28. Luke
Luke
“Zero-nine-zero-four, what’s your location?” The squelch of the radio sounded on my shoulder, an unfamiliar voice calling to me.
“Zero-nine-zero-four. I’m on Maple, heading east to Washington. Should I reroute?”
“Negative. Stay the course.”
I shook my head. Dave Newgate was a nice enough guy.
I had known him since we were kids in school, but working with him was going to be a struggle.
Something in my gut told me that his position as Calla Bay’s newest dispatcher was going to his head.
He had already redirected units instead of allowing the officers to take them accordingly.
He was rubbing some people the wrong way right off the jump, and I could see why.
I didn’t think he needed my location to see if I was closest to a scene, which would have been a weird way to do it, rather than explaining where units were needed. No, he was looking for me to explain myself to him like he was my superior, checking in on me.
He wasn’t my concern though. I was doing my job, and anyone could check in at any time.
Right now, my job was taking another patrol around the Pine Street block between Maple and Washington. The same block that Daisy Days Flower Shop was on.
Scarlett had told me that the same kid she had seen at the police station was in the flower shop the other day while she was working. Since then, I had been doing trips around the building every hour or two, whether Scarlett was there or not.
She was working today though, and according to the text she sent me thirty minutes ago, she was alone in there while Daisy made her local deliveries.
I turned my cruiser onto Pine Street, noting the couple of people out and about, the activity at the Pine Street Market across the street. Nothing suspicious to note, which was always good.
A parking spot was open right in front of the business. I whipped the cruiser in on impulse, taking a quick opportunity to say hi to my girl.
“Luke.” Her bright smile greeted me as soon as I opened the door. She was already coming around the counter to meet me on the floor. “What are you doing here?”
I pulled her to me and captured her lips in mine. Scarlett rose to her toes as she kissed me back.
“I was driving by and thought I’d stop in. How’s things going today? Any trouble?” I asked as I dotted her face and neck in more kisses. The taste of her skin was becoming an addiction, and I had no plans to curb it.
The soft noises she was making seemed to be affecting her ability to speak. I pulled away with a grin .
“Hmm? Oh, no. No trouble. A couple of people came in. I even got to do my first order. It’s been a great day.”
“Good. Do you think Daisy will have some more hours for you in the future?” I knew she was worried about money, with only working two days a week. She had her savings, but that would only last so long if she was paying all her bills from there.
“I doubt it. It’s pretty slow in the evenings. Honestly, I don’t think she was missing much revenue by closing early those days. She’s already doing me a favor by letting me keep the place open for her.”
An idea had been circulating in my mind for the past week, but I hesitated to put it there.
But still, I couldn’t help but think that if she moved in with me, let go of the rent, utilities, and internet bills, how much easier that would make everything for her—and how much better it would be for me.
First, I needed to find my own place. Wyatt’s house was great, but I couldn’t exactly invite someone to move in with me into someone else’s house that I wasn’t even paying rent on.
“We’ll figure something out,” I said. “In the meantime, let me know if you need any help with bills. I’ve been living rent-free for months. I’ve got you.”
“Thanks, Luke. But I’m not going to take your money. I’ll be fine.”
“Alright. Well, I’ll let you get back to work. Don’t want Daisy to think you’re screwing off,” I smirked.
“Thanks for stopping in, babe. I’ll try to wait up for you tonight, I promise,” she laughed. It wasn’t like this was a hard job, but for whatever reason, it was really affecting her. She had been exhausted for days, especially at night .
I left her to finish her shift and got back into my cruiser.
It was only a minute later that I turned down Maple Street and caught sight of three young guys loitering around the back of the building.
I slowed the car, and as soon as they clocked me watching them, one of the men took off running, as if that wasn’t suspicious enough.
“Boys,” I said as I approached the two kids left standing there.
Owen Hayden and Tyler Cress were known around town as general troublemakers.
Tyler had shown up in town a couple of years ago, finished out his senior year at Calla Bay High, and he’d been on our radar ever since.
They ran in the same circle as Ryan Redmond, from what I knew.
Both men, barely older than kids, were dressed in all black, sweatshirts, sweatpants, hoods pulled up over their heads.
The only difference was Tyler’s bright white kicks compared to Owen’s black footwear.
“Not creating any trouble around these parts, are you?”
“Of course not, Officer. We wouldn’t even know how to find trouble, ain’t that right, Owe.”
“Nope. Just walking around our beautiful downtown,” Owen replied.
“And your friend there? He just thought it seemed like a good time to get some exercise in, I imagine?” I gestured my head in the direction the other guy took off in. My gut was telling me a drug deal was just taking place, but I had no proof of that. “Why don’t you both empty your pockets for me?”
“Why don’t you go fuck yourself?” Tyler said. He stood with his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants, all swagger and arrogance. “I know my rights, Wilder. All you stumbled upon was a couple of guys chatting behind a building. Nothing to see here. ”
“Yeah,” Owen piped up. “Go fuck yourself.”
The lack of originality or any form of creative thinking had me raising a brow at the kid. Clearly, one of these kids was the ringleader, and it wasn’t him.
The worst part, though, was that Tyler was right. I didn’t see any drugs or money change hands. I was suspicious, that was for sure, but reasonable suspicion… that would be harder to explain. Some cops would have detained them and performed the search anyway, but that wasn’t my MO.
“Where you boys heading off to next?” I asked.
“Just here, there, and everywhere,” Tyler responded. Owen laughed like his buddy was hilarious. Fucking kids were pissing me off.
“Fair enough. Stay out of trouble. I’ve got my eye on you two.”
“No trouble from us,” Tyler said. As I walked back toward my cruiser, he kept talking. “Probably pick up some soda from the market, maybe stop in the candy store for a treat,” he laughed. “Pop in the flower shop after that.”
That had me spinning around on the spot.
“What did you say?”
“Just listing off the places we might visit.” He shrugged. My hands clenched at my side, my jaw locked with tension. I wanted to punch the smirk right off his face.
“Come on,” Owen said, already starting to walk away. “Let’s get out of here.”
They went in the opposite direction of Pine Street, further down Maple Street. I never took my eyes off them. After they were out of sight, I got back in my cruiser and called in the encounter over the radio, requesting additional patrol cars to make the rounds through on a continuous basis .
Those fuckers were going to know that I was watching them.
I circled the block again. And again, I parked in front of Daisy’s shop.
I wasn’t going to distract Scarlett and potentially get her in trouble at her new job, but I had no issue with parking my ass right here until they closed up for the day.
There was no way in hell I was leaving her on her own to deal with the two of them if they decided to make a reappearance.
* * *
“I’m driving myself fucking crazy. We’re not getting anywhere fast enough. I’m sick to shit of spinning my wheels and playing it cool. I say we confront Monroe and at least try to make some real progress.”
I spat my words out in frustration, not at Wes, but to him. We were sitting in my father’s living room after a Sunday night dinner. Wes looked down at the toddler burrowed in his chest and shot me a look.
“I don’t mean right now. I just mean we need to do something.”
“I agree. We’ve got the original document that’s in his name and the forged one in the case file.
We have his name logging out the evidence on the log sheet, his name on the chain of custody report,” Wes whispered.
His large arms held Jane close to him. She was overtired and overstimulated tonight, but as soon as she hopped onto Wes’s lap, she calmed right down.
“How do you want to handle it?” I asked .
Wes sat for a moment, thinking things through. That was the thing about Wes: he wasn’t one to run ahead without a plan. Even when he spoke, it was with meaning and intention.
“You can’t approach him at work—it’s too risky.
If you ask to meet him somewhere neutral and he’s got something to hide, he’s immediately going to be on edge.
A dirty cop is bound to be paranoid that someone’s onto them.
” Jane wriggled against him. He draped his heavy arm over her like it was her own personal weighted blanket.
Scarlett and Claire strolled into the living room, chatting. Scarlett sat beside me, resting her head against my shoulder. I leaned back further to make her more comfortable and wrapped my arm around her, kissing the top of her head.
“What are you guys talking about?” she asked.
“What our next move is going to be,” I told her.
Reid pulled Claire up from where she was sitting beside Wes, taking her seat and pulling her onto his lap.