Out and Beyond

Chapter 1-2

She’s been sentenced to three years when she’d pled guilty.

It had been a tough ten months: locked in a cell at night; passing guards and surveillance cameras at every juncture during the day. She’d finally earned the trust of the other inmates and had gotten the case solved without getting herself killed. Well, the majority of the case. She’d gotten the drugs stopped from coming into the prison and from going out, identified the leader of the drug ring inside, and the company that was bringing the drugs in. What she hadn’t found out was how the drugs got to that company in the first place, where the money was going afterward, and who the ultimate boss of the ring was. That was probably going to be her next assignment.

Cam had gotten out of prison only three days before. Her boss, her control, and she agreed that the cover had worked so well and she’d given up so much to establish it, that she’d keep it for a while and play rogue cop s***h ex-convict. The downside of that was what was in that set of papers and the fact that she could not leave the state of Maryland without permission.

She had asked, actually pleaded with her supervisor if there was any way she could get permission to go to Massachusetts to visit her family.

“My grandmothers are getting older and I’d love to spend even one afternoon with them,” she’d told Vicky. “I don’t have a lot of family left.”

“I doubt it, Cameron. It’s highly improbable. You’ve only been on parole for three days. You haven’t proven yourself yet. Give it a few months, maybe by Thanksgiving, if you show up for all your appointments and keep your job.”

Cam had nodded unhappily.

Her reverie was interrupted by the large drink that Michael placed in front of her.

“There you go, cherie, your treat for dealing with your parole supervisor.” Michael had set a grande cup of macchiato in front of Cam, then sat down with her own cappuccino.

Cam took a sip and realized that it was too hot to drink. She took the lid off so she could blow across it to start the cooling.

“Well, cherie,” Michael started, “You got over that first meeting. The next ones shouldn’t be as bad. At least you only have to do this for twenty-five more months.”

Cam laughed loudly. “Twenty-five months seems like a lifetime, but, I am not inside that cell. I can breathe fresh air and eat decent food.” She blew over the top of her drink and took a sip of her macchiato. “This tastes so good. You wouldn’t believe the pond water they served in there.”

Michael smiled at her.

“Try to forget about it, cherie. That part is over. Has Mr. Dickie said when you go on duty again?”

“No,” Cam said. “Maggie said he wants me to take a month or so for R&R. I wish he’d said a year or so. I should have gotten hazard pay for that.”

“Have you thought of anything you really want to do while I’m here?”

Cam’s heart sank. She’d almost forgotten that Michael was only here for two weeks. She dreaded Michael going back to work in Montreal.

“I don’t want to think of you leaving,” Cam sighed.

“Me either, but we have ten more days before I have to be back at the force. I’ve already taken more than my share of vacation time when I went to Korea to study.”

“I know, sweetie. I’m just a little shaken by that meeting.”

“All that has to be put behind you. You must live for today…and tomorrow, and all the days until I leave.”

“Yes. And I won’t need to worry about being in prison.”

“Oui, cherie.” Michael smiled. “Now the only place you’ll be imprisoned is in my bed.”

Cam smiled brightly into Michael’s eyes. “When does my sentence start?”

Michael grinned. “As soon as you finish your drink and we get back to the house.”

Cam took a big chug of the macchiato. Even the hot liquid didn’t stop her. No, not when the prize was that appealing.