Undercover Justice (41 page)

Shocked, I watched like I was in a fog. My heart beat at a sickening pace. I felt like my heart was breaking, as I watched Mike step from behind a work desk, with a gun aimed at the group. He had a badge in his hand also. An image of Jed being frisked up against a police car in front of the school flashed through my mind. Mike was the police officer. Was no one who I thought they were? Jed had lied about everything. Everything I knew about him was a cover. What about our relationship?

The tension was palpable. Ms. Morley’s face showed outrage and shock. She didn’t want to believe that Jed, a drop out student in her class, was really a police officer. Her men looked like they were itching to go for a gun.

My bottom of my stomach fell as one of the men started to reach into his jacket pocket. He was reaching for his gun! I wanted to shout out a warning, but Jed was already moving fast towards him.

He yelled, “Get your hands were I can see them. Now!” Jed’s gun was up and steadied as he kept it trained on the man. “Don’t do it. I will drop you where you stand.”

I could tell the man was waiting for a signal or a sign that the other two were with him, before he tried anything. Jed demanded again, “Get your hands out here!”

The man froze, his eyes going wildly from Jed to his partners. He didn’t seem so sure anymore.

Jed, seeing his opportunity, yelled, “Cover them Kent.”

As Kent stepped out from behind another tractor and leveled a gun on the group, Jed lowered his gun and rushed toward the guy. Jed grabbed the man and popped him in the nose, stunning him.

Then he grabbed the man’s arm and yanked it behind his back as he slammed him up against the wall. Pulling handcuffs out of his back pocket, he slapped one side around the man’s wrist and then grabbed the other hand and secured it.

He quickly frisked him, pulling a small handgun out of the man’s pocket. Jed tossed it to Mike, who caught it one handed.

Then Jed grabbed him by the back of the shirt, and pulled him around to the center of the room, pushing him to the ground.

“Get on the ground and stay there,” he demanded. Turning around, he asked, “Anyone else want to put up a fight?”

I screamed as the man closest to the door, pulled out a small black gun and fired a shot in Jed’s direction.

Jed ducked and quickly brought his gun up, as everyone else dropped to the ground to take cover.

Charlotte and I backed up as far as we could into the loft. I felt Charlotte take my hand as another gunshot echoed off the barn rafters. A man yelped.

Had Jed been shot? I couldn’t bear to look. I felt so numb, almost in shock. I couldn’t believe this was happening to us. My life had been so boring up until the last few weeks.

I could hear struggling and shouting. Charlotte crept to look over the edge. She turned and gave me a small smile and a thumbs up.

Relief that nobody I cared about had been shot, I lay back down on my stomach and inched my way over to the edge to look down.

As the other two put their hands up, Jed and Mike frisked and cuffed them, as Kent kept them covered with his gun.

Mike pulled out his phone and in less than a minute later, Detective Cooper and a handful of officers, came rushing in.

“Good job boys,” he said surveying the group lying on the ground. “The Lieutenant is going to be pleased with you two.”

Jed grinned and then glanced up into the loft. I quickly scooted back out of the way so that he couldn’t see me.

I didn’t want to see or hear him. It was all lies. LIES! Jed was apparently a cop. So what, he was undercover or something? Was I just a cover? I couldn’t believe how much it hurt.

I looked over at Charlotte. She seemed just as shocked as I was. But not Kent or Ollie, I had noticed that right away. They obviously already knew. That hurt even worse. He trusted them, but not me? He had told me he had feelings for me. Was it all a lie? I couldn’t get past that part of it.

“You have to come down sometime,” Charlotte said quietly next to me. I could tell that she was thinking the same thing, and that she felt bad for me. “Give him the benefit of the doubt. You don’t know his side.” Glancing over the edge, she watched them for a minute and then said, “On second thought, that jerk! I can’t believe it!”

“Kent knew,” I said quietly. “That’s probably why he agreed to Jed ‘seeing’ me. He knew it was just pretend.”

“I’m sorry Nora,” Charlotte told me giving me a small hug.

“Thanks,” I said giving her a small smile in return. She really was a great friend. That was one thing I was grateful for after all this. I had made a few new friends that I felt privileged to know. I didn’t know what to think about Jed anymore.

Hearing more commotion outside, I realize that it was probably time to get down. I didn’t even want to see Jed. I slowly started down the stairs. Maybe he would be too busy, and I would be able to sneak away. I planned on taking his car. It was just too bad for him. He’d have to find a different way home.

The barn was empty when Charlotte and I came down. We walked across the barn floor. The wood post in the middle of the floor had a gouge out of it and small splinters were on the floor beside it. I shuddered as I realized that the gunshot had gone into the post. I didn’t even want to think about the damage it would have done if it had hit someone.

The barn door opened and Kent walked in, followed by Jed and Ollie.

Jed walked right toward me. I could tell he was trying to make eye contact with me. I refused to look at him. Maybe it was childish, but I didn’t care. I felt like a schoolgirl caught having a crush on an older man. I felt embarrassed and juvenile.

“Nora? Honey?” Jed said coming closer.

“Stay away from me,” I demanded.

Jed ran his hand over his face and sighed. “Give me a chance to explain.”

“Explain what?” I shouted. “Explain that you lied. That everything you ever said to me was a lie! Explain that you are really a cop, not a teenager in high school.”

“Please, you don’t understand,” Jed said, taking a step towards me.

“What don’t I understand?” I yelled. “How old are you?” I wanted the truth for once. If he didn’t give it to me, I wasn’t going to be responsible for my actions.

“I turned twenty-one two days ago,” he said quietly, shoving his hands into his pockets. He must have seen the desperation on my face, and decided to tell the truth for once.

“Two days ago! It was your birthday and you couldn’t even tell me?” I knew I was getting hysterical, but I couldn’t seem to help myself. Everything was, no is, a lie! I don’t know anything about him. “Stay back!” I yelled, holding up my hand and taking a step backward. He was starting to get too close.

“Nora…” Kent started.

“You be quiet!” I yelled at Kent. “You knew and didn’t tell me. You supported his lies!”

I backed up a few steps. I didn’t trust myself next to the three of them. I was getting so mad, I wanted to hit something, and they were looking more and more appealing.

Getting frustrated Jed held out his hands, “Come on Nora. What was I supposed to say? It’s my birthday today. How old am I? Oh. I’m twenty-one.”

“Yeah. You could have said something like that,” I said.

“The more people who knew I was a cop, the more chances I had of blowing my cover,” he tried to explain.

“But I loved you! You let me love you! You lied! It was all a lie!” I said tears rolling down my cheeks.

“Please…Baby…Don’t cry,” Jed managed to get out. He had a haunted look on his face as he walked towards me.

“You stay away from me! And don’t call me that! I don’t ever want to see you again,” I said. “Take me home Kent. Now!”

“Nora, wait,” Jed pleaded.

I ignored him and marched, with tear-filled eyes, out the barn door and around to Jed’s car. I didn’t care that people were staring at me. I was so gullible.

I got in the back seat of the car and shut the door. Silently Kent and Charlotte climbed in. I looked expectantly at them. “Where’s Ollie?”

“Ollie’s Jed’s cousin. Jed will get him home,” Kent told me quietly.

I nodded my head slowly. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, nothing I knew as facts were true. What was one more thing? The tears just started to fall. Charlotte, who had gotten in next to me, put her arm around me and held me. I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, Kent was carrying me up to Charlotte’s guest room. I guess he didn’t want us going back to our house until it was more secure.

I could hear Charlotte and Kent whispering to Charlotte’s parents, before they quietly shut the door. I was exhausted. It had been a late night, and very mentally draining. I cried myself back to sleep, not eager for morning.

Chapter 29

As I woke up, the sun was streaming through the window, and I knew that it had to be pretty late in the morning. Rolling over I glanced at the clock. It was ten-thirty. I bolted upright. Usually I was up and out of bed by seven-thirty. I couldn’t believe how late I had slept. I looked around the room and saw that I was in Charlotte’s house. Everything from last night came rushing back. Mortification had my face turning beet red. I flung myself back on the pillow and moaned. I felt so hurt by Jed. I trusted him. I was, ok, I’ll be honest, am, still in love with him. How pathetic.

Lord, I know that you know all things and that nothing happens that isn’t for a reason. Please guide me in this and show me your way. Heal my heart and make me stronger. Thank you for keeping us all safe. In your name I pray, Amen.

Rubbing my eyes, I decided to get up and go see where everyone was. I was a guest here after all, and didn’t want to lie around their house all morning. I glanced down at my clothes. I was still wearing the yoga pants and shirt that I had put on last night when Charlotte and I changed out of our dresses. I had vague memories of Kent carrying me into bed and then nothing after that. I must have slept pretty soundly. I’m surprised, I would have thought for sure that I would be awake half the night thinking of Jed.

I straightened out my clothes as best as I could and used the bathroom, then headed down the stairs.

“Nora!” Charlotte exclaimed, as I entered the kitchen. “You’re up. How are you doing?”

“I’m ok,” I said wearily. “Where’s Kent?”

“He left a while ago. He went to get his car and then to have your doors fixed. He said he would be back to pick you up in a few hours.”

“Oh, ok,” I said sliding onto a stool at the kitchen bar.

“Are you hungry? My mom made some pancakes before she and my dad left to run some errands.”

My stomach rumbled. I guess a broken heart didn’t curb my appetite. “That sounds good, thank you.”

She set a plate of them and the bottle of syrup out for me. A beautiful bouquet of deep purple roses was sitting on the counter next to the phone. Charlotte saw me admiring them.

“Their beautiful, aren’t they?” she asked.

“Yeah. They are,” I said in between bites.

“I’m glad you think so,” she said, “They’re yours. They were delivered this morning.”

Shocked, I paused with a bite half way to my mouth.

“I don’t want them,” I said stubbornly. If he thought a few roses would make everything better, he had another thing coming, although, they were very beautiful.

“Aren’t you the least bit curious as to what the card says?” she asked.

Ok, she had me there. I had been born curious. It was almost impossible not to get up and rush over to see what it said.

“How about if I bring it over next to you? That way you can think about it.”

They smelled glorious. The color was deep a purple, almost burgundy. I had never seen roses that color before.

What the heck! I reached up and pulled the card out of the holder. My name was scrawled across the envelope in neat but masculine handwriting, Jeds?

I traced my name with my finger. Pulling open the flap, I grabbed the edge of the one-sided card and pulled it out.

Jed had written ‘I’m sorry Nora. Please give me a chance to explain. It wasn’t all a lie.’

A tear escaped, as I tried to stuff it back into the envelope.

“Can I help?” Charlotte asked.

I handed it to her. “You can read it,” I said.

She quickly read it and then slid it back in the envelope and put it back in the holder. “Do you want to know what I think?” she said.

Nodding, I poured more syrup, and dug in to the last couple pancakes that remained.

“I think that he means it. Have you noticed what color he chose for the roses? Purple. Traditionally, sending someone purple roses, means that they have loved you since first sight.”

“Do you really think he would know the meaning of the color?” I asked skeptically.

“He’s an old fashioned type of guy. He strikes me as the type who does things deliberately. He could have sent any other color, but chose purple. I think it was for a reason.”

“Possibly,” I grumbled.

“I have one more piece of evidence, but you will have to wait for Kent to tell you. It’s his to tell,” she said taking my plate from me and carrying it to the sink.