“I’m not sure what to think.” Sadie’s brown hair is tied back in a low bun, her dark eyes narrowed. At thirty-one, she’s my best investigator, and when the old guy left, I promoted her. She still finding her way in a sea of bruised egos, but she’s tough enough to deal with the dickheads who want to challenge her authority.
Ryder and I have worked hard to clear the department of tough guys and self-perceived alphas, but this is still small-town America and it’s an uphill battle pushing them into the twenty-first century.
If they don’t like it, they can quit. But other than grumbling, they are starting to adjust.
“It seems like a sloppy way to kill someone, don’t you think?” Sadie continues to question, once again going through material we’ve already discussed. “You want to get rid of someone, you don’t cause a pileup. It’s filled with risks, uncertainty, and a high probability of failure.”
That’s the part that doesn’t make sense. “Maybe it’s still an accident, a consequence of another event gone wrong?”
Sadie stares at the wall behind me in concentration. “Plausible.”
“Top priority is searching for a connection. If we find one, great. If not, we’ll figure out what’s next.”
“It’s as good a plan as any,” Ryder says.
We spend a few more minutes wrapping up before they leave my office, closing the door behind them. I turn my attention to my email and find a meeting request in my inbox from Jessica.
I ignore the way my chest thumps at her name on my screen.
She’s requesting time on my calendar tomorrow morning. The subject reads “Policy Discussions” and provides no other information.
I swirl the mouse over the pad, contemplating.
We haven’t spoken since the texts we exchanged before the party, nor have I seen her this morning.
I intend to keep it that way by staying in my office and catching up on the stacks of paperwork piling up.
Eventually, I’ll forget about her.
Eventually, I’ll get used to her with Cole Montgomery. He’s a good guy who will be the kind of man she deserves.
I might not have experience with infatuation, but I’m confident I can move past it. I’ll be polite and professional and accommodating.
I make my decision.
I add Ryder to the meeting request and accept.
It’s his sister; he can be her point person.
Jessica
I stare at the meeting request I sent to Charlie this morning.
I scheduled meetings with all the department heads as an introduction, to collect their policies for review, and to discuss any relevant legal issues specific to their departments.
He’s added Ryder to the meeting.
He’s not the only one. Some of the departments have added their deputies and some haven’t, but I anticipated Charlie keeping things private.
Instead, he’s putting further distance between us.
It…upsets me.
The pit in my stomach that took root at the party has sprouted again.
I’m so dumb. Somewhere along the way, I’d gotten it in my mind that we were going somewhere. Even though I don’t do relationships, those tendrils had woven their way into my veins anyway.
All this time, I’ve thought I had a black heart, but it turns out it’s soft and mushy where he’s concerned. So it’s probably better he wants nothing to do with me.