Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 133878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
“Brooke didn’t leave this part of Colorado until she went to college, and then it was Denver and then New York, and Max and I have been waiting for her to come home.”
“And that made her feel like you thought she would fail. Or hoped she would. I’m not sure which is worse,” Bay commented.
“They’re both terrible,” Tate said, judgmental eyes looking at them through the rearview. “I feel sorry for your poor sister, and then you beat up her boss. He’s probably going to press all the charges he can.”
So he was looking at time, maybe. Fuck.
“I’ll make sure he doesn’t,” Rye promised. “Trust me. It’s not the first time we’ve dealt with something like this. He was assaulting her.”
“She didn’t mention that, but I’ll talk to her when I make my report,” Tate offered as he turned the vehicle into the parking lot.
Nate Wright stood out front looking twelve kinds of authoritative. Shane looked worried.
Max was laughing his ass off.
Nate stalked over and opened the door. “Rye, you know I expect this…”
Rye managed to get out of the car. “From Max. I know. But that asshole had his hands on my sister.” He looked back in and winked Bay’s way with a conspiratorial gleam. When he stood up, Rye had a serious expression on his face. “I wasn’t about to let some asshole manhandle my sister in the middle of a café. How the hell would that look?”
Max stopped laughing, and his eyes widened. “Really?”
Brooke’s whole body went on alert. “Excuse me?”
Bay got out of the car and Nate had his hands out of the cuffs quickly.
“Tate, did you need to cuff the former sheriff and our local artist?” Nate asked.
Tate shrugged. “It’s protocol. Sir, we need to talk about serial killers. I think they were joking, but I’d like to have the conversation.”
“Oh, I’ll let you read the files, buddy,” Nate promised. “Now go to the clinic and get the city guy’s version of events. Elisa’s coming in, and she’ll handle the rest.”
Tate nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“I am not a piece of property, Ryan Harper,” Brooke announced. “Do you have any idea what that stunt might have cost me?” She strode over as Nate was getting around to uncuffing Rye. “Don’t you dare, Nathan Wright. You would totally toss Max in jail for the night. Rye should get the same treatment, and I’ll make sure the only thing he can get from Stella’s for lunch and dinner is a cabbage and beet salad.”
Rye went pale. “Hey, we should talk about this.”
Rye was trying to give him cover. The trouble was he wasn’t sure where all the land mines were.
“I think that guy’s version of events is that those two kicked his ass,” Tate said, though he was already walking back to his vehicle. “My auntie told me Logan is the great man he is today because of what happened to him here in this office. I thought that was about training and stuff.”
“You’re going to love that beet salad, Rye,” Max taunted.
Shane moved into his space. “What the hell happened?”
“Did you think for two seconds about what we’ll do if he decides to press charges?” Brooke asked. “How is that going to affect Rachel and your kids? Do you know how much stress she’s under? I could have handled it.”
“Oh, it was what happened to him here, but it definitely wasn’t training.” Gemma watched as Tate got in his car. “It was about fourteen hours of being tortured by the Russian mob, but you should know nothing bad has happened since I took over. I’m really careful since before I came, someone drugged Nate’s coffee. Now that wasn’t the mob. That was the serial killer.”
“He was here to offer me my job back,” Brooke announced.
Shane’s jaw tightened.
Bay felt his stomach drop.
“So nothing bad has happened at the Sheriff’s Department since Gemma came on board?” Tate asked as he started his engine again.
“Now that I think about it, it’s all happened out in the field,” Nate mused, completely ignoring the fight going on around him. “Let’s see, Henry got kidnapped by a drug cartel, but that was on his own land. Lucy did nearly get murdered.”
“But that was up at the lodge,” Gemma pointed out.
“What do you mean he offered you a job?” Rye asked.
“She’s going back.” Shane whispered the words, sounding like he was already defeated. “She’s leaving.”
His brother could be pessimistic at times. He often wondered what he brought to the table beyond pretty art. Shane was the one who managed their day-to-day lives, but Bay was the one who slapped him upside the head when he wanted to quit. Bay was the one who could see there was hope. Shane was always trying to find the dark side. Likely because he’d lived there most of his life. “She said he offered. She didn’t accept.”