Chapter 21 - West
Idon’t know what it is about Wednesday’s, but I hate them. It never fails that they are busy. Maybe it’s the midweek boredom that has everyone acting like a bunch of idiots.
Shortly after our officers got back, we had a call about a boat on the lake driving recklessly. Turned out to be a couple kids that stole their dad’s boat and decided to take it for a joy ride.
Don’t even get me started on the amount of speeding tickets my guys handed out today.
I’m deep in paperwork when Mrs. Ira calls in. I’m the only available officer in the building at the moment, so Beatrice transfers the call to me.
“Afternoon, Mrs. Ira, what can I do for you?”
“Hi, dearie. I didn’t know who else to call. My back is quite sore so I can’t make it into the bakery. Jade isn’t answering her phone and no one is picking up at the shop. It’s just going straight to voicemail.”
“Okay. What’s the problem, Mrs. Ira?” I know Jade is at the bakery because I gave her a ride this morning. It’s past noon, I note, looking at the time. Could they still be busy? I try not to worry.
“Well, you see, I was minding my own business just watching out the window in my rocking chair since my back is so sore, and the strangest thing happened.”
I roll my eyes because Mrs. Ira minding her own business is not likely. But I play along anyways. “Mhm. And what exactly was the strange thing?”
“A man!”
“A man?” I ask, making sure I’m getting this.
“Yes! He just waltzed right up to Jade’s door. At first I thought it was just a friend, or even a salesman, but he was dressed rather oddly, you know?”
Holding back a sigh, I say, “Sure. How exactly was he dressed?”
“Oh, I’m glad you asked! He was wearing dark clothes. I couldn’t see his face because he had it covered by his hood, but I did see a slip of dark hair peek out when he was leaving.”
“Okay. And is that all he did? Just knock on her door?” I ask, wondering why this warrants a call to me.
“Oh, no. See, that’s what I thought at first. But then he started walking around and looking in her windows!
Now, I know it could just be a friend, but you see, when he left I watched as he walked down the street a bit and got into a red car.
Nothing too unusual about that, is there?
” she asks in a way that lets me know she has more to say.
Continuing to play along, I just say, “No, wouldn’t think anything of it.”
“Ha! But you’d be wrong. I’ve seen this car before.”
I let out a sigh of frustration. “So, you know who’s looking for Jade?” I don’t like the thought of another man looking for her. Could it be an ex? Her father, possibly?
“Nope,” the old lady says with nothing more.
“Mrs. Ira, it’s been a long day. Can you please tell me what is so important that you’d call the station to talk about Jade?”
“The red car. I’ve seen it a few times circling the block over the past couple weeks.
It slows down near Jade’s house every single time.
This was the first time I’ve seen someone get out or on her property, and it just doesn’t sit right with me.
Especially with these murders, you know?
I didn’t want to panic, so I tried getting a hold of her to see if she was expecting anyone, but like I said, I can’t get a hold of her, and now my mind is just worried.
What if this guy has her?!” she shrieks into the receiver, making my ears hurt.
“I’ll tell you what, why don’t I head on over to the bakery to check things out,” I say to make the old woman happy. I’m confident Jade is safe at work, but I wouldn’t mind seeing her.
“Oh, thank you, dear. I knew you would make sure she is okay.”
“Thanks for calling, Mrs. Ira.” I hang up the phone before she can say anything more.
Closing the files I was working on, I head out to the front of the station and let Beatrice know I’ll be right back.
The weather is warm today. Forecast is supposed to be in the high twenties this week with it reaching thirty by Sunday.
I pull my shades out of my chest pocket, putting them on and start my walk down the street to the bakery.
As I get close, I see Jade walking out the door with a man who smiles at her, and I feel a little bit of jealousy roll through me. Who is this guy? And why is he looking at her like that?
“No problem, Jade. Hey, are you doing anything after work? Maybe we could get a drink at the brewery or something?” I overhear as I come up next to them, and my blood boils. Who the fuck does this guy think he is? My eyes narrow his way, and I rest a hand on the small of Jade’s back, claiming her.
“Oh, hi, West.” She smiles.
“Hi, beautiful.”
Her cheeks flush at the endearment, and the guy that I now recognize as Lance Fox glances from my hand to the smile on Jade’s face. That’s right, buddy. She’s mine.
“You know what, never mind,” he says, backing away.
“Thanks again, Lance!” Jade calls as he starts walking to the parking lot across the street.
“Sorry to interrupt,” I say, not sorry at all.
“Oh, no worries. Lance was just here restoring our power,” she tells me.
“That explains the phones. Mrs. Ira called worried because she couldn’t get a hold of you.”
“Oh! Sorry. I didn’t even hear my phone ring and the shop hasn’t had power to get through our store phone. Do you know what she wanted?”
“I do, actually. Do you happen to know anyone that drives a red car? Or were you expecting anyone at your house?”
Her face twists in thought as she thinks about it. “No. Not that I can think of. What’s this about?”
“Mrs. Ira noticed a red car that she claims has been watching your house. I guess the owner was looking through your windows today.” And fuck. Now that I’ve actually registered how that sounds, I don’t like it one fucking bit.
Her face pales, and I wrap my arm around her. “Hey, it’s okay. How about after work I drive you home and take a look around your property?”
“S-Sure,” she says, still looking a little pale.
“You want me to walk you back into the bakery?” I ask, not wanting to leave her like this.
“No. No, it’s okay. Just nerve-wracking to hear someone is looking through your windows.” She smiles weakly, and I feel like there’s something more. Does she know this person? My mind goes back to an ex.
“Okay. Well, I’ll see you in a few then.” I let go of her and watch as she heads back into the bakery before I turn around and make my way back to the station.
When I get there, Cade is back and has Hudson in tow. “Hey, little man. Coming to work for me today?” I joke, ruffling his hair.
“No. I have soccer,” my nephew tells me, bouncing on his feet.
“Sounds fun.” I clap my brother on the back. “How’s it going with Vivienne’s texts?”
“It was a burner. There’s nothing.” He sighs, shaking his head in defeat.
“Goddamn it,” I mutter.
“We’ll catch this guy. He’ll make a mistake sooner or later. They always do,” Cade says, looking me in the eyes.
“Let’s just hope it’s sooner,” I comment.
Cade gives my shoulder a squeeze. “Listen, I gotta head out and get Hudson to soccer, but we can talk about it more later.”
I accept that there is nothing I can do about it now and tell Hudson to have fun at soccer as the two leave.
A couple hours later, it’s my turn to pack up. I say goodbye to Garrett who’s on shift this evening and get into my car to head to the bakery. When I get there, Jade is back to being herself. The paleness from earlier is gone, and her rosy cheeks and soft smile are in its place.
“You ready to go?” I ask her.
“Yes. Just give me one moment,” she says, turning towards the kitchen and coming back a moment later with a box. “I have an extra cheesecake. Would you like to come over for dinner and some dessert?”
I’d love nothing more than to have her for dessert, but I don’t say that. I clear the rise of heat in my throat and reach for the box so I can take her hand in my other. “Absolutely. I love cheesecake.”
When we get to her house, I ask for her key and have her stay in the car with the doors locked while I take a look around her property and quickly sweep through the house.
She had that intruder a while ago, so I want to be extra thorough.
All locks are secured and nothing in the yard suggests anyone was here.
Could this be the same person that broke in?
If so, what are they after? And if not, why are people checking out her house?
I have an uneasy feeling about this, but for now, everything looks good.
I return to the car to let her know I’ve finished, and then together, we head inside.
While Jade cooks, I make myself comfortable at the counter with Pumpkin in my lap. I’ve grown fond of this little kitten. She purrs softly as I stroke her fluffy fur and talk about my day with Jade.
“Gosh.” She giggles. “I’ve never even been on a boat and here a couple teenagers are driving one.”
“You’ve never been on a boat?” I ask, intrigued. Most people along the river have a boat or have at least been in one.
“No.” She laughs.
“Huh. You got anything planned for Saturday?” I ask, already making plans for the two of us.
She dishes us up and sets both bowls onto the counter. “No. I actually have the entire day off. Wren will be working my shift,” she says, sitting down next to me.
“How about a day on the river? I happen to own a boat, and I’d love to take you.”
Her face lights up. “Really? West! That would be awesome.” She smiles widely, and fuck, I hope I can always make her smile like that.
“It’s a date then,” I say, taking a bite of the pasta in front of me and letting out a moan. “Damn, Jade. What is this?” I ask, looking at the bowl. It’s pasta in some kind of orange sauce with parmesan and what I think looks like basil.
“It’s penne alla vodka,” she says with a bit of pride in her voice.
“It’s really good,” I tell her, shoveling in another bite. “I knew you could bake, but damn, you can cook too.”
“Thanks.” She smiles. “I love cooking but don’t get the chance to cook for others often. Just Sarah.” She shrugs, and I think back to my earlier thoughts and the questions I had.
“I’m not sure how I got so lucky that no one has locked you down yet. You bake, you cook, you’re beautiful. What else are you hiding?” I tease.
I feel her body tense beside me, and it makes me look at her more closely and wonder, is there something she’s hiding? Just as fast as I think it, it’s gone. There is no way Jade could be hiding something. Sure, she’s shy, but I don’t think she would hide anything. She’s too genuine.
“I’ve never really dated,” she tells me with a brief shrug. “So no one has really had the chance to lock me down.” I can tell she means for it to be light and playful, but I sense hurt behind her words. Who could hurt this amazing and kind woman?
“Lucky me then,” I say, making her blush.
We finish our meal in a comfortable silence and then head out to the patio to rest our stomachs before dessert.
The sun is setting, and its orange rays beat down on us.
I reach for Jade’s hand as she walks by the chair I’m sitting on and give it a little tug.
She bites her lip and hesitates for a moment before she lets me lead her to stand in front of me.
My eyes graze up her frame, and I gently pull her down onto my lap.
She’s stiff at first but eventually relaxes against me.
Her head rests under my chin, and I can’t help but smell the floral and honey of her shampoo.
My dick twitches and I have to shift in my seat.
We sit there like that for a while, just watching the sun go down, and I hope to God she can’t feel my raging hard on.
She shifts, her ass dragging over my cock, and I curse, letting out a groan.
“Oh,” she says, her cheeks heating as she realizes my body has reacted to her. “I’m so sorry.”
I chuckle. “No need to be sorry.” I kiss the side of her head, and she gets up from my lap, allowing me to tug at my trousers.
“I’ll go get the cake,” she says, bolting through the patio door. Once she’s gone, I quickly rearrange myself and let out a breath. I don’t think I’ve ever been this hard, and all she did is sit on my goddamn lap.
We eat the cake and watch the final rays of the sun set before we go inside to clean up. Everything washed and put away, she walks me to the door.
“Thanks for dinner and dessert,” I say, bending down to place a kiss on the top of her head.
“It was my pleasure.” She smiles up at me, and now my hard on is back in full force as I think about her pleasure. I need to get home and jerk one out asap before I combust in my pants like some fucking horny teenager.
“Bye, beautiful. See you tomorrow.”
“Goodnight.”
I’m just pulling into my driveway when my pager goes off.
“Fuck,” I curse before dialing the station.
Garrett picks up. “Sheriff. You need to come in. We got another body.”