Page 48 of Evergreen Desires
We grabbed one of the booths along the back wall. I slid in with a view toward the front windows. Will quickly maneuvered himself to slide into the opposite side. Then he gestured for Beau to slide in next to me. Too tired to fight, Beau did as he was told, though he remained tense. It didn't help that he had a clear view of Rich sitting at his table.
Rich must have held court here often. He was dressed in a dress shirt, cufflinks, and a tie, with his suit coat hung on the back of his chair. The man who was with him when we arrived had already left. But it was only a few minutes before someone else walked up to shake his hand and joined him at the table, engaging in deep, hushed conversation.Every so often, Rich scanned the diner, often pausing at our table.
Will checked his phone. "Mat said we needed to be here this morning."
"I haven't seen Mat in the last week or so; how is he doing?" Jake inquired.
"He's doing okay. He's been swamped with work."
"In Armsville?" Beau said through a yawn.
"I haven't really seen him too much either. He was working with the county sheriff on something he couldn't talk about. But we do talk at least once a day."
"How are things between you two?"
"Good… I think. He's been so busy lately that we haven't had much time together. I think he's trying to protect me from his job. I'll be glad when whatever project he's working on is over. He did mention wanting to spend the night soon." Will waggled his eyebrows, and a smile crept onto his face.
"Well, that sounds promising." I instinctively reached my hand over and lay it on Beau's thigh, but he suddenly tensed up and sat up straight. He didn't make a move to remove my hand, but I pulled back when I noticed the tension.
Will just rolled his eyes and looked down at his food. We ate in silence.
Two men walked into the dining room at that moment and paused. They didn't say anything; they just stood there, clearly noticing that Rich was occupied. Eventually, their eyes zeroed in on us sitting there eating. Iremembered them. I’d seen them twice, once the first time I was here and the second time outside the Thai restaurant.
"Beau, those are the guys with Rich when we were on our date."
"Are they? I didn't pay them much attention, but they’re the two guys from the city council meeting."
Rich stood at his table and shook the hand of the man he was meeting with. It looked like a quick dismissal, judging by the look on the man's face, who reluctantly stood, turned, and left. Rich waved the two men over as he took his seat again.
"You know, he's here every day," Will said, breaking the silence. "Mat seems to think he does more work here than in his actual office. He's been 'summoned' here on more than one occasion, with Rich trying to get information." Will paused to look over his shoulder at Rich's table. "Mat often tells him that he would need to go through proper channels to request the information if it's needed for the city council's work. Rich has threatened him a few times, but Mat points out that he works for the city manager and has to follow the current rules."
"He does seem like a guy who doesn't know how to take no for an answer" Jake says sipping his coffee.
Gwendine swung by the table, dropped the check, and refilled our coffee cups in one smooth motion. "Please don't wait so long between visits." She said, turning away after a wink in all our directions.
Beau stretched and let out a giant yawn. "Well, this is a bust. Let's get home so I can get a little more sleep…"
CHAPTER 40
BEAU
Before I could even finish my sentence, the sound of screeching tires caused my eyes to dart toward the front window. In less than five seconds, people in bulletproof vests burst through the front door of the diner, carrying guns.
Instinct took over. In one swift movement, I stood up from the booth and had Jake by the collar of his shirt, pulling him behind me. If someone was going to get to Jake, they would have to go through me.
"Everyone stay calm and stay where you are," announced one of the men in front, his gun trained right on me. "Please, no sudden movements."
Adrenaline flooded my system, and I could taste it in the back of my throat. My eyes darted from man to man, my focus on the threat in front of me. I wasn't worried about myself; it was Jake I was concerned about.
"Beau, breathe," Jake whispered from behind. "Stop growling; they're going to hear you."
Shit, I didn't even realize I was growling.
"Richard Summers, you’re under arrest," announced a second one.
That's when I saw it – the back of their vests said FBI. Lightheadedness hit me, causing me to freeze where I was standing. I saw that while a few agents were watching the room, most of them were handcuffing Rich and his two guests. Outside, I could see Mat and the county sheriff standing next to their cruisers. Clearly, they were there to lend local support but stay out of the way.
Realizing I was still standing in an aggressive stance with Jake pulled up tight behind me, I began to move into a more neutral position. Slowly. I raised my hands only slightly so that the agent could see. After a careful nod toward the agent, who returned a slight nod in acknowledgment, I eased Jake and myself back into the booth, sitting gently and releasing the deep breath I had been holding.
