Ride-along (Bounty County Series Book 1)

by Maren Lee

  Justin took immediate notice that she still hadn’t called Avery by name. “No, ma’am.” God, it pained him to be respectful to this bitch. “I let her perform a ‘free air sniff’ of the exterior of the vehicle. Avery alerted on her own.”

  “Have you been trained to work with your companion, Corporal Hunt?”

  “I’m sorry, my what?”

  “Your dog.”

  “She’s not a companion. She’s a drug detection dog.” He was trying so hard not to spontaneously combust.

  “My apologies. Have you been trained to work with your drug detection dog?” She may have fooled everyone else, but Justin could hear her voice dripping with disdain.

  “Yes, I have been trained to work with Avery.”

  “Are you certified?”

  “Yes. I was trained and certified at The K-9 Academy. The same place where Avery was trained.”

  “So you’ve been with her for a while?”

  “I’ve been with her for about a year.”

  “So is it safe to say that she’s really comfortable with you?” Justin knew where this was going.

  “Yes.”

  “Do you reward her when she finds drugs?”

  “Yes, she is rewarded once her alert is confirmed.”

  “Would it be out the question to think that she might false alert just to get rewarded?” Justin scoffed at her question.

  “Yes, ma’am, it would be out of the question. Avery is very well trained.”

  “Has she ever had a false alert?” Justin had heard this line of questioning before, too.

  “Yes, but false alerts are not unusual,” he answered.

  “They’re not unusual? Wow and we still rely on these dogs in order to convict people!” She exclaimed sarcastically.

  “Objection!” Carter chimed in.

  “Sustained. Get to your point, Ms. Bennett,” ruled Judge Corcoran.

  “What is Avery’s false alert rate, Corporal Hunt?” she asked, bitchily.

  “She’s about 89% accurate. Meaning, 89% of the time she alerts, we find drugs where she alerts. She’s very accurate.”

  “But yet still, 11% of the time, she’s wrong.”

  That’s it.

  “Well we can’t all be perfect like you, now can we?” Justin quipped. Lane smirked. Dammit. He did not want to let her get under his skin.

  “I suppose not, Corporal Hunt,” Lane replied. She skipped a beat and then continued on with her questioning. "What does Avery do when she alerts?"

  "She lays down."

  "She lays down?"

  "Yes."

  "So, she could have just been tired?"

  Jesus, this broad. "No. She wasn't laying down because she was tired. She's actively looking for drugs. When she smells them, she lays down where she locates them. There was no question she found something."

  He could tell that Lane knew the game was over. She may be a bitch, but the bitch was smart and knew there was probable cause for the search here.

  Thankfully, Judge Corcoran saw things the same way. After some vigorous oral argument between Lane and Carter, he ruled that Avery’s alert was enough probable cause to issue the warrant and denied the motion to suppress. The coke in the door could be admitted into evidence. Plus one for the prosecution, Avery, and Justin. Zero for the evil harpy.

  This called for a celebration. “Nice work, brother. Way to put the bitch down,” Jake high fived him. Justin went around to the other deputies and spread the word that there was going to be a poker game at his house tonight, 8:00pm sharp. He told the guys to bring their significant others if they were so inclined. He didn't want Chloe to feel left out.

  Chloe came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

  "Good job, handsome. I'm looking forward to game night. I'll be right back, okay?"

  Chloe took off headed toward the witness tables. He had no idea what she was up to. Hopefully, it wasn't anything bad. With Chloe, he could never tell.

  ➰

  Chloe maneuvered as quickly as she could through the sea of defendants and their families to reach Lane before she stepped out of the courthouse. When she finally reached her, she could see the exhaustion and frustration that was building up on Lane’s face. Chloe knew at that moment she had the right idea to invite Lane over for a few cocktails and laughs.

  “Hey, Lane! Wait up a second.” Chloe shouted.

  Lane turned around and smiled at her. It was so refreshing to meet someone in this town that wasn’t from Brenden or Sierra’s group of friends.

  “Hey, Chloe! I hope you aren’t coming up here to rip me a new one for giving Corporal Hunt a hard time. I knew I was going to lose that one, but wanted to get a couple of licks in while I had the chance.” She said it with a hint of a smile. Chloe could tell Lane was ruthless. And she loved it.

  “Are you kidding me, of course not! Everyone has a job to do. I wouldn’t question you on something like that; besides, I like giving him a hard time too, so I can’t blame you. I just came to see if you had a business card or something so I could get a hold of you to hang out sometime?”

  Lane looked at her quizzically. Chloe could tell Lane wasn’t sure if she had ulterior motives or not.

  “Uh, sure, hang on let me grab it.”

  Chloe could feel Justin’s gaze on her from the back of the courtroom. She knew she needed to get going. Fast.

  “Here you go. My cell is on there. Feel free to call, text, you know whatever friends do these days.”

  “Awesome, thank you! I’ll get a hold of you later tonight!” Chloe shoved the business card in her back pocket and took off toward Justin. She could see that he was not impressed with her choice of acquaintances, but Chloe didn’t give a shit. She would befriend anyone she damn well pleased.

  “Okay, I’m ready now.” She tried to head outside before Justin could ask any questions, unfortunately she wasn’t that fast.

  “What the hell was that all about?” Justin demanded

  Oh hell no. He will not control me.

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but I was getting her contact information.”

  “You have a pressing need for a defense attorney, my dear? Do we need to have another conversation?”

  Chloe laughed. “We should probably talk about my sordid criminal past at some point, but honestly, it would be nice to have friends of my own in this town.”

  “Okay, hold that thought. Yes, we should talk about your ‘sordid criminal past.’ But first, I never said you couldn’t have friends, Chloe. While we are still investigating the threats toward you, what you do and who you talk to is my business. I can’t keep you protected on all fronts if you aren’t honest with me, Chlo’.”

  Sonofabitch. The man was right. No sense arguing.

  “You’re right, Justin. I’m sorry for snapping at you. I’ll keep you in the loop, I promise.”

  “Thank you. That’s all I’m asking, baby. Now, what the fuck have you done time for, woman?”

  “Oh, just a little B&E when I was 15. Should be sealed record, though.”

  Justin laughed. “Don’t tell me that’s when you developed a thing for cops?”

  Chloe scrunched up her nose and shook her head. “I’ve never had a thing for cops,” she denied a little too quickly. “You’re my first.”

  “Despite the look on your face right now, I am strangely glad to hear that.” Justin pulled her in for a hug and kissed her forehead.

  “I mean, nothing against cops. Your people have just never been my thing,” Chloe laughed. “Can we swing by the store before we head home? I want to pick up food for the poker game tonight.”

  “Why? I have pizza and beer. That should cover the necessities.”

  “Yes, pizza and beer are a necessity, but not everyone eats pizza and not everyone drinks beer. So please, can we just stop?”

  “All right.” He smiled at her. Damn that smile of his. It was a panty dropper, for sure.

  They headed out the front of the building to
ward Justin’s patrol vehicle. Chloe looked at her cell phone for the first time all day. Holy Shit. 17 missed calls, 3 voicemails. Who in the hell was trying to get a hold of her? Chloe unlocked her phone to view the caller ID, all of the area codes began with 406. All from Montana. None of the numbers were stored in her phone.

  She began listening to her voicemail, the first one was thirty seconds long and nothing but what she assumed was heavy breathing in the background. The second was the same, thirty seconds of nothing but breathing. The third voicemail, however, started with heavy breathing but ended with a low aggressive whisper, like someone was clenching their teeth as they spoke. At first she couldn’t quite make out what was being said, but once she slid into the passenger seat of the vehicle she was able to make sense of the words.

  “You fucking cunt. I told you over and over, you belong to me. If I can’t have you, nobody will.”

  Holy shit. Chloe dropped the phone, she couldn’t fight the urge to shake. She could feel the fear creeping up her throat, feeling like she wanted to scream but couldn’t make a sound. Justin looked over at her when he heard the thump of her phone hitting the floor board.

  “Chloe? Jesus, Chloe? What’s wrong with you? You look as if you saw a ghost, baby.”

  She could barely speak, “He…The messages. They were all from him.”

  “What messages?” Justin demanded.

  Chloe pointed to her phone and began sobbing. Justin pulled over so he could figure out what was going on. He parked the SUV and ran around to Chloe’s side. He opened up the door and pulled her into his arms, “Hey, baby, take a deep breath. It’s okay. You’re safe with me.”

  She continued sobbing and tried to speak at the same time, barely understandable, “I..,I know. But I changed my number…. How did he get my new number? He’s calling from Montana!”

  “Let me see,” Justin picked up her cell phone and scrolled through the missed phone calls. “Listen, I am going to forward this information onto Brenden. We’ll find out where he’s calling from, okay? Let me listen to the voice mails and I’ll get them forwarded to evidence.”

  He looked at her with sweetness and concern in his eyes. Chloe looked away. “Justin, I feel like I keep putting other people in danger. Maybe I should just go? What if he finds me here and hurts you?”

  “Baby, I’m trained to protect and serve. You aren’t going anywhere. You’re staying here and I’m keeping you safe,” he said firmly.

  Chloe managed to choke out, “Okay. Are we still having people over tonight?” He grabbed ahold of her face and wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs.

  “Of course. What stupid motherfucker would attempt to come near a house filled with cops and guns?”

  She laughed and gave him a tight squeeze around his neck. “Thank you for making me feel safe.”

  “You are safe, baby. I promise. We do need to swing by the office now before we go to the store, though, okay?”

  “Okay.” For the first time in over a year she was starting to let herself trust him again. She just hoped to God it wouldn’t come back to bite her in the ass.

  Chapter 10

  After the quick meeting at the Sheriff’s office with Brenden, Chloe had been able to relieve herself from most of the fear she was holding on to.

  Justin hadn’t left her alone at all except to let her go to the bathroom. He wasn’t pushy, but made it very clear that he was there to make her feel safe and actually keep her safe. The entire hour are they were at the grocery store he kept her no further than an arm’s length away. Any time she would look over her shoulder, Justin was right there. He told her that it was his job to do the detective work and bring the muscle, and her job to just enjoy being in the moment. She decided that in order to enjoy it as much as possible, she needed a 12 pack of Shock Top Belgian White in her bloodstream.

  After three hours in the kitchen preparing appetizers and drinks, Chloe was finally able to put her feet up. It was only 6:00PM. She had two whole hours to relax. Shit! Lane! Chloe dug her cell phone out of her pocket and sent Lane a quick invite to the poker game.

  CT: Hey! It’s Chloe. After a long day at court and an exhausting afternoon, Justin and I are having poker night! Plz come?

  LB: Sounds like a blast, but I’m assuming there would be a lot of mixed company who wouldn’t want me there?

  CT: Who gives a damn? I want you here. That’s all that matters.

  LB: Drama. I don’t want to ruin anyone’s night.

  CT: You won’t. It’ll be fun, and if you get here and you hate it you can leave, no questions asked. Let these boys know that you aren’t intimidated by them.

  LB: Easier said than done, but I will try it. It’s been awhile since I’ve been around other people near my age. What time?

  CT: 8:00. You know where Justin lives?

  LB: Yep, small town. I know where almost everyone lives.

  CT: BYOB, there’s plenty of food. See you soon!

  Chloe felt as though her good deed for the day was done. Sure, there might be some repercussions for her omission of inviting Lane, but she would deal with that if it came up. Better to ask for forgiveness than for permission! Or easier anyways… For now, though, she needed to get ready and get her buzz going. Sierra would be here soon enough and she needed to be in the right mindset to handle her crazy-ass cousin.

  ➰

  It seemed like almost every deputy had shown up tonight. Justin was in his element tossing cards around the table, laughing and joking with his buddies. Everyone seemed at ease. He kept a watchful eye on Chloe. She seemed to be having a good time and all of the wives and girlfriends of his buddies liked her. Who wouldn’t? She was the total package. Smart, beautiful, funny, educated. He wondered what the hell she saw in a guy like him.

  She must have felt him staring at her, because she looked over at him with those big, blue lagoon colored eyes, smiled and bit her lower lip. She sure knew how to make him ache in all the right places. He’d give her the attention she deserved later.

  “Earth to Justin?” Jake said, like a jackass.

  Oh shit. He was zoning out for longer than he thought.

  “What’s up?”

  Jake looked over to Chloe who quickly turned red and faced away from him. “I was just wondering if you were done eye fucking your girlfriend over there so we could get back to the game?”

  Laughter burst from everyone. Brenden, Cole, Jake, Wesson, and Smitty all thought it was fucking hilarious. “Sorry to delay the game fellas. It’s hard to keep my eyes off of that fine woman. Which reminds me, Jake, where’s your date?” Laughter erupted again.

  “Ha. Fucking. Ha.” Jake retorted, “Rosy is currently preoccupied with a card game with her five sisters, but she’ll be with me later.”

  Jesus, leave it to Jake to reference his fucking hand.

  A knock on the front door had Justin on alert. Everyone who was invited had already shown up. Who the hell was knocking at his door? Chloe darted quickly toward the entrance, but Justin caught her by the belt loop just in time to pull her back and whisper in her ear, “Hey, speed racer. I know you’re an amazing hostess, but please don’t answer the door alone at a time like this.”

  “Shit, sorry, I should have known better. I’m bad at this ‘being protected’ thing.”

  “That’s okay, darlin’. I’ll spank you for it later.”

  “Promises, promises,” she teased.

  Justin placed Chloe slightly behind him as he opened the door to see Lane Bennett standing on his doorstep with a bottle of wine. You have got to be fucking kidding me.

  “Is there something you forgot to ask me or my ‘companion’ today?”

  “No. Uh....” Lane replied, looking at Chloe for help.

  “Okay, well, I’m having a hard time figuring out why the fuck you're standing on my doorstep?”

  “Justin!” Chloe threw an elbow into his ribs.

  “Ouch! Fuck!”

  “I invited Lane. Quit being so rude and let her in.” />
  “Hold on a moment, you invited her? Why? Why didn’t you ask me?”

  “I didn’t realize I needed to ask your permission to invite a beautiful, successful, friendly woman to your house?”

  “That’s not the point. We don’t socialize with her kind.”

  Chloe glared at him. “You got something against gingers?”

  Lane laughed. Jake did not find it funny. “No. Defense attorneys, Chloe. We don’t mix well.”

  “Let me clear things up. Lane, are you here on business or pleasure.”