7. Lockup at the Bottom
CHAPTER 7
lockup at the bottom
MICK
B elle had vanished into the crowd with a couple of locals, Nita and Max, the type of rowdy regulars who knew every shortcut through the back alleys and exactly where to find trouble. She'd been flying high when Nita dared her to jump the bar counter and serve tequila shots, she'd tossed me a defiant grin, kicked off her heels, and disappeared with them before I could blink.
By the time I heard the sirens, I knew exactly how this was gonna end.
When I got to the island's tiny police station, I saw Belle standing with her hands on the jail cell bar, smeared with lime juice and God-knows-what, her hair wild.
"Oh, Captain, My Captain." Belle waved cheerfully when she saw me.
"Belle," I grinned. God but she was cute. I cleared my throat, trying not to laugh. "Evening, Ray."
"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in," Ray remarked, teeth gritted. "Been a while since you and Franco spent a night here. "
"What can I say, Jenkins, we're being good and honest citizens."
Ray gave me a death glare that could fry an egg. "Like hell you are. This one yours?" He tilted his head toward the jail cell.
Belle's eyes lit up. "I told you I'm not his. I'm a strong independent woman and my own person!"
"What the fuck ever," Ray muttered.
Ray had a personal vendetta against me ever since I'd made the terrible mistake of fucking his fiancée. In my defense, I didn't know she was a cop's girl, if I had, I wouldn't have touched her with a barge pole. Now, she was married to Ray, and I thankfully had only had a broken nose for my troubles. Ray had a mean left hook. I promised to steer clear of her but even now every time she even looked my way Ray got his panties in a twist. It was when RiRi had stuffed tampons up my nose after Ray had punched me (I had broken a rib but what was a little injury here and there amongst island mates) that I'd decided to not fuck the local talent and only spread my love amongst the tourists.
"Mick, can you tell him that we were only borrowing the flag? We were gonna give it back. Promise ."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you were." I was struggling to hide my amusement.
But Ray wasn't entertained. He crossed his arms, looking down his nose at me. "No chance she's getting out tonight. I'll be booking her in for a night in the tank."
"Aw, come on, Jenkins. She's a tourist. You don't wanna put tourists in jail. It's gonna piss the mayor off."
Jenkins face went ruddy. The mayor had given him an earful when he'd arrested another acquaintance of mine who turned out to be a Telenovela actress with a rather large TikTok following .
"Castillo videotaped her running with the flag in one hand and a bottle of tequila in the other."
He showed me the video, and I let a laugh out. I couldn't imagine this Belle being a serious scientist.
"I have evidence."
I let out a deep breath. "She stays the night. You delete that video. You don't put anything on her record. And …fuck, I will ask RiRi to lift the ban on Gigi."
Gigi was his wife who was not allowed into Coral Cove after she'd fucked the place up drunk. It was a sore subject for the couple as all the good stuff happened at the Cove.
The chief cocked an eyebrow.
"RiRi owes me a few favors," I explained.
He nodded. "Fine. I'll let her out tomorrow morning."
"No," Belle wailed. "Mick, I can't stay here all night. It's dark and cold and there's a strange guy here who keeps telling me I have nice tits,"— fuck me , a tear rolled down her cheek—"I'm scared."
On cue, Donny, a local and career drunk hollered, "The best boobies I've ever seen. Come on, gal, lift that dress and show me the goods."
I ran a hand through my hair. "Christ! Guess I'll be staying, too."
Ray clenched his jaw, looking like he might punch something. "I oughta throw you in for good. But go ahead. Let her enjoy the company of Reef Harbor's finest asshole."
He tossed open the door to the holding cell, shoving me inside with a rough push before locking us both in.
Inside, the jail cells were separated by iron bars. One cell for women and one for men. The men's side was a sweltering mess of sweaty, rum-soaked locals, passed out or singing snatches of old island songs off-key. Tony was stretched across one bench, snoring like a busted engine, while Old Frank and Jerome were deep into an argument about who'd won the last fishing contest that had happened two years ago. And Donny was watching Belle with intense concentration as if she'd drop her clothes any second now, and he didn't wanna miss a thing.
"Donny, you stop looking at my girl, or I'm gonna make sure you lose a few more teeth."
Donny grinned wide for me to see he was missing a top front tooth. "Just tell me this, does she have good tits?"
"The best," I confirmed and pulled Belle away from the bars and onto the wooden bench, away from the men's cell.
"You think I have the best tits?" she asked, and I knew I'd been had. She wasn't scared, she was cheeky.
"Yeah. Absolutely the finest ever."
Belle looked around, grinning as she slid down next to me. "Well, this is cozy."
I shook my head. "You aren't scared."
"Well, I didn't want to be alone here with Donny."
"You ain't alone, gal, we were with you," Jerome interjected.
"See what I mean?" Belle rolled her eyes and raised her feet onto the bench and hugged herself. She rested her cheek on her knees and looked at me. "This is unexpectedly nice."
"Glad you're comfortable." I chuckled. "What exactly were you thinkin'?"
She shrugged, clearly still a little tipsy. "That would be your first mistake. I wasn't…you know, thinking ."
I stroked her lower lip with a thumb because I couldn't resist them swollen and pouty, full of promise. She opened her mouth and licked. That's all it took for me to get hard.
I wasn't a teenager. I was a grown man. But this woman had some magic.
"Ever been arrested before?" I asked.
"Nope. Maybe it's because I'm drunk but I feel... free ."
"All evidence to the contrary." I waved a hand around the jail cell .
She nodded, her eyes softening. "I…I work all the time."
I knew how that went. That used to be me.
"I've never had fun…well not in a long time. I'm always working and/or tired. Those are my two states of being. Oh, or dealing with my crazy family."
"You get your weirdness honestly then?"
"Oh, no. They're way crazier than me."
I let out a deep breath. "Christ!"
"And they make fun of me for being a scientist."
I cocked an eyebrow.
"They're all medical doctors."
"And?"
"They save lives."
"So do you, just in a different way."
She smiled. "Who the hell are you, Mick Bottom?"
"I'm a beach bum, darlin'. A person who loafs on or around a beach."
"Do you like your life?"
"A lot."
"You don't get bored?"
I stroked her cheek. She looked so vulnerable, innocent, young. "No. I don't get bored."
"What did you do before you became Captain Mick, beach bum?"
I shrugged. "Does it matter?"
She sat up. "I don't think I could live like you. I can probably do a vacation…a getaway but all day every day? I'd miss my work."
"But not your fiancé?" I teased.
She made a face. "I'm sorry about that. I don't know why that slipped out of my mouth, but it did. I've been known to say things without thinking."
"You don't have to apologize to me for what you say," I told her. "I'm not gonna judge, Babycakes. "
"I really need to find this guy."
She looked tremendously sad and my heart ached. "Why?"
"I…I need him to sign something over to me."
"What?" Fuck ! Why was it that everyone wanted something from Dr. Nicholas Augustus? All that asshole did was give and give and give until there was nothing left.
She shook her head. "Doesn't matter." I wanted to rail at her for being another person in a long line who wanted to use me but she looked so dejected that I couldn't hold on to my anger.
I leaned against the wall and stretched my legs. "Come here."
She settled in between them, her head resting against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, held her.
She put her hands on my forearms. "This is weirdly cozy."
"Yeah." It was. And maybe Belle was not acting like herself, but then neither was I.
We sat quietly surrounded by Reef Harbor's drunk and disorderly, the raucous snoring, half-asleep ramblings, and occasional shouting matches echoing around us. At one point, Tony rolled over and mumbled something about " the best damn gecko he ever met ," and Belle dissolved into laughter, pressing her face into me to muffle it.
And honestly, with her curled up against me, laughing like she didn't have a care in the world, I felt something crack open in my chest. This ridiculous, tequila-drenched night was perfect in its own messy, unforgettable way. Belle fell asleep leaning against me, breathing slow and steady as the rest of the cell quieted down around us, I was grateful that this wild, beautiful disaster had stumbled her way right into my life.