16. Ledger #2
For some reason, that was the straw that broke Shy’s back, and she bursts into tears. “I don’t even know why I’m trying. I learned how to cook, so why can’t I bake? I can’t do anything right. It always literally burns up in front of me!” she yells, and she cries into her hands.
Not sure what to do, I give her a second. I’m dripping wet and soap is still in my hair. I’m not confident she would like comfort right now.
Against my better judgement, I reach for her, then she snaps her head up and blinks rapidly as if she’s forcing herself to stop crying. Her gaze finds mine, and I reach for her anyway, pulling her into my damp chest.
The moment her head hits my skin she starts crying again. Her arms loop around my ribs and with one hand holding my towel I squeeze her in a one armed hug. “They’re just cookies, it’s going to be okay.”
Instead of a response, I get more crying. Rubbing her back I hold her, while she lets it all out and her hands slide down my spine, and I do everything in my power to focus on the task at hand and not the way I’ve missed those hands I had so briefly on my body.
She rubs her cheek against my skin and I get a whiff of her citrus scented hair and turn my head trying to inhale the smoke instead. I’m about to embarrass myself since this towel isn’t giving me a whole lot of coverage.
Her nails gently graze my back, and I swallow my groan. Is she aware of what she’s doing to me?
Eventually she pulls away looking up at me, and I drag my thumb under her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she says, her bottom lip trembling, as her gaze skates over my chest and down my waist.
That cute bottom lip stops, and her tongue dips out, wetting them instead.
“Sorry I got you a little wet,” I mumble. Her, my, apron is wet and there’s flour on my chest.
Her gaze grows heavy as she drags it back up over my skin. The air changes, the tension builds and I instantly know a cold shower is in my future. “No problem, I didn’t mean to interrupt your shower,” she rasps.
I cough and push my wet, soapy hair back. “It’s okay, I needed to make sure you weren’t burning my house down.”
“Maybe if I was, you would have run out here naked,” she says then snaps her mouth closed as if she didn’t actually mean to say it.
“Anything’s possible I guess,” I rasp.
“Except for learning how to bake cookies,” she says.
I snort and immediately smother it. “Too soon?”
She shakes her head and smiles. “No, I’m an idiot.”
“You said it, not me,” I mumble.
Shiloh glares at me and I lift a shoulder. “I’m going to get back to my shower now, leave those in there until they stop smoking, and please don’t set something else on fire for the next five minutes.”
She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms. “So that means I can set something on fire after my five minutes are up?”
“It would have to be a controlled burn, and we’d have to have the fire department on standby,” I mumble.
Shiloh snorts and shakes her head. “You might as well call them now.”
I hold my hand up. “Five minutes, Shy.”
She gives me another up-down and bites her lower lip. “Yeah, five minutes.”
I nearly run back into my room, slamming the door behind me and throw myself under ice cold water because I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the cookies that were about to catch this time.
“Luke, Will, my office, now,” I bark walking through the bullpen to my office. I barely spare Daisy a glance and drop into my seat. I’m in a terrible mood and it has nothing to do with any of them.
Will comes rushing in with Luke hot on his heels and closes the door behind them. I lean back in my seat, resting my hands on my stomach, bracing myself for the worst. “I need a report,” I bark.
Will puffs out a breath. “My meeting with her father is tonight. She believes I’m not happy with my salary and I’d like to make some more cash, but I don’t want to quit.”
I rub my chin going over every step we’ve taken thus far. “Do you think she suspects anything?”
“I don’t believe so. She likes a man in uniform, so I’ve played on that, and when I mentioned I might have to pick up security work, she’s the one who suggested talking to her dad.”
I nod. Will is one of the few of us in Paxton that isn’t from Paxton. This works in our favor because Kensington Sr. doesn’t know who he is.
“I played it off like, ‘no I can’t do that’ because I don’t know how to be a ranch hand, that kind of stuff.
Then she opened up a bit more and told me what else they did, and I wasn’t quick to say yes, boss, I swear.
But she said please and tried to tell me if I did, then I could take her out to a nice dinner and buy her things. That kind of stuff.”
I huff. Kate Kensington has always been spoiled. Her father has been in the drug trade for a long time. The rumor when we were kids was that he mainly sold weed, but he expanded the business. The point is, Kate doesn’t want or need for a single thing, but she will take whatever she can.
My stomach twists at the thought of playing Kate like this, but she’s also complicit in many crimes, committing some of them herself. When this is all said and done I’m sure she’s going to be part of the inevitable RICO inditement.
Steeling myself, I nod. “Good job, make sure everything is buttoned up. I don’t want any open text messages that may implicate that you’re undercover.
Don’t hang around with Luke as much, and I’m considering suspending you upon review.
I think it would make you look like a better option for Kensington.
It shows that you’re okay with breaking rules. ”
“How am I going to contact you after the fact?” he asks me.
“You’ll need to come in for a review maybe a week or so after the meeting, and then I’ll reinstate you. Hopefully that gives you and Kensington enough time to work out a deal.”
“There’s one thing I’m not sure how to approach though,” Luke says.
I rub my mustache, waiting for him to continue.
“If Kensington brings him on, we all know he’ll use Will’s connection to us. What is he supposed to say? No offense man, but should we keep the details away from him?”
Leaning my head against the back of my seat, I think for a second.
There haven’t been many undercover operations in Paxton, if any at all.
Some of this is included in training, but every situation is different.
And because this is a very small town with very nosy people, we have to play it as close to the truth as possible.
Most things in law enforcement are not like the movies. But in this case I’m going to take a page from them.
“We’re going to feed information if necessary.
Will, you’re going to report on everything, but nothing written.
Luke, you need to keep it all together. I’ll help you, but the other side of the investigation will be kept from Will.
From there, we are going to give you bits of information, and my goal here is for you not to know what is or is not true.
I’m hoping that protects you in the field. ”
“I don’t know, boss, I’m a convincing liar. I think I’d like to know what’s going on, then I can really help from the inside, and speed this thing up.”
“Why? Is Kate getting frisky?” Luke says grinning.
Will grumbles and runs a hand through his hair. “She’s kind of all over me and I play it off like I’m being a gentleman, but …” he trails off.
“I think you like her,” Luke says.
Will punches his arm. “Shut up.”
“Will, if you’re too close, this won’t work,” I grunt.
“No, no, I’m not. But she’s fun.”
“Right, well, can I trust you to keep it in your pants?” I feel like a total hypocrite saying the words, but we are working with two very different situations, and Shiloh isn’t the daughter of our target, and I am kind of married to her.
“Yes. Yes sir, you can,” he says seriously.
Luke snorts and shakes his head.
“I don’t like this, but Will, you’re formally suspended for a week. Report back to the station in seven days.”
He stands and nods. “Wish me luck boys.”
“You don’t need it man. You can do this. But I’m your back up, call me if you need me.”
He looks between us and walks out the door.
“Daisy, I need you to get suspension paper work prepared please!” I yell.
She pops around the corner. “For who?” she asks.
I frown. “That’s for me to worry about,” I grumble.
Luke chuckles and walks out my door. “Don’t take it personally Daise, you know the boss man is always grumpy. Can I run down the street to get you a latte?”
“Oh I couldn’t bother you to do that,” she says sweetly.
I watch him from my desk put a hand on his chest and smile. “It would be my pleasure.”
She giggles, and he saunters away with his head a little bigger.