Totally, Sweetly, Irrevocably(50)
Before she was halfway through her movie, her phone rang. She glanced at the display, hoping it was Rick.
No…it was Mrs. Bogetti. Gina’s heart jumped into her throat. Her truck! She’d given Mrs. Bogetti her number in case she ever noticed anything weird going on. Figured she might as well put the woman’s nosiness to good use.
She answered the phone. “Hi, Mrs. Bogetti. What’s up?”
“Hello, dear. You might want to come down to the bakery. And bring that handsome police officer friend with you.”
Gina was already pulling on her shoes and grabbing a hoodie off the hook by her door. “What’s going on? Did you see something?”
“Well, I didn’t see anyone going in the truck, but I looked out my window and I could have sworn I saw a light moving around in there. Not like the lights when you girls have them all on, but like a flashlight or something. And it’s moving.”
“What’s moving?” She was already out the door and heading up the street toward the bakery four blocks away.
“The truck. It’s moving. Something is going on inside that shouldn’t be, if you ask me.”
“I’m already on my way, Mrs. Bogetti. Thanks!”
She disconnected the call before the old woman could fill her head with even more unwanted images, and picked up her pace. She tried to ignore the twinge of guilt that hit her. The one thing Rick had asked her not to do. She’d promised him, yet there she was, breaking her promise already. But then again, she wasn’t going down to stalk anything or anyone. A concerned citizen had called her to say something suspicious was up. She couldn’t not investigate.
She should probably call him, though, and let him know what was up. Though the thought sort of pissed her off. She shouldn’t have to ask his permission to do anything, let alone check on her own property. But he was a cop, and if someone had broken into her truck, a cop was who she should call. And she’d promised.
She sighed and pulled out her phone, bracing herself for the fight she knew was coming. Rick picked up on the second ring.
“Hey there. What’s up?” he asked.
“Something you aren’t going to like,” she said, dodging around a couple that was in her path.
“What’s going on?”
“Mrs. B called and—”
“Do not go over there without me.”
“Rick…”
“Gina, you promised. I can be there in five minutes. This isn’t something you should be handling on your own. If I’m there, I can arrest him and we can take care of this.”
“I’m kind of already almost there.”
The frustrated groan on the other end of the line brought a heaping helping of guilt with it, but it was her truck, damn it. She wasn’t just going to sit there waiting for the cavalry to ride in while the perp—or perv, rather—got away.
“We’re on our way, Gina. Don’t do anything until I get there. You promised me.”
“I know, but…”
She turned the corner and the bakery came in sight. Sure enough, the truck was rocking. And she sure as hell was going to come knocking. The sound of something crashing came from inside the truck, and all thoughts of waiting for Rick to show up disappeared in the haze of fury that overcame her.
“If you’re on your way, you better step on it. The shit weasel is still in there and there’s no way in hell I’m going to sit here and watch while he trashes my truck.”
“Gina…”
“I gotta go.”
She disconnected the call before he could say anything else, shoving aside the guilt over breaking her promise. At least she hadn’t just gone barreling in. She’d called him and he was on his way. That was more than she would have done for anyone else.
She shoved her phone in her pocket and ran the last few feet to the truck. The padlock that had been on the door lay open on the bumper of the truck. It was new, replaced since the last break-in, and only she and Nat had a key. So whoever was inside had to have picked it.
Gina threw open the doors and jumped inside. Her jaw hit the floor.
There wasn’t enough eye bleach in the world.
Chapter Seventeen
The second the call came in over the radio, Rick knew what he’d find when he got to the scene. At least he thought he did. Gina had obviously not waited for him to get there, so he knew it wouldn’t be pretty. But nothing could have prepared him for the circus show taking place. With Gina center stage.
Mrs. Bogetti had called in about a noise complaint with a possible domestic disturbance. For a woman prone to exaggeration, she hadn’t even come close to the fiasco that was really going on. Gina stood in the middle of the street having a full on freak-out. A pile of clothes was at her feet and it looked like she was pouring syrup and chocolate sauce and whatever else she could find all over it while a man, wearing nothing but chocolate-streaked tighty-whities (at least Rick sincerely hoped that was chocolate) tried to dodge around her to rescue something from the pile. He managed to grab a shirt, and Gina whipped around, grabbing hold of it and pulling.