He pulled his keys from his trouser pocket and bounced them in his hand once. “Hard to say. If all goes well, I’ll be back by dinnertime. I’ll bring in a pizza.” He cocked his head. “You got everything you need for a bit? I can freshen up your drink or get you more ice before I go.”
She waved a dismissive hand. “I’m fine. And I know where the kitchen is if I need anything.”
He bobbed a nod, and as he turned to go, an odd shiver chased through her. He hadn’t said what his trip was about. An intentional dodge? “Cal?”
He faced her again.
“Is this business…dangerous?” She curled her hands into fists around the edge of the afghan. He was the sheriff. Of course he would occasionally face perilous situations on the job. That was a fact of life she’d have to get used to if…
No. There was noif. He was simply a friend she was concerned about. Period.
Except he didn’t answer for a moment, and the hesitation didn’t bode well. “Cal?”
“Look. I don’t want to lie to you. I want our relationship to be fully honest and forthcoming. I want you to trust everything I say and do.”
“But?”
“Nobuts. It’s only that I can’t always know what might happen on any given day or investigation or call. The nature of law enforcement means I encounter a degree of risk pretty often.”
She frowned. “So this outingisdangerous. Is that what you’re saying?”
His lopsided grin softened the serious edge of his expression, though his eyes remained shadowed and intense. He stepped to the side of the couch and bent to kiss her. “I’m saying I’m a trained professional, and I don’t want you to worry unnecessarily about me. I will be back with a pizza in time for dinner.”
His reassurance did little to quell the niggling in her gut. She forced a smile as he strode back to the door and called, “Extra pepperoni and cheese.”
He signaled a thumbs-up as he exited her view, and she flopped back against the throw pillows. He could tell her not to worry all he wanted, but until he was back from this mysterious errand, she would do exactly that.
Cal chewed the inside of his cheek as he drove away from his house. He hadn’t lied to Jules…exactly. He’d just been carefully selective with what he’d told her. Because if he’d said Wyatt had tipped him off to the imminent arrest of Chase Hamilton, Jules would have insisted on coming with him. And he’d have had to refuse her. Because no way did she need to be trying to accompany him while she was freshly injured from their last escapade. Which would anger her. And they’d fight about it. And, well…
So he hadn’t told her.
When he arrived at Red Grove Food Distributors, where the arrest would be made, Cal found Wyatt and two more plainclothes officers already there. No marked patrol vehicles to tip off Hamilton before Wyatt or the other officers could take him into custody.
The team members had gathered in the company’s main office and were in conversation with the distribution manager.
Cal sidled up to his brother, and when the manager offered his hand, Cal shook it and gave a nod of greeting as he introduced himself.
“What sort of deal are you planning to offer Hamilton?” Cal asked Wyatt under his breath.
Wyatt explained that the task force had intel that the local drug ring was buzzing, and Chase Hamilton was likely the stick that had poked the hornets’ nest. Clearly the attempt on Hamilton’s life that had caught Jules in the crosshairs wasn’t a one-off. The hope was that knowing he was persona non gratawith local drug dealers and could be targeted again, Hamilton would trade names for safety. The task force, working with the mayor’s office and local DA, was willing to drop charges against Chase Hamilton and allow him to secretly relocate to another state.
Cal goggled at his brother. “Hang on. You’re saying that not only does he get away with stalking a teenager, Jules’s sister and who knows how many other women, he gets to start over in a new location with no strings attached?”
“Callum—” Wyatt began darkly.
“Don’tCallumme!” He poked a finger toward his brother. Anger boiled up, making his muscles tense. “You can’t let this guy get off scot-free! He’s a menace to women. At a minimum, he needs to be reporting to an officer of the court, so his location and activities can be monitored!”
Wyatt propped his arms akimbo, glaring at Cal. “I don’t like it any more than you do, but can you really see this Hamilton guy agreeing to name names if he thought he could walk out of the police station and be killed for his efforts?”
Cal gritted his back teeth and suppressed a growl.
“We’ve kept a tight seal on this deal in an effort to keep the guy alive,” Wyatt continued. “Only a handful of people know about this plan for a reason. I had to get special permission from the task force to let you in on the operation today. Don’t make me regret the courtesy.”
Cal met his brother’s blue glare, so like his own. “Doesn’t it get to you? Seeing people you know are a drag on society, a danger to others, getting off on technicalities or walking on pleas or dodging arrest for lack of actionable evidence?”
Wyatt was serene, but serious, his voice low. “Of course it bothers me. We’ve had this conversation before. But as you’ve reminded me in the past, the system works more often than not. And it’s set up to protect the innocent.”
Cal rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Save the lecture.”
