Merry with a Lawman (Love Beach, Holiday Collection)

Epilogue

EPILOGUE

JACKSON ALEXANDER

I finish my call and enter the hospital room where Belle and Davis are both being treated for minor concussions. They look like they’ve been through hell and back. Gigi is here too, her eyes full of worry as she hasn’t let go of her sister’s hand yet. Beau and Addie huddle by the window where the sun is rising on a clear Christmas morning. I have so much to say to them all, my friends, but I wait until the doctors and nurses leave us.

I shut the door behind them, drowning out the hospital noise, and take a deep breath before I launch in. “the Coast Guard has picked Chad and Richardson up. They’re being detained by the DEA as we speak.”

Davis releases a breath, his shoulders falling like he’s been on guard, expecting the two perpetrators to walk in the door any minute. The only two officers he trusts to stand outside this room keeping watch are his friends, Officers Dawson and Parker.

“I passed along your suspicions about Captain Mills to my superiors. They’re picking him up this morning for questioning.” I nod at Davis.

“And how do you know all of this? How did you know where to find their sinking boat?” Gigi squints her eyes. Leave it to her to be the first to question everything.

“Well, see, that’s an interesting story.” I scrub a hand at the back of my neck. “I didn’t exactly retire from the Coast Guard.”

“What the hell?” An incredulous gasp comes from Beau. I shouldn’t be telling them the truth, but these are my friends, my family, and they should know what I’m really doing here. Moving forward, my mission could pose a danger, and they could be compromised.

“I worked a special task force down in Texas where we monitored certain drug cartels and their movements. We got wind of one starting to launder money here in Love Beach. And guess what home town boy volunteered to lead the covert operation here?” I mock-saluted them. From their faces, I could tell they are in shock.

I was always the good time guy. The one nobody took seriously. The party animal, the lover. Yeah, so many women, so little time type. But in the Coast Guard, I found a calling, a purpose, and undercover work suited me, ridding the world of these criminals. When I heard the call for Love Beach, I begged to be sent here.

Gigi steps closer, leaving her sister behind. “Is your assignment over now?”

Over before I get the chance to know what she feels like under me? No way. But officially — “No. Not quite. I’m afraid tonight might have only angered the cartel. They’ll abandon Richardson and Chad, the captain, too, if he’s in on it. They’ll send reinforcements and try to keep the money flowing in and out of here. We still have work to do.”

Davis shakes his head. “You know what? It’s been a helluva a year. I suddenly think I need a vacation. How about you, Belle? Want to take off with me for a while? Leave Love Beach?”

She chuckles, leaving her hospital bed and climbing into his. “Wherever you go, I’ll be there with you.”

“You’re going to leave? Now? I’m due in February,” Addie complains. “My baby needs to meet his uncle on the day he’s born.”

“He? It’s a boy?” Beau’s jaw drops. Addie nods sheepishly. He fully embraces her with a smile splitting his face. “I prayed for a healthy baby, but I am not disappointed that our first is a boy.”

“First? Let me get through this one before we think about another, please.”She chuckles.

I grin at how sweet they are, then Gigi almost gets right up into my face.

“This all sounds dangerous,” her eyes land on mine, softly for once, her cheeks pinking. Is she concerned about me? For a moment, it seems like it. I’d give anything to know what she’s really thinking. Then she snorts. “Are they sure they have the right man here to keep us safe in Love Beach?”

There’s her snarky tone, roll of her eyes, and shrug of her shoulders, returning healthy as ever. My lips twitch, and I respond to her, full of cocky attitude, jabbing a thumb into my hard chest. “Baby, trust me. They sent the right hero to do this job.”

What happens next in Love Beach?

Will Davis and Belle elope?

Will Gigi and Jackson find an HEA in the face of danger?

Be sure to read Spring Break with a Hero.