Her Dominant SEAL (Midnight Delta Book 9) Page 5
“We tried to make sure that your sisters got first pickings at the Salvation Army. Then when Trenda moved out, Carl arranged for her to get a deal on the apartment she rented over the bakery. Just little things.”
“What did you find out about my dad? Did your little group of spies ever find out if he was cooking or dealing or both?”
“Fuck Drake, there ain’t no drugs in Jasper Creek, ask our sheriff. The fact that the EMT’s have that nasal spray on hand and have revived Tommy Hayes twice last year and at least ten others from overdoses don't mean a thing.” Larry’s voice was laced with disgust.
“It’s gotten that bad?”
“Yep.”
“What is it? Meth or Heroin?”
“Mostly Meth. If you ask me, our boy Delmar is getting a cut out of the deal. Kirkland still keeps an eye on him, even though he’s now a member of the state senate.”
“He is?”
“You didn’t know?” Larry asked. “Yep. Judge Kirkland is now State Senator Kirkland. He might run for the United States Senate in a couple of years,” Larry said with pride.
“I owe my life to that man.”
“You’re not the only one. I know he regrets that he didn’t kick Judge Comey and Sheriff Arnold out on their asses before he left for the state capitol. They’re crooked as Carl Jeffries teeth.”
Drake shouted out a laugh.
“Let’s get inside before Eva comes outside.”
“I appreciate you staying as long as you did. Are you staying the night, or going home now?”
“I feel better sleeping next to Elizabeth, so I’ll be leaving.” Larry smiled.
Must be nice, Drake thought.
***
Drake lucked out. Evie had been too tired to give him a hard time when he’d come in, so he got to go to bed without an interrogation. But as he got out of the shower, he realized he wouldn’t be so lucky this morning. He tried to think through what he would and wouldn’t tell his little sisters. There were more things he was comfortable sharing with Evie than he was with Piper. But he would really prefer not telling either of them everything.
He checked his watch as he threw on his clothes. He should have time to check his laptop before making breakfast for the girls. He opened the door to his bedroom and found Evie sitting across the hallway with her legs crossed, a book in her lap. It was a romance novel. She blushed as she tucked it under her legs, then she scowled as she looked up at him.
“You still take the longest showers known to mankind. I thought I’d die of boredom before you’d get out here.”
Drake decided not to tease her about the book she’d been reading.
“I do not take long showers.” Okay, he might have taken a long shower, but for God’s sake, he’d only had three hours’ sleep.
“Now that you smell all purdy, can you tell me what you found out?” she said as she held out a hand for him to help her up off the floor. He saw her push the book into the back of her pants underneath her flannel shirt. God forbid he saw a soft side of her.
“I didn’t find out much.”
“Don’t try to bullshit a bullshitter.”
“I’m not. I just didn’t find out a lot.”
“So, tell me what you did find out.”
They walked down the stairs toward the great room, then went past that down the hallway to the dining and kitchen area.
“This place is amazing,” Drake said.
“Quit stalling and tell me.”
Drake set his laptop down on the kitchen island. It was almost as big as his entire kitchen back home. He turned to Evie. “Fine, I’ll tell you what I know, but let’s make breakfast first.”
“Already started,” she said with a flourish as she pulled a tea towel off a pan. Drake’s eyes widened.
“Homemade biscuits? Not from the frozen food aisle?” He stared at the pan of biscuits. He watched as Evie brushed butter over the tops then popped the pan into the heated oven.
“You’re slow on the uptake this morning, don’t you smell the gravy?”
Drake took a deep breath. He could actually feel his arteries begin to harden. He was in heaven. “I’ll make the bacon and eggs,” he volunteered.
“Don’t forget the information sharing,” Evie prompted.
Drake dipped his head into the refrigerator choosing to ignore his sister.
“Don’t ignore me. I want to know what you found out. What the fuck is that asshole father of ours up to?” she all but shouted.
“Keep your voice down,” he said as he pulled out the carton of eggs and package of bacon. “And do you have to swear like a truck driver?”
“Fuck, like you don’t cuss like a sailor. I bet you could make me blush, and I work with a former Army Ranger.”
“It’s not ladylike,” he ground out.
Eva’s eyes got really wide, and she asked, “are you for real?”
Drake thought about his teammates’ women, but they could swear all they wanted, they weren’t his sister.
“You shouldn’t be swearing,” he insisted.
“This is not the conversation we should be having. And if you didn’t have rocks in your head, you’d know it!”
“Bull-...Horsefeathers. You shouldn’t be swearing. That is something we should address. You should be a role model to Piper.”
“Oh for God’s sake, that horse has already left the barn. Tell me what you found out. Come on, Drake. I know you’re upset about it, and that’s why you’re dodging the question with this horsefeather argument.” She came up and wrapped her arms around him.
Drake melted. He did his best to hug her back with his hands full of eggs and bacon.
She stepped back and took the food from his hands and set them down on the counter. She got out a bowl and handed it to him. He broke the eggs into it.
“Now tell me.”
“It’s bad. He has friends at the house. Four that I counted.”
“And mom? She was allowing it, right?”
Drake closed his eyes, trying to block out the scene. Sadly, he answered. “Yeah, she was allowing it.”
“Dammit. I figured as much, but I hoped not. Did you get a chance to check on Delmar?”
“I talked to Larry, he says that Delmar is definitely in cahoots with dad.”
“Yeah, that’s what he and I figured. It kind of sealed the deal when he didn’t give us a heads up that dad was getting out of prison.”
“I still don’t get why Dad has it out for Piper. Sure her testimony got him convicted, but that’s water under the bridge, right?” Drake looked at Evie who shrugged.
“I just thank God she got the hell out of there. I wish she would have called us. If we had been given a minute, we could have come up with a contingency plan to deal with the motherfucker. It never would have occurred to me that Piper would go out on her own because she would be trying to protect us.”
Drake remembered his sister being a tomboy, but listening to her saying things like motherfucker and contingency plans was kind of blowing his mind. It was as if he could be talking to a teammate, except her language was worse.
“I thought you were a housekeeper.”
“Don’t you mean a maid?” Evie grimaced.
“With you, there’s always more than meets the eye. I know better than to underestimate Evie Lavender Avery.”
“Then you and Trenda are the only two in the world.” She took down three plates from the cupboard. “I hear Piper coming down the hall.”
Piper came dragging into the kitchen, she was wearing a pair of sweatpants and a worn gray T-shirt. She looked flushed and exhausted. He went over and felt her forehead.
“Whatchya doin’?”
Drake looked over at Evie, who came over to feel Piper’s forehead as well.
“I’m not sick,” Piper protested.
“You feel warm,” Evie said as she put her arm around her sister. “Come on honey, let’s get you back upstairs. I’ll bring breakfast up to you.”
“I just
got out of a warm bed,” she groused.
The two older Averys looked at one another.
“Seriously, you guys need to calm down. I’m not sick. I’m old enough to tell you if I’m not feeling well. I got out of the frickin house, now didn’t I? I got you to come get me, didn’t I?” She glared at Drake.
He held up his hands.
“Don’t bite my head off. Have you been taking lessons from Evie?”
“If I was, I would have said fucking house.” She laughed.
“Let’s eat and figure out a game plan,” Evie said as she handed them each a plate.
“I already handled part of the game,” Piper said as she started towards the dining room.
“What do you mean?” Drake asked.
“I called Miss Eastman and apologized for not helping with her class yesterday, and told her I couldn’t make it today either. It’s not a good idea for me to go to school because they’d be looking for me there, right?”
“You called your teacher?” Drake felt the vein in his temple begin to pulse.
“Well sure. I had to. She depends on me.”
“Why would she depend on you?”
“Piper is a teacher’s aide,” Evie explained with pride.
“I had to tell her I wasn’t going to be there again today. Anyway, she’d already talked to Trenda. She has all my homework from the high school. She wants to come over.”
“No.”
Piper looked at Drake in surprise. Evie nodded in agreement.
“But it’s Miss Eastman. She’s safe,” Piper said.
Drake dug into his food. The biscuits and gravy were to die for.
“Drake?”
“Piper, it’s not safe. Not only are the road conditions terrible for driving up here, we don’t need anybody else knowing where we’re at.”
“Oh.”
Drake looked up. Piper was biting her lip.
Dammit.
“You already told her where we’re at, didn’t you?”
“I’m sorry, Drake.”
“It’s okay, Tinkerbell.” ,He sighed. “Is she on her way?”
“Yeah. She needed to come before school started. She teaches kindergarten.”
“Well, we better eat our breakfast. But Piper, you can’t do this again. Nobody else can know where we are. Got it?”
“I understand. I won’t do it again. But seriously, you’ll love her. She’s the bomb.”
Chapter Four
Drake had been staring out the window at the snow coming down as he’d talked to Aiden. After he was done with the call, he walked into the great room and spied the three women. Their visitor had arrived. All three females turned and smiled. Drake’s step almost faltered, but he recovered. What the hell? When did they start making kindergarten teachers all lush and curvy? She wasn’t the bomb. She was a bombshell.
“Drake, this is Miss Eastman,” Piper said excitedly.
He put on his game face. It wouldn’t be appropriate to come onto the woman that he wanted to get rid of. Unfortunately, his less than friendly demeanor just caused the teacher to amp up her smile. She had a great smile. Miss Eastman walked over and thrust out her hand.
“Hello, Mr. Avery, I’m Karen Eastman. I’m your sister’s biggest fan. She told me how you flew out from California to rescue her. I only wished she would have called me instead of staying outside all night.”
Drake looked over at Piper and frowned. “Why didn’t you call her?”
“Mom knows about her,” she said quietly. What did that say about his family, if his sister couldn’t trust either one of her parents? Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t help but notice Karen’s thin sweater and slim black pants.
Drake scowled at her. “You’re not dressed for this weather. What the hell are you thinking coming out in the snow dressed like that?” he demanded. Seriously, it was cold as fuck, was she out of her mind? “Couldn’t you have just e-mailed Piper her work?” Drake damn near shouted. Calm down Avery, you’re coming off like a pissed off SEAL on a mission.
Karen’s smile faltered, but she rallied.
“I’m over twenty-one and a big girl. It occurred to me to wear a winter coat and everything.” She pointed sweetly over at the coat laying on the back of an armchair.
Drake opened his mouth to lay into her when he saw the warm twinkle in her hazel eyes. His mouth twitched, but then he looked down at her feet. “Your shoes suck, though.”
Karen sighed.
“Okay, you caught me. I didn’t put on my boots. Look, in my defense, I normally park my truck next to the covered walkway by my classroom.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Piper dart out of the room. He knew she was getting something for her teacher’s feet.
“So why didn’t you e-mail her the stuff?” he asked again.
“Piper needed her text books, so I brought them. We talked, her other teachers and I, and we think we have a gameplan for her to continue her studies until this little situation blows over.”
“What do you mean, you and the other teachers talked? And this isn’t some little situation. This is serious shit!” Drake thought about the men he’d seen leaving his old house. He took a step forward and towered over her. “Just how many people know where Piper is?”
Her eyes widened as she looked up at him.
“Oh my God. Do they ever let you out in public? Seriously, Mr. Avery, let’s cool it on the scare tactics, okay?”
“I’m not trying to scare you, Lady, I’m trying to ask you if you’re out of your tiny mind? Our father just got out of prison and is batshit crazy. This is not some little situation that might blow over. You should not be here! How many people have you told about this location?”
Drake could actually see the wheels turning in her pretty auburn head as she decided how to respond. Tentatively, as if reassuring a growling dog, she put one small hand gently on his chest. “Mr. Avery, I know this is a serious situation. I’m not trying to mitigate things, I promise you,” she gave him a soft smile.
“Oh for God’s sake, call me Drake.”
Did she think eight dollar words and a sweet smile were going to calm him down?
“Okay, Drake.” She drawled out his name. “Did you know that Piper is top of her class? Did you know that yesterday was the first day she’d ever missed school? Last night the principal reached out to Trenda when she couldn’t get ahold of your mother. Trenda explained about your father and that Piper was with you. Edna, the principal, arranged a conference call with me and the rest of Piper’s teachers and we came up with a plan to keep your sister caught up with her studies. I volunteered to get her all of her lessons.”
Drake could see Piper’s bewildered expression behind Karen. She was holding a pair of socks.
“Why would everyone do that?” he asked.
“What do you mean?” Karen asked.
“Why would the principal call a meeting for a student when she just missed a day of school?” Drake asked.
Karen gave him a pitying look. “You’ve been away from Jasper Creek too long. You forgot how it works. We take care of our own. Piper is special. Everybody at Roosevelt High loves your sister. She’s going to be offered scholarships and we don’t want anything to jeopardize that.”
All during her speech, her hand still rested on his chest, her eyes bright with sincerity. He covered her soft little hand with his.
“You’re right, Piper is special. But you should not be driving in this bad weather, and mixing yourself up in our problems. This is dangerous, Lady.”
Piper jumped at his loud voice, and Karen saw her out of the corner of her eye.
“Oh my God, how do you put up with him, Piper? Thank you for the socks.” She pulled away from Drake and gave Piper a hug. “My feet are freezing, these are perfect.”
She walked over to the ottoman near the fire. She pulled off her ballet flats, and put on the warm socks that Piper had given her, but not before Drake noticed that the polish on her toes exactly matched th
e color of her sweater.
“Look, Drake, I knew what I was getting into when I drove over here. People around here know about your father. Everything was made crystal clear when Piper had to hide from him.” Her voice dripped ice. She stood back up and came to stand toe-to-toe with him. It was pretty funny, it was like a kitten against an eight-hundred-pound gorilla. The woman had no sense of self preservation. Or maybe she could just handle him. Wasn’t that a fascinating thought?
“Your sister is too important to me to let her suffer if I can do something about it, and I can.”
“Fine, do what you need to do. Then you’re going to get your pretty ass back in your truck and teach your little kids.” He’d feel a hell of a lot better if he could follow her back to town, but he couldn’t leave Piper and Evie unattended.
Suddenly, she wasn’t as sure of herself, her eyes darted to the side, and she bit her lip.
“What?” he demanded.
“It’s not that simple. This semester I’ve been tutoring Piper on her calculus and...”
“And what?” he asked ominously.
“I promised I would pick up her paperwork and take it to her teachers.” Her eyes turned pleading. “We’re also putting together all of her college and scholarship applications. That’s not something that can be done over the phone. If there were another way, I’d do it. I’m not trying to make this difficult.”
Dammit. He looked over to where Piper was sitting on her hands on the couch, he could see the pleading look on her face. He knew when he’d lost an argument.
“Fine,” he raked a hand through his hair. “I have a friend coming. He’ll pick you up in the evenings that Piper needs you and bring you here. People might be watching you, they know you’re important to Piper. Plug your number into my cell phone.” He handed her his cell phone, and she pressed in her contact information.
Piper popped up off the sofa like she was spring loaded. “Thank you, Drake!” She hugged him, and it felt wonderful.
“You’re welcome, Tinkerbell. But this stops the moment we think the situation is dangerous. You got it?”
“Definitely. You’re the best.” She tugged at his shoulders. Drake bent down, and Piper kissed his cheek.