by Lee Rose
“Okay. I have to clock in at eight a.m. tomorrow.” Holly gave in. “I can drive myself over to her house.”
“We’ll follow you, just to make sure,” Matt insisted. He looked like he would not take no for an answer, so she gave in. She wanted to argue with him that she didn’t need him—she was a grown woman, after all—but she didn’t want to waste time. “Let me grab my uniform.”
* * * *
Matt and Tony rode by the empty grasslands where a lot of kids hung out and threw parties. Gerald was twenty-four, but they suspected he sold drugs to some of the younger kids. He always attended parties and tried to act like he was younger. Pete was just a user. He couldn’t handle having drugs on him and not doing them. They got lucky and someone said Gerald was by the abandoned barn, drunk as a skunk.
They found him lying on a bale of hale. “Hey, if it isn’t Red Hook’s finest! Go ahead and search me. I have no drugs on me.”
“Yeah, you probably sold them all,” Tony sneered, looking at him with disgust. He reeked of vodka and cigarettes. His jeans were dirty and his hair messy.
“Where were you earlier this evening?” Matt asked him. A young girl had been sitting with him, but had run off when she saw them walking his way.
Gerald shrugged. “Don’t remember. Why? Did you want to hang out with me?” He laughed, but Tony and Matt didn’t.
“Were you in town?” Tony continued to question him, looking at him mean and hard.
“Who knows?” He had a smart attitude and Matt wanted to shake him, but he held back. “Is there a law against it now? I am a resident of this fine town, too.”
“If you bother people, there is a law against it,” Matt told him, giving him his hardest, coldest look. Gerald realized they were serious and swallowed hard. He stayed silent for a minute and his smile disappeared. Matt stepped close to him and was satisfied when Gerald’s eyes widened with fear. “If I catch you snooping around, peeking into windows or even looking the wrong way at anyone in town, I will chew you up and spit you out.”
“And when he is done, it will be my turn.” Tony cracked his knuckles. “Do we understand each other a little better now?”
“Yeah, whatever.” Gerald’s voice was a little shaky, but that helped Matt feel a little satisfaction. He could still see Holly’s scared look in his mind. He would love to have had an excuse to punch Gerald in the face, but putting fear in him would have to do. “I hate going into town. I hate running into stuck-up people.”
“Good,” Matt said, and walked away.
When he got in the car, Tony chuckled. “Feel better?”
“Some.” Matt sighed. “I would have liked to see a little more fear in him. You’re getting soft in your old age, bro. There was a time you had people pissing in their pants just by looking at them. Gerald wasn’t that scared.”
“I am not that old, son, and he was too drunk to know when his life was in danger.” Tony defended himself. “I happen to be in my prime at thirty-five. Don’t forget, you just turned thirty-three. You are catching up quick.”
Matt laughed and punched his brother in the arm. “Hopefully Gerald won’t be bothering Holly again.”
He wanted to drive by the Blakes’ house and make sure she was okay there, but he imagined his brother telling him he was turning into a stalker, so he stayed quiet. He was tired of being without her.
Chapter 6
Matt leaned against Drake’s police vehicle. They should be starting their patrol. Instead, Drake was involved in a passionate, public kiss with Jasmine, his girlfriend.
“She is going out with her girlfriends, not going to war!” Matt yelled out loud. Drake let go of Jasmine and grinned at Matt. “I am reminding her of what she has waiting at home for her. Sorry if my heart is not encased in ice.”
Jasmine laughed and pointed at him. “Yeah, iceman.”
She was all dressed up in a red, sexy dress. Matt knew Holly was going, too. He just wished he could kiss her and have her come home to him. She had looked at him with such bitterness that he wondered if he’d ever have another chance with her. It was a depressing thought.
“Ouch.” Matt put his hand to his heart. “Your girl is mean, Drake.”
Jasmine laughed and got in Alicia’s car.
“Behave. No fights,” Drake warned Alicia. She rolled her eyes and waved good-bye.
Matt got in the car. “Where they going? To the Red Barn?” Matt asked. The Red Barn was a local bar, but a very rowdy place. Noah was getting fed up with having his officers break up fights every weekend.
“No. After what that jerk did to Alicia, none of us go there,” Drake answered. “We have been going to that new pool hall, the Blue Diamond. It’s a little more low-key. I like the place. It is run by a couple from Red Hook.”
“What did John do? I haven’t heard anything.” He felt uniformed.
“Last summer, John made a play for Alicia and she fell for it. She thought he was serious, but he was playing games. He ended up hurting her. She is okay now, but she got really depressed for a long time. Ray was furious and told John off. Now none of us go there,” Drake explained, sounding a little angry.
“He is in his thirties and Alicia is, like, twenty.”
“Twenty-four, but it’s really not the age number. Alicia was super innocent. It was obvious, but he still played his games with her, and that is what pisses us off,” Drake said with anger. Matt knew Drake and Ray grew up together and were more like brothers.
“That is wrong,” Matt agreed. He felt his heart clench in pain. He’d hurt Holly last summer, too, but he didn’t do it intentionally. He really liked her, but he thought they had nothing in common. At least he hadn’t had sex with her. He’d wanted to, but he would never do that to her. He regretted what he had done. He should have let things develop between them instead of taking the easy way out. If he had, he’d have the right to be protecting her.
“They will be safe.” Drake assumed Matt’s quietness was due to concern over Holly and that incident with Gerald. “Gerald hasn’t bothered her since you and Tony put the fear into him.”
That made Matt smile. “It was fun.”
* * * *
Holly sat with Jasmine and Alicia in a booth at the local pool hall sipping on a glass of wine. She really needed this night out with her friends. It had been a long, stressful week. The soft music playing was calming and the wine was making her feel so much better.
She had no more scares, and she hoped all the drama was finally over with Gerald. Adam told her Matt and Tony had scared Gerald off, and she was glad about that. She wanted to believe it was because Matt had feelings for her, but she knew it was just all part of his job. He was good at his job. She’d heard the admiring way his coworkers spoke of him.
Work had been busy and crazy, and in between, she tried to help Faith out with Hope so she could rest. She needed this night out to unwind.
“Is that Tony Smith sitting in the corner all alone?” Alicia asked. Holly looked and nodded. Matt’s brother was scary. He never smiled and hardly spoke. Holly wanted to be polite and greet him, but she didn’t want him giving her any mean looks.
“I’m surprised he is here. Matt says he doesn’t go out,” Holly remarked in a low voice.
“He doesn’t like it, but Matt pushes him to try. He is afraid Tony will be a hermit. He suffers from PTSD,” Jasmine explained. She waved to him and he nodded politely. “Matt has it, too, but not as severe as Tony.”
“That is sad.” Alicia sipped on her wine and glanced his way one more time. “I haven’t been out in a while myself. I had a hard time getting over being played by John. I thought I was in love, but now I think it was lust. Still, he had no reason to lie to me to get me into bed. He could have been honest.”
“He is a rat bastard, and he will never have my business again.” Jasmine snorted.
“Ray had words with him and punched him out. It is safe to say we never go there, either.” Alicia nodded, looking a little upset. “Oh well, lesson l
earned the hard way.”
“Let’s play some pool,” Holly suggested. She didn’t want to sit around and talk about such depressing subjects as heartaches. She had a lot to contribute to the conversation, but if she started crying, she might not stop. “I’m not that good at it, but it is fun.”
“Okay, let’s team up. No more sad talk about men.” Alicia stood up. She looked nice in dark jeans and a white, silky blouse unbuttoned to show off her cleavage, and she had big silver hoops in her ears. She walked over to an empty pool table and placed some quarters on it, and they moved their drinks closer to the pool tables.
“We need another person to make it even.” Jasmine went up to Tony and spoke to him. He shook his head no, but she put her hand on her hip and he finally gave in. Holly smiled. Jasmine was relentless.
Tony stood up with his beer in his hand. He didn’t look thrilled to play, but he didn’t say much, either.
“Tony and Alicia on team one, and me and Holly are on team two,” Jasmine announced. Alicia had a pool stick in her hand. She looked at Tony and winked. “Hope you’re good. I have been told I have talent.”
“By who?” he asked, looking at the sticks until he found one he liked.
Alicia grinned. “My papa. He thinks I’m great at all I do.”
Tony almost smiled and Holly was amazed. She pretended not to notice and chalked up her own stick. “I am an average pool player, so no fancy moves. I just want to unwind.”
“Me too.” Jasmine set the balls up on the table. “You break,” she told Tony.
The game ended up being a lot of fun. There was a lot of laughing and Holly was able to relax, even though Tony and Alicia kept winning. Alicia kept making Tony give her high-fives. He looked a little more relaxed, too. Alicia was so upbeat that Tony couldn’t be his grouchy self with her. She just ignored him and acted like they had been friends forever. Holly loved the girl’s upbeat personality. She sensed a certain connection between the two, but Holly stayed silent. She was the wrong person to hand out advice on love and romance.
The night was turning out to be fun until a drunk guy started messing with them. Holly tried the polite route, but when he passed by her and slapped her ass, she turned around, feeling angry. “What is this, high school? You going to sneak by and smack my ass? Are you sixteen, or a man?”
He swayed on his feet. “I am man enough to take you home and show you a good time, blondie.” His words came out slurred.
“Get lost,” Tony told him in a hard voice but the man was too drunk to notice. His eyes were roaming over Holly’s pink dress.
“I recognize you from around town. You’re that nurse Pete tried to kidnap. Shit, no wonder he wanted you. You are hot.”
Holly stepped backward and shook her head in frustration. She didn’t need any reminders of Pete Ferguson or his brother. Jasmine stepped next to her. “Get lost, jerk.”
Holly turned to leave and stand on the other side of the pool table when the man grabbed her arm. “Hey, I am not done talking to you, sweet thing.”
“I am done talking to you.” She pulled her arm away and started walking away.
“Don’t you want to hear my warning?” he asked.
Holly turned around to look at him, and waited.
“I hear Gerald is out for your blood. He says you can drop the charges and his brother will be released. He said you are being a bitch.” He smiled as if he had just given her great news. Holly was scared for a minute, but she brushed it away. She was not going to let the rumblings of a drunk man ruin her evening.
She walked to sit at a stool along the wall. She took a sip of her drink, and when she was done, he was gone. She tried to smile and have fun, but the man’s words stuck in her head.
“Don’t listen to him, Holly.” Jasmine patted her arm. Holly nodded. What if Gerald was still trying to harm her? She did not need this hassle in her life. Damn Pete Ferguson and his stupid plan to steal drugs from the hospital. Why did he have to involve her?
She drove home with thoughts of the Ferguson brothers on her mind. She had left her porch light on, so she was able to unlock her door quickly. She closed it and locked it back up.
After she changed into her nightgown, she was lying on the bed, feeling sleepy and relaxed. The phone rang and startled her. Thinking it was one of the girls checking up on her, she picked it up right away.
“Hello?” she answered.
“You looked hot in your sexy pink dress and all that blonde hair. I like long hair on a woman,” said a deep voice.
Holly gasped and sat up. She looked around her bedroom. Her window was closed and locked—she’d checked it earlier—and her drapes were closed. “Who is this?”
“Your secret admirer.” The voice laughed. The laugh was not a pleasant sound. His words were sort of slurred, as if the caller was drunk.
“Is this Gerald?” She was scared and mad at the same time. How dare he harass her? His brother was the criminal, not her.
“It’s too soon to ruin the surprise. Just know I am watching you, sweet nurse.” With that line, the phone hung up. Holly sat in shock for a few minutes. Her heart was thumping loudly in her chest, and she was scared to get up and check the house again. She had a feeling it was Gerald.
She picked up the phone and dialed the sheriff’s station. Someone was always on duty. The phone rang.
“Red Hook Sheriff station.” Holly groaned. She recognized Matt’s voice. Her body recognized Matt’s voice. “Hello, can I help you?”
Holly took a deep, calming breath. Just the sound of his voice sent a sharp arrow through her heart. “This is Holly.”
“Holly, what’s wrong?” He sounded more alert. She wished it had been anyone but him. She didn’t need to see or hear from him. It would be harder to get over him.
“I just had a disturbing phone call,” she said. She explained what was said. “My house is locked up. What should I do?”
“Can you go to your sister’s house for the night?” he asked.
Holly looked at the clock on her nightstand. It was one in the morning. “No. It’s late and I’d have to wake them all up. I think I am okay here. I just wanted to report it.”
“I am off duty,” Matt told her. “I’ll do a walk around and make sure everything is fine.”
She was tempted to tell him not to bother but she was feeling anxious. “Okay, thank you.”
“No problem.” He hung up. She stayed sitting on the bed and pulled her covers around her. About ten minutes later, she heard noises in her backyard. Hopefully that was Matt. She waited, and then her phone rang.
“Hello?” she said with hesitation.
“It’s me, doll.” It was Matt. She exhaled slowly and put her hand over her beating heart.
“Yes. Is everything okay?” She knew her voice was shaky but she couldn’t help it.
“I just checked all around the house. It looks clear. Want me to camp out on your couch?” he suggested seriously.
She would never be able to sleep knowing he was in her house. Part of her wanted to say yes. “No, that’s above and beyond the call of duty, but thank you for offering.”
“I don’t mind,” he assured her.
“Thanks Matt. I mean that. I feel better now. I guess I was freaked out. Some guy at the pool hall said Gerald was out for blood. He was so drunk, but once I got the phone call, too, I got spooked,” she explained.
“Gerald needs another talking to.” He growled. “If you have any problems, call me right away,” he said seriously. “I know you hate me, Holly, but I care about you.”
“I don’t hate you Matt. It hurts to be without you,” she said honestly. “You can’t help that you didn’t return my feelings.”
“I did, Holly. I was just confused because these feelings are new.”
His voice sounded tired and her heart softened. She hated her weakness toward him. “You sound tired, Matt. Go home and rest. I will be fine.”
“Call me if you get scared. I’ll answer.”
/> “I will, and thanks for checking things out. I probably overreacted.” She lay down on her bed and covered herself with the blanket and yawned. “Night, Matt.”
“Night, doll,” he said softly. She loved the sound of his deep, sexy voice. She was tempted to keep him on the line but she was sleepy. She hung up and fell asleep with an image of a sexy deputy running through her dreams.
Chapter 7
“Pete was bailed out.”
Those were not the words she had been expecting to hear when she saw Matt waiting by her car a few days later. She actually dropped her car keys from the shock. Matt picked them up and unlocked her car door for her. She was tired after a ten-hour shift.
“But how? Noah said the bail was set high.” Holly finally found her voice. She had been feeling jumpy and nervous since the night at the bar and the phone call. She felt like someone was watching her, but when she looked, no one was around. She put it down to paranoia.
“Someone with money. I doubt it was his mom or brother. Maybe Gerald’s supplier.” Matt looked as upset as she felt. Holly threw her purse in the front seat of her car. She didn’t know what to say. Now she also had Pete to worry about? Why was her luck so bad?
“This is a disaster,” she snapped, overwhelmed with mixed emotions. “It is bad enough I have been worrying about Gerald, but now I have to be scared Pete will come after me, too.”
She felt Matt’s hand on her shoulder. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you, Holly.”
“That is a nice thing to say. I know you are just doing your job, Matt, but you can’t watch me all day and night,” she said, feeling drained. She just wanted to go home, shower and go to sleep.
“I am not just doing my job, Holly. I truly care about you,” he insisted.
She rubbed her forehead. She felt a headache coming on. “Yeah, right. Forgive me if I don’t believe you, Matt.”
“I know I was a scared fool last summer, but I never meant to hurt you. I knew your family didn’t approve, and I thought maybe they were right. I am not what you needed, but I missed you, Holly.” His green eyes glittered with emotion. “Please believe that.”