Out of Darkness (24 page)

“Don’t insult my intelligence,” Tyler laughed. “There’s
always
an investigation going on with us.”

Rooster noticed his supervisor coming out of the building and put on his sunglasses. “That’s my boss. I gotta go, but I’ll be in touch. I’ll do what I can,” he said before walking off and getting into his cruiser.

“We just need to keep going, business as usual,” Liam advised Tyler who nodded before they started their bikes and rode off.

The next morning, Tyler woke up at 4:30, groaning at the alarm. Meredith groaned as well.

“Why the hell is that thing going off so early?” she grumbled, putting her pillow over her head.

“I promised Drew we’d start working out together the other day and then flaked on him. We’re starting this morning. You want to come?” he asked as he left the warmth of bed and stepped into a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie.

She thought about it for a few moments.

“Last chance, I’m outta here, we’re meeting outside to do a warm-up run.”

Running was something she hadn’t been doing nearly as much of and she missed it. “Oh alright, let me grab my stuff.”

Ten minutes later the three of them stood outside in the darkness of the morning. She shivered and stomped her feet, trying to stay warm. Their breath could be seen coming out in big white puffs.

“Let’s go,” Tyler said, bringing his hood up over his head, instructing them to do the same. “Retain what body heat you can, you want to sweat to warm those muscles up. If I go too fast for either of you, let me know. I got long legs, and I’m aware that makes it a bit easier for me to run.”

“If you guys take off without me, it’s fine,” Meredith said. “If you get out of my line of vision, I’ll yell.”

They nodded and took off, following Tyler along the property. Thirty minutes later, she and Drew were both huffing, having fallen a bit behind. Up ahead, they saw they were almost back to their starting point and Tyler was waiting on them.

“Keep it up,” he clapped, encouraging them to finish strong.

“C’mon, Mer,” Drew said, kicking it up a notch.

She couldn’t let these two men outdo her. From somewhere deep inside, she pulled on a reserve that she didn’t know she still had, and the two of them finished neck and neck. They both bent over at the waist, sucking in gasps of air.

“Walk around with your hands on your head,” Tyler instructed. “It’s cold, that may help you get some more oxygen in.”

The two of them did, laughing at each other. The looks on their faces were identical.

“You,” she panted, looking in Tyler’s direction, “are in much better shape than I thought.”

He grinned as he leaned down to brush a kiss along her wet forehead. “Gotta be to keep up with you, woman.” Glancing over at Drew, he winked. “See, get in as good of shape as me and you can get a woman as hot as that.”

Embarrassment covered Drew’s cheeks in bright splotches. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he stuttered.

“Let’s move inside to your garage. Liam moved all my weights up there.”

Drew took off ahead of them, and Meredith leaned over to pinch Tyler’s arm. “Don’t embarrass him like that.”

“Baby, he was checking you out! You are hot, and I’m sure you’re going to fuel all his teenage masturbatory fantasies. He’s a boy.”

She laughed, rolling her eyes. “Oh my God, I’ll never be able to look at him again.”

“It’s natural. I promise. Razzing him will make him work harder because now he’ll want to impress you. He’s gotta get some weight on him or he’s gonna get hurt out on that football field.”

She sniffed at his know-it-all tone. “I guess if you say so then it must be true.”

“Now you’re learnin’,” he put his arm around her as they made their way into the garage and began the second part of the workout.

Later on that afternoon Meredith made her way stiffly back to the Walker household. Denise had invited her to lunch, and she had jumped on the offer. Especially since Liam and Tyler had been called out for a protection run.

“Hey,” Denise greeted as she made her way into the house.

“Hey,” she winced, walking through the living room and into the kitchen.

“What’s wrong?” Denise laughed as she stiffly sat down at the kitchen table.

“Tyler is a slave driver. If your son is walking around like he’s not sore this afternoon, I might kill him,” she grinned.

Denise whistled. “Tyler didn’t get that to-die-for body by just being blessed like Liam was.”

“Oh. My. God. Are you checking out my boyfriend?” she accused, pointing a finger at her friend.

“Did you finally put a label on it?”

Meredith stopped and thought about it for a moment. “I guess I did. We’ve never called each other boyfriend or girlfriend, but I know I feel more for him than friends with benefits. I know we’re both committed. That’s what that means right?”

“That is what that means. I’m glad you’re comfortable enough to
put
a label on it. You’ve really come a long way, Meredith. I’m proud of you.”

Uncharacteristic emotion clogged up Meredith’s throat. “Thanks, I think I’m proud of me too. Now I’m hungry. What are you feeding me?”

Effectively moving the conversation in a different direction, the two of them spent the afternoon just enjoying each other’s company. If nothing else came of this horrible time in her life, Meredith knew that she appreciated the friendships she’d gained and the relationships she’d cultivated.

Chapter Thirty-Three

“I
’ve got the information you need.”

Liam had suspected it would take a lot longer than a few days for Rooster to obtain what they wanted, but he had really come through. “Where do you want to do the drop?” he asked through the cell.

“Our old hang out.” With that, he ended the call.

Liam hung up and motioned for Tyler. The two of them were on repo duty with the wrecker, and it would be the perfect excuse for them to leave. “Rooster just called. He’s got our information. In a few minutes, act like you got a text with a tip on a car. We need to head out towards Richardsville.”

Tyler nodded and a few minutes later did exactly what Liam had asked of him.

“We’re headin’ out,” Tyler called out to William, who waved before they left with the wrecker.

As they rode out to the old Garvin bridge, Tyler pulled his bottom lip in between his teeth.

“You nervous?” Liam asked.

“It sounds weird, but yeah, I am. I’m nervous that I’m right, and I’m nervous that I’m wrong. How crazy is that?”

“Not crazy at all, I feel the same way,” Liam admitted. “We’re not gonna know until we get the information and really look at it.”

“I need you to make a promise to me,” Tyler said as they turned onto Garvin Lane and headed for the bridge.

“What’s that?”

“If we find out that he really did do this, don’t let me kill him. I can with my bare hands, I know this about myself. Just make sure you save me from me.”

“I promise, but I can’t promise I won’t kill him.”

The two of them pulled up near the bridge and came to a stop when they saw the Sheriff’s car and Rooster leaning against the hood. He waved at them as they parked on the seldom traveled road.

“Thanks for this,” Tyler told him as they walked to meet him.

“There’s useful information in there for me too, don’t make me better than what I really am. I do hope this helps you get some closure to it,” he said handing them a large manila envelope. “I was even able to get pictures, and I don’t think you’re gonna like what you see, but you asked for it.”

Tyler’s gut churned. He wasn’t sure which one of them Rooster was really talking to, but either way, he had a feeling this wasn’t good. In minutes, the transaction was complete, and the two men sat in the wrecker with the information that could either clear or convict their President.

“What do you want to do with this?” Tyler asked, the manila envelope feeling very heavy in his hands.

“We keep it between us, and tonight Denise and I will go over to your house for dinner. I know that’s not your normal MO and you want to keep that place private, but we need to do this somewhere that’s out of the way.”

Tyler nodded. “You’re right. I’ll call Meredith, and I’ll have her make a big deal out of it. Have her take my truck and act like it’s a huge deal. Actually, I won’t tell her what we have until after we eat. You do the same with Denise. I’ll have Meredith take her over there.”

The two of them agreed and set their plan into motion. Liam called Roni and asked her to get the kids for the night. He had a feeling this was going to be long and more emotional than any of them had counted on. He needed to keep them safe and out of the way.

Meredith had a feeling that something was up. Without a doubt she had been completely surprised when Tyler called her and told her to go all out for dinner. In his truck he instructed her to open his glove box, and in it had been a debit card with her name on it. He had told her to buy a dinner and anything she needed to cook it with. And also whatever she needed to make the kitchen feel homey.

She had never had a home before, always lived in an apartment, so this was exciting. She and Denise had gone all over town. The mall, the little shops downtown looking for fresh flowers and silverware along with dishes and table cloths. She had picked out new curtains and a few knick knacks that made a house a home. After going to the grocery, the two of them drug everything inside, and Denise went to work setting up the stuff they bought while Meredith went to work on the food.