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“But, we’re getting married first,” I assure her, making my intentions known.
She laughs sweetly. “Good. Can’t wait.”
* * *
“I told them I was done doing undercover work. I’ll work in the field or assist on undercover cases, but nothing that will keep me away from you.”
Thea is braiding her hair in the mirror. I meant to tell her this news last night, but after our shower, I ended up buried inside of her again, and then we promptly fell asleep.
“Are you sure? Won’t you get bored?” She asks, looking at me behind her in the reflection.
“No, I think I’ll be plenty busy with you and all of our future babies.” I wink, making her grin. Now that the idea of having a little family with Thea has sprouted, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. I’d get her pregnant today if I wasn’t adamant about making her my wife first.
“I’m glad you’re home for good then.” She gazes lovingly at me in the mirror, making it hard to resist her. I wrap my arms around her waist, careful not to disturb her hair progress, kissing her exposed shoulder.
True to what she said last night, she hasn’t been put off at all by my touch. She hasn’t even flinched, accepting all of my physical affection with a warm embrace and eager reciprocation. It’s hard to believe she’s the meek girl I met all those weeks ago. Luckily, I still have no problem making her blush.
“There’s going to be a heavy police presence this morning. I want you to be aware, but I don’t want to scare you…” I trail off, watching for a reaction in the mirror.
“Why?”
“The case I was working on went cold because it wasn’t resolved, the main suspect was in the wind with no leads. When you told me what this 5k was for, I had some worries. I asked Malec to bring his ‘A’ game.” She furrows her brow, clearly worried about what I’m telling her.
“It could be nothing. Better safe than sorry, though.” I give her a reassuring smile, but it falls flat in my eyes. My gut is telling me this might be a shit show of a morning, but I have no proof and no jurisdiction, so all I can do is be there for Thea.
“Well, I’ll try to run fast then,” she says seriously, making me burst out laughing. I guess that’s one solution.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Jesse
The pit in my stomach grows as we arrive at the pre-race area set up in downtown Lawson. It’s even bigger than I originally thought. The main road that’s been blocked off is packed with people participating, volunteering, and spectating the 5k. It’s the worst-case scenario for a mass casualty incident.
I grip Thea’s hand in mine as we file through the crowd looking for the check-in booth, when I see a familiar face towering above the crowd.
“Malec!” I shout, watching as his attention zeroes in on where he heard his name. He waves and motions for me to stay where I am.
“I need to talk to the Sheriff for a minute, do you want to stay with me? Or, do you need to check in?” I ask Thea. Her eyes widen slightly at Malec’s large frame coming towards us. Although she’s gotten over her aversion to men with me, she hasn’t applied the same principles to everyone else. Selfishly, I’m glad to be the exception.
“I’ll go check in and meet you back here.” She kisses my cheek before diving back into the thicket of people around us. It’s probably better that she doesn’t hear this conversation anyway.
“All has been quiet so far,” Malec says, shaking my hand. “I’ve got the full force out,” he says sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “I’m so low-staffed that I asked my old lieutenant to spare some troopers. Lawson PD is busy enough with how many people are here.”
“Good, thanks for humoring me. I hope my gut is wrong, but I’d never be able to live with myself if I hadn’t shared my suspicions with someone,” I tell him honestly.
“I wish we had more manpower. Donahue left this county a mess. I’m still working out the budget.” He shrugs, casually observing the crowd around us. I am too, consciously becoming aware of all the alleyways, the large vehicles, and anybody who doesn’t look like they belong. Even without a potential threat looming over our heads, it’s a hard habit to break when in a large crowd.
“Anything I need to know before the race starts?” I ask, seeing that people are starting to line up by the start.
“I’ve got guys camped out every half mile along the course, and more right here where it starts and finishes. A few more watching the parking lots. If I had someone qualified, I’d get a sniper in one of these buildings just to keep watch from above, but…” He sighs, clearly feeling the weight of all of this. It’s his responsibility to keep the people of this town, and this county, safe. It’s a lot of pressure for one person.
“I’m sorry this fell in your lap. I’m here to help in any way I can, whatever you need.”
“When the hell did you get back?” I hear a familiar voice behind me ask.
“Last night.” I hug Nathan, slapping him on the back. “What are you guys doing here?”
“We came to support Thea, she texted Callie yesterday but we didn’t know you’d be back.” Nathan shakes Malec’s hand.
