Authors: Alexa Grace
"So why did you decide to help me?"
"You didn't have to help me last night but you did. I'm returning the favor."
Chapter Four
Sheriff Tim Brennan expected to see Frankie sitting across the desk from him at their 10:00 a.m. meeting. What he didn't expect was to hear the words, "I'll do the undercover op."
"Now you understand the undercover operation is with Lane Hansen?" Tim tilted his brow, looking at her uncertainly.
"I do."
"This is the same Lane Hansen who shot you last year." Tim was having a little difficulty Frankie wanted to participate in an operation with the man that shot her.
"That was an accident."
"And you're sure you want to go undercover with Hansen?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
"If you're sure, so am I.” His smile spread ear to ear as he looked at the niece he adored. She had the strong will and determination of his sister, her mother, and conviction of her late father along with his whiskey brown eyes. He felt as protective of Frankie as he did of his only child, Jennifer, who was a student at Indiana University. He didn't know what he would do if anything happened to either of them.
Frankie picked up one of the many framed photos of Jennifer on his credenza. "I miss her. I should have stopped in to see her when I was in Bloomington a couple of weeks ago. Is she coming home for the weekend soon?"
"Not likely. She says she has a lot of tough classes this term and spends all her time in the library, weekends included. Her mom and I haven't seen her in a couple of months."
“Sounds like she’s really busy,” said Frankie. "So what's the next step for the undercover thing?"
Tim picked up the receiver to his phone. "Let's see if Hansen is in." He touched a button on speed dial. "Hansen, can you meet with us?" He hung up and moved over to a small round conference table near a window and motioned for Frankie to join him. Within seconds, Lane sat across from her.
"Hansen, Frankie has agreed to join you undercover." His tone was even and he made an effort not to frown at Lane. Just because Frankie agreed to do it didn't mean he had to be overjoyed about it.
Lane reached across the table to shake Frankie's hand. "Thank you."
"I have a little lecture that I want you two to take seriously. Keep things between you professional
not
personal. I've seen too many operations go to hell in a hand basket because a cop got emotional. Because he let things become personal. Keep emotions out of it. Do you understand?"
Both Lane and Frankie nodded solemnly.
"For the next seven days, you're in training — starting now. Your first assignment is to be done as a couple. In fact, moving in together immediately is not a bad idea. Adjust to doing things together. Get to know each other better so you can identify each other's strengths and weakness. Learn to balance each other out. Your first assignment is to find out everything you can using all of your resources about Dr. Eric Caine and his adoption agency. You've got until tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. when we will meet in my office. When I see you again, I will have your new identities and the house where you will stay in Bloomington. Now get out of here. You have a lot to do."
Frankie walked with Lane to her car suddenly feeling a little awkward. She hadn’t expected to be ordered to move in together so soon.
She tossed her briefcase into the backseat of her car and turned to face Lane, who stood with his hands in his pockets, exposing the very mean- looking gun plastered to his hip. She decided to dive right in. "Let's use my house as base for now. When do you want to move in?"
"I have a couple of things to wrap up in the office then pack at home. I can be there by 8:00 tonight if that's okay."
She nodded and got into her car, her idiot heart flipping over. As she drove away, she thought that moving him into her house was possibly the worst freaking idea she'd ever had.
Jennifer Brennan walked across the I.U. campus preparing mentally for the most important conversation she'd had with anyone in her twenty years of life. For someone who consistently made the Dean's List every term, she felt incredibly stupid. This happened to other women, not to her.
She was early and sat on a bench in front of Paul's dormitory, grateful for the extra time to think of what she had to tell him. Jennifer was convinced that Paul Vance, star football player here on a generous scholarship, was her soul mate. They'd spent every available second with each other since they'd met. She'd noticed him come out of the dorm’s front door and her pulse leapt as it did every time she saw him. She loved everything about him from his lean, wide-shouldered build to his unruly, dark hair.
As soon as Paul reached the bench, he pulled her into a kiss sending a warm shiver through her body. "I don't have much time, babe. I've got a psych test tomorrow and an early practice."
"Can we at least go someplace that's more private?"
"Sure. Let's walk."
The campus was beautiful in the spring. At night, it appeared magical. The stars glittered through the tall tree they sat beneath. The cool air swished through her hair and slightly chilled her so she scooted closer to his warmth.
"Do you love me, Paul?"
"Of course I do."
"How much?"
"More than the sun, stars, and the moon." He kissed her on the cheek and thought of the many times he'd said that to her. "So what's going on?"
"I'm pregnant." The words were out and she could feel his body stiffen against her.
He gave her a sidelong glance of utter disbelief. "You can't be. We used protection."
"We did. Except for that time you forgot your jacket with your condoms inside the pocket in the dorm. We couldn't wait."
"Oh, shit." He scrubbed his hands over his face and shook his head. Why in the hell did this have to happen? Shit. Shit. "This can't be happening, Jenny. It just can't. I'll lose everything. I'll lose my scholarship and we both know my folks don't have the money to send me to school. I'm a year away from a degree. Besides that, I'll get kicked off the football team. You know the coach said I have a chance at going pro someday."
"I'm sorry, Paul. It's not like I planned this."
"Are you sure you didn't?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You've been hinting about us getting engaged for six months."
"I didn't get pregnant on purpose. How could you say that? Do you think you're the only one who has something to lose? I'm only a year away from a degree too. Don't you think that means something to me?"
"Maybe we should think about the alternative."
She was stunned by his cool tone. "What are you talking about?"
"Abortion. I could scrape up the money for it."
She halted, shocked. "No. Not an option. I cannot and will not kill my baby."
"Jenny, I don't want a baby now. Not now."
"You've made that pretty clear. Don't worry about it." She got to her feet and walked away forcing him to run to catch up with her.
"What's that mean?" He pulled at her arm and she jerked it out of his hand.
"Fuck you, Paul. Oh, I forgot, I already did. And what a monumental mistake that was."
"Jennifer, stop."
"Stop what? Breaking up with your sorry ass?"
"You're breaking up with me?"
"Absolutely. Stay completely away from me. You are such a disappointment. You actually just asked me to kill your baby. You are not even close to the man I thought you were."
Lane arrived at Frankie's house promptly at eight o'clock, dragging in two large suitcases. Trying to appear perfectly calm, even though she was shaking inside, she directed him to the guest room that was located right next to her bedroom. She left him to unpack and went into the kitchen to finish loading her dishwasher. After about ten minutes, the front door opened and closed. Then it opened again and Lane popped into the kitchen holding a big white wrapped box with an equally big red bow on top.
"It's for you." He unloaded the box on the breakfast table. "Come here and open it."
"Lane, why would you get me a gift?" She felt a little uncomfortable. This kind of behavior from Lane was so unexpected she didn't know how to react.
"Actually, it's for both of us."
Now she was curious. What in the world was he up to? Joining him at the table, she pulled off the red bow then dug her long nails into the white wrapping paper until she could read the black lettering on the box that read Cappuccino and Espresso Machine. She didn't know if it was her nervousness or that she remembered the rule she'd made him agree to — stay out of her backpack. Frankie started laughing. She laughed until tears filled her eyes. She started to hug him, then remembered the professional part of the deal, and stiffly put her arms to her side and backed away.
"Good one, Lane. Do you know how to use that thing?"
"I'm great in the kitchen. I'll have this set up and brewing in no time."
"Since we have a lot of research to do yet tonight, I'll leave you to it while I get my laptop. Meet me in the living room when you're ready. Let's start with a debriefing on what you learned during your interviews in Bloomington."
"Someone shot at you near the doctor's house?!" The thought of Lane being shot tore at her.
"Yeah, the bullet hit the tree I was under."
"You act like it was nothing. You could’ve been killed. Why would someone shoot at you because you were in a wooded area near someone's house?"
"I think Dr. Caine has hired protection. I saw the shooter drive away in a Lincoln Town Car, the same car I saw earlier at the doctor's house. He and the doctor had a heated discussion about something. He must’ve seen my SUV when he left and double-backed and searched the woods for me."