Page 59 of Seaside Strangers
He let out a relieved breath. "Three under arrest—no bloodshed."
"Good to hear. Here's Moriah—she's been pacing the floor for the past hour, driving Jinx crazy."
There was a pause, and then, "KC?"
The last tension left his body when he heard her sweet but worried voice. "Hi, honey. Everything’s okay."
"Oh, thank God. I was so afraid—" She stopped on a sob.
"It's all right. Everyone is fine. Stay there for now, and I’ll come get you when it’s clear, okay?”
"Okay. I love you."
He ignored his teammates' knowing smiles as he responded, "Ilove you too."
From his position up the street, Dennis Kellerman watched Simmons and the other two idiots get loaded into the backs of patrol cars. He’d known they would screw up, so he’d grabbed one of his own men, flown down from Chicago, and rented a car to stay off their radar.
He was certain the SBI agent had spotted them tailing him. This had been a trap from the start.
Kellerman’s jaw set as he watched the last of the cruisers pull away. Knowing he’d been right didn’t do a thing to cool his temper.
Now he had to wait for things to settle, then plan his next move and clean up the mess Simmons had made.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Driving wellover the speed limit, KC headed straight for his uncle’s apartment. He shouldn’t have left while the police were investigating the incident, but he needed to see Moriah with his own eyes. If he hadn’t been so focused on getting to her, he might have noticed the dark sedan trailing him through town.
He pulled his Charger into a space in front of the hardware store and was out of the car before the engine fully cut off. The sidewalk door gave way under his key, and he took the stairs two at a time. At the top, he knocked once and called out, “It’s me. Open up.”
The door flew open, and Moriah launched herself at him.
He caught her easily, pulling her in close as he pressed a kiss to her forehead, his hand sliding up and down her back. “Easy. It’s okay. Everything’s under control. I can’t stay long, but I needed to see you.”
“I’m fine now that I know you’re okay,” she said against his chest.
With his fingers, he tipped her chin up and kissed her. The moment their lips met, something in his chest eased. She tasted like the coffee she’d been drinking, warm and familiar, and the soft sound she made against his mouth went straight through him. He drew her closer, holding her a little tighter than he meant to, relief settling in now that he knew she was safe.
A noise behind her reminded them they weren’t alone. She reluctantly ended the kiss and eased back within his arms. “Can I go back with you?”
He shook his head. “Not yet. I’ll come get you once they’re gone. I don’t want you anywhere near them.”
She nodded, even if she didn’t look thrilled about it.
KC glanced across the room to where his uncle sat in his usual chair, a satisfied grin on his face. “Thanks, Uncle Dan. I’ll be back in a bit.”
The older man chuckled. “You might want to make it quick. This one’s been giving me a hard time at backgammon.”
KC dropped his gaze to her, the corners of his mouth lifting. “I’m impressed. Not many people can keep up with him.”
She shrugged lightly. “I had a good teacher.”
“Clearly.”
He gave her one more squeeze and a brief kiss before stepping back. The sooner things were wrapped up at the beach house, the sooner he could bring her back where she belonged—safe and out of reach of anyone who might try to take her from him.
A block from the hardware store, Kellerman kept his gaze fixed on the building as the burly man came down from the second-floor apartment, got back into his vehicle, and made a sharp U-turn out of sight.
That didn’t sit right.
