Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Raelyn
Time flew by today, leaving me sitting at my desk finishing up some patient notes.
I decided to take off tomorrow because I’m so excited to see my man.
My phone pings alerting me of a text. I’ve tried not to look at my phone most of the day because it’s low key giving me anxiety. The notifications are still steadily pouring in. It’s Rylie.
Rylie: I feel like you should qualify for a blue checkmark by the end of the day.
Me: I don’t even know what to do with all my notifications.
I text back.
Rylie: Hang on for the ride, sis. Meeting at my house this afternoon for the stake out mission. Maddie said his meeting is at seven. So just plan to be here around five-thirty.
Me: Sounds good. See y’all soon.
Tonight could get real entertaining.
Walking up the wooden steps to Rylie’s beach house, I look around at her decor.
Vibrant blue paint with white trim covers the house while colorful, hanging flowers sway in the breeze. The inside is picture perfect with a coastal theme of shells and ocean paintings.
I wish my house was as cute and put together as hers. Unfortunately, God didn’t bless me with the creativity she has. She can walk into a room and plan exactly what to do with it in a matter of minutes. Meanwhile, I’ll look online, try to recreate it, and still won’t capture my cute vision the majority of the time.
Rylie and Brynn are chatting at the table as I walk in.
“Maddie is almost here. We’re stalking your social media. Have you seen how many followers you have now?” Brynn asks.
“Don’t remind me.” I frown.
“Like, you really are famous now,” Brynn adds.
“Glass of wine?” Rylie asks, with a smirk.
“Yes, please, and make it a heavy pour,” I add.
Rylie grins as she hands me a glass. “Our Raelyn is tearing up the gossip pages.”
I take a big sip from my glass feeling the chilled goodness go down. “I haven’t even had time to process everything yet. It’s been a whirlwind of a day, and truthfully, I'm kinda scared to look. People are brutal.” I grimace.
“It’s all good things for now. Everyone is intrigued about the gorgeous mystery woman who has snagged the famous playboy, Holt Hayes,” Brynn teases.
At that moment, Maddie walks through the door and stalks straight to the open bottle of wine, pouring herself a glass. “You know, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking today, and now I’m just pissed off. I mean things were going really well, but it’s not like I was already planning out our future. He’s too much of a pretty boy anyway. I need a little more rough around the edges. He doesn’t get to play me, though.” She straightens her shoulders, ending her rant.
I fist pump. “Damn straight.”
“He’s going to crash and burn baby,” Brynn chimes in.
Maddie finishes her glass of wine in record speed. “All right, I’m ready now. Let’s go catch a dirty cop.”
I text Holt.
Me: Operation stake out is in motion.
Holt: I can’t wait to find out what the outcome of this will be. Be careful, babe. Keep me posted.
A short drive later, we pull into the cop’s apartment complex, and park a little piece away from his door. It’s almost dark now with the security light giving off only a dim glow over the area. We have a good visual of his door and car, though.
“So, did you talk to him at all today?” I ask.
She nods. “Yes, he was nonchalant. Says he’s just been busy working a case. He asked to see me tomorrow. I did try to bait him, though. I told him to come over after the meeting, but he said he was scared it was going to run late and didn’t want me to wait up for him.”
My lips form into a tight line. “Sounds fishy to me.”
“What if he’s really just having a meeting?” Rylie asks.
“It’s a possibility.” Maddie shrugs. “I don’t have any proof of him cheating, just a gut feeling since he’s been throwing out some red flags lately. I want to be wrong, and think I’m just being a little too in my head, but something tells me I’m on the right track. Especially having work calls he has to go to when he’s off the clock. Conveniently, he’ll say ‘I’m on call tonight’ when something comes up. I’m not stupid, though.” Maddie frowns.
“Yeah, I think you’ve got a lot of valid points,” I admit.
“Speak of the devil, there he is.” She points out the windshield.
We all watch him lock his apartment door, and then make his way across the dimly lit parking lot to his car.
He’s dressed nicely in jeans paired with a button down shirt. I can tell he’s good looking even from a distance. He gets into his truck, and then slowly pulls out of the apartment complex.
Rylie grips the steering wheel. “Game time.”
We follow him at a safe distance for a while until he pulls up outside an outdated bar located on the outskirts of town that we’ve never been to.
The building is old with paint peeling off the sides. The lit up sign on the building reads The Watering Hole. Amusingly, the “L” light is blown, making it The Watering Hoe.
Surprisingly, there are a good number of cars in the parking lot. I scan the area. “Well, I think this blows the meeting place out of the water, unless he’s undercover or something.”
We all watch as he exits his truck and casually walks through the dark parking lot, entering the bar.
“That son of a bitch. He’s familiar with this place, too,” Maddie snaps.
Brynn sets her large tote on the console, grinning like a possum. “All right ladies, I brought supplies just in case, and it looks like they’re fixing to come in handy.”
She proceeds to pull out multiple wigs. She grins, handing Maddie a blonde one.
“Why do we have to wear wigs?” Maddie asks.
Brynn gives her a look that states the obvious. “We can’t have you blowing your cover as soon as you walk in the door. We need to be in disguise.”
“Good point.” Maddie nods, taking a wig and slipping it on. “Who knew you’d be so good at this.”
“Maybe you missed your calling. I’m impressed.” I grin.
She starts handing out the other wigs.
“I get why Maddie has to wear one, but why do we have to wear these? It’s not like he knows our faces,” Rylie states, holding up her wig.
Brynn shrugs. “I just want to feel badass and play the part.”
I laugh, putting my wig in place.
I pull out my phone. “Everyone lean in, we need to document this.”
I hold it out, snapping a quick picture of us and then send it to Holt.
Maddie adjusts her wig and takes a deep breath. “Showtime.”
We all exit the car, the gravel crunching under my heels as we make our way to the entrance.
My phone pings with a text from Holt.
Holt: I think you should pack that wig. We could have some fun with it.
I bite my bottom lip.
As long as it comes with a happy ending.
I reply, grinning as I stick my phone back in my purse.
We enter the smoky bar with Maddie in the back, somewhat hidden. There’s a band playing in the back of the big dimly lit room—at least that element is working in our favor.
I scan the area looking for him. My eyes land on him sitting alone in a dark corner booth talking to a waitress.
I nudge Brynn, who’s beside me, and nod his way. She alerts the others, as we make our way to the opposite side of the room to sit down at a table.
A waitress walks up to our table as we take a seat. “What can I start you ladies with tonight?”
“Might as well order a round while we wait to see who the skank he’s meeting is. Let’s get a round of tequila shots. Actually, make that five. I need two, myself.” Maddie grimaces.
I hold up my hand. “Add a round of margaritas on me.”
As the waitress walks off, the band starts back up.
“They’re pretty good,” I say. “I’m loving this old school cover song.”
“So, let’s take bets on who will sit down, and what she might look like. Losers buy the next round.” Brynn grins.
Maddie nods to his table. “Too late.”
We all look up to see a platinum blonde with a big rack of fake tits sit down beside him. He pulls her to him, giving her a kiss. My heart sinks. They’re familiar with each other. This isn’t a first date.
My eyes go wide. “Oh shit.”
“He’s dead meat,” Brynn adds, glowering at him.
As we watch, the waitress reappears with our shots and margaritas.
“Perfect timing,” Maddie says flatly, as she throws her two shots back, and grabs a margarita.
“What are you planning on doing?” I ask.
Her eyes are glued to his table. “I want to watch for a minute.”
This isn’t going to end well.
She starts typing on her phone.
“Are you texting him?” I ask.
She grins as she types.
All eyes are on him now. We watch him open his phone after a few minutes and text back.
“He’s a sorry sack of shit,” Maddie exclaims. “I asked how his work meeting was going, and he replied with ‘boring wish I was with you’.”
I sputter, choking on my margarita.
“The balls he has,” Rylie adds.
“He thinks he’s smooth, but he’s sadly mistaken.” Brynn scoffs.
The waitress comes back over.
Maddie holds up her hand. “I need one more shot, please.”
“Whoa girl, you might need to slow down a tad,” I state.
“This one isn’t for me, but we need to go ahead and close out our tabs, too,” Maddie tells the waitress.
I can feel the storm brewing.
We continue to watch the PDA unfold before our eyes until the waitress returns.
“Batter up.” Maddie smirks, as she climbs out of the booth, pulling off her wig.
Brynn shoves me, almost causing me to fall out of the booth. “Oh hell no, we’re not missing this. Move!”
I shoot Brynn a look. “Bitch, you almost knocked me down.”
She smirks, pushing me again. “You’re being dramatic. Go faster.”
I laugh, scrambling out in a hurry to catch up.
Maddie walks up to hot cop’s table and places the shot directly in front of him.
The moment his eyes connect with hers, his smile disappears. He looks like he’s seen a ghost, like a deer caught in headlights.
She crosses her arms and glares at him. “I thought you might be in need of a shot to liven up your boring work meeting. It’s called the Dirty Cop. You should try the Go Fuck Yourself next.”
I bite my lip, trying to stifle my laugh.
“Maddie, can we talk?” he asks.
“Not a chance in hell. You had plenty of time for that before you met with bimbo Barbie, here.” She glares at him.
“Excuse me,” the woman says, acting offended.
Maddie eyes her. “Don’t push me. I’m feeling pretty risky tonight, and I fight dirty.”
“I think I’ve had enough tonight,” the woman says as she gets up to leave.
Maddie frowns, as we watch bimbo Barbie leave. “Awe that’s a shame, looks like your night is getting worse by the second. I guess you won’t be getting your dick wet after all.” She gives him a wicked smile, as she leans into his face. “You don’t get to play me. We’re done,” she whispers.
“Maddie, please just let me talk,” he pleads, and with that she turns and walks away.
Rylie follows behind her.
Brynn then steps in, picking up the shot and shooting it herself. “I’m not letting her waste a perfectly good shot on you. You had a good one. By the way, your cop instincts are shit because we’ve been following you. Goodnight, officer dipshit.” She salutes him as we make our way to the exit.
I can’t contain my laughter anymore as I follow Brynn out the door.
We all pile back into the car laughing. “Maddie, you were a total badass back there.”
Brynn takes off her wig, smiling. “I just love us. There are always more fish in the sea.”
“Amen to that, sister.” Maddie nods.
I pull out my phone and text Holt.
Me: Operation complete. He was, in fact, a dirty cop. I’ll have to fill you in on all the details later.
Holt: That’s a shame. I hate to hear that for her, but I really can't wait to see your face. Tomorrow can’t get here fast enough.
I respond, smiling.
Me: I agree. I might miss your face a little, too.