Free Unbound (Crimson Romance) by Nikkie Locke Page A

five o’clock before Smith made it to the diner. Her sister came in with her. Payten watched them as they took a seat at a booth in the corner farthest away from the round table. She walked out around the counter and toward their booth.
    “Hi.”
    “Hello.”
    “You must be Officer Smith’s sister,” Payten said.
    “That’s me,” she answered. “I’m Devin. Devin Chase.”
    “It’s good to meet you, Officer Chase.”
    “Please, Devin or Chase is fine.”
    “I’ll try to remember that. What can I get you to drink?”
    “Coffee,” Smith said.
    “Do you have tea?” asked Chase.
    “We do,” Payten answered. “Sweet and unsweetened iced tea or hot tea. Whatever you’d like.”
    “How about some unsweetened iced tea?”
    “No problem. I’ll go get you guys those drinks and some menus and be right back.”
    Payten moved to the round table. “You guys need a warm-up?”
    Jonah, Kalvin, Jack, and Burke sat around the table. Dean sat with them, drinking a cup of coffee. He had finished cooking the men’s dinners and had come out from the back to talk to them.
    “I think they’re good,” Dean told her. He started to get up.
    “Don’t get up. I’ll take care of them.”
    “You sure?”
    She smiled. “Look around. It’s not exactly busy.” Other than the men, Smith and Chase were the only people in the diner. Even her parents had gone home after she and Dean arrived that afternoon to take over.
    “You’ve got a point.”
    She went to the kitchen. When she came back out a few minutes later, she had two menus under her arm and Chase’s tea. She set the tea on their table along with the menus. She grabbed a coffee cup from the stand by the coffee. She filled the cup and took it to their booth.
    “Grab a seat,” Smith offered.
    “Thanks,” Payten said, taking her up on the offer.
    Chase pored over her menu while stirring her tea gently.
    “Did you find anything out?” Payten asked.
    “Yes, I did.”
    Chase peeked over the top of her menu. “Do you want me to leave?”
    Payten shook her head. “It’s fine.”
    “Well, then, on to the goodies,” Smith said. “I talked to the phone company. The loser called fifteen times in three days, and you didn’t think it might be serious?”
    Payten shrugged.
    “I’d say it’s serious,” Smith told her. “I talked to the phone company. They’ve blocked the number for you.”
    “That means they can’t call anymore, right?”
    “Maybe,” Smith said. She paused to take a drink of her coffee. “I had a friend look up the number. It’s a disposable cell phone.”
    “So they could just go get another?” Payten asked.
    “Twenty bucks at your nearest Walmart,” Smith said, then frowned. “Where is the nearest Walmart?”
    Chase peeked over her menu, again. She sighed.
    “Dylan isn’t good at breaking news gently,” she said. “In fact, unless it’s on the job, she’s quite horrible at it. Whoever is calling you might call using a different number. Or they may decide it isn’t worth the trouble.”
    “If it’s kids, it’ll probably stop. If it’s more serious, they’ll call again,” Smith warned.
    “You are horrible at sugarcoating it,” Payten decided. She stood up. “What can I get you guys to eat?”
    “What’s good?” Smith asked.
    “How does a bacon cheeseburger with French fries sound?”
    Smith whimpered. “Amazing. Please.”
    She smiled. “Done. And, for you?”
    “I think I’ll have a chicken salad, please.”
    “Yuck,” Smith complained.
    “It’s not for you,” Chase told her.
    Payten grinned. “I’ll have those out to you in a bit. By the way, Officer Smith, I made cake for you. Chocolate.”
    Smith whimpered again. “I love this town.”
    Payten laughed.
    “Payten,” Smith said when she started to walk away.
    She turned around.
    “If they call back, you need to call us,” Smith said.
    “But — ”
    “No buts,” Chase told her. “If they call you, call the station.”
    Payten nodded. “All