Oliver flipped him off. Anton laughed and winced.
"Pain pill?" Tabitha asked.
"Smoked a bowl," he admitted quietly.
She clicked her tongue. "Probably better for you, but don't tell anyone I said so."
"Lips are sealed." He ran his fingers over his lips as if zipping them
Tabitha couldn't take her eyes off his mouth. His lips were dark pink and full. His face sported a few days' grown of dark stubble that framed his magnificent mouth. Even with the bruising and swelling, he was a handsome man. He stepped closer, lowering his head.
"Hey, Don!" Oliver walked in, stopped dead and backed out, apologizing. "So sorry, dude."
Anton ignored him, giving his full attention to Tabitha once more. "I've wanted to do this...." It was a soft kiss, his tongue flickering across her mouth. Anything more would have hurt him, but it was everything a first kiss should be.
With a happy sigh, Tabitha moved into the circle of his arms, wishing they could take it further.
"Food!" the women called.
Anton smiled. "Don't forget where we left off."
"As if I could," she whispered.
They walked into the kitchen, fingers entwined.
The meal was lively and fun. Even without alcohol, it got loud and silly. They were just starting to dance, when Dr. Smither's beeper went off. Tabitha's was next. Half the interns, Tabitha's, were also called.
"Some kind of crazy shoot out at the police station," Maddox said as she grabbed her bag.
"Which one?"
"SWAT!" she was gone before he could get details.
Worried about Eilene and Newton, Anton hardly noticed when the other interns cleaned up for him.
"You okay?" Oliver asked.
"I have friends on SWAT."
"Oh, man! What I heard, it wasn't them coming in. Perps only."
That made Anton feel better.
"We're gonna go—in case—" Oliver said.
"You want in on the action," Anton laughed. "Go. And thanks. Great homecoming party."
"Leftovers are in the kitchen," one of the girls said as they left.
On his own, Anton put the food away, popped open a beer and sat down to watch TV. Every channel had news of the shootout at the SWAT station. Was it Eilene and Newton's? He had no idea. Not only that, there was an explosion in the War Zone, followed by another, bigger, shootout.
"What the hell is going on?"
"Meanwhile, in the sleepy town of Waverly," the anchorman said with a troubled frown. "A trailer at the Norris Nook Park exploded. Arson investigators are going through the wreckage now. The owner had been in earlier in the day, to move a neighboring trailer, but said he would come back for his later. Arson specialist, Waylon Smith had this to say."
The picture changed to the scene. Anton saw his trailer in ruins, pieces of it scattered all over the ground. A blackened platform and four smoldering tires, were all that remained.
"We believe the possibility of arson is quite high. The propane tank blew, but the burn pattern is consistent with an explosive device. The owner is very fortunate he wasn't home. My department is in the process of tracking him down. If anyone has any information, contact the number on the screen."
Sighing, Anton picked up his phone to call. As his finger was poised to dial, it rang, startling him.
"Donnie, your trailer's on the news!" CV said.
"I know. I'm looking at it."
"You gonna call?"
"I was, but who the f**k did this? What did I ever do to anyone?"
"You ask me, you call your cop friends. You don't know who done this, or why. You keep that buffer between."
"Good idea. Thanks, CV. I'll give Lieutenant Canon a call right now. Hey, we still on for Friday?"
"That's what they tell me. Can't wait to get out of here. I'm going stir crazy."
"I feel ya, my brother. See ya soon."
"You be careful now."
"Will do." Once he hung up with CV, he placed a call to Canon, but got voice mail. "Lieutenant Canon, this is Don Winthrop. Did you hear about the trailer explosion in Waverly? That was my place, sir. Who would do that? Should I be worried? Thanks for calling me back when you can."
Leaving his phone on, he went to bed in the guest room, which shared a bath with the smaller room next door.
As he was going off shift, Canon checked his voice mail. The call from Don Winthrop filled him with disquietude.
"Cage," he said to the tech guy. "Have we got a current address on Don Winthrop?"
"A trailer in Waverly."
"Other than that?"
©2021 Dellani Oakes
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