Lockdown Read Free Page B

with work. He could use the distraction of a new case to take his mind off Tucker’s sister right about now. “Sure, what’s up?” He claimed one of the upholstered chairs as he gripped the steaming mug in his hand.
    “It’s about Jess.”
    Jake’s years in law enforcement hadn’t been wasted. His poker face could earn him a nice living in Vegas. “What about her?”
    “Mama’s worried about her.”
    Jake cleared his throat as he set his coffee down on the table beside him. Had Jessica shared her hare-brained scheme to meet a man online with her poor old mama?
    “Why’s Lorna worried?”
    Merle and Lorna Carlton were like his second parents. They’d been a part of his life since he and Tucker bonded over G.I. Joes in the second grade. If they knew the kind of impure thoughts he was having about their baby girl, Merle would haul out his shotgun and use him for target practice, rightly so. If Jake had a daughter, he’d have felt the same way. It made him grateful he had a son.
    “She said Jess hasn’t been herself lately. She’s been kinda down.”
    “Hmm, is that so?” Jake couldn’t imagine where Tucker was going with this, but he had a feeling he wasn’t going to like it.
    “Mama’s thinking it’s time for her to find a serious boyfriend, ya know?”
     Jake held his breath, waiting for his friend to continue.
    “I was thinking about setting her up with Phil. What do you think?”
    “Are you crazy?” Phil was their newest recruit. “If someone asked that kid to make change for a five, it would probably take him all goddamn day.”
    Tucker laughed. “I know, but he’s got it real bad for my sister, and he’s a good kid.”
    Phil had never mentioned Jessica to him. “Is that right? I didn’t know he was interested in her.”
    Tucker rolled his eyes. “Yeah, she came in here to drop something off last week, and you should have seen the poor guy, tripping all over himself to impress her.”
    Jake cracked his knuckles. “The fact that he hasn’t shot himself playing with that gun impresses the hell out of me.”
    Tucker pointed at him, chuckling. “Be nice. You know we’re short-handed since McGinley retired. I’m really hoping that kid’s got what it takes to fill his shoes.”
    “Don’t count on it,” Jake muttered. His mood had gone from angry and frustrated to dejected in a matter of minutes. The Carlton clan had actually hand-picked Boy Wonder as their future son-in-law? The thought made Jake queasy. Jess, his Jess, married to that loser? No way, not gonna happen. “He’s not right for your sister.”
    Tucker frowned. “What makes you say that? He’s a nice enough guy. I did a thorough background check when I hired him and he’s as clean as they come. Besides, he comes from good stock. His parents are the salt of the Earth.”
    Jake knew all about Phil and his whole damned family. “Yeah, we went to high school with his older brother, Lionel. He was a year behind us, but I seem to recall he was a dumb as a stump, too.”
    Tucker laughed. “What the hell’s got you in such a mood today? Is Diane giving you grief about visitation again?”
    Diane was his ex-wife, and the bane of his existence. He must have been out of his mind to think he was in love with her for even a minute. The only good thing to come from their relationship was their son. In Jake’s mind, Jared made that sham of a marriage worthwhile.
    “What’s your old man think about setting Jess up with Phil? Does he think it’s a good idea?”
    Merle Carlton was the epitome of an over-protective father, and Jake knew there wasn’t a man walking God’s green Earth he’d deem fit for his little princess. Wait ‘til that old tyrant caught wind of his son’s idea. He’d shoot it down faster than a wounded duck during hunting season.
    “I haven’t talked to him about it yet. I was hoping you’d back me up when I do.”
    Jake crossed his arms as he scowled at his friend. “Now why the hell would I want to do