by Jayne Blue
The outer door slammed and the whirlwind that was Garnett Morris descended on the station. Ramona gave me a pleading look but I waved her off. Better to meet Garnett head-on than put it off.
I opened the gate for her. She brushed past me and headed straight for my office. I shot Ramona a look while Garnett stood in my office tapping her foot. I took one last gulp of coffee, wishing for something stronger, then followed Garnett in.
I gestured to a chair in front of my desk. Garnett waved me off. “It’s been five weeks, Finch. Five weeks.”
I set my mug down. “I’m aware.”
“No leads?”
“I’m afraid not, Garnett. I wish I could give you better news. It’s looking like this was just an awful, random act. More than likely, it wasn’t anyone from Crystal Falls.”
“Random vandals? That’s what you’re offering me? Do you know how much I pay in taxes to keep you here?”
“Garnett, there were no witnesses. No prints. Nothing was stolen so no stolen goods have shown up in any pawn shops from here to the coast. Like I said, the good news is it’s looking pretty unlikely that somebody local broke into your place.”
“That’s not good enough!”
“It’s going to have to be. Now, I understand your new security system will be up and running by the end of the week. I’ve upped the patrols downtown. You might also want to look into hiring a private security firm for your peace of mind. At least for a while.”
Her color drained and her eyes widened. She raised a crooked finger and pointed it at me. “Sounds like a shakedown, Sheriff. You seriously didn’t just say that to me!”
I raised my hands in surrender. “Calm down, Garnett.”
“You just don’t want to see what’s right in front of you. You’re right. This wasn’t a local job. But you’re too busy thinking with your libido to get me the justice I deserve!”
My blood boiled. “My what now?”
“Your girlfriend! Honestly, Finch. You do realize the whole town thinks you’re a laughing stock. That woman has the wool pulled over your eyes with her hot pants and tight blouses. She broke into my store.”
“Are you talking about Lila Kelly? Garnett ... I’ve been patient. But don’t push me.”
She dropped her hand to her side. “And don’t patronize me. You’re a fool if you can’t see it. That woman is nothing but trouble.”
“Fine.” I crossed my arms. “Since you’ve got this figured out, you tell me. Exactly what motive would Lila have for ransacking your store? Huh? Every business down there benefits from you having robust foot traffic, Garnett. Lila’s a smart woman. She knows that.”
“How do I know how her kind thinks?”
“Her kind?”
Garnett tapped her foot. “Don’t change the subject.”
I swear, this was like slow torture. I was beginning to wonder if Garnett Morris might be suffering from early dementia. Maybe a call to Dr. LeFeorge was in order.
“You’re being short-sighted,” I said. “Think, Garnett. A rising tide lifts all boats, remember? Your business does well, Lila’s does well. Lila’s does well, it’s good for everyone else on that strip.”
“Hmm,” she snapped. “Well, I guess the problem has taken care of itself. No thanks to you.”
“What are you talking about?”
Garnett shot me a satisfied smile. “For the town sheriff, you’re clearly not in the loop. She’s gone, Beckett. Your little girlfriend put a sign up in her front window. She’s taken her marbles and gone home. Good riddance.”
Ice shot through my veins. “Since when?”
“Since this morning, Columbo.”
I had the intense and uncharitable desire to strangle Garnett Morris at that moment. Instead, I held one trembling hand out and gripped the air.
“You’ve made your point, Garnett,” I said. “Was there anything else I can help you with today?”
“Be very careful, Sheriff Finch. You’re only here because I want you to be.”
I didn’t answer her. I grabbed my hat off the hook and brushed past her.
“Hey, Beckett?” Ramona stood at her desk cradling the phone against her shoulder.
“Is anybody dying or about to?” I asked.
“Uh ... no ... it’s just …”
“Good. I’ll be back in half an hour. You can help Mrs. Morris if she wants to file a complaint or something. Otherwise, you can remind her how to find the front door.”
I went out the back, blood roaring through my veins. Lila hadn’t answered my last text. She’d grown distant when I dropped her off the other day. But what in the hell would make her leave? Garnett had to be wrong. It didn’t make sense.
I left tire tread behind as I peeled out of the lot and rocketed downtown. I parked at an angle and left the cruiser running as I stepped out. Dammit. The old bat was right. Lila’s shop was closed even though it was barely nine a.m. She’d posted a sign in the window that read “Closed Until Further Notice.”
“Son of a bitch,” I muttered, tearing a hand through my hair. What the hell happened? I went to the back and pounded on the door.
“Lila! Open up!” I got no answer but the screeching protest of a stray cat I’d disturbed in the alley behind Lila’s shop. He was a local fixture too. Mickey over at the body shop named him Chester.
I pounded even harder on the door. Cupping my hand over my brow, I peered through the frosted glass window. There was no movement inside. The lights were off. Lila’s little red Honda wasn’t in its parking space.
I ran around to the front. Addy Cummings walked up the street toward me. I hailed her, running breathlessly to catch up to her.
“Hey, Sheriff.” Addy forced a smile.
“Where is she?” I asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Tell me what happened. Was this Garnett? Did she say something to Lila?”
Addy shrugged. “I’m not sure. Lila’s been acting weird for the last day or two. You know she had to let Arlene go a couple of weeks ago. She gave me a severance check. Who does that for a waitressing job?”
My heart sank. “Did she tell you where she was going?”
Addy shook her head and slapped a defeated palm against her thigh. “She just said she was sorry and told me to lock up. I was just doing a walk around to make sure I got all the windows.”
New hope flickered in my veins. “Addy, when? When did all this happen?”
“Like an hour ago. She gave me two thousand dollars, Beckett! Can you believe that? I tried to tell her not to worry about me but she insisted.”
I put a hand on Addy’s shoulder, suppressing the urge to shake her. “Addy, where was she going?”
“She gave me the money, went upstairs to pack a bag, I guess. Then she lit out of here like a bat out of hell. I don’t know. Twenty minutes ago? Heading toward the interstate. It was too weird. She was super calm. Like …”
“Like what?”
“Like it was no big deal. Like maybe she does this sort of thing all the time. I’m not sure. What do I know?”
“Thanks, Addy.” I patted her arm and forced a smile. She shrugged again and went back to check the windows. I ran to the cruiser and peeled away from the curb going lights and sirens.
Lila was gone. Addy said it seemed like she’d done this before. Every alarm bell I had rung loud within me. Instinct and good judgment told me I should just let her go. Nothing added up. Lila came from nowhere. The minute she got here, Garnett’s place got tossed. No witnesses. Except I knew deep in my heart Lila knew more than she told me. I’d known it from the second I started questioning her.
Damn Garnett Morris to hell. Maybe she was right.
I almost missed it. Barreling toward the on-ramp, I passed Jiffy’s Last Stop Truck Stop. This time of day, his place was empty except for one candy-apple red car on pump number one. Lila’s Honda.
I jerked the wheel hard to the right and pulled in behind it. The nozzle was still filling her gas tank but Lila wasn’t in
the car. I waited, my heart thundering in my ears. After about a minute, she came out of Jiffy’s store gripping a handful of candy bars in one hand and a Styrofoam coffee cup in the other. She got almost to her car before she noticed me. She stopped short, her jaw dropping, then quickly recovered by straightening her back.
“Beckett.”
I went to her. “What the hell’s going on, Lila?”
She blinked rapidly, licking her lips. It was a sure sign the next words out of her mouth would probably be a lie.
“I just have some things I need to take care of. I’m sorry I didn’t call you. Family emergency.”
“Right. You told me you don’t have any family anymore. So, was that a lie or is this?”
The color drained from her face. I let Lila step around me. She tossed her candy through the open car window and put her cup on the hood before turning back to face me.
“It’s personal, okay?”
“No. It’s not okay. You’re running from something. I ran into Addy. You’ve got three suitcases in the back seat. You’re not just leaving. You’re skipping town.”
She crossed her hands in front of herself and wouldn’t meet my eyes. There were a thousand reasons why I should have just left her then and walked away. Cut my losses. Lila might not be the trouble Garnett thought she was, but she was some other kind.
But as Lila stood there, trembling with obvious fear, it flipped a switch inside of me. I knew how I felt when I touched her. It might be the worst decision of my life, but I didn’t seem to care. I wanted her. Whatever she was running from. Whatever chased her. I’d strike it down and hold her close.
Instinct fueled me and I went to her. Lila stiffened for a fraction of a second as I slid one arm around her waist and hooked a finger beneath her chin. I lifted her face until she met my eyes. Tears played at the corners, gutting me.
“Beckett ... don’t. You don’t know …”
“I don’t care,” I whispered. “God help me, whatever it is, I don’t care.”
She let out a tiny gasp then melted into me as my lips found hers.
Chapter Eleven
Lila
I shouldn’t have stopped. Maybe on some level, I knew if I did, Beckett might find me. I had more than a half a tank of gas. I could have gone almost two hundred miles before having to stop. But when I walked out of that little “out of nowhere” truck stop, seeing Beckett’s smile melted my resolve.
I don’t even know what he said or what I did. I only felt the strong warmth of his arms around my waist as he pulled me close.
It was selfish. Reckless. Tommy probably had half a dozen men tailing me somewhere. He’d done it before. He could be nowhere and everywhere all at once. Our father taught him that. Maybe I’d been stupid to think my leaving would be the right thing to do. But my only chance to save the people I started to care about was to pretend I didn’t. It only took one kiss from Beckett for me to fail at that in spectacular fashion.
My heart ignited as Beckett’s lips found mine. I ached for him. He was so big, he filled my world, blocking out every thought but him. I loved the feel of his granite-hard biceps as he lifted me effortlessly off the ground.
Finally, I came up for air. “Beckett,” I gasped. What? What could I say? The truth of my heart was written in my eyes and my quickening pulse.
“Come on,” he said. “Pull your car next to the building.”
There was no use trying to argue with him. As he stepped away from me, my cell vibrated in the back pocket of my jeans. I pulled it out as I slid behind the wheel. It was Tommy. He knew. He was watching. Of course he was. I declined the call and tossed my phone in the glove box. I parked my car in an open spot beside the store. Beckett had pulled his cruiser in behind me, blocking me. But I was done running for today. I couldn’t escape my brother and it seemed I couldn’t escape Beckett.
I gripped the steering wheel and took a steeling breath. Whatever happened next, there’d be no going back. The only direction open to me was forward, wherever that led.
Beckett leaned into the driver’s side window. “Come on,” he said. “You got plans for lunch?”
“It’s only ten o’clock,” I joked. He held a hand out. The only way is forward. Smiling, I took his hand and stepped out of my car and into his. I thought Beckett would turn back toward Crystal Falls, but he didn’t. Instead, he took the freeway and headed west. He stayed silent for nearly ten miles before turning into a little pull-off overlooking an open field.
I could see why they’d built it here. The highway service had built a little guardrail out of stone. It overlooked the vast expanse of an oil field; the giant, iconic arms of three huge rigs made rhythmic motions as they cut miles into the ground. It was like a scene out of some Texas postcard back at Jiffy’s.
Beckett killed his engine and turned to me. “What are you running from?”
I had to lie. Something in Beckett’s eyes told me he knew that. “It’s complicated,” I said, deciding instead on a version of the truth.
“Don’t lie to me.”
I turned to meet his eyes. “Then don’t ask me to tell you everything. I’m just ... I’m doing the best I can. I swear. It’s just ... maybe I’m not good for Crystal Falls or it’s not good for me.”
He flinched, then hardened, but he kept my gaze, challenging me. “What if I told you I think you’re good for me?”
Of all the things he could have said, I wasn’t expecting that. It was my turn to flinch. “Beckett …”
“Come here.”
“Beckett, please ... I don’t …”
“Come here!”
He slid his arm around my waist. My heart felt drawn to his like a magnet. It had been that way since the moment I saw him.
“You shouldn’t have anything to do with me,” I said, holding back a sob. It wasn’t fair. I wanted to just give in to him, give in to all of it. It was exhausting trying to be strong.
“Why don’t you let me worry about me?” he said. “You married?”
“What? No.”
“Did you kill somebody back in Boston? Rob a bank? Steal a car?”
Damn him. He got me to smile. “No.”
“Good. Because whatever it is then, I damn well don’t care. I said, come here.”
I did. I let the waves wash over me as Beckett drew me to him, pressing his body against mine. He had classic country playing softly on the radio and it suited my mood. This was the rightest wrong I’d ever felt. Desire flooded my senses. Desire, and everything Beckett. He smelled clean and male. His calloused hands sent shivers through me as he slid them beneath the hem of my t-shirt and up my naked back.
I kissed him. I drowned in him. He was so good. So right. So ... Beckett.
My heart fluttered, sending heat shooting through me as Beckett slipped two fingers under my bra clasp. With deft quickness, he unhooked it. I leaned back, drawing him on top of me. Beckett’s breath came quick and ragged.
I reached for him. I couldn’t help myself. Lust fueled me. This was me. Beckett and me. He was the first thing I wanted for myself in so long. I felt drunk with it. I slid my hand up Beckett’s thigh. He was huge and hard beneath his fly and I struggled to free him.
His deep, sultry laugh nearly undid me. “I’m breaking about a hundred rules here.”
“I don’t care,” I gasped. “Break them. We’re not even in Crystal Falls anymore, are we?”
He smiled. “We’re not even in Burnet county.”
“Good.” That was the last coherent word I spoke.
An hour ago, I wanted to run. I still was. But instead of running away from something, I ran full force into him.
Beckett Finch was a strong man. A man of honor, duty, loyalty. A hero. The real kind. But as lust coursed through our veins, even he had his breaking point. He clung to me as I did to him. And after all, a man can only be so strong.
We became a jumble of limbs, clawing at each other. Beckett got my shirt up over my breasts. I moaned in ecstasy as his lips found
one nipple, then worked the other. He swirled his tongue, pebbling them. I found his fly and managed to get his zipper down. Beckett let out a primal growl as I closed my fingers around his rock-hard shaft.
I was wet for him already. I felt the swell of my sex. I couldn’t get my jeans down fast enough. I wanted more. I wanted it all. I wriggled out of my pants. Beckett hooked two fingers beneath the crotch of my panties. They were soaked. He worked me, finding the tiny little bud between my legs pulsing with need.
This was raw. Wanton. Wild. It was also the most erotic moment of my life. Beckett had the presence of mind to reach for his wallet. Swift and cool, he pulled out a condom and slid it on. God help me, I’m not sure I would have had the willpower to stop even if he wasn’t prepared that morning.
I throbbed for him. He caught my earlobe between his teeth and nipped it. I arched my back, pulling him down on me.
It wasn’t safe here. We had to be quick. The danger of discovery heightened my lust.
“Is there a problem, officer?” I teased.
Beckett laughed. “You have no idea.”
“Oh, I think I do.” I closed my fingers around his hard shaft again, then cupped his balls with my other hand. He was so full ... throbbing for me.
“Hurry,” I gasped. “I don’t think I can hold on.”
Beckett pulled my panties to the side. Oh God, yes. This. Just like this. Somehow, it heightened my pleasure even more having him take me with my panties still on.
Beckett slid one hand beneath my ass, angling me upward. With the other, he guided himself into me. I struggled to spread my legs wide in the tight space of his front seat.
I was so wet, but so tight. It had been so long it almost felt like the first time. Oh, but it was so much better. At that moment, I felt born for Beckett. Born for this. With one expert thrust, Beckett sheathed himself to the hilt inside me, spreading me wide to take him all in.