Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36960 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 185(@200wpm)___ 148(@250wpm)___ 123(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36960 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 185(@200wpm)___ 148(@250wpm)___ 123(@300wpm)
He says it keeps his mind sharp. I joke that he’s one step away from the Wildflower Retirement Community. He looks up when he sees me come into his office and asks, “Did you get my message?”
I nod. He sent me over the files for the men that are after Missy. They’re both petty criminals that are connected with a drug trafficking organization operating further up north.
“Have you given any more thought to what I suggested?” he asks, eyeing me warily. He’s probably afraid that I’m going to take a swing at him.
“Absolutely not,” I snarl. I don’t think Luke really meant the suggestion when he made it, but it doesn’t matter. I don’t care if he’s my boss. He can fire me.
I will not let Missy be used as bait to lure these two druggies out. It doesn’t matter if they won’t get close enough to harm a hair on her head. I won’t allow her to be put in danger or even think she’s in danger for a moment.
Luke nods. “I understand, and I’d be just as protective over Austin. But without some bait to dangle over these guys, we’re not going to be able to flush them out.”
“Let’s get the word out that we have their product. When they show up, we bust them. Clean and simple.” If I’m very careful and do it right, then Missy will never have to be involved in the trial.
“That’s good bait,” Luke tells me. “The only problem is you don’t actually have it.”
“It’s better than dangling my woman,” I tell him, frustration bleeding into my tone. Normally, I can talk through these situations with professional objectivity. But this is the love of my life we’re talking about. I don’t care who I have to lie to or what I have to do to keep her safe.
“Yeah, but the moment they realize your hands are empty, they’re going to come after you. And where does that leave Missy and her daughter then?” He challenges. He might be a small town sheriff that rarely deals with anything more than petty theft, but he understands exactly what I’m risking. It doesn’t matter. It’s my life to give, and if I want to give it up for Missy’s freedom, then that’s my choice.
I rake a hand through my hair, yanking at the wavy strands that never stay still. Especially not once Missy gets her hands in it. I love it when we’re together and she’s crying out and pulling on my hair. It makes my scalp tingle, just thinking about it. “We have to figure this out. She can’t live always looking over her shoulder.”
Luke grabs a piece of scratch paper and goes down the list. It’s the same list we’ve been staring at for three days now. All the places that Shelley may have stashed the drugs she stole. She was running with a rough crowd, and I hate that she’s gone. I hate that Missy lost her best friend.
“Let’s take it from the top,” he says, exhaustion bleeding into his tone. Like me, he’s barely slept in the past seventy-two hours. He’s on high alert, anticipating a threat in our small town, and neither of us like it. We prefer things boring and quiet here.
Before we can review the list again, Zane comes into the police department. I swear under my breath. “I completely forgot about your invoice.”
“I know you’ve got a lot going on right now. I’m here to offer a hand. Wanted to know if y’all need a couple of us from the garage to help out,” he offers.
“Thanks, and I appreciate the discount you gave me on the work for her car,” I tell him, meaning it. I know he only charged me for parts when he sent the invoice. He did the labor as a gift, and he didn’t have to do that.
Zane glances at Luke’s sheet of paper then frowns. “You’re looking for whatever her dead friend stashed away, right?”
I’m not surprised he knows that. We’ve tried to keep things as quiet as possible, but we also need people on alert to help us watch over Missy and her daughter.
“Do you have any ideas?” Luke asks.
Zane taps the paper on the desk, his fingers stained from years of working with grease and oil. “Well, what you have here is that she used to work in an auto shop. Both her and her boyfriend, right?”
“They were fired about a month before,” Luke explains. “We think that’s what prompted her to commit the theft. She probably thought she would sell the product herself and keep the profits.”
“Have you searched Missy’s car? Bootleggers used to take cars apart to hide moonshine. If they both had the knowledge and access…”
“You think they went old school?” Luke asks, with a gleam in his eye.