Grayson, p.20
Grayson, page 20
part #1 of Oath of Honor Series
“Fine with me. Just let me save my work.” It wasn’t always easy to walk away from her research, but Grayson’s good mood was infectious.
The summer sun was high in the sky. Grayson caught her hand as they strolled along the parkway. The scent of freshly cut grass and wildflowers filled the air. They didn’t hurry, but Grayson tugged her to a stop when they reached their favorite set of trees. This was where they’d glimpsed the fox, but there was no sign of her now.
“Eve.” He held her gaze for a moment, then slowly went down on one knee. She gasped when he pulled a small velvet ring box from his pocket and opened it. “Would you please marry me?”
“I—uh, it’s only been three weeks!” It was too soon, wasn’t it?
“I know, but we’ve known each other longer than that.” He didn’t move, even though they were getting curious looks from other pedestrians enjoying the summer day. “I love you. Please marry me.”
“Yes, Grayson.” No amount of time would change her love for him. She laughed as he slipped the ring onto her finger. “I can’t wait to be your wife.”
“Thank you for making me the happiest guy on earth.” He rose to his feet, and a few people behind them clapped and whistled.
One even shouted, “You go, buddy! Grab the girl and kiss her!”
Laughing, Grayson drew her in for a kiss, then shouted, “She said yes!”
“Whoo-hoo!” someone shouted. “Congrats!”
She couldn’t help but laugh too. She’d never been so happy. And she had God to thank for bringing them together.
* * *
I hope you enjoyed Grayson and Eve’s story! It’s been so much fun writing about the members of Rhy’s tactical team. Are you ready to learn what Roscoe is up to? To read Roscoe, Click Here!
Dear Reader
Thanks so much for reading my Oath of Honor series. I’m truly blessed to have wonderful readers like you. I hope you enjoyed Grayson and Eve’s story. I’ve been having so much fun bringing the Finnegans and even the Callahans back into these books. What better way to keep track of what the family is up to.
Don’t forget, you can purchase eBooks or audiobooks directly from my website, and you will receive a 15% discount by using the code LauraScott15.
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Until next time,
Laura Scott
PS: Read on for a sneak peek of Roscoe.
Roscoe
Chapter One
Libby Hall gripped the steering wheel tightly, feeling certain the black truck two car lengths behind her was following her. Had been since she’d left the fleabag motel outside of Bloomington, Illinois.
Swallowing hard, she took note of the sign. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was only ten miles away. Ten long miles until she reached Roscoe Turner. She took a deep breath and glanced down at her pregnant belly. “Soon, little one. We’ll be safe soon.”
Or so she hoped. Maybe she should have called Roscoe, rather than making the long and impulsive drive from Texas. But finding her apartment ransacked with a huge knife stuck in the middle of her kitchen table had rattled her.
Badly.
Roscoe had mentioned his cousin Cameron who lived in Milwaukee. She’d known Roscoe had left Texas after their huge fight; he was the one who helped arrest her brother in the first place. Using her to get to Tony. It had hurt that Roscoe had kept his role as a cop secret. Especially after they spent the night together.
Now here she was, tracking down his cousin, hoping Cameron would tell her where to find Roscoe.
She tried not to think about how she’d cried on Roscoe’s shoulder after getting the news her father had died of a heart attack. How she’d spent the night with him, only to discover almost a week later that her brother Tony had been arrested thanks to Roscoe using her to get badly needed information to put her brother away for the rest of his life. Yes, her brother was a criminal, she didn’t condone that behavior. At least Tony had cooperated with the DEA to give up the cartel.
Glancing in the rearview mirror and seeing that the black truck was still two cars back, she realized the cartel must have been involved in ransacking her apartment. That maybe they’d come after her out of revenge. Sending a loud message to anyone else who dared to testify against them.
Please, Lord, keep us safe in Your care!
This was Roscoe’s fault.
No, that wasn’t fair. Her brother Tony had been the one to transport drugs across the border. He’d done this. All Roscoe had done was to try to put a stop to it. And she couldn’t blame him for that.
She could blame him for the way he’d gone about it. Making her believe he cared about her.
Letting her fall in love with him.
She carefully switched lanes, noting with a nauseating feeling of despair that the black truck followed suit. Glancing at her map app on her phone, she noted her exit was coming up. She waited until the last possible minute to get off the interstate, hoping the black truck would keep going. She turned right at the end of the ramp, then stomped on the gas to pick up speed.
The black truck was no longer behind her. Had she lost him?
She made another quick turn, then searched the street addresses. It helped that Cameron Stevenson’s place wasn’t too far from the interstate. She drove past the Wisconsin State Fair grounds, then turned left at the next cross street.
She pulled into the driveway, taking note of the squad sitting a few yards ahead of her. Was Cameron a cop too? Or was Roscoe here? She prayed it was the latter as she quickly slid out from behind the wheel, grabbed her purse, and hurried to the front door.
Leaning on the doorbell, she cast a furtive glance behind her. So far, the street was clear.
It seemed to take an inordinate length of time for the front door to open. Her eyes widened when she saw Roscoe standing there.
“Libby?” He looked confused, then his gaze dropped to her pregnant belly. His eyes bulged with shock. “What in the—you’all are pregnant?”
“Surprise.” She winced at her snarky tone. “But worse, I’m in danger. Someone wrecked my apartment, leaving a large knife embedded in my table. I’m afraid the cartel is responsible.” Now that she was there, she was hit by an overwhelming feeling of relief. “I came here because I need your help . . .”
His gaze narrowed on something behind her. She turned in time to see the black truck rolling down the street, the passenger window open, revealing a dark-skinned man. Certain the vehicle was the same one that had followed her from the Wisconsin/Illinois border, she instinctively ducked and darted away from the door just as the guy opened fire.
“Libby!” Roscoe flung the door open and stepped out holding his weapon with one hand. He fired at the retreating truck. She heard the metallic ping of the bullet striking the vehicle. Lifting her head, she saw the truck was still moving, but faster now as the driver tried to evade them.
“Get inside!” Roscoe leaned down and grabbed her arm. She didn’t need to be told twice. She stumbled into the house, shivering despite the warm July sun. Roscoe was dressed in casual clothes, jeans and a T-shirt, which made her think he had the day off. But if that was the case, why was the squad in the driveway? “Who was that? What’s going on?” he demanded.
“I—don’t know.” Tears pricked her eyes, and she tried to pull herself together. “I think that truck has been following me since I left the motel.”
“What motel?” Roscoe stared at her, then waved his hand. “Never mind. We need to get you out of here before they come back for a second round.”
“First, I have to use the bathroom.” The baby had been sitting on her bladder for the last twenty miles.
He looked like he might argue, then waved toward the hallway. “Go ahead, but hurry. I’ll call this in.”
She hurried down the hall, listening as he made the call to report gunfire at this address. She was relieved to find Roscoe here, although she wasn’t sure where Cameron was. Did the two guys share the house?
She told herself it didn’t matter. She was here because Roscoe had started this nightmare by arresting her brother. By making the cartel angry enough to lash out at her.
Despite how much she detested what Roscoe had done, using her to get to her brother, she needed him to keep her and their baby safe.
It was the least he could do.
Libby Hall was pregnant with his child. And someone had just tried to kill her.
Roscoe filled the local law enforcement in on the recent shooting. Then he called his boss, Captain Rhyland Finnegan of the Milwaukee Police Department Tactical Team. “I need a couple of days off.”
“Okay,” Rhy said after a long moment. “What’s going on?”
He sighed, running his hand through his thick hair. “An old friend of mine showed up at the house, and someone tried to kill her.”
“Did you call it in?” Rhy asked.
“Of course. But we can’t stay here. I need to get her someplace safe.” He was still reeling over Libby’s unexpected arrival. “She’s pregnant.”
“Yours?”
“Yeah.” He could take a paternity test, but the timing was right. Besides, Libby wasn’t the type to sleep around. They—he shouldn’t have taken advantage of her that night she’d learned her father had died. “I’m more concerned with keeping her safe.”
“Understood. You can try heading to the American Lodge, but it may be booked this close to the Fourth of July. You may need to go farther out to find a room.”
He hadn’t considered the timing related to the holiday. He sighed. “Good point. In the meantime, I hope you don’t hold this time off against me.”
“You know me better than that,” Rhy chided. “Family first.”
Family. The word was like a sucker punch to the gut. Roscoe’s cousin Cameron was the only family he had left after losing his adoptive parents. And while he and Cam were close now, they hadn’t met until they were teenagers because their mothers were estranged. He liked Cam but was keenly aware that there was no blood bond between them.
Libby’s baby proved he had a family now. No matter how things worked out for him and Libby, he would not abandon his child.
“Thanks, Rhy.” He lowered the phone as Libby emerged from the bathroom. She looked as beautiful as always, despite the fear darkening her green eyes. Before he could say anything more, the wail of sirens filled the air. He raised his voice to be heard over the noise. “Please sit down and wait here. I need to talk to these officers before we head out.”
She nodded, sinking into the closest chair and clutching her purse like a lifeline. He had so many questions, but right now, he needed to stay focused on finding those gunmen.
He strode to the door and watched as two local squads pulled up. Glancing back at Libby, he offered a reassuring smile as he headed outside to meet them.
“Officer Roscoe Turner from MPD,” he said, showing his badge. “An extended cab Chevy truck drove past and fired two rounds at my—ah, Libby Hall.” He’d stumbled over how to introduce Libby. She wasn’t exactly his girlfriend any longer, although they had been close.
Until she’d learned he’d arrested her brother Tony for running drugs.
“License plate?” Officer Golden asked.
“No, it was partially covered in mud.” Not to mention the whole thing had gone down too fast for him to get more than a passing glimpse. He turned to look at Cameron’s house. “Here”—he pointed to the small round bullet holes in the siding—“these are the two slugs.”
“We’ll get them out and examined for markings,” the second officer by the name of Avery replied.
The slugs were in the exact location Libby had been standing before she’d ducked to avoid them. The near miss made his blood run cold.
“We’d like to speak to Ms. Hall,” Golden said.
“Sure.” He led the way inside where Libby was still seated on the sofa. Seeing them, she struggled to her feet. He quickly crossed over to offer a hand. “Libby, Officer Golden and Officer Avery would like to ask you a few questions.”
She looked at the cops warily. “I’m not sure I can be much help. I noticed the black truck keeping pace behind me after I left my motel earlier this morning. I—uh, came to Wisconsin to find Roscoe—er, Officer Turner. I—uh . . .” She floundered for a moment, then said, “My brother Tony Hall is in a federal prison for drug trafficking. He had once been working with some faction of the Mexican cartel.”
Golden whistled. “I wouldn’t want to mess with the cartels.”
The color drained from Libby’s face. “I was told Tony cooperated with the DEA for a lighter sentence. He’s been in prison for about six months, but two days ago, when I came home from work, I found my apartment totally ransacked, and worse, a large knife was sticking out of the kitchen table.” She bit her lower lip for a moment, pulling herself together before continuing. “I’m a teacher. I knew this had to be related to my brother. Fearing for my life and that of my child, I jumped in the car and drove away.”
Roscoe felt sick knowing that arresting Tony had put Libby and their baby in danger. Worse, she’d had her apartment trashed, then had been forced to drive for two days straight to get here. He should have stayed in Texas.
He should have been there for her all this time.
The two officers glanced at each other with concern. Golden asked, “You believe one of the Mexican cartels has followed you all the way here?”
“It’s the only thing that makes sense.” Libby sniffed and swiped at her damp eyes. “But I didn’t notice anyone following me until I reached the Wisconsin state line.” She shivered despite the warmth. “I guess I could have missed a tail after leaving Texas, but I was paying attention. Especially knowing someone had left a knife in my apartment.” She swallowed hard and glanced at him. “I’m glad you were here. If you hadn’t answered the door . . .”
“I’m glad I was here too.” He ached to take her into his arms but couldn’t seem to bring himself to close the gap between them. She had only sought him out now because of the danger.
Not because she was desperate to see him. In fact, he wasn’t sure he’d have learned about the baby if her apartment hadn’t been broken in to.
His stomach tightened with anger and frustration with both the situation and his own role in it. What had happened back in Texas? Was Tony still alive? In his experience, snitches were often killed in prison. But it also wasn’t unheard of to kill the snitch’s family as punishment for ratting out the cartel. Which was why getting anyone to testify against them was difficult.
He turned toward Golden. “I need to get Ms. Hall out of here and somewhere safe. I’ve contacted my boss, Captain Rhy Finnegan, to let him know about the shooting. He may want to work with your captain about getting results from the evidence collection.” He snapped his fingers. “I almost forgot. I returned fire and struck the truck. I don’t think the bullet did much damage, though, because they sped out of here without stopping.”
“We can be on the lookout for a black truck sporting a bullet hole,” Avery said.
He nodded, even though he suspected the shooters would have ditched the truck by now and picked up something else.
At least, that’s what he would have done.
“I think we may need to get the DEA here involved too,” Golden said with a frown. “If the cartel is here, they’ll need to know.”
“Yeah, okay.” He should have thought of that for himself. Roscoe doubted the DEA knew anything about the break-in back in Texas, though. “You can let the DEA here know that I worked with a DEA agent by the name of Charlie Olson down south. They should collaborate on this.” In his humble opinion, the more law enforcement officers involved, the better. “I’d be happy to talk to the DEA representative here in Milwaukee once I have Ms. Hall safe.”
“Good idea.” Golden took a step back and lifted his hand to his radio.
Roscoe turned toward Libby. She looked pale and exhausted. Traumatized by finding her place broken in to, threatened with a knife, then being followed and shot at. Not to mention traveling across the entire country. “Can you give me a few more minutes to grab some gear? Then we’ll hit the road.”
She nodded and sank back down onto the edge of the sofa. He ran to his guest bedroom and tossed some things into a duffel bag. Then he called Cameron, who was out of town for the week visiting his girlfriend in Madison. His cousin didn’t answer, so he left a message instructing him to stay away from the house until they talked.
Hoping Cameron would call him back sooner rather than later, he joined Libby in the living room. Officer Golden crossed toward him. “I need your contact information. And Ms. Hall’s too. I’ve been told that a DEA agent by the name of Doug Bridges wants to chat with both of you.”
“Fine.” He quickly rattled off his cell phone. “There’s no point in taking down Ms. Hall’s number, we’re not keeping that phone.”
“Oh, yeah. That makes sense.” Golden frowned. “How will he get in touch with her?”
“Through me.” He caught Libby’s startled gaze. “I’m sorry, Libby, but we don’t know how these guys tracked you. We can’t risk you keeping that phone.”
“I understand.” She dug in her purse, then held it out to him. “Take it. I don’t want those men to find me again.”
He did so, powered it down, then stomped on it with his foot, grinding his heel into the device until it was destroyed. Then he picked up the pieces and tossed them into the garbage. Returning to Libby’s side, he held out his hand to help her up. “Let’s go.”
