Page 27 of Seizing Mack
Chapter Thirteen
~Nick~
“That’s him,” JesseWalker said quietly from the back of the car. Jesse’s mother, sitting next to her son, nodded in affirmation.
From their position half a block down from Jesse’s house, they had a clear view of the big, bearded man as he got off his bike and made a beeline for the front door. Jesse Walker, Sr. had just been released from prison after serving time for a multitude of crimes and, despite a restraining order, had decided to make their house the second stop on his freedom tour. The first had been the clubhouse of the outlaw motorcycle club he belonged to.
The man moved slowly but with definite purpose, staggering once or twice as he made his way up the walk. If the bulges in his jacket were any indication, the guy was packing, adding yet another item to the fast-growing list of things parolees were not supposed to have or do.
“Okay. Sit tight and stay here. Everything is going to be okay.”
Jesse nodded and put his arm around his trembling mother. Nick spoke quietly into his phone, then exited his vehicle and started walking toward the house. Several police cars pulled up at the same time, surrounding the man. Jesse Senior tried to run, but he was taken down quickly and subdued.
Less than forty-eight hours after being released, he was headed right back to prison. This time, Nick was going to make sure he stayed there for a very long time.
Nick drove Jesse and his mother to the station where they filled out a formal report, then gave them a ride home. He declined an offer of dinner but thanked them for offering. As he walked back to his car, Jesse followed.
“Hey, Nick. Uh, thanks.”
Nick took the hand the teen extended and looked directly into the boy’s eyes. “You’re welcome. You did the right thing in calling me, Jesse.”
Jesse nodded and turned to go back into the house, then paused. “Listen, if you’re serious about wanting to do something...”
“I am.”
“There’s this guy that’s been coming around every couple days. Name’s Zeke. He’s a prospect at my old man’s MC, and word is he’s taken over distribution. But you didn’t hear that from me.”
“Hear what?” Nick asked. The kid’s eyes flashed with approval.
Nick got back into his car, feeling pretty good about the way things had turned out. What could have been a bad situation all around had been resolved quietly and peacefully. Jesse Senior was on his way back to prison, and Jesse and his mom were safe.
The fact that Jesse had called him meant that Nick was making progress in building a sense of trust with the teens at the center and in the community. An added bonus: now he had a solid lead on who was bringing the drugs into the area and targeting kids.
To top it all off, he was going to finish out the day by meeting up with Mack.
Nick looked at the dashboard display and groaned. It was much later than he’d thought.
With no time to go back to his place and change, Nick made his way across town, thankful the traffic wasn’t too bad. By the time he pulled into O’Malley’s, the clock read seven. Still in his suit and tie, Nick jogged across the lot, hoping he hadn’t missed her.
An older guy with a buzz cut looked up from his ammo supply catalog, pinning Nick with cold, clear light blue eyes. He had military written all over him. If Nick had to guess, he’d say special forces. “Can I help you?”
“Yeah, I’m supposed to meet someone here. Is Mack still around?”
The guy’s eyes narrowed. “Who wants to know?”
“Nick. Nick Benning.”
Nick offered a friendly smile, but it wasn’t returned. Those blue eyes assessed him, much the way Mack’s had the first time he’d seen her. “You look like a cop.”
“Detective, actually.”
“Ah. You’re the new guy.”
Nick nodded. He found it was easier to go with that than explain that he’d grown up in Covendale, moved away, and decided to return to his roots.
The older guy stared at him for a few minutes, absently chewing a toothpick. Then he smirked and chuckled, leaving Nick feeling as if he had just missed something important. “Mack’s been and gone.” He jerked his thumb to the targets now proudly displayed behind him.
Nick saw Mack’s name scribbled at the bottom and couldn’t help but be impressed. Maybe it was a good thing he’d been held up; otherwise, he might be shaking his ass in spandex.
