“Plus the fact that you knew my name and that I was an undercover cop,” Jake said, drily. I waved my hand, disregarding those details.
“That forced you to listen to me. But the choice to try and save Samuel; that was all you,” I replied. Connor nodded at my explanation, but I could tell he wasn’t satisfied. “I don’t know the why’s,” I shrugged helplessly at him. My gift was odd and quite often frustrating. There were times I could fix things, but more often than not, I was stuck with knowledge I could do nothing about. I smiled, thinking of something that would make Connor happy.
“I’m terrible at picking Powerball numbers, but I’m damn good at picking scratch-offs.”
“Really?” He perked up, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.
“Let’s not,” Jake said, interrupting Connor’s planning. “We’ll save that for another time.” Connor shrugged and threw me a wink. “You and me, doll, have a date at the gas station when this is over.” He startled a laugh out of me, even as Jake punched him lightly on the shoulder.
“I’m taking off,” Connor declared, stretching. “I’ve got to call a girl about a date.”
Jake groaned, “I’m going to regret this.” I laughed at his disgruntled expression.
Connor scooped me into a hug, his words quiet in my ear. “You done good, kid.” I hugged him back, grateful for his acceptance. “Be good now,” he yelled before slamming the door shut on his way out.
I felt the blush crawling up my cheeks as Jake shook his head and closed the laptop. “He couldn’t leave it alone,” Jake said, laughing reluctantly. “Come here,” he told me, patting the sofa cushion. I plopped down next to him, and he wrapped his arm around me. My head fit into the curve of his shoulder perfectly, and I settled in with a sigh.
“I heard his warning loud and clear the first time,” he said, rubbing my arm. I nodded, knowing he couldn't see it, but trusting he’d feel it. “I’ll be sleeping on the couch. As much as I hate to say the words, he’s right. About your age at least.”
“Nothing else?” I teased, my fingers playing with the seam of his jeans.
“Nope,” he answered, stilling my fingers with his hand. “Now don’t go making me regret my good behavior.” I heard the teasing warning in his tone and curled my fingers in. I hadn’t been thinking about the reaction I could cause.
“Isn’t it bad enough that I’m here? Wouldn’t people assume anyway?” I asked curiously, tilting my head up to look at him.
He looked at me, bemused. “When you put it that way, I have to fight really hard not to lay you down and get balls deep inside of you.” I blinked at the controlled desire I heard pulsing under his words. Perhaps I shouldn’t have said that. “But I know Connor is right. I’m a cop and having sex with you would cause the wrong ideas. And God help you, woman, if you say anything else to contradict me, because I won’t be able to stop myself.”
I bit back the words I was going to say and settled back against him. The tension I felt in him loosened slightly as I took his warning to heart. We sat there quietly for a few minutes, my mind replaying the day.
“I didn’t realize how complicated a family dinner could be,” He was contemplative as he said it. “There are conversations under the conversations.” His snort was disbelieving. “You hear it all so much more clearly, don’t you?”
He doesn’t see the faint smile I have. “I’m going to guess most don’t have quite as much going on, but yes. Questions get asked, and I see the truth even as they spout the lie. Your mom seems to have a good grasp on what’s going on. I don’t think we fooled her for a second.” Jake snorted at those words. He’d had plenty of experience with his mom’s understanding.
“Do you get tired of it?” he asked abruptly. “The lies? People disappointing you?”
“No. I try to avoid situations like today’s, but people lie for different reasons. Usually to protect themselves or someone else. Like your sister and Connor. They didn’t want to disappoint you.”
I felt him shift underneath me, as he turned to look at me. I glanced up, not bothering to move. I felt like I could melt into him. “Disappoint me? Why would they think that?”
“What if it doesn’t work out? She’s your sister and he’s your best friend. It could get awkward. You could make it difficult for them if you didn’t agree. Plus, Connor wasn’t sure you thought he’d be good enough for your sister.”
“Seriously? You got all that out of one dinner?” His laugh was disbelieving.
“Way more than that. There were more people at the table, you remember,” I retorted, elbowing him to be still.
“Yeah, what was up with Natalie and my mom? I saw your face,” Jake asked, perceptive as usual. “There was sorrow.”
I sighed, knowing this was one of those moments where the secret I kept wasn’t my own. My ability—I wouldn’t label it a gift—gave me insight into deeply personal aspects of people’s lives at times. I felt the need to protect their secrets, because they weren’t mine to tell, and I tried to explain that to Jake.
“There was sorrow. It’s not mine though. As much as I’d like to explain it, I won’t. Some secrets aren’t mine to tell.” I turned my head, pressing a kiss against his chest. I felt his need to protect and defend the ones he loved, but he couldn’t do anything in this instance.
“They’re okay?” I heard the hurt in his voice, and I knew it was because he thought his brother was keeping a secret from him.
“They’re okay.” I wrapped my fingers around his hand. “They know you love them. They love you, and they want to protect you in their own way. You need to let them.”
I felt the deep sigh in his chest as my head went up and down with the exhalation of breath.
“Fine,” he replied, the word laced with humor.
“Has it always been like this? Your gift?”
I let out a huff, “Gift?”
“Yeah. You can do a lot of good,” Jake answered.
“And sometimes I can’t do anything at all,” I replied quietly, remembering my grandmother’s death. Jake kissed my forehead, “But you’ve helped. Tell me the first time you used your gift to help someone.” He stressed gift, and I smiled.
“Um, I think I was eight. Third grade, maybe? Anyway, there was a girl, Dakota.” I was surprised I remembered her name after all these years. “She never ate, and one day someone asked her why she never had lunch. She said she wasn’t hungry, but I knew she couldn’t afford it. That was the first time I realized I knew something other people didn’t. I tried to give her part of my lunch, but she wouldn’t take it. Pride starts young.” I stopped, wondering where she was now.
“You can’t help someone who won’t accept it,” Jake said, endeavoring to soothe what he thought was a failed undertaking.
“True, unless you go behind their back,” I smirked.
“What do you mean? What did you do?” he asked, puzzled.
“I told my mom,” I answered, feeling him jolt in surprise. “Well, I told her a kid was hungry and needed help. I was in the free lunch program, and I figured she could be too. Mom talked to the principal and they got her in it. She never asked me how I knew, and I never said anything to her.”
I heard his sharp exhalation. “You’re kinda badass.”
“I know you aren’t just now figuring this out,” I replied promptly. He chuckled, “Occasionally, I’m slow on the uptake, but I make up for it.”
“I’m sure you do.”
“You should go to bed,” he said, after a few minutes. I made an inquiring noise. I was already half asleep lying on him. He nudged me. “Go to bed. We have a big day tomorrow.” I muttered a sleepy protest. “Tomorrow we catch a killer.”
Those words startled me awake, and I leaned forward before looking back at him. His face was serious as he said, “We know who he is. Now it’s time we take him down,” I nodded, my hair falling into my face, and he reached over to push it behind my ear. “I’ll keep you safe,” he promised, the words coming from deep in
side of him. I nodded again, captured by the emotion in his eyes. I didn’t bother telling him that I would keep him safe as well, since it would only cause him more worry.
The nightmares came again that night, the malevolent face drifting through scenes of death. This time, Jake and his family were in the nightmare, lying dead on the ground, a bullet hole through the back of their heads. I woke with a gasp, tears running down my face, to find Jake already there comforting me.
“Shhh, it’s just a nightmare. No one is going to get you,” he soothed, his arms around me, a hand rubbing my back. I didn’t bother to correct his assumption, the vision of his sightless eyes burned into my memory. The frantic rhythm of my heart slowed as he tucked me next to him. “Go back to sleep. I’ll be right here.”
The nightmare faded as I relaxed into his arms, and sleep slowly overtook me again.
I woke up to bright light streaming through the window and my body entangled with Jake’s. I lay there, feeling the slow even breaths he took as he slept, my knee resting between his legs and my head on his chest.
My fingers twitched against his stomach, the muscle smooth and hard under them. I didn’t resist the urge to stroke over the plane of his abdomen, my fingers tracing the deep V by his hip. A smile crossed my lips as I heard the slight hitch in his breathing. I was pretty sure he was awake now, but he was holding completely still.
I decided to push and see how far he’d let this go, so I slid my fingers under the hem of his boxer shorts. This elicited a deep groan, and his hand fell across mine.
“Trying to torture me, little witch?” he said in a thick voice, his thumb rubbing lightly over my captured hand and causing all kinds of sensations to run through me.
“Just checking to see if you were awake,” I said, turning my head slightly to place a kiss against his pectoral muscle. I could see the light dusting of tawny hair across his chest and leaned my face into his chest. There was something profoundly intimate about waking next to him. His hand stroked up and down my back, the warm heaviness soothing and exciting at the same time. As we lay there, balancing between comfort and desire, my heart expanded, the feeling enveloping me as I realized I was in love with him. I memorized the moment, acknowledging this was it for me. He would always be the one.
“What are you thinking?” he asked, the question deliberate. I leaned up, propping my head on my hand as I looked at him. His thoughts mirrored my own, and he’d chosen to expose himself to me with his question. My heart swelled again at his fearlessness in admitting his emotions to me.
“That I never want to forget the moment I fell in love with you.” My eyes skimmed over his caramel hair and the hazel eyes that looked green in the morning light, then traced over his full lips and the dimple in his square jaw. This beautiful man loved me, his feelings as clear to me as my own. I reached over and placed a soft kiss on his lips, the thought crossing my mind that I hoped our children inherited his thick eyelashes.
“It won’t be easy.” I warned him, knowing the constant invasion of his thoughts could wear on him. Even if he chose not to ask a question, my presence when someone else asked would give me a window to his thoughts.
“Nothing worthwhile ever is,” he agreed, with a confident smile. I laid my head back on his chest, unwilling to let this moment go too soon. His hand resumed stroking down my back, tangling gently with my hair on the upward stroke.
Chapter Twenty-Two
We were in the middle of breakfast when Connor banged on the door calling out, “Is everybody decent in there?”
Jake stomped over to the door, practically ripping it off the hinges and causing Connor to fall into the apartment.
“Hey, Connie,” I cooed, laughing as he picked himself up. Jake was biting back a smile himself, trying to keep a stern face and failing.
Connor frowned at my nickname, but perked up as soon as he saw the pile of sausage and pancakes.
“Breakfast, sweet!” he said, snitching sausage off my plate. I grabbed my fork and waved it threateningly.
“Take sausage off my plate again and I’ll fork you!” I was dead serious, but he started laughing. He held up his hands as my eyes narrowed threateningly.
“I believe you, but you lost all credibility with ‘fork you,” he snickered and Jake shot him a look of agreement. I huffed and lowered my fork, stabbing a bite of pancake.
“Just make sure you keep your fingers off my sausage,” I muttered, keeping my scary face even as my wording sent them into another round of laughter. From their looks, I could tell they weren’t appropriately scared, but they had never seen me fork anyone either.
“What’s on the agenda for today?” I asked, looking between them.
“Recon,” Jake said. “We’re going to find out more about Jason Hart. Where he lives, what he drives, who he hangs out with. Anything that’ll help us tie him to drug trafficking. I’ve been thinking about it, and I don’t think he’s a small fish.” Connor looked startled at that assessment.
“You think he’s the guy we’ve been trying to get to?” Connor asked, his voice contemplative. Jake nodded, and I waited for someone to explain. I’d known their job undercover was to find the one supplying the local dealers, a person that no one seemed to know. Daniel Phillips was testifying against smaller local suppliers, but it was rumored there was another bigger player. That was what led Jake and Connor undercover to my school.
Jake looked over at me. “Our captain had a theory that all of the local suppliers were getting their drugs from the same source; they just didn’t know it. The drug operation in and around the surrounding parishes is so smooth, it’s almost imperceptible. That’s unheard of. Usually, turf wars break out constantly, based on supply and demand, dealers looking to expand their area. Not here. The drugs are coming in quietly, and the flow is controlled. You can only get that with one major supplier.”
“Or a tight network,” Connor interjected. “It’s not unheard of for a really well-oiled network to operate like this.”
“Yeah, but think about it. A state trooper in the drug trade, killing anyone he thinks can ID him. He’s positioned perfectly. I think he’s bringing drugs right into different ports on the Mississippi River. He has multiple distribution centers set up, and he makes sure none of the guys he deals with realize they’re all dealing with the same guy.”
“The place you got shot, Connor. That had to be one of his distribution centers,” I said, trying to put the data together.
“We considered that. The cops went over it with a fine-tooth comb,” Connor said with a frown.
“But were they looking for a cop killer or drugs?” I asked.
“But he wouldn’t have shot him where he keeps his supply. He wouldn’t take that risk,” Jake commented.
“There has to be something there. It’s too convenient. The snitch wanted to meet you there, so he either set you up, which I doubt, or he wanted to show you something,” I argued, instinct telling me I was right.
“We assumed the guy was setting him up,” Jake said slowly. “Maybe that was a mistake.” I looked at them expectantly. Jake looked a bit chagrined when he asked, “Addie, did Larry set up Connor? And why did he bring Connor to that warehouse?”
I shook my head no. “He did not. A shipment was coming in. He wanted Connor to see it, but plans got changed and they were caught in the middle of it.”
“So maybe that’s one of his places,” Connor said slowly. “That was where they were supposed to drop the shipment, but we were the interruption. They shifted the drop as soon as they realized they shot a cop.”
“Means he’s probably abandoned that building,” Jake surmised.
“But he had to have somewhere to take the existing shipment,” Connor said, looking excited. “Larry mentioned a lot of activity around several buildings by the river, activity the cops never seemed to notice. That’s why he thought it might be my guy.”
“We can’t just wander around looking for the right building,” Jake said rationally.
“They would have checked who owned the building,” Connor said, matter-of-factly.
“Who owned the building?” Jake asked abruptly.
“The state,” I answered promptly.
“Interesting coincidence,” Jake said. “I wonder how many buildings the state owns downtown. Small port towns up and down the river. No one would connect the places to the same person.”
“He’s not flaunting his empire. He’s a puppet master, pulling strings,” Conner said, with a sigh.
“But he’s slipping. He killed Samuel,” I whispered.
“But why? Why kill Samuel? Who kidnapped him? It wouldn’t have been our puppet master. He cherishes his anonymity,” Jake asked, frustrated.
“Someone took matters into their own hands. One of the guys Daniel was testifying against took Samuel. Marcus? I think is his name. He was trying to use Samuel as leverage against Daniel. Marcus brought Jason Hart to that cabin and Samuel saw him,” I answered, sorting through the mental images coming at me. “Samuel recognized Jason as a cop.” I said this part slowly, trying to piece the images together. “I don’t think Marcus knows Jason is a cop.”
“How did Samuel know Jason was a cop?” Connor asked, watching me.
“Jason pulled Daniel over for speeding. Samuel was with him. Daniel had no idea who Jason was,” I said, with a surprised laugh. “But Jason recognized Samuel later.”
“Did Jason kill Samuel then?” Jake prodded, trying to develop our timeline.
I shook my head. “No, he went back later and shot him. He couldn’t afford for Samuel to tell anyone. Not even Marcus.”
Hidden Truths (The Hidden Series Book 1) Page 13
