“Love is stupid?” Caroline asked. “If that's the case, what about me and Buster?”
“I've told him he's a stupid bastard more than one time. Stupid as he is, though, he's a lucky son of a bitch. You're pretty great, and I'm not just saying that because you bake like an angel.”
“Have you ever been in love?” She was pretty sure that she knew the answer just by his expression. He shook his head. “I thought that I had been before Buster, but I was wrong. What I feel for him now, I would have never thought it was possible. What if you meet someone who makes you feel something you've never felt before?”
“I pay them extra when that happens,” he replied without missing a beat. “Whatever you're making smells good. I should wash up before we eat.”
Caroline let him go. She got the feeling bringing up the subject again would be considered pushing it, so she promised herself that she wouldn't. She liked Train and he liked her, but she knew that there was something dangerous about him she shouldn't stir up.
She took the lasagna out of the oven. “The food is done.” She carried it over to the table and turned back around to get the bread and salad. A flash of movement outside the window over the sink caught her attention. “Someone is in the yard.”
There was a flurry of movement as the three men took off towards two separate doors. Jillian had stopped where she had been standing, frozen in place. For an instant Caroline was frozen, too, but then she wasn't. “Probably nothing to panic about.”
Jillian let out a sharp bark of laughter. “Please. With our luck lately, that's the first wave of the zombie apocalypse.” Both women jumped when the back door slammed.
“It was Harris.” Ace came into the room, gun drawn. “Caught sight of her pulling away. Buster and Train are going to follow her. We're going to stay here and shut all the shades. Check and make sure everything is locked.” He looked over at Jillian. “It's just a precaution, Jilly. Be easy.” Jillian looked anything but easy. She looked like she was going to jump right out of her skin.
Caroline was more pissed off than scared. “I'll check upstairs.” She was glad for something to occupy her mind. When she went in to check the bedroom windows, she made sure to grab her gun from its place in the nightstand. If Harris stepped foot into the house uninvited, she was going to get shot.
It wasn't lost on her that she'd made the decision to take a life without any hesitation. There was no niggling feeling of guilt in her stomach. She finally understood the expression about shooting someone with a smile. No matter what happened after, she'd have stopped someone who wanted to destroy what she loved.
When she came back downstairs, Ace was on the phone. Jillian was on the couch, television remote control in hand. Caroline went to sit down next to her. “Hey.”
“Hey,” Jillian replied.
“Never a dull moment, huh?” Caroline set her gun down on the coffee table.
“You shouldn't have that. Not with Harris around. She'll probably slap cuffs on you for having an illegal weapon.” Jillian picked at the bandage on her wrist. “That's the last thing you need.”
“Maybe that's true, but I think that I'll take the chance,” Caroline replied. “Are you hungry? Do you want me to get you something to eat while it's still hot?”
“I'm okay. I can wait for everyone else.” Jillian jumped a little when Ace swore loudly. “Maybe I'm a little jumpy.”
“You've got every right to be,” Caroline assured her as Ace approached them.
“They lost her. She didn't go back to the station.” Ace seemed like he wanted to say more. “They'll be back in a minute.”
Yeah, there was definitely something that Ace wasn't saying. Caroline was sure of it. For the first time in her relationship with Buster, she opened her mouth to demand that Ace tell her what was happening right now. She ended up clearing her throat instead and saying nothing.
Buster and Train were back within ten minutes. Both looked pissed. “That lasagna smells good. Let's eat.” Caroline shot him a curious look he either didn't see or ignored. “Anyone want a beer?”
“I'll get them.” She moved towards the kitchen, glad for something to distract her, even if it was a menial task. She brought the beers over to the table, handed them out and sat down, even though she wasn't exactly hungry anymore.
Once they were all eating, Buster cleared his throat and put down his fork. “I talked to Manuel, who talked to his person inside the police department. Harris has been suspended without pay, sort of like what happened to Monroe. Looks like they're getting their ducks in a row in order to get rid of her.”
“Which means she was here of her own accord.” Caroline reached for her napkin.
“Yes,” Buster replied. “Which means that we don't know what she's up to, so we're all just going to have to be cautious. And the two of you aren't alone. I called Monroe. He's going to come over and sit with the two of you.”
“I'll stay with them.” Ace spoke up quickly.
“No. I need you with us, Ace. There's something that we need to take care of.” Buster gave him a look that all but screamed club business and glanced over at Jillian just as meaningfully. Caroline frowned at him, and he raised an eyebrow in response but continued to speak. “We've got to ride out after we eat. It should only take a couple of hours. This is really really good, Caroline. And there's no cottage cheese in it, right?”
“You know that there's not.” Caroline felt herself smile. Maybe she needed to relax some, but she just felt so on edge. Harris was going to be a problem that they didn't need. She was sure of it down to her toes.
<#<#<#<#
Caroline watched Jillian pick at the bandage at her wrist. “Is it itching? Do you want me to change it for you?”
“No. It's just bothers when I move my hand a certain way. It's fine.” She stopped touching the bandage and picked up the remote control and began to flip through the channels. Finally she settled on a cooking show. They sat there and watched in silence for a while. Monroe joined them after he'd finished checking for signs of Harris in the yard.
Caroline was glad that conversation wasn't expected, because her attention wasn't on the show. Her mind was focused on Buster. Questions swarmed through her head like a thousand buzzing bees. All she wanted was for him to come back from wherever the hell he was and tell her what was going on. If she knew, she'd be calmer.
“I'm going to make some coffee. Does anyone want some?” Jillian rose to her feet without waiting for a response.
“Yeah, you're Ace's girl, alright.” Monroe chuckled. “I've never seen anyone drink coffee as much as he does. I think I'm good. Any more caffeine and I'll be climbing the walls.”
“I'll take some.” Caroline couldn't help but smile at the way Jillian blushed at being called Ace's girl, but she could also tell that she was pleased. “I think I've got some cookies in a tin in one of the cabinets. Or at least I should, unless Train found it.”
“Got any brownies?” Monroe asked.
“No but I can make some. I think that I've got everything I need.”
“Seriously?” The man grinned from ear to ear. “Thanks. And once your bakery is open, I'll be there every day. I'll even pay.”
“My bakery? What the hell are you smoking, Monroe? I don't have a bakery.” Caroline turned her head towards him. He looked away from her.
“I smoked a joint earlier. Guess I'm still stupid from it. I don't know why I said that.”
Caroline kept her eyes on him. He looked away and down at the floor. She was pretty sure that he was lying. “You sure about that?”
“Yeah, I'm sure. And you don't have to go to the trouble of making the brownies. Cookies sound great, too.” Monroe stretched his arms and got up. “I should go and check outside again.” Caroline was now convinced that he was lying, but it made no sense.
“Do you think that they'll be back soon?” Jillian called out from the kitchen.
“Not sure,” Monroe replied. “I'll let you know if I hear anything.”
Caroline joined Jillian in the kitchen when Monroe went in the back yard. “You need a hand?”
“No,” Jillian replied. “I hope that they're back soon. It sounds stupid, but I miss him. How could I miss him when he's only been gone for a few hours?”
“Because you love him. I miss Buster too, if that helps any. Seems like the two of you are making up for lost time. Things are going good?”
“Yeah. They are. It's strange because it's easier than I thought it would be.” Jillian found the cookies and set them out on a plate. “I feel like... I feel stupid in a lot of ways because I let so much time be wasted.”
“You were scared.”
“It was more than that. I'm not trying to make excuses for myself, but I was just trying to do what Edge wanted. He wanted me away from Nightshade. He wanted it to be his. Just his. And I thought it was the right thing. And...”
“Hey. Easy.” Caroline got to her feet when Jillian's hands shook so badly that she dropped one of the coffee mugs. “Take a couple of deep breaths for me. Try and relax.”
“Sorry. I'm just... I feel like I'm losing it. I'll replace the cup.”
“Don't you worry about the cup,” Caroline told her. “Break them all because they're seriously ugly.” To prove her point she turned the faded orange and brown cup around to reveal the gas station logo on its side.
Jillian laughed. “Yeah, they are pretty ugly. Hey, we should ask Monroe if he has anything left from what he smoked earlier. The whole waiting thing might be easier if we're stoned.”
“Maybe,” Caroline replied. “I'll go and ask him.” She went to stand but stopped as Jillian grabbed her bandaged arm. Pain shot through her at the strength of her friend's grip, but she didn't cry out. “Whoa, Jillian, easy.”
“You can't go outside. You can't. It's not safe.”
Caroline knew that it probably wasn't, but she'd be damned if she was going to let Harris make her a prisoner in her own home. “I'm just going to open the door and call Monroe back inside.”
“No. You wait. Please.”
“Okay, I'll wait.” Caroline made her voice as soothing as possible. “This is all going to be over really soon, Jillian. I promise. Things are going to get better. You're not going to have to be scared.” She remained there, her wrist caught in Jillian's painful grip, because she didn't want to upset the woman any further.
Monroe came back in a few minutes later. “It's all clear out there. We're good.”
“We'd be better if you've got some of that weed you mentioned earlier,” Caroline told him.
“What...” He seemed to remember what he'd said just in the nick of time and cleared his throat. “I don't have any left. I can get you some later, after the guys are back.”
“Sounds good.” Caroline looked over to Jillian. “Can you wait or do you need something for your nerves now? I can make those brownies. Ooey gooey brownies.”
“Can you make weed brownies if we wait?”
“I think that I can manage that.” It had been years since she'd made weed brownies, and even when she'd made them, she'd never actually eaten them herself. “I guess I should start thinking about what to make for dinner soon.”
“If you want, I can make dinner,” Jillian offered. “I guess that the cooking shows sort of inspired me or something. It's only fair if you're going to make dessert.”
“I'm not going to complain about not having to cook.” Caroline picked up the remote control Jillian when Jillian got up to see what was in the kitchen. “I am going to complain that there's a whole lot of nothing to watch.”
“Why don't you put on a movie? Plenty of movies on demand, and I'm sure Buster won't care that you're running up his cable bill.”
A movie wasn't a bad idea, but the part about running up the bill got her thinking about the money thing, which just made her feel weird. Buster had so much money, and she had so little. Even with her salary from Nightshade Construction, she didn't have an abundance of funds. Would that end up mattering somewhere down the line?
“I think that I'm just going to grab a book and read for a while. Give my brain a little exercise.” Caroline got to her feet and walked into the hall. She'd seen the stack of books on the small corner table there. Most were thrillers, mysteries with bloody, brutal murders so she chose one at random. Instead of returning to the living room, she headed upstairs to their bedroom.
One look around made it clear the room was still mostly Buster's. She loved the furniture, though. It was a dark wood, Caroline didn't know the name, but it had a wonderful shine to it. There was an ornate headboard. There were vines carved into it and thorns, but you had to look closely to see them. She'd looked closely. Sleep didn't come easy for her these days. Thankfully, faking sleep came really easily. It was just a matter of being still, breathing slowly and waiting to hear Buster start snoring. Then she'd just open her eyes and look around. Let her brain cycle through the thoughts that it couldn't stop until finally she'd just pass out.
Caroline didn't remember her dreams. She never had much memory of any dream, and she was glad for not knowing the reason she'd wake up in a cold sweat, certain that her heart was going to beat right out of her chest. She'd move close to Buster, press herself against his chest and just listen to the steady rhythm of his heart until it was time to get up and face the day.
She listened for the sound of approaching bikes, but all she heard was the sound of movement downstairs, in the form of Jillian in the kitchen or Monroe going in and out of the doors on patrol. The sounds were comforting. Caroline let her eyes shut. She doubted she'd sleep, but maybe she could manage to doze off a little.
The next thing she knew was the sound of breaking glass. Caroline shot off the bed. “Fuck.” She'd left her gun downstairs. Her entire body was alert as she raced downstairs, unsure what to expect.
“Careful, there's a lot of glass.” Monroe was standing in the middle of it all. He crouched down and picked up a softball-sized white rock. “No death threat, that's a plus. There were a couple of kids playing outside before. It might have been them.”
Caroline doubted that. She didn't know the neighbors, but she figured the neighbors damn sure knew who Buster was. The house being the target of such a prank with Harris on the loose was too much of a coincidence for their current run of luck. She stopped herself from saying any of that when she caught sight of Jillian's face. “You're probably right. Probably stupid bored kids.”
“I'll go outside and check. Just in case.”
“I'll clean up this mess.” Caroline forced cheer into her voice. “So, what's for dinner, Jillian?”
“Oh. Meatloaf. And mashed potatoes. Buster doesn't have much in the way of vegetables, which isn't exactly a surprise.” Jillian began to pick at the edge of her bandage again. “Normally, I'd just run down to a store and grab some, but that's obviously not an option.”
“Trust me, no one with testosterone is going to notice the lack of vegetables,” Caroline assured her. “I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure that I need a beer.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Buster knew that Ace was going to be pissed when they told him why they'd pulled him away from Jillian. Actually, he wasn't sure that pissed was going to be the word. Bones had done a good job of getting them all the information he could track down about Jake's sister Tabby.
It wasn't good. Not one bit of it. They already knew Tabby, but they called her by her birth name, Tabitha. As a matter of routine, they ran the names of pass-arounds when they first showed up, just to be sure that they weren't getting into bed with a cop. Ace was in charge of that, and he'd have run Tabitha.
Buster hoped like hell he'd run her. She'd come around right about the time that Ace and Jillian had fallen out. If his focus was compromised, if he hadn't done the check, then they'd essentially let the wolf right in their front door.
“Someone want to tell me what the fuck is going on?” Ace demanded as they dismounted in front of a self-storage warehouse that
had definitely seen better days. Most of the units were abandoned now, still full of people's crap because the owner, Aaron, didn't have the resources to clear them out, and even if he did, there was no one to rent them to. Aaron was also a friend of Nightshade, so he'd offered up his master keys without a question.
“Let me ask you something. You run all of the new girls that start coming around, right?”
“Of course. Why? What happened?” Ace stopped walking. “Just fucking talk to me, Buster.”
“Did you run Tabitha?” Buster turned to face him.
“Tabitha? Yeah, I ran her. She was clean. No arrests. Some parking and speeding tickets. Why?”
“What's her last name?”
“Green,” Ace replied without missing a beat. “Why are you asking me about her?”
“Have you seen or spoken to her since everything went down?” Train asked.
“She's called a bunch of times. I didn't answer. Come on, tell me what's going on!” Ace demanded.
“She's not Tabitha Green.” Train answered before Buster could. “She's Tabitha Dodd.”
“What? That's not possible! Her drivers license said...” Ace trailed off and sighed. “Jesus Christ. He planted her with us.”
“Or she planted herself. We're not sure yet,” Buster admitted. “We're about to get sure.”
“She's here?” Ace started to barrel towards the units like a bull, but Buster grabbed his arm.
“She is. I had Bones grab her once he found out her address. She was packing, so I'd say that we were just in time. I don't think she realized that we were on to her, I think she was just looking for greener pastures,” Buster told him. “Bones had a mask on. She doesn't know who grabbed her.”
“How are we going to play this?”
“I'm thinking that a little good cop bad cop is in order. Train will be the bad cop, obviously.” Buster looked over to where the man was already grinning in anticipation. “He's set up in there already. You'll be good cop. Be on her side.”
Through The Weeds (Nightshade MC Book 2) Page 27