Dino by Jaime Lewis
Chapter TWENTY-FIVE
Arianna entered the walk-in cooler where all the beer was kept for the bar. She didn’t need to grab anything out of it; she just needed a minute to herself to breathe. She sat down on a stack of cases and leaned against the wall behind her. The cold air blew out of the vent above her, sending a welcome relief to her overheated body. Both the restaurant and bar had been slammed all week long.
Her time management skills had definitely been put to the test the past week, not to mention her nerves were at an all-time high. There had been a lot of news over the past few days—the best was three days ago when her dad had finally come back to the land of the living and was able to carry on a coherent conversation with her and the hospital staff.
She had just left the police station when she had gotten the call from Brianna, her dad’s nurse, telling her the wonderful news. When she walked into his room, and he said, “There’s my little girl.” she had completely lost it and broke down.
He still slept a lot throughout the day, but the doctors told her that was to be expected. She knew he felt better because his stubbornness had started to appear at times, especially when the nurses fussed over him. There were a few times when she had to bite back her laugh when he’d become ornery, and Brianna would set him straight. She wondered if her dad did it on purpose to get a rise out of her because a few times, she had caught him grinning while Brianna read him the riot act. Then the next minute, she was sweet as pie to him. Could there be something under the surface brewing between the two? Now that Victoria was out of the picture for good, there was a possibility. Now that would make a great story.
Victoria was in police custody facing a slew of charges—the most severe, attempted murder. Arianna turned over to the police all the evidence she had found hidden in the floor in her dad’s office. They were quick to piece together all the facts and were able to have a judge sign off on a search warrant for any property belonging to Victoria or any residence she resided in. Investigators had hit the jackpot when they were combing through her dad’s house and found that the protein powder, he made his breakfast shakes with had traces of cyanide in it. With her dad’s statement confirming that Victoria had been the one who prepared the last few shakes for him along with everything else she had done—stealing, forgery, and several other lesser crimes, a warrant was issued for her arrest.
When they showed up at the house to arrest her, she wasn’t there. Thankfully, with all the new technology, they tracked her phone to a residence in Hampton, Virginia. When they arrived, they found her with another man. It was the same man who appeared in some of the pictures found in her dad’s things. According to the detective, as soon as they read the charges against her, she started singing like a canary—telling them that she was the victim and that the guy she was with had threatened her if she didn’t do it.
Come to find out, the guy was actually her husband, and together they had a rap sheet a mile long and were well known up and down the east coast for being con artists. When they searched the house, they found several fake IDs and other documents to go along with bundles of cash and drugs. The guy had admitted that he was one of the two men who had broken into Bayside that night and attacked her. They had been looking for the papers that her dad had hidden. Arianna would make sure that all parties involved were prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Arianna took a deep breath and exhaled. She had seen Dino and a few others come in a little while ago and take their usual table by the doors leading to the patio deck. She was happy to see him, they’ve rarely seen each other the last few days. They had talked a bit on the phone, but that was the extent of any communication. She’d barely been home because she’d been so busy trying to keep everything running, and he had some stuff going on at work that kept him late most evenings. By the time she got home, he was already asleep. The problem was that she felt she and Dino were drifting apart rather than closer. Not being around him for a few days made her realize how much she cared for and missed him. Maybe now that things had calmed down, they’d be able to spend some time together.
She looked at her watch and groaned. She still had four hours to go. Knowing that Selina was probably being mobbed at the bar, she stood up and went back out. When she walked back into the main room, she swore that the crowd had grown even larger. What the hell?
Arianna joined Selina, and the two of them tackled the bar, each taking an end. She rushed around, taking orders and re-filling drinks. Just when she thought she had a break to catch her breath, another customer filled the seat at the far end. She grabbed a coaster and made her way down there, but as she got closer, a smile appeared on her face when she saw who it was.
“Chris!” She greeted her former boss, and he gave her a chin lift and a slight finger wave.
“What brings you here?” She asked as she set the coaster down and rested her elbows on the bar.
“Well, I was hoping that if I came down and talked to you in person, you’d reconsider the job offer at the bureau.” He raised his one eyebrow as if he wanted her to rethink her decision, but her decision had already been made. She was staying put in her hometown.
“Chris—”
He held up his hand. “I know. Your answer is still no. I had to try. Everyone misses you. Hell, Sam misses you most.”
She smiled, thinking about her former colleagues. “Well, tell Sam hi for me.”
“I will.”
Arianna eyed him. It was obvious that there was another reason for Chris’s impromptu visit.
“So, are you going to tell me why you’re really here?” She asked with a slight tilt to her head.
He looked around the bustling bar. Nobody was paying any attention to them. Well, except for the three guys a few seats down. But they’ve been eyeing her all night and making comments to her. Selina knew them. They were all members of another SEAL team in town. They appeared young—probably their initial operational assignment. Meaning they were fairly new to town.
“Do you have a few minutes to talk?” He asked her, and she sensed it was important. Then again, why would he make an almost four-hour drive to talk to her in person?
“Sure.” She called over to Selina and told her she’d be back in a little bit. Selina waved her off. That woman knew how to work a bar. Arianna had been thinking about promoting her to the new bar manager position she was creating.
Arianna told Chris to move down to the last seat. There were a few empty seats in between him and the next person. She poured him a beer and set it down in front of him.
“I didn’t order that.” He said.
“Yeah, but from the expression on your face, you looked like you needed it.”
“You’re right.” He admitted and picked up the mug. He took a big gulp and set it down before he held her gaze. The fury in his eyes told her that this conversation wasn’t going to be good.
“We’ve issued a warrant for Gabbert’s arrest.” He told her in a low voice, and she leaned further towards him, not wanting to miss any details. “We searched his house, and there were some things there that confirmed our suspicions.”
“Things?” She questioned, wondering what he meant by things. There could be many different things.
“Because it’s an active investigation, I can’t disclose what was recovered; however, I can confirm with you that your dad is a target, and possibly you.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. Great! Just when things looked like they were getting back to normal, along comes something else to throw it all back out of sorts. She almost lost her dad once to one psycho now she had to worry about another one. She couldn’t deal with this.
She ran a hand down her face. “I’m thinking that since you’re here, you believe he could be coming this way.”
He stared blankly at her. “We don’t think; we know he’s here in the area somewhere. We used several items recovered from his home to track his location. One was a map that had routes drawn on it with coordinating numbers in various cities. The number that was marked near the Virginia Beach area is the same number found next to your dad’s name on another document found within his belongings.”
Arianna suddenly felt cold; the heat that had earlier consumed her body was long gone. She licked her lips and swallowed hard. She couldn’t help to glance around the restaurant and bar seeking out any unfamiliar faces. She couldn’t think even to form a sentence. Her main concern was her dad’s safety, especially since he was still in a fragile state.
“We’re working with the local field office in Chesapeake. They’ve already assigned around-the-clock protection for your dad at the hospital. There will be two agents at all times assigned to his floor.”
She nodded her head. “When will they get there?”
“They’ve already been placed. We’re not taking any chances, Arianna. This guy already killed two people from his list. Not to mention the numerous killings of suspects he was supposed to be investigating.”
“What?”
“Yeah, this guy has a major screw loose. Many of Gabbert’s former cases had been closed due to the death of the main suspect. And, I’m not talking about some guy having a heart attack or dying of natural causes. These people were all killed violently.”
Arianna covered her mouth, leaned closer, and whispered, “He killed them?”
“He kept notes, Arianna. This guy is sick. My priority is making sure you and your dad are protected.”
“I’m not so much worried about me. It’s my dad who needs to be the priority.”
At first, he looked as if he would try and argue with her, but his gaze traveled to something over her shoulder, and he gestured with his head toward the patio deck.
“It looks to me you already have some protection in place.”
Not understanding what he was getting at, she followed his line of sight and met four sets of eyes staring back at her. Ace, Diego, and Irish all appeared concerned while the lone set was full of intensity and apprehension—Dino. Alex and Bailey were there too, but they looked to be more interested in who Chris was.
She turned back toward Chris. “They’re my friends. And, yes, I think I’m covered as far as protection goes.” How much safer could she be living with a Navy SEAL?
Chris’s lips twitched, giving away his amusement. “Which of the two over there sitting alone are you seeing?”
Her mouth opened to say something, but then she snapped it shut. He chuckled and downed the rest of his beer. “You don’t have to tell me. Judging from the one who looks like he wants to rip my head off, I think I know.”
He got up to leave. “I’ll be staying in town and working out of the Chesapeake office until further notice. If you see or hear anything unusual, call me.”
“Will do.”
He turned to leave but then spun back around and smiled. “Enzo told me to tell you hello.”
That brought a smile to her face. She always thought about him and how he was doing. “Tell him hello the next time you talk to him.”
With a slight nod, he turned and walked away.
She stood there for a few moments running everything through her mind. Her first thought was to call her dad, but it was too late, and he most likely was asleep anyway. She trusted Chris to protect her dad. Now she had to break the news to Dino. Being that she was living under his roof, he had a right to know if danger could be coming his way.
She started to head over to their table, but Selina stopped her and asked if she could take a quick ten-minute break. Knowing that Dino wasn’t going anywhere, she knew ten minutes wasn’t going to hurt, so she put herself back to work, starting with the three SEALs who were waving her over.
◆◆◆
Dino could tell from the moment he walked into Bayside that something was off with Arianna. He’d felt a little guilty the last couple of days because he hadn’t been able to spend much time with her. It hadn’t been because he didn’t want to because he wanted to spend as much time as he could with her. It was just their schedules were conflicting. He hadn’t even been home in three days.
He and the team had been moved up to stand-by as the U.S. government monitored a new development on a situation near the tripoint area where China, Russia, and North Korean borders met. Just last night, they had been loaded into a C-17 cargo plane, ready to depart to that region. However, a last-minute hiccup put the operation on hold. Hiccup might sound like a small problem, but a small hiccup could spell big trouble for someone in special forces.
He knew she saw him come in because she gave him one of her smiles though it wasn’t the bright, infectious one he was used to seeing. That had been his first clue knowing she had something on her mind. But for all he knew, she could just be worn out, and it wouldn’t surprise him considering everything she’d been juggling the last few weeks. Not to mention the toll all of it could take on someone’s mental health as well.
He had watched her all night; he couldn’t tear his eyes away from her as she strode up and down the bar waiting on customers. She was great with the customers, and they all loved her in return. Even when someone got upset about the food or the service, Arianna knew how to smooth the situation over and turn it into a positive for the customer. She’d seen her cover the entire check or give someone dessert on the house. That was just who she was.
At the moment, his focus was on the guy who came in a few minutes ago and had Arianna’s full attention. It even caught the attention of the others at the table.
“Do you know who that is?” Irish asked him, and Dino shook his head no.
“Whatever they’re discussing, it seems intense.” Ace said, keeping an eye on the situation as well.
Dino was about to go over and make sure everything was alright when the guy Arianna was talking to looked directly at their table and nodded his head. His mouth was still moving, so he was still talking to her. Suddenly Arianna turned, her long hair swinging over her shoulder. She met his gaze briefly before she turned back to the guy and continued their conversation.
He fought himself to stay in his seat and not go over there. It could be a conversation that he shouldn’t be a part of, but on the other hand, it drove him insane.
Finally, after a few more minutes, the guy got up and left. He had hoped that Arianna would come over to the table, but that idea was blown out of the water when he saw Selina, the bartender, grab her phone and go into the back.
Somebody at the bar whistled, and he looked around and spotted who it was. It didn’t make him feel any better. It was those same three guys who had been flirting with Arianna earlier. Diego said they were newbies from Team 4.
Alex, who was sitting next to him, leaned over. “Those guys don’t look like they have good intentions.”
Dino tuned out the noise and focused on the group of three. Every time Arianna would bend over, all three would look at her ass. He knew those looks as they smirked and gave fist bumps to each other. They were scheming on how to get her into one of their beds. Or maybe all three.
Oh hell no! He had news for them. Arianna was off-limits.
Dino set his drink down and stood, ignoring Diego when he asked where he was going. He could feel their eyes on him; they would all know in a minute just what he had planned.
Dino didn’t pay a bit of attention to the strange looks he received from other customers as he walked behind the bar. Bruno was sitting on the end, and he just laughed as if knowing what was about to happen.
He walked right up behind Arianna just as she bent over to pick up a box of liquor. The sight of her ass stuffed in the tight jeans she wore was enough to make his dick come alive. He smiled to himself as he could see the three dudes out of his peripheral vision watching every move he made.
He latched his hands onto her hips, the same time he pressed his lower half against her backside. She screeched and jumped up and tried to turn, but he held her still.
“It’s only me.” He whispered against her ear and saw the effect it had as goosebumps popped up along her arms. The beat of her pulse at the base of her neck caught his eye. He loved knowing he could make her body react like that.
She looked up and over her shoulder, her eyes meeting his. At that moment, he felt how strong the attraction was between them, and he questioned himself how he could not want to give his heart to this woman. She was everything he wanted in a wife. Whoa! Don’t put the cart before the horse.
“Dino.” She said. He could feel her warm breath against his jaw as she spoke.
Slowly he turned her in his arms, never breaking eye contact. Hell, the bar was packed full of patrons, music was playing, but it felt like it was just the two of them inside their own little bubble.
“Dino.” She said again. “What are you doing?”
He squinted his eyes at her as his hands moved lower until they rested just above her lovely round ass. “I don’t like men gawking at what is mine.” He said to her in a serious tone.
He wanted to laugh at the way she wrinkled her forehead. “What is yours?” She asked.
He lowered his head. “You.” That was all he said before taking her wet lips in a slow and passionate kiss that was going to leave his head buzzing. He thought he heard their friends cheering, but he tuned the noise out, only wanting to focus on the woman in his arms. She tasted so good he didn’t want to release her, but he needed to breathe. Slowly he broke the kiss, so they could both catch their breath.
With her head still tilted upward, she opened her eyes. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips swollen and wet. He couldn’t hold back his smile, knowing he did that to her.
Her tongue poked out, swiping her bottom lip. He wanted to feel and taste those lips again. She was an addiction.
“Dino, there is something I need to tell you.” She whispered again, but he stopped her from saying anything else. This was a significant milestone between the two of them. Sure their friends knew they had fooled around, but never had they been intimate in public. He wasn’t going to have this conversation with her here in the bar.
“We’ll talk later.”
He could tell she didn’t want to wait for later. He gave her one last peck on the lips before turning away from her. As his eyes met the three guys, he grinned and winked. He wanted to laugh at their dejected expressions. Sorry fellas, she’s all mine.
Moments later, his bubble was burst when the teams’ phones started ringing in that familiar tone, meaning they were being summoned to base. Damn his job at times!
