by KB Winters
I ripped open the bag and dove into the chocolates by the fistful. I’d been sticking to a strict diet over the course of rehearsals but had decided one night of splurging wouldn’t kill all my hard work.
We started the movie and our chatter died down as we stuffed our faces, drank, and let ourselves get lost in the ridiculous drama of the movie we’d picked out. The movie was halfway through when we paused to make a fresh batch of popcorn and slather on our mud masks. Tori went to the kitchen and I went to my bathroom.
Half of my face was coated in green goo when a loud banging startled me. I jumped up and reached for the hand towel. Tori’s scream raked over me and I bolted towards the sound. I stumbled into the living room to find Tori at the door, and Bennett ushering in a team of people in FBI jackets.
“Bennett? What the fuck, is going on?” Tori shouted, her eyes zinging from each new arrival back to Bennett and then around the room again.
“Victoria Barnes, I have a warrant for your arrest,” he started, reaching for a pair of cuffs.
“Arrest?” I heard myself scream, joining with Tori’s own echo of Bennett’s claim.
Bennett ignored us and reached for Tori. She wriggled away but Bennett’s reflexes were faster. He had her arms pinned behind her back and started reciting her Miranda rights as he locked the cuffs around her wrists.
“Bennett?!” Tori cried out, her eyes wide, flooded with panic. She still roiled and tried to tear away, but Bennett was far stronger and kept her locked tight as he latched the cuffs on her. “Bennett, what are you—why are you doing this? You know me!”
Tori kept crying as Bennett proceeded to read her the rest of her rights. “I’m sorry, Tori,” Bennett said, ducking his head down so the other agents didn’t hear him.
I flew across the room and flailed for Bennett’s arm. I latched onto him with desperate fingers, trying to pry his hands away from Tori. “Bennett, don’t do this. You know Tori didn’t do anything wrong!”
“Everlie, I’m sorry. Trust me, this isn’t my idea. I have to follow orders.”
The other agents fanned through the apartment and started tearing things apart. “Stop! That’s my stuff!” I tore away from Tori and Bennett and started racing around, begging to get them to leave everything alone.
“Everlie, they have a warrant. You have to let them search.” Bennett still had a hold of Tori but she had stopped fighting. I stared at her, cuffed and helpless. Her eyes were glossy with frustrated tears and she pulled against her restraints. Bennett tugged her arms straight and she started cursing at him over her shoulder.
“What is she even being arrested for?” I asked, marching to Bennett who appeared to be in control of the situation. The other agents were acting like they couldn’t see or hear the three of us arguing. “Doesn’t she have a right to know her charges?”
“We’ll talk about that when we get back to headquarters.” Bennett started taking Tori out the front door.
I wanted to scream, to lunge at him and kick him until he let her go, but by some miracle, I kept my composure although my entire body trembled with fear and fury. “I’ll call a lawyer, Tori. Don’t worry! I’ll get you out.”
Tori nodded as she disappeared out the front door. I watched her as long as I could, Bennett’s hulking frame blocking most of her from my sight. I followed behind and saw him load her into a black, unmarked SUV that was waiting down in the parking lot.
I stood there, grasping the railing, my body sagging against the metal.
Everyone was gone. Ryker. Tori.
I was alone, and I had absolutely no idea what to do.
Chapter Twelve
Ryker
Although life wasn’t turning out quite as I would’ve liked it to, I found it easy enough to slip back into life on the ranch.
A solo life.
By the end of my first week back in Oklahoma, I’d made enough progress on the cleaning and repairing of the house, I gave myself the day off. After watching the news and a jog around the property, I went into town and took over a bar stool at the little dive bar where all the locals gathered after a long, hard day.
We were a worn out, but satisfied crowd, and I relaxed my arms on the bar top, my hands wrapped around a frosty glass of beer. I spotted a couple of buddies—guys I’d hung out with when I was younger—playing darts. I thought about getting up to join them but shrugged it off. I’d learned quickly how conversations in town went. It always started with an “Aren’t you Randall Knight’s grandson?” and after I said yes—and informed them I’d taken over his ranch—it was always followed with a “And your wife? Is she here too?” I didn’t wear a wedding band, but apparently the idea of a single rancher living alone was beyond their realm of possibility, and so, a wife was implied as part of the picture.
On the flip side, there were more than a few women who were all too happy to hear that I was single. Anytime I came into town, whether it was to visit the hardware store, or to the supermarket, it didn’t take long before I was approached by a woman like I was some kind of movie star taking a rustic vacation in the middle of nowhere. And if that wasn’t bad enough, there were their mothers…
I scanned the bar and was relieved that everyone was busy. No one paid any attention to me—for once. Life back in the small, farming town was more than just a change, it was flat out fucking culture shock. If I hadn’t grown up spending my summers here, I would have been convinced I’d somehow wound up in another country.
Life here was so different than life in the military, traveling the world, fighting overseas, or even life on base, which could sometimes have that small-town vibe. And it couldn’t have been more opposite than Vegas. At night, one of my favorite past times was going out on the back deck and listening to the absolute quiet. To watch the stars instead of flashing neon lights was a simple pleasure.
I went to bed exhausted every night, and while I still thought about Everlie 24/7, my body was too tired to stay up all night agonizing over her, like I did when I was back in Vegas. During the day, I’d fix things on the ranch and prepare for the livestock that would arrive within the next few weeks. By the end of the month, the ranch would be back up and running as a fully operational cattle company, just like my pappy used to run.
It was worth every callous, scratch, bruise, and sore muscle.
I just wished it hadn’t cost me the love of my life.
Her name echoed inside my heart, and I took a long drink from my beer, knowing I’d never be able to drown her memory entirely—but then again—I only needed to get through the night.
When I finally peeled myself off the worn wooden stool—the three beers barely making a dent in my tortured mind—I paid my tab and headed home, carefully driving my truck down the dirt roads back to the ranch. I stopped in the kitchen to grab a snack, and saw the red light flashing on my answering machine. Cell service was sketchy out here in the boonies, so I relied on a land line in case there was an emergency—or my mother just wanted to chat. However, since I’d officially resigned from the FBI contracting job, I knew it wasn’t going to be a life or death importance.
In fact, it probably was my mom. She’d been nagging me to drive out and join her for dinner.
I hit the playback button on my way to the fridge and smiled as her familiar voice came out through the speaker, filling the kitchen with her honey sweet tone. “Darling, I miss you! All the church ladies have been asking about you. They want to throw a pot luck at church and give you a proper hero’s welcome. I know it’s a long drive, Son, but it would mean a lot…”
She rambled on for a little longer as I started making a sandwich. I smiled at her request, even though it was the last thing I wanted to do. I knew—and so did she—that I’d have to accept eventually.
“Anyway, call me back when you can, honey. I love you.”
She hung up and I smiled, expecting the kitchen to fall silent again—but it didn’t. I was putting the finishing touches on my sandwich, when Bennett’s voice came on, frantic
and crazed, with an entirely different energy than my mother’s soft cadence.
“Where are you? Damn…Knight, we need to talk. I’ve been calling your cell all fuckin’ night. Call me man.”
The line went dead, and I stood, staring at the small black answering machine. What the fuck does he need now? I placed the sandwich on the counter and crossed to dial back the number Bennett had called from. He answered on the second ring.
“Knight?”
“Yeah. What’s up?” I took the phone to the other end of the kitchen, where I’d had my cell plugged in all day. I’d forgotten to take it off when I went into town. Sure enough, there were half a dozen missed calls and texts from Bennett. “I didn’t have my—”
“We arrested Tori.”
“What?” My attention snapped from the cell phone in my hand. “Tori? Like Ev’s Tori?”
“Yeah. Ev’s Tori—THE Tori—we brought her in for questioning. I can’t say much…” his voice trailed away but I could hear voices in the background. “I gotta go,” he said, his voice flat, when a few seconds had passed.
“Call me.”
“Yep.”
He clicked off and I was struck by the silence in the room. Tori. I wondered if Everlie knew. She probably did. It had to have been about 8 pm in Vegas, so she’d have been home already.
My mind tossed around thoughts of Everlie and Tori in the dead silence of the room. I set the house phone down and went back to my cell phone. If Tori had been arrested, Everlie was probably alone—and scared shitless. I hadn’t been able to give her much information about the Sanderson case to begin with, and I definitely hadn’t told her Tori’s name came up in the investigation.
“Shit,” I whispered to myself, staring off, looking at nothing. I should’ve said something sooner.
Bowie started whining, cutting into my mental ramblings. I turned to find him sitting underneath the place where my sandwich was. My own appetite had vanished, a sick, twisted feeling taking its place. I grabbed the sandwich and tossed it down to the dog, who gobbled it up with pleasure. I scratched his head before a new thought struck me.
Had Everlie tried to call me? She had both my cell phone number and my land line number.
I swiped through all of Bennett’s missed calls but there wasn’t anything from Everlie.
There was no way of telling when Bennett would call me back. If he was lead on the interrogation, he could be tied up for hours. Although, I wondered if he’d even be allowed in the room with her—considering the conflict of interest their relationship caused.
I couldn’t wait around. I pressed Everlie’s number on my cell and hit the green button.
“Ryker,” she answered, her voice worn and thin, letting me know that she already knew about Tori’s arrest.
My heart convulsed inside my chest, desperate to see her face, to read her mind, to touch her skin. I pushed it aside, willing myself to breath normally. “Everlie, I just heard about Tori.”
She sighed. “How? Oh, right, Bennett.”
I was surprised by the bitterness in her voice. “I’m sorry. How did you find out? Did they let her call you?”
“I was here, Ryker. I was down the hall when Bennett and the rest of your thugs stomped into the apartment, arrested Tori, and made a royal mess of everything I own!” Her tone rose with panicked undertones and my fists clenched. It shouldn’t have gone down like that. Why hadn’t I been there to protect her? To explain things to her? What had Bennett said? Had he offered comfort to her? To Tori?
“I’m sorry, Ev. I’d give anything to make this go away.”
“Can you just tell me what the hell is going on? Bennett refuses to tell me anything! It’s been hours and I haven’t heard anything! Doesn’t she get a phone call or something? I can’t even send a lawyer to see her because I don’t know where she is!”
“Okay, okay, slow down. I don’t know exactly what’s going on, and unfortunately, what bits I do know, I can’t…I can’t tell you.” I hated the words as they came out, knowing they must feel like a slap to her face.
After everything we’d shared, the fact that I couldn’t even offer her a tiny bit of hope or explanation in such a desperate situation, when she was feeling lost and scared…tore at my gut. “Everlie, I can come out, I’ll help figure this out. I’ll get on a plane tonight.”
“No. Ryker, I don’t want you here.” Her words were angry and fierce and cut me to the core.
I gripped the counter with my free hand, clenching and releasing my jaw. “I’m trying to help you.”
“There’s a reason I didn’t call you, Ryker.”
“I get that, trust me—” I flinched at my unfortunate choice of words. Everlie’s final declaration to me, resounding in my ears. I don’t trust you, Ryker. And I never will. “I can help, Everlie. And right now, I’m the best chance you have at getting any answers.”
I was met with silence and I could only imagine the conflicted, torn expression on her beautiful face. It made my heart ache. A deep ache only seeing her could cure. “Everlie? Please, let me do this. For you.”
She sighed, breaking down a fragment of her stone cold wall. “Fine. But that’s it.”
“I’ll get on a plane first thing in the morning,” I replied, hoping I wouldn’t have to wait too long. It was going to be hard enough waiting for morning to come.
“Goodbye, Ryker.” She hung up, and I resisted the urge to slam the phone on the counter. How could someone so beautiful piss me off so bad?
Bowie whined again, and I looked down into his soulful brown eyes. It was like he knew I was going through something. I reached down and pet him on the head until my nerves settled, and the anger drained away.
* * * *
After a sleepless night, I untangled myself from the sheets and quickly dressed. I’d already booked a flight the night before, shortly after getting off the phone with Everlie. My bag was packed and ready to go and all I needed to do before jetting off to the airport would be to drop Bowie off at my mom’s house. Bowie followed me around as I drained a cup of coffee and forced myself to scarf down some dry toast. “Come on, boy. It’s about time we introduce you to the rest of the family.”
An hour later, Bowie was safely under my mom’s care, she’d agreed to doggy-sit while I was gone—in exchange for me agreeing to go to the church potluck. My mother knew me well enough to know I was in too big of a hurry to answer a lot of questions, but I did my best to let her know I wouldn’t be in any danger, and I’d keep in touch once I got to Vegas. I gave her a kiss on the cheek and flew out the door to my waiting truck.
Chapter Thirteen
Everlie
I wasn’t sure when I’d finally dozed off, but when I woke up, I was still wearing the outfit I’d been wearing the night before, and my eyes were dry and scratchy from crying too much and sleeping in my makeup. Everything from the night before rushed back to me as I sat up in bed. When I’d given up on trying to get answers from any of the FBI agents digging through the house, I’d barricaded myself in my room. Which is where I’d been, hunkered down, stewing in panic and frustration, when Ryker called.
And now, he was on his way back to Vegas. He’d texted his flight details to me and would be landing a little after ten o’clock. I’d considered offering to pick him up, but then decided against it. It was bad enough he was, once again, back in town—and my life—I didn’t need him in my car.
After taking a shower and scrubbing off the fatigue and stress of the day before, I went out to the living room and stopped dead in my tracks. The FBI team had left the room in complete chaos and it took every ounce of will I had inside me to keep from crawling back into bed. I ignored the mess long enough to get a banana and coffee.
It was nearing nine o’clock when I stopped working on straightening everything that had been disturbed by the late night search of the apartment, and sat back, bracing myself against the couch. I ran my hands through my hair, mindlessly smoothing the still damp strands against my head. The enti
re scene was something from a bad dream. This kind of stuff didn’t happen to people like me. Late night FBI raids, best friend getting arrested, ex-boyfriend—or, whatever he was—coming back, hell bent on saving the day.
What’s happening to my life?
Why are things so far off track?
It all pinpointed back to one night. The night Tori met Bennett.
“Ugh!” I screamed into the empty room, not caring that my neighbors might hear. They were all gossiping about me anyways. An FBI raid wasn’t exactly an event that could be kept quiet.
“Tori, what did you do?” I whispered to myself. I hated to even give a voice to the deepest and darkest question of them all. Ever since I’d known Tori, she’d floated through questionable situations without a care in the world. Tori was the kind of girl who laughed at the idea of danger, even in a city like Vegas that was steeped in sin. She’d always been immune to trouble, and I suppose that’s what gave her the impression that she always would be. As much as I hated to admit it, there was a very good chance that she’d finally gotten tangled up in something that she couldn’t just sweet talk or sleep her way out of. The scary part was thinking of the scrapes she’d already been in, which was nothing to laugh about, and wondering what kind of real trouble she’d gotten into this time. The FBI? They weren’t some city cops who arrested people for small stuff.
As I worked, channeling my frustration into a vigorous deep clean, my eyes darted between the clock on the wall and the front door. Ryker hadn’t said he would come to the apartment, but somehow, I knew it would be his first stop.
Sure enough, there was a knock on the front door about an hour past the time he’d told me his plane would land. I heaved a sigh as I pushed away from the table and went to answer the door. I braced myself, squaring my shoulders and slipping an impartial mask across my face, before I unlocked the three deadbolts and swung the door back. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of him and my heart did a double-take. Tall, wearing a tight black t-shirt and 501 jeans. Nothing could have prepared me to see him like that again. He did something to me, something I couldn’t shake off or ignore—no matter how furious and heartbroken I was about the lies he’d told and the way things had ended.