Page 78 of Love Me Carefully
Chapter Sixteen
“Leah?” Terrell called out to her as he made his way through the uniformed police officers.
“You have to step back, sir,” one of the officers informed him.
Terrell glared at the man and pushed past him.
“Sir, I said you have to stay back!” The officer grabbed Terrell’s arm.
“She’s my fiancée. I’m not going anywhere but to her,” he said through clenched teeth.
“Terrell?” Leah heard him. Through all the talking and questions swarming around her, she’d heard his voice—because she’d been waiting for him to come. She stood, her legs shaky. The jacket one of the officers had thrown around her shoulders because she’d been shivering uncontrollably fell to the ground.
Terrell pulled away from the officer, took the few steps required to close the space between them, and folded her in his arms. Her whole body shook as she sobbed. He rubbed her hair, whispered softly in her ear. “It’s alright, baby. I’m here now. Everything’s going to be alright.”
“Sir, we need to ask her a few more questions,” another officer said, tapping Terrell on the shoulder.
“Baby, you need to tell the police exactly what happened, and then I’ll take you home.” He used his thumbs to wipe the tears from her face. “Can you do that for me?”
Leah nodded, never before feeling as comforted as she did in his embrace. Terrell kept his arms tightly around her shoulders as they leaned against a patrol car to answer the officer’s questions.
“Have you been involved in any altercations or incidents in the last few weeks? Anything that would prompt an attack like this?” Officer Melton—as her badge stated—had a serene voice and she talked slowly.
“Ah…” Leah tried to think.
Terrell filled the officer in, while rubbing Leah’s shoulders. “We were both involved in an FBI operation. Agents Tobias and Blum were heading up a drug sting and we sort of accidentally fell into it.”
This statement got the attention of another officer, the man Terrell had run up against while trying to get to Leah.
“You interfered with a federal drug investigation?”
“That’s not what I said.” Terrell gave the officer an angry look. “I said we accidentally got involved in the investigation. That was about two weeks ago, and the culprits were arrested in Jamaica.”
“Is it possible that this could be retaliation for your interference?” Officer Melton asked.
Terrell thought then of Cable, but remembered the man had been killed in Negril. But the operation couldn’t have been run by only five men. He remembered all the photos Tobias had had on the wall in his office. “I guess that’s a possibility.” A very real possibility that he didn’t want to dismiss. “But why her? Why not me or the FBI’s informant?”
“Sometimes it’s easier to go after a more vulnerable subject.” The male officer who seemed to have an attitude nodded to Leah. “A woman is generally frightened faster than a man. They may be using her to get to the informant. What’s your connection to the informant, ma’am?”
Leah had been listening to them, praying that what they were considering wasn’t true. She’d thought they were finished with the drug dealers and all that came with them. Now it appeared that wasn’t quite true. “Um, I’m planning a wedding for Donald Douglas and Rosie Pierce.”
“Ms. Pierce is my mother, that’s how we became involved in the case,” Terrell added.
“I’m going to need to get in touch with this Agent Tobias to get a complete story. In the meantime, we’ll write out a report and see if we can get any leads,” The annoying officer whom Terrell didn’t even bother to try and see his name on the badge, stated.
“Is that all?” Terrell asked incredulously.
Before her partner could say another word, Officer Melton intervened. “That’s all that can be done right now,” she said more to Leah than Terrell. “I would suggest you not being alone for the next few days. The scare tactic is usually just the first step. And if they know where you work, it’s likely they know where you live. Be very mindful of your surroundings and call the station if you see anybody suspicious lurking around.”
Leah’s mind instantly went to the man she’d seen before they’d left Negril. Could he have followed them from Jamaica?
“We’ll be sure to do that,” Terrell said tightly, thinking he’d be calling Seth the moment he had Leah safely at his apartment. He wanted to know who had done this and where he could find him. The authorities would most likely take their time finding him, Terrell wouldn’t.
Terrell led Leah to his car, put her in the passenger seat, and buckled her up. Kissing her forehead he whispered, “I won’t let anybody hurt you, trust me.”
Leah nodded. She did trust him.
At his condo Leah sat on the soft leather of Terrell’s couch. She’d been here a couple of times since they’d been back so the surroundings were familiar. Her body ached from fatigue and the stress of the evening’s events. Terrell had left her alone and disappeared into the bedroom. She hadn’t a clue what he was doing and was just about to get up and go find something to eat when he entered the living room.
