9. Tracey
Chapter 9
Tracey
We’d been in the Sheriff's office a lot over the last few years, but today was the first time I’d felt uneasy.
It wasn’t Gabe’s fault. Nope, he was fine. It was the jackass in a suit propped up on the edge of his desk that I had a problem with. FBI Special Agent Monroe, from the Ohio field office, sat staring at Chip and me as if the world should be scared of him. I could give two shits about who he was or what he wanted.
I held my arm up, making it very obvious I was looking at my watch. We’d been in here for well over two hours now. My body aches were getting worse, especially sitting like this with my foot down on the ground and not elevated like it should be. All of this time, and still nothing had been accomplished. What a fucking joke.
“Do you have somewhere you’d rather be, Mr. Daniels?” His condescending tone made me grit my teeth. “Could something be more important?”
“Matter of fact I do.” I waved a hand over myself. “My bed. I’m tired. It’s been a few long days. I’m in pain, and my fiancée is out in the main area. I’m sure she’s waiting patiently to find out why I came home this morning looking like this. I assure you, it’s not how I left. So, yes, I’d say that was more important right now.”
“You’ve still not given us enough information on this case. I could hold you for a few days for further questioning, if you’d like.”
“You could try it. I’d almost say I dare you, but then I’d have to deal with knocking you out when I was set free. I’d rather just keep to myself, if you don’t mind. You’re not worth the time away from my girl.”
“Did you just threaten a federal agent?” he challenged me.
“Not at all. I simply stated a fact to a genuine asshole. You see, when pencil dicks like you get involved in shit that’s way above your head, it gets innocent people hurt. If your team had actually been prepared for their raid the other day, none of that cluster fuck would have happened. Not only was your surveillance shitty, at best, your CI was a no-show! If we would have had the right information, we could have gone in a different way, and no one would have been injured.”
“There was enough information! You failed, not my team.”
“If you had enough information, why did you use the bail bonds as a way to justify the transfer of custody, which you still haven’t signed. I’d say it’s all a bit tacky. We’ve got a bounty on this capture, and I expect a check or cash in this office from you by this afternoon.”
Gabe waved a hand in the air and drew my attention away from the suit. “You two are good. Go clean up, and Trace, get some rest. We’ll get this all sorted later. I’d like to have a chat with Special Agent Monroe.” I nodded at Gabe and got myself out of the chair. Chip helped me out into the main room, and my eyes landed on a mostly empty space.
Anna was at her desk. As I approached, I asked, “Where’s my girl?”
“She went to the center with Dani Lynn. She’s in good hands. You go home and get some rest.” I grimaced. “I’ll call and let her know y’all are done.”
“Thanks, Anna.”
“Anytime.” Chip and I left out the main doors, and a weight I hadn’t known I’d been carrying fell away. I guess I was waiting for Stel to freak out or throw a fit. Guess I’d lucked out today; for now at least.
I was dozing on and off on the couch, too tired and hurting too bad to try and get up the stairs to our bedroom. When Stel came in a few hours later and frowned at me, I braced myself for what was coming.
“Come on, get up. We’re going to Daddy’s. It’s not a request; it’s an order. His orders, not mine.” She shook her head as she sat on the cushion just in front of me. “You’re all bruised and banged up. I should have been there…”
“No, you’d have been hurt too. I’d rather be hurt a thousand times over than see you hurting once.” I kissed her softly, wrapping my arm around her, pulling her down against me. “Why are we going to Wayne’s?” I hedged.
She let out a long, drawn-out sigh. “Because our house isn’t fit for someone on crutches. I may need help with helping you because I only have one good hand. Shelby checked it this morning, and there are a few spots that may be infected. She took stitches out, cleaned it up, and re-stitched it. I can’t say it didn’t totally suck ass, but even though it hurts, it feels better.”
“I’m sorry, love.” I kissed her forehead as I rubbed my hand over her side. I closed my eyes. “Maybe Wayne’s right. A little extra help might be a good thing.”
“Plus, the spare room is a downstairs room. We’ll have privacy and a bathroom close by.”
“Sounds like a good plan. AJ is coming to town in a bit. If we’re going to Wayne’s, I need to tell her so she doesn’t freak out. Apparently letting Chip tell her I was hurt wasn’t my best of ideas.”
Stel sat up and glared at me. “You left it to someone else to tell her that! You’re fucking nuts. If she smacks you, don’t come to me for sympathy.”
I chuckled. “She won’t smack me, but yes, I see the error of my ways in this matter. Let me text her that we’re going to Wayne’s.”
“I’ll go grab us some clothes. Anything in particular you need?” she asked from the hallway.
“No, my go-bag is in the truck already, so I’m good.”
I heard her mumbling something, but it faded out as she stomped up the stairs. I shook my head. God help me. She was going to be a lot more to handle right now.
I picked up my phone from the end table and sent a text to AJ. When she replied, I nodded. In an hour I’d have two grouchy women beside me.
I needed a drink.
“Let me get that for you,” Wayne said, taking the plates to the table. I had been heading that way, but he was quicker. Stel was determined to do what she wanted, her injuries aside. Even if she couldn’t.
“Daddy, I can carry plates. I’m pregnant, not dying.” She huffed.
I shook my head. “Baby, you have one hand and that stack of plates was rather big. Calm yourself and try to relax. Everything’s going to be okay and back to normal in a few days.”
“I know…” She sighed and leaned into my side. I wrapped an arm around her and kissed her head.
“Is it time for you to tell me all about what we walked into at the station this morning?”
She’d been avoiding this conversation, but I didn’t know why. Something was up, but she just wasn’t talking it out.
“Some two-bit, funky ass?—”
“Stella Grace,” Wayne warned, cutting off her rant.
“Some hooker tossed her baby out like he was the morning trash. What’s to talk about?” She sounded pissed.
I got it. She pushed away, but I refused to let her go. I could see the worry in her eyes. I leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek.
“Knock, knock! I’m so sorry I’m late. I had a last-minute call with some jerk that thought a woman wrecker was the stupidest thing he’d ever seen. I finally called Chip to come deal with his stupid ass.” AJ dropped a bag on the floor. “Wayne, do you mind if Diesel comes inside?” I looked up and smiled at my sister. Diesel, her big ass mastiff, was sitting at her side just inside the doorway.
“Of course not, come on in. You’re just in time for dinner. Carter, come on down, boy!”
“There’s my other handsome man!” Stel left my side and got down on her knees, face to face with Diesel, drool and all. I chuckled.
AJ came to me, and I hugged her tight.
“Before you start fussing, or freaking, it looks worse than it is. I’ll be fine in a few weeks.”
“You’re full of crap, but at least you’re up and moving. Chip looks bad too. Stubborn man. I swear you’re both nuts.” I watched Stel get up and move to the sink to wash her hand, then she went into the pantry. I heard the rummaging and shook my head. She came out with a big dog bone. One of those dog biscuit things. Of course, this got Diesel all excited. He sat up and woofed. Jesus, he was loud.
“You’re spoiling him.” AJ huffed at Stel and at me for ignoring her fussing at me.
She was the baby in the family; it was my place to worry about her, not her worry about me.
“Oh shush, he’s a good boy.” Stel stuck her tongue out at AJ, causing her to laugh. “He deserves a treat, dontcha boy? Here ya go. Take it in there.” Stel pointed, and Diesel went to lay in the doorway between the front entrance and the kitchen. Carter had to step over him to get into the room.
“Who brought the elephant in the room?” He chuckled.
“Don’t be mad cause my dog’s bigger than you, squirt,” AJ shot back.
I choked out a laugh.
“Children,” Wayne said, his grin in full view of us all.
I shook my head again. I did that a lot around this family. He set the bowls and plates of meat on the table, and we all dug in, fixing our plates; me helping Stel.
“Just think, it could be worse. Be glad the older boys aren’t here,” I remarked, adding a potato to my plate.
Wayne chuckled. “This house turns into a circus with all of them here. I swear they’re worse now than they were as tots. Especially that one.” He nodded his chin toward Stel.
She gasped. “How dare you say that. I’m an angel, Daddy.” The room filled with laughter—she looked affronted. “You all suck.”
“You can be an angel, sissy. You just have black wings and horns.” Carter shoved a bite in his mouth before he said any more.
AJ dropped her fork and covered her mouth as she laughed, hard. I turned away and fought my own laughter. After the laughter died down, and we had a good hole in our food, Stel shifted in her seat and looked at me.
I raised a brow.
She started to chew on her lip. That was her thinking face. That sometimes led to trouble.
“What is it, baby?”
“I want to bring that little one here for a few nights. I can’t leave that up to just Dani Lynn and Mama Jay. Especially with Mama Jay staying every night at the center now. Dani Lynn has her own babies…”
I reached over and took her hand in mine. “If you want to help in that way, I don’t mind. I’m sure Gramps over there wouldn’t mind either. Right, Wayne?”
He was studying his daughter when I looked over at him.
“Of course not. Babies are a precious thing. If you want to have him here some, or a lot, I’m more than okay with that. I’m good at rockin’ babies.”
“They’re trying to track down family, but I don’t think she has any. It’s sad. I still want to punch her in the face for doing what she did…but she was feeling helpless, and with no family or friends to turn to, she decided to leave him somewhere where he’d be found.” She shook her head, tears brimming.
“All she had to do was take him to the police or fire station. She could have left him there, and no one would have said a thing. The safe haven law would have protected her. I mean, I don’t think I could abandon my child, if I had one, but at least that way, he’d have been in a safe place,” Carter said.
“When did you get so smart?” Stel asked, playfully kicking him under the table. He kicked back. These two.
“Sometime between Dad getting kidnapped and everyone around me having babies.” He sounded a little off. Wayne reached over and cupped his shoulder.
“Hey, if you want to talk about something, we can.”
“I’m fine, Dad. It’s just that so much has changed around me, but I feel like I’m stuck in the same rut. That’s why?—”
“Why what?” Stel coaxed, leaning over the table toward him.
I caught AJ watching him too.
“I’m going to—I changed up my classes, and I’ll be taking the courses required to become an EMT. From there, I want to go further and become a firefighter.” The table was silent for a few minutes.
“Whoa! That’s great, kiddo! I’m so proud of you!” Stel got up and wrapped herself around Carter, and they shared a soft conversation. When she sat back down, they both had tears in their eyes. Wayne reached over to give his boy a one-armed hug as well.
“That’s a big task, Carter. You can do it. I have faith in you.” AJ was all smiles.
I nodded. “If anyone can, you can, kid. There’s a fire school in College Station. You wouldn’t be too far from home.”
“It’s going to take me a few years to get to where I need to be, but I’m ready for the challenge. I want to do this for me and for the family. I love construction, Dad, but it’s just not what I want to do for the rest of my life. I like working at the gym with you too, but again, I don’t want to just do that for the rest of my life. I want more.”
“My boy, you do whatever your heart leads you to do. You don’t have to follow in your old man’s footsteps. I’ve always told you kids to be true to yourselves. You do what makes you happy. What makes you feel accomplished. I’ll always support you. No matter what.”
“Thanks, Dad. I appreciate that.”
“I can’t believe my little man is so grown up.” Stel wiped her face and let out a long sigh. “I’m proud of you, but I’m not ready for you to be an adult.” She laughed softly as tears rolled down her cheeks.
I leaned in and kissed her cheek as she brushed them away.
We all went back to idle chit-chat and eating after that. There were a lot of changes coming for this family; all good changes though. It would be interesting to see where they took us. Very interesting.