Soon enough I’ll get out of her what I came here for and Solomon will be clueless.
* * * *
Michaela was grabbing a coffee at Sullivan’s when Serefina joined her.
She was such a nice woman, and so pretty and easy to talk to. She wound up joining her for lunch and talking about town and how she grew up there.
“So is Treasure Town growing on you yet?” Serefina asked.
“It is such a nice town, nestled between the islands like this. It’s incredible.”
“Have you ventured to the outskirts and into some of the adjoining towns yet?”
“Nope. Too busy trying to fix up the house. This is the first time I even had a chance to come into Sullivan’s.”
“Oh man, then we need to go shopping and I can give you a tour of all the hot spots. How do you like The Station?”
“It’s nice. Burt and Jerome are so wonderful. I can’t complain. I only work the two nights.”
“I haven’t taken on anything other than this job here at Sullivan’s. I had some trouble a few months back, and well, I moved here, back home, to try and get control of my life.”
“Sounds sort of like me.”
“I hope not. I had a serial arsonist stalking me.”
“Oh God, that’s crazy.”
“Sure was, but my men and the other locals in town all helped to save my life. It was wild, but I’m finally starting to feel safe again. Well, with the help of Ace, Bull, and Ice. I don’t know where I would be without them and my family.”
Michaela felt emotional. She didn’t have a family, but she did have Billy, Hal, and Jake. She was learning to trust them and count on them, too. She smiled.
“Thinking about your men?” Serefina asked, and Michaela chuckled. She could feel her cheeks blush. “Hey, no need to feel embarrassed. I know exactly how you feel. I came here from North Carolina after I lost my boyfriend to a fire I was trapped in.”
“Oh God, that’s terrible. I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you. I was badly off, and really depressed. My family insisted that I return home, and when I did, the last thing I expected was to fall in love with three men. I tell you, it was scary. Then of course there was the serial arsonist. Well, I’ll tell the long story another time. I want to know more about you. Where did you live before here?”
Michaela explained about Chicago but left out all the drama from New York.
“Hey, it’s okay if you need your privacy. Believe me I understand. To be honest, I think you’re a really nice person. I’m also happy to see that Hollywood, Bear, and Jake finally found the perfect woman for them. They were pretty devastated when Lisa left them. At least that’s what Ace told me.”
“I don’t know anything about a Lisa.”
“Oh God, I probably shouldn’t have said anything.”
“No, it’s okay. It’s not like I’m naive and thought that they were never with anyone else. I guess I’m just shocked that I felt instantly jealous.”
Serefina smiled. “I am so like that, too. Even when I was trying to ignore the attraction I felt for Ace, Ice, and Bull.”
Michaela smiled. “I guess when you care about someone, jealousy is a side effect.” They both chuckled.
“If it makes you feel better, I heard Lisa was a nasty, two-faced snob and no one thought she deserved those men. Not even their dad.”
“Yes, that does make me feel better.” She held her mug of coffee and smiled.
“So how about we make plans to go to that boutique I mentioned? I would love you to meet my friends Tasha, Mel, and Catalina. We’re going to try and make some plans for a girls’ night out next week.”
“That sounds like fun. When do you want to go to the boutique? I work Friday and Saturday nights.”
“Okay, how about on Thursday afternoon this week?”
“Great.”
* * * *
“What do you mean she’s not at home?” Jake asked Hal over the cell phone.
“I just got here and she isn’t answering the door. Why are you freaking out?”
“Shit. Just see if you can find her in town. Look for her bike. Ask Ike if he knows where she went?”
“Okay, now you have me concerned, Jake. If you know something and you’re not telling me…”
“I can’t get into it now, but I just got off the phone with Alonso and the news isn’t great. He thinks that these men are getting closer. The Feds seem to be onto something, and when agents saw Dipero and then Duvall, they didn’t nab them.”
“Why the hell not?” Hal asked, raising his voice.
“Alonso thinks there’s more going on with that Solomon guy who was dating Michaela’s sister. He’s trying to pull the pieces together along with the detectives working the case. He asked that we watch over Michaela.”
“Great, and she doesn’t even have a cell phone. Why?”
“Because someone could track her. She’s smart and she’s trying to remain under the radar. Look for her, I’m leaving the department now, and I’ll look, too. Maybe she went toward the shopping strip?”
“I’ll check the boardwalk. It’s only a few blocks away.”
Hal disconnected the call and got into his truck. He headed toward the boardwalk, keeping an eye out for Michaela as well as her bike. Once he parked the car, he walked the main strip and came upon Sullivan’s. Maybe Serefina had seen her? Just as he headed closer, he spotted Michaela’s bike and her sitting at a table talking with Serefina. He pulled out his phone and texted Jake before entering.
“Hey, Hal, what a nice surprise,” Serefina stated as he approached. She stood up and he greeted her with a kiss to her cheek.
“Need a drink?”
“Iced tea is fine,” he told her as she walked away.
He pulled the chair closer to Michaela and leaned forward to kiss her hello. Their lips touched and instantly he felt relieved. He realized just how much he cared about her already. Heck, he was in love with her.
“Are you okay?” she asked him, placing her hand on his shoulder as he moved his arm over her chair behind her shoulders. He leaned closer.
“I was worried about you when I stopped by the house and you weren’t there.”
“I decided to grab another book about renovating bathrooms. I was considering removing the old tub and placing a pedestal tub or maybe a free-standing one in its place. There’s really nothing to salvage in the master bathroom. Here, this is what I was thinking.”
She pulled the book from the shopping bag and fingered through the pages. Hal stared at her, absorbing her perfume and the way he felt so content and happy being this close to her and just talking about the house, renovating, and sharing her ideas. It was a great feeling, even though only minutes ago he was freaking out that someone may have taken her or tried to hurt her. His heart was still racing. But as she ran her fingers along the pages, pointing out a combination of ideas, he had to smile.
“I think that one would look great. Plus that other tub right there may not even fit down the hallway. It is kind of narrow up there.”
She looked at him and stared up into his eyes. It was a moment, a period of time that passed around them, but their focus and their energy was consumed by these moments their gazes were locked.
She smiled and then pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.
“I know. I feel it, too.” He placed his hand against her cheek and drew her closer for a kiss. This time when their lips locked, he felt the connection so strong and deep in comparison to any other. It was as if they both realized the intensity of their emotions. Releasing her lips, he ran his fingers along her hair.
“I guess we have some measuring to do.”
She smiled and her eyes lit up. “You’re going to help me?”
“Of course I am. I came by to see you and spend some time with you. Want to head out now?”
“I’ll just make this iced tea to go,” Serefina stated, interrupting the conversation as she twirled around and headed back toward the bar.
Hal and Michaela laughed.
* * * *
The moment he parked his truck next to Hal’s Jake felt a bit more relieved, but only after seeing Michaela safe and protected with Hal would he be able to move on with his day. As he closed his door, he saw them holding hands and heading toward him. She smiled when she saw him, and all the fear drained from his body.
“Hey, I thought you had a lot of work to do?” she asked and immediately walked up to him, stood up on tiptoes, and kissed him. He held her in his arms and squeezed her.
When she went to pull back, he didn’t let her go.
“Jake?” she questioned him, so he released her and then placed his hands on his hips.
“We need to do something about this whole no cell phone thing. We were both looking for you and there was no way to contact you. I was thinking that maybe I could add one to our service plan.”
She crossed her arms in front of her chest even though she held a bag in her hands.
“Okay, what’s with you two? It’s like you’re trying to keep tabs on me, or don’t trust me. Does this have something to do with your ex-girlfriend?”
Jake felt the tightness in his chest and Hal looked about ready to drop.
“Ex-girlfriend?” Jake asked her.
“Listen, you don’t have to explain anything to me about your past, well, lovers, I guess. I just hope you know that I care about you guys a lot and I’m not her.”