Officer Next Door (16 page)

Kerry and Sasha both paused to stare, and Alicia was stricken by the similarity of their expressions – admiration, maybe a hint of longing. And lust.

She couldn’t blame them.

“I’m sure I’ll be just as safe at Liam’s as I’d be somewhere else, if not safer.” Alicia stirred an extra splash of fruit juice into the sangria, sweetening the mixture.

Kerry nodded. Sasha did the same, conspicuously speechless.

“Give me another twenty minutes and dinner will be done,” Sasha announced eventually, “Sorry it’s taking so long – you must all be starving to death.”

“Still alive,” Grey called from the table. “Barely.”

With Kerry’s assistance, Alicia busied herself serving the sangria. She took a glass for herself last of all, then settled down next to Liam.

He shifted his position, leaning a little closer to her. The change was almost imperceptible, but she noticed and couldn’t help but crack a small smile. “What are you guys talking about?”

A moment of silence slipped by, then Liam and Henry said, almost in unison: “the Levinson brothers”. Grey answered at the same time, only his reply was: “those bastards on the run from Riley”.

“I figured.” Alicia took a sip of her sangria. It was pretty damn good, if she did say so herself.

Liam looked like he was about to say something else, but the doorbell rang as he opened his mouth.

Wolf leapt up from the floor and released a series of deep, resounding barks while his owner tensed visibly, eyes darting toward the short hall that led to the living room and front door.

“That must be Jeremy,” Liam said, looking in the same direction.

“I texted him a few minutes ago and invited him to stop by after his shift,” Liam said to Alicia and Kerry. “He’s been working long hours on the Levinson escape, and between you and me, he spends just about half his salary on take-out and restaurants. If all the places around here didn’t give law enforcement discounts, he’d be broke.”

Henry didn’t relax much, just rose and said “I’ll get it”. He moved quickly despite the slight limp his sprained ankle had left him with. Still, there was a stiffness to the way he moved, and Alicia got the sense that it hurt more than he let on. Wolf hurried after him, still barking, and Holden trailed along.

“Sit back down,” Grey said, “or you’re going to end up hobbling into the doctor’s office instead of work tomorrow morning. I’ll get the door.”

Henry shot Grey a sour look. “I’m not taking time off work. Not with the search going on.”

“Why not? You that eager to limp your way through the woods tomorrow?”

“If it means finding those bastards, yeah, I am.”

“I found a tick on my thigh when I got home today,” Grey said. “Big fat one, burst when I pulled it off. I think it was headed for the family jewels. Almost made it there, too. If I was halfway crippled, you can bet I’d be taking a day off.”

Henry shrugged. “If the Levinsons are out there, I’d rather be looking for them than sitting around doing nothing. It’s like when you know there’s a big spider in the room – you’d rather hunt it down and kill it than let it roam free and risk running across it when you’re not expecting to.”

“Speaking of spiders,” Grey said, a wide grin spreading across his face, “has anyone told the media how you
really
hurt your ankle? Because the way the news anchors told it, you were busy being a hero when it happened.”

Henry frowned. “I stepped in a gopher hole. It could’ve happened to anyone. I was looking for the escapees, not at the ground. And I never said I was a hero.”

“Right,” Grey replied. “You left out the part where you walked into a spider web and started freaking out, though. You didn’t step in the hole so much as you fell into it.”

“You panicked over a little tick,” Henry said, “and you’re giving me shit over a spider? Spiders are disgusting. It’s a universal truth.”

“Yeah…” Grey chuckled. “They’re disgusting all right. ‘Not afraid of anything’ my ass…”

Henry scowled, but the dogs’ barking had reached a fever-pitch. The sound of Holden’s toenails scratching against wood came as he leapt up on the door, tail wagging furiously while Wolf towered over him, head tipped back, barking loudly.

“It’s just Jeremy,” Grey said, still laughing. “I got it.”

“I’m fine.” Henry turned on his heel and marched across the room, limping even less than he had been before.

Grey tossed up his hands and flopped back down in his chair, reaching for his drink. “Stubborn as a jackass.”

“I think the saying is ‘stubborn as a mule’,” Kerry said, peering over the rim of her own drink.

Grey shrugged. “Either way.”

“Speaking of stubborn,” Kerry continued, “you really shouldn’t try to pull a tick off of yourself. They won’t let go, even if you kill them in the process. Parts of their body can remain in your skin and cause infection. To get rid of a tick, all you have to do is pour a little rubbing alcohol on it. They back out right away, and you can pick them up with a pair of tweezers.”

“Huh.” Grey raised a hand and ran it through his dark hair. It wasn’t quite as short as Liam’s. He combed his fingers through it, like he thought he might find another tick. “I’ll have to try that next time. Wouldn’t want to get an infection, especially where that little monster bit me.”

“No, I wouldn’t think so.” The ghost of a smirk crossed Kerry’s face as she set down her drink.

“Oh, shit.” Grey’s face fell in a deep frown. “I think I feel something.” He rubbed his skull in a circular pattern, a line appearing between his eyes. “Kerry, since you know so much about ticks, will you look?” He leaned forward, fingers still buried in his hair.

“What the hell, man?” Liam leaned forward too, eyes narrowed. “She doesn’t want to touch your sweaty head. Come here – I’ll do it.”

Liam laid a hand on Grey’s head before he could say a word, frowning. “Move your damn fingers. Yeah… There’s something. Good. For a minute, I thought maybe you were making all this up just to try to get a woman to touch you.”

“Hey! Not all of us have to scheme to get female attention,” Grey said, trying to pull away.

“Hold still. Look…” Liam pinched something between his thumb and forefinger, holding it up to the light. “It’s just a piece of a pine needle with a little dried sap on it – you’re fine.”

Grey snapped his head up, his frown deeper than ever. “You sure it’s not a tick?”

“Dead sure. Did you even shower before you came over here?”

“Yeah, I showered. How do you think I found the tick on my thigh?”

“I’ve got a few ideas,” Liam said. “One in particular.”

Grey shot him a withering look that was at odds with his usual jovial expression.

Jeremy strode into the room, saving Liam from whatever Grey had been about to say next. He’d passed right by the dogs, apparently unfazed. Wolf seemed to know him, and Henry stood by his side.

“It’s nice to see you without any sirens going off or evidence bags lying around,” Alicia said as Jeremy’s canine entourage finally fell silent. “Let me get you a drink.”

When she reached for the sangria pitcher, Jeremy held up a hand. “Just water for me. I can’t drink while in uniform.”

Liam introduced Sasha and Kerry to Jeremy, whose forehead shone under the bright kitchen lighting, damp with sweat. No wonder, considering his dark uniform and the early summer heat.

Kerry was predictably cordial and Sasha had a grin for Jeremy, but her gaze quickly diverted to Henry before she turned back to her cooking. “Almost done. Adding the shrimp now. Hope you’re all hungry.”

Everyone professed to be starving, and the dogs cast longing looks in the soup pot’s direction. Luckily, Wolf was too well-behaved to leap for the stove, and Holden was too short.

Not surprisingly, conversation turned to the Levinson brothers before Jeremy was halfway done with his glass of water.

Jeremy leaned back in his chair. “Guess ya’ll haven’t been watching the news. Can’t blame you there – I wouldn’t be paying the TV any mind if I had a house full of beautiful women to entertain, either.” His smile reached his eyes, though he looked tired.

“Surveillance at a gas station in Mississippi caught Randy Levinson on tape. License plate too, on a stolen vehicle.” He shrugged. “The same car was found abandoned alongside the highway by a Mississippi state trooper, no one inside. No trace of Randy Levinson.”

“What about Troy Levinson?” The question tumbled from Alicia’s lips, a manifestation of all the suspicions she harbored, of the theory just about everyone in the room seemed to agree on.

Jeremy let out a long breath, his fingers sliding against the surface of his glass, carving trails through the condensation beaded on its side. “Not so sure about him. There’s a good chance he’s still in the area. You been keeping your house locked up?”

A hint of heat crept into her cheeks despite the air conditioning. She’d never stop feeling like an idiot for leaving her bathroom window unlocked. “Yes.”

“She’s planning to stay with me at night until he’s caught,” Liam volunteered, causing Alicia’s face to go a little warmer. Along with the faintest of buzzes from the sangria, it was a pleasant feeling.

Jeremy just nodded. “Good. Which reminds me – an officer combing the woods behind yall’s houses found something just an hour or so ago. Little bit of blood-stained gauze caught on a tree branch. We think Troy left it behind.”

“Nothing else?” Liam asked.

Jeremy grimaced. “’Fraid not. They’re still looking, though. Be careful, and keep all your doors and windows locked, even if you won’t be home.” He shot Alicia a pointed look.

She murmured her agreement, taking a long sip of her drink. If she devoted any more thought to her upcoming night at Liam’s, she’d blush visibly. The fact that she was able to think about anything besides Troy Levinson and the likely possibility that he was still lurking in Riley County was a testament to Liam’s appeal.

“Of course we’re running that extra patrol on your road,” Jeremy added, “but nobody in Riley County can afford to let their guard down as long as the Levinsons are on the loose, least of all you two.” He nodded toward Henry and Grey. “You guys as well. You’re part of PERT – could be that Troy’s targeting members. Don’t know for sure yet, so watch your backs.”

“Dinner’s done,” Sasha called from her station by the stove. Steam billowed out of the soup pot in fragrant clouds that made Alicia’s stomach cramp with hunger.

“Need help setting the table?” Alicia asked.

“I’ve got it.” Henry rose, abandoning his seat.

Alicia couldn’t resist sneaking a glance at Sasha, who looked like she’d been given an early Christmas present. She quickly turned her back on her low land boil for the sake of helping Henry distribute plates and silverware.

Alicia didn’t feel bad for eating like she was starving, mostly because everyone was doing the same thing. Looking around the table, she realized what a toll the past couple days’ events had taken on everyone’s nerves, especially Liam, Jeremy, Grey and Henry’s. They had to live with the reality of criminals – possibly vengeful ones – every day, and now this.

One thing was for sure: so far, small town life wasn’t what she’d expected.

“This boil’s got to be the best I’ve ever had,” Jeremy said after devouring his first plate. “And that’s not just the hunger talking.”

“Sasha’s the head chef down at Wisteria,” Henry said. “You should try one of her brownies.”

Alicia cast a surprised glance in his direction and saw that he too had cleared his plate.

Sasha beamed like a beauty pageant contestant. “I could whip up a batch tonight. Henry, do you have ingredients on hand?”