Her Officer in Charge (18 page)

Having been at the edge for so long, Bella toppled into a cascading series of spasms. He dropped his mouth over hers to muffle her cries, and they kissed their way through the frenzied amorous journey until her continuing convulsions finally subsided and, completely spent, his shriveled cock fell away.

“Oh, my gosh,” she said breathlessly as he dropped beside her, “that was unbelievable.”

“I think I just thought of a suitable punishment,” he panted.

“No! What? Please tell me,” she begged.

“I have no intention of telling you.”

“Ooh, you’re so cruel,” she whimpered, moving to snuggle against him.

“Yep, that’s me.”

“I feel like I’m weightless.”

“Mmm, I know what you mean,” he sighed. “When we’ve recovered, Nathan Samuels is going to order up an outstanding early dinner.”

“Oh, that sounds wonderful. I’m starving.”

“I’m sure you are. Let’s look at what they have,” he suggested, sliding off the bed.

Retrieving the leather binder from the small desk against the wall, he carried it back to the bed, and together they made their choices.

“Did you find anything in the suitcase you can wear?” he asked as he called room service.

“I didn’t really look.”

“I threw a couple of sweat suits in there; one of them is too small for me. It might be usable. It’s the gray one. I should have thought of it before.”

While he placed the order, Bella did a quick hunt and, finding the clothing, she pulled it on. After rolling up the bottom of the pants and the cuffs of the sleeves, she did a twirl.

“Marvelous,” she laughed. “Comfortable and trendy.”

“You could wear a potato sack and make it look fabulous,” he grinned. “Bella, come back here. There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Okay.”

“I can’t stay here overnight. I can leave late, but I have to go home.”

“Bummer,” she frowned.

“You don’t have to worry though. You’ll have protection.”

“Do I need it?”

“Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it,” he replied. “It’s all arranged. You have nothing to worry about, and I have a very special surprise planned.”

“You do?”

“I do.”

“When?

“I’m not telling you anything else. You’ll just have to wait and see.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

After a delicious meal, they had curled up on the couch to watch television, interrupted when there was a knock on the door. Startled, Bella looked anxiously at Vince.

“It’s okay, sweetheart, it’s a notary public. She’s going to be taking your fingerprints.”

“My fingerprints? Why?”

“Do you trust me?” he asked softly.

“Of course I do, totally.”

“Then be a good girl and just go with the flow. I promise I’ll fill you in later.”

“Okay,” she sighed, “but I don’t know why everything has to be such a mystery.”

It was a quick procedure, and settling back down, Bella was almost dozing when Vince’s burner phone, sitting on the coffee table in front of them, began buzzing.

“Are you expecting a call?” Bella asked, lifting her head off his shoulder.

“I am,” he smiled as he picked it up. “Don’t panic.”

“It’s hard not to,” she mumbled.

“Hello? Yes, now is fine,” was all he said before ending the call.

“Who was that?”

“You’ll see,” he winked.

“Is that my surprise? I’ve been sitting here waiting all night.”

“Yes, that’s your surprise. When the knock comes on the door, you can answer it.”

“Seriously? I’m very confused.”

“You won’t be soon,” he said, putting his arms around her and giving her a hug. “My sweet, naughty Bella. You know I totally adore you.”

“Vince,” she smiled, snuggling into him. “Why so mushy?”

“I have no idea, it just happened,” he sighed. “Maybe it’s because in a few more hours this will all be behind us and we can get down to the business of living our lives.”

“I love the sound of that,” she murmured, closing her eyes, “and I love sitting here curled up like this watching TV.”

“Me too,” he said warmly.

“I loved that dinner.”

“You just love everything right now,” he said, smiling.

“You’re right, everything,” she breathed,
especially you. I love you. I do… oh, Vince, I do.

Though she was expecting the knock, it startled her. Straightening up, she looked quizzically at her handsome officer.

“Go on,” he said. “Answer the door.”

Rising from the sofa, she moved across the room and, not sure what to expect, slowly cracked the door open.

“Scott!” she cried in shocked surprise. “I don’t believe it. What are you doing here? I thought you were flowers or something.”

“Flowers,” he laughed, walking quickly inside and closing the door behind them. “Why would I be flowers?”

“Because Vince told me it was a surprise. I didn’t think the surprise would be a human, least of all you. I so happy to see you,” she exclaimed, hugging him tightly. “Wait, I thought you were…?”

“You thought I was what?” he grinned, stepping back.

“Vince,” she said, spinning around and staring at him, “would you please tell me something? Anything? I’ll take the smallest crumb.”

“Scott is no longer under suspicion, how’s that?” he chuckled, standing up. “He’s going to babysit you tonight. Hi, Scott.”

“Hey, Vince.”

“I knew it, I knew it,” Bella exclaimed. “I told you he couldn’t be a bad guy, I told you.”

“You did,” Vince nodded.

“I always had faith in you, Scott,” she said earnestly. “I’m so glad I was right. I think it would have made me crazy if I’d been wrong about you. Oh, my gosh, I’m so relieved.”

“Me too,” he laughed. “I have no desire to be a bad guy. By any chance do you have any coffee here?”

“Sure, there’s a whole setup for coffee, tea, just about anything around that partition there. I’ll make you some,” Bella said happily.

“That would be great, thanks,” Scott smiled, then, dropping his voice, he added, “it sure is good to see you, Bella. I’ve been worried about you, though I probably shouldn’t have been with the captain around. He’s one smart guy.”

“Yeah, he kinda is,” she sighed, glancing across at Vince, who was still sitting on the couch with his arms crossed.
And the sexiest man alive.

“Go get the man his coffee,” Vince winked.

“Oh, right, yes,” she said, and disappeared around the small partition.

“Sit down, Scott,” Vince offered. “There are a couple of things I need to tell you.”

“Yeah, and I have a couple of things to tell you too,” Scott replied, walking over to join him.

As she made the coffee, though she could hear the men talking in hushed tones, she didn’t even attempt to listen. Her heart was full and happy. Scott was still her wonderful, sweet sound man. He was innocent, and though she’d had some momentary doubts, in her heart she didn’t believe he could be anything but.

I’m still living an enigma wrapped up in a mystery, but I can feel the pieces falling into place. Scott’s right, Vince is one smart guy. No, he’s one brilliant guy, he’s amazing. I wish he didn’t have to go back to his house.

She knew how Scott liked his coffee—cream with two packets of sugar—and, carrying the mug, she walked back into the living area.

“Time for me to head out,” Vince said, rising from the couch.

“Oh, phooey,” she grumbled as she placed the mug on the coffee table.

“Scott will stay here tonight, he’ll have to pop out for a short time in the morning, then he’ll bring you back to my house. You can order breakfast if you want, but do it while he’s on his errand.”

“Make sure it’s breakfast for two,” Scott piped up.

“When I get back to your house tomorrow, you’ll tell me everything, right?” she asked.

“We’ll see. I hope I can.”

“Unbelievable,” she said, staring at him wide-eyed.

“I know, but it is what it is,” he said, wrapping up in his arms. “You be a good girl for me.”

“Yes, captain,” she mumbled. “I miss you already.”

“I’ll see you in the morning,” he whispered. “Keep the faith.”

She walked him to the door, and as she closed it after him, she leaned her back against it and stared at Scott.

“You two are such a match,” Scott remarked. “It’s like you’re bookends. Totally made for each other.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah, Bella, I think so. Look at you, you’re like a big pile of glop.”

“What’s glop?” she frowned, walking over to him.

“Terrible choice of words,” he laughed. “You’re all sort of soft. You’re still you, but it’s as if your sharp edges have been smoothed out.”

“Scott, I’m scared,” she declared, sighing dramatically as she flopped down next to him.

“Scared? You don’t look scared. Why are you scared? This is all going to work out.”

“That’s what Vince said, but I’m not talking about the whole crazy, whatever is going on, business. I don’t even know what to call it.”

“Then why are you scared?” he asked.

“Because I’m so crazy about him. I’ve never felt like this, and I don’t know if he feels the same way. I think he does, but what if he doesn’t, and then there’s his job. He said he might be leaving the marines soon, but he’s still a captain, and he still lives hours away from me.”

“Whoa, steady there,” he said, putting an arm around her. “Of course he feels the same way. It’s written all over him. As for his job and where you live, Bella, that’s all bullshit. Those things will work themselves out if you want them to.”

“You’re right,” she muttered, leaning into his shoulder. “So much has been happening. You don’t think it’s just all this drama that has caused all these feelings, do you?”

“You were taken with him the minute you saw him. I know, I was there. I’ve never seen you speechless before, and your face was totally flushed. You looked like you were seventeen and the quarterback was running off the football field to talk to you.”

“That’s exactly how I felt,” she exclaimed. “I honestly don’t know why I’m all weirded out and insecure.”

“I do,” he said, smiling at her. “It’s called being in love.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Before pulling into his home, Vince did a drive-by to make sure it wasn’t being watched. When he was sure everything was as it should be, he rolled his car into the garage, entered the house, went directly into his bedroom, and turned on the television. While it played in the background, he did a quick scan for bugs. Finding nothing, he checked his study, then the kitchen and living room. He wasn’t surprised there were none, but he wouldn’t have been surprised if there were. Back in the day he had learned to roll with the punches and expect the unexpected, but the lack of listening devices told him his nemesis had either underestimated him, or was foolishly overconfident. Vince was happy with either, and after taking a quick shower, he turned off the television and crawled into bed, setting his internal alarm clock for six a.m.

The banging on the door came at seven. He’d already had his breakfast and read the morning paper, and, fully expecting the visitors, he sauntered from the kitchen to answer it. Peering through the glass windows on either side, he saw the major with four MPs in tow.

“Major,” he smiled, opening the door. “What are you doing here, and with MPs for company? Is that Colonel Brady getting out of the car?”

“It is, he came in last night, and I’m afraid I have some unfortunate news,” the major said grimly.

“Oh, well, you’d better come in.”

“I’ll wait for the colonel,” he said gruffly.

Colonel Brady strode up the walkway, and Vince stood aside as he entered the house.

“Wait here,” the major ordered the men behind him.

“What’s this about?” Vince asked.

“Where’s Bella Montgomery?” the major asked brusquely.

“She’s not here,” Vince replied. “Why don’t we go into the kitchen? I’ve just made some coffee and you can tell me what’s going on.”

“I don’t—” the major began.

“That sounds good, captain,” the colonel interrupted. “I could use a cup of coffee.”

Vince led them through, and as he poured them both a mug, the colonel sat at the table while the major loitered, finally standing at the end of the center island.

“Help yourself to cream and sugar,” Vince said, gesturing to the tray in the center of the table.

“Captain,” the major said grimly. “I’m here to arrest Bella Montgomery. Where is she?”

“She’s out,” Vince replied. “Are you sure she’s the guilty party?”

“Absolutely sure. The night she did her show at your event, several classified files went missing from an office close by. As you know, she was spotted lurking on the grounds. She evaded capture by ducking into the venue, and that’s when you caught her.”

“This is shocking,” Vince declared. “I find this hard to believe.”

“We found her fingerprints on the filing cabinets in the office where the documents were stolen.”

“You did? Huh. How do you know they were her prints?”

“We dusted, of course. We assumed they’d belong to Bateman, but when we compared them to what you gave us, they matched those you identified as Bella Montgomery’s, the ones on the coffee mug and the CD case.”

“You thought those were Miss Montgomery’s prints?” Vince, said shaking his head. “I’m sorry, major, those weren’t Miss Montgomery’s prints. These,” he announced, picking up an envelope from the counter, “are Miss Montgomery’s prints.”

“What are you talking about?” the major blustered.

“These were taken last night by a notary public,” Vince declared, pulling a sheet from the envelope and laying it on the island.

“What are you trying to pull, Valenti?” the major growled.

“The prints you claim belong to the culprit are those of a gentleman who runs a café in town. He’s been there for almost fifteen years, and I would guess, at the time you claim those documents were taken, he would have been in the middle of a dinner rush.”

“I, uh, I…” the major stammered, his face turning white.

“Your attempt to frame Bella Montgomery has failed,” Vince exclaimed.