Chapter Twenty-three

Dex in his police uniform was a sight to behold. Amber had to swallow the slobber pooling in her mouth when he emerged from his bedroom, fully dressed, complete with tactical boots and a fully laden belt. He slipped his handcuffs in with a wink tossed at her, and she took a step back so she didn’t launch herself at him.

They’d come over to his place for him to get dressed, and he hadn’t asked any questions. She would fill him in on the way to the university, but now, she just wanted to enjoy the view.

Because, holy crap, this man was stunning. He was foregoing the sling for the sake of appearance, and holy hell the effect was fucking stunning. Clearly, he hadn’t worn the uniform in a few years, if the fit of it was anything to go by. The short sleeves clung to his biceps almost as if they were cutting off circulation, but the biceps were steely pillars of flesh that led to corded forearms attached to capable hands. Still checking his belt, his fingers flitted over leather and clasps and snaps.

Oh my.

His legs filled out his pants in much the same way, his powerful thighs stretching the seams while his gut and butt were looser in the fabric. His shirt—tucked into pants cinched tightly to his lean waist—was practically popping buttons across his massive chest.

“Been working out since you last wore that?” She was joking, but it was clear he had. His blush told the rest of the story.

Dex reached over to a shelf and pulled down a frame. Tucked into the back of it was a picture of a much different Dex. His weight hadn’t changed much, probably, but it was distributed differently—centered around his gut and ass—giving him a decidedly pear shape. His face was puffy and blotchy, and he wore a grim expression she’d seen a lot, but Amber preferred his smile.

“This is me a couple of years ago, before I realized what I was doing to my body.” He shrugged. “I’m not a vain man, but I looked in the mirror one day and really didn’t like it, so I started getting more active.”

His nonchalance was endearing, and she smiled at him.

“You not going to wear your sling?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “It sort of takes away from the authority of the outfit, doesn’t it? I’ll put it back on after, as long as we don’t have to do a physical takedown or anything.”

“It shouldn’t get that far,” she muttered as she looked around the space.

His living room was basic—pretty normal for cops, she supposed. He didn’t spend much time at home when he was on the force, especially if he was any good at his job, so the living room had a sofa with a sunken spot on one end she could totally picture him lounging in while he watched TV after a shift. There were no throw pillows. Everything looked old and worn and comfortable, in muted colors. The coffee table was strewn with copies of Men’s Health and one book of photos: People of Austin. She thumbed through it absently while Dex continued his puttering around.

His house was comfortable, just like him, but she longed to see his bedroom. Amber knew there was an ulterior purpose for that, and if she went in there, she’d be playing with his cuffs and they wouldn’t get this done.

“So we’re headed to the university to put the fear of God into an undergrad. You up for it?”

“Why not just arrest her for vandalism and threats?”

“Because I arrested her dad for manufacturing meth in his girlfriend’s barn. She blames me for the breakup of the marriage. She’s a kid, and I’d like for her to have a chance at a life outside of Serendipity if she wants it. If it continues, I’ll press charges, but I’d really like for it not to get that far. Just follow my lead.”

“Better at your job than they thought, huh?” The twinkle in his eyes made Amber’s heart melt a little.

She nodded, ignoring the flutter in her belly. “The chief just didn’t think I’d be as good at it as I was, and it bit him in the ass.” Ruefully, she added, “Or me … Depends on how you look at it.”

“He was beloved?”

“God, yes. Arresting him split the town straight down the middle. Half thought I’d framed him, half thought I’d done a good job.”

“So Haley falls in the first half?”

“I don’t think she thinks I framed him, but she thought I needed to give him another chance.” She shrugged. “Or something.”

“If half the town hates you, how do you know it’s Haley?”

“Because one of the hang-up calls I got was from a noisy room, with a group of people singing the UT fight song in the background. When Haley graduated high school, she made the papers with her National Merit Scholarship status and the fact she got a full ride to UT.”

“So she called from a dorm lobby?”

“Yes, she did. And I happen to know where she’s staying. Her mom doesn’t hate me nearly as much as Haley does.”

The University of Texas campus was a massive complex of buildings that sprawled over more than four hundred acres less than a mile from the capitol building in downtown Austin. Luckily, Amber knew which dorm Haley stayed in, so that’s where they started.

The dorm was pretty typical. Worn-out sectionals filled with co-eds lounging in various states of dress—from pajamas to jeans and hoodies, to even more dressy clothing—all eyes glued to the Price is Right playing on the TV. Every head in the room swiveled toward them when Dex and Amber entered the room, though.

“Who can tell us where Haley Wilks is?” Dex took the lead, his voice booming over the noise of music and applause as a woman in a tacky, decorated t-shirt came running down the aisle like a madman on TV.

A timid voice spoke from the corner. “Sociology. It’s in Mezes Hall. I think she’s in room 215-B? Something like that?”

“Thank you. If we miss her, will you let her know we were by here looking for her?” Amber wanted everyone to know Austin PD was breathing down Haley’s neck. The more explaining the girl had to do, the better. She wasn’t out to humiliate the girl with an arrest on her record, she just wanted to teach her a little lesson.

Inside the Mezes building, they quickly found the classroom and entered it without knocking. They interrupted a young teacher—probably a PhD candidate or TA or something—mid-lecture and announced their presence with a shift of their gun belts. Again, all eyes were on them.

“Haley Wilks? May we speak to her for a few moments, please?” Dex’s voice carried across the room, and a collective inhale and exhale met their ears. Everyone was relieved the po-po hadn’t come for them. Amber would have smiled at the notion everyone thought they were guilty of something, whether it was leaving their car unlocked in the parking lot or distributing cocaine in the bathrooms. But she had her game face on and wasn’t letting it slide.

A petite girl rose from a row in the back, dressed in a hoodie and sweatpants, her hair in a ponytail. Silently, she strode down the walkway, her head high as she met the two of them at the front of the room.

“We’ll just be a minute,” Amber told the lecturer as they led Haley outside.

“What do you want?” Jaw still jutted up, she added to it a cocked-out hip. Nice. Well, that attitude didn’t bode well for the rest of the conversation.

“Well, I’ll tell you what I don’t want. I don’t want to have to take you to jail. But what you’re doing to my house and my car are leaving me little choice.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Leaning against the wall, Haley crossed her arms in front of her chest in the classic I-don’t-give-a-fuck pose adopted by teenagers and young adults everywhere.

“My video camera says different.” Amber was baiting her, hoping for a reaction. And she got one.

Haley straightened, her face going white. Bingo.

Dex piped up. “The sort of vandalism you are perpetuating is a Class B level twelve felony. That’s federal and doesn’t go away. Ever.”

Amber’s mouth twitched, but Haley was looking at Dex, thankfully. “Yeah, federal crimes get you kicked out of college, scholarship or not. And I’m not sure your mom has the funds for a legal defense of this magnitude.”

“Not to mention the paperwork involved,” Dex muttered drily.

Haley swallowed, the click in her throat audible in the quiet hallway. “Am I being arrested?”

“Are you going to keep doing it? Or are you going to leave me alone?” Haley didn’t answer. “Look, I know you were hurt by what happened. And for that, I’m terribly sorry. I never intended for you to get hurt. But your father is the one you should be angry at. He’s the one who cheated on your mother with Debbie. He’s the one who betrayed his brotherhood by becoming the bad guy and cooking meth and distributing it. I’m not trying to shift the blame, but slashing my tires and painting my door aren’t going to get you what you want. He’s the one who made the poor choices.”

Silent tears were tracking down the young woman’s face, and Amber felt bad for her. Sort of.

She didn’t speak in her defense, so Dex spoke again. “We came down here to talk to you so you will stop. That’s all Officer Banks is asking. She’s a better person than I am. I’d already be starting the mountain of paperwork it would take to put you behind bars for a long time.”

“The evidence is there, Haley. Fingerprints on the tires, your face on my camera, the paint still on your fingers …”

Haley stuffed her hands under her armpits. “Okay. Fine. I’ll stop.”

Dex took a step away and murmured to Amber, “A word, please?”

“Stay there.” Amber took a few steps toward him and faced Dex, whose back was turned to Haley.

“Make her sweat a minute. You believe her?”

“More than you. B-12 federal offense?”

He shrugged, the grin cracking his features. “It’s been a long time since I worked a vandalism case. Couldn’t remember. Do you really have fingerprints and a camera?”

Her turn to shrug. “I have a game camera but haven’t hooked it up yet. And no to the fingerprints. You know as well as I do how hard they are to get off a tire.” They were both whispering out of the corner of their mouths so Haley couldn’t hear.

Amber could see she was watching them carefully, though. Dex raised his voice. “I still think we should take her in and let the DA handle this.”

Stifling her grin, Amber replied, “You don’t think she’s telling the truth?”

“I think she’s saying what you want to hear so she doesn’t get in trouble.” Amber pressed her thighs together to stop the inappropriate heat pooling between her legs. Scary cop Dex was sexy.

“I swear! I’ll stop. I’m sorry.” The tears in Haley’s voice matched the tears in her eyes. “I know it was Dad who did it. But it’s really hard seeing my parents split up over his fuck-up, you know?” She sniffed, and her hands went to her face to wipe tears. “It’s just easier to blame you because if you’d never caught him, they’d still be together.”

Amber walked over to the girl. “But were they happy together? Really? Your dad was cooking meth, Haley. That’s such bad news. He needed to go to prison for that.”

“I know.” The girl threw herself into Amber’s arms, and Amber wrapped her in a hug she didn’t entirely feel. Haley had a bright future, and she wanted her to proceed along her path of brightness, but at the same time, she’d shelled out $400 for new tires, and there was no telling how much it would cost to repaint her door.

“Tell you what. You get my door repainted this week, and we’ll call this investigation off. Deal?”

Sniffling, Haley nodded.

Well, that was one problem hopefully taken care of.