Baby Read online

  “Shit,” I said, realizing that I was very late getting back to the halfway house from work. That was a parole violation. I could go back to jail.

  I sat bolt upright just as Jake walked into the room. His short blond hair was wet, and he was wearing only a towel around his waist.

  “What’s wrong?” He grinned, leaning over to kiss me on the mouth. His scent and his warmth were distracting, but I couldn’t afford to be distracted now.

  Tears came down my cheeks. It was hard to talk past the thick pain in my throat, but eventually I explained that I was late and in violation of my parole.

  “Shit,” Jake echoed. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

  He paced across the floor for a minute, and I watched him, feeling an overpowering sense of doom come over me.

  He stopped pacing and said, “You know what, it’s fine. It’s going to be fine. I’ll give you a ride back and explain what happened with the guy who was following you. I’ll say we had to detain you so you could give a report. They can’t give you a parole violation for cooperating with the police,” he said confidently.

  “Isn’t that…lying?” I said, my eyes wide. I didn’t want to get in any more trouble than I already was.

  “No,” Jake laughed. “You did give a police report, didn’t you? And you’re being escorted home by an officer. They won’t think twice about it.”

  I felt the lump in my throat disappear as I calmed down. He was right.

  He offered to let me shower, but I declined. I wanted to get back as quickly as possible, and if anyone at the halfway house noticed I’d showered, it would seem suspicious. I pulled my work clothes back on and Jake rushed me to the house in his police car.

  When we pulled in front of the halfway house, the house mother was standing on the porch, her hands on her hips. She was a cantankerous older woman with about as much warmth in her personality as a block of ice. I felt like a teenager who had missed her curfew.

  “You’re late,” she spat as I hopped out of the police car. “Hours late, in fact. Have you been arrested again?”

  What a dumb question, I thought. If I’d been arrested, would I be riding in the front seat of the car? Or coming back to the halfway house at all?

  But before I could even open my mouth to explain, Jake stepped in.

  “Sorry to keep you waiting, ma’am,” he interjected smoothly, stepping out to shake her hand. “I’m Officer Jake Ember.”

  As he flashed his badge, the house mother fluffed her hair, her demeanor changing noticeably.

  “She hasn’t given you any trouble, has she? I told them we were over-crowded here. I can’t keep my eyes on everybody at all times.”

  “No, no, quite the opposite. A known sexual predator was stalking her, and the police had to intervene. She actually helped us catch a wanted criminal,” Jake explained. “I’d be happy to provide you with the official reports, but I can promise you she was in police custody the whole time.” He snuck a wink at me.

  The house mother glanced at me dismissively, then simpered, “Oh, no, Officer, that won’t be necessary. I’m sorry she took up so much of your time. Thank you so much, and you have a lovely day now.”

  “I already have,” Jake muttered under his breath, grinning.

  I swatted his behind playfully, but the house mother couldn’t see from where she was standing.

  “You have a great day too, ma’am,” he said loudly. “You have my card if you need anything, Anna…Ms. Shepherd.”

  He gazed at me for a moment before getting back into his car and driving off.

  The house mother eyed me suspiciously as we turned to go into the house. “Good-looking, that one, wasn’t he?”

  “Was he? I hadn’t noticed.” I smiled demurely, retreating to my room.

  Chapter Eight

  Jake

  I watched Anna’s chest rise and fall as she slept in my arms.

  We’d been dating for a few weeks now, which was no easy task when her every move was monitored by the halfway house. I was more convinced than ever that she was innocent and felt obligated to do something about it, whether she wanted me to or not.

  “Hey,” I whispered, gently rocking her awake. She sleepily opened one eye, looked up at me, and smiled.

  “I fell asleep?” She yawned, stretching out across my bed.

  “Guess I tired you out again.” I grinned wickedly, rolling over on top of her and kissing her deeply.

  We made love for the second time that day, gently and slowly. After we both came, I told her we had better hurry if she wanted to make it to her parole meeting on time.

  “Crap, you’re right,” she muttered, pulling on her clothes.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll give you a ride. I’d like to say hi to Kelly anyway,” I said.

  After parking, I walked Anna into Kelly’s building, where I kissed her just as Kelly was walking into the lobby. She raised an eyebrow at me and said, “Come on in, Anna. Would you mind waiting in my office for just a minute?”

  Uh oh.

  Anna smiled back at me and walked out of the lobby. Kelly turned to me and folded her arms across her chest.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she said.

  “What?” I held out my arms. “I thought you told me I should start dating again.”

  “Yes, Jake, you should, but not a convict! And not one of my parolees. Don’t you think that’s a little inappropriate? Not to mention risky and stupid, all things considered.”

  Ouch. I knew she was referring to my dubious brothers, and how their jobs already cast suspicion on me as a cop. She wasn’t wrong. If I ever wanted to be taken seriously at work or get promoted, dating a parolee wouldn’t exactly help.

  “But I think she’s innocent,” I protested. “Come on, she’s not the type. You know she didn’t do it, right?”

  Kelly sighed, looking conflicted. “I don’t know if she did or not, and it’s not my job to decide. All I’m supposed to do is make sure she’s meeting the expectations of her parole. I would hate for you to mess that up for her.”

  It made sense, even though I didn’t like it.

  She went on, “And I would really hate dating her to mess up your job for you.”

  I hung my head. I had no defense; I knew she was right.

  “And now I’m in a bit of an awkward situation,” said Kelly uncomfortably.

  I snapped my head up. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, now I know you’re dating one of my parolees. Don’t you think I have to put that in my report? Especially since you’re a fellow officer? You might be willing to risk your job, Jake, but I’m not willing to risk mine.”

  “Kelly, please don’t do that! At least not yet. Give me time…let me try to figure this out first.”

  “Figure what out?”

  “I think I can prove she’s innocent,” I said wildly. I had no idea if I could, but I knew I had to try my hardest.

  Kelly stared at me silently for a moment, as if making a decision. Finally, she said, “I’ll give you a little time. If you don’t have anything soon, I’m putting it in my report. I’m sorry, Jake, but you’ve given me no choice.”

  And with that, she stormed out of the lobby and into her meeting with Anna.

  Poor Anna. I knew firsthand that Kelly wasn’t exactly easy to deal with when she was pissed.

  But now I had a new problem. How was I going to prove Anna’s innocence?

  I drove back to my house, pondering the dilemma. When I got home, I walked Rufus, then sat on the couch, my mind still racing.

  I pulled out my phone, going over the notes I had taken in the diner from just before the first time Anna and I had slept together. We hadn’t discussed her case since then. She didn’t really like to talk about it because it made her upset, and somehow we always ended up…distracted. It was hard to ask her questions when our lips were locked together and I was removing her clothes.

  My notes said the car had recently been cleaned. Was it possible the clea
ners had something to do with it, and had put the drugs in then? But why? I made a note to go to the car cleaners and check it out. I could find out who had been working that day and question them.

  The notes also said Anna had alerted her neighbors that she’d be going out of town. It was a longshot, but I decided to look them up and see if I found anything interesting.

  I pulled up Anna’s record again and skimmed it until I found her old address, which I used to find her old neighbors. None of them had moved in the last few years, making the task a little easier for me.

  One was a retired former kindergarten teacher in her seventies. Not a likely suspect, but I wasn’t about to rule anything out. At the very least, she might have seen something that day or she might have some helpful information. I made a note to speak with her.

  The neighbor on Anna and Trey’s other side was a single male, aged twenty-nine. His name was Carl Orson. He had no known occupation listed, which raised a red flag for me. Something in my gut told me to run his record.

  When I did, my phone lit up like a Christmas tree. He had a laundry list of offenses, some minor, and some not so minor. Parking violations, reckless driving, DUI, speeding, and possession of various controlled substances and drug paraphernalia. He didn’t have any warrants out for his arrest because he’d always paid for his violations, but since he never got a lawyer to expunge his record, the list of offenses remained.

  This was more what I had expected to see when I’d first looked up Anna’s record, or at least her old boyfriend’s. This was the kind of person who would be more likely to sell or distribute illegal drugs.

  As I went down the list, I saw something that made my blood run cold.

  “Of course!” I shouted, standing up and startling Rufus, who had been sleeping with his head in my lap. I rubbed his ears excitedly as I said, “I think we’re on to something here, boy.”

  Just then, my phone rang. It was Anna.

  Chapter Nine

  Anna

  I was sobbing when I called Jake right after my horrible meeting with Kelly.

  “Babe,” he said, “guess what! I just found out that—"

  “Jake, Kelly says we can’t see each other, and that I’m jeopardizing my parole and your career,” I said tearfully into the phone. My heart was pounding, and I found myself choking for breath in between sobs. “I don’t want to go back to jail, Jake. I can’t go back. I don’t belong there. I never even did anything wrong!”

  “Hey, calm down.” His voice was smooth and reassuring, exactly what I needed to hear right now. “Just stay put, I’ll come pick you up and we can talk this over, all right?”

  He hung up before I could respond.

  I sat on the front steps of the building, huddled into myself, watching for Jake like the last child waiting to be picked up from school. Darkness fell. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I thought about going back to jail or ending things with Jake. From what Kelly said, it seemed like one or the other was inevitable.

  A few people coming in or out of the building saw me, but other than a look of concern from a young woman, no one paid me any attention. Besides, now that the day was over, there weren’t as many people around.

  Jake pulled up in front of the steps, then jumped out of his patrol car. He ran up and gave me a hug. I buried my face into his broad shoulders as the tears kept coming. He opened the car door for me and gently helped me into the seat.

  “What did Kelly say, exactly?” he asked, frowning as he drove.

  “She was really, really mad. She said you were up for a promotion but there was no way you were going to get it if you were dating a convict, and that you already looked suspicious because of something to do with your brothers, which you’ve never told me about,” I said, giving him a pointed look.

  Jake sighed. “That’s a story for another time. But go on, what else did she say?”

  “She said she had to report our relationship, and she said there was a chance it would put me in violation of my parole and that you could get fired.” I wanted to cry, but I’d cried enough. It was difficult to breathe, but I wanted to try to hold myself together for Jake’s sake.

  He saw how upset I was, anyway, and pulled over to the side of the road. He turned in his seat to face me.

  “Look at me. That’s not going to happen. None of that’s going to happen, okay? I’m going to take care of it. You don’t have to worry.” He stroked my cheek with one hand and held my chin with the other so I was forced to meet his eyes.

  I wanted to believe him.

  “But how?” I whispered. “I just don’t see how we’re going to make it work.”

  “We will. I promise you. Everything’s going to be just fine.” He pulled me in for a kiss, and I responded by running my hands down his body.

  His cock stiffened at my touch. Caught up in the moment, I unzipped his pants and stroked him gently. He moaned into my mouth as I rubbed his length. Cars drove past us on the road, their headlights briefly shining into the car before streaking away.

  “Anna,” he moaned.

  He unbuckled both our seatbelts, then reached his hand up my skirt and started playing with my clit. I moved my hips rhythmically against his hand, then bent over and took his cock in my mouth.

  “Fuck,” he said, leaning back in his seat.

  After getting him wet with my saliva, I hitched my skirt up all the way, moved my panties to the side and straddled his lap, facing him. I pulled my shirt and bra down to expose my breasts, which he suckled as I mounted him, slowly sliding him into me.

  “Yes, Jake, oh, yes,” I cried, bucking wildly against him as we fucked, right there in his police car on the side of the road, cars whizzing past us.

  After we both came, I rolled back over into the passenger seat and adjusted my clothes, panting.

  Jake looked over at me and grinned, still leaning back against his seat with his pants undone, and said, “I promise you, baby, I’m going to figure it out. I’m not letting you go for anything.”

  Chapter Ten

  Jake

  “Baby! I’ve got some great news!” I shouted as I entered the front door.

  Anna and I had been dating for a few months, and she’d moved out of the halfway house and into my place. I’d gotten passed over for a promotion at work because it became common knowledge that I was dating a convict. Although there weren’t any legal issues with it, and Kelly had finally given us her blessing, it still didn’t make me look great and had the whole office on edge around me.

  But that was all about to change.

  Since Kelly had lit a fire under my ass, I spent all my time figuring out exactly what had happened with Anna’s case. Anna knew we’d made an arrest in her case weeks ago, and that her record would be cleared. She was no longer on parole, and we were just waiting for all the paperwork to get tidied up. And today, finally, the results had come through.

  When I looked into Anna’s former neighbors’ records, one of them, Carl Orson, had an impressively long record of offenses. The most notable ones, to me, were several noise disturbances called in by his neighbor, Trey English. One of those calls had led to the police finding drugs on Carl’s property, and he’d had to pay a huge fine and do several hours of community service as a result. This had happened not long before Anna was arrested.

  After staking out his house for a few days, it wasn’t hard to figure out that Carl was a drug dealer. I bet Anna and Trey would’ve noticed too, if either of them had ever done drugs and knew how it worked. Tons of different people came and went from Carl’s house, only staying for a few minutes and leaving with suspicious packages. But Anna and Trey had no experience with the world of drug trafficking, so of course they had never thought anything of it.

  Trey had called the police a few times about noise disturbances in the neighborhood late at night. He wasn’t sure where the noise was coming from, and he’d never named Carl, but it was always Carl and his customers causing the disturbances. They were legitimate complaints, a
nd Anna hadn’t even known he’d made the calls.

  I put together that Carl, being a vindictive jerk, had figured out that Trey was the one making the calls and thought he was a rat. So, he waited for an opportunity to plant a bunch of drugs in Trey’s car, knowing he’d be crossing a border with a check-point.

  Carl’s target was Trey, but he hadn’t cared when it was Anna who got arrested instead. When Anna went to prison, Trey couldn’t afford the home they were leasing together on his own, and he had to move away. Carl’s problems were solved.

  Until I caught up with him. I brought the old noise disturbance reports, the timeline of the arrest, and the new evidence I had gathered on Carl since staking out his house. Happily, I was able to be present when the police showed up with a warrant to search his house, found a ton more drugs, and arrested him.

  As part of Carl’s plea deal, he’d confessed to framing Trey, resulting in Anna’s arrest.

  And with Carl detained, I had worked out a proposal of compensation for Anna—something she didn’t know anything about.

  “What is it?” said Anna, coming downstairs in a bathrobe with a towel on her head.

  My beautiful, beautiful woman. I grabbed the fleece belt of her robe and pulled her close. “You know how they arrested your old neighbor Carl?”

  “Um, yes?” she said. “It’s why I don’t have to report for parole anymore and my record is clean, and I can get a better job and my life is great now? What’s your point?”

  “Well, I’ve been working on getting compensation for your prison time, and the state and federal government’s programs finally approved it and sent this.”

  I handed her the envelopes. She opened them, and when she saw the contents, her eyes widened in shock.

  “Is this real?” she asked shakily.

  “Oh, yeah, baby. It’s real, and it’s all yours.”

  She was holding checks that amounted to two hundred thousand dollars, the absolute maximum she could get for spending two years in jail.

  “It’s all ours,” she corrected, smiling her huge, gorgeous smile. She turned to Rufus and scratched behind his ears. “What do you think, Buddy? You want to move into a nice, new house with Jake and me?”