Beth's Absolution: A small town, opposites attract, suspense novel (Twisted Willow), page 14
As if on cue, Doug heard Beth’s truck pull up to the gravel parking area and stop. Just as they turned to go back outside to greet her, Cameron’s phone dinged. He glared at it before turning it toward Doug and asking, “You know this vehicle?”
It was Collin’s truck. Cameron was very understanding when Doug explained that Mac would be joining them and providing support, but mentioning Collin’s background with the FBI didn’t go over as well.
“Uh, I’m not sure that bringing in the FBI is a great idea,” Cameron grumbled sarcastically.
Luckily for Doug, Beth had joined the conversation by then. “He’s not FBI anymore, Cameron.” She turned to Doug for confirmation. “Isn’t he a forest guide or something now?”
Doug stifled his laugh. If Collin heard Beth refer to him as a guide, he’d shit himself. Doug would love to see that, but this wasn’t the time. Before the man could park and accidentally overhear the comment, he corrected her. “He’s a forest ranger. That means he’s technically a branch of law enforcement responsible for overseeing the forest, trails, and parks. The big advantage is that he knows the woods around here even better than I do because he spends every day hiking through them.”
By then, Collin was stepping out of his truck. He wasn’t the only one though. The passenger side opened up, and Gloria hopped out with her favorite short-barrel shotgun. Well, crap. Doug wasn’t sure what to do with that. On the one hand, Gloria was lethal with that damn thing. On the other hand, Gloria didn’t have the healthy fear God instilled in most goats. Adding her to the mix could give them a huge advantage, or it could be the spark that set off a fight they weren’t prepared for. Having Gloria and her shotgun around were sort of like playing hot potato with a live grenade. Then again, Mac seemed to think she was logical, calm, and collected. Maybe Collin had tempered her chaos?
“I was home when Mac messaged me, and Gloria refused to be left behind,” Collin explained as his greeting.
Doug just shrugged. He had no words. Maybe he should have let Collin overhear the guide comment after all.
“You’re Gloria, right?” Beth asked.
“That’s me. We almost met at Colton’s last week.”
“Yeah. It’s nice to meet you for real. I’m Beth.” Then she turned to Doug. “And now I’m going to ask you what’s happening with all of this.”
Before Doug could answer, Cameron chimed in. “You were right about the cartel. They sent at least two guys to Richmond to meet up with the Russians and figured out what’s holding up the rest of the deliveries. The sheriff came out to warn us about four guys heading this way.”
“They probably have others with them, but I got confirmation only about the four,” Doug clarified.
“Okay, so why are Collin and Gloria here?” Beth asked. “No offense,” she added with a gesture toward Gloria.
How was this Doug’s life? When did he go from local redneck sheriff to man organizing a veritable army to protect a woman he’d fallen in love with? He shook the wonder from his head and offered what he could. “I don’t have a plan yet, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to let the cartel and a bunch of gang bangers run roughshod through my county. Mac should be here any minute. I was thinking the three of us could figure out what to do about all this.”
Gloria huffed and rolled her eyes so intensely he could hear them swirl, but it was Beth who stepped up close to him and asked, “You mean you, Mac, and Collin, right?”
Doug knew it was a trap. He was certain this was a landmine, but he didn’t know how to avoid it, so he confirmed, “Yeah. Between the three of us and the deputies I have keeping an eye on the road, we should have enough warning to protect you. At the very least, we should be able to get you out of the way and keep you safe.”
Beth squinted her eyes and hummed at him. “What about Cameron?” she asked.
“We’ll protect him, too,” Doug assured her.
This time it was Cameron who scoffed. Doug frowned when Collin coughed to cover his own laughter. Unsure of what to do to fix whatever he’d clearly messed up, Doug stepped closer to Beth, rested his hands on her hips, and leaned down until their noses were almost touching. “Tell me what you want me to do, Beth.”
She sighed and ducked her head under his chin to thump it against his chest. Then she spoke into his chest. “I want you to include Cameron and I in the plans.” She turned her head toward Gloria before adding, “and Gloria too, if she wants.”
Every muscle in Doug’s body stiffened. “I won’t let you get hurt.”
“That’s not up to you. Besides, I’ve got some wicked skills with a long rifle.”
“She’s right about that,” Cameron confirmed. “Put her on a rooftop, and we won’t have to worry about sneak attacks.”
Before Doug could comment on the term sneak attacks or point out the differences between urban and rural settings, Mac pulled up in his own department-issued vehicle. Doug raised an eyebrow at Cameron. Had the camera failed to alert him to the new arrival?
“The camera’s good enough for me to see it was a sheriff’s SUV, so I figured he was with you,” Cameron replied to his unvoiced question.
This whole thing was turning into such a mess. Doug was a damned county sheriff, not a well-trained, special-ops expert. He was elected for fuck’s sake. What was he thinking? He couldn’t keep Beth safe. He didn’t have the first clue what to do about any of this mess. He shifted his hands around to the small of her back and pulled her tight against his chest. They could run away together. He’d take her anywhere she wanted to go.
“Doug. You okay?” Mac pulled him from his mental wanderings.
The look on Doug’s face must have clued in his deputy to his doubts because Mac took control of the situation. “I asked Judy a couple more questions before leaving the station. She’s reaching out to see if she can get us intel on a vehicle or vehicles heading our way, along with a more accurate headcount. They’ll have to pass through a few other counties, and state patrol is actively looking for them. They were last spotted in Richmond this morning. That means we’ve got at least a couple hours before they get here.”
Doug watched Collin shift into what Doug could only think of as his I’m-a-serious-agent-and-will-shoot-you stance. Normally, he’d make fun of him for it, but today it gave Doug hope that these men could help him.
“It’s your county,” Collin rumbled with his arms crossed over his chest.
“And you have more experience with this kind of situation. What do I need to do to keep Beth safe?” he asked.
Collin looked surprised for a minute, but Gloria ruined it by elbowing him and teasing, “See, I told you he was in love with her.”
“Stop poking me. Fine. You were right.”
“Oh, you are so whipped,” Mac said with a grin.
Collin gave him a flat look. “And I’m sure you’re fine with me telling Cora you said that, right?”
Mac closed his mouth faster than Doug had ever seen before. He’d have to remember that trick.
Just then, Doug’s phone buzzed. When he answered it, Judy informed him that the DEA had sent an update directly to the office. They had intel that a group would be heading their way sometime late that night. They were asking Doug to call them back about setting up some joint operations. Judy had told them Rockhurst County could handle things themselves unless the DEA had hard evidence proving it was within their jurisdiction. They didn’t, so the agent speaking with Judy reminded her how dangerous these guys were and suggested she have her boss call him immediately. “I figured you’d want the info, but there’s no need for the DEA to come poking around themselves,” Judy finished her report.
Thank goodness for Judy. Normally, Doug would love the help, but his first priority today was protecting Beth, not stopping drugs. He wasn’t sure how or when that had shifted, but he’d deal with his existential crisis later. For now, involving outside agencies just felt like a way to increase the violence. He relayed everything to the people standing around him.
“We can set up caches with supplies,” Doug suggested. “With Cameron’s security in place, he’ll have enough warning to make a run for it. In this terrain, he’ll have the advantage.”
“What about Beth?” Cameron asked.
“She’ll be with me,” Doug snarled. No way in hell was he was letting her out of his sight.
Collin cleared his throat.
“What?” As soon as he said it, Doug realized how aggressive his snarl had sounded. He rubbed his forehead. “Sorry. Share your thoughts.” Then Beth pinched his rib, so he added, “Please.”
Based on the way Mac was shaking his head, he’d caught Beth’s action.
“Running won’t solve the problem,” Collin pointed out. “For this community to be safe again, we need to eliminate the threat. Until then, they’ll continue to be present and cause problems.”
“We can’t kill them all,” Gloria scolded her husband.
“Not what I mean,” he clarified. “But we need more information. Why are they coming here? What do they want? What’s their big goal? What’s the immediate goal? And what’s their biggest fear?”
Everyone turned to look at Cameron, whose eyes expanded to the size of dinner plates.
“Forget our badges for now, Cameron. Just tell us everything,” Doug encouraged.
He looked at Beth first, but once she nodded her approval, he spilled the entire story. The drugs, Matt and Craig’s stupidity, Phil’s anger and excommunication of the two men—Cameron explained all of it.
When Cameron’s story reached their present moment, Collin looked at all of them and said, “This is a bigger problem than I think any of you realize.”
Without even noticing, Doug had stepped behind Beth and wrapped his arms around her as Cameron was speaking. Now, he tightened his hold even more. Running away with her might be their best option after all. Doug remembered Collin mentioning a friend he knew up in Vermont. Maybe Doug and Beth could move up there?
“So, what do we do?” Mac asked.
Collin shook his head. “The cartel will want to be compensated for their lost goods at the very least. Unless or until they get their money and can restore their relationships with whomever the drugs were supposed to be delivered to, they’ll be looking for people to punish.”
It was hopeless. Doug could tell by the look on Collin’s face. There was no plan, and no way out.
Beth wiggled out of Doug’s arms and stepped to the side. Mac and Doug both opened their mouths, but before either could say a word, Cameron held up a hand to stop them.
“She’s got an idea,” he said. “Give her a minute for the thought to fully form.”
When they all stared at him, Cameron explained, “That’s her planning face. I can pretty much guarantee her idea will be dangerous, insane, and more outlandish than normal humans could conceive, but her plans usually end up working.” Then he frowned and added, “Except that one time when it exploded, but that’s when some of the guys started teaching her to shoot in exchange for her agreeing not to touch C-4 or conduct any more experiments to build her own bombs.”
Doug looked at the woman he’d fallen for with fresh eyes, but as the new information sank in, he decided it fit. Imagining her playing with explosives wasn’t a big stretch. Based on the way Gloria was grinning, Beth had just earned herself a new best friend. As awkward as it was, Doug knew Beth would appreciate Gloria’s loyalty and thirst for adventure. Though, he should probably build his friendship with Collin. If their wives were going to work together to cause chaos, they might need to work together to ensure everyone survived.
Holy shit, Doug just thought of Beth as his wife.
Before his panic could take hold, Beth spoke up.
“I think I have an idea,” she said.
CHAPTER 13
Beth
“See?” Cameron gestured to all of them.
Beth rolled her eyes but shared her thoughts. “Collin, you mentioned eliminating the threat, but it sounds like the only realistic way to do that is a settlement of some sort where they agree to leave us alone, right?”
“You’re talking about getting the cartel to agree to a settlement?” Mac asked.
Beth ignored him and continued once Collin nodded at her. “Okay, so we need to invite them to a sit down. We need something to offer the gang to satisfy them, or we need a threat big enough for it to make more sense for the gang to go after Craig and Matt and leave us alone.”
“What do you have in mind?” Doug asked her.
“What if we threatened to arrest them?” she suggested.
Everyone just looked at her like she’d lost her mind. “Arrest them?” Mac asked.
“Yeah, like what if they were surrounded by police or whatever, but we said we’d let them go as long as no one ever brought drugs into the area again.” She was thinking about Doug’s sister and how much he’d been worried about everything and everyone that the community was losing to drugs.
Everyone was staring at her slack-jawed. It was Gloria who finally spoke up. “Uh, Beth, are you feeling okay? Last time I checked, that’s the opposite of what these guys do.” She gestured at her husband along with Mac and Doug.
“I get that it sounds nuts, but I think it could work.” Beth’s plan went a bit deeper than she was letting on, but it involved asking the man she loved to violate an oath he took very seriously. She wasn’t sure he’d go for it. Even if he did, she wasn’t sure the other members of the department would agree, and it would take everyone to make it work. She chewed on her lip and thought, but there was nothing else.
“We could put together some fake dope and make sure one package is real for them to sample,” Cameron suggested.
“That would last until they opened the other packages. Then they’d come back to us even more angry, less willing to talk, and with a better understanding of our layout and security.” She hated to burst his bubble, but that had been her first idea. Based on the way Collin was nodding along as she spoke, he saw the same flaw.
“Maybe we could find enough money to pay them back?” Mac asked.
“How much did they give Craig and Matt?” she countered by asking Cameron.
“Uh, about a hundred thousand.” The grimace on Cameron’s face told Beth she didn’t need to add insult to injury by pointing out the impossibility of coming up with that much cash. Cameron had already done the math. He knew it wasn’t a real possibility. Mac’s sigh proved he was on the same page, too.
They all turned back to Beth, but it was Collin who prompted her to share more details.
She inhaled deeply in preparation for what she was about to suggest. “These guys are used to an urban setting. They’re good at dealing with gangs, but they don’t have any experience with communities like this, right?”
Mac, Doug, and Gloria were scowling in confusion, but Collin’s eyes were alight with glee. He saw where she was going with this. Cameron was giving her the same look of pride he always got once he moved beyond the insanity of whatever she might be suggesting.
From there, she outlined the rest of her thoughts. Collin suggested a few changes, and Mac pointed out their need for additional people and specific information about how many people they’d be up against, but those were details they could figure out.
“Cameron, will you call Jake and find out what the club knows? Maybe they can come out and lend a hand?” she asked.
He nodded and walked away from the group.
“I don’t think they’re the best people for what we need,” Collin argued.
Beth opened her hands and gestured for Collin to make a better suggestion. He thought for a second before grinning like the Grinch on Christmas Eve. “Doug, between you and Gloria, you think you could pull together a dozen or so hunters?”
Doug looked at his ex-girlfriend, and they both nodded. He answered, “Two from the Smiths, probably five of my deputies, though that would include Mac.”
“Are you counting Travis Willis in that?” Gloria asked.
“Yeah, why?”
“His sister, Payton, is the one who taught him to shoot. I guarantee she’ll be onboard. I can call the Forbes, too. I’m not sure if Sarah’s left for college, but they’ve got two or three good hunters.”
“You know the Fletchers?” Doug asked her.
“Oh, yeah, but I figured you’d be calling them.” Gloria tilted her head, prompting Doug to offer an explanation.
Ten years ago, Ethan Fletcher had been one of his best friends, but his brother Tyler was always getting into trouble. It had eventually driven a wedge between Ethan and Doug. “I arrested Tyler for violating his probation last week.” Doug shrugged.
“Oh.” Gloria thought for a minute.
“Uh, maybe we shouldn’t invite them to help us, since this plan isn’t totally above-board?” Beth didn’t want Doug to get into any more trouble than he was already risking.
But Doug just smiled and announced, “Tyler’s scheduled to appear before Judge Snyder next week.”
“Ha! That’s perfect,” Gloria hooted.
Beth felt like they were speaking a foreign language. Doug had told her all about his history with Gloria, and Beth wasn’t jealous. Okay, maybe she was a little bit jealous, but seeing Gloria and Collin together made it easy for her to squash those feeling until just now. Witnessing the connection Doug and Gloria shared that the rest of them didn’t was hard, but when Beth looked over and saw Collin’s glare as he stepped in close to Gloria and wrapped an arm around her waist, she realized she wasn’t the only one feeling a bit left out.
Beth didn’t even have to speak up. Collin was already growling, “The rest of us need to know and understand whatever it is you two are talking about.”
Gloria must have understood her husband’s jealousy, because she turned into him and gave him a passionate kiss, complete with tongue, before responding. “Judge Snyder is founder and president of the Rockhurst Ridge Hunt Club. He’s known to view hunting season dates as general guidelines when it comes to locals, though he loves to fine the shit out of tourists caught poaching during the off-season. There’s a good chance we can convince him that this could count as community service for Tyler. Plus Tyler, Ethan, and the judge would give us a solid twelve people. Though Doug’s right to point out that it will go over better coming from me rather than him. Judge Snyder is not Doug’s biggest fan.” Then she turned back toward Doug while holding onto Collin’s arms to keep them wrapped tightly around her. “I can call Ben, too. Everyone else is good with him when he’s armed.”
