Beth's Absolution: A small town, opposites attract, suspense novel (Twisted Willow), page 7
Of course, Cora spotted him and waved him over, so Doug headed their way. “Hey, Sheriff,” Cora greeted him.
Gloria was quieter as she asked, “How’s it going, Doug?”
“I’m good, thanks.” He was never sure what to say in these situations.
Collin chimed in though. “Mac says the department is good aside from budget nonsense, though he keeps assuring me that is not your fault.”
“It’s the damn board of supervisors.” Mac picked up the conversation. “They can’t prioritize to save their lives—literally. You ask for emergency rescue equipment, and they give you a brand-new car. How the hell is that supposed to help?”
“It does let you get places safer and faster,” Cora pointed out. It was nice to see her coming out of her shell. Plus, the way Mac grumbled in response, but with a giant grin on his face, was comical. Puppy love was adorable. Doug was seriously happy for both couples. Everyone deserved to find someone to share their life with.
“You coming in for dinner?” Collin asked, pulling Doug from his thoughts.
“Weren’t you just here this past weekend?” Mac’s sly grin said this was a trap, so Doug just glared at him. Unfortunately, his deputy didn’t stop there. “Are you here looking to reconnect with someone, maybe?”
“No. I’m getting my dinner to go.” Doug was going to leave it there. He should leave it there. “And fuck you, asshole. Sorry, ladies.” He just couldn’t stop the words from falling out of his mouth.
“Did you meet someone?” Gloria asked him. She always had been perceptive. It was part of why what he did was so shitty. He’d made her doubt herself for a while there. Doug might not run through town shouting about it, but he was glad Collin had found her. He brought back the happiness and confidence in Gloria. No one should have the power to take that away from another person.
That didn’t mean he had the first clue how to answer her question though. He settled for a simple, if stupid, “I don’t know. I need to get going. Enjoy your dinner.” Then Doug turned and headed back toward the door. He could heat up a frozen pizza at home.
It was as he turned around that he spotted Beth. She and Cameron were sitting across from each other but leaned in and huddled together in the booth right behind Gloria and Mac. They were whispering back and for about something.
“Liz said Cameron and Beth are roommates,” Gloria offered unhelpfully. She must have seen Doug’s abrupt stop when he noticed them.
He turned and glared at her.
“It didn’t sound like there’s anything more than friendship between them,” Gloria added with a raised eyebrow. Was she encouraging him to… What? Date Beth? Keep sleeping with her?
“Doesn’t matter,” he grumbled. It was true too. There was no reason to debate what, if anything, he should do with Beth. She was affiliated with a bunch of outlaws, and knowing the property she’d bought, he was willing to bet she was storing stuff for them. Thinking about it gave him a headache.
Just then, Cameron looked up from his conversation with Beth and caught Doug’s eye. He looked surprised to see the man standing there in his sheriff’s polo and black cargo pants. It was enough to catch Beth’s attention. She had to squirm around in the booth to look behind her and see him, but when she did, he watched her face flash joy, sadness, regret, and anger all in less than the blink of an eye. At least he wasn’t the only one of them fucked up by their connection. That was the only way he could think of it, too. It felt like there was a connection like a live wire tethering his heart to hers. Crap, that was painfully sappy.
“You settling in okay?” With Doug’s friends in the neighboring booth, he wasn’t more than five feet away from her. There was no way he could avoid asking how she was doing. Something deep inside him demanded to know she was okay.
Beth just stared at him.
After a second of silence, Cameron jumped in. “She’s good. I finally convinced her to take the nicer bedroom. I don’t need much space, and who knows how long I’ll even be staying with her.”
Doug was slow to process what Cameron was telling him, but as his brain caught up with everything, he decided Cameron might not be such a bad guy after all. Sure he was still just a kid, but he had the wherewithal to subtly let Doug know Beth was single—or at least Cameron wasn’t involved with her. “Good. You’re Cameron, right?”
“Yeah, though meeting at a traffic stop probably isn’t the best introduction.”
“That’s true, but I’m glad you—” Fuck! He was about to say he was glad Cameron wasn’t sleeping with his woman, but that wasn’t right. In fact, there was a hell of a lot wrong with that thought.
“Beth pretty much raised me.” Again, Cameron saved Doug from the awkwardness.
“So, what? We’re just making nice with police now?” Beth finally spoke up, but it was firmly directed at the person sitting across from her. “Don’t you remember what Phil said less than two weeks ago?”
Cameron shifted his focus to Beth and furrowed his brow. “This is different.”
“Yeah, how do you know?” Beth challenged.
“Were you trying to use me on Friday?” Doug blurted out the burning question he couldn’t seem to find an answer to.
Beth studied his face before answering, “No. I had no idea who you were.”
“You had no idea what my job was,” Doug corrected her. “I am more than just my job.”
“So what were you doing Friday?” Beth asked.
Doug had to admit that turnabout was fair play. For some reason, it was important to him to earn her trust though. Instead of just answering her, he called over his shoulder, “Hey Mac.”
“Yeah, Boss?”
“Will you tell Beth about the conversation we had last Friday before leaving the station?”
“You mean the one where I told you to take off the damn uniform, emerge from your home, and just be a human?”
Doug couldn’t stop himself from smiling. “That would be the one,” he confirmed.
Then Mac took it a step further by leaning out around the booth and adding, “Oh and Beth? I told him to try and get laid, too. He was grumpy enough that people were starting to think I might be the happy one of the two of us.”
“We’re good now, Mac. Thanks.” Doug did not need his deputy spilling anything else.
“It’s nice to know you weren’t trying to hide it.” Beth’s face was still pulled down, and she wasn’t making eye contact with him. Doug had hoped the sincerity would lighten her view of him. At the very least, he expected Mac’s recounting of their conversation to make her smile.
Unsure of what else to say, Doug stated the obvious, “It sounds like neither of us had ulterior motives.”
“It doesn’t change anything though.” Beth’s tone was flat. There was nothing to hint at what she was referring to.
“What do you mean?” Doug wasn’t sure what it could or should change.
Cameron chimed in again, “She means that you’re still the sheriff, and she’s still associated with me.”
“Oh.” Now Doug could feel his own face dip. He wanted to ask her out on a real date. Doug wanted to go bowling with her and take Beth to a mini-golf course. Was his job so powerful it would stop that. Then Doug looked back at Cameron and the leather MC cut he was wearing even now. He had to admit Cameron was right.
Doug shifted his gaze to Beth. She offered him a smile that didn’t touch her eyes when she saw realization cross his face. “It was really nice to meet you,” she offered. The way she blushed as she said it led Doug to believe she was referring to a lot more than just sharing a booth in the bar.
“Yeah.” He fished his card out of a pocket of his cargo pants. “Uh, here’s my card.” How was he going to do this? How fucked up was it that she didn’t have his number? “It’s got my number on it.” He always kept some cards in two different pockets. The ones in his shirt pocket were just plain Sheriff Doug Riley business cards. The ones in his pants pocket had his personal cell number on the back. He didn’t like giving that number out to everyone, but inevitably when he did need to give it out, there wouldn’t be a working pen within ten miles.
Beth raised an eyebrow at him. “Like, 9-1-1?” Now he got to see her smirking, arrogant smile that felt like a challenge only he could meet.
“Well see, around here 9-1-1 isn’t always the best choice. Most people call my office, but I put my direct number on the back of that card for you. This way you don’t have to wait until you’re certain it’s a full-blown emergency before calling me for help.” Doug watched all the teasing arrogance fall from her face.
“Yeah, of course. If I need help, I’ll give you a call.” Beth shoved the card in her back pocket.
That wasn’t what Doug had meant. He was hoping she’d call him when she was bored, or got her hair stuck in a locker, or just needed a friend, but that wasn’t what he’d said. He’d given her a professional card, with a professional line about non-emergency support. Damn.
“You should probably be on your way, Sheriff,” Cameron encouraged him.
Mac and Collin’s table had fallen silent.
“Yeah, I should get going.” He waved to both tables. “Have a good night. Make sure all y’all have drivers who are sober.”
Collin and Mac both lifted hands to flip him off. Gloria leaned across Collin’s lap and stuck her head out. “Don’t worry. They’re letting Cora and I do the drinking tonight!”
At least someone would have fun tonight.
“This’ll be my only beer. I’ll make sure Beth gets home safe,” Cameron assured him. Why did that make Doug want to punch the biker in the face? He tried not to look too homicidal as he nodded his appreciation and turned toward the door. Based on the grunt that came from behind him, at least one person hadn’t been fooled by his attempt at a calm façade.
CHAPTER 7
Beth
Despite Cameron’s assurances that he’d keep an eye on her and drive them both home, Beth couldn’t relax enough to enjoy more than two drinks. She’d never liked feeling drunk. Spend most of your life in a motorcycle club house, and a girl learns early in life to stay alert and able to react. Even still, she usually enjoyed a nice buzz, but tonight each sip made her feel more like a sad sack trying to drown her sorrows.
They’d left shortly after finishing their dinner, though Cameron had been the one behind the wheel, heading back to their place.
“We’re going to have to come up with something. You know that, right?” he asked her as they pulled into her parking spot.
Beth had been lost in thought about sexy sheriff muscles and a rumbling, growly voice shouting her name. She had no idea what Cameron was referring to.
Her blank look must have said it all because Cameron put the truck in park, took one look at Beth, and burst into laughter.
“Hey, don’t make fun. I have no idea what in the hell you’re talking about.”
“That’s what’s funny. You are sooo into that sheriff.”
“It was one night,” she grumped. She wished it had been more than that, but it was done.
“Beth,” Cameron sighed like he wasn’t sure what to say or how to say it. “I think he’d be good for you.”
“What? Have you lost your fucking mind? I can’t date the sheriff. There’s a cabin full of guns and drugs right over there.” She pointed to the cabin they’d deemed their storage facility. Eventually, it would be full of trap doors, hidey-holes, and super-reinforced rooms, but for now, it was just like all the other cabins.
“That’s exactly what I was talking about when I started the conversation. We need to come up with something to do about the drugs. The guns are,” Cameron chewed on his lip as he thought. Beth might pluck out all her own eyebrows, but Cameron’s lip was forever covered in scabs when he was stressed. “Well, the guns are not good, but they’re not as bad as the drugs?”
Then it was Beth’s turn to sigh. “I know what you mean, but what do we do? We can’t just flush them down the toilet.” She couldn’t stop a chuckle from burbling up her throat as she pictured her and Cameron covered in drugs as they tried to flush many pounds of them down the commode. Then she tried to imagine what the plumber would say when they inevitably had to call in backup to unclog the pipes.
“I don’t get your humor, Beth. But you’re right about not being able to flush them. Could we give them back?”
“You’re joking right? Let’s continue this conversation inside. I might need another drink after all.”
As they both hopped down from the truck and toward the only multi-bedroom house on the property, Beth tried to understand where Cameron’s mind was going.
Even after they’d both settled comfortably onto the couch, she couldn’t wrap her head around it.
“Hear me out,” Cameron started. Beth knew from experience that meant he was about to suggest something completely insane that would be highly likely to get both of them killed.
“Go ahead,” she agreed reluctantly.
“We have a shit ton of drugs. Phil doesn’t know the club is dealing drugs, right?”
“Right. That conversation in his office made it pretty clear.”
“Okay, so if we were to drive the drugs back to the city and give them to the Russians, those guys return them to suppliers or pass them on or whatever for their own profits, right?” Sometimes Beth forgot just how young and naive Cameron was.
“Not likely. Cameron, criminals don’t tend to have strong ethics, nor do they respect honesty. And—” Beth did not want to say this next part aloud. “The only people who’d run that many drugs up the entire coast through a massive network like this would be a cartel or some kind of offshoot related to a cartel.”
Cameron thought about it for a minute. “Matt let it slip that he and Craig had gone down to Atlanta a couple weeks ago. I bet that’s where they picked them up. Maybe we could take the drugs back down there.”
Beth knew all of Cameron’s facial expressions well enough to know even he didn’t believe that was a real option, so she just looked at him.
“Fine,” he admitted. “What brilliant ideas do you have?”
No way was Beth going to admit to wallowing in her thoughts about not having anything. Instead, she started listing what they knew. “Okay, so let’s think it through. Matt and Craig broke with the Coyotes when they agreed to run the drugs, right?”
“Oh yeah.”
“It would be a good idea not to involve the cartel or the Russians if possible. We’re always better off to handle things ourselves.”
This time Cameron’s response was much more wary and held zero enthusiasm. “Uh-huh.” His eyes tracked her as Beth stood up to start pacing around the room. She crossed her arms over her chest and stuffed her hands into her armpits in an attempt to leave her eyebrows alone.
Cameron tried again. “Could we convince Craig and Matt to move them? Just get them off this property. Maybe we help them believe the drugs aren’t safe here or something?”
Beth had to admit it wasn’t a terrible plan. In fact, maybe they could move the drugs themselves and tell Matt and Craig they’d gone missing as a way to prove how unsafe it was for them to store the drugs here. When she suggested it though, Cameron tossed a grenade smack into the center of her idea.
“They’d kill you. Like in a heartbeat. The second you or I said that the drugs were gone or missing or whatever, we’d be dead. Maybe Matt couldn’t kill you since you’re his sister, but Craig wouldn’t even blink. He’d shoot and move on.”
“Argh,” Beth hated this. Why were there drugs on her property? Why did her family sell guns? Why couldn’t she live in a normal house with a normal family like a normal person? She’d be able to get massages and orgasms from the sheriff all the time then.
Beth took a deep breath to recenter herself. This didn’t need to be complicated, right? What did she want? How could she make it happen? Start there and solve one problem at a time. “I want the drugs off this property. That’s really all I give a shit about.”
“I need you to not die. Could we maybe add that to the list?” Cameron asked.
“Fine. Drugs off the property, and both of us alive. It’s a simple objective. Do we care if Matt and/or Craig end up dead?” Beth asked.
Cameron tilted his head to the side and squinted at her. “He’s your brother. Do you care?”
Beth didn’t even have to think about. “No. He might have played the same genetic lottery as me, but his machine was a scam that stole money and gave nothing in return. You’re my real brother.”
“Awww, excuse me while I cry a river of sappy tears.” Cameron’s sarcasm was exactly what she’d expected, but it didn’t lessen the truth of the statement, and they both knew it.
“Do you care about keeping in good standing with the club?” she asked. If Cameron was going to ask her if she cared if her brother died, she’d ask him if he cared about losing his patch.
“I mean, not really. I’d prefer not to be completely thrown to the wolves, but—”
Beth could see the smoldering embers as his brain fired up, so she gave him time to think.
“At the end of everything, I want you and I to still be good. You’re the closest thing I’ve got to family. Otherwise, I don’t care.”
“You think your standing with the club and your patch impact us? I think we’ve spent the last twenty years proving that our relationship is deeper than that.” The flush of Cameron’s cheeks and his refusal to make eye contact with her was all the answer she needed. “Cameron, you are my best friend. You are my brother way more than Matt. You and I are family. Hell, most of the time, you feel like my only family. There’s nothing you could do to fuck that up. You and I will always be family.”
