He proceeded to tell them about the note and picture that was taped to the windshield. “Whoever put it there, and I am leaning toward Martin because of his threats toward Nora, made it pretty clear that they are coming after her because of me.”
“How could they know she’s tied to you? They didn’t know that at first. I thought we agreed to be careful not to let them find out,” Kent asked once again narrowing his eyes at Jed. Was that all he ever did, I thought rolling my eyes.
“In the picture they sent me, it was pretty clear that she and I are together,” Jed told him.
“I want to see it,” Kent demanded.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Jed told him.
“Didn’t you give it to the police?” I asked him, turning my head to look up at him.
“No, I showed it to them and they copied down the message and then let me keep it,” Jed said. Usually that wasn’t standard procedure, but those officers had known Jed and knew that he was on this case. Besides, it wasn’t exactly the type of picture Jed wanted circulated around work and knowing those guys it would have been posted everywhere.
“Is it really that bad?” I asked Jed curious.
“You haven’t seen it?” Kent inquired sitting forward on the couch.
“No, Jed wouldn’t let me,” I admitted, still a little bit miffed about that.
“I want to see it Greyson, and now,” Kent insisted standing up.
Tilting me to the side, Jed pulled his wallet out before settling me back against him.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he told Kent. “Don’t let Nora see it though.”
“Hey!” I protested.
“I’m not stupid,” Kent said, opening the picture from where Jed had folded it to fit it in his wallet. “Nora!”
“What?” I asked offended that Kent was upset. I knew that the picture probably showed us kissing. Hopefully it wasn’t really clear.
“His hands are …!.”
“Like I said, Barton, I didn’t think it would be a good idea for you to see it. Read the writing,” Jed said interrupting Kent’s ranting.
How embarrassing! I thought blushing hotly, I had a pretty good idea what that picture must show.
“But your…” Kent stopped and started again, trying to concentrate on reading the message at the bottom and not on the picture.
“I want this guy! How dare he!”
“My sentiments exactly,” Jed said. “Now do you see why I called this meeting?”
“What’s your plan?” Kent asked, handing the picture back to Jed, but not before giving me a look that promised we would be talking about it later.
“We need to watch ourselves. Ollie has already been abducted once. Nora has a threat out for her, and we found another body. We need to do some pretty heavy duty investigating in the next couple of days. I don’t want this to go on much longer. I’ve been thinking about it, and I think I know a way we can move things along.”
Ollie leaned back and turned off the TV. “Ok, were ready. What is it?”
“I think that Kent, being a member of the country club should try to get into this secret society. Maybe he can get inside and find out more about it. We need a name, a contact, and the person at the school who is in charge. What do you guys think?”
“I like it,” Kent said right away. “Do you think I should post it on the board? How do you think I should get invited to a meeting?”
“I think someone at this school must belong to it. It sounds like it’s by invitation for country club members only. I would just spread the word that you are doing bad in a class and need to get a good grade on your final term paper in order to pass.”
“That shouldn’t be too hard. I have class with almost every one of the guys whose family belongs to the club.”
“Good, and Nora can drop little hints around school also.”
“I’ll start by telling my friend Gabby tonight. I promised I would call her. I hate to use my friend like that, but if she tells Chris her boyfriend, it should be around school by lunch time tomorrow.”
“Sounds like a great guy,” Jed said.
“I don’t really know him that well,” I admitted. “I just know that Gabby really likes him. I haven’t seen her much lately, now that she is going out with Chris. They seem to always be together.”
“I haven’t heard from my friend about any of the guys selling papers yet,” Ollie said. “I’ll call Jimmy tonight. If anyone would know it would be him. He is always looking for ways to make extra money.”
“Ok, let’s all keep our eyes and ears posted. Hopefully we will know something before we meet for dinner on Friday,” Jed said.
“I better get home,” Charlotte said, “I have a Chemistry test tomorrow that I have got to study for.”
“Ok,” Kent said getting up and giving Charlotte his hand to pull her up. “I’ll drive you home. Ollie? Can we give you a ride home too? I know Nora has to take Jed back to get his motorcycle.”
“That would be great, thanks Kent,” Ollie said gathering his things. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” he waved to Jed and I.
As I started to get up Jed held on tighter. “Wait a minute,” he whispered in my ear. “I want to talk to you about something.”
“Ok,” I said feeling little flutters of nervousness hit my stomach. “See you guys tomorrow. See you back at the house in a little bit Kent,” I waved.
“You better be right behind us,” Kent said pointedly, giving Jed a glare.
“I have something I need to discuss, and then we will lock up,” Jed told him.
“See that you make it quick,” Kent said finally walking out the door. We sat quietly together until we heard the Escape start up and then drive off.
As soon as they left Jed started trailing his hand up and down my arm, he brushed aside my hair and kissed my neck. “I could get used to this,” he said.
Sighing, I leaned back into him. Turning me, so that we were face-to-face, Jed gently pushed me back into the couch cushions and leaned over me. “What are you doing?” I asked breathlessly, putting my hands against his chest. We were truly all alone in this room. I know Jed had said he respected my values, but he wasn’t acting like it right now. I was starting to get a little nervous.
“I just want to kiss you for a minute before we talk. Kiss. That’s all.”
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” I said quietly, lost in the look in his dark eyes. They looked very intense. Jed seemed to have iron self control, but I didn’t.
Slowly he lowered himself so that his chest was just inches from mine. Kissing me deeply, he lightly ran his hands up and down my sides. I moaned, my hands winding their way around his neck. Abruptly, he drew back.
“You’re right. Not a good idea.”
Sitting up he got up and walked over to the other couch. Leaning on the armrest, he stared down at the floor for a few minutes to get a hold of himself. Finally he said, “I wanted to talk to you about your dad and our relationship. I’m not going to hide it from him. I want to see you and be with you. I’m not afraid of him, like some other guys may have been. He won’t keep me from seeing you.”
Hearing Jed talk like that, it made me realize once again, how much more mature and older Jed seemed than most other guys our age. I didn’t want to hide it any more than he did. “You’re right. You’re a great guy; I know he’ll come around soon. I just didn’t want him to scare you off. He can be pretty intense sometimes.”
Jed gave me an equally intense look. “I can guarantee that I won’t be scared off. Neither your dad nor your brother can stop me from seeing you. Would you like me to show you again what I mean by that?”
“No, no that’s not necessary,” I said holding up my hands with a grin. “I believe you made your point quite nicely already.”
“Nicely, huh?” he said with a grin.
“You know you did,” I told him blushing.
“I also wanted to talk about how worried I am about you. Martin knows who you are n
ow. He knows where to find you. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“I know you don’t and trust me neither do I,” I said still sitting on the couch. “I promise that I won’t go anywhere by myself. I don’t go around looking for trouble, you know.”
“It just has a way of finding you,” Jed said with a resigned grin. “Why is that by the way?”
“I don’t know, honestly. It’s like I’m a magnet for trouble,” I complained.
“If I didn’t already know you were a magnet, I would now. Agreeing to be my girl is probably not the smartest thing you’ve ever done. I’m definitely not good for you. How did you let this happen?” he teased.
“Me let it happen?” I said, playing along.
“Yes,you. You’ve gotten under my skin somehow,” he said getting off the arm of the couch and walking towards me. Giving me a tender kiss, he took my hand and pulled me towards the door. “And on that note, I think it is time we get out of here. No need to tempt fate.”
As I followed him out of the building and into the night air, the cooler air hit me in the face. It reminded me that I was walking away from Jed’s warmth and the warmth I feel being with him. Not that I didn’t know deep down that I had to put some distance between us. I just didn’t want to walk back into reality yet.
On the way back to where we had left his bike, we were silent. Jed took my hand and we just sat there listening to music softly playing. I didn’t want this night to end. On one hand it had been a nightmare, and on the other it had been a wonderful romantic date with this tough handsome man sitting next to me. I had only known him for such a small amount of time. It felt like it was an eternity. I felt like I had known him my whole life.
We pulled into the parking lot quicker than I wanted. His bike was still sitting there right where he had left it, seemingly untouched.
“It looks like nobody touched your motorcycle,” I remarked.
“It was safe here. I know the owner. He said he would keep an eye on it,” Jed explained. On one of Jed’s calls as a rookie deputy he had responded to a B & E in progress. Jed and his partner had not only stopped the crime and arrested the burglar, but had also stayed with the older man who started having chest pain because of the scare. Jed had helped him clean up the shop and shut things down, while they waited for the ambulance. The man was very grateful and ever since that day, Jed stopped by often to say hi. All the local thugs knew that the police frequented the little shop and so they pretty much left it alone now.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Jed said, leaning over to give me a quick kiss before getting out of the Camaro. I got out and walked around to the driver’s side.
“Thank you for a wonderful evening,” I told Jed sincerely. Wanting to say more, but suddenly shy, I ducked my head and said, “Also, thank you for respecting my beliefs.”
Knowing I meant his restraint back at the school Jed smiled. “You’re welcome,” he said tapping me lightly on my nose. “Your faith is starting to grow on me. Now get in the car. I’m not leaving until I watch you drive away. Promise me, you’ll go straight home.”
“I will,” I said getting back into the car. As I pulled out of the lot, I looked back in the mirror and saw Jed leaning against the seat; arms crossed waiting for me to go. Grinning, I pulled away thinking how much I was falling for Jedediah Greyson.
Chapter 19
“I can’t believe it,” Gabby said the next morning as we met for coffee before school. I had called her last night after I got home, but she was out with Chris and so suggested we meet for coffee to catch up. “Kent always gets good grades. How could he be failing a class?”
“Well, he’s not failing yet, but he needs to ace his final term paper in English. He hates English class, so he hasn’t been trying his hardest,” I explained having a harder time than I thought lying to her.
“I know the feeling,” Gabby said taking a sip of her steaming cappuccino. “I don’t know how Chris does it. He’s getting straight A’s in all his classes. He always seems to be busy. If we aren’t talking or going out somewhere, he is with doing something else. When does he find the time? Why can’t school be that easy for me?”
“It’s the same with me. This last week has been a challenge staying up on my work. Ever since we went on that field trip for social studies, my life hasn’t been the same.”
“You mean now that you and Jed are an item?” Gabby teased.
“How did you know?” I pretended to gasp.
Laughing, Gabby said, “Could it have been the time Jed walked into our prom committee meeting, totally dissed Vanessa and tired to kiss you silly? Or was it the time I saw you two walking down the hall together after social studies with his arms around you whispering sweet nothings in your ear?”
“It wasn’t sweet nothings,” I protested good-naturedly.
“Ah! So you admit it,” Gabby squealed.
“What about you and Chris?” I asked changing the focus back to her. “It seems like you are getting pretty serious about him.”
“Actually, it’s weird. I enjoy his company and he is pretty good looking, but he doesn’t... I don’t know make me feel.. What’s the word I’m looking for.. passionate. That’s it. I want a guy like Jed, tough, mature, and sexy; who just inspires passionate feelings. Is that so much to ask?”
Now that I knew the difference, I could see her point. “So why are you still with Chris?” I asked her slowly sipping at my drink.
“I do like him, don’t get me wrong. He asked me to prom too. Is that shallow of me? I want to have a date to our senior prom. If I break up with him now, that means I will probably be going alone,” she asked.
“You don’t always have to be passionately in love with someone,” I reminded her. “If you enjoy being with him, then there is nothing wrong with that.”
“You’re right. Who knows, maybe I will feel differently after prom. It is supposed to be the most romantic night of our whole seventeen years. Right?”
“Actually eighteen for me,” I said grinning. “Our birthday is coming up in a little over two weeks,” I reminded her, speaking about mine and Kent’s shared birthday.
“You are so lucky. My birthday isn’t until summer. Speaking of summer, did you see that flyer going around about that trip the science club is sponsoring?”
“No, what about it?” I asked interested.
“I’m not really sure. Apparently there’s going to be some sort of trip out of state for a few weeks in the summer. I haven’t seen it myself, but overheard people talking about it yesterday.”
“Find out more about it. Maybe it would be worth going to,” I suggested intrigued. A trip away from all this sounded heavenly.
As we finished our drinks, I got a text from Jed saying, “Where R U?”
I replied, “With Gabby for coffee.” Before I could put my phone back in my purse, it was vibrating again with another message.
“Don’t go off alone.” Rolling my eyes, I quickly typed back. “Thanks, I remember that from last night.”
“Just making sure,” he replied.
“Who’s that?” Gabby asked.”Kent?”
“No, it’s Jed just wondering where I am. Kent must have gotten to school and Jed noticed I wasn’t with him like I usually am.”
“We better get to school. Good thing it’s just around the corner,” Gabby said as we walked out of the coffee shop. “See you there,” she waved getting into her car.
Walking the couple steps to my car, a weird feeling suddenly raised the hairs on the back of my neck and made my heart start racing. Quickly I glanced around, but I didn’t see anyone. I opened the door and climbed in immediately locking the doors behind me. Turning the key, I glanced around and saw a dark car, parked on the other side of the lot, start up and slowly start inching toward me.
Hurrying, I put the car in gear and pulled out of the parking space as fast as the tight quarters would allow. Turning right, I headed for school. Glancing back in my rear view mirror, I could see the
car following me at a distance. Heart still pounding, I turned into the school parking lot watching to see what the car did. It slowly kept driving, until it turned into a drive at the other end of the school. Then it crept toward this side of the parking lot. Clearly, whoever it was, was waiting for me to get out of my car.
As soon as I found a parking space, I pulled out my phone and dialed Jed. He answered right away. “Hi. You here?”
“Jed! I think someone is following me. They are still in the parking lot coming toward me. I think the person is waiting for me to get out of the car.”
“Lock the doors and stay there. I’m on my way. Where are you parked?”
“I am in the row just west of the entrance. Maybe twenty cars down.”
“Ok, I see you. I am in the courtyard. Stay on the phone. Give me a description of the car.”
I couldn’t see Jed yet. I knew he was coming for me, but I was still nervous. Straining to see where the dark car was, I said, “It’s a dark color, the windows are tinted. I think it has four doors. I can’t see it now.”
“Hold on a second while I look for it,” Jed said. I could tell by the sound of his voice that he was running now.
“I got it! It’s heading your way. I want you to get down in your seat. Do not stick your head up until I tell you it is clear. Do you understand me?” Jed practically shouted into the phone.
“Ok, I am getting down now,” I said getting unbuckled and scooting down in my seat so that I wasn’t visible.
“I am almost there. Don’t worry. I am going to hang up the phone now because I want to try to see who it is. I will be right here,” Jed must have hit disconnect because suddenly all I heard was the sound of my racing heart.
A few minutes later I heard the sound of tires squealing out of the parking lot. I was so relieved that I wasn’t prepared for Jed to knock on the window. I jumped at the sound. “It’s me,” Jed said through the glass.
Hurriedly I unlocked the door and climbed out, into Jed’s waiting arms. “Who was it? Did you see him?” I asked as Jed squished me up into a big bear hug.
“Yeah, I saw him,” Jed said. “And he saw me. Come on, let’s get inside. It was definitely Martin. He left as soon as he saw me heading your way.”
Undercover Justice Page 19
