Bluegrass Undercover (Bluegrass Brothers)

rookie to be sent to the school for an assembly on drug abuse. He wasn’t too happy about it, but that was what rookies were for. She had done thirteen assemblies when she was a rookie in Miami. Much to her surprise she had really liked it. She liked interacting with kids and being there for them, especially the ones she knew she could help. This undercover gig wasn’t so bad. She actually liked going to work although it was strange to not be armed. She was getting used to it though.
    A knock at her closed door had her looking up through the glass window to see who it was this late after school. “Come in,” she said when she saw Trey’s face.
    “Am I interrupting you, Miss Hill? “ he asked with a slightly nervous look on his still maturing face.
    “Not at all, Trey. What can I do for you?”
    “I need help.” He sat down in one of her visitor’s chairs as if the weight of the world were on his young shoulders.
    “Are you in trouble?” She’d be shocked if he was. He seemed the perfect young man.
    “No, ma’am, but some people I know are doing something that makes me uncomfortable. I’m pretty sure it’s illegal and it’s affecting the team. I just don’t know what to do because I know they’ll be in trouble.” Trey pushed back a long lock of blonde hair that had fallen forward and into his eye.
    “Who will they get in trouble with, Trey?”
    “Their parents, Coach, and shoot, ma’am, I don’t know who else, but I’m guessing the police wouldn’t look too kindly on it.”
    “What are they doing that could get them in trouble? Are they in danger?”
    Annie held her breath. This was it. It was her break. If Trey would just un-shoulder some of the load, she could make her case.
    “I don’t think they are in danger. At least they don’t act like it.” He paused and looked up at the ceiling before looking her in the eyes again. “I just don’t know if I should turn them in and risk ruining the rest of their lives.”
    “Do they know what they are doing is wrong or that it could ruin the rest of their lives? It seems if you tell me what it is, I can help you make that decision. You don’t have to do this all on your own.” Annie kept her gaze steady but gentle.
    “That’s it!” Trey bolted from his seat. “I’m going to talk to them first. Straight up. I’m going to make sure they understand what they are doing to the team and what the consequences are if they get caught. I am the captain of this team, and I need to act like it. Thanks, Miss H!” And with that her best lead walked out the door.

Chapter Twelve
     
    Annie pulled the baked spaghetti out of the oven and almost cried for the first time in her life. Things had changed, and she wasn’t entirely sure what to think about it. Almost a week ago she and Cade had made love for the first time, and since then they had been together every night.
    Usually Cade would pick up dinner after practice, and they would talk about their day and about the case. They would watch some television, which would inevitably end up with their clothes tossed around the room and them naked on the couch some time later.
    She would then kick him out when it started to get late. There was just something about spending the night sleeping with someone that was just too intimate and serious for her brain to handle. Cade seemed to take it well though and never complained when she started glancing at the clock.
    One thing she had made clear was that there was to be no affection at school. She didn’t particularly like the fact that people knew about her personal life and wanted to keep it separate as much as possible. First off, she wasn’t one of those touchy feely people who liked public displays of affection, and she would never even think of doing that at school. Second, she knew it didn’t make sense, but in her mind if you were in a relationship, it made you vulnerable. She was vulnerable to speculation from her peers and friends and vulnerable to her enemies because they now knew her weakness. It also had the bad side effect of people judging her on her relationship as opposed to the job she was doing.
    Annie stared at the burnt meal and began to try to scrape off the blackened top as she thought about when she was younger. When she was fifteen, her foster mother had been a serial dater. She had depended on man after man to give her an identity. She would be so and so’s girlfriend, never herself. She would depend on the boyfriend of the