Chapter Nineteen

Cameron

I heard the alarm on my phone going off. I thought about ignoring it and sleeping for another hour, but I couldn’t. I was going to spend the day with Ella, even if I had only crawled into bed about four hours ago. I had texted my mom before I went to bed, letting her know I would come by and pick Ella up.

I didn’t want my mother coming by the house. I wasn’t sure if Isaac would be watching or not. The last thing I needed was the lunatic following my mom home.

I rolled out of bed and quickly sent a text to my mom, letting her know I’d be there in half an hour. I showered and did my best to appear like a member of the living and headed out to pick up Ella.

“How about we invite Uncle Noah over for a barbecue? It’s a nice day, probably the last warm day of the year,” I said to Ella in the back seat.

“I want a hot dog,” she declared.

“Hot dog it is. We’ll pick up some steaks for me and Noah.”

We stopped at the grocery store and grabbed what we needed before heading home. Before I got her out of the back seat, I checked around the neighborhood, looking for any unfamiliar cars. Scarlett’s car wasn’t in her driveway, which I hoped meant she was still at her parents’ house.

Noah showed up an hour later with a six-pack of beer and a bag of chips.

“Look what I brought for you,” Noah cooed, dropping to one knee.

He held up a bag, and Ella came running over.

“You’re spoiling her,” I grumbled.

“I can if I want to.”

Ella looked inside and squealed. “Bubbles!”

“There’s more,” Noah said, shaking the bag.

Ella pulled the bottle of bubbles out before reaching in and squealing again. “Chalk!”

“That should keep you busy,” Noah told her.

I laughed. It would keep her entertained for maybe an hour. Ella set off, running in circles in the backyard, bubbles streaming behind her.

“Here,” I said, handing Noah a cold beer from the ice chest by the patio table.

“Man, have you heard the latest?” Noah asked in a low voice.

I could tell by the tone of his voice it had to do with work.

“I don’t think so. What’s up?”

“That meth house they took down last week. They never did get the guy they believed was responsible. DEA has dubbed him The Cooker. I guess they’ve been on his trail for nearly a year, but they have yet to catch him. He sets up these houses, gets some lackeys to work in the houses, and stays away,” he said.

“Why didn’t they say anything at the first briefing? Our guys could have been walking into something dangerous,” I growled, hating the lack of communication between the agencies.

Noah shrugged one of his big shoulders. “They didn’t know it was him until our guys got the evidence.”

“So now what?” I asked, knowing that wasn’t the end of the story.

“The guy’s already back at it.”

“What?” I said, slamming the lid on the barbecue.

Noah swallowed a chug of beer. “Yep. Already back at it. Chief has been having a lot of closed-door meetings with the guys from the DEA. I have a feeling something big is in the works.”

“Damn, how did I miss all this?”

“You’ve been busy.”

“I’ve been distracted. All this other stuff is moving my focus from the job. That isn’t good,” I said, just realizing how dangerous that really was.

“You’re fine. Give yourself a break.”

“Do they have any leads at all?” I asked, hoping for good news.

“Nothing. Not even a hint. The people that have been taken down with the houses aren’t talking. They are terrified of whoever this dude is. The DEA is working around the clock to find out who he is. The guy knows how to cover his tracks. He’s practically a fucking ghost,” he growled.

“It’s going to be a joint effort, isn’t it?” I asked, knowing the answer.

“You know it’s coming. I just hope they do their homework before they send us out to take this guy down. I don’t like going in blind.”

“Me either. Is this guy dangerous? I mean, they have an idea there is one guy, so they must have some thoughts about what he’s all about. What if he’s just a sleazy drug dealer? They are a dime a dozen. Why is this guy special?” I asked, wanting a clearer picture about what was really going on.

“They think so. He was down south. They’ve tracked him up here. He’s wanted for murdering an agent along with a string of employees,” Noah said in a low rumble. “The guy is some sort of cartel leader.”

“Cartel? What are you talking about? How did we jump from meth cooker to cartel?” I asked with irritation.

“I’m not saying he is a cartel leader; I’m saying he’s on the same level. This is a new breed of drug dealers. They create their own little army of workers who are fiercely loyal. When one of them steps out of line, he kills them. Doesn’t that say cartel to you?”

“Shit. We’ve got to stop this guy. These guys are like a cancer. I wish we could radiate their offices right off this earth,” I growled.

“I agree. I want the guy caught. We have enough problems in this city without adding a guy like that to the mix.”

The sound of a car nearby had us both on alert. I followed the sound and saw Scarlett getting out of her car. She didn’t look our way and went straight inside her house. I was going to talk to her about that. She needed to be more aware of her surroundings. Isaac could have been waiting in the bushes and she would have had no idea.

“What’s that about?” Noah said, nodding toward Scarlett’s house.

I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. “She’s my neighbor.”

“Neighbor with benefits,” he said with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes. “It’s not like that.”

“What would you call it then?”

I poked at our steaks on the grill before adding more seasoning. “I’m helping her out.”

Noah let out a deep laugh. “Is that what that’s called?”

“No. I’m really helping her out. She’s got a crazy ex and needs him to think we’re together. She keeps trying to break up with him, and he won’t take no for an answer. She told him she’d moved on—with me.”

He nodded his head slowly up and down. “Together, huh? How’s that going to help? Isn’t that like pouring fuel on the fire—you being the fuel?”

“I hope not,” I mumbled. I looked over at Ella, who was coloring on the sidewalk. “She told him we’re engaged.”

Noah spit out a shot of beer. “You’re what?”

I laughed. “It’s just to throw the guy off. We’re not actually engaged. She thought he would take it seriously.”

“I would hope not. You didn’t even tell me.”

“I didn’t tell you because there’s nothing to tell. It’s fake, not real. No one knows—only the crazy ex who is apparently not right in the head. He showed up at the bar Friday night and tried to start some shit. It’s why she went home to her parents’ last night. The guy is bad news,” I said in a low voice, making sure Ella didn’t overhear.

I could feel Noah staring at me. I pulled my sunglasses down, not wanting him to see my eyes.

“Wow,” he said on a breath.

“Wow what?”

“You like her.”

I shrugged. I didn’t deny it. “That’s not the point.”

“It is a very important point. You care about her.”

I shook my head. “You’re reaching. We slept together a couple times. We have a good time together.”

He smiled, revealing his full set of teeth. “Sounds like a relationship to me. When are you going to admit it to yourself?”

“It’s not a relationship,” I insisted.

He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. I knew what he was thinking. I didn’t want to acknowledge the feelings I felt stirring to life. I hadn’t felt that way in a long time and didn’t want to go down that road. I wasn’t ready yet.

“Can I help with the boyfriend?” he asked.

“I wish. I’m going to talk with the chief and ask what kind of loopholes there are to get this guy locked up. It’s only a matter of time before he does something drastic. I’m afraid of what that might look like,” I said, believing it was inevitable.

“Did he threaten you?” Noah asked, his chest puffing up.

“Nothing I can’t handle. He doesn’t dole out physical threats. He’s too smart for that. You should have seen this guy’s eyes. He’s dead inside. I’ve seen his type before. You have too. He’s the type of guy that holds a baby up as a shield in a gunfight. He’s a world-class loser.”

My eyes moved to Ella happily drawing figures on the sidewalk. She was humming as usual and seemed completely oblivious to the danger that could be lurking beyond the protection of our quiet backyard. That was the goal. I didn’t want her to know there were bad people out there. I wanted her to feel safe, just like I wanted Scarlett to feel safe.

“What about the neighbor? Is she in danger?” Noah said, clearly catching on to the situation.

I dragged in a deep breath. “I think so, yes. He went after her with a bat, which is why she’s living next door to me now.”

“Shit,” he said, shaking his head. “That’s fucked up.”

“Yeah, it is.”

“I’ll help you keep an eye on her.”

My gaze once again moved to Ella. “These are about done,” I said, testing the steaks.

“You’re worried about her,” Noah commented.

“Huh?” I said, looking over at him.

“Ella. I know how protective you are of that little girl. You’re worried this ex is going to do something to hurt her. I get it now.”

I wasn’t going to deny it. Noah knew me too well. When I lost Becca, everything I felt shifted to keeping Ella safe. I got through the grief by focusing on Ella. I had gone overboard in the months following Becca’s death. If I could have wrapped her up in bubble wrap, I would have. I was only finally learning to lighten up and let the little girl play and have a little fun.

“Let me know if I can help. She seems like a nice girl. She’s certainly easy on the eyes.”

I laughed. “That she is.”

I pulled the steaks off the grill, then made Ella’s hot dog with a strip of ketchup just like she liked it.

“I thought we were going to ask Scarlett to come over for a barbecue,” Ella said.

“Not today, hon.”

“How come?”

“Because Uncle Noah is here, and Scarlett was at her mom and dad’s house.”

Ella sighed. “Fine. Next time.”

Noah laughed. “Am I chopped liver?”

Ella burst into a fit of giggles. “Uncle Noah! You’re not a liver!”

We all laughed. Thankfully, Noah let the subject of Scarlett drop. I didn’t want to think about any of that. Right now, I was going to spend a nice afternoon with my little girl.