"Allie?"
"Fuck off."
Before I can say anything else, what we've been waiting on starts going down. Lee pulls up to the back parking lot of the convenience store, hops off, and slow-rolls it over to the back door before knocking.
"Looks like he's making contact," Dime says, holding his camera up to his eye. "We gave him money, right?"
"Yeah, I verified the serial numbers with dispatch last night. It's all marked. Once they get the pictures and compare it to the money they'll be picking up, they'll be able to charge Tommy and all his little followers."
We both hate Tommy.
"They're basically running a white supremacist cell out of the back room of that place. They need to be charged," Dime mumbles.
"Agreed. Come on, Lee. Just get your shit, and leave."
We're both pushing him back toward his bike with the power of our brains. He's spending too much time talking to Tommy, but just when I'm about to give up and blow up his fucking phone, they exchange money and product. Lee presses it into his pocket and then heads for his bike. I blow out a breath of relief. We've finally got some of the evidence we need, and one more rung on the ladder will be knocked down.
"Let's go," Dime says as he stows away his camera. "I'll get this emailed to Chief Harrison tonight."
"Sounds good. I'll call in the tip to dispatch that the drug deal went down."
"You headed home?" he asks, gazing hard at me.
"I am. I know I'm not exactly where I should be right now, and I'm having second thoughts about a lot, but I hope you'll stick by me."
"I will." He nods. "And before you think I have this all figured out... I don't. I'm as confused about a lot of it as you are. We've put our entire lives on hold for this. We'd be really shitty people if we didn't care about the ones who have been around us every day for the last few years, but we have to keep some sort of a line in the sand. It's not easy, and we knew that when we took this job."
He's right, we did. I just didn't realize how much I would vibe with the life I'm living, how I would feel as if I've come home. Being a cop was a dream of mine. I accomplished it early in life, after being in the military, and it was the greatest accomplishment of my life. But there was another part of me who felt as if he wasn’t completely comfortable and satisfied. A piece of my personality that ached to do something else.
I just didn't know what that was. And the last few years, I've grown to know myself a lot more, and better. Officer Derrick David feels more comfortable and more at home with the patch of a motorcycle club on his back than he ever did with a gun on his hip and a badge on his chest.
Chapter 10
Dani
"Are you sure you don't want me to come help you get ready?" I ask Allison as we sit together on FaceTime. She's got her phone propped up against something on her dresser, and I can see her rummaging through what looks like every piece of clothing she owns scattered across her bed.
"No, I think I've got it handled," she says, holding up a black dress before immediately tossing it aside. "Actually, wait. Maybe I do need help. What do you wear on a date with a guy who looks like he could be on the cover of a romance novel?"
I laugh, adjusting my position on the couch. "Allison, it's Dime we're talking about. He's going to think you look beautiful no matter what you wear. The man's been staring at you like he could rip your clothes off for months."
"Has he really?" Her voice gets higher, and I can see the blush creeping up her neck even through the phone screen.
"Are you kidding me?" I shake my head, grinning. "Trust me, girl. He's down to date, or maybe a whole lot more."
She picks up a blue sundress, studies it for a moment, then holds it up to herself in front of the mirror. "I just... God, Dani, I haven't been on a real date in so long. Not since before the divorce was finalized."
The mention of her ex-husband makes my jaw clench. That piece of shit cheated on her with some twenty-two-year-old from his office, then had the audacity to try and take half of everything in the divorce.
"Hey," I say, my voice softer now. "That asshole doesn't deserve another second of your thoughts. Tomorrow night is about you having fun with a good man who actually appreciates what he's got."
"I know, I know. It's just..." She sits down on the edge of her bed, the dress still in her hands. "What if I've forgotten how to do this? What if I'm awkward and weird and he realizes he made a mistake asking me out?"
"Allie Marie, you stop that right now." I point at the phone screen like she can feel the force of my finger through it. "You are gorgeous, smart, funny, and any man would be lucky to have your attention. Including Dime."
She smiles at that, a real smile this time. "You really think so?"
"I know so. Besides, you've got two weeks before you have to start worrying about lesson plans and dealing with teenagers again. Might as well make those two weeks count, right?"
