by Andria Large
“Tripp’s new nickname is Peace McKeeperpants.” Mitch smirked.
He barked out a laugh and looked over at his drunk brother-in-law. “Peace McKeeperpants?”
Mitch waved a dismissive hand. “It sounded better in my head.”
He and Seamus chuckled.
Jayme lost sight of Tripp and was just about to go looking for him; when there was a commotion off to the right of the dance floor. Jayme, Seamus, and Mitch went running over, and got there just in time to see Tripp twirl Uncle Hugh like a ballerina; and put him in a full nelson. To say Uncle Hugh was furious would be an understatement. He was spitting mad, and luckily there were no kids there to hear the hate coming out of his mouth.
“He tried to hit me,” Tripp said calmly, but Jayme knew better. Tripp was livid on the inside. “You wouldn’t happen to have a pair of handcuffs or zip ties on you, would you?” Tripp asked him.
He patted himself down for show. “Yeah, let me just pull them outta my ass where I keep them in times like these,” he said sarcastically.
“Let me go you cocksucking bastard!” Uncle Hugh yelled, and struggled against Tripp’s hold.
“What’s the magic word?”
“Fuck you!”
“Well, that certainly isn’t it.” Tripp frowned.
“Tripp, can you get him outta here?” Seamus asked.
“Sure.”
Jayme followed closely behind Tripp, as he marched Uncle Hugh right out the front door. Tripp let him out of the full nelson and gave him a shove forward. Uncle Hugh stumbled, and landed on his hands and knees. Aunt Maggie came running out, went to her husband’s side; and helped him to his feet.
With a parting glare, they walked to their car; and drove off. Jayme and Tripp went back inside and went right to the bar. They did a couple shots, before finding Seamus and Mitch on the dance floor. There was still fun to be had. This little hiccup wasn’t going to ruin their night.
~~~
Jayme
The guys had Sunday off to recover from the wedding but were back to work on Monday. Jayme was driving. They were almost done their shift and were heading in the direction of the station; when they noticed a car driving erratically ahead of them.
“Is that Mallory’s car?” Tripp asked.
“Possibly. Why would she be driving like that though?”
“Maybe she’s drunk.”
“In the middle of the day?”
Tripp shrugged. “Why not?”
They’d seen enough when she swerved over the yellow line into oncoming traffic. Jayme came up behind her and turned on the lights and siren. It took a minute, but the car finally pulled off to the side of the road.
If it was Mallory, he really hoped the baby was not in the car. They got out of the truck, and Jayme started for the driver. It looked like Mallory’s car, and he could tell a woman was driving; it possibly was her.
He sighed when he got to the driver’s side window and saw that it was indeed Mallory. She rolled the window down and he caught a whiff of alcohol. She looked hammered. Jayme had seen her hammered, and he had no doubt that she was now.
Jayme opened her door. “Get out of the car,” he barked.
She muttered a “Whatever.” and stumbled her way out of the car. Jayme grabbed her arm, because she almost fell into the street. He brought her around to the front of her car and sat her on the hood.
“How much have you had to drink?” he asked.
“One or two,” she slurred, and shrugged one shoulder.
He looked over at Tripp. “Is the baby in the car?”
Tripp checked the backseat. “No. Thank god.”
He turned back to Mallory. “We’re going to do some tests.”
“Fuck you. I ain’t doing any tests.”
“You can go to jail then.”
“You’re not gonna arrest me. You don’t have the balls. You’re a fucking pussy, Jayme, and we both know it.”
“Turn around and put your hands behind your back,” Jayme ordered.
Mallory laughed, and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Don’t make me force you,” Jayme warned.
Mallory flipped him the bird, her eyes daring him to do something.
“That’s it,” Jayme snapped.
He grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the car. She immediately started fighting him. She was no match for Jayme’s strength, especially in her condition. He wrenched her arm behind her back and slammed her face first against the hood of her car.
“Let me go, you bastard! You can’t do this to me! I’m a woman!”
“A woman who’s fighting against a police officer,” Tripp said.
He was standing immediately to Jayme’s left, ready to jump in if need be.
“I hate you! I hate you! You ruined my life! You ruined my life!” she wailed.
“I ruined your life? I don’t think so. You did this shit to yourself,” Jayme said.
“It’s all your fault! You left me! You ruined everything! We were supposed to be together forever! Have babies and live happily ever after! You screwed it all up!”
Jayme snapped a cuff on the wrist that was behind her back, before yanking her other arm back; and handcuffing that one too. Mallory sobbed as he marched her to their truck. He sat her in the backseat, and slammed the door shut. His hands were shaking. How dare she accuse him of ruining her life. He didn’t do this to her, she did it to herself.
Tripp got on the phone and called for a tow for the car. They waited until it got there and took the car away, before getting back in their truck. At least Mallory was quiet now. She had a bit of a meltdown when the tow truck arrived. She had kicked at the windows and the wire mesh that separated her from the front seats. She had also screamed so loud, that they could hear her on the street. She probably had no voice left.
He could feel Tripp’s eyes on him as he drove. He knew Tripp was worried about him, and his state of mind at the moment. If anything, he was pissed. Pissed that she thought it was his fault her life is the way it is.
“I’m glad my son doesn’t have to grow up with a couple of gay ass pussies like you two,” Mallory rasped.
Jayme sucked in a sharp breath, as pain from her words cut him deep. His hands gripped the steering wheel so tight, his knuckles turned white. He clenched his jaw, refusing to say anything in retaliation; because that’s what she wanted. She was trying to get under their skin.
“Keep talking, and I’ll make sure to trip your fucking ass; and let you bite the fucking curb,” Tripp said in a tone that Jayme had never heard before. It was fucking scary. Tripp then turned slightly and looked at her through the mesh. “I dare you to try me.”
The look on Tripp’s face is one he would never forget. He could have killed someone with that look. It had murder written all over it. It scared him yet excited him at the same time. He had no doubt that Tripp would actually do it. He’d trip her and let her fall without any hands to catch herself.
“It’s okay, Tripp,” he said in a soothing tone.
“No, it’s not fucking okay, Jayme. I’m tired of this bitch hurting you. She’s done it too many times, and I’m sick of it.”
Jayme couldn’t argue with him there. She had hurt him, many times. First by lying to him and trying to get pregnant without his okay, then he found out she cheated on him; then, of course, the whole thing with the baby not being his, and that last comment definitely left a mark.
They got to the station, and Tripp insisted that he walk her in. He gripped her upper arm and yanked her out of the truck. She stumbled and fell to her knees. She started crying again. Probably because she was scared of him.
“Get the fuck up,” Tripp barked, and used her arm to help pull her to her feet.
“Ow, Tripp, you’re hurting my arm,” she cried.
“Good. You fucking deserve it.” He growled.
Jayme walked behind them, as Tripp practically dragged Mallory into the detainment area of their station. Tripp brought her to the main de
sk and shoved her down into the chair that was next to it. He then told the cop working there the slew of charges they were giving her.
With that taken care of, they left Mallory there; and went to write out their own reports. He could tell Tripp was still fuming as he hastily jotted down his report. He wished he could pull Tripp into a hug and try to calm him down, but they had to be professional at work. It would have to wait until they got home.
“Hey guys, what’s going on?” Brendan said as he stopped next to the pair of desks they were using.
“Fuck off,” Tripp muttered without looking up.
Brendan jerked his chin back and looked at Jayme with wide eyes. “What crawled up his ass and died?”
He shook his head. “We arrested Mallory on a DUI, among other things; and she just rubbed him the wrong way.”
“No shit?” Brendan said, eyebrows hitting his hairline. “Was the baby with her?”
“Luckily, no,” He replied.
“Thank God.”
“Was she drunk? Or was it something else?”
“She was hammered.”
Brendan shook his head and sighed. “Idiot. I can’t believe she would do something that stupid.”
“She was never a big drinker when we were together,” Jayme said.
“Same here. I mean, she liked to get drunk every once in a while, if we went out; but she never drove drunk.”
“I didn’t even ask where she was coming from. It’s just weird. Was she at a bar drinking on a Monday afternoon?”
Brendan shook his head. “Yeah, that is weird.”
“I’m done. Are you done, Jayme? I wanna go,” Tripp said.
“Yeah, I’m done. Brendan, we’ll see you later.”
“Okay. See ya.”
They turned in their paperwork, then headed out to their truck to go home. The ride home was silent and tense, Jayme could tell Tripp was still livid over what Mallory said. No doubt it had hurt him too.
They got home, and Tripp went right upstairs. Jayme followed and walked into their bedroom where Tripp was stripping out of his work clothes. Jayme was down to his pants when Tripp, who had changed into gym shorts and a T-shirt; made his way for the door.
He caught his arm. “Hey, wait a second. Come here.” He gave Tripp’s arm a tug.
Tripp let Jayme pull him, so that he was standing in front of him.
Tripp sighed heavily. “What?”
“Babe, you can’t let her get to you like this,” he said softly, and reached up to cup Tripp’s face.
Usually it was Tripp trying to calm him down when it came to Mallory. Tripp was really worked up about this, and he felt the need to fix it.
Tripp’s jaw worked back and forth, his honey eyes hard and unyielding. “I’m going to the gym.”
He brushed his thumb back and forth over Tripp’s cheek. “Okay. In a minute. Talk to me.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. She hurt you again, and I’m fucking furious about it.”
“She hurt you too.”
“Her words stung, yeah, but that’s not what I’m pissed about. I heard and saw your reaction to what she said, and it fucking kills me. I can’t stand to see you hurt because of her.”
“I’m okay. Like you said, it stung. But I’m not dwelling on it.”
“I’m glad. Doesn’t make me any less pissed though.”
He smiled. “Does this make you less pissed?” He leaned in and kissed Tripp tenderly on the lips.
“Not really, no.”
“How about this?”
Jayme leaned in again, this time fusing their mouths together for a more heated kiss.
When he pulled away and looked at, Tripp shrugged; but he could see his eyes had softened, and there was a hint of a smile on his handsome face. He grabbed Tripp’s face with both hands and brought him in for a more languid kiss; one that included tongue and nipping. Tripp moaned, and slid his arms around Jayme’s waist.
One thing led to another, and Tripp ended up skipping the gym for a different kind of workout.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Tripp
“THANKS FOR coming in today, boys. I know it’s your day off,” Chief Reeves said.
Tripp and Jayme sat in the chairs in front of his desk, wondering why their boss called them in on their day off.
“I’m sure you heard about the devastating hurricane that hit Galveston yesterday?”
“Sure, it’s all over the news,” Jayme said.
“Well, we’re setting up a team of officers to go down and help with search and rescue. I want you two to be part of it. You’ll stay for a few days to provide some support for local law enforcement.”
“Absolutely. When do we leave?” Tripp asked.
“In two hours. Go home, pack a bag and whatever else you need; then come back here.”
“Yes, sir,” they said in unison and stood.
They went home, packed a bag with clothes and another bag with gear they might need; then headed back to the station. They waited for the other officers who were going to arrive. Brendan, Will, Matt, and Phil were also part of their team.
There were eight of them all together, so they piled into two Chevy Suburban’s with all their gear, and some that was provided for them; and started their three-and-a-half-hour trek to Galveston, Texas.
The department put them up in a hotel, just outside of the city where a lot of other officers from around the state that came to help were staying. Each set of partners got a room. They got their keys from the front desk and brought their bags up to their rooms; before heading into Galveston, and checking in with the local police chief, Andre Harding.
As they drove into the city, Tripp couldn’t get over the devastation he was seeing. Houses were in pieces, there was debris everywhere; making it hard to drive down the street. A lot of areas were underwater.
“Thank you, Guys, for coming. We’re stretched to our limits,” Chief Harding said. “My guys can only do so much. They’re exhausted.”
“We’re happy to be able to help, sir,” Tripp said.
They were sitting in a conference room at the station, meeting with Chief Harding before they got sent out into the mess. It was still raining heavily, and so many streets were flooded. They had a hard time getting to the station. The hurricane ended up being stronger than they had anticipated, and a lot of people failed to evacuate; they were spending a lot of time rescuing people from their roofs.
After a brief rundown of what they were going to be doing, he dismissed them and told them who to meet up with out in the field. They got their orders from the Lieutenant at the rescue base camp. Tripp and Jayme were to head out on a boat looking for people stranded on their roofs or other high structures. Brendan and Will were their support if they needed backup. Matt and Phil were to stay at base camp and assist with the people being brought in from the boats.
Tripp and Jayme went out with a local cop who knew the area. The water was fairly deep, coming up to the second floor on some houses; and they had to be careful of debris in the water. The local guy, Todd, sat in the back steering the boat. They moved slow and listened for anyone calling out for help.
After about twenty minutes, they did finally hear someone calling for help. Todd steered the boat in the direction that it sounded like it was coming from. They came to a two-story house with a front porch. The water was just touching the roof of the porch, where a woman sat holding a small plastic animal carrier.
“Oh, thank the Lord,” she cried when she saw them.
That’s when Tripp heard the meows coming from the crate. At least she was smart enough to put the cats in the crate. They brought the boat up to the porch roof, and Jayme stepped out. He helped the lady to her feet and walked her over to the edge of the roof. Jayme took the cats from her and passed the carrier over to him; before helping the lady carefully step into the boat. Once they were all situated, Todd headed in the direction of dry land.
They handed her and her cats off to Matt and Phil, who imme
diately wrapped a blanket around her shoulders; and ushered her toward the mobile station that was set up. They would get her dry and figure out a place for her and her cats to go.
They found more and more people as they day went on. They also found some dogs, and one cat. The poor cat was drenched and shivering. Tripp was afraid they’d spook it and it’d run off, but it was just the opposite. Poor guy was in a tree, and when they got close enough; he jumped into the boat and climbed on Tripp’s lap. Tripp tucked him inside his raincoat and held him until they got back to dry land. Jayme called him the cat whisperer.
The first day seemed to be never ending. They worked well into the night, and maybe rescued about thirty people. They got back to the hotel at around five am. They were taking a two-hour nap, then heading back into the fray.
Tripp dropped heavily to the end of the bed and started unlacing his boots. They were wet, cold, and exhausted. Jayme sat beside Tripp and started doing the same. They kicked off their boots, then peeled off their wet clothing; and hung it in the bathroom. Without saying one word to each other, they climbed naked into the bed; and burrowed under the covers. Tripp shivered.
“Still cold?” Jayme asked.
“Yeah, it’s in my bones.”
“Hold on.”
Jayme got out of bed and went to the heater/air conditioner under the window; and cranked up the heat. It was the middle of summer but being wet all day made a guy cold; even on the hottest day. He dove back under the covers and plastered himself against Tripp’s back; wrapping his arm around his waist.
“It’ll be warm in here in no time,” Jayme murmured against the back of his neck.
Tripp hummed, feeling warmer already. He snuggled back against his fiancé, and let his body relax. He was tired and needed to get some sleep, they would be back out in a couple of hours to do it all over again.
~~~
Jayme
A couple of hours later, they were dragging themselves out of bed; and putting on their second set of uniforms that they brought. The other ones were still soaking wet. They met up with the guys and went to the hotel restaurant to grab a bite to eat. Once they were all fed, they headed back to the base camp to see what else needed to be done. At least the rain had stopped.
