Unexpected Love (Jo's Story) (30 page)

“When are you going to learn that I know what I am doing?”  I snap at him.

“So am I just not supposed to worry about you?”

“I am a trained detective.  I have done a lot of shit, and seen more than probably 90% of the squad.  I am fine.”

“And that is supposed to make me feel better.”

“I don’t know Jake; I don’t think that you are ever going to be ok with me being a cop.  You spend more time telling me to be careful and that you don’t like what I do then you do anything else.”

“Because I'm not used to having to worry about someone.  I love you Jo and I don’t want anything to happen to you, is that so bad?”

“It is when you are interfering with what I am doing.”

He looks at me shocked.  “I'm sorry.” He lets go of me.  “What did you need to pick up?”

“I was going to get my laptop and some files and do some work at your place, but I think I am going to go to the station.  It will be quieter there.”

“So you’re not coming back to my place?”

“No, I have a lot to do.  I think, given all the shit that has happened with your brother and them trying to get to him that I should really get to work on this.  I still need to find a place for him to go once I get him out of the center.”

“Jo, why are you being like this?”

“Because Jake, I don’t think that I should have to answer to you and make sure that you approve of what I am doing.  This is my job, my career.  It’s not going to change.  If you can’t accept that then I guess this isn’t going to work,” I look up at him.  He looks shocked by what I just said.  He doesn’t say anything just looks at me.  Next thing I know he is turning to go out the door.  I watch out the front window as he gets in the truck and leaves.  He looks pissed.  I can’t handle him treating me like this though.  This is my job and he needs to accept that.  I go to the kitchen and grab my laptop and files that are sitting on the table.  I decide that I can get out of this dress now and go up to my room and change.  I put on some jeans and a t shirt and put my gun in my holster and walk back downstairs.  I grab my keys off the counter and my bag that I put my laptop and files in and go out to my car. 

Twenty minutes later I am parked outside the station.  I walk in and smile at Walsh.  He is busy with something and waves to me.  I go up to my office and set my stuff down on my desk.  I look around and notice that Ryan has gotten rid of some of the stuff on his desk.  I assume that Wilson now has more on his desk and smile.  I think those two will work really well together.  I sit at my desk and grab my laptop out and then fire up both that and my desk top that is already sitting there.  I look through my emails, nothing too important.  I pull up the files that Sargent McDonald sent up on Lewis.  I am sitting there looking stuff over and I get a text message.

Jo, did something happen with Jake?

It is from Annie.  How does she know?  I can only assume that he text her to get help from her on how to handle it.

Only the fact that he doesn’t approve of what I do.  Why do you ask?

He wanted to know what I was doing because he wants to talk to me about a fight you two had.

I told him that if he can’t handle what I do, then he and I are not going to work.  You should know better than anyone that this is who I am he either needs to accept it or leave me alone.

I know it sounds harsh, but it’s the truth.  I am not going to change my career for someone.  I didn’t do it when Jarrod begged me to and I'm not going to do it for Jake.  This is what I love to do.

Jo, he is just like everyone else in your life and is worried about you.  I know you are going after one of the biggest drug dealers in the city right now and I am worried sick about you.  How do you think he feels?  This is new to him.  He doesn’t know you as well as I do.

Look Annie, I am working right now, if you want to try and make him feel better its fine.  But I cannot waste time on this right now.  My case is time sensitive and I don’t have any extra time to spend on this.  I love him, yes, but he needs to accept this, end of story.  If he can’t, well then there is no point in trying to be together.

Being your best friend and knowing you as well as I do, I know for a fact that you don’t want that.  But, I understand about this being your job and he needs to accept it.  But please call or text him.  He is seriously blowing up my phone.  He loves you Jo, and he is freaking out because he thinks that he has lost you.

I just sit there looking at her message.  “Hey Jo,” I hear Ryan.

“Ryan, you scared me,” I look up at him.

“Sorry, what are you doing here?  I thought you would be hanging out with Jake’s family today.”

“I was, but this thing is getting out of control already and I thought that if I can try and get a head start on it maybe I can have a little control over it.”

“You’re worried about this aren’t you?”

“Extremely, if I don’t get Lewis out of this soon, I may not be able to get him out at all.”

“We will get him out Jo, we know how these guys operate, and I think that if we can just pin point their big drop off then we can nail them.  We already know about most of their dealers, we just need to get a date and time on the drop.”

“I hope so,” I watch him as he goes and sits at his desk.

“Jo, I want to show you something,” he grabs his laptop off the desk.  “I have been watching some of the guys that we know work for them.  I have been tracking them for the last few days once I knew we were getting into this.  They all run the same routes.  It is like the Warrens have a system.  We know they like things to be neat because they don’t want to slip and tip us off.  Now I saw one of the brothers outside of this location a couple times in the last five days.  I think this building has something to do with their exchanges.” He puts the computer in front of me.

“Ryan, that is two blocks from here.  Do you really think they would do it right under our noses like that?”

“If they have us chasing after all these guys, yes I do.  They have balls, I will give them that.  I don’t think they suspect Lewis.  I think if they did, he wouldn’t be here.  We just need to do this as quietly as possible.  Did you talk to Jake about him staying there yet?”

“No I think with mine and his faces all over the news they might suspect something.  I was going to look at some of the safe houses around the area but they know about most of them I'm sure.”

“You know what, there is a little place for rent across the street from Lucas’ restaurant, I bet I can talk to the owner and see if he can stay there.  Hopefully it won’t be too long.”

“Yeah, that might work.  I know that I have the ok to do what I need to so that we can get him under a watchful eye.  With you being across the street I think that would be a good place.  That way he can contact you if he needs to.”

“Ok, I will go talk to him right away tomorrow morning.”

“So do you think they will entrust him to deal up here?”

“I do.  I was thinking about it, and I have this feeling that they are going want him to try and get in with the big crowd.  Which means Jake’s group of people.  Think about it, that is a big pay day for them.  And you know that some of those guys are probably into it.  And most of the women they hang out with are probably into it.  Especially the escorts.”

“Yeah, I can see them trying to push it on him to go to that level.  I hope this doesn’t backfire Ryan.  This worries me that he could get involved this deep.  I just hope he is able to stay clean.”

“You think he would start using again?”

“You know they are going to put him to the test.  We have seen it before.”

“Yeah, I know.  Let’s hope this is different.  Let’s hope his family being behind him keeps him off that path.”  We sit there looking over all of our notes and come up with a plan.  I look at the clock and see that we have been sitting here for two hours.  I check my phone thinking that Jake has probably blown my phone up, but there is nothing.  I stand up and go over to the window.  It has started raining since I got here.  I wonder what Jake and his family are doing.  I feel guilty about what I said to him earlier. 

“Hey, is there something wrong?  You seem someplace else?”  Ryan walks up next to me.

“I said some things to Jake that I probably shouldn’t have.”

“What do you mean?”

“He is being super protective of me telling me that he doesn’t like that I am involved in this right now.  I blew up saying that if he can’t accept that this is my job then this isn’t going to work.  I know it was definitely not the thing to say, but you know how I am when it comes to my job.”

He shakes his head, “Yeah, I do.  But Jo, come on.  I don’t blame him.  This is a bad situation.  You and I both know it.  There is a chance someone is going to get hurt in this.”

“I know that, but I don’t want to admit it.  Ryan, I knew when Sargent McDonald told me it was the Warrens that this was way worse than I thought.  But Lewis is Jake’s brother; I couldn’t just walk away from it.”

“If it wasn’t his brother?”

“Narcotics would be doing their job instead of us,” I look at him.

“I know that, I knew as soon as Chief told us it was Jake’s brother that you would be way more involved than you should be.  I tried talking him into giving it to Narcotics but he said no.  Just promise me you won’t do anything alone.  Please make sure one of us is with you for anything that you check out on this.  I may not be your partner anymore but I'm still going to protect you Jo.  I know how damn stubborn you are and I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“I know, thanks Ryan,” I give him a hug.  I hear a knock on the office door and look over and see Jake standing there.

“Hey Jake,” Ryan walks over to him and shakes his hand.  “She is all yours,” he walks out the door and shuts it behind him.  Jake just stands there looking at me. 

“Hey,” I finally break the silence.  He doesn’t say anything just walks over to me and pulls me into a kiss.  He pulls away from kissing me and just stands there holding me.  I have my arms around his neck and just hold him.  “Jake, I'm sorry.”

“Baby, its fine.  I know this is your job.  I know that you aren’t used to having someone be concerned about your safety.  I just don’t know how to deal with this.”

“Jake, please understand that I know what I am doing ok?”

“I know, but that doesn’t make this easier for me.  You just walked into my life; I don’t want anything to happen to take you away.  I love you and I don’t know what I would do if I lost you right now.  Whether it is to something happening to you, or my own stupidity.”

“I'm sorry I said what I did Jake, I just get worked up about my job.  I have had to defend myself here for a long time and now that everyone has accepted that I am the best at this job it is hard for me to hear from the people that I love that they think I shouldn’t be doing it.  I have busted my ass to get where I am and I will not give it up because someone is afraid I might get hurt.  It’s a hazard of the job Jake, and that won’t change.”

“I know.  But it doesn’t make me feel any better about it.”

“I don’t think anything will.  My parents still hate it.  Jarrod hated it, but it’s who I am.”

“I know.”  He looks at me.  “So did you get some stuff done?”

“A lot, actually.  Ryan and I sat down and accomplished a nice plan for the next couple days.  I think we found a place for Lewis to stay and from there it is just a waiting game basically.”

“Well, hopefully they don’t make you wait long.  I don’t know how long I can sit around knowing that everything that you do could put you in danger.”

“I won’t be alone with any of it Jake.  I promise someone will always be with me.  What good would having a team be if I didn’t use them?”

“I know.  So do you have more work to do?”

“A couple things yes.”

“Ok, well I just had to see you.  I wanted to make sure that we are ok.”

“We are fine.  You can’t take things that I say right now to heart ok.  I'm stressed, to the max!  Just try to brush things off if I yell at you,” I smile at him.  “I tend to turn into a bitch when I get this involved in a case.”

“Great,” he jokes.  “Just want I need is another crazy woman in my life.  My mom and sisters are already driving me nuts.  I was hoping you would be the sane one.”

I smile.  “Where is everyone?”

“I just dropped them off at the hotel and took my dad down to rent a truck for the week.  They are going to hang out there then come back to the house for dinner.  My mom wants to cook for the family.  She asked if you were going to stop by.”

“I think I might be able to handle that.  I just have to print off my sheets for everyone for our meeting in the morning.” I walk past him and sit down at my desk.  I start printing off the papers that I need and I hear his phone ring. 

“Hey Molly, what’s up?”  He walks over to the window.  “Why would I care?  I know he’s a decent guy.” I hear him laugh.  “Yeah, well get used to it Molly because it doesn’t get easier.  You just have to deal with it.”  He turns and looks at me.  “Ok, see you at dinner.”  He hangs up the phone.

“What?”