Traffic Stop (12 page)

“That one is easy. My sister and I used to have a ton of Barbie dolls. We had all the accessories, too. We’d spend all day making up different stories with them, and, of course, changing their clothes as many times as the stories changed.”

“You played with Barbies?”

Tobi punched her lightly in the arm. “Of course I did. We also rode our bikes and pretended we were on secret missions. I can’t tell you all the places we visited in our own little minds.”

“That sounds more like it. Do you think we would have been friends as little girls?”

“I don’t know…
RAT
...you didn’t play with Barbies or cook.”

Seeing the mischievous glint in Ryan’s eye, Tobi knew she wasn’t going to let that remark go without some sort of consequence.

Before she could move, Ryan had rolled over, so she was straddling Tobi’s hips. With Tobi’s hands pinned to her sides, Ryan just grinned.

“You just had to go and tease me about my nickname, didn’t you?”

“Tease? I wasn’t teasing, honey; I was simply being…friendly.

“Friendly? You call that being friendly?” Ryan said as she started tickling her sides.

“Now, Ryan…okay, stop! I give!” Tobi said, laughing and trying to twist out from under her.

“Say mercy!”

“Mercy!” Dropping her hands, Ryan leaned forward and placed her hands next to Tobi’s head.

“Promise not to tease anymore?”

“I thought all the people who loved you got to tease you.”

Realizing what she had just said, Tobi waited to see Ryan’s reaction. The smile left Ryan’s face as she instantly grasped her lower lip between even white teeth. She pulled back slowly and sat next to Tobi, who also sat up.
Uh-oh, maybe I shouldn’t have
let that slip.

“Ryan, I-”

“You-”

While both tried to speak at the same time, Tobi said, “Go ahead.”

“Are…are you saying you love me, Tobi?”

“Yes. I know it probably seems too fast, but I know how I feel, Ryan. It’s not like anything I have ever experienced.”

Tobi wasn’t sure what Ryan was thinking since she chose that moment to stand up and walk toward the water’s edge. She gave Ryan a few minutes to collect her thoughts before standing up and slowly approaching her. With just inches between them, Tobi placed her hand on Ryan’s back and took the last step to stand beside her. Ryan turned toward her, and Tobi could see the unshed tears in her eyes.

“Do you really mean it?”

“Of course I mean it. I wouldn’t have said it otherwise.”

So quietly that Tobi almost didn’t hear her, Ryan said, “Say it again.”

“I love you, Ryan,” Tobi said, looking directly into her eyes.

As Tobi was folded within her arms, she could feel Ryan trembling.
Stacey must have been a real piece of work for her to
be this affected by those simple words. It’s almost like she’s never
heard them before.
Tobi didn’t expect her to say it back because she knew what it was taking emotionally for Ryan to accept what she had just revealed. Much to her surprise, Ryan kissed the top of her ear and whispered, “I love you, too, Tobi. I’m sorry that I wasn’t strong enough to admit my feelings before now.”

Tobi leaned back and placed her fingers lightly over Ryan’s lips. “Don’t ever be sorry, Ryan. You had to do what felt right for you, and I would never begrudge you that.”

As the tears slowly made their way down Ryan’s cheeks, she murmured, “But you’ve been so patient.”

“I would have been for as long as it took, honey. I meant what I said; you deserve to be loved and pampered. Luckily for me, I’m the girl you let do it,” Tobi said with a smug smile.

Ryan brushed the tears from her face as her lips curved into a grin. “I think I’m the lucky one.”

Ryan brought both hands up to cup each side of Tobi’s face.

She rubbed her thumbs across Tobi’s cheeks and then lowered her head to capture Tobi’ lips with her own. The kiss that started out softly to convey the love Ryan felt for Tobi quickly turned into a passionate blaze. Ryan couldn’t get enough. Her throat felt parched, and Tobi was the only one that could quench her thirst.

Ryan quickly tangled her fingers in Tobi’s hair and pulled her closer, nipping a path down the sensitive skin of her neck.

Tobi moaned and struggled for control. They were both fighting the inevitable, but now was not the time or place. They were in an open field where the temperature was steadily dropping. Tobi wanted more than a scratchy blanket and the hard ground for their first time together.

Ryan rested her forehead against Tobi’s shoulder, trying in vain to catch her breath.

Minutes passed as neither woman wanted to break the spell of unspoken words. The wind picked up and blew a gentle breeze across the water, making Tobi shiver.

“As much as I would rather stay here, I guess we better get ready to go.”

Ryan reached up and pulled a couple of stray leaves, acquired during their tussle on the blanket, out of Tobi’s hair before letting her hand rest on her shoulder, and nodded in agreement. A crucial moment had just passed in their relationship, and Ryan felt as if there should be something more for her to say. Those three short words said it all though. Instead, she smiled and took Tobi’s hand to walk back to the blanket.

“Grab that end, and we’ll get this folded up. It’s starting to get a little cool out here by the lake.”

Repacking the saddlebags, they shared another brief kiss before mounting the horses and heading back to the barn.

While waiting for Tobi to say goodbye to Shelly, Ryan leaned against the side of the car, thinking about what Tobi had said.

Ryan wanted to respond and was surprised when the words rolled so easily off her tongue.
She loves me!
She was thrilled by Tobi’s proclamation and scared at the same time. She felt incredibly lucky to have this woman in her life. Tobi was someone who seemed to get pure pleasure out of making and seeing Ryan happy.

How was she going to make Tobi as happy as she had made her?

Watching her hug Shelly and wave goodbye, Ryan didn’t have time to consider her options. She waved to Shelly and turned to climb into the car. As they pulled away from the barn, she could see the horses galloping along the back fence.

“I had a really nice time, Tobi. Thank you so much for thinking of this.”

“It was my pleasure. I thought we needed some time away, so we could relax.”

“Shelly seems really nice.”

“She thought the same thing of you. She also found you very attractive,” Tobi said with a smirk.

“What’s that grin all about?”

“I told her you were taken,” she said seriously.

“I am taken.”

Tobi looked pleased as she turned the radio up and placed her hand on top of Ryan’s. Ryan laced her fingers within Tobi’s and relaxed in the seat. They drove home in comfortable silence, each contemplating her own thoughts.

When they arrived back home, Ryan grabbed the blanket and sacks from the car and followed Tobi up the sidewalk. She drew up short when Tobi stopped unexpectedly before the door.

“Tobi? What’s wrong?”

“Someone’s been in the house.”

“What do you mean?”

Tobi pointed to the front door. Ryan looked over her shoulder to see it standing open about an inch. She handed Tobi the items she was carrying and told her to wait there. Ryan approached the door cautiously, stopping long enough to draw her weapon from the ankle holster she always carried, whether on or off duty. She listened for any sounds before slowly pushing the door the rest of the way open. Peering in, she reached for the light switch and flipped it on.

“Holy God!”

hat?” Tobi cried.

“Stay there…don’t come in,” Ryan warned, but W hearing a gasp, she knew Tobi had already followed her through the door. Ryan turned back toward her and placed her hand on Tobi’s shoulder. She could see the look of utter shock on her face.

“Oh, my…” Tobi stopped in midsentence and looked at Ryan.

“Who would do something like this?”

“Baby, I don’t know.”

The sight in front of them looked like a deliberate act of malice. Someone had taken a knife and sliced the couch almost beyond recognition, there were so many holes and slash marks.

The intruder had also pulled fistfuls of stuffing out until there was almost nothing left inside. Ryan glanced around the room and noticed that it didn’t appear as though anything else had been disturbed.

“Don’t touch anything, honey. Use your cell phone and call 911.”

Tobi barely acknowledged her as she pulled her phone out and punched in the number. Hearing a noise in the kitchen, Ryan looked at Tobi and saw the fear in her eyes.

“Stay here; I’m just going to check it out.”

“Ryan…”

“Ssshhh,” Ryan said as she walked quietly toward the kitchen.

As she rounded the corner, she caught a glimpse of a man as he bolted out the back door. “Tobi, call the police, NOW!” Ryan yelled as she ran through the kitchen. She slapped the back door open and took off in pursuit.

“Ryan!”

Ryan knew that by chasing the man, she was scaring Tobi; but she couldn’t just let him leave without trying to apprehend him, especially if this was the person who had broken in.

“Stop! Police!” Ryan shouted, hoping to distract him long enough to slow him down a little. Following him down a dark alley was like going through an obstacle course. There were items strewn all over the place. She was either zig-zagging around or leaping over them in her pursuit. Ryan could tell she was gaining on him, and it wouldn’t be long before she would have him in her grasp. There was a chain link fence ahead, and she knew this was her chance. She didn’t want to fire her weapon because the alley was too dark for her to see him clearly. The man approached the fence, jumped up, and started climbing. As Ryan neared the fence, she grabbed his pant leg and pulled downward. His other leg shot out, his foot connecting with the left side of her forehead. Ryan fell to the ground, and her head smacked against the concrete. For a few moments, she couldn’t seem to move. Little white spots were dancing before her eyes. She gradually sat up and rubbed the knot on the back of her head. The lapse of a few seconds was all the man needed to get away; he was nowhere in sight. Ryan holstered her weapon as she slowly got to her feet, placing a hand on the wall as a wave of dizziness washed over her. She swiped a hand across her forehead, and it came away with blood on it.

“Fuck,” Ryan growled in anger.
Not only do I take off after the
guy, I come back bleeding.
She walked carefully back through the alley and headed to the house. As she neared the back door, Ryan could hear Tobi talking to someone. When she entered the kitchen, Tobi turned and, catching sight of her, rushed to her side.

“Sit down,” Tobi said, pulling out a kitchen chair. “What happened?”

“I chased him a couple of blocks down the back alley. We came to a fence, and I thought I had him. I grabbed his pant leg and tried to pull him down. He kicked me and got away.”

“You could have been killed. What were you thinking? God, I just can’t take this anymore!” Ryan could tell by Tobi’s tone that not only was she scared for her, but she was also very angry.

Ryan heard a police radio and some raised voices in the next room and peered around Tobi’s shoulder to see Jake entering the kitchen.

“What the hell is the matter with you?”

“Hi, Jake. Nice to see you, too.”

“Damn it, Ryan!”

Ryan jumped to her feet as she rushed to defend herself. “I couldn’t just stand there and watch him leave without trying to stop him!” As she started pacing, Tobi left. Ryan knew that her actions had upset Tobi, and it was tearing her up inside to see her react the way she was, but she couldn’t just let that man leave. She had to try and stop him. It was her job!

“She’s really upset, Ryan.”

“I know. What are you doing here anyhow?” Ryan asked quietly. It was Jake’s day off as well.

“I heard the call go out over the scanner and came over.

Listen, I understand why you did what you did. But all Tobi could see was that you were possibly in danger, and it scared her.”

Before Ryan could respond, Tobi returned with a first aid kit and gave her a look that required no words. Ryan sat back down in the chair and remained still while Tobi cleaned the wound. She could feel Tobi shaking but didn’t know if it was from fear or anger.

“Tobi, we got your statement. As soon as the guys finish taking pictures and dusting for fingerprints, we’ll get out of here.

Give me a call or let Ryan know if you can think of anything else, okay?” Jake said, moving toward the living room.

“Thanks, Jake.” As he left, Tobi turned around to look at Ryan. “This cut really needs to have stitches, Ryan,” Tobi said, cupping her chin. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”

Ryan knew she was going to get herself in deeper, but she couldn’t lie to Tobi even if she wanted to. “When he kicked me, I fell and hit my head.”

Tobi slid her hands through Ryan’s hair and found the lump on the back of her head.

“For fuck’s sake, Ryan,” Tobi swore. She took a deep breath before continuing. “Anywhere else?”

Ryan could hear the spark of anger in Tobi’s voice and see it in her darkening eyes. Ryan averted her gaze and shook her head.

“No. Will the butterfly strips hold it?”

“Probably, as long as you’re careful.” Tobi continued to clean the wound and finally placed the strips across the cut. She dropped her hands to her sides and stood there looking at Ryan.

“That should do it. I know you’re too stubborn to go to the hospital and have this looked at, but will you please tell me if you have any problems?”

Ryan reached out to put her hands on Tobi’s waist and was startled when she stepped back.

“Please don’t.”

Seeing Tobi physically withdraw sent Ryan emotionally over the edge. Her chest ached with fear at the thought of losing Tobi.

Ryan didn’t know how to ease the tension between them. She wanted to go to Tobi, but her feet were riveted to the floor. She clasped her shaking hands and lowered her head.
I always seem to
mess up the things that are really important.