Taking Hunter’s statement, Mitch nodded toward Ginny and said, “You go to Belle’s to talk to Brittany.”
Colt added, “I want Deputy Tina Blackwell to go as well.” He nodded to his female deputy, who nodded in return and moved toward Ginny. “And I’ve called Annette Porter, a counselor from Child Protective Services to meet you there. She might already be at Belle’s. If you need to wait on her before questioning Brittany, then do so.”
Hunter turned and called out, “Let Belle stay with her when she gives her statement. She’s the only one Brittany trusts right now.”
“Got it,” Ginny replied, as she and Tina walked to her patrol SUV.
A black car came swerving into the lane and Melvin Smith, the park owner, jumped out, his face red with rage. He stalked up to Colt and Mitch, saying, “I want them out. All of them. Every last troublemaker. How can I make this happen?”
Colt said, “You got a clause in their lease that says you can terminate if their behavior is destructive or illegal?”
Blinking, Melvin nodded. “Yes, but until now, they never been bad enough for me to fight that battle.”
“Well, today’s your lucky day,” Colt drawled. “The people in at least four of these residences are being arrested as we speak.”
The ire in Melvin’s face eased and he sucked in a deep breath. “Then they’ll have their leases terminated immediately.” He turned and looked at the gathering crowd of park residents standing in the area. Raising his voice, he called out, “And this serves as a warning. I’m already working with the County Board of Supervisors as well as the Baytown Town Council. New health and safety ordinances are being drawn up and if I find violators, you’ll be evicted as well. I want this place to be a safe environment!”
He was met with applause from most of the gathering and a few guilty expressions on a few others. Turning back to the law enforcers, he nodded before moving back to his car.
Colt’s deputies were hauling the handcuffed men from the trailer and front yard and Zac was inside treating Brittany’s mom under a deputy’s watchful eye before they could safely transport her to the hospital for drug treatment, since she would be under arrest at the same time.
Colt, Mitch, and Grant looked at the man being placed in the sheriff's SUV before swinging their gazes, in unison, back to Hunter.
Colt’s lips twitched and he asked, “You wanna tell me how that guy got a black eye and busted nose?”
“He tripped,” he replied. “Must be an uncoordinated fuck along with all the things you can charge him with.”
Mitch and Grant, unable to hold back their grins, just shook their heads.
Colt said, “You gonna be a problem?”
His insides easing for the first time since getting Belle’s call that evening, he shook his head. “Nah, just thorough.” Sighing, he asked, “What’s the protocol for Brittany?”
“Annette’s the best. Great counselor. The county’s got some good foster families, a few of them trained as therapeutic foster parents. She’ll make sure Brittany is well placed and well cared for.”
“Will Belle be able to see her, check up on her?”
“I’ll let them know she’s on the approved list.”
Nodding, he glanced around. “You all have this, I’m outta here. I’ll come into the station, talk to you tomorrow.”
He watched Colt nod and, with his own goodbye to the others, he jogged back down the street, bypassing his camper and going directly to Belle’s.
Hesitating at the door for a few seconds, he wondered if he should knock or let the women inside finish what they needed to do. Before he had a chance to ponder further, the door opened and he was greeted by Belle, relief evident on her face.
Throwing open the screen door for him, she whispered, “Come on in.”
He stepped into her living room, seeing Brittany still sitting on the sofa with Belle’s afghan around her shoulders. Ginny was sitting in a chair in front of her, while Tina was on the other side, still taking notes. Annette was on the sofa next to Ginny, speaking softly to her. He shot his gaze to the side, observing Belle motioning for him to follow her to the kitchen.
Her face scrunched in fear, she whispered, “They’re just finishing up. She wasn’t touched but her mother threatened to pimp her out to more than one man—”
He placed his hands on her shoulders and drew her close. Wrapping one hand behind her back and cupping the back of her head with the other, he held her against his chest. Leaning down, he whispered, “We got ‘em. Colt and Mitch, they hauled them away. Throwing the book at ‘em, sweetheart. She’s got nothing to worry about with them.”
She tilted her head back to stare into his face. Licking her lips, her voice still breathy, “Oh, God, thank you, thank you, Hunter. You’ve saved her—”
He shook his head, interrupting, “No, babe, you’ve got that wrong. You saved her.”
“But—”
“No buts about it. You befriended her a long time ago, gave her a safe place to come, a safe place to talk. And tonight, you recognized that she needed intervention and you called me. Babe, it’s all you. Because of you, that young girl can rest easy tonight and for a fuckin’ long time after tonight.”
He watched as a tear slid down her cheek and she sucked in a ragged breath. He lifted his thumb and gently wiped it away, bending down to kiss her forehead.
“Belle?”
He dropped his arms as Brittany called softly from the other side of the room. He hoped he offered a little strength back to her so that she could now do what she needed to do for Brittany.
Belle whirled around and rushed over, dropping to her knees in front of Brittany.
“Yeah, honey?”
“They want me to go live with someone else right now. I don’t know what to do.”
She glanced at Annette, who gave a nearly imperceptible nod. Turning her attention back to Brittany, she said, “You’ve been handling things on your own for a long time, and now it’s time to let some others help you. Ms. Porter knows some really good families, Brittany. Much better than you or I had, and they can give you what your mom couldn’t. Stability. Care. Even fun, sweetie.”
“What’ll happen to Mom?”
She opened her mouth, but snapped it shut quickly, realizing she had no idea what to tell her. Her gaze jumped to Ginny, who said, “Brittany, your mom needs help. She needs help with getting clean and she’ll have to face responsibility for certain actions.”
“Is she going to jail?” Brittany asked, more tears forming in her eyes.
“Right now, she’s being transported to the hospital,” Ginny continued. “Once she’s better, there will be charges pending.”
Sucking in her lips, Brittany looked back at her, “So, this foster thing. What do you think?”
Taking Brittany’s hands in hers, she said, “I think you need a change. I think you need to let someone take care of you now. I think Ms. Porter will make sure that happens and put you with a family that knows how to love and has a lot of love to give.”
“Can I still see you?”
Receiving a nod from Annette, she smiled a tearful smile, and said, “Every chance we can.”
A few minutes later, after more hugs between them, she stood back and watched as Annette and Tina escorted her outside. Ginny hung back and offered her a hug, saying, “You did fabulous, Belle. I’ve known Brittany through the AL ball teams and even took her home a few times, but never had a cause to step in. I’m so thankful she had you.”
By the time Ginny left and the door closed behind her, Hunter barely made it to her before she collapsed in his arms.
Hunter carried Belle to the sofa and sat with her on his lap. Wrapping his arms around her again, he let her cry, knowing the tears were as much for Brittany as they were for her own childhood memories.
After a few minutes, she calmed to sniffles, her breath hitching several times. He leaned over and snagged some tissues from the end table and handed them to her. She cleaned her fa
ce and then looked at him, shaking her head slightly.
“I’m a mess,” she said, but he hushed her.
“You’re beautiful, as always.”
She peered at him, his piercing blue eyes holding her gaze. Blushing, she started to push off him, but his arms clamped tighter.
“Belle, if you want off my lap, I’ll let you go instantly, but you’re right where I’d like you to be. Please let me take care of you.”
All protestations left her mind as exhaustion claimed her, and she leaned against his chest. For several minutes, they sat, not speaking, letting the events of the evening settle over them. After a while, he glanced to the kitchen and said, “How about I fix us something to eat?”
“I had some soup heating,” she replied, “but it’s probably gross now.”
Chuckling, he shifted her to the side and stood. “You relax and I’ll rummage up something.”
“I was thinking about grilled cheese sandwiches.”
He smiled down at her and touched his finger to her nose. “Sounds good, babe. Hang on and I’ll get ‘em going.”
She watched him in her kitchen, her heart aching at the sight, remembering when she thought it was a sight she would always see. Sighing, she realized that she wanted him in her life…even if only as a friend who came by occasionally when he was in town.
Ten minutes later he walked to her and settled onto the sofa next to her, placing a plate in her lap. “Best grilled cheese you’ll ever find,” he claimed.
Unable to stop the giggle from slipping from her lips, he threw her a glare.
“Do you doubt my culinary skills?”
Taking a bite, she moaned in delight. “Well, considering I only had white bread and American cheese, I wasn’t sure what you could accomplish, but I must be really hungry, because these are good.”
They ate in companionable silence and she settled back into the cushions.
She glanced at his hand and reached out to touch his knuckles. “Your knuckles are roughed up. What happened?”
“I had a little talking to do with one of the men that was at Brittany’s house.”
“Talking?” she repeated.
“Yeah.”
“Since when do you talk with your fists, Hunter?” she asked, her eyes wide.
“Don’t usually…in fact, almost never.”
“Almost never?”
“Belle, are you going to eat or just repeat everything I say?”
Setting her near-empty plate down, she turned to him fully. He sighed and mimicked the gesture with his now-empty plate.
“My dad used his fists in ways that weren’t good. I don’t. But when faced with the cocky attitude of the man who was going to rape a fifteen-year-old girl just as payment to give her sorry-ass mom drugs? I decided that it was time to let him know just how much I didn’t like that.”
Her heart melted a little at his words and she lifted his hand to her lips and kissed his reddened knuckles. His smile beamed at her, warming her even more.
Taking a fortifying breath, she held his gaze, his face as familiar to her as her own. “Hunter…what are we doing? What are we going to do…about us?”
His chest heaved as he reached for her fingers, linking them with his. “I fucked up, Belle.” He saw her head tilt in silent question and he continued, “I came here to do a job, but fell in love in the process. That wasn’t the fuck up. That was the most wonderful thing that’s ever happened to me in my life.”
Seeing her rapt attention, he said, “My fuck up was that when it all blew up in our faces, I didn’t stay and fight for you. I knew I had to go back to Richmond, to headquarters to wrap up the case. I wanted to keep seeing you but I understand that, at that moment, when you were dealing with all the new information about me, a long-distance relationship was asking a lot of you. But I should have worked harder to make you see that it could have worked.”
Belle sucked in her lips, pressing them tightly before saying, “I think I was just so stunned and reacted rather selfishly. You were just doing your job and I should have never assumed I should be the most important thing in your life—”
“But you are,” he rushed. “I love you, Belle. That never stopped just because I was on a case.”
She stared, unspeaking, uncertain what to say.
“That’s one of the reasons I came back for my vacation time. I wanted to see if you were finished with me or if there was something there.”
“It’s only been three weeks, Hunter. My heart is nowhere neared healed. So, yes, the love is still there. Honey, even if you had never come back, it would still be there.”
He leaned forward and she met him halfway, their lips colliding. She grabbed his shoulders as he hauled her back over his lap. Their noses bumped as they twisted and turned their heads, both searching for maximum contact.
Their tongues clashed as they tangled, each flaming the fires even as they threatened to consume. Thrusting his tongue, the taste familiar and welcome, Hunter felt the blood rush to his cock but ignored its pressing against his zipper as Belle dug her fingers into the flesh of his shoulders, trying to pull him closer.
He finally pulled back and stared into her lust-filled eyes and kiss-swollen mouth. “We gotta stop, babe.”
Moaning, she asked, “Why?”
“Because this is not about sex. This is about care, comfort. This is about me loving you so much I want to give you what you need, not necessarily what you want.”
Licking her lips, she tried to force her breathing to slow as her chest heaved. “What do I need?”
“Rest. A chance to recuperate from the drama and trauma of the evening.”
She nodded slowly, then said, “But I don’t want to be alone.”
“You’re not alone, babe. I’m right here. I’m staying right here. We’ll sleep in the same bed, curled around each other, but no sex. Not right now. We’ve got other things to talk about, but for tonight I just want to hold you and know that you’re safe in my arms.”
Belle’s heart warmed with his declaration and she nodded, as the exhaustion of the day threatened to overcome her once more. “Okay,” she whispered.
With a nod, he stood and linked their fingers, leading her into her bedroom. Hunter stripped to his boxers and waited until she emerged from the bathroom in pink drawstring pajama shorts and a matching camisole. She stood in the doorway for a moment, until he lifted his hand, then she moved quickly his way.
Crawling into bed, he turned her so that she was facing him, her head on his chest and his arm wrapped around her body. Tucking her in tightly, he waited until sleep claimed her before following her into slumber.
28
Waking, warmly wrapped in a cocoon, Belle slowly blinked her eyes open. The room was still dark, but just like every morning, her body knew when sunrise was near. Twisting her head, she saw the dark scruff of Hunter’s square jaw, his blue eyes open, staring at her.
“Hey,” she said, softly, her hand curling on his shoulder.
“Hey,” he replied, his smile wide.
“I thought I might oversleep.”
“Baby, you never oversleep,” he replied on a grin.
She leaned forward, touching her lips to his. He groaned and slid his arms around her, cupping the back of her head to angle it so that he could slide his tongue in and gain maximum contact. After a moment, he pulled back, and reminded, “Babe, the sunrise.”
She slid her hand from his shoulder to cup his jaw, her eyes pinned on him. “If I could wake up like this every morning, I’d never have to wait on the sunrise to know I had everything I could ever want.”
His blue eyes darkened and he rolled on top of her and they welcomed the dawn in a new way, one that she realized, even if repeated, would remain her favorite sunrise christening ever.
Their early morning activities had taken time and caused Belle to hustle getting ready for work. “I wish I didn’t have to go in today,” she complained, pulling on her nursing scrubs.
Hunter kept
his eyes on her, smiling as she ran a brush through her hair and twisted it back, securing it away from her face. She moved to the rack that held her ribbons and selected a deep green one to match her scrubs.
“I like those,” he said, gaining her attention as she twisted to look at him over her shoulder. “Your ribbons. You always match them to your scrubs.”
Her lips curved upward and she said, “My grandma gave me ribbons for my birthday and Christmas. She didn’t have much money, but she always gave me ribbons to tie in my hair. It became habit…one I’m not willing to break.”
Her face scrunched in thought and he asked, “What’s goin’ through your mind?”
“Mr. Weldon said that I can wear business clothes now that I’m the head nurse and don’t have floor duties like I did. But, that’s not what I want. For one thing, scrubs are the only work clothes I have and I sure can’t afford to go buy a whole new wardrobe. Plus,” she sighed, “he and I have a few things to work out before I worry about clothes.”
“Things not okay at work?”
Lifting her shoulders, she said, “I really like Mr. Weldon, but since the whole mess with Linda blew up, he’s been almost frantic trying to get things back on track and he’s become forgetful. You know that watch that had been stolen from Mr. Rosenberg?”
He nodded, his eyes concerned. “Yeah. What about it?”
“Well, another resident, Mrs. Martinez, is missing something and when I mentioned it to Mr. Weldon, he assured me he would report it. Then I checked with Mitch and Colt and he hadn’t reported either event.”
“I don’t want you worrying about that,” he said. “You’ve got enough on your plate. I’ll talk to Colt.”
“I’ve already talked to him—”
“And I’ll follow up.” He stood and placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her body so that it was facing him. “We got shit to talk about but you’ve got to get to work so I’ll have a chat with Colt.”
“Talk about?”
Nodding, he said, “Yeah. About us, where we’re going and what to do to make all this work.”
Waiting for Sunrise: Baytown Boys Series Page 21
