Chapter 11
Di knew she’d overreacted to Jarek’s innocent comment about how she should become a cop.
She needed to dial it back, or he’d suspect she’d done more than misdemeanor shoplifting.
The urge to blurt out the truth was strong, and she wasn’t sure why her past was haunting her so much now when she’d successfully blocked it out for years.
Maybe it was partially because of Jarek’s belief that God sent His only Son to forgive their sins.
She still didn’t know if really big sins—like breaking the Ten Commandments sins—were included.
She caught herself eyeing the sky as Jarek turned around and headed back down the river to the boat rental shack.
If there was a heavenly Father watching over them, she hoped He would protect Jarek’s career if this case didn’t go well.
From a professional perspective, she didn’t have as much to lose as he did.
Personally? She was afraid she already cared about Jarek more than was healthy for her peace of mind.
He’d gotten into her head, and maybe even into her heart, despite her efforts to keep him at arm’s length.
She never should have acted on that impulse to kiss him.
She could blame it on the forced proximity or the nonstop danger, but she hadn’t done anything that crazy while being deployed overseas.
The danger had been far more intense in Afghanistan than it was here in Newburgh.
Enough already. She pushed the useless thoughts away and forced herself to search the faces of the boaters around them. Other than the vessel with the two Hispanic men they’d followed for a bit down the river, she didn’t notice anything suspicious.
Until she spotted a boat with the Liquid Gold Coffee and Tea logo. “Jarek, check that out.”
“I see it.” He turned the boat around to follow the vessel south.
She held her breath, expecting the boat to pull ashore at the pier they’d spotted Cargo Shorts, but the boat simply kept going.
Jarek must have read her thoughts because he added, “Commercial boats are required to offload their supplies on the port authority dock where the office is located. Not saying they couldn’t, but it would be against the law. ”
“That would be a sign of illegal activity if they did,” she said, eyeing the boat.
But it soon became clear that wasn’t going to happen. When the boat sailed beyond the City of Newburgh, Jarek pulled back on the throttle on their rental. “We can’t follow it all the way to New York.”
“No, I guess not.” Especially not when their six-o’clock deadline was looming. She frowned. “Do you think the guys on the earlier boat will meet up with this one? Maybe long enough to transfer product from one boat to the next? If they did that, they could avoid the port authority, right?”
“Yeah, they could. Anything is possible.” He didn’t look convinced. “Or we’re making a big deal about the company owning a warehouse over nothing. They could be innocent.”
“True.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. They couldn’t pull over a commercial ship based on a hunch. Jarek slowed and once again changed course. This time, he increased their speed, so the boat flew over the surface of the river to make up for the lost time.
After they rode in silence for several minutes, he slowed enough so they could speak without shouting. “We should plan on picking up new phones and then grab dinner,” Jarek suggested.
She glanced at him and nodded. “Okay. Once we have our replacement phones, I’ll call Rex to get another place for us to stay.”
“We can try one of the police department safe houses,” he offered.
“No. I’m still not convinced Ray Bond and Jeff Schnor aren’t involved.
” She held his gaze. “Don’t you think it was odd they didn’t show up at the call for gunfire on gang turf?
I’d think that would be an automatic thing for them.
Especially since they know we’re involved in the drug case.
And that we’ve been targeted by gunfire pretty much nonstop over the past twenty-four hours. ”
“That same thought crossed my mind,” he admitted.
She was glad he didn’t take offense. “Maybe they’re playing some other angle, looking for someone higher up on the food chain. I still would rather not trust anyone else. Not until we know more.”
“Fine.” He sighed. “We’ll go to Rex.”
She scanned the shoreline, belatedly remembering they were going to obtain a new rental car too. Maybe they wouldn’t need to do that. There could be several gunmen after her if Pablo put a price on her head. She doubted the gang had their license plate.
Jarek pulled the throttle back to a low idle.
He cranked the wheel to steer toward the boat rental shack.
The same young man who’d taken their fifty bucks stood on the pier waving and smiling at them.
She returned the gesture, thinking she’d never, ever been that young.
Circumstances had forced her to grow up way too fast.
Old news. She reached for the young man’s outstretched hand, allowing him to tug the boat into the slip. “Thanks. We had a wonderful ride.”
“Glad you enjoyed it.” His earnest expression aimed to please. “I can offer you a return customer discount if you want to come back tomorrow.” He looked as hopeful as a puppy waiting for a treat.
She bit her lip and glanced at Jarek who simply arched a brow, as if leaving the decision up to her. She had no idea if they’d find anything useful later that night, so she nodded. “That sounds great. We’d love to come back tomorrow.”
“Awesome.” He continued to look at her while Jarek set their duffel bags on the pier, then jumped off the boat. It was only when Jarek dangled the key in front of the kid’s face that he blinked. “Oh, uh, thanks.”
“Have a nice evening.” Jarek shouldered his duffel and reached for hers. She allowed him to carry both bags until they reached the parking lot. He shook his head with wry amusement. “That kid would give you a free boat ride if you asked.”
She frowned. “I would never ask for that.”
He shrugged. “Just sayin’. He’d do anything for you.”
She rolled her eyes. She’d done some bad things in the past, but she’d never take advantage of a young man’s innocent crush.
She nodded toward the rental car. “What do you think, is it safe to drive it? It’s hard to believe the gang members know the license plate.
I think it’s more likely they have spies out and about watching for us. Like a gang network of some sort.”
He grimaced. “Maybe, but I would rather return it for a different one. We have time to kill before it’s dark enough to return to the warehouse. It won’t take long to swap vehicles, and from there, we’ll grab the phones and dinner.”
She opened the rear door and tossed her duffel onto the back seat. “Okay, it can’t hurt to take extra precautions.”
Twenty-five minutes later, they had a replacement vehicle and two new phones. Connecting the cable to the car’s USB, they were able to activate their phones so she could contact Rex.
The captain answered on the third ring, his voice cautious. “Hello?”
“Hey, it’s Di. Jarek and I need a new rental house. A gunman showed up at the last one, but we were able to get away. We purchased new phones, so I’ll be using this number for the foreseeable future.”
“How were you found?” Rex asked.
“Not sure. I was in contact with a pair of narcotics police officers. The same ones I worked with during the Avery case.” She could feel Jarek’s eyes on her.
“Could be a coincidence since it seems as if every gangbanger in the city has my description with orders to kill. We’ve been targeted so many times it’s starting to be funny. ”
“That’s not funny.” Rex sighed loudly. “Maybe you should get out of there until things cool off.”
“Nah, better I draw them out and put an end to this once and for all.” She watched as Jarek drove through the city. “I’m sure you can find us another rental property, right? They can’t all be booked.”
“I’ll do my best.” Rex sounded a tad grouchy. “Call you back in a few.”
“Thanks.” She lowered the phone. “He’s working on it.”
“How about we pick up pasta to go?” Jarek gestured at the restaurant where he’d likely gotten their pizza last evening. Was that only twenty-four hours ago? It seemed like a lifetime. “We might need to get some shut-eye anyway since we can’t get back to the warehouses until after nine tonight.”
She was too wired to sleep. “Pasta sounds good but make sure to get salad too.”
“Not a problem.” He pulled into the restaurant parking lot. Out of habit, she scanned their surroundings.
“Maybe I should cut my hair and buy some makeup to try covering my scar.” She fell into step beside him as they entered the restaurant. “I hate knowing you’re a target now, too, just because you’re standing beside me.”
“Don’t cut your hair or hide your scar.” He looked upset at her suggestion. “You’re perfect the way you are. Besides, we’ll be going in at night. That should help.”
She was far from perfect, but his words touched her deep within. She’d gone through life on her own terms, refusing to bend to the will of others. That Jarek accepted her the way she was made her wish for more.
Much more.
“Spaghetti and meatballs?” His blue eyes gleamed. “Please?”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “Sure, why not? Just don’t forget the salad.”
He placed their to-go order, then tugged her off to the side to wait.
She tried not to think about how much she liked him.
“You know, you could always work for Grayson’s Guardians too.
If things don’t work out,” she added. “I’ll do everything possible to protect your career, but it doesn’t hurt to have a backup plan. ”
His brow furrowed. “I’ll be fine. Thanks, though. I honestly can’t see myself doing anything else.”
She hid a stab of disappointment. “I understand. Just know Grayson’s a great guy to work for. The job offers a lot of autonomy.”