"Hiding again, huh?" Oliver asked.
"Yep," I replied as I typed another text.
Me: I've gotta run, Mama. Love you.
Mom: Love you. If you finish up, stop by. Maria's daughter is in town.
I lifted my brows. Hmm. That might be fun. Cassie was beautiful with her long, dark hair and brown eyes that begged for more. The last time she was in town we had one night of hot sex. The girl knew how to work her tongue, that's for sure.
Oliver's pager went off. Without a word, everyone jumped up and headed out as he called and got the information.
"We've got a high-risk narcotics warrant. Let's head back."
My heart pumped harder. I fucking loved my job. It was dangerous and required fast thinking, planning, and balls of steel to be on SWAT. My career choice had also kept me single. I'd yet to meet a woman who could handle the fact that I was a cop. Let alone, a SWAT member. Not that I was looking. Far from it. I liked my single lifestyle. No one to answer to and plenty of women to go around. At least that was the mantra I repeated to myself all the time.
Once we made it back to the station, we went over the plans down to every last detail. Every single thing was planned. Where our entry points were, where the pull teams would go, and what the backup plan would be.
Five hours later we were ripping the iron gate off and breaking the door in on a house that was suspected of selling heroine out of it.
"Police! On the floor!" I shouted as we rushed in. Three guys immediately dropped to the floor and one dumb fuck took off running for the back of the house to try to get out.
Idiot.
I'd have him in less than thirty seconds.
Thud.
"Don't even think about it. Give me your hands."
Fighting me every step of the way, the suspect shouted out, "I didn't do nothing!"
I restrained his hands and pulled him off the ground. Heading into the main living room with the dirtbag I had caught, Liam walked around the corner. "The rest of the house is clear."
I called in, "Three in custody. All clear for narcotics to come in."
My heart was still racing as we headed back to our vehicle. Another successful bust. This would never get old. The thrill of my job was all I needed.
The drive back to the station was filled with Oliver going over the operation. What went right, what could have gone wrong, and what we could have done better.
"Beer?" Cole asked as we stripped out of our gear and threw it into the back of our police cars.
"Sounds good."
"Drivas!" Oliver called out. "Your mother texted. Told her you were on a warrant issue."
With a roll of my eyes, I sighed and slammed my trunk. Turning to Cole, I said, "I'm going to need something stronger than a beer."
His face lit up. That meant we were heading out on the town and would most likely both end up getting lucky tonight.
"Hell yes! I was hoping you'd say that."
With a smile, I shouted, "Later guys!"
Oliver, Phil, and Liam each lifted a hand. They were all heading home to their wives or girlfriends. Not me though. The last thing I needed was a woman tying me down. I was perfectly happy being alone.
At least that was what I kept telling myself.
I STARED OUT the window as I wound the yarn in a ball.
"It's a new pattern I'm trying for my granddaughter."
"Oh, I love it, Beth!"
Glancing to my right, I watched as Lou and Beth oohed and aahed over a new blanket pattern Beth had bought.
Beth looked up and showed me the pattern. Smiling, I nodded. "It's precious! She's going to love it." The look of pure happiness on Beth's face made my heart fill with happiness as I let out a soft sigh and went back to my busywork. I loved coming to knitting club. It always relaxed me and made me think of my grandmother. She was the one who had taught me to knit, and being with these women reminded me of a happier time.
My eyes scanned the mountains out the window. One of these days I'd build up the courage to hike up one of them. My somewhat fear of heights kept me from venturing out to them. Until then, I would sit in a room with four other women who were significantly older than me, and knit.
Lou gasped as Beth showed her the yarn she was using for her future grandbaby. She insisted it was a girl, even though her daughter and son-in-law decided not to find out what the gender was.
"That pink is perfect!" Lou gushed.
Beth held it up for the rest of us to see.
"Beautiful!" Karen said.
"Love that pink!" Nancy added.
With a smile, I said, "Lovely."
Everyone turned to Charity. My best friend, roommate, and business partner. She was sulking in the corner like she did every week when we came to knitting club.