by Hollis Wynn
I take a long swig from the beer bottle and sit it down next to me. This side of the lake seems to be quiet today, so I don’t worry about anyone overhearing our conversation, even though we’re sitting at the water’s edge.
“I ran the names that you gave me, and they all have records. Mostly minor stuff. Possession and selling small quantities. Interestingly enough, they were all given suspended sentences or served very little time in the local jail.”
“Hmm. Sounds like the administration is light on drug charges.”
Ford nods and we sit in silence. I wonder what I’m missing.
“Does Sharpe have any charges pending?” I ask him, knowing that he did his research before coming out here today.
“I talked to someone in Houston and he’s on their radar, but nothing currently. He laughed and said that they can’t pin anything on him.”
“Fuck. I know this guy is dirty, as does everyone in law enforcement. We need to nail his ass.”
Another long pull from my beer and it’s empty. “You want another?” I ask Ford. He responds with a nod. Standing, I head up to the porch and grab another for each of us.
“Let’s think about this. His son and his girlfriend were killed in a murder suicide. His grandchild was abducted. He offered a large reward and now he’s in this one-horse town,” Ford comments. “What are we missing?”
“That’s not all,” I say, knowing that I need to tell him about Bella and Ainsley.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Ford asks.
Deciding it’s in the best interest of keeping Bella and Ainsley safe, I tell him the whole sordid tale—or at least what I know of it.
“You’re shitting me,” he quips, standing up and pacing back and forth. “This sounds like one of those Lifetime movies.”
I chuckle because he’s right. If I wasn’t intimately involved in this, I’d agree with him. “I wish I was. When she told me, I was shocked and didn’t know what to do. That’s the reason you’re here.”
“I think it’s time we talk to the boss. I’ll give him enough of the basics and get a couple of the guys to do surveillance with me, but it’s on you to tell him all the dirty details—and don’t leave anything out.”
“Don’t say anything that would indicate you know her story. She will flip out and that’s the last thing I need if I’m going to head into the city tomorrow leaving her alone.”
Ford stops in his tracks and looks at me. “Why the fuck are you leaving her here if she has someone after her?”
“I haven’t come up with a better idea yet. Plus, there is a bunker under the house where she can hide out if needed.”
“Why the hell does a lake house have a bunker under it? It’s not like she is a drug lord or planned to kidnap a baby—or did she?”
I laugh because the way he says it, it sounds ridiculous. “Not even close. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you that my grandfather had them built years ago at the request of her parents because they were concerned for their wellbeing.”
“Dude, this is getting better and better. But I’m going to need some food before we can continue this conversation.”
“Then let’s fire up the grill.”
Chapter Twenty-Three—BellaRose
Penn is king of the grill and I’m glad I’ve been able to partake in his cooking. Add in Ford’s sexiness and I was overwhelmed, and my body was tingling seeing Penn in his element. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not attracted to Ford at all, but that doesn’t take away his hotness.
“It was nice to meet you,” I say to Ford as the guys walk outside.
I finish washing our glasses and putting everything up. It has been a long day and I’m exhausted. Ainsley has been awake more and I love spending time with her and playing, but she’s also not sleeping as good at night, which means I’m not sleeping either.
The couch beckons me and I curl up in the corner, legs folded under me, and send a message to Laken.
Me: Lake!! How are you?
She responds immediately.
Laken: Is everything okay?
Me: Not really, but it will be.
Laken: I’m sorry. I wish I could be there.
When I read that, a lightbulb goes off.
Me: Why can’t you? I’m not coming home any time soon.
Laken: Seriously? I miss you.
Laken: Do you want me to come and visit?
Me: You have no idea how much I would like that. It’s so hard being here without you.
Laken: Maybe I can take Friday off and come spend the weekend. But I need to see what C has going.
Me: Yay! I’d love to see you.
Me: I would love to snuggle Lib and see C, but could you come alone this time? We need to chat.
Laken: I’ll let you know tomorrow.
Me: Thanks. I miss you.
Laken: Miss you too.
Me: Waiiit—Ainsley is growing like crazy. Do you have any more clothes you can bring?
Laken: :) Let me see what is left. You know you’re going to have to go shopping at some point and buy the girl some clothes.
Me: I know and I will. But I’m trying to keep as close as possible and it’s not like I have internet here. We still have a DVD player that we watch movies on.
Laken: This is the point when you start updating the cabin. It’s time—your parents would want it to be your style, not a blast from the past.
Me: I know, I know.
She’s right—again. For most of my life, even before my parents died, Lake has been the voice of reason. There was a time when I was a bit wild and would do crazy things, just for shock value. Or at least that’s what everyone thought when I went skydiving on a whim. They couldn’t understand why I’d jump out of a perfectly good airplane—or so they said. Then I chopped my hair off and colored it black cherry. That didn’t last because once a blond, always a blond.
Once I started teaching I decided I should be a good example for the kids and not a crazy person. I didn’t totally step away from my old ways. In October I had a small pink extension put in my hair in honor of Breast Cancer awareness month and I showed them pictures of my skydiving adventures.
Me: Fine. If you come, I’ll take you to a cute antique store that I found. It has the cutest cabinet I want.
Laken: Deal. I’ll let you know tomorrow. Have a good night.
Me: Night.
I drop my phone into Ainsley’s bag that is sitting next to me and lean my head back, resting my eyes while the guys chat outside.
A little while later, I hear the door close, and I nearly jump out of my skin. “Shit. You scared me to death,” I say as Penn walks over to me.
“I’m sorry,” he says and sits down, pulling me close. “I didn’t realize you were so tired, or I’d have pushed him out the door.”
I smack him on the leg and laugh. “So, what advice did Ford give you?”
“He gave me a lot to think about and I’m heading into the office tomorrow to chat with the boss.”
Fear and anxiety settle into my belly, and all the blood rushes from my face. “Seriously,” I pull back from him. “You’re going to leave me here—alone? With Kaiser in town and a dirty sheriff just waiting to pull something?” I can’t stop—all my fears, stressors and more come vomiting out of my mouth. Sinking deeper and deeper into the corner, I stare at him. Terrified of what will happen if he leaves me here alone.
“Bella. Take a deep breath.” He tries to pull me closer to him and I vault myself off the couch.
“I think it’s time we came up with a plan for what you need to do if you’re scared or someone drives up and I’m not here.”
Shaking my head, I cry, allowing the tears to flow freely. I know it’s silly that I’m crying over something that may happen, but right now it is just too much.
Penn gets up, walks over to where I’m standing and pulls me into his arms. “Shhh. It’s okay. I’ve got you. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you.”
We stand together, my arms wrapped around
his back, my head tucked into his shoulder. When I lift my head up, there’s a wet spot on his T-shirt from my breakdown.
“I’m sorry, Penn. I’m just freaked out with everything going on. I’ve never been a criminal and every moment of every day, I am waiting for the other shoe to drop.” I watch him, hoping I’ve not freaked him out.
“Nothing I say is going to change that for you, because you know what you did was wrong. But I’m going to be here to help you through the process.”
“When I lifted her from the trash can, the only thing I could think about was how to keep her safe. Little did I know she was going to bring you into my life. Thank you for everything you’ve done.”
His lips brush against mine and are more persuasive than I care to admit. I allow myself to be taken captive by his lips as they meld into mine. The touch of his lips to mine is a sensation I never want to go without again.
“Same goes for me. Without you and Ainsley, I’d be in the city working crazy hours focusing on taking down a criminal or two. Now, I’m trying to figure out how to take down Kaiser Sharpe, all while falling head over heels for the woman who found his granddaughter in the trash.”
“What do you think about heading into Austin tomorrow? We can take your car and you can drop me off at the office and to do some shopping. There is a great outdoor shopping area across the way. At least that’s what Zoe says when she comes to visit.”
Ainsley needs clothes, and I’m going to need clothes other than yoga pants and shorts if I stay here much longer. It’s not the worst idea I’ve heard.
“I think we can make that work.” I say.
“Be ready.”
Kiss.
“To leave.”
Kiss.
“By six.”
Kiss.
I step back, shaking my head. “Excuse me.” I hesitate, blinking my eyes at him. “I think I heard you wrong.”
His thick and masculine laugh reverbs around us. “Yes, ma’am. We leave at six a.m.”
I huff at him before letting out a long sigh. “Fine.” I poke him in the chest once. “We’ll be ready.” Poke. “Don’t be late.”
Chapter Twenty-Four—BellaRose
“Fine, you were right,” I admit to Penn as we get closer to the house. “I’m glad I went. It was nice to get some shopping done and pretend like I wasn’t hiding out from a criminal.”
He’s been checking his rearview mirror a bit more than normal, but he’s not said anything, so it must be fine.
“How was your day at the office, dear?” I ask him, trying to be funny.
“Good.” He keeps his answer short, and I gather it was anything but.
“I hit some good sales, so now I’m going to have to clean out the closet in my room to make room for all her clothes.”
I keep talking about all kinds of random things and he keeps up, but it’s obvious he’s distracted by something.
“Is everything okay?” I ask, my voice quivering.
“There has been a car following us for a while, but since there is only one main road from Austin into Miller Creek it could be a coincidence.”
“Gibbs Rule number thirty-nine—there is no such thing as coincidence.” I cock my eyebrows up when he laughs at me.
“This lesson was brought to us by NCIS?” Penn says, questioning the seriousness of my comment.
“You didn’t think I only watched SVU, did you? No way. Currently, I’m loving The Blacklist, but there is no way the government would let a criminal like Raymond Reddington get away with all those things. Though some scenarios they come up with are insane.”
He doesn’t comment, just laughs, and keeps driving. When we turn off onto the road to the lake, the car continues straight, and I let out a breath that I didn’t even realize I was holding.
“I looked into having an electronic gate installed and they can be here this weekend. Don’t worry about the cost, I’ll take care of it,” he says.
“Thank you. It will make me feel safer when you’re not around.”
We stop in front of the gate and Penn jumps out to push it open, gets back in the car and drives through, then gets out again to close and lock the gate. Until now I didn’t really think about how much work it takes, considering I have done this every time I came to the cabin. But the idea of being able to press a button and have the gate open and close automatically is exciting.
If being an adult means getting excited over an electronic gate, then I’m a full-fledged adult.
Penn pulls the SUV into the garage, and he gets Ainsley out of the car while I unload the trunk with all the baby things I bought. While walking through a couple of stores, I decided that when Laken gets here this weekend we’re going to talk about updating the cabin and getting an actual bed for Ainsley. She’s going to grow out of the small portable crib that she’s been sleeping in.
I take all the bags into the extra bedroom so that I can take my time organizing everything, while Penn sits on the floor playing with Ainsley.
“I’m not sure who’s going to be more upset when we both head back to our homes? Me or her?” I laugh and sit down with them and watch her laugh at the funny faces he’s making.
He helps her turn over and puts her on her tummy. She lifts her head a bit and I try to be present in the moment, watching her change right in front of my eyes.
“It’s time we talk about some things, Bella.”
I look up and we lock eyes. “Okay.”
Penn hefts himself up and my eyes move from his calves, up to his thighs and to his ass where I watch him go to the fridge and grab a couple bottles of water and come back, sitting on the couch.
“We didn’t finish talking about what you need to do if you’re scared, or someone shows up that you’re not expecting.”
“You mean if Kaiser or one of his goons shows up? Or if Sheriff Vic stops by and I don’t want to talk to him?”
He chooses his words carefully before responding. “Yes, if Kaiser or his goons show up. I think you should plan to head down to the shelter and stay there until I come find you. It may be awhile depending on where I’m at, but I will get to you.”
Shit.
“Okay, I can do that. But how will you know that I’m down there?” I doubt my cell works in the cement box.
“I found some old chargers in Gramps’s stuff and plugged one in on your side and one on mine. I programmed my number and yours into each one. It will be slow but send a text so I know where you are if you’re not in the house.”
He watches us while I try to focus on what he’s saying. “Makes sense. I should probably take some baby stuff down there so I don’t have to rush picking up things. I’m bound to forget something important.”
“That’s a good idea. If you make a list, I’ll pick up some stuff tomorrow when I head to the hardware store.”
My response is a nod, because yet again, my mind is going a thousand miles an hour. “What do you want for dinner? I didn’t even think of that when I was in the car at five-fifty-eight this morning so we wouldn’t be late.”
He laughs because he told me not to be late and I wasn’t. However, Ainsley and I both slept on the way to his office because that was way too early for us.
“Do you want me to go to Tacos and Tequila and pick up dinner?” he asks me.
“That sounds amazing. I’ll give this sweet girl a bath and get her ready for bed. Then we can watch a movie and chill out with her.”
Penn bends over, gives me a kiss on the forehead and walks to the front door. “I’ll be back in a few.”
Chapter Twenty-Five—BellaRose
My phone dings from across the room.
Then again.
And again.
What on earth is going on?
I dig it out of the diaper bag where I shoved it when we got in the car with Penn. Looking at the screen, I notice I have a missed call from Laken and a couple of messages.
Laken: Bella! Call me when you get this.
Laken: Are you okay?
Laken: Hopefully, you’re just busy with the hunky guy next door.
Laken: Watch this. Then call me.
I click the link that she’s texted me and notice it’s from a Houston news outlet. The headline reads “Kaiser Sharpe ups reward to $50,000 for return of missing granddaughter.”
It goes on to tell the story of how his son Ranger met a woman and fell in love. But their love was cut short when they were killed. It goes on and on, trying to make their love story a fairy tale, when in reality he was a dealer and she was a prostitute.
“Sharpe will give the reward to anyone who returns his granddaughter—no questions asked. He just wants to have her back and safe.”
That’s bullshit, I think to myself. I’m still assuming that Ainsley is his grandchild, because there were no news articles about any other missing children—except this one.
I read the article a couple more times, not knowing what to do next.
Me: I’m fine. We went to Austin and my phone was on silent in the diaper bag.
Laken: Thank the lord. You scared me shitless.
Me: Well, your system must be super clean then.
Laken: :P
Laken: Did you see what I sent you?
Me: Yeah, I read it. There is nothing I can do right now. Penn went to get dinner, so I’ll talk to him when he gets back.
Laken: Oh, and Callan is going to keep Liberty so I can come this weekend. I’ll leave after I drop her at daycare.
Me: EEEEEK! I can’t wait to see you.
Laken: I can’t wait to meet your hot neighbor.
Me: LOL. He’s taken :)
I’m not excited about the news she just shared, but I am thrilled that she’s going to come, and we can hang out this weekend. It will allow me to get her caught up and feel safe doing it.