May Contain Wine (SWAT Generation 2.0 5)

Had to be with the line of work he was in.

“I know,” I said softly. “I just… this sucks.”

“It does.”

When we arrived at the station, Dad took Beckham and me all the way back to the interrogation observation room.

When we arrived, it was to find the entire room practically filled. Old and new SWAT officers alike.

Beckham went to her father and hugged him.

I stayed next to mine and squeaked through to a front row spot. Bodies shifted to allow us entrance.

The first thing I saw was Louis and another man that was a detective in the room with Romeo. Louis was standing near the door, arms crossed, leaning against the wall. The detective was at the table in front of Romeo, hands clasped on top of the table.

Romeo was sitting there, looking defeated.

“The dog was already dead, though,” Romeo promised. “I saw it happen. I didn’t do anything but bring it to her house and put it on her porch.”

“And the note?” the detective asked. “Why the note?”

Romeo paled.

“Uhhh,” he said. “I don’t know anything about the note.”

“Where’s his lawyer?” I asked curiously.

“He declined one,” Luke rumbled from beside me. “He’s eighteen, so he’s allowed to do that.”

Interesting.

“We have it on video that you wrote the note,” the detective murmured.

Romeo’s shoulders slumped even further.

“I wrote the note,” he agreed. “I just… I… I needed to warn her.”

Louis straightened up off the wall.

“Warn her about what?” Louis asked, no longer looking bored.

He looked like he was on high-alert. As if something Romeo had said had caused him to become interesting.

“I…” Romeo croaked. “I can’t tell you.”

The detective opened his mouth to continue to push him, but Louis held up his hand. He gestured for the detective to hold on and moved around the table so that Romeo could see him more clearly.

“Are you protecting someone?” Louis asked Romeo.

Romeo’s eyes widened. “I don’t… no, of course not.”

An hour of questioning later, we were still no closer to the truth.

The moment that I met Louis in the hallway, I walked into his arms.

He wrapped them around me and pressed a kiss to my hair.

“I don’t like it that he’s covering for whoever he’s covering for,” he muttered.

I was sure that was directed at my father rather than me, but I acted as if he was talking to me.

“He’s going to be here for a few days, right?” I asked. “With today being so late, and Monday a holiday. He’ll have until the court hearing on Tuesday afternoon. We have time to figure it out.”

Louis tightened his hold on me and was about to reply to what I’d said when his sister’s voice had him whipping his head around.

I grinned when he left me and headed in her direction.

The moment that he was close enough, he hauled her up into a bear hug and buried his face into her hair.

I smiled as I leaned into my dad. “He misses her.”

“Yeah,” Dad said as he wrapped his arms around my shoulder. “I called your mom. Foster called his wife. We’re going to do dinner today instead of Sunday. Or maybe as well as. I’m not sure. We’re meeting at Foster’s place around seven.”

I wrapped my arms tight around my father’s waist.

“We’ll be there,” I said.

He squeezed me a bit tighter.

“Stay with Louis. I’m going to get your place cleaned up so you can go home and get some clothes to change into. Bring that dip,” he ordered.

That ‘dip’ was actually a buffalo ranch chicken dip that was to die for, and fattening as hell. I didn’t make it all that often, despite it being really freakin’ good. But I made it for my dad because he liked it. Even though I wouldn’t get any of it since we were going out to eat.

“I can do that,” I said. “I just have to stop and get a rotisserie chicken.”

“I’ll go get that,” he said. “I’m not sure when you’re gonna be out of here. I’ll leave the chicken on your counter.”

He pressed a kiss to the top of my head and left, and I took a seat in Luke’s office while I waited for Louis and Beckham to finish their reunion.

Luke’s office had a rather large couch, and soon I found myself lying down and burying my face into a pillow.

Moments after that, I fell asleep.Chapter 11

Some days she’s a princess. Others, she’s the devil.

-Louis’ secret thoughts

Louis

I looked around for my woman, not finding her anywhere.

“Missing something?”

I looked over at my dad who was grinning at me.

“Calloway,” I said. “Did she leave with her dad?”

An amused voice sounded from behind us.

“Actually, she’s in my office snoring on my couch.” Luke chuckled. “I had to end a call because the county commissioner kept asking what that racket was in the background.”

I started to laugh.

“She’s not really snoring that bad,” I said as I made my way to his office.