21. Shiloh
21
SHILOH
L illy chose to take the drive back to Marina De Ferrier as a chance to dissect my pseudo-relationship.
“So, you don’t trust him?” She didn’t hide the fact she thought I was being an idiot. “Despite the fact he was in the dark about his kid. Has he given you any indication he doesn’t intend on settling in Marina DeFerrier?”
“No. I mean, he bought a house and sold his condo in L.A.”
“Then what’s the problem, Shi?” She frowned over at me before turning her attention back to the road. “Your biggest priority is family, what about this man has you spooked?”
“He’s not reliable.” That sounded a lot worse than it actually was. “I mean, he has contractual obligations and tours that will take him out of town. Then there’s the smaller stuff.”
“Smaller stuff, like what?”
“I like things done in a certain order. And he messes with that.”
Lilly took a deep breath and smiled. “Did you know that the last time Oliver was on time for anything was the little gathering they had on base when he left the Navy. I mean, he’ll sometimes make a meeting just in time, but the man has not been early for anything in more than a decade.”
That didn’t seem right. Lilly was punctual. Pathologically so. “How do you put up with it?”
I mean, Ryder deciding to abandon the no takeout rule on a school night when we’re at his house, still had me on edge.
“Because I could not imagine being with anyone, except him” She raised a brow. “And the idea of being with someone just like me, would make for a very boring life.” There’s a slight smirk as she turned to me. “It's not the kind of relationship that instigates sex in a gym used by all your friends and family.”
My mouth dropped open. “How do you know about that?”
She rolled her eyes. “Come on. Surely you realize that ninety percent of the gossip in this town is shared by Tiffany.”
That was true. And Tiffany was the Salinger Security receptionist.
Lilly’s phone blaring through the car’s speakers, thankfully, cut that conversation short. She gave the dashboard a quick look before pressing the answer button. “Agent Newton?”
“Sorry. I know you’re on your way home.” Agent Newton did not sound sorry. “I just got a call from the coroner.”
“Now?” I didn’t think the ME would work this late.
“He owes me a favor. I called it in to get a rush on this.”
Lilly shook her head indicating I needed to be quiet. “What did he find?”
“There are no markings on the back.”
“What?”
“What?”
Agent Newton took a moment before continuing. “Everything at the scene was exactly the same. Including the parts that were never fed to the press. The only thing missing was the markings.”
“Which was also never released to the press.” I had been following the case from the time it hit the Salinger Security radar. Not that anyone knew that.
Lilly hit her turn signal and made her way to the Marina De Ferrier offramp. “Let’s talk about this tomorrow. Meet me at my office at ten.”
She ended the call before Agent Newton had a chance to disagree.
We both looked at each other. The case had just taken on a new level of complication which neither of us were prepared for. And neither of us got the chance to talk about it, as another call rang through the car. This time it was my phone.
I fished it out my purse and frowned as I saw the station number on the car.
“Hello.”
“Bauman.”
The voice on the other end gave me pause. “Captain?”
“We’ve arrested three of your friends.” The captain sounded oddly calm about the fact. “Along with the two Ripper boys who are not imprisoned. Some sort of fight broke out at the Reverse Cowgirl.”
Aah. That explained a lot. Except I could not think who I was an emergency contact for. Everyone had family. Unless Maggie had been arrested, too. “Who did you arrest?”
“Theo Snow, Jason Wilder.” I could hear the smirk in his voice at Jason being arrested. He looked like a pretty boy and behaved like a dancer. No one ever expected the man to fight. But the man could throw down with the best of them. “And that rockstar guy you’ve been seen with. Ryder Hawkins. Did you know that was his real name? I thought something as pretentious as that would be a stage name.”
“Sir, I am about fifteen minutes out.” When the captain got chatty, he could go on for hours. “Did you call Maggie and Tiffany?”
“Ms. Snow is on her way. Ms. Ripper is here, doesn’t want to press charges, but she does want them all to sit for a little bit.”
I had to smile. No doubt Maggie had warned Theo and Jason to ignore her asshole in-laws, but Theo had… I had no idea what was up with him. He had warned Maggie about Fred and then after Fred’s arrest, he had gotten even worse. To the point that Maggie and Theo almost needed a referee each time they were in a room together. They were friends. Good friends who I knew would do anything for one another. But he couldn't let go of the idea that she ignored his advice and she hated that he was right.
Which was weird because we all told her the Rippers were bad news. Cat had dated Charles in high school and he broke her heart in the worst way possible. And since then, the Rippers had done nothing to endear the town to them.
I ended the call with the captain and turned to Lilly. “Can you drop me at the station please.”
“Sure,” Lilly nodded. She changed lanes needing to take the route to the station. “Give me your car keys. I’ll pick up Oliver and we’ll make sure your car gets to the station. I have a feeling no one will be in a state to drive. Not even Maggie if she’s as mad as I imagine she is.”
By the time I arrived at the station, I was mad at the guys and I didn’t even know what had happened. No doubt the Rippers made some derogatory comment and the guys all got offended on Maggie’s behalf. A fight broke out and Maggie called the cops to get everyone arrested because she was mad at them for defending her. Or some such nonsense. Either way Jason and Theo should have known better. As for Ryder, who the fuck knew what he was thinking getting involved.
I hopped out of Lilly's car not even bothering with my jacket. We had rules when we were in plain clothes, but I was off duty and in a mood.
I knew that both my badge and gun were on display along with my holster. Even my cuffs were exposed but none of that bothered me. I stepped into the station, determined to get to the cells without being interrupted.
“Oh, child, slow down.” Immediately my face softened as I heard Millie Brewster. “Nothing can be more important than a freshly baked cookie.”
The old lady who lived on the border of Walker Lake and Marina De Ferrier smiled up at me. She was easily in her late sixties and a do-gooder if ever there was one. She even filled in as the Salinger Security receptionist for a few years. Now, she baked and mended for the station and the hospital.
“Mrs. Brewster, what are you doing here?”
“Oh, child, you don’t think I just make cookies for the day shift, do you?” She smiled and held the container up to me. “The night shift deserves my love just as much.”
“You’re right.” I smiled and took a cookie knowing that no one made a better peanut butter choc-chip cookie. “Thank you.”
“Now, what has that frown wanting to peek out?”
She lightly touched the tip of my nose with her finger.
“I just need to check out how much trouble my friends caused.”
“Best you be off then.” She turned and offered her cookies to the desk sergeant.
I continued my stomping through the station until I got to the back cells. The concrete floor and metal bars were never a welcome sight. Even less so when you saw the man you were falling in love with on the other side of them.
His eyes widened as soon as he saw me and I couldn’t help but notice the slow perusal his eyes took down my body. I also could not help but notice his smirk widen just a bit at the cuffs. Seemed my man had a kink.
I shook off the thoughts and gave each of them a glare. “What the fuck were you thinking.”
“Shi, you should’ve heard the way they were speaking to her.” Theo’s voice was tight but he never stood from the bench at the back of the cell.
“Us?” A voice came from the cell next to them. “She’s the one who stole from us.”
I took in the sight of everyone. All five men had different degrees of bruising, split lips and other assorted injuries. The Rippers did not bother me. And Theo had issues all of his own.
Instead, I focused first on Ryder, then on Jason. “You have a music video to shoot tomorrow and you have to be on screen on Friday.”
Jason was one of the professionals of Celebrity Dance off, and the first episode was due to start recording at the end of the week.
Both of them rolled their eyes.
“Makeup.” Jason replied.
“Of course, the pretty boy would use makeup.” Keith’s nose was off center. It was never straight, considering that this was not the first fight he had gotten himself into. But I had no doubt someone had broken his nose for a second time.
Jason glared to the side, even though he couldn’t see Keith. “Be glad the only thing that broke was your nose. Next time, I will put you in the hospital.”
Well, that answered that question. “I think you should all be glad that Maggie is not pressing charges. I can only imagine the damage the five of you caused.”
“I offered to pay her for the damages.” Ryder sounded like a sullen teenager.
“I knew better than to offer.” Theo sulked just as much.
He was right. Maggie wouldn’t accept his money. But he thought it went unnoticed how often he had business meetings at the Reverse Cowgirl. It wasn’t exactly conducive to a professional environment, but it was his way of helping. Still, Maggie suspected his business was dirty which was why she never accepted his money.
Speaking of the devil. The unmistakable clacking of her heels had me suppress a smile. She stormed through the doors, a rookie officer hot on her heels.
“Ma’am, you cannot be back here.”
I stepped up to Maggie. “It’s okay, Officer. I’ll escort her out.”
She glared at all five men. “All of you are banned from the bar.”
It was an empty threat, and we all knew it.
Theo was still sulking but he stood from his seat and strolled to the bars. “Until when?”
“Until I’m less angry with you.”
The Rippers were about to argue with her when the captain walked in. “Ms. Ripper, I told you not to come back here.” He unlocked the cell where Ryder, Theo and Jason were first. “You’re all lucky the lady decided not to press charges.”
One by one, all three men walked out and Ryder walked straight to me.
“Nah-ah.” I raised my hands to stop him. “I know what happens in these cells. No touching me until you’ve showered.”
He smirked as he lowered his mouth to my ear. “Or you could shower with me. I’m thinking I can get all sorts of creative with those cuffs.”