by Lexi Blake
Yeah, that Taggart guy might not want to take the job at all after he got a whiff of their particular brand of crazy.
“Let’s move on,” Nate said as quickly as he could in an obvious attempt to stop Nell from protesting.
At least they had gotten to the fun part of the evening. Open forum always lifted her spirits. A few minutes later, she was happily watching the show.
“You have got to make a law or something,” Max Harper was saying, his voice all growly and taciturn as he faced the small group onstage.
Cam sat on one side of her and Rafe on the other. Despite her locking them out of her cabin, they’d been standing on her porch waiting for her when she emerged to go to the meeting at town hall. They hadn’t said a word, simply opened the door to the car. She’d decided not to be stupid. Taking her own battered Jeep would have been an act of defiance. If de Sade was stalking, she shouldn’t be alone, and calling Holly or Nell into it seemed like a dumb thing to do.
Cam leaned across her to talk to Rafe. “Is he talking about what I think he’s talking about?”
Laura couldn’t miss the way Rafe’s lips quirked. “I believe he is.”
“It’s a natural process, Max,” Rachel shouted, proving she didn’t need a microphone. “How the hell else am I supposed to feed our baby?”
Hiram, Bliss’s elderly mayor, leaned forward and spoke into his microphone. “Max, this seems like something private between you and your wife.”
“Oh, I wish it was private,” Max shot back. “If it was private, I wouldn’t be standing here, but my wife’s boobs are everywhere now. I would like to see a show of hands of the people who have been treated to the sight of my wife’s nipples.”
No one took that bait. Laura figured Max would have written down some names for a future ass kicking.
“I’m feeding the baby!” Rachel argued. “I don’t know what your problem is, Max. Rye is fine with it.”
There was a tap on Laura’s shoulder. She turned around to where Jen sat with Stef. Jen’s eyes were lit with mirth, while Stef watched the proceedings with the lazy amusement of a king being brilliantly entertained. “I brought chocolate-covered peanuts. Want some?”
Laura couldn’t help but smile. “You knew about this particular topic?”
Jen nodded. “Oh, yeah. Rachel is sick of using the privacy blanket when she breastfeeds in public. Paige doesn’t like it. So she’s started plopping those suckers out whenever Paige cries. Max walked into Stella’s the other day and almost had a heart attack when he saw Rachel without her shirt on. I also know something else.”
Stef’s eyes narrowed. “Are you about to gossip, love?”
Jen flushed slightly. “No. It’s not going to be a secret in about thirty seconds.”
Rye Harper approached the microphone. He walked up to his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder, as though about to calm his twin down as he so often did. He leaned forward. “I’m with Max on this one.”
“Rye Harper!”
“We decided our marriage was a democracy a long time ago, baby,” Rye replied. “We’re outvoting you.”
Nell stood, her pretty face red with indignation. She brought her own microphone up. “I am making an announcement. I intend to back Rachel in this horrible affront to her rights as a mother. As long as Rachel’s freedom to do something as gentle and pure as making sure her child is fed is being taken from her, I cannot stand in silence.”
“Oh, shit,” Laura said as Nell’s hand went to the bottom of her T-shirt. Laura had a pretty damn good idea what was about to happen.
She pulled the T-shirt over her head. “My breasts will be free. You can place me in jail. You can silence me, but I will not give in. I vow to remain uncovered until my sisters are free.”
She started to get up, but Henry was there before her. Damn. Now everyone was going to see Henry’s privates, too. This was rapidly devolving.
Henry picked his wife up, shoving her over his shoulder in a neat fireman’s hold.
Nell, never one to drop a microphone, held it even as Henry started walking. “Henry? What are you doing?”
Henry walked straight up to Max and Rye and spoke into their microphone. “Handle this one, people. She really will walk around all bare-breasted warrior-like until you figure this out, and then I’ll have to break my vow of nonviolence by killing every son of a bitch who looks at her.”
“Henry!”
His head shook as though in deep disappointment. “You see. I cursed. I don’t curse. This is bringing out all the caveman-like tendencies I normally despise. We’re going to join Mel and Cassidy until such time as my wife can keep her nudity to the places it belongs. Our bedroom. Our yard. The Naturist Community. Various clubs. The swimming hole behind the Harper Stables. Stef’s guesthouse. That club in Dallas. Yeah, you know the one. Everyone’s naked there. See, I know you all believe I have no boundaries. There. Firmly placed boundaries. Oh, and you know, I’ve rethought. McKay-Taggart is probably great, and we do need some help if there’s a serial killer on the loose. We should hire McKay. I’m pretty sure it’s the Taggart guy who doesn’t recycle. Someone give us a call when it’s safe to come out again.”
Nell was yelling into her microphone as Henry carted her off to Mel’s.
On the computer screen Wolf had set up, Cassidy Meyer grinned and rubbed her hands together. “Company. That will be nice.”
Hiram shook his head. “We’re shelving this until next week. Max, Rye, Rachel—you work this out. The last thing this town needs is an article on how we’re the topless town.”
“It might make them forget we’re the murder town,” Zane called out.
Hiram sighed. “If there’s nothing else on the agenda, we should consider ourselves adjourned.”
Nate stood up, microphone in hand. “You all remember what we talked about. No female in this town goes unescorted until this guy is caught. If you find yourself without someone to walk with, call the sheriff’s department. One of my deputies or I will come and get you. In addition, the men of the town have agreed to be on call, so to speak. I want everyone to take a flyer with phone numbers. Do not hesitate to call.” He stared out over the auditorium as if he could intimidate the audience into obeying him. “If I find out that someone’s broken this rule, well, you know I don’t mind arresting people. It’s one of the joys of my life.”
Rafe looked across her toward Cam. “Your new boss is interesting.”
Cam grinned. “I think my new boss is slightly insane.”
Cam’s open, easy smile told her he was looking forward to working with the sheriff. She studied him for a moment as he and Rafe talked about what had gone on. Cam didn’t seem uneasy. He’d walked around introducing himself to people, telling them all about how he was the new deputy. If he was ashamed of his new job, he didn’t show it.
Rafe had been right behind him, though he’d been quieter than usual. She hadn’t missed how he’d spoken to Nate and the mayor before the meeting had begun. He’d had a series of notes that Laura hadn’t had a chance to peek at. She seriously suspected he was the one behind the “no woman left unescorted” rule.
Holly walked up, a big grin on her face. “I always knew Henry was hiding the dark heart of a predator.”
Henry? Laura laughed. “Henry loves Nell. He merely proved he’s a guy. Though I was worried for a moment that he would join her in her nude protest.”
“Nah,” Cam said. “That dude’s a total freak. I bet he spanks her regularly.”
Rafe concurred. “Absolutely. I was watching him. He would be indulgent, but he’s also possessive. She would be able to push him very far, but once his foot is down, it would not come back up.”
“Is this that profiling stuff?” Holly asked.
“No,” Cam replied, giving Holly that good-old-boy grin that caused Laura’s heart to speed up. Holly was a beautiful woman. How long would it be before Cam gave up on her and went after Holly? Could she really bear to watch her best friend with one of her m
en? Why was she even thinking that? They were just talking to each other. “I’m a guy, too. I know how I am. If a man truly loves a woman, he’s bound to be possessive.”
“And he certainly wouldn’t allow his woman to walk around showing off what belongs to him,” Rafe said, staring squarely at her.
Holly’s gaze bounced back and forth, as though watching an amusing tennis match. “Well, here in Bliss, we have some awfully liberal clothing-optional laws.”
Cam frowned. “No, you don’t. I was given all the codes, and I was informed to strictly enforce the dress code. The Naturist Community is the only place where it’s relaxed. Well, and apparently the pond behind the Harper Stables and that other place Henry said—the guesthouse—but I don’t know what that is yet.”
Stef Talbot laughed, a silky sound. “I’m sure you’ll find out, Deputy Briggs. Most people do.”
Laura threw him her most intimidating stare. Stef’s guesthouse was a playroom. It was filled with sex toys and totally equipped for BDSM play. Cam and Rafe were not going there.
“As to that end, gentlemen, would you please join me in my office?” Stef asked. “There’s something I would like to talk to you about.”
Cam and Rafe stood and agreed to meet with Stef.
Laura pulled Stef back. “What is this about?”
Stef’s eyebrows rose, and he went from friendly to intimidating in a second. “You, of course. I understand your men are staying. Did you not think we would welcome them properly? It’s nothing more than some guy talk and perhaps a Scotch.”
“They aren’t my men.”
Stef shrugged her off. “Well, then what I say to them isn’t your business. Logan is going to watch you.”
She glanced back, and the big deputy was standing close by. He tipped his hat to her but didn’t smile. Damn, when was that boy going to smile again? “I don’t need a babysitter.”
“Consider him a bodyguard. And don’t even try to tell me you don’t need one of those.” Stef nodded and walked off toward the hallway that led to the town hall’s offices. Stef held the title of Bliss’s County Engineer and kept an office there.
Jen put a hand on her arm. “He means well. Don’t worry about it. He won’t do anything to hurt you.” She looked across the hall. “Oh, crap. I think Rachel’s about to break her vow not to kill someone around her daughter.”
Jen ran off.
Holly stood up and put an arm around her. “Are you sure this is the way you want to go? Those men seem to really care about you.”
And that was the trouble. They loved her. They weren’t thinking straight. She couldn’t stand the thought that one day they would wake up and realize everything they had given up to be with her. “It wouldn’t work. I don’t want to marry anyone.”
“Okay,” Holly said, but Laura could tell she didn’t believe her.
Wolf walked up, a smile on his handsome face. “Holly, I’ve been assigned to escort you home. Your chariot awaits, if you consider a big-ass truck to be a chariot, darlin’.”
Holly started to smile, but a low voice cut through the crowd. “No.”
Laura turned with Wolf and Holly to see Caleb Burke standing close, his hands in his pockets and a ferocious frown on his face. The gorgeous doctor was staring a hole through Wolf.
“No?” Wolf asked.
Caleb shook his head. “No.”
“Care to elaborate?”
“No.” Caleb walked up and placed a hand on Holly’s elbow. “She needs someone to drive her home. It’s not going to be you. Come on.”
Holly was staring up at the doctor as she allowed herself to be led off.
“Do I smell or something?” Wolf asked. “Because I can’t seem to catch a break today.”
Laura watched as Holly walked off with the doctor. “He’s one of those guys who can’t seem to commit but doesn’t want to let go.”
“Well, I wasn’t hitting on her,” Wolf protested.
She raised an eyebrow.
“Much,” Wolf admitted. “Hey, I’m on the rebound.” He turned very serious. “Those men keep watching you.”
She turned and saw who he meant. Joe, Edward, and that asshole Brad were talking amongst themselves, ignoring everyone around them. They stared at her in turns and talked behind their hands as though deciding on an assessment.
“They’re trying to decide if I’m going to be murdered tonight,” she said.
Wolf paled. “No.”
“Now you sound like Caleb.”
“Damn it, Laura, I know Rafe and Cam offered to take you away. Tell me they didn’t.”
“They did,” she agreed.
“Then why the hell aren’t you gone? Why aren’t you miles down the road?”
No one understood. “I have to face him. I ran once, and now there’s another dead girl. I’m the one who got away. He’ll come after me. He has to. It isn’t in his nature to leave something undone. He’s been stewing for years about the fact that I got away. This is the only way to catch him. If he’s allowed to continue, he’ll never stop.”
“Fine, then let someone else be the decoy,” Wolf suggested. “Surely they can bring in someone with your height and coloring.”
She’d thought of that herself but discarded the notion. “It won’t fool him. He’s clever, and for all I know, he would be the one picking the decoy.”
Wolf breathed deeply, his chest expanding. “You seriously think he’s already here?”
“I know it. He’s here, Wolf, and he will come for me.” Laura turned and walked off, Logan following behind her. She needed to find a bathroom. She had an interview to do.
* * * *
“Scotch?” Stef Talbot asked, holding up a crystal decanter of amber liquid.
Cam shook his head. He didn’t need anything screwing with his faculties. Not even a single drink. He was already a bit nervous about leaving Laura, but Stef had assured him that Logan Green would watch over her. She wouldn’t be allowed to leave the safety of town hall. “No, but thank you.”
Rafe shook his head as well. It seemed they were in sync. They had been since they stood out by the river and contemplated what the hell they would do if Laura didn’t let them back in. Stef shrugged and poured three glasses. He passed them to the men in the room. Nate Wright took his with a nod, and his partner, a big dude named Zane Hollister, took the other.
Cam waited impatiently for someone to tell him why he was here.
The door to Stef’s office opened, and the twin cowboys with the wife who liked to feed her child walked in.
“Damn, Stef, give me some of that. Rachel is pissed off,” one of them said.
The other grinned. “And not just at me, brother. I told you she wouldn’t know what to do if we presented a united front.”
“Yeah,” the first one said morosely. “Now we’re both cut off.”
“Max, don’t worry. It never lasts long. She can’t help herself.”
Max frowned his brother’s way. “It didn’t work. She was sitting in the middle of town hall with Paige hanging off her boob, and this time she actually took the bra off. She’s sitting there like an amazon warrior woman and all the other women were standing around in solidarity.”
Rye frowned. “Yeah, I was actually a little afraid of them. We might need to back off this one.”
“You should have thought about that before, brother.”
Stef looked at the two with great affection. It was easy to see they were all friends, which begged the question of why he and Rafe had been called into this meeting of a close-knit group.
“Gentlemen, I appreciate the invitation, but my partner and I need to get back to Laura,” Rafe said in a firm but polite tone.
Cam nodded. He would have simply said “what the fuck.” Rafe was better at the social conventions.
“Partner? Is he really your partner?” Stef asked, staring at both of them.
What was that supposed to mean? Cam tried to explain. “We used to be partners when we both worked for the B
ureau.”
They all exchanged looks, heads shaking, eyes narrowing. They seemed to be communicating amongst each other, as though that was the answer they had all expected and it disappointed them.
“That’s what we thought,” the sheriff said.
“Amateurs.” Max Harper had a frown on his face.
“What is this about?” Rafe seemed calmer than Cam felt. Cam felt like he was being judged and found wanting.
Zane Hollister turned. “Look, we all care about Laura. It’s easy to see that you do, too.”
“Are you attempting to pursue a ménage relationship with Laura?” Rye Harper asked the question academically, without a hint of judgment.
“I don’t see where this is your business, but yes,” Cam managed. He kind of wished he’d taken that drink.
Stef sat on the edge of his desk looking wholly comfortable as he probed into someone else’s private life. “Laura belongs to Bliss. She’s everyone’s business. We work differently here, gentlemen. You should get used to that.”
Zane grinned, his scarred face looking years younger. “Yeah, everyone is up in everyone else’s shit here.”
Stef shook his head. “Not the way I would have put it. I believe what the big guy is trying to say is that we care for each other here.”
“And you two are totally fucking this up,” Max interjected.
Dark eyes rolled as Stef replied. “Again, I would have used different words.”
Max shrugged. “And taken up way more time with all your pussyfooting around. Let’s get to the point. You two are fucking up. You’ve been fighting amongst yourselves since the day you walked into town.”
Rye agreed with his twin. “You two are not acting like partners. When we asked about the whole partner thing, we weren’t talking about your work relationship. We were talking about the way you live your lives.”
Nate held out a hand. “Don’t take this the wrong way. We’re trying to help. Normally, we would take a step back and let you two figure this out on your own, but we’re worried about Laura. With a killer on the loose, she needs the two of you to get your shit together.”