Fifteen minutes later, a repeat performance was taking place. Assuming the first generator had been secured onto someone’s vehicle, the shadowy figure was removing the second portable generator in the same way. He waited until they were on the back porch before he flipped on the lights in the kitchen. The figure dressed in black whirled around, his mouth dropping open as they blinked in the bright light.
“Hello, Nate.”
Nate stumbled, shock written clearly on his face. “Griff… uh… Griff…”
“Don’t even try it, man.” Griffin’s fingers curled into fists that he forced to rest on his hips instead of planting into Nate’s face. “Don’t even try to lie your way out of this.”
“Lie? No, Griff. Seriously, man, I—”
“Shut the fuck up, Nate. You thought I was going to be at the Anderson House, sitting around waiting for Russ to show up? Well, guess what, asshole? When Russ came to me with his suspicions, I believed him. Now, seeing the evidence, I still can’t fuckin’ believe that you’ve been stealing from me.”
Nate lifted his hands, shaking his head quickly. “No, no, you got this wrong. Listen, don’t turn me in, and I’ll get your stuff back.”
“Sorry, man. Too fuckin’ late.” Griffin nodded toward the door just as several armed police officers and two detectives walked in. As Nate was placed under arrest and read his rights, Griffin stepped to the side. “Thanks, Kyle. I know this wasn’t your division, but I appreciate all your help.”
Kyle grinned. “Hell, helping the department shut down one leg of what we know is an ongoing organized ring of construction site thefts was not a problem. Plus, I never could say no to Caitlyn.”
Griffin stayed for another half hour, answering the questions of the detectives and making sure his equipment was in his truck and secure. Turning back to Kyle as they both made sure the house was locked up, he said, “Caitlyn’s the one that brought the young man, Russ, to me as a potential employee. He’s been great. Caitlyn’s also the one that brought him to me when he had a feeling Nate was the one stealing but had received a message that if he said anything it would be pinned on him. As soon as Nate came to me trying to point the finger at Russ, I knew I was ready to take him down. And none of this would’ve happened if it hadn’t been for Caitlyn’s tenacity.”
Kyle barked out a laugh. “Tenacity. What a fuckin’ perfect word to describe my baby sister.”
Griffin stood on the sidewalk and rubbed his chin. Holding the other man’s gaze steady, he said, “You might as well know that I’ve got feelings for your baby sister. And while all you McBrides together can be pretty scary, I’m not going anywhere.”
Kyle grinned, and Griffin had no problem imagining Kyle as an undercover drug cop, going after anyone he thought was guilty.
“Well, if you make it official, I’ll be the first one to welcome you to the family,” Kyle said. Then he leaned in closer and added, “But don’t tell Caitlyn that. I’d like to make her sweat it out.” Laughing, he clapped Griffin on the back before jogging over to his vehicle.
Three a.m. He should have been wiped out, but knowing Nate had finally been caught red-handed, he felt like he could breathe. As he drove home, he remembered Caitlyn had made him promise to come to her apartment no matter what time it was. Now, pressing on the accelerator, he grinned.
He entered her apartment quietly, closing the door behind him with a soft click. A lamp in the living room had been left on, providing a peaceful glow. Pulling off his boots and leaving them by the front door, he walked toward the main bedroom. Planning on sneaking quietly into bed, he was surprised to see Caitlyn sitting up, her back against the pillows, her e-reader resting on top of the bedspread. Her gaze hit him, and she gasped, throwing back the covers and flying across the room.
“Oh my gosh, are you okay? What happened? Did you catch him? Were the police there in time? Did he even show up tonight?”
Wrapping his arms around her, he lifted her feet from the floor as he chuckled just before planting a kiss on her lips, silencing her questions. Walking toward the bed, he leaned forward and gently set her on the mattress. “It’s fine. I’m fine. Now, get back under the covers and stay warm. I’ll be right there and tell you all about it.” With a quick kiss, he headed into the bathroom where he got ready for bed after taking a quick shower. The boredom from earlier followed by the adrenaline rush was catching up to him. Pulling on boxers, he flipped off the bathroom light and walked back into the bedroom.
Caitlyn had slid down under the covers, her head resting on a pillow but her eyes pinned on him. He walked around to the far side of the bed, turned out the lamp, and climbed underneath the covers. She immediately rolled over and they met in the middle of the bed, their bodies pressed tightly together. “I know you’re tired, but please, tell me how everything went down.”
With his fingers threaded through her hair, he pushed the heavy tresses away from her face. The barest hint of moonlight filtered in through the window, giving just enough illumination that he could see her large blue eyes. “It went like clockwork,” he assured. “About two o’clock, I heard a noise and did exactly what I’d been told. I stayed out of sight until Nate took the first generator and carried it all the way out to his truck. When he came back in, that’s when I flipped on the light and stepped out. He tried to make an excuse, but I knew we had him. The police were right there to arrest him, even Kyle.”
“I’m so glad Kyle was there.”
“I have no doubt it was more for you than me since he’s not a robbery detective, but I was grateful for his presence and assistance. The detective in charge told me that there’s been an organized ring of construction site thefts, and they were hoping that Nate would give them the information they needed to shut it down.”
She heaved a sigh of relief, her sweet breath brushing across his face. “Thank God, it’s over, Griffin. I was so worried tonight.”
“It’s all good, babe. Now with that over with, I can focus more on my job and less on the thefts.”
She snuggled closer, her legs sliding between his thighs. “Is your job the only thing you can focus more on?”
He thought he was exhausted, but he was instantly hard with her soft curves pressing in tightly. Sliding his hand from her back down to cup and squeeze her ass, he grinned. “Guess my job isn’t the only thing.”
She laughed just before he kissed her again, and he felt her mirth deep in his chest. Their lips melded together, tongues dancing. With a little wrangling and not much finesse, they managed to get their underwear off without much interruption to their kiss although a few more giggles and chuckles simply added to the way his body responded to her.
She twisted so that her back was pressed to his front, and with his hands cupping her breasts, he slid his cock into her slick sex. The tight warmth felt like coming home. He buried his nose in her shoulder, the scent of her silky hair mixed with the scent of their arousal filling the air.
Sliding one hand down her front, he circled her swollen bud as his cock plunged, the heat from their friction building. She’d become his everything, and suddenly, he needed to let her know with words and not just his body. “Caitlyn, do you have any idea what you mean to me?”