill.”
“A friend of mine, Ray Moseley, his son’s gotten himself into some trouble,” Jonas replied, getting right to the point.
“What kind of trouble?”
“Cade’s been messing around with drugs. If that isn’t bad enough, the kid’s decided he wants to go work for Valdez.”
Granger dropped his fork on the counter and glared at him. “You couldn’t have waited until I finished eating to bring up that asshole’s name?”
Jonas chuckled. “Sorry.”
“Yeah, you sound it,” he grumbled as he pushed his plate away. “Might as well tell me the rest.”
“Ray’s wife died last year. Since then, Cade is all Ray has left. He’s done his best, but Cade seems hell-bent on screwing up his life. It’s killing Ray.”
“Teenagers.” He shook his head in disgust. “Damn, I hope I never have kids.”
“Uh, you’d have to have a woman first, bud.”
“Screw you, I date,” he muttered.
“You’re married to the job and we both know it,” Jonas said as he finished off his coffee. The waitress came over and gave him a refill, and Jonas noticed the way the tall brunette shyly peeked over at Granger.
Granger shrugged and took a sip of his coffee. “The job is easier to figure out than women.”
“Not nearly as much fun, though.” He gestured to the waitress and bobbed his eyebrows.
Granger’s frown turned fierce. “I come here for the food, not the company. Speaking of which, get on with it, will you? I’d like to get to work sometime today.”
Jonas chuckled. “You’re all roses and sunshine, aren’t you?”
Granger slammed his hand down on the counter. “Do you want my help or not?”
Because Jonas knew that Granger was more bark than bite, he tweaked him a little more. “Now, now, you’re scaring the nice customers.”
“You’re running out of time, Phoenix,” he warned.
“Look, all I need is for you to meet the kid. Show him that drugs are bad for his health.”
Granger rubbed a hand over his smoothly shaved head. “An intervention, Granger style?”
Jonas nodded. “Keep him from being Valdez’s bitch and I’ll owe you big-time.”
Granger picked up his fork and tapped it against the counter. Jonas noticed his friend performed the ritual whenever he needed to think through a problem. Jonas found it irritating as hell.
After a few seconds, Granger said, “I sort of like the idea of you owing me.”
“Figured you would.” Jonas thought of the skinny Cade meeting the big badass Granger Manet. “Uh, we are on the same page here, right? You’re just going to scare him a little.”
“Let me worry about that,” he said as he glared at the waitress. “You just arrange the meeting.”
What had he just gotten the kid into? Jonas recalled the look of defeat on Ray’s face when he’d come into his office. As if reading his thoughts, Granger said, “I’m not going to hurt him. Relax.”
“Never doubted you for a second, buddy,” Jonas lied.
“Whatever.” Granger glared harder at the waitress. As if sensing him, the woman turned and started in their direction. Jonas noticed the softening in Granger’s eyes. To anyone else it would’ve been imperceptible. But Jonas had been friends with the guy too long. “You come here for the food, huh?” Jonas said, grinning.
“Jonas?”
“Yeah?”
“Scram,” he growled.
Jonas barely suppressed a laugh as he stood and took out his wallet. He tossed a few bills onto the counter. “Breakfast is on me,” Jonas said; then he left Granger to his bizarre courtship. His next stop was Ray’s house. It was time they had a little chat.
When he pulled into the drive, he saw Ray’s pickup truck, covered in what appeared to be months of dirt and grime. He got out of his car and grabbed his computer case and the hardware he’d brought along, then headed to the door. He knocked a
nd waited. Sometime in the middle of the night, while Jonas lay awake thinking of Deanna’s confession, he’d managed to come up with a way to keep Cade from going to the meeting on Friday and possibly get him back on the right track at the same time, but he needed to get into Ray’s home network for his plan to work.
He rang the bell and waited. After a minute, Ray appeared, looking as if someone had shoved him in the dryer and hit tumble. “You look like shit.”
Ray ran a hand over his face and moved back to let him enter. “Yeah, I haven’t showered today. Cade and I had a fight last night.”
Jonas had a feeling Ray hadn’t showered in a few days, but he kept that little thought to himself and stepped over the threshold. The first thing he noticed was the mess. Clothes and dirty dishes were scattered all over the entry hall and living room. A far cry from the neatly kept house Jonas had visited on more than one Sunday when he’d come over to watch their favorite team.
“An argument or a fight?” Jonas asked, needing clarification. “I take it you told him he needed to go to rehab.”
Ray grimaced. “A fight.” He shoved his hands into the front pockets of his black slacks. “Went over about as well as I expected too.”
Jonas slapped him on the back. “He’s pushing you right now, but he’ll come around.” Jonas squinted as his gaze connected with a bowl of something on the coffee table. “Damn, is that mold?” He shuddered. “Dude, you need a maid.”
Ray had the good grace to flinch. Jonas saw it as a good sign because at least the poor guy knew things were a wreck. Jonas supposed that was step one.
“I know. The place is a pigsty. Sorry.”
Jonas shrugged. “Get a maid, problem solved. As to Cade, I have an idea.”
Ray’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s what you said on the phone. What is it?”
Jonas held up a hand, unwilling to let Ray get his hopes up so soon. “Listen, it won’t be easy or fun, not for either of you. Can you handle it?”
“If it turns Cade around, I’m all for it.”
Jonas was glad to hear it. A dad willing to go the distance for his son was better than one turning a blind eye. Jonas pointed to the stairs. “He at school now?”
“Yeah, why?”
“I need access to your computer.”
Ray strode to the desk in the corner of the room and hit a few keys. “There, it’s all yours. What are you planning?”
Jonas closed the distance and sat down, then went to work. “Addicted241 is going to send Cade a new instant message telling him the time of the meeting’s been changed.”
“How will you do that? And, wait, what? I don’t want him going to that meeting at all, Jonas.”
“I know. One thing at a time. First, go shower.” Jonas grimaced. “No offense, but you stink. Second, let your fingers do the walking, dude. Look in the phone book and call a fucking cleaning service. I’ll take care of this, then explain everything. Deal?”
Ray stood there and stared at him, as if trying to decide whether he should be offended or not. Finally, he said, “Deal.”
Ray turned to go, then stopped and said, “Thanks, man,” over his shoulder before heading for the stairs.
“Okay, I’m already lost. What’s a sniffer?”
“A network sniffer is a piece of hardware that will monitor your network data.” Jonas held up the small black box. “By attaching this to your router, I’ll be able to capture all of the traffic coming in and out of any computer on your network.” When Ray still looked lost, he explained, “In other words, when Cade gets an instant message from his go-to guy, this baby will record it, and I’ll get notified.”
“What good will that do? I’m basically already doing that with the chat-snooping program I installed.”
“Yes, but this will allow me to take the instant message, alter it, then send it back to Cade. When he logs onto his instant messenger, it’ll look like he’s received a new message from Addicted241.”
“And what will the modified message say exactly?”
“That the meeting is scheduled for tomorrow night instead.”
“Wait, if Cade replies back, won’t he know that the message was false? I mean, won’t Cade’s friend tell him the meeting is on as scheduled?”
“We’ll have to word the message so Cade knows not to send a reply.”
“Okay, but if it’s a setup, then what will Cade really be walking into?”
Ah, here came the tricky part, Jonas thought. “A meeting with a narc officer.”
Ray jumped out of his chair. “What the hell, Jonas?”
Jonas held up a hand and stood. “Calm down. Cade won’t be in any real trouble. This guy is a friend of mine. He’s just going to shake Cade up.”
He scowled. “Scare him straight, you mean?”
“Yeah. It’s the only way I can see to keep Cade from being Valdez’s drug mule. If you have a better idea, I’m all ears.”
Ray ran a hand through his hair. “Shit. How did it come to this, Jonas? How’d I let my kid down so badly?”
“You’re human, Ray. It happens. The key now is to get him back.” Just then the doorbell chimed. “And the cleaning service is here. My advice?”
“What’s that?” he asked as he moved to let them in.
“Tip them real fucking good. They’re going to deserve it.”
Ray snorted. “Thanks, asshole.”
“Anytime, buddy.” Jonas followed Ray out. “I’ll be back in the morning to download those traces and modify the message.”
Ray nodded as he let the cleaning service enter. Jonas wished them luck, then headed toward his car. Tomorrow night Cade was going to be in for a big surprise when he met with the narcotics officer. If Granger didn’t scare the kid straight, nothing would.
Deanna loved Jonas, and she’d all but blurted it out over a video chat, no less. “Crap,” she grumbled as she sped up in the hopes of being on time for her meeting with Valerie Rhodes.
The estimate was finished, and Deanna had even wrangled Dean’s construction company to do the remodel. But she was having a terrible time concentrating on the road because all she kept hearing was Jonas telling her that she wasn’t the only one falling.
Had he been serious? Or had it been lust talking? Pillow talk—men engaged in it all the time, didn’t they? She mentally scanned her past lovers. Yes, she thought miserably, men could and would say whatever necessary to get a piece of the action. But Jonas wasn’t just any man. He was more honorable than that. Right? Or was she just fooling herself?
Her big mouth was to blame. If she’d kept it shut, maybe Jonas would have been the first to cave. She could’ve waited a little longer, watched for signs that it was love and not desire he was feeling. “Well, that train has already left the station,” she mumbled to herself as she turned down the street where her client lived.
Deanna knew now that the number-one reason she hadn’t had a decent, long-term relationship with a man was because her heart already belonged to another. It’d happened the day of their family picnic. Jonas had grinned that ornery grin of his, and Deanna had sunk like a fishing lure. She’d put her heart in a vault that day, saving it for when Jonas would come collecting. Would tonight be that night? Her heart fluttered at the thought.
As she approached the older, two-story brick house, Deanna switched from daydreaming romantic to confident businesswoman. Valerie was a sweet woman. Her husband was an executive at a bank, and Valerie had recently retired. With her kids grown, Valerie had decided to pamper herself a little. The first thing on her agenda was a bigger bathroom with a Jacuzzi-style tub. She wanted Deanna to create a mini-oasis for her. The woman had a vision of something peaceful and relaxing, with tropical colors and a comfortable sitting area. It would be a big project, but an enjoyable one for Deanna.
As Deanna pulled into the woman’s driveway and cut the engine, she wrapped her black calf-length wool coat around herself a little tighter. Winter was in full swing and kicking her butt today. She started to get out
when her cell phone rang. Deanna looked at the caller ID. UNAVAILABLE. The only person who came up like that was Valdez. She took a deep breath and let it out. “It’s now or never.”
Deanna hit the SEND button. “Hello?”
“Miss Harrison, it’s Terrance. I saw that you called?”
“Yes,” she said, striving for confidence. “I wanted to let you know that I won’t be able to do the project after all.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, something’s come up.” Like the fact that you’re a drug-dealing loser. “I’m sorry if I’ve wasted your time.”
“That’s unfortunate, but I understand. Business is business, after all. Will you be picking up those fabric samples, then?”
The fabric samples! Damn, she’d completely forgotten about them. “Oh, uh, yes,” she replied. “I can swing by tomorrow. Around noon work for you?”
“That’ll do fine. Till then, Miss Harrison.”
Deanna ended the call. “Done. Whew.” Instant relief flooded her system.
As Deanna got out of her car, a gust of wind caught her hair and she shivered. She quickly grabbed her briefcase and jogged up to the front door. Valerie met her with a cheerful hello.
“Come in, dear, before you freeze to death.”
Deanna didn’t have to be asked twice. “Boy, do you have terrific timing,” she said. The warm fresh scent of pastries and the sound of a crackling fire hit her. Deanna’s stomach growled even as her body began to warm.
Valerie laughed and took her coat from her shoulders, then hung it on a rack next to the door. “I just took a pie out of the oven. I hope you’re hungry.”
“Ooh, that sounds wonderful, thank you. I haven’t eaten anything today. Been busy.”
Valerie shook her head. “You’re just like my youngest, Danielle. She gets tied up at work and skips right past lunch. I get on her all the time about it. Do you like cherry pie, Deanna? The crust is homemade.”
Her mouth began to water. “Homemade crust? No way am I turning that down.”
“I knew I was going to like you,” Valerie said, beaming from ear to ear.