Page 65 of Made of Steele
He got into his vehicle and peeled out of the lot, making sure he wasn’t followed. When he was a safe distance away, he pulled over to call Teagan and hoped she would answer.
“Is everything okay?” Her tone was throaty and breathless as if he’d woken her or she’d run for the phone.
“Fine.” He told her about the meeting. “I have the drugs and am heading to the Veritas Center.”
“Give me a minute to get dressed again, and I’ll be on my way.”
Maybe he had woken her. Visions of her sleepy face and hair in a mess had him wishing some day in the future that he might wake up next to her. Whoa. She’d gone from being a distraction to being so much more. If only he were in another place. Another time and he could figure out what to do.
But now he had a job to do.
“I’m still in northeast Portland,” he said. “I’ll meet you there. Be careful and watch for any surveillance.”
“You’re scaring me.”
“Just being overly cautious, and I want you to be too.” He looked into the dark night, his thoughts running wild. “I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”
Drew parked next to Teagan’s car in the Veritas Center lot and checked his watch. Thirty minutes until Oliver arrived at the port. Drew should soon be hearing from the agent surveilling the guy. He tucked the package of drugs under his arm again and climbed out. How odd to carry a kilo of drugs into such a posh place. To carry a kilo of drugs anywhere might be odd for some people, but not for his job.
Pete met Drew at the door and Drew caught sight of Teagan sitting on a sofa under the floating stairs. She wore jeans again, and this time had put on a frilly top that heightened Drew’s awareness of her feminine side. Her hair was down, damp, and flowing over her shoulders. She hadn’t been sleeping but showering.
Pete opened the door, and she shot to her feet.
The security guard marched straight to the desk with firm but short strides, confirming for Drew that once a law enforcement officer, always a law enforcement officer in manner and actions. Teagan joined them, but Drew kept his attention on Pete, who was giving Drew the stink eye.
Pete clamped a hand on his sidearm, a power play if Drew ever saw one. “Got your ID this time?”
Drew shook his head, but didn’t elaborate.
Pete shifted his feet and didn’t look away. “I should read you the riot act. Coming here again like this, but I’ll let it go since I already confirmed you once tonight. Don’t much like it, but I’m thinking you must be undercover, which is a pretty dang good reason not to have your ID.”
Drew ignored the comment and filled in the form.
“Let me give Dr. Lane a call.” Pete produced a badge and handed the pass to Drew.
He slipped the lanyard over his head and turned his full attention to Teagan. Up close, he could smell her coconut shampoo and see her damp hair curled slightly as it lay on her shoulders. The jeans clung to her long legs, and the pink top, though frilly, revealed her curves. A causal outfit that was probably nothing special to her, but their kiss had changed everything about how he was seeing her now.
She took his arm and led him away from Pete. “So your meeting really went okay?”
Drew took a breath to erase the shot to his heart from her touch. “I think so, but I heard Rossi tell Sal to increase his surveillance on me. Which means we should probably stop dating, and you should take a step back from the investigation.”
“No.” She crossed her arms. “I’m in this for the long haul and won’t be put off.”
He took her hand and looked her in the eyes. “I figured you’d say that, but really it’s for the best.”
“For who?”
“You.”
“I’m a trained and experienced detective, Drew. I can handle myself just fine.”
He didn’t want to get into an argument in front of Pete. “Then at least agree to hold off on the dating. That might keep Rossi from even finding out about you.”
She gave a low, long sigh. “That I can do. And we can be more careful about meeting.”
He squeezed her hand and released it. He honestly didn’t like how easily she agreed to stop dating him, but he’d asked for it, and she was honoring his wishes. At least in one area. He would help facilitate the other area by limiting their meetings in the future.
The door at the top of the stairs opened. Drew shot a look to the landing. A woman with shoulder-length blond hair, dressed in jeans and sneakers and wearing a rumpled white lab coat stepped out, but held the door open with her back.
