Cuff Me, Sheriff
Page 9
“You’re going down for a long time, Mr. Brown, do you understand that?” Mariella asked him. “But if you give us the others in your organization, we can get you a plea deal.”
He laughed and shook his head.
“You really have no idea who you’re dealing with, missy, do you?”
“Enlighten us, then,” I said.
Someone came to the door of the interview room and handed Mariella a piece of paper. She read it and kept her expression neutral. I waited for her to talk.
“Sheriff, outside, please.”
I nodded and we stepped out.
“He’s the kingpin,” she said, looking shocked. “The FBI helicopter found which RV contained the drug lab and they’ve arrested the people inside. My boss is coming down on the next flight. We’ve cracked the whole cartel.”
“Really? Him?”
“I guess even drug dealers can become pensioners,” she remarked. I chuckled and nodded.
“The only thing he’ll be doing from now on is hard time,” I added. “So we don’t need to question him?”
“We got everything we need to build a strong case. It’s... it’s over.”
I shrugged. Somehow, I’d thought there’d be more drama. Shooting. Explosions. That kind of thing. I guess that was the magic of Snake Eye. The place could defuse even the most serious of situations.
“So... I guess you’re going back to the East Coast, now?” I tried to act casual, but it was hard to disguise the way my throat had tightened.
Mariella sighed. “I guess. Unless there’s some reason for me to stay here?”
She left the question hanging. Waiting for an invitation. My fiesty submissive, through-and-through.
“I can think of a thing or two. The FBI has a field office in Phoenix, doesn’t it?”
She nodded. “Yeah. It’s about an hour away, right?”
“Something like that. Depends on traffic.” This was turning into small talk. “I’d like you to stay.” I blurted it out before anything stopped me. If she left without knowing, maybe she’d never come back. She had to come back.
This place had been overshadowed by something dull and rainy in my heart every damn day since Marcy got killed. Since Mariella came into my life, things had gotten interesting again. I wanted to spend all my time around her.
“I’d like to stay, too,” she said. “I’ve never found anyone else who hated Christmas as much as I do.”
I grinned. “I think I could learn to love Christmas if I got to spend it like that every year.”
She flushed red and I chuckled.
Epilogue
One month later
Bob
“When’s that girl of yours coming, boss?” Mike asked on a slow afternoon.
“Good question.”
I’d been in regular contact with Mariella since she left, but she hadn’t told me when she was coming back. Short of kidnapping her and dragging her back here, there wasn’t a lot I could do about that.
“She... she is coming back, isn’t she?” Sean asked.
“What’s it to you?” It came out harsher than I intended, but I wasn’t the kind of man to mince words so I didn’t backtrack or apologize.
Sean and Mike looked at one another. Mike spoke first.
“We’ve never seen you so happy, boss, as you were over Christmas. The lady who’s responsible for that... well, we’d like her to stick around awhile.”
I nodded. “Me too. But I think once she got home, and the magic of Arizona wore off, she probably realized she was far too young and pretty for an old-timer like me.”
“Old timer? You kidding me?” Mike asked.
“C’mon, Mike, I’m fifty. And she was thirty-five, at most. She probably wants kids and a life together. I can’t give her all that at my age.”
“Sheriff? With all due respect, you’re being a bonehead,” Mrs. Womack said. I turned around to see her leaning on the counter.
“May I help you, ma’am?” I asked.
“Well, I came in to file a complaint about that drifter, but now I’m here, I want to know when you’re going to send for that girl. Y’ain’t too old. You’re thirty years younger than me, and if I saw happiness walking around on two legs with a beating heart, I’d marry it as soon as look at it!” she said.
I sighed. “You can’t force a horse to drink water.”
She shook her head. “She’s a girl. Not a horse. Call her and tell her what’s on your mind!”
“Ma’am, you said there was drifter trouble...” Sean said, stepping in.
“Oh, yes, that drifter got into my kitchen this morning while I was serving up breakfast to my guests. And he won’t leave.”
I nodded to Sean. “Think you can take care of him, son?”
“Yes, sir.”
Sean set off, and I was about to go through a report with Mike when another call came in.
“There’s been an accident, boss. Sounds like a fender bender.”
“Want to go check it out?” I decided to offer him the chance to get out of here. I knew my deputies went a little stir-crazy if it was too quiet around here.
“I’m gone, boss,” Mike said, getting up to go. “But you need to call that girl.”
I sighed and waved him away.
It wasn’t like me to avoid a confrontation or obligation. The bottom line was, I didn’t want to ask her the question in case she said no. But they were right. All of them. I needed to talk to her.
I picked up the phone and paused. With the time difference, she’d be at work. I pulled her card out of my pocket.
I was halfway through dialing when she walked into the Sheriff’s office. I dropped the phone and stood up.
“Well, ain’t you a sight?” I chuckled in disbelief.
“I got a transfer. It took forever, but I just arrived in Phoenix today.”
I crossed the room in seconds and swept her up in my arms. I spun her around, knocking over a display of leaflets about burglaries as her feet lifted off the ground.
I kissed her deeply. She was real. My tongue thrust into her mouth, exploring it, just in case. She kissed me back, her soft lips meeting my firm ones, and I knew from the way she kissed me, she was here forever, this time.
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This is book five in the Arizona Heat series. Have you read the first four?
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Tie Me Down: On the run and pregnant, Alana isn’t looking for love when she finds hot rancher Lawson, who has serious skills when it comes to rope.
Make Me Stay: When Harper’s ancient campervan blocks their driveway, gruff cowboy Barrett literally puts her over his shoulder and insists on cooking her breakfast... to start with.
Take Me Hard: Aspiring actress Kinsley only wants to get to Hollywood, and she won’t let drool-worthy rancher Clay get in the way of that. Or so she thinks...
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