Jodi was shaking, her fists balled at her sides. She was breathing heavily from the altercation. “Shit. I can’t believe it.”
Tuck stepped toward her and pulled her into his embrace. “At least we figured it out and she didn’t lie about it. Might have saved her life.”
“Maybe. Or maybe she’d rather take the drugs than keep her job.”
“Let’s hope not.”
Jodi wrapped her arms around his middle and held him tight. Even in her shocked state of mind, she found comfort in his arms. Every time he touched her, she calmed. When he held her like this, he had the power to make all her problems dissolve.
She didn’t want to let go. “How did your lunch thing go with your friend?”
“Three guys showed up. We shared a beer. It was okay.”
She lifted her face to look him in the eye. He hadn’t told her much about why he took a few hours off to meet with friends. She didn’t want to pry. She didn’t even have a right. No matter how much she liked him or how often she thought of him or how badly she wanted to belong to him, the truth was he was not hers. He was married to Katia.
Sure, he said he would get a divorce on Monday morning. But then what? She wasn’t a hundred percent positive he was as interested in her as she was him. It scared the hell out of her. She was one step away from looking at wedding dresses, and he was married to another woman. He’d said just enough to keep her from losing her mind but not enough to assure her he would really be all in as soon as his contract expired.
Granted, he wasn’t supposed to discuss the show at all, so the fact that she knew he was at least marginally interested was something. But was it enough? She feared her heart was about to get trampled on.
Tuck licked his lips and cleared his throat. “I went there to get advice.” He hesitated. “About you.”
Her body jerked. “About me?”
“Yep. Turns out a few SEALs have been in similar situations.”
“They were all on reality shows married to other women when they met someone they liked?” she joked.
He chuckled. She loved the sound of his deep laugh. “No. But they were all on reality shows with the same production company. They know the stakes.”
“And what are the stakes?”
“You.”
She swallowed, her heart beating faster.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she managed to murmur.
“Really? Because that very thought scares me to death, Jodi. I lie awake at night worrying about what you’re thinking and if you can weather this storm.”
“You do?” Yeah, her heart was going to beat out of her chest.
“Of course, I do. I’m exhausted. I can’t think about anything but you. It makes me sick to my stomach every time I go through the door of that apartment to play house with Katia. I know every minute I continue the ruse is one more minute I might lose you, and all because I’m too greedy to give up a little money.”
She gasped. Her mind was spinning. She grabbed on to the last thing he’d said first. “A little money. Tuck, fifty thousand dollars isn’t a little money. It’s a lot. And you’re going to stick it out for three more days to get every dime of it. You earned it.”
“At what cost?” he asked softly, his hands running up her back. “How will you ever respect me for going through with this? For making you wait for me while I played house with that woman? For keeping you at arm’s length because I’m so damn worried about people finding out how I feel about you before the time is up? There is a permanent throb behind my right eye from the stress of what I’m doing to you. I should have had the balls to walk away the first day I met you.”
She shook her head rapidly. “No. Stop it. Your heart’s in the right place. I know you like me. But you love your mom, and this is for her. It has nothing to do with me. From what you say, she won’t be around much longer. If the money you’re getting helps keep her comfortable to the end, then you’re exactly the kind of man I want to be with.”
Tuck swallowed. She’d never seen him look so serious. He was breathing heavily as they stood there in silence. So was she. “Jodi… You have no idea…”
“I do. Really, I do. You keep reminding me.” She held him closer, letting her hands roam up and down his back, learning the feel of his solid muscles. In three days, she would be able to touch every inch of him.
She hoped when he’d suggested they have lunch, it had been a euphemism for sex because that was how she took it. She didn’t care if they had to get a hotel room in order to have some privacy. She fully intended to make that arrangement and spend three solid hours naked in his arms before they had to be at work.
His forehead lowered until he set it against hers. “You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met, and I promise to spend countless hours making up for this fiasco.”
She smiled. “As long as nudity is involved, I’m all in. Already picked up a twenty-four pack of condoms.” She cringed. “Did I say that out loud?”
He smiled. “Yes, you did. And now I’m going to have to work all night with a hard-on.”
“Good. It’s only fair. You make me squirm and forget my orders when you stare at me from across the room. I’m lucky I haven’t served someone water instead of vodka.” As long as they were on a roll here with this banter, she decided to up the ante. “My wrists are sore from wearing out my vibrator after you leave at night.”
He groaned, tipping his head toward the ceiling. “Woman…” He reached for his neck a second later and winced. “That’s a cruel thing to say to a man whose neck is sore from sleeping on the floor for three months.”
Jodi’s pulse picked up as she slowly smiled even wider. “You’ve been sleeping on the floor?” She had pictured a lot of scenarios ranging from a pillow row between him and Katia to that whiny woman plastering herself to his back in an attempt to seduce him. The floor had never entered her mind.
“Don’t look so pleased,” he joked. “I’m gonna need a chiropractor.”
“I’ll give you a long naked massage next week and take away all the aches and pains. Plus, you can spend your first night of freedom on a real mattress in my room. I won’t make you sleep on the floor.”
He scrunched up his face. “Your mattress. Here? In the same small apartment with your dad? Not a chance in hell.”
She groaned. “Come on. He’s a modern man.”
“Okay, then I’m not. Whatever. Not going to happen. I’ll get an apartment.”
“By Monday?”
“I’ll figure something out. We’re not sleeping in the same bed in your dad’s house. Not ever.”
She swatted his ass. “This is the twenty-first century, Tuck. He knows we’re going to get involved. I don’t think he expects us to remain chaste.”
Tuck shook his head, adamantly. It was cute. He was also going to have to get over himself. They sure couldn’t afford to stay in a hotel for several nights while he found a place. And no way was she sleeping without him starting Monday.
Jodi sighed. “We better get out there before some crazy bridesmaid from Cold Feet comes in and then reports back to Katia that we were fucking in the back room.”
“Don’t remind me. That’s exactly what she threatened just this morning.”
Jodi rose onto her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Well, she can bite me. She isn’t going to win this battle. My man is going to get the money and the better woman.” With that she reluctantly broke free of him and headed for the door. “Wait here a bit so we don’t look like we were making out in the office,” she tried to joke.
“Baby, after the way you’ve been plastered to my body, I’m going to need a few minutes to tame my hard-on.”
She smiled, feeling all warm inside at the way he called her “baby”. Then she glanced down at the erection indeed obvious through his jeans and flushed. “If you’re good, I promise to take care of that. Monday.” She hurried from the room before she could think about how boldly she’d put herself out there. Jodi had never been as for
ward as she’d been with Tuck today.
Of course, she’d also never been as desperate to make sure a man knew exactly what she was thinking about him. She was pretty sure she’d made herself perfectly clear. If he still had doubts, he was undeniably dense.
Chapter 14
Jodi was completely out of sorts the entire night. Between picking up the slack for her missing waitress and stealing heated glances at Tuck, it was a wonder she got most of her orders correct. Liz had to repeat herself more often than usual, and Stan did a fantastic job manning one end of the bar. With only one waitress, Jodi’s dad stepped up to the plate and took quite a few orders from tables himself.
They managed. By last call, Jodi was exhausted. Fifteen minutes later there were only two women left, sitting at a high table. Tuck was speaking to them. Jodi couldn’t hear what they were saying, but his brow was furrowed and he kept nodding as the skinny blond woman fidgeted and glanced at her friend several times.
“Dad, can you empty the last load from the dishwasher? I’m going to see what’s up over there.” She nodded toward the trio.
“Yep. I’ve got it.” He winked at her. “I don’t think you have to worry about those two though. They don’t seem like competition. But go insert yourself between them and your man. The jealousy will make his chest pump.”
“Dad,” she whispered. “My God. That’s not at all what I was thinking.” She wasn’t kidding. She was simply curious, and she wanted those ladies out of the bar as fast as possible so she could spend at least five damn minutes with “her man” before he had to leave.
She made her way across the bar. “Is there a problem?”
“That’s an understatement,” Tuck began, glancing at Jodi. He looked concerned. He turned his attention back to the blond woman. “I’m not going to call the cops on you, miss. I just need you to explain what happened.”
The cops? Jodi stiffened. What was going on?
The woman trembled. Her friend rubbed her back. “You’re freaking her out. Back off,” she told Tuck.
He shook his head. “Not a chance. My job is to clean up this bar by catching the asshole who’s selling illegal substances from inside the establishment. So, keep talking.”
The blond woman sobbed and wiped her eyes. “I don’t want to get anyone into any trouble,” she whimpered.
Jodi set a hand on the table. “Someone catch me up. What happened?”
The friend looked at Jodi. “Kathy was supposed to pick up some diet pills from some guy tonight. Not a big deal. He didn’t show. She’s upset. She doesn’t need you people all in her face.”
Tuck took a deep breath. “Ma’am, with all due respect, I’ve spent weeks trying to catch the dealer you were meeting tonight, so unless you want me to call the cops so you can give your statement to them instead of me, I suggest you lose the attitude and give me every single detail about the hookup.”
Damn. Jodi was impressed. Judging by the pale complexion on the blonde’s face, his plan would probably work.
She was crying softly now, wringing her hands. “The cops?” Her lips trembled. “Over some diet pills?”
“Illegal diet pills that are putting women like you in the hospital. It’s just a matter of time before someone dies.” He spoke slowly and succinctly, scaring the hell out of these two women.
“Jesus,” the blonde said. “You think I could have died? From diet pills? Several of my friends are taking them. They gave me the guy’s name and number. Everyone said they were perfectly safe, and I can see the results. They work. My friends are losing weight.”
Jodi felt sorry for this woman who didn’t need to lose a single pound but lived in a world where people made her think she did. Jodi thought she’d better interject with a softer approach. “Ma’am, it’s a serious situation. Have you noticed any of your friends having mood swings or acting erratically?”
Kathy shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe? I just assumed everyone is stressed from school and stuff. We’re college students. We get overwhelmed. Sometimes we lose our temper.”
“Well, I hate to tell you this, Kathy,” Tuck inserted, “but a lot of that rage is from the diet pills, and we just can’t know for sure what might happen. A number of women have found themselves in the ER with stomach issues, headaches, confusion, blurry vision. The list of possibilities is long.”
Fresh tears fell down Kathy’s face and she sniffled. “I didn’t know all that.”
“Now you do, so count yourself lucky and don’t take the stupid pills.”
“Okay. Can I go now?” She grabbed her purse from the back of her chair.
“No. I have a few more questions.”
“You’re scaring her,” the friend stated.
“Good. I might save her life.” He directed his attention back to Kathy. “Do you have the number you called?”
“Yes. Sure.” She grabbed her phone from the table, opened it, and tapped the screen a few times before holding it out. Her hand was shaking, but Tuck pulled a pen from his back pocket and wrote the number on a napkin.
Jodi was pretty sure it was the same number the police had already. “So, you called that number and a man answered?”
“Yes. He told me how and where to send him the money and he would slip the pills into my purse here tonight.”
“Specifically tonight?”
She nodded. “He said he would be here Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. I chose Friday night and let him know what I was wearing. He didn’t show or didn’t find me.”
“When did you confirm you would be here tonight?” Tuck asked, his voice calm.
Jodi was silently freaking out, and she wondered if Tuck was thinking along the same lines as her.
The woman’s voice trembled. “Earlier this afternoon. Please don’t call the cops. I’ve never been in trouble in my life. I swear. I didn’t know.”
Tuck narrowed his gaze at her. “You knew enough. You knew the pills were illegal or you wouldn’t have been getting them under the table like this. Anything you have to buy from the black market is not going to be safe. Please promise me you will throw that number away and let this go. Consider yourself lucky this time. Take my advice. Don’t do it again.” He turned around and unlocked the front door. “Go. Please be safe.”
The women scrambled out the door, muttering their thanks.
Tuck locked it and turned around, leaning against the wall. He sighed as Jodi met his gaze.
Jodi’s dad stepped up next to her. “What’s going on? Doesn’t seem like I’m going to like it.”
“You’re not,” Jodi informed him. “I’m pretty sure we know who’s providing the drugs.”
“Who?” her dad asked, his gaze going to Tuck’s.
“We can’t know who the actual dealer is, but I’d bet money the middleman is actually a woman. Roxie.”
Her dad’s eyes widened. “Roxie? Surely not. What makes you say that? I know you sent her home for taking the damn pills, but why do you think she was distributing them?”
Tuck sighed. “Right now it’s just an educated guess. But it’s a good one. The woman who just left didn’t get her supply tonight. Whoever the middleman is was supposed to leave her stash in her purse and it didn’t happen.”
“And just because Roxie wasn’t here, you think she was the supplier?”
Jodi nodded. “Dad, she said the man she spoke to told her she had to come on Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday. Those are the nights Roxie works. It’s either a horrible coincidence or we have a serious problem on our hands.”
“I don’t believe in coincidences. We need to call Officer Feltner,” Tuck stated.
Jodi thought she was going to be sick. Roxie had worked at the bar for five years. If they were wrong about her, their relationship would be over. If they were right, she might be arrested.
Chapter 15
Tuck was pacing the floor a half an hour later when Officer Feltner showed up. It didn’t take long to fill him in, and Tuck kept glancing at Jodi, who was wringing her hands
. He knew she was worried about them making a mistake and ruining her relationship with a valued employee. On the other hand, they didn’t have a choice here. The coincidence was too obvious to overlook.
Officer Feltner took all the information and said he would have an undercover female cop place an order for tomorrow night.
This made Jodi even more nervous.
Tuck couldn’t leave her standing there trembling. He pulled her into his side and rubbed her back. To hell with his stupid contract. Who was going to tell anyone at this point anyway? No one was here except Stan, Bill, and Feltner. Tuck was already going to have to defend himself for being late coming home. He might as well hold Jodi’s shaking body.
Feltner made no comment, even though Tuck knew the man was aware of the reality show from his wife.
Bill turned to Jodi. “Did you send Roxie home just for the night?”
“Yes. I didn’t say a word about tomorrow. I’ll call her in the morning and see how she’s feeling and tell her she can come in as long as she isn’t taking those pills. I can do that and sound convincing.” She shivered.
“I know it’s a lot to ask, ma’am,” Feltner stated. “Appreciate your help. It will be much easier for my agent to catch her in the act if she knows who she’s looking for. I wish I could have put someone undercover before now, but the department is stretched pretty thin. My boss couldn’t justify allocating valuable manpower with such vague information. Knowing we’re pretty sure who the distributor is puts a higher priority on the case.”
“I just can’t believe it’s Roxie,” Jodi murmured. “I know she’s been a little weird lately, but I never would have suspected her of distributing drugs.”
“Sometimes it’s the least obvious person, ma’am. I’m so sorry.”
“Do you think she’ll give up whoever supplies her?” Jodi asked.
Feltner shrugged. “Can’t be sure, but most usually do in exchange for a lighter sentence. If your employee gets caught dropping illegal pills into my agent’s purse tomorrow, she’ll be arrested and face serious repercussions. The only way for her to get leniency is for her to give up the man above her.”
Hot SEAL, Cold Feet (SEALs in Paradise) Page 8
