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"Right." He hefted himself from the Jeep and began walking toward the other side of the garage and his bike. The decision was clear; he had to go. "I'll leave in the morning to go find Bobby Ray, and then when I come home, I'll see how Megan feels about me. In the meantime, will you and Emmy watch out for her while I'm gone? She'll be all alone up here."
"Brother, we'll all stop in daily and make sure she's doing fine. Maybe she'll want to babysit, and Sylvia and I can actually get a date night in."
"Shit, Daws, you've already got her watching your kids?"
Laughter sounded on the other end of the phone before he said, "Gotta go, bro. Be careful out there and come home safe."
Ending the call and tucking his phone into his pocket, he uncovered his bike, a 2014 Dyna Low-rider. He still remembered the day he'd picked it up from the dealership, the first brand new bike he'd ever bought, and it felt like freedom. Taking a trip down Main Street in Lynyrd Station, people stopping and waving, the smile on his face grew from ear to ear. Then, he drove past the cottage he’d been staying in, turned onto his mountain road, and felt exhilarated that this house was his. He vowed he'd get it out of Tamra's name, and then he'd gotten the call from Rory—they had a lead on Bobby Ray June, and they needed his help.
Chapter25
Pizza was in the oven, a salad was made, the wine was opened and breathing, so all she needed to complete supper was Ford. And, she'd be a good girl and not complain about him leaving. She knew he had to and that had been the plan all along. He wasn't leaving her; he was going to work. After that, she'd be free to go home, fix her house, go back to work, and she could call Ford and stay in touch with him. If they wanted to get together, it could easily be accomplished on the weekends or something. Ninety miles wasn't across the country.
The back door opened, and she turned to watch Ford walk into the kitchen, the sight of him always stirring her in the most delicious way. Even now before seeing him her nipples pebbled tightly, her stomach fluttered, and her panties dampened. Such a silly schoolgirl she was. When his dark head poked around the corner, it was even more exciting. Those black eyes reflected the lights from the kitchen, and his full lips parted in a sexy ass smile which made her heartbeat speed up.
"It smells fantastic in here, Meg. How long before supper's ready?"
She glanced at the timer on the oven. "Ten minutes."
"Okay, then let me show you a couple of things you need to know." He sauntered over to his desk, lifted the top on his computer and waited for her to join him. Bonus that he pulled her down onto his lap. Definite bonus.
"Okay, this icon right here?" He used his mouse to point to a red triangular icon with MS in white letters on it. "This is my security system." Double clicking the icon, she tried ignoring the purely masculine aroma wafting from him every time he moved. The software opened to a screen filled with buttons and videos playing from different vantage points around this property.
"These are from all the cameras around the house and on the property. I own this whole side of the mountain. These cameras are placed to allow for viewing from the beginning of the property line at the bottom of the mountain to the end of the property line at the top. For the most part, they sit like this, showing nothing but the scenery, but as soon as something moves in front of a camera, they all turn on and record everything. Even animals trigger the cameras, the smallest squirrel can trigger one of them. What this means is that you will be able to see if someone is approaching the house anywhere on the property."
He pulled a phone from the top drawer of his desk. "This is a private phone and is not traceable to me or you or this house. You can call me or Emmy or Dawson, and if you need me to program anyone else's number into it, I'm happy to do that, so long as you don't tell anyone where you are. This is for your protection, not to keep you a prisoner. Okay?"
"Okay." The butterflies in her stomach took flight. He was keeping her safe.
He tapped Emmy's name on the phone and tapped the speaker icon. "I'm here," she answered.
"Okay, come on up slowly please."
Emmy's SUV triggered a camera, and her vehicle came into view as she drove up the driveway. Then all of the cameras came to life, showing her the entire property. Trees, flowers, mountainside, and the driveway. A beeping sounded from the computer when she was about halfway up the drive. "That tells you someone is approaching."
The beeping sounded faster a few moments later. "That tells you she's approaching the gate."
She watched the video as Emmy stopped at the gate, extended her hand out the window and entered the password on the security panel. The sound of a doorbell then rang from the computer and also from inside the house somewhere. "That's letting you know the gate has been opened."
He held up the telephone he'd just given her. "And if you aren't at the computer, you can see it all right here on the phone." The screen had filled with the images of the cameras she was looking at on the computer screen, one at a time showing her camera after camera, but in the corner was the red button flashing. Ford pointed to that button. "This tells you the gate has been opened."
"Okay. Wow, you weren't kidding you've got this place secured."
"I choose to believe that I'm not paranoid, just safe, but I suppose an argument could be made other than that."
A whistle sounded from the phone and the computer at the same time. "Emmy just opened the garage door." And the screen on the phone flicked to Emmy walking into the garage. She waved up at the camera before entering the door.
"Okay, all good?"
They both turned to see Emmy's smirk as she glanced their way. "Wow, can't you two separate for a moment?"
"Hush, Em, I'm simply showing Megan the security system. And you're a fine one to talk."
His dark eyes caught hers, "Em and Scott can't keep their hands off of each other."
She chuckled. "It smells great in here; what are you making?"
"Bar-b-que chicken pizza, and I made an apple pie earlier."
