Matt squeezed by dancers on the dance floor. He found Jodi. She and Billy were slow dancing. They were too close for Matt’s liking. It looked like they were talking. Matt walked up behind Billy and slapped him on the shoulder. “May I cut in?”“Holy shit,” Jodi said as her brown eyes grew wide.“Whoa, partner,” Billy said and shrugged away from Matt’s hand. “That’s a hell of grip you got there.”“Are you nuts? What are you doing here on orgy night?” Jodi asked with a horrified expression.“I came to see you. Isn’t that what you wanted?” Matt replied with twisted lips.“No,” Jodi said firmly.“Well, he’s here, now,” Billy said and moved to stand behind Jodi. “Do you want to dance with him?”“I’m not leaving until I do,” Matt stated.Jodi thought for a moment. “Yes, if I do, he’ll go.”“All right, Kitten. When you’re done with him, meet me at the bar. I’ll buy you a drink,” Billy said and bent his head down to kiss Jodi’s shoulder.Matt wanted to fling him across the room.Jodi smiled.
Williamson held Matt back from going after Jodi. Jackie, Williamson, Lance, and Matt watched as Billy ran after her.Once Jackie saw Billy run out the door to follow Jodi, she whirled around on Matt. He held his hat in one hand and was trying to push Williamson’s hold off with the other.“What the hell did you say to her?” Jackie asked angrily.“Nothing,” Matt answered with bewilderment.“Lance, please go back in the bar. I can handle this,” Jackie said as evenly as she could.“Just holler, if you need me,” Lance said, and then quickly went back through the doors they had run out of.“It had to been more than just nothing,” Jackie stated.“I . . . I . . . noticed a scar. A long red scar between her belly and . . . private area, okay,” Matt answered defensively. “I asked her about it and all of a sudden she had some sort of panic attack. What the hell happened to her while she was gone?” he asked in a demanding tone.Shit, Jackie thought and put her hand on her forehead. Jodi’s C-secti
It was a busy Sunday morning. Matt had to go out on a drunk and disorderly call around 6 a.m. He had gotten to the station at eight. Around nine, Matt had to go out with Dalton to assist in an eviction. Lawrence had to go out at eight to patrol and catch speeders. Goldman had gotten a call from his mom in the middle of the night. His father was sick in the hospital, so Goldman had left for Kansas at first light. Carter had to go out because someone called and said they had a drunk person on their lawn and they wouldn’t leave without hassle. Williamson had called in sick.Things didn’t calm down until eleven o’clock. Matt was cruising in the sheriff’s car. He had some time, so he had decided to stop by Williamson’s house to check on him. His truck wasn’t there. Matt got worried. He had called the hospital and asked if Williamson was there. They said, no. Williamson playing hooky? That wasn’t like him. Matt decided to question him about it tomorrow. Mindy had invited Matt to
Thirty minutes later, Matt was typing up the report for the disturbance call he had gotten that morning when someone tapped on his door. “Yeah,” Matt said and kept typing. Dalton opened the door, but he didn’t come in. “Hey, Sheriff, Williamson came in a few minutes ago.” Matt acted surprised. “Did he? What did he say?” Dalton scoffed. “Not much. I went downstairs to get some deodorant out of my locker. Williamson was already there. He was about to get into the showers. I asked him was he feeling better and he said that it was none of my business.” Matt chuckled. He looked confused by Matt’s reaction. “Um, I don’t know what I did to piss him off.” “Don’t sweat it, Dalton. He’s mad at me. Sounds like you got caught in the crossfire. Once he’s dressed and you catch him up to speed, you can go home. Get some rest and I appreciate you covering the rest of Goldman’s shift.” “Not a p
It was Tuesday, and Matt was still shorthanded at the station. He looked at his watch, it was 3 p.m. He had relieved Dalton who was on traffic duty. Before he had left the station, Mindy stopped by with lunch. They had eaten together in his office. Matt adored her, but she wasn’t Jodi. He didn’t feel the same emotion with Mindy as he did with Jodi. Matt had to sort this out. He had to get to the bottom of what was going on with Jodi and either work it out with her or stick with Mindy. Mindy deserved a man who could devote himself to her and only her. Matt thought about his career. That was the main thing that was keeping him and Jodi apart, for the exception of the big secret she was hiding. It was obvious that Jackie and Billy were helping Jodi to hide it. He loved his job. Yeah, the hours could be long and some of the situations got nasty, but he loved it. Matt loved protecting and serving the community he grew up in. It was a part of who he was.
Matt had dragged Billy into the station and put him in lockup. It wasn’t a big deal no one else was down there. Matt had searched Billy’s car. He had found a tennis bracelet, a sapphire ring the size of a dime, a box of diamond earrings, a box of sapphire earrings, and a diamond necklace. There was a box full of long-stemmed red roses. Matt had also found dress boxes that had two skirts, two silk robes, nightgowns, and three tops. The clothes were Jodi’s style.What was the little shit trying to do? Get her to marry him? Matt had asked Billy why he had bought all those things for Jodi. Billy wouldn’t say. He had asked Billy to tell him what Jodi was hiding. Billy had kept his mouth shut. So, Matt had frisked him and slapped the cuffs on. He had told Billy that he was arresting him for reckless driving. Matt had Billy’s car towed to the station and he confiscated the items in the backseat.Matt didn’t make a report. He didn’t want this in the system. However, he did ask Dalton to discr
Jodi’s heart thudded as Billy escorted her down the hall at the station. Williamson, Lawrence, and Dalton stared at her. She felt like she was walking the last mile. She willed the office to be further away than what it was. Jodi didn’t know if she was ready for this, but she had no choice now.Between Matt showing up at Garvey’s on orgy night to arresting Billy for no good reason this afternoon; she had no choice but to tell Matt everything before he ruined his career and his future. It was almost eight o’clock in the evening. Billy had taken a shower and changed. He looked very dapper in his blue slacks and white silk dress shirt. Jodi had waited for Billy because she didn’t want to come to the station alone, even though Jacobs was going to meet her there. She was also trying to put this off until the last possible moment.Billy and Jodi had told Jackie they were going out for a ride. Jodi didn’t want her to worry. She would tell Jackie everything once this was over with.When Will
Matt felt cold and hot. Everything was blurry. He felt sorrow, sick, disgusted, angry, and shocked.He had listened to Jodi, the only woman he had ever loved, explain how she tricked and lied to him for months. Matt had listened to how she manipulated people to help her do it. She had confessed to gallivanting to Malibu to frolic in the sun with his son in her belly while Matt had died a little inside every day because she was gone. She had gotten lonely in Malibu, so she convinced Rita Jetsen to take her in. In Vegas, Jodi had patted her growing belly and ate junk food.His blood had run cold as he had listened to the horrifying details about how his son died. Her pain. Her depression. Her sadness. Her lose. It’s all about her. Love? That woman didn’t know what love was.He could hear Jacobs calling him from a distance. Matt’s vision came into focus. The three of them stared at him like he was the elephant in the room. This was his office. Matt glared at Jodi’s pouting lips and red e