by Lee Rose
“Okay they’re slowing down.” Logan’s voice brought him out of his thoughts. Gabe got the night vision goggles out and got them ready. Logan pulled onto the side of the road and turned his lights off. They waited and saw the truck stop in an open field. The farmhouse was deep into the property and they probably never knew the men were meeting there. Gabe watched as another truck pulled up to them and one man got out. He looked out of place driving an old rusty truck yet dressed in a dark colored business suit. Logan took a few pictures of the transaction and the men.
The two men from the campground threw the duffel bag into the back of the second truck. The man unzipped it and Gabe could see blocks wrapped in brown shipping paper. He then handed the two guys a small black gym bag.
“Must be money,” Logan guessed as he took more pictures.
It didn’t take more than a few minutes for the whole exchange to be over and they were leaving. Logan waited a few minutes until they left before starting the car and heading back to Appledale where Gabe reported in to Ryan.
* * * *
The next afternoon the five of them had a meeting in Ryan’s office. “This man is Ray Cantrell,” Ryan said, pointing to a picture of the well-dressed man handing over the money for the drugs. He had placed the picture on a board in his office. “The sheriff in St. Clair identified him. The other three guys that are here in Appledale must be flunkies collecting the drugs for him. Lou Smith, Rick Riley, and Harry Riley hand over the drugs to Cantrell and get paid. They have a rap sheet a mile long for petty crimes. Maybe this is their entry into bigger crimes.”
“Shit!” Harrison huffed angrily, pacing the room. “Cantrell is a known big-time drug dealer who usually works out of Chicago. If he’s involved then this is no small-time amateur operation like we thought, boys. Cantrell has a rap sheet miles longer than the other three. The DEA has wanted his ass for a long time now but he keeps getting away with any charges by making witnesses disappear.”
The rest of them looked worried and Gabe said a silent thankful prayer that Karissa had gotten away from them that night. They would not have hesitated to kill her or Toby in a heartbeat. Suddenly all he wanted to do was hold Karissa and feel her warmth as he wrapped his arms around her. As soon as this meeting was over he’d go to Thorn’s just to satisfy his need to make sure she was okay. He was so in love with her but he could feel she still held part of herself back, probably scared he’d take off again. He was never leaving her but it would take time to convince her of that. At least she had given him a second chance and he’d do all he could to convince her to stay with him.
“I’ll call the DEA in on this one. We’ll need them,” Ryan said wearily. “If we don’t bust all of them, they’ll just move on to the next little town. Man I hate this. If he works out of Chicago, why come our way?”
“We’ll get them, Ryan. We have too many loved ones in this town and we’ll protect them, I’m not about to let down all the people of this town, including our own families.” Ethan said the words in a vow. “Thank God Karissa found Toby that night and was smart enough to get away from them. I want these assholes off the streets before it gets worse.”
“Do you think anyone from Appledale is involved?” Logan asked what they were all thinking.
It was quiet for a few minutes then Ryan answered sadly, “I’d love to say no way, but money is a powerful motivator. It’s possible someone from here gives them information for money. They know the woods pretty well so we better keep all this low-key for now, we don’t want to spook them. Let Kari know not to let the boys wander off too far without scaring her too much and Gabe you’re watching Karissa right?”
Gabe nodded, feeling anxious to go and see her. She was at work tonight and she promised to meet him at his house once her shift was over but he couldn’t wait that long. He’d be a nervous wreck worrying about her safety all night.
The meeting ended and Harrison and Ryan stayed behind to call in some of Harrison’s contacts and see what their next move would be.
Gabe had Logan drop him off at Thorn’s. Logan had a date there anyway and didn’t mind. The music was loud and it was crowded for a Thursday evening. Gabe headed straight for the bar where Karissa worked. When she waved and smiled at him with surprise he felt all the weight of the bad news lifting off his shoulders and he sighed with relief. She brought him over a beer and set it in front of him. “Off duty, deputy?”
He nodded with a flirty smile, feeling at ease flirting with her. “Needed to see my beautiful girl’s smile. I missed her.”
Karissa blushed and winked at him. “You say the sweetest things. Tom said I can leave early tonight. Seth, the other bartender, came in to work after all.” She went off to wait on other customers. He liked when she left her silky hair down her back but so did other men. He noticed a lot of them checking her out in her tight denim jeans and black tank top that said Thorn’s in silver letters. He wanted to stand up and publicly shout, “She is mine, so hands and eyes off.” Somehow he didn’t think Karissa would appreciate it, though. So he sat watching her work and counting the minutes until her shift ended and they could go home.
On the way home she noticed his quietness, not that he was all that talkative, but he was quiet, even for Gabe. “Is something wrong? Did something happen?”
He smiled at her and shook his head. “Sorry, sweetheart, things at work are heating up and my head is jumbled with so many different thoughts.”
“Our bad guys?” She tensed up, tightening her hands on the wheels as she remembered the terror of that night. “Should I be worried?”
Gabe hesitated, not sure how to answer her question yet. “Let’s talk at home okay, honey?”
Once they got to his house they sat in the living room. He pulled her soft body into his, needing her warmth and calming presence. No matter what went on in the world Karissa could make him feel peace and hope. He told her a little about the drug smuggling ring without giving too much detail away. The last thing he wanted was for her to spend every day in terror. He’d take care of her and make sure those assholes never touched her.
“I’m just upset. If something had happened to you and Toby that night I don’t know what I would have done.”
She snuggled up to him, loving the feel of his hard muscled body and the way he wrapped his arms around her, making her feel so feminine and cherished. “But we’re okay thanks to you. With all of you working on this case, I know you’ll stop them. Appledale is our home with all of our families and friends. The last thing we need is drug dealers messing that up. Will Toby be okay? I’m more worried about him. He saw both men.”
He squeezed her closer to him, feeling proud in the confidence she had in him and his friends to keep the town safe, and he would do everything in his power to see that she wasn’t disappointed. “Ethan is talking with Kari right now, maybe he’ll convince her to go back to St. Louis temporarily. With those guys wandering around our town, you can run into them anywhere and that worries me the most. We’re all patrolling the town more often, including Harrison. Ryan suggested Ethan’s self-defense students take turns walking the streets in the evenings just to make sure things stay quiet for the residents.”
Karissa shuddered in fear, remembering that frightening night. “I don’t want to see those jerks, believe me. But it sounds like you all have everything under control and I’m surrounded by so many people at the bar. Rex and Tom and lots of the guys there would never let those assholes near me.”
Gabe didn’t want to talk about his worries anymore. He wanted to spend the night showing Karissa how much he loved her. If he couldn’t say the words out loud yet he could do it with his lovemaking.
He kissed her earlobe and felt her shiver. He moved her silky hair aside and nipped her skin softly at her neck and shoulder with his teeth. Slowly he removed her blouse and bra, this time lacy and sunshine yellow. “Thank God Liz opened a store in town. Us men should give her an award or something,” he stated softly, making her giggle and agree. He l
eaned down and sucked on her nipple, swirling his tongue around until she tightened her hands in his hair and moaned loudly. “You always make me feel so good, Gabe.”
He stood up with her. Standing in front of each other, they removed all their clothes slowly like a striptease that would heighten their arousal as each patch of skin was revealed slowly. She was so beautiful. She took his breath away with her full breasts and rosy nipples begging for his attention, her slim waist and curvy hips and plump ass. He sat back down on the couch with her straddling his lap. He was hard and ready to go but he wanted his woman excited and wet. He wanted to concentrate on making Karissa explode with desire.
Karissa twined her arms around his neck and leaned back so he could suck on her nipples some more, increasing the pressure until she got wetter and wetter. She felt Gabe’s hand between her legs, finding her hot and wet with need. He inserted his fingers in her pussy pumping them in and out until she was writhing in passion and trembling with anticipation of what he could make her feel.
Gabe lifted her up and slid her back down on his hard cock, filling her completely but giving her time to adjust to his cock being inside her. She leaned into him until their chests were touching skin to skin, loving the closeness she felt with Gabe. Not just physically but emotionally too. No one else had ever reached her emotionally like Gabriel Wilson. She loved feeling his arms wrapped around her like a safe shelter. She had never felt so cherished and loved. She looked into his brown eyes and gave him a joyful smile that made his breath quicken. “You make me feel like a sexy goddess, Gabe, when I know I’m just an average woman.”
“Average is one thing you are not, baby. You are the sexiest woman I have ever known and you burn me up alive. You’re all mine,” he kissed her lush pink lips, devouring her and possessing her mouth. He grabbed her ass cheeks so he could plunge in and out of her while she hung on to his shoulders burying her face in his shoulder and inhaling his wild earthy scent. She leaned down and bit his neck, making him groan, then licked the spot softly, not wanting the moment to end quickly.
He went hard and fast, plunging in and out of her pussy, deliberately driving her wild with his need, his hunger that blazed out of control. It didn’t take long for the shock wave to start through both their bodies until they exploded together and screamed out their release in unison.
“I could stay here forever and die a happy man,” he whispered, nuzzling her cheek softly feeling the trembles going through his body.
Karissa giggled, loving the feel of them being connected still. She didn’t want to move yet. She felt sleepy but satisfied to be in her lover’s arms. “How would we eat or pay bills?”
Gabe groaned pulling on her hair playfully. “You’re ruining my fantasy, woman.”
“Sorry. I’ll sit here and be quiet, oh Lord and Master,” she teased him, putting her head on his shoulder and letting out a satisfied sigh. She loved this man, there was no fighting it or pretending she didn’t feel it but she didn’t want to ruin the moment by getting into such a serious discussion.
“That’s more like it.” He grinned, rubbing her back up and down softly with his hands and not wanting to let her go yet. He wanted a future with her. The whole deal, marriage, kids and happily ever after. Would she believe and trust in him if he told her he loved her and would never stop? Especially given their history? Having his woman in his arms again was the best feeling in the world and this time he would do whatever it took to keep her there. He fell asleep with his arms wrapped tightly around her. Tomorrow they would talk.
Gabe held a sleeping Karissa in his arms that night and thought about asking her to marry him. He wanted to be the one who fulfilled her dreams of a home filled with love and children. He wished he had thought that way all those years ago but settling down was the last thing he had wanted back then. Now he craved it, but with Karissa only. He had been with plenty of women over the years but none had inspired the deep feelings he felt around Karissa, not just physically. She reached down into his lonely soul and gave him joy and peace. She was a beautiful woman inside and out and he was determined to keep her.
Chapter 10
Karissa sat at Ally’s Diner. It was already closed to the public for the day but Lacy had kept it open for them so they could have some girl time alone. Casey, Karissa, Stella, Liz, and Lacy all sat around with the two babies. Kari and Ken had decided to cut their vacation time short and take the boys home to St. Louis. Ethan had explained a little of what was going on with the drug dealers so naturally Kari was afraid for Toby’s safety. But she promised to come back later in the summer. Everyone was tense with the drug dealers running around town and Karissa and the others noticed that Logan and Gabe had passed by the diner already several times. Ethan even had some of his best students from his self-defense class patrolling the streets in the evening and making sure none of the women or elderly residents were harmed. People were used to strolling the streets in the evening hours since it normally was a quiet and peaceful town. It was impossible to hide everything from the town gossipers, so Ryan had let a few things leak out like someone was bringing drugs around without causing a big panic.
“I’m surprised one of the men isn’t posted at the door,” Stella joked, looking out the window. It was a hot and sunny day but it felt good to sit in the air conditioned diner and relax. “I tried walking to the bank alone yesterday after work and Logan escorted me all the way to the front door and inside. Made me feel like I was in high school again.”
Lacy sighed and looked down into Lily’s chubby little face. Lily looked like a miniature Stella with her pale skin and dark hair and Lacy kissed her soft cheek. “I’m sure they would have if it wouldn’t have seemed so obvious we were all meeting here today. I had a hard time letting Ryan agree to us hanging out here even for a few hours. Ally had to intervene and tell him we’d be safe in here with the doors locked and the shades down.”
Liz laughed along with the other girls. “Our men, we got to love them and their overprotectiveness.” She held Jonathon, who was sleeping like an angel, in her arms. “I’d like a boy first, I think. Look at him, he is so adorable.” She cooed quietly over Jonathon. She couldn’t wait to be a mom. Her parents were also thrilled with the coming baby and promised to be by her side no matter what. She had grown so much closer to them since she had met Ethan. Ethan helped her repair their relationship and now she no longer held everything inside, afraid to speak up. “But Ethan wants a girl. I guess it doesn’t matter since we both want two or three kids.”
“Wait until you have to change his diaper.” Karissa sipped on a glass of iced tea and dug into a piece of Ally’s homemade pie, trying to keep a serious face and not laugh. “All thoughts of adorable fly out the window.”
Casey gasped playfully at her little sister with mock anger. “Shame on you, Aunty Rissa, for saying anything bad about your only nephew.”
Stella laughed, looking over at Lacy who was holding Lily in her arms. Lily was wide awake and was looking around the café with bright-eyed interest. “You should have seen Lacy trying to change Lily’s diaper not too long ago. I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants.”
Lacy nodded, cooing at her goddaughter. She and Liz shared the honor of being Lily’s godmothers. “I love my goddaughter so much, but boy, that stuff smells foul. Ryan wouldn’t even come in the room. He stayed downstairs hiding, afraid I’d ask him for help.”
The girls laughed and talked about all the babies for a while. Then Liz brought up Gabe and Karissa.
“Gabe looks so happy, Rissa, so much more relaxed,” Liz said, giving Karissa a smile. “I’m glad you two got back together. When Ethan and I were having such a rocky path getting together a few months back, Gabe was a real friend to me. He’s one of the good guys, but he always seemed so lonely.”
Karissa smiled back, feeling warm and gooey inside whenever she thought of Gabe. It was getting harder and harder to keep her heart from getting involved. Gabe was sneaking in there with his kindness and masculine
sex appeal. “He is a good man, always has been. We were just too young before, but I didn’t see it that way back then. I was too hurt to see past our sudden breakup, but now that I’m older I understand things better.”
Liz smiled in understanding. “I had a tense relationship with my parents. They have always been so busy I thought they didn’t love me but now I see it in a more mature view. They had no idea how hurt I felt because I was too afraid to be honest with them. Just keep the communication line open with Gabe and you two will be okay.”
Karissa smiled. “I’m so happy right now but I’m also scared the rug will be pulled from under me again. Is that normal or am I just being too insecure.”
“With our upbringing, it’s a normal reaction. Poor Roy had his work cut out for him when we first started dating. Thank God he never gave up on me. Our relationship wasn’t easy and smooth but whose is? It takes work to be happy.” Casey added her own point of view. “But it’s so worth it, Karissa. To have someone you love and that will love you and take care of you back is the best feeling in the world. Life doesn’t come with guarantees but we have to hold on to happiness where we can.”
Stella nodded. “I agree with you, Casey. Stanley and Lily make facing any obstacle in my life worthwhile. I’ve never been happier with my life. We waited years to get pregnant and I cherish each moment good or bad. Now my two best friends here had to be all dramatic about getting their men, jeez.”
Karissa looked at Lacy and Liz with curiosity, wanting to hear what she had missed while she was gone. She had a feeling these girls had a story to tell. “So what’s the story, girls, don’t keep me in suspense.”
