Lady Luck (Colorado Mountain #3)(105)

Like now.

It made matters worse when the second cruiser slowed and swung a wide u-ey to come to a halt behind Crabtree’s.

This did not bode well. One Carnal uniform and that uniform being Crabtree was bad enough, I didn’t want to have to deal with two.

My heart started racing harder as the adrenalin surge spiked and my hand inched toward my purse with my mind on my phone as I kept my eyes out the window then I looked up to see Crabtree had his head turned to the cruiser and his jaw was hard.

Hmm. That was interesting.

I looked to my side mirror and saw a uniform get out, one I’d seen but didn’t know.

“Got this, Frank,” Crabtree called but I kept my eyes to the mirror and watched the second officer continue to approach.

“Need a quick word, Rowdy,” he stated when he got closer.

“In the middle of somethin’, man,” Crabtree replied.

“Need a quick word,” the one called Frank repeated.

“I said, in the middle of somethin’.” Crabtree was getting impatient.

Frank came to a halt a couple of feet from Crabtree and I turned my head to look at him.

“And I said, need a quick word,” Frank returned, his voice low and tight.

Crabtree made an irritated noise and Frank’s shades dipped down at me then he gave me a chin lift.

“Ma’am,” he said.

“Officer,” I replied.

“We’ll have you on your way in a minute,” he informed me and I hoped that meant good things.

At that, Crabtree stalked angrily back to the cruiser and Frank followed him.

I turned forward and waited, eyes glued to the mirror because they were nose-to-nose and it didn’t take a behavior specialist to see the conversation wasn’t about who was going to bring the beer to the Department picnic that weekend.

This lasted awhile, long enough for Crabtree’s face to get red and my heart, already hammering, hammered harder and my skin, already tingling, tingled faster because he was already a dick, I didn’t need to be dealing with an angry dick.

Then Crabtree stepped back, thrust my stuff at Frank, Frank took it and Crabtree stomped to his cruiser. He was in and had it fired up, reversing and nearly clipping Frank who was walking to me as he squealed out and my head turned to watch as he drove thirty yards then did a hair-raising u-ey and sped back into town.

By this time, Frank was at my door and I stopped craning my neck out the window to stare after Crabtree and tipped my head back to him.

He was offering my license and registration to me.

“There you go, Lexie,” he said quietly and I blinked behind my shades at his use of my name but my hand drifted up and I took the documents. “May wanna see to gettin’ to the DMV soon’s you can.” He was still talking quietly.

I nodded and whispered, “Okay.”

“On top a’ that is my card. You get…” he paused then finished, “any further attention, I’m askin’ you to call me. Not Ty. Not Tate. Me.”

What the hell?

“Uh….” I mumbled.

“Smart way to play it,” he kept talking quietly, “not to rile your man or the ones got his back.” I stared at him, stunned he had this info as he paused then finished, “I think you get me.”

I didn’t.

“I can’t keep things from my husband,” I told him.

“They play with him, he’ll deal. They branch out to you, what’s he gonna do, Lexie?” he asked, gave me a second and then advised, “Think about that.”

What I thought was, if Ty knew they were playing with me and I didn’t tell him, he’d lose his mind. He would, of course, lose his mind that they were playing with me but he’d lose his mind more if he knew I’d endured it, didn’t tell him and contacted Officer Frank, a man in a Carnal PD uniform I did not know but I did know I couldn’t trust.

Ty knew I could take care of myself, he knew I knew the score and he knew I had his back. He wouldn’t like it if this continued happening but he’d deal. If I kept something from him, he might not.

This, I wouldn’t know until hours later and events that led to heartbreak, was a very bad decision.

At the time, I just nodded because I was beginning to shake and I needed to get home.

“I have perishables in the car,” I told him softly.

He nodded. Then he said, “Sorry, Lexie. Really sorry.” He tapped both hands on the edge of my window and finished, “Drive safe.”

Then he lifted his hands in front of him, stepped back and moved away from my car.

I tossed the stuff in my hand to the passenger seat, put my car in gear and carefully checked all my mirrors before I pulled out, terrified, in my state, that I’d not pay attention and get hurt or hurt my baby so I paid acute attention to my every move. And I did this until my baby was in the garage and the garage door was falling behind her.

Home. Safe.

I sucked in breath.

Then I grabbed my purse, got out and flew up the steps.

“Yo, baby doll,” Julius greeted from his place camped out in front of the television.

“Uh… hey, Julius,” I muttered distractedly, moving directly to the island, putting my purse on it and, with trembling hands, digging for my phone.

“Hey, Lexie, you okay?” Julius asked and I had my phone in my hand and my thumb was finding Ty.