Lace felt the tension slowly leaving his body as he gave a final order.
“Let’s get Lace home.”
Obi-Wan, with clearance from the Bangor PD, put the helo down in a parking lot they’d specifically cleared so there’d be no looky-loos.
Vince’s brothers Mason and Kyle were on scene with their SWAT team to bring Captain Macleen into custody.
Lace thought the use of SWAT was probably overkill, but all the brothers looked like they were having so much fun, who was she to say? This might be the biggest thing to hit the Penobscot in months, or maybe even years.
Lace wasn’t part of what Vince called the debrief, but instead, per his insistence, she was being checked over by paramedics.
They took her temperature, which was a little low but not concerning, cared for a few minor scrapes and bruises, then administered a dose of antibiotics through her port.Thatwas just in case she’d come in contact with any marine bacteria like Vibrio, which would be more dangerous for her because of her compromised immune system.
While she was being treated, she couldn’t help but catch a few words that were being bandied about between all the Sothard men. Terms like, “undercover” and “sting”.
When Vince finally came back to join her as the medics were finishing up, she shook her head at him. “I know you’re up to something.”
He tried to look innocent, but she wasn’t having any of that.
Jumping down from the ambulance, she took him aside, speaking softly.
“You’re going after the black-market buyers, aren’t you?” she asked.
Vince looked around to make sure no one was listening.
“Uh, huh. Next Friday. With the help of SWAT. They’ll be hidden down below as we approach, while Trask, Julian, Spence, Buck, and I will act like captain and crew. We’ll keep our faces hidden from the black-marketeers until the last minute. Then we’ll spring our trap.”
He ended with a satisfied look on his face. “This could be a big deal, Lace,” he told her. “Catching this guy could lead to shutting down a whole lot of illegal fishing.”
“For which NOAA and I, thank you,” she said sincerely. “Just… I can still worry until it’s all over, right?” Lace questioned.
“You can.” He tapped her nose. “But I promise this is an easy operation. Things I’ve been involved in in the past have been…” He trailed off, looking pained.
She cut him some slack.
“Come on. Let’s go home. You can tell me what’s eating you when we get there,” Lace soothed. It was clear that Vince needed to get something off his chest, and she was more than ready to listen. This was her man, after all.
And right now, her man needed some happy thoughts to replace whatever demons were trying to invade his head.
“Can I tell you I love you now that I’m not under duress anymore?” she teased, trying to lighten his mood. “Then you’ll know I wasn’t just saying it because we were in a life-or-death situation.”
Vince bent and kissed her lightly on the mouth. “I already know. But, hell yes. You can tell me you love me any time you want. I’ll never get tired of hearing it.”
There was no mistaking the adoration on his face, and Lace ate it up.
“Okay. I love you,” Lace declared, then… “Hmmm.” She tapped her bottom lip with one finger.
That got a lip-twitch out of Vince. “What?” he asked.
“How many times do you think I can say I love you between here and home?”
Vince smiled.
Even if it was just a little one, Lace felt like she’d scored a victory.
His pondering didn’t take long. “I don’t know how many, but I guess we’re about to find out.”
“Four hundred and sixty-three,” Lace chortled as they pulled into the driveway.