I wanted a fresh start and I can work anywhere.
There. That was the truth and vague.
She grabbed her glass and took a sip of air.
It was empty.
Dina frowned at the glass.
When had that happened?
Trevor’s reply came before she arrived at an answer for the missing wine.
That’s neat. I’m born and raised here. Still here. Not very exciting.
She slid further down so she laid on her back the better to prop her phone on her stomach and type with both thumbs.
I used to think I’d never leave home. It’s nice that you have a place you belong.
She didn’t have that. She’d never belong anywhere or with anyone. She was adrift. An island alone. And man, she wanted to open that second bottle.
Her phone vibrated, but instead of a chime it rang.
Dina stared at the incoming call with a touch of horror.
Trevor was calling her.
The muscles around her throat tightened. She sat up, but the phone kept ringing.
He knew she was near her phone. She had no good reason to let it go to voicemail.
Dina tapped the answer button and swallowed.
One text was clearly too much, but she was invested now.
“Hello?” She pressed her hand to her chest.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t understand your last reply.” Trevor chuckled. “What did you say?”
“What?” Dina pulled the phone away from her face and swiped to her text messaging app.
Sure enough, her last few messages to him were garbled.
Oh, boy.
“Shit,” she muttered at returned the phone to her ear. “I opened a bottle of wine.”
“Oh, I see.”
“What I was trying to say is that, I never thought I’d leave home.” Her tongue wasn’t quite cooperating. She could hear the slur in her words.
“What made you leave?” he asked.
Dina closed her eyes and leaned back against the arm rest. She had to keep this story straight.
“Some not so great things happened. I needed a fresh start, so I left.”
“And you picked little, old Ransom?” His rich, sinful voice was a full body experience. Listening to him brought her pleasure.
“I didn’t put a lot of thought into where I was going.” Wasn’t that the truth?
“Well, Ransom’s as good a place as any, I suppose. At least I try to keep it that way.”
“You do an excellent job.” She hadn’t had a complaint about anything except coming to terms with the closeness of wildlife since arriving in Texas.
“Thank you, thank you very much.” She could picture him tipping that imaginary hat of his. “I’d love to keep talking, but I have to go back on shift.”
“Oh, okay.” Well that was disappointing.
“It was nice to hear your voice again.”
Dina bit her lip. It was nice to talk to another human being about something that wasn’t work or related to a purchase she was trying to make, but she couldn’t encourage this.
Trevor spoke again before her muddled brain could come up with an appropriate response. “Well, I’d tell you to have a good night and sweet dreams, but you’re sweet already.”
She sputtered a laugh, unable to control herself.
“What?” Trevor demanded.
“That’s the corniest line I’ve ever heard.”
“I’ve got more of them, but you’ll have to stick around to hear ‘em. Night.”
“Good night.”
She hung up the phone and stared at the screen. There was this strange, buoyant sensation that had her feeling as if she could float. It was silly, or was it the wine?
TREVOR SAT ON THE back row and stared at the white board. He got to suit up with the town’s SWAT team so rarely since being promoted to detective that these instances were a rare treat. The other tactical officers were his best friends, but between Dad being a dick and Iris-Long Legs-Kate not texting him back for most of the day he wasn’t feeling his A-game.
A woman plopped down in the empty chair next to him. She tilted her head and laid it on Trevor’s shoulder.
“Nice to see you here,” Jenna Martin said.
“Nice to be here. Wish the circumstances were different.”
“Why? What’s going on?” Jenna turned to face him. She was still wearing her blue paramedic uniform which meant she’d come directly from one shift to another.
Trevor glanced behind him to make sure no one was in hearing distance then whispered, “We’re going to assist with arresting one of the guys who was there when Val’s parents got killed. Charles Ray is a slippery son of a bitch.”
“No.” Jenna’s eyes grew wide.
Trevor nodded.
The whole story was fucked up and proof that bad things could happen in small towns.
“What happened, exactly?” Jenna leaned closer.
“I think it was in ninety, this biker guy—Becker—gets crossways with the Peacocks after they buy the property where Becker’s crew liked to hang out. The Peacocks saw something they shouldn’t, went to the police and Becker went after them. The guy we’re going to assist in arresting was Becker’s right-hand guy and we all know he was involved with killing the Peacocks, but the evidence couldn’t place him there.” It was more complicated than that. Things always were in small towns.
Two unfamiliar men in suits strolled between the chairs toward the front of the room following Nigel Morgan. This was going to be Trevor’s first time working with Nigel since he was officially promoted to the SWAT Team Leader, a position that used to be filled by Jenna’s fiancé. The department had a firm no fraternization policy dating back to when the force almost became two warring sides over a divorce gone sideways in the worst way.
“How’s Alex liking Fort Worth?” Trevor hadn’t seen Alex for a few weeks, come to think of it.
“Good. It’s busier, more things to do and keep straight. He’s feeling a little pressure right now because there was this silly accident, but it wasn’t his fault.”
“He thinks it was, doesn’t he?”
“Of course.” Jenna rolled her eyes.
Trevor hadn’t been keen on his old TL and Jenna hooking up. She was like a sister to Trevor and in his eye no one would ever be good enough for her. But Alex had proven he was willing to go to any length to keep her safe. More than that though, Alex made Jena happy.
“Why do you keep looking at your phone? Hot date?” Jenna smirked at him.
Shit.
Trevor slid his phone into his pocket. He’d feel it vibrate if he got a text, but it wasn’t the same as looking at the screen.
“How’s Sterling settling in?” he asked to deflect the question. Jenna knew about his mystery woman and Jenna would pry if she knew he was in contact with Long Legs again. He wasn’t ready for that yet.
“Good. I think being out of the city and on her own is good for her. I do worry about her being by herself though.” Jenna’s smile vanished, and she stared at the floor. Sterling was one of Jenna’s girlfriends from her days with the Army. She had a few screws loose, but from what he’d seen of her, she was holding it together.
“Any more...episodes?” he asked.
“No. And guess where she’s working?” Jenna grinned.
“Where?”
“She’s just started working at the Jones’ shop.”
“No, shit.” That did surprise Trevor given Sterling’s PTSD. The Jones’ were on the extreme side of redneck and weren’t a quiet family.
“Yeah. Liam suggested it, I guess.” She nodded at Liam Jones sitting a few rows ahead of them. The man was one hell of a sniper. “So—who are you waiting to hear from?”
Trevor grit his teeth. Jenna was too smart for her own good.
“Afternoon everyone.” Nigel Morgan took a few steps away from the two unfamiliar officers flanking the desk at the front of the room.
Saved by the TL.
; Trevor slid down a little in his chair and kept his eyes forward. Eventually he’d tell Jenna about Iris-Long Legs-Kate, but not yet. He knew Jenna would have a lot to say on the topic and he didn’t want to hear how this was a mistake and he was repeating his past all over again.
That was his problem. He had a type. He liked the damsels in distress and Iris had help me written all over her. Whatever problem haunted her it wasn’t the run-of-the-mill type thing. It was serious, and he couldn’t walk away from her in good conscience without getting to the bottom of it. And if he and Iris got close during that process, so be it.
He was damning himself to repeat his past, and he didn’t care.
3.
DINA TAPPED HER EMPTY water bottle on her knee and stared at her phone.
Tonight she was not making the same mistake she had the last two nights. Wine was the only thing she could blame for texting Trevor on Sunday and then again on Monday. There was no more wine in the house so she was fully capable of exercising more restraint.
It wasn’t like they’d discussed anything major. Having a good day. The weather. Some weirdo neighbors. He hadn’t pressed her for any details, there were no leading questions to indicate he was digging into her past.
This couldn’t last.
Eventually he’d want more answers than she could give, her story would be too weak and he’d know something wasn’t right.
She unlocked her phone screen and stared at Trevor’s last message from earlier this afternoon.
What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?
The truthful answer to that one would haunt her for the rest of her life.
She scrolled up to his other messages. The questions read like he’d picked them off a list of some magazines top ten questions to ask on a first date.
He was getting to know her.
Any other woman wouldn’t see that as a threat, but Dina did. People who got too close to her took a risk, and she didn’t want any more blood on her hands. That meant keeping everyone at a distance and staying on her island for one. But that made for a lonely life. Her only friends were a bunch of other anonymous names on the internet. They weren’t people who could really be there for her. Even Trevor was running a risk he didn’t fully understand.
The right thing to do would be to shut this down. Ghost on him until he forgot about her. They could awkwardly pass by each other at the grocery store until all of this was a distant memory.
She would binge watch something on TV, probably buy stuff she didn’t need on-line and talk to people on the internet, telling herself these were the only human connections she needed. This was how she got to keep living her life without risking others.
Dina scrolled to the bottom text again. Her heart did a painful flop in her chest.
The downside to her plan for a long life was that it didn’t leave room for any kind of romantic relationship. She could have friends she kept at a distance and love only for a night, nothing else. Wanting more was impossible. This thing she had with Trevor was dangerous even if it made her feel good.
She liked that he didn’t play at being cool, there was nothing distant about the way he engaged with her. He was just like he’d been at the bar. That hadn’t been an act. It was just him.
If she were still living her life as Dina, he would never have been allowed to talk to her. There had always been strict rules that governed her social life. If Mom and Dad had their way, they would have selected her husband for her, ensuring she married a good Italian man loyal to Cosa Nostra. She’d face a life of domestic slavery all while forced to keep up appearances and pretend she was happy.
Comparing her two lives, Dina much preferred her island of one. At least now she wasn’t complicit in the family business. She wasn’t looking the other way, she didn’t have to lie and be someone’s alibi. Sure, it was lonely, but at least it was honest.
It was hard to hold honesty at night.
She picked up her remote and scrolled through the TV offerings.
10 Things I Hate About You caught her eye.
A cute romance between two sets of people that shouldn’t work?
Why not?
She clicked the movie and grabbed a pillow, hugging it to her chest.
Maybe she should move out of the country. Go somewhere far, far away and then she could fall in love, start a whole new life and pretend this one never happened.
Problem there was that she’d need a passport, and the good ones were hard to come by. No, it was better if she stayed here where she had connections and ways to escape if she needed to.
What if she took the plunge? Rewrote herself as a wife with a family?
She’d always assumed children were in her future, that she’d be a homemaker. It was a dream she hadn’t known she wanted until it was off the table. But did it have to be? Could Dominick really want her dead after all these years? He had to realize she wasn’t going to turn on him even if he was just as guilty as their parents.
Her phone vibrated causing her heart to leap for joy.
Trevor?
She jabbed the pause button with one hand and lifted her phone with the other.
No, just the confirmation of acceptance for her last invoice for a job done
Shit.
She flopped down onto her back and stared at the ceiling.
“I can’t keep doing this,” she said to the empty room.
Dina couldn’t keep being alone.
She’d gone into WitSec at eighteen and hadn’t looked back for almost ten years. Ten solitary years. She hadn’t had a best friend or a boyfriend the whole time except for a few instances in the very beginning.
Her boyfriend had sold her out.
Her friend got kidnapped.
Dina had learned her lesson.
But those were normal people. Trevor was a cop. Even if things didn’t go far, he was at least better equipped to handle himself.
How much could a little texting hurt, anyway?
What if they never went out?
What if she told him she had some horrible phobia of crowds and unfamiliar people?
It was just more lies to keep track of. Always more.
Could she never have something for herself? What if she indulged with Trevor for a week or two, then broke it off? They could totally hate each other.
Screw it. This was different from when she was younger.
The biggest risk I’ve taken? Starting my life over again.
Dina hit send. A tingle swept through her, tickling her toes.
Maybe this was stupid, but damn it, this island of one was lonely. She wasn’t looking to make Trevor a permanent feature, just stretch her wings a little. Live some.
She watched her phone for a bit, but it didn’t light up. There was no notification vibration. Just the time mocking her for how long she watched. She pressed play on the movie and let her mind wander.
What would he do if she surprised him at his place?
She knew where he lived.
It wasn’t that far from her. Granted in this small town nothing was that far away.
Would that be weird? Was that what she wanted?
Sex was a commodity she could get at any bar, but this connection with Trevor was special. This banter, the way they carried on, would she lose that if she took that step?
The screen lit up.
She snatched the phone and greedily read the message.
That’s a lot more risk than I’ve ever taken. You’ll have to tell me that story sometime.
He’d get the fake version about her abusive ex-husband, who was the reason for her new name and life. She couldn’t tell him the truth, but she could pretend.
PHILLIP HATED TEXAS already.
Everything was spread out. There was nowhere to hide. Too many eyes could see.
Why had Little Tony lost his cool?
Phillip glanced at the large man sitting shotgun in the borrowed car. The three of them, Phillip, Dominick and Little Tony had grown up together. Domin
ick was older by all of a few months and had the good grace to be born into a family that skated through much of the busts that had decimated Cosa Nostra in the eighties and nineties.
Dominick was always getting them into problems with his grand ideas. Little Tony followed along faithfully because that was who he’d been programmed to be. And Phillip was more often than not the one left to dispose of the evidence. He’d had his ass beat so many times taking up for Dominick and Little Tony as kids it was amazing he had any feeling left in his body.
Looking back, Phillip wished he’d taken up for Dominick a little less. The guy had been a spoiled brat. Losing his parents had yanked the silver spoon out of his mouth and grounded him, but he still looked at every other person as though they were disposable. The tie that kept Phillip in D’s crew was Little Tony.
The guy was a fucking giant. Well over six feet with the build of a linebacker, most people were right in being scared of the guy. But they’d all been little boys and growing up LT had endured more black eyes and beatings than any other kid Phillip knew at the hands of his father. It’d been Dominick who first stood up for Little Tony, earning him the undying loyalty he didn’t deserve.
Little Tony was Phillip’s best friend. The only one who knew the kind of hell they’d grow up in. But Phillip was beginning to suspect that something had happened to his friend. He wasn’t the same anymore, and the incident with the cop only proved that.
“Up here, turn left,” Little Tony said.
Phillip hoped that this Rudy guy didn’t know anything about Dina. What she’d done was wrong, but Phillip got it. Her best girlfriend had been killed, but she didn’t know the full story. She didn’t know why Rosie had to be made into an example.
He hoped they didn’t find Dina that she was finally tucked away somewhere she could be happy. He didn’t think Dina fully understood what had happened back then. The only reason Phillip knew was when Dominick let a few choice words slip one night when it was just them and they’d knocked back a bit too much vodka. Phillip didn’t agree with Dina turning on her family, but he understood how she thought that was her only way out.
Unlike Dominick, Dina had never stopped being the sweet little girl he remembered from the playground. She’d remained mostly untouched by the business. Pure. Good. So very kind.
Stolen Redemption (Texas SWAT, #2) Page 3
