Tipsy (Take It Off #5)(43)
Author: Cambria Hebert

“I’ll see ya later, sweetness,” Blue said when he pulled away.

“Bye,” I whispered, practically melting into a nearby chair as he vacated the room, pulling the door around as he went.

I sat there a while, pretty much in a daze. Until reality set in and I realized I was free to go. Hanging around here any longer was not my idea of a good time. I picked up the phone on the desk and dialed Dee.

After several long rings, she picked up, with a sleep-filled voice. “This better be good.”

“Dee? It’s me. Listen, I got arrested. I need you to come pick me up at the police station in Jacksonville.”

“Is this a prank call?” she asked, much more alert but now totally suspicious.

“I sorta wish it was.”

“This better not be about him,” she spat.

I sighed. “Are you coming or not?”

“Of course I’m coming,” she bickered. “But I’m wearing my pajamas.”

“See you in a few,” I said and hung up.

The door to the office opened and Watson entered the room. He was carrying my bag, which he extended to me.

“Thank you,” I said, taking it and looking through it to make sure all my belongings were there. I couldn’t help but wrinkle my nose at the faint smell of urine. “You really need to Lysol that room,” I told Watson.

He grunted. “I just consider it extra punishment for the criminals.”

“Well, isn’t that police work at its finest?” I quipped.

He cracked a smile. “Did you call for a ride?”

“Yes, she should be here soon. I’ll just wait out front.”

“Stay in the building until she pulls up.”

I nodded and a small sliver of fear snaked its way up my spine. Would Dom come after me for this? Would he even know I was arrested? Would he think I had something to do with his stash being busted? How safe was I?

“Do you think he knows I got arrested?”

Watson regarded me seriously; his brown eyes were kind. “I honestly can’t say. It’s possible, but then again, he might not know. I should know more when they bring in Susan for questioning first thing in the morning.”

Well, that didn’t really make me feel better.

“I have a patrolman assigned to sit outside your house in an unmarked vehicle. He will watch your house overnight. Keep your doors locked and you’ll be fine. If you have any problems, scream loudly or flick the lights and he’ll come inside.”

“Thank you.”

“No, thank you. This is the information we’ve been looking for. This very well could be the break in the case that we needed. You’ve saved a lot of lives by coming forward tonight.”

“I didn’t exactly come forward,” I said, annoyed. “I was arrested.”

“Yes. Well. My apologies.”

I sighed. “No need to apologize. Those men were doing their job.”

Watson sat down behind his desk. I felt a little pang of sorrow for him. He looked exhausted. This case seemed to be wearing on everyone.

“Well, I’ll just go wait out there. Good luck with the case.”

“Blue called me about you,” he said, stopping my progress out the door.

I turned back. “He told me.”

“First time he’s ever asked for anything, and it wasn’t even for himself.”

“He asked you for something?”

Watson didn’t seem surprised that I didn’t know that. “Asked me to watch out for you. I get the impression you’re very important to him.”

I felt a pang in my chest; a homesick feeling unfurled in my belly and filled me with longing. Yeah, I just saw Blue, but I desperately wanted to see him again. “He’s very important to me as well,” I replied softly before turning around and leaving the office.

26

Blue

The Mustang I was driving was parked quite a distance from the station, on a back street that didn’t get much traffic. I let it sit there and headed out to the impound lot.

I needed an undercover vehicle that was more undercover than my undercover car.

So I borrowed a pickup truck. It was an old Ford with peeling red paint that had been sitting on the lot for over six months. I’m surprised cobwebs didn’t fly out of the tailpipe when I turned on the engine.

But it would suit what I needed it for, no problem, and there was the added bonus that it looked like some old man’s truck so it shouldn’t attract too much unwanted attention.

I turned out of the lot and headed in the opposite direction from which I was actually heading. I could hear an internal ticking clock, reminding me that I didn’t have much time, but being discreet was very important.

I circled around the town for a while, keeping an eye on my rearview mirror, watching the traffic and being sure that I wasn’t being followed. I knew the possibility was slim, but I wasn’t going to leave anything to chance.

Finally I turned onto the street of Razor’s Edge Salon. I pulled into the parking lot quickly and drove around behind the building so from the street it appeared no one was there.

Julie’s car was still sitting in the lot and my stomach tightened thinking about how close to this mess she was. All the more reason to get this case closed.

I let myself into the salon using the keys and crept through the darkness quietly. I paused, listening for the telltale signs that anyone else was in here. The place was still and quiet, and after several long moments, I did a quick sweep of the place just to be sure.

Once I was certain it was all clear, I went into the back room and moved into the open door of the storage room. Inside, I clicked on the single bulb overhead (there were no windows in here for the light to be seen at the street) and whistled between my teeth as I took in the boxes of drugs stacked all around, pretending to be innocent.

A little moment of satisfaction rippled through me because I had gotten here first. It seems the boys in blue at the station managed to keep Julie’s arrest under wraps after all. Thank God.

The fact that I was here doing this wasn’t really protocol for this situation and this amount of drugs, but it was necessary for closing this case. Seizing the drugs and splashing this all over the media would slow down the crew’s operations, but it wouldn’t stop them. Dom wouldn’t pay for everything he’d done. The crew in Myrtle Beach wouldn’t pay for the things they’d done either.

I didn’t just want these drugs off the streets. I wanted the bastard scum who brought the drugs on the streets gone too. The fact that Watson agreed to this (and bending the rules) proved to me how badly he wanted the same things I did.