Cal walked farther down the hall and closed the laundry room door behind him. If Jules caught wind that there’d been actionable progress with Hamilton’s case, she’d want to be involved.
Lowering his voice, he asked, “Does this mean you’re ready to bring him in?”
“Yeah. Wanna join?”
Irritation plucked at Cal. “What about the drug task force? I thought you wanted to leave Hamilton in the wild for your drug trafficking investigation.”
He tried not to sound bitter. While he understood his brother’s reasoning, they’d had enough probable cause to get Hamilton on trespassing and other misdemeanor charges for days. If they’d arrested him when he and Jules first asked, Jules wouldn’t have gotten hurt. Maybe.
Or maybe the scumbag would have bonded out and still been on the street that day when the shooting occurred. Cal gritted his teeth with frustration. Was he letting his feelings for Jules color his professional judgment?
“The task force investigation is actually what we have in mind. We finally have weighty enough charges and evidence to be areal negotiating tool with Hamilton. We’re hoping he’ll give up names in a plea.”
Cal pinched the bridge of his nose. “A plea? Meaning he could still end up back on the street in a matter of days?”
“Damn it, bro.” He heard the frustration in Wyatt’s voice. “You know how this works. Sometimes the small fish gets away in order to hook the big fish. I know this guy has a history with Jules, and I’m sorry if she’s mad about how this is playing out, but…looking at the big picture—”
“I know. I know.” Cal heaved a sigh. “Yeah, I want in on his arrest. Give me the details.”
“You’re not going to do anything to mess this up for the task force, are you?” Wyatt asked.
Cal blinked. “Did you really just ask me that?”
“You can’t bring Jules.”
“Wasn’t gonna.”
“Sorry. I just know how invested you are in this and how much Jules means to you. I shouldn’t have questioned your professionalism.”
Cal furrowed his brow. Wyatt knew how much Jules meant to him? What did his brother mean by that? What did Wyatt think was going on between him and Jules?
What didhethink was going on with Jules?
If I’m still here… North Dakota is not my home…
He shoved the ache and the questions aside for another time. Arresting Hamilton was the priority now. “It’s all good. Should I meet you at your office?”
“No. Task force is moving out as we speak. They plan to take him at work when he gets back from his route.”
Cal checked the time. He needed to hurry if he wanted to be present for the arrest. “All right. Thanks for the heads-up.”
On the way back to the living room, Cal went upstairs to his bedroom to get his service weapon, his badge and his uniformhat. With luck, by tonight, Chase Hamilton would be behind bars.
But if that happened, how long before Jules left town and was out of his life?
Cal returned from his call with his campaign hat in his hands and his service weapon strapped at his hip. Jules shivered. The pistol was a chilling reminder of not only the exchange of gunfire when she’d gotten injured, but also the nature of Cal’s work. A ripple of disquiet shimmied through her.
“I’m going out. Will you be okay by yourself for a couple hours?” he asked, his expression grim.
Jules propped herself up on the sofa, leaning on her elbows. “Where are you going? You look…so serious.”
So serious…which alone was cause for concern. Cal typically had a pleasant, even carefree expression. Something was wrong.
He situated his uniform hat on his head and twisted his mouth as if deep in thought. “Department business. Something I need to handle personally instead of sending a deputy.”
“Oh.” While disappointed he was leaving, she knew she didn’t have a monopoly on his time. The man had a job to do, and he’d already taken a great deal of time off for her. But the uneasiness that clawed at her wouldn’t abate. “What is it you have to do? How long do you think you’ll be gone?”
Why had she asked that? It made her sound…needy. Or nagging. Or somehow more deeply invested in their relationship than she wanted to be.
