Page 24 of Capture My Heart

The feeling she was missing something was strong. Her computer and bag were gone. Good thing she stored all her info in the APD cloud service. All work outside the station was done by logging into the work system, so losing her computer would not compromise the cases or police system but her personal notes and projects… her chest ached mourning the loss. Amy spent half the night making new notes, not that she could sleep anyway.

She checked her watch to see if she had time to grab a coffee on the way to work. She’d need it.

No doubt, it would be a giant hemorrhoid in her ass dealing with the theft. She reported her laptop stolen last night, but the paperwork she’d need to fill out today would be drudgery.

In the hall, she locked her door and turned. No woodland creatures or sexy landlords in towels this morning. She wondered if the skunk snuggled up in bed with him. Her lip dipped down a fraction of an inch. She shook off the thought.

″Don’t care.” But her eyes tracked to the door as she walked by.

Tommy stood in the entry wearing gym shorts and a muscle tee. Her brows lifted. Her baby brother had some definition starting in his arms. He must have spent some time at the gym while on the inside. Between his studies, work detail, and treatment, she wouldn’t have thought he’d find time to workout. She internally shrugged. As long as it kept him out of trouble and away from the wrong people, she didn’t care if he collected bugs.

″You’re three minutes early.” That never happened before.

″I’m motivated to get back to bed.”

She surveyed his messy look one more time. “What’s her name?”

″Do you think I’d leave a willing woman in my bed to come save your ass from the bus?”

Her brow jetted up as she scrutinized him for another moment. He had a point. “Probably not.”

He whipped a circle and headed toward their mom’s house. “You can take the car once you drop me off. I’ll borrow Mom’s if I need to go anywhere.”

″Thanks, I really appreciate it.” Amy worked over the bits and pieces of her week. Someone really didn’t want her to work this old case, but who?

″So, are you gonna tell me what’s going on?” His gaze cut to her, then back to the road.

″Not yet. I don’t know enough.” She bit the inside of her cheek as she thought about it. “Is Quinten Gardiner still running the business or did his daughter Pauline take it over? No way Quinten would trust his son Stephen to run the business.”

″How would I know? I haven’t exactly been hanging with Pauline and Stephen lately.”

His knuckles turned white on the steering wheel. He knew something. “Bullshit. You heard things in prison. What’s the word?”

He swore and shook his head. “Leave it alone. I don’t want to lose you, too.”

″Too?” She always knew the Gardiner family had something to do with her father’s accident, but no one could ever prove it. “They paid off Gus to swerve, didn’t they?”

″Amy, you aren’t going to find anything. They not only cover their tracks, they put cement shoes on them and feed them to the fishies.”

Amy remained silent. Her eyes bore into the side of Tommy’s head. She watched the beads of sweat form and roll one after the other down the side of his face.

″Alright! I heard Pauline took over the restaurant, but Stephen was being groomed to head the drug business.”

She dropped back in her seat. “Figures. He was always a sick little bastard, lighting bugs on fire and wanting to play cops and robbers just so he could tie up the little girls.”

The Gardiners lived two blocks down from Amy and Tommy growing up. Her parents used to be friends with Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner. She remembered them coming over for BBQs, but that all ended when Amy was in middle school. Her mother never said why but they weren’t allowed to hang out at their house anymore.

″Do you think Paulie’s in on the drug business?” Amy would like to think her old friend wasn’t involved, but she’d have to be blind to miss it.

″She’s got to know, but I don’t think she’s part of it. I’m not sure. I never saw her do anything but restaurant stuff when I worked for them.” Amy absorbed this info. Funny, she was having a craving for pasta and breadsticks. It couldn’t hurt to stop by for lunch one day. Her eyes cut to Tommy. He kept sneaking side glances at her. “No.”

″What?” Amy blanked her face.

″No, to whatever you’re thinking.”

″I was thinking you need to keep your eyes on the road.”

His frown deepened.