“You embarrass me? What are you talking about?”
His brow lowered as he cocked his head to the side. “What are you talking about?”
Throwing her hands out to the side, she said, “I’m embarrassed about my parents! They didn’t let me know they were coming, and they just dropped in. That’s so frustrating! You and I had plans… oh, my God, what if we’d been in bed… or the shower?”
He chuckled and stepped closer, putting his hands on her shoulders. “Babe, they’re your parents. I know it’s been a while since you’ve been back up to Hope City, so they probably just miss you. Listen, it’s fine, I can head back to my place—”
“Oh, hell no! You’re in my life, Dylan. I’m not going to have you leave.”
He pulled her forward and kissed her forehead. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. I want you with me. After all, they might as well meet the man I’m in love with.”
He met her grin and said, “Then we better get dressed.”
She jerked off her sleep T-shirt, winking as his gaze scored over her naked body. She snapped on her bra and found a clean shirt in her closet, smoothing it over her chest. After pulling on a pair of jeans, she ran a brush through her hair. Turning around, she watched as he buttoned up his jeans and settled the clean T-shirt he’d brought with him over his muscular chest.
He lifted his hands slightly and asked, “Presentable?”
She laughed and nodded. “Well, I liked you half-dressed before, but yes, I suppose this is more presentable for my parents.” She turned to walk out of the bedroom when he reached out and captured her hand, bringing her to a halt. She twisted around and looked at him, tilting her head to the side, waiting to see what he was going to say.
“Are you okay? Because you’ve got to know, I want your parents to like and accept me, but I won’t take anyone putting you down.”
The simple words wrapped around her heart, and she stepped directly into his space, leaning her head back to hold his gaze. Her lips curved into a smile. “That right there is one of the reasons why I love you.”
He pulled her close and took her lips in a quick kiss. “Okay, then let’s go have breakfast with the parents.”
By the time they made it back into the kitchen, Lucy was already scrambling eggs, toasting bagels, and the scent of sizzling bacon filled the air. Offering her mom a hug, she said, “You didn’t have to start.”
“Well, we dropped in on you unexpectedly, so the least I can do is fix breakfast. Your dad helped himself to a cup of coffee.”
Her bungalow was small, and her kitchen table was only a two-seater. When her parents visited, they usually squished around the table with an added patio chair brought in. With four of them, she was glad the day was nice, and they took their plates onto her back patio where she had four antique metal chairs with soft, colorful cushions.
“Dylan, what business are you in?” Jacob asked.
Hannah sighed, knowing the inquisition was about to begin. Hoping to shoot Dylan an apologetic gaze, he was focused on her dad, a ready smile on his face.
“I’m the Chief of Police at the town of Seaside.”
Hannah watched her father blink, knowing that response surprised him.
“Oh, are you Hannah’s boss?” her mother asked.
Rolling her eyes, Hannah sighed heavily. “Mom, I’m also Chief of Police. My boss is the mayor of Easton, not the police chief in a completely different locality.”
“How big is Seaside?” her dad asked, moving right past his wife’s faux pas.
“It has about five-hundred residents. It’s in between the size of Baytown and Easton.”
“I met the Chief of Baytown. It surprised me that he gave up a career at the FBI to be the Chief of Police of a little town in the middle of nowhere…”
Even though her dad made a statement, she heard the open-ended question dangling at the end. Refusing to let him berate her and Dylan’s choices, she said, “I’d think by now you’d be used to the fact that not everyone wants to be associated with the Bureau, Dad. Thank goodness, there are like-minded people that believe in law enforcement for rural areas.”
Her dad opened his mouth, then snapped it shut, offering a curt nod. That maneuver surprised her since he usually didn’t give up so easily.
“My family is actually in the fishing business, Mr. Freeman. My grandfather started the business, my father continued it, and my brother now runs it. I had a different path, joining the Navy and then going into law enforcement.”
Jacob nodded slowly, his attentive gaze moving between Hannah and Dylan. “It sounds like you know exactly what you want.”
Dylan looked over and held her gaze and smiled. “Yes, Sir, I do.”
From there, the conversation became easy and pleasant, allowing Hannah to relax. They talked about the Eastern Shore, his family’s fishing business, and she gained news about her brother, Alex. By the time they cleaned up from breakfast, her parents expressed interest in seeing more of the area, something they hadn’t done in their past visits.
Piling into Dylan’s SUV, they drove through Baytown, visited a winery, walked on a historic trail, and as soon as he heard her parents had never spent any time in Easton, stopped at the historic Courthouse area for a tour. As they walked around, Hannah played tour guide as well as greeted town residents that were also out and about on the weekend.
They finally ended up at Seaside where Dylan offered to take them to dinner at The Wharf Restaurant. Sitting next to a window, her mother looked out over the harbor.
“It’s so pretty here,” she said. “Not at all like I thought it might be… you know, super touristy.” She turned and looked at Hannah and Dylan sitting across from her. “As lovely as today has been, I do feel bad because we dropped in. Next time, we’ll be sure to check to see what your plans are.”
“It’s fine, Mom. It’s been nice to spend the day with you. It’s been a long time since we’ve done something like this.”
Dylan rested his fingers on her shoulder and said, “It was very nice to meet you, and honestly, the only thing we had on our schedule today was to buy another security camera, and we can easily get that done tomorrow.”
“For Hannah’s house or yours?” her dad asked, a crease of concern settling between his brows.
“Actually, it’s for the harbor out there,” Dylan replied, inclining his head toward the harbor and piers.
“You have to buy the cameras?”
“Yes, Sir. There’s not enough money in the budget, and while Hannah is helping me write a grant proposal, we need to get something out there. We know it’s a point where drug runners are coming in.”
Seeing her father’s confused expression, Hannah explained, “Dylan bought a couple of cameras a few weeks ago, and we installed them. There’s no money for someone to watch them, but if something happens, then we have a little more proof. I arrested someone with drugs in the trunk of their car, and we discovered he may have come in through the harbor. Yesterday we spent part of our evening looking at the feeds. We saw where he came in, but we were unable to get the information on what boat he connected with.” Shrugging, she glanced at Dylan and smiled. “We’ll get another camera up and hopefully get lucky.”
She turned and looked back at her parents, noting her mother’s smile, but the expression on her dad’s face was unreadable. Uncertain what he was thinking, a snake of unease moved through her, and she prayed he wasn’t going to say anything insulting about the limited budgets she or Dylan had to work with. Especially Dylan. I might be used to it, but Dad had better not go there.
After dessert, they drove back to Hannah’s bungalow to say their goodbyes. As she hugged her mother, she glanced to the side and noticed her father shaking Dylan’s hand, the two having a quiet conversation. Sucking in her lips, she noted that Dylan did not seem angry. Her father walked over to her, and she let go of her mom. Jacob wrapped his arms around her and gave her a short hug and clap on the back.
Think
ing that was all, she was surprised when he said, “I know you chose a different path, Hannah, and I’ve made it no secret that I didn’t understand it. But listening to you today with the obvious pride you have in your job and your staff, and meeting Dylan and seeing the lengths that you will go to keep this area safe… well, I now realize how much a place like this needs people like the two of you.”
Tears stung her eyes, and she blinked, unable to hold them back. “That means the world to me, Dad.”
With more hugs and goodbyes called out as her parents got into their car, Dylan wrapped his arm around her and they waved until the taillights had disappeared.
23
The moonlight cast a shimmery glow over the undulating water in the Seaside harbor. Once more on a ladder propped against a light pole, Dylan worked to secure the infra-red security camera. Glancing down at the beautiful woman steadying the ladder below, he grinned. Gorgeous, smart, tenacious, accomplished… and mine.
“You gonna finish up there or keep staring down my shirt?” Hannah quipped.
Snorting, he gave the screwdriver a final twist. “Well, I was admiring the whole package, but now that you mention it, the view of your tits is quite spectacular.”
Now it was her time to laugh, shaking her head.
Getting back to the business at hand so that they could go back to her place and get down to their own business, he said, “How’s this angle?”
She looked at his phone screen and nodded. “This gives me a view out to the end of the first three piers. The last three piers are picked up by the cameras we already installed.” She beamed her smile up toward him. “Looks like we’re good.”
After scrambling down the ladder, he hauled it next to Owen’s office, replacing it on the ground. They were in the shadows of the building and he took the opportunity to grab her around the waist and pull her close. With his back against the wooden wall, he took her weight as she leaned into him, her lips landing on his.
Coming up for air, he mumbled, “Been a long time since I made out in public, babe. Probably not since meeting up with my high school girlfriend under the bleachers.”
Grinning, she pinched his stomach, eliciting a grunt. “Guess I’ll just have to see if I can replace those memories with some of our own.”
Lips meeting again, they kissed for several long minutes, his hand drifting underneath her jacket. Lost in the little sounds she made in the back of her throat, it took a moment for the sound of water lapping louder against the pier to penetrate his mind. Lifting his head, he twisted around, feeling her stiffen in his arms.
“Do you hear that?” she whispered, her eyes pinned out over the harbor as well. A small light bouncing out in the water from a boat could now be seen.
He nodded. “Someone’s coming in. They’ve cut their engine and are drifting in.” He kept his hands on her waist as she pushed off him, letting go when he was sure she was steady. Glad they were both armed, they moved to the edge of the building, still hidden deep within the shadows.
He had placed his hands on her shoulders, but the sound of soft footsteps walking from the parking lot had him reach for his weapon, and he noted she did the same. Catching her gaze, he jerked his head to the side, and she nodded her silent understanding. Leaving her side, he slipped behind Owen’s office and moved to the other side to get a better view. The harbor piers were open to the public and not off-limits to anyone after dark… in fact, some of the pleasure boats had owners sleeping on board. But, typically, the middle of the night was quiet and why he chose this time to put the cameras in place.
Obtaining a line of sight in the direction of the parking lot, he spied a lone figure walking along the boardwalk toward Pier Three dressed in jeans, dark jacket, and a dark knit cap pulled low over their head. Turned away from him, Dylan could not identify the man… and by the posture and walk, he was sure it was a man.
Staying within the shadows, he moved with stealth toward the closest boat tied to the first slip on the pier. The man continued to the end where a smaller boat had drifted close to the pier. Wishing he had his radio, he pulled his phone from his pocket, shooting Hannah a text.
Man at end. Boat arrived. In sight.
His phone immediately vibrated and he checked her reply.
Calling for backup.
He watched as the man made it to the end and felt the floating pier move as the boat bumped against the edge. The light pole on the pier cast a little illumination, but he was too far away to see how many people were in the boat or to hear what was being said. He crept closer, still staying within the shadows of the boat in the first slip.
Someone onboard tossed a bundle toward the man who caught it easily. He opened it and glanced inside, then closed the flap.
Dylan hated that he did not have more backup, wanting to capture the boat as well as the man. Unable to communicate with Hannah other than by cellphone, he hesitated then felt his phone vibrate again.
Go for man. I’ll go for boat ID.
The man was on the move, hustling back down the pier, coming closer to where Dylan was hiding. Trusting Hannah, he let the man near and then stepped out, weapon drawn, and called out, “Stop. Police.”
The boat engine roared to life, and Hannah’s footsteps were heard pounding toward the end of the pier. The man’s eyes widened as they darted to the side, clutching the bag to his chest. “Don’t think about it,” Dylan warned. The sound of the boat engine alerted him to its getaway, and he hoped Hannah was able to see it well enough for an identification.
“Get down on the ground,” he called out, approaching the man.
The man nodded and started to kneel, then suddenly whirled the bag outward. “Damnit!” Dylan cried, landing on the man as he heard the splash of the bag hitting the water. Pulling the man’s arms behind his back, Dylan shifted his weight to get to his zip ties to secure his wrists together.
The sound of running footsteps coming closer caused him to jerk his head around just in time to see Hannah jump into the dark water near where the bag was tossed. Shit! While Hannah was close to the pier, he knew from his time in the Navy that it was easy to get turned around and confused while swimming at night.
Leaning down, he said, “Stay put, man. Don’t move a fuckin’ muscle.” More footsteps were coming from the parking lot and he spied Carl approaching. “Hannah’s in the water. Watch the suspect,” he ordered.
Leaping to his feet, he raced to the edge of the pier, not seeing her. He bent to pull off his boots when her head broke the surface of the water with a splash.
“Hannah!” he called out, dropping to his knees near the edge of the pier and reaching his hand out.
Gasping, she shook her head. “I had my fingertips on it. I can get it.” She sucked in a deep breath and dove back under.
His heart pounded as his eyes stayed glued onto the inky, wavy surface, counting the seconds she was submerged. “Fuck it,” he breathed, standing to dive in, halting only when she appeared again. Dropping once more to his knees, he reached out as she swam closer.
“Here!” she spluttered, lifting her arm and holding the bag in her hand.
“Jesus,” he said, shaking his head. He took the bag, tossed it to the side on the pier, and reached down for her hand.
“Watch my sore elbow,” she said, lifting the arm not bruised.
He grabbed her hand, dragging her toward him. Her weight was slight even with the soaked clothing, and he lifted her easily onto the pier.
She was breathing heavily, and her body shivered. She tried to pull off her jacket but her fingers were shaking. He gently pushed her hands to the side and worked her wet jacket off her body. More approaching footsteps could be heard, and he turned to see Lynette hustling toward them.
“Call for an ambulance.”
She radioed the EMTs as she ran back to the parking lot, returning a moment later with a blanket. He wrapped it around Hannah, assisting her to her feet.
“I’m good, I’m good,” she insisted. “Just co
ld.” Looking at the pack, she said, “Look inside. I need to know what I jumped into the water for.”
Opening the pack, Dylan shined his light down inside, seeing plastic-wrapped packages. Pulling one out, he took his knife and made a slit inside, exposing white powder. “Get some evidence bags, Lynette.”
While waiting on her, he glanced up toward Hannah. She stood nearby, shivering and yet with a huge smile on her face. Unable to keep his lips from curving, he said, “You’re crazy, you know that, right?”
Shaking her head, she laughed. “Nah… just tenacious.”
Lynette came back and assisted him as they bagged the entire pack. He signed off on the evidence and she chuckled. “You don’t have to ask, Chief. I’ll take it to the lab in Norfolk. If I leave right now, it’ll take an hour.”
“See if they can get a rush on it,” he asked. “At least have them do a more accurate color test to let me know what we can charge him with.”
“Gotcha.” She threw out a two-fingered salute and jogged back toward the parking lot.
He and Hannah walked to the harbor’s boardwalk where Carl had the suspect now standing, his cap pulled off. Dylan didn’t recognize him but kept his eyes on him as he asked his question to Carl. “ID?”
“Maryland driver’s license. John Ortega. Twenty-three,” Carl said. “He’s in the system… priors.”
Joe hustled toward them from the parking lot. “His keys fit a vehicle in the lot. Maryland tags. Registered to Paul Velasquez. Hope City address.”
Stepping closer, he scanned John. Tall, lean muscles. Dark hair. Dark eyes that held no expression. Completely blank. Not drugs, but someone who knew the risks and would not turn over on anyone above him.
Dylan didn’t doubt that when John was processed into the jail, they would discover tattoos that would point to whichever gang he belonged to. Holding his gaze, he said, “This isn’t your first rodeo, John, so you know the process. You’ll be taken to jail and charged once we get confirmation on the drugs you were carrying. You want to save us some time and tell us what it was?”
Shielding You (Baytown Boys Book 13) Page 20
