Evan shook his head and said, “That’s the part I struggle with. That was so fuckin’ risky.”
“Desperate people take desperate risks,” Kyle grunted.
“They only distributed through the lunch line on certain days, making sure that Lewis was there. A code word was given, and he would hand them a marked bag that had the drugs inside.” Carter shook his head slowly and sighed. “Their instructions were to sell the drugs immediately so they wouldn’t be found. Carl obviously didn’t do that before the freezing cold struck that night and he died in his sleep with the drug still on him. Same went for Rocky. He probably thought he’d found the perfect place to spend the night out of the elements and by pure bad luck died of smoke inhalation when the arsonist set fire to the townhouse next door. Their bad luck was the dumb luck that gave us a starting point on the investigation.”
“Never discount dumb luck,” their supervisor said. “Good work, gentlemen.”
They filed out of his office, and Evan headed back to his desk. Kyle clapped Carter on the back and said, “See you at the next family dinner.” He offered a chin lift and watched as Kyle headed out of the workroom. Glancing over at Evan, he said, “I’m heading home.”
“Got big plans tonight?”
Grinning, he said, “Best plans ever—dinner with my girls.”
Kyle stood in his superior’s office, staring out the window, his hands on his hips.
“You want it?”
Kyle turned and looked at him. “Yeah, I want it. I’ve got contacts at the Cottages that can get me closer to whoever’s making the fentanyl.” Kyle held his gaze as the silence stretched between them.
Finally, he nodded. “All right. Consider that your next assignment.”
Four Months Later
The summer day was perfect. Blue skies with only a few white clouds passing overhead. Sunshine warming their faces. The clear water of the Hope City harbor reflected the light as the water-taxi moved from one side to the other. Sitting in the very front so their view was unobscured, Colleen spread her arms out wide to catch the breeze, laughing as her hair was tossed about her face.
Carter grinned at her obvious excitement before shifting his gaze to Tara. Her dark hair was pulled in a ponytail, keeping the wind from blowing it into a tangled mess like her daughter’s, but her smile was just as wide.
“Baby, stay close,” Tara warned.
As she reached out to place a calming hand on Colleen’s shoulder, the rings on her finger sparkled in the sunlight, catching his eye. Colleen turned around and grinned, and he caught a glimpse of the gold necklace with a small diamond solitaire hanging around her neck. Both represented his promises to them.
When he’d asked Tara to marry him, he had also asked Colleen if he could be her dad. Her response was to scream while jumping up and down before throwing herself into his arms. Tara had cried, and he was sure that a few tears came from him as well.
He wanted Tara to have the wedding of her dreams, but she confessed that the wedding she had when she was in her twenties was no longer important to her. “All I want is family and a few friends. Something small… maybe in my parents’ backyard.” Laughing, she had added, “If I know Mom and Hannah King, they’ll make it beautiful.”
He agreed, and the wedding had taken place two weeks ago. And, just like Tara had predicted, the McBrides and Kings together had created a memorable celebration. Their honeymoon had been a long weekend on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, staying at a lovely inn in Baytown. Befriending the owners, Tori and Mitch Wilder—who also happened to be the Police Chief of Baytown—gave them an excuse to plan another trip to the little town before Colleen had to go back to school in the fall.
Leaning back in his seat with one arm around his wife and an eye on his daughter, he knew that Sean had been right all those months ago.
All that Tara was and everything she had to give, including Colleen, was offered on a silver platter to him. And he took those precious gifts, appreciated them, and held them close in his heart.
For the next Hope City books, click below!
Brody book 3 by Kris Michaels
Kyle book 4 by Maryann Jordan
Ryker book 5 by Kris Michaels
Continue on for the sneak peek at Brody, Chapter 1, by Kris Michaels!
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Sneak Peek at Brody, the next book in Hope City! By Kris Michaels
Detective Sergeant Brody King stared down a Hope City back alley at the dented steel exterior door that wore the scars of collisions it had survived. He and two of his men were assigned to cover this entryway. He listened intently to police comms via an earwig. Thanks to an undercover agent wearing a wire, the conversation inside the building was being broadcast to his team. Twenty-two men and women, permanently assigned to the Hope City's Joint Drug Enforcement Team, or JDET, waited in position for the undercover DEA agent to give the signal. At the undercover agent's predetermined code words, they would storm the building and take down the participants, including the undercover officer. His arrest would keep the man's identity from the rest of the scum currently exchanging cash for a shipment of drugs. His team was highly trained, briefed with the latest available intel, and ready to take down a major conduit of cocaine into the city.
"Standby, we may have new players inbound." Through the comms, DEA Agent Amber Swanson's voice slapped his ears in a hard, professional clip; gone was the soft, quiet voice he remembered.
A lot of shit has changed in the last ten years. The ten years since she walked away... and left him down on one knee holding a diamond engagement ring in his hand. Brody's muscles tightened with anger, confusion, and embarrassment—emotions he’d thought he’d put behind him. He drew
