Chapter Ten
O n Wednesday morning , his phone rang. When he saw Derek’s number, he reached for it.
“Hello.”
Derek chuckled. “They got her.”
“Who?”
“The cops. She’s in custody right now.”
“How did it happen so quickly?”
“I called in an anonymous tip about a drug dealer,” Derek said and laughed.
Rick grinned.
“They found twenty-ounce bags of meth ready to sell and other drug paraphernalia in her car and a pound of pot in her apartment. There was also fentanyl and GHB. That was something she already had. They also found a lot of stolen items like expensive purses, jewelry, and clothing. It sounds like they’re getting lists from her old employers of the things stolen. If they can match enough up, she’ll be convicted of employer theft, and since it’s over seven hundred dollars, it’s a felony. She could be facing some serious time with her previous arrests. The penalty for theft of thousands of dollars and selling drugs could be as long as thirty years.”
Rick was totally shocked. “How the hell did you manage that?”
“I have people, and those people have people.”
Rick snorted and rolled his eyes.
“This means you’re free to do whatever you want,” Derek said.
“I think I’ll take my beautiful wife out for dinner,” Rick said.
“Good idea. If you like seafood, a restaurant opened on the south side of the city, and it’s really good.”
“That sounds wonderful. I’ll ask her. Man, I owe you.”
Derek grunted. “No, you don’t. It pissed me off that someone tried to fuck with you guys. I was glad to help in any way I could.”
“Well, thank you. How about I take you to the restaurant you just told me about sometime soon?”
“Oh, like a date?” Derek asked.
“Fuck off.”
Rick hung up with the sound of his friend’s laughter. He sat back and thought about the last few weeks. It was the hardest time they’d had in their marriage, and they came out stronger. The situation had been horrible, but he was pleased with the way it turned out.
He stood and went to find his wife. He got a whiff of cookies and headed that way. He stood in the kitchen doorway, leaned against the wall, and watched Riley. It looked like a hundred cookies were already on the racks, cooling, and she was putting in more.
“How many cookies do you think we need?” he asked.
She turned and grinned at him. “I couldn’t decide which one I wanted to make, so I picked three.”
He chuckled. “I have good news.”
She stopped stirring and looked at him.
“She’s in jail, and it sounds like she’s going to be there a long time.”
Tears filled Riley’s eyes, but because she was smiling, he knew she was happy. She yelled and ran to him, jumping into his arms. She planted her lips on his and started to kiss him. He quickly took over, grabbing a chunk of hair to hold her still as he ravaged her mouth.
He had no idea how long they stood there kissing. It was only the smell of something burning that got their attention.
“Oh, no,” she said and wiggled down before rushing to the oven. She pulled out a baking sheet with overly brown but not burnt cookies and set it on the counter.
“They’re still good,” he said.
Riley snorted. “I know you like them well done, so here you go.”
He laughed. “Hey, how long would it take you to get dressed up so I can take you out to dinner? Derek said there’s a new seafood place in town he likes.”
“Give me an hour,” she said as she scrambled to turn off the oven and put the raw dough in the fridge. “I’ll finish those later.”
“You go, and I’ll get these cookies in containers.”
She smiled and raced out of the kitchen.
Rick got the kitchen in order before grabbing some clothes from their closet and going to the guest bathroom. He showered and dressed within ten minutes, but he knew she would take more time, so he decided to get some work done.
He had no idea how much time had passed when he heard Riley clear her throat behind him. His first glance at her stopped his breath. She was wearing a shimmery blue dress that stopped a few inches above her knees, giving him a glance of one of his favorite body parts. It had short sleeves and a V-neck. She wore a diamond heart necklace he’d given her for their last anniversary.
Her hair was down around her shoulders, and she’d curled it a bit but otherwise left it alone the way he liked. She wore a touch of makeup and a pinkish lipstick that looked sexy as hell.
“Jesus Christ, woman. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” he growled.
She giggled and shook her head.
He walked to her and grasped her shoulders in his hands. “You are so damn beautiful, and you get prettier every day.”
Riley smiled at him. “I want to be pretty for you.”
“You’re everything to me.” He bent down and started to kiss her. She immediately wrapped her arms around him and pressed closer.
After a minute, Rick raised his head. “Fuck, Wife, if we don’t leave now, we’ll end up in bed again.”
“I would say okay, but I’m looking forward to going out, and I’m hungry for seafood.”
“Then we better go.” He wrapped an arm around her and led her out to his car.
On the way to the restaurant, he would glance at her when at a stoplight, and he never let go of her hand.
To think someone had tried to take this from him made him crazy. But now that the person was behind bars, he could relax and enjoy his wife.