Hard to Hold

by Nicole Edwards

  Her heart squeezed.

  “Only one thing could’ve made it better,” he whispered.

  Amy lifted her head and stared into his eyes. “What’s that?”

  Wolfe pulled her head down, his warm breath fanning her ear. “If we’d both been inside you at the same time.”

  A shiver marched down her spine. The kind that left her body energized, her nipples hardening. But at the same time, trepidation coursed over her skin. The two of them taking her at the same time … that would be the ultimate possession. She wasn’t sure she was ready for that. She might never be ready for that.

  “Amy.”

  She realized he was cupping her face, staring back at her. She forced a smile.

  “Not till you’re ready,” he said, his tone reassuring. “You call the shots here, believe it or not.”

  She studied his face for a moment. “How do you figure that?”

  Amy felt Rhys shift, her eyes sliding over to him. He was awake, watching them.

  “Because that’s the way it is,” Wolfe answered.

  Amy shook her head. She wanted to believe it, but it didn’t seem as though it could be real. Her calling the shots? She’d never called the shots.

  “It’s true.” Rhys’s voice was scratchy, deep. Sexy.

  When she tried to pull away, Wolfe rolled her onto her back and both men lifted their heads, staring down at her. Amy watched them, dividing her attention between the two of them. She reached up and cupped each of their cheeks.

  “I’m not sure how I got so lucky,” she whispered.

  Wolfe put his hand over hers, then turned his head and kissed her palm. “I’m the lucky one.”

  Rhys smiled, linking his fingers with hers and bringing them to his mouth. “That was my line.”

  “Where do we go from here?” she asked. She knew it was the question all three of them wanted an answer to. “I mean … we can’t do what we did tonight for much longer.” She shook her head, then looked at Rhys. “I don’t want to pretend I’m not with you when we’re out in public.”

  Rhys nodded. “I know.”

  That didn’t sound as though he had an answer.

  “So, is this it? We’ll be together in private?” Amy didn’t like the idea of that. “Sure, I get it. But it’s … it’s not what I want.”

  “I’m all in,” Wolfe stated, his tone matter-of-fact. “I have nothin’ to hide.”

  Amy looked at Rhys again. He didn’t look quite as sure. Then again, Amy knew his job could be at stake. He was an elected official. She knew from what she’d heard that he was in his first year of his four-year term. That meant he might not make it to a second term and she knew he loved his job.

  “Why does it have to be so hard?” she whispered.

  “It’s not,” Wolfe replied, leaning down and pressing his mouth to hers. “It’s not hard. Not hard at all.”

  Amy wished she could believe him, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that they were both slipping out of her grasp. One second she felt on solid ground, the next as though the earth was crumbling beneath her.

  She wanted to hold on to them. Not just in the moment, either.

  More importantly, she wished Rhys would commit to them both.

  Because without him being all in…

  It wouldn’t even matter.

  Rhys was up before Amy and Wolfe the following morning. He’d set his phone alarm to wake him after they’d fallen asleep. He’d slipped out of his own house, leaving the two of them asleep in his bed, and knowing they were there, in his home, in his bed… It had been difficult to leave. Not because he didn’t want them there. On the contrary, he realized as he was slipping out of the house that he wanted to wake up to them every damn morning, to go to sleep next to them every night.

  Like Wolfe, Rhys had realized he was all in.

  At some point last night—or maybe it was this morning, he wasn’t sure—Rhys had realized they were it for him. He would never want anyone else the way he wanted them.

  Not that he had time to dwell on the state of his love life. He had agreed to meet Joanna Tannenbaum this morning regarding her unofficial Jane Doe case. She’d called about ten minutes ago to say she was running late and he tried not to let it bother him. Around these parts, people tended to be early, not coming up with excuses. But not everyone was from a small town.

  So, he had agreed to meet her over at the diner, where he now was with a cup of coffee and slightly less patience. He knew it was a risk being out in the open, but since Wolfe would be at church, Rhys figured it was as safe as any place in town.

  He knew instantly when the white Ford Taurus pulled into the parking lot that Joanna Tannenbaum had finally arrived. Rhys watched as she climbed out of her car, smoothed down her shirt, and straightened her sunglasses. She wasn’t quite what he’d expected. Then again, he hadn’t really known what to expect, but the woman who resembled a supermodel more than a detective certainly hadn’t been it. Her blond hair was hanging over her squared shoulders, and the shoulder holster and badge weren’t concealed.

  When she stepped inside, she removed the dark shades and peered around. She caught Donna’s attention, and a second later, she was being pointed in his direction.

  Rhys stood and held out his hand to greet her. “Mornin’.”

  Her grip was firm. “I’m sorry I’m late, Sheriff.”

  “Not a problem.” He motioned for her to sit and once she did, he took his seat.

  Donna strolled over. “Can I get you some coffee?”

  “Yes. Please. That would be great.” She turned toward Rhys, then lowered her voice. “Thank you again for meeting with me.”

  Rhys nodded. “You mentioned a Jane Doe case.”

  “Yes.” She turned toward Donna when the woman set a white mug in front of her, then poured the coffee. “Thank you.”

  Donna nodded, then disappeared.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t do this over the phone, but it’s”—she held Rhys’s stare, her expression serious—“sensitive.”

  “How so?”

  She swallowed hard, then reached for her purse. A second later, she pulled out a picture and pushed it across the table.

  Rhys stared down into the familiar brown eyes of the woman he’d left in his bed just a short time ago. She looked different though. Her hair was board straight and dark. She wasn’t smiling as she stood next to…

  Leaning forward, he snapped his eyes to the detective. “Is that Chief Kelly Jackson?”

  She nodded and took a deep breath. “About a year ago, Chief Jackson’s girlfriend conveniently went to Pennsylvania to take care of her ailing grandmother.”

  No she didn’t, but Rhys didn’t say as much. He figured Detective Tannenbaum knew that already since she was sitting in front of him.

  “It just so happened it was at the exact same time that a Jane Doe was left in a drainage ditch not far from here.”

  Rhys could tell she was watching his face to gauge his reaction. He didn’t respond.

  “Personally, I think Jane Doe and Amy Manning are one and the same.”

  Manning.

  Her last name was Manning.

  “And how do I play into this?” he asked.

  “As you’re aware, Jane Doe was found not far from here.”

  He nodded. “She was.”

  The detective sighed, clearly not happy that he wasn’t willing to share information. Until he knew what her angle was, Rhys didn’t intend to tell her anything.

  “Oddly enough, Chief Jackson has visited Embers Ridge a few times in the past year.”

  Rhys sat up straight. “What?”

  She nodded.

  “Look,” she finally said after sipping her coffee. “Something felt really off to me about the relationship that Chief Jackson had with Amy Manning. I’ve worked for him for quite a while, even before he became the police chief.”

  “When did he make chief?” Rhys knew it had been headline news out of Houston, but he didn’t remember the time fra
me.

  “Eleven months ago.”

  Well, that was definitely coincidental since Jane Doe had made the news almost thirteen months ago now.

  “Chief Jackson and Amy were together for nearly five years,” Detective Tannenbaum explained. “That’s a long time to simply let someone go from your life. And that’s exactly what he did. If your girlfriend of five years went to take care of a family member, wouldn’t you expect her to come back?”

  Rhys figured the question was rhetorical. And yes, he would.

  “Before she just disappeared from his life, Jackson talked about her all the time. He seemed enthralled with her.” Joanna brushed her hair back from her face. “Whether or not that was genuine is another story entirely. However, he did talk about her. And then suddenly, she’s gone. Simply vanished from his life and he acted as though nothing happened.”

  “Did he mention they broke up when she left?”

  “No. And that’s the strangest part. According to the story that’s traveled around, she simply went to take care of her grandmother, but she wasn’t coming back.”

  “Were they married?”

  She shook her head, then took another sip of her coffee. “No. In the beginning, he mentioned they would get married, but that died off about a year into their relationship.”

  “And you don’t think she’s in… Where’d you say? Pennsylvania?”

  “No.” Detective Tannenbaum rested her arms on the table. “I don’t. For one, Amy Manning didn’t have any living relatives.”

  “And you know this how?”

  “Like I said, the relationship seemed off to me. I was introduced to her a couple of times at various functions and she stuck with me for whatever reason. Sweet girl. Very young. Almost naïve, I guess you could say. Anyway, when the man who seemed to be so in love with this woman simply let her go and didn’t look back, I had to wonder.”

  Rhys continued to stare at her.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” she said, a small smile forming on her mouth. “And no, I have no personal relationship with Kelly Jackson. Never have. I’ve worked for him for a long time, and to be honest, there’s something about him that’s off.”

  “Off how?”

  “His demeanor. The man is the no-nonsense, take-no-shit sort of guy. He’s a hard-ass, but when it comes to cops, he’s fair. However, that’s not the case when it comes to criminals. As a patrolman, he was feared. There have been stories about him. About incidents. No charges have ever stuck and he’s risen in the ranks despite the rumors. But I think he’s hiding a dark side.”

  The man was hiding the fact that he was a fucking monster.

  “And what brings you to Embers Ridge?” He already knew the answer.

  “I’ve kept my eye on the Jane Doe case. The fact that it never went anywhere concerned me. Like I said, it was too coincidental that his girlfriend disappeared at the same time Jane Doe appeared. So, I watched him and waited for him to screw up. It’s inevitable. All criminals screw up eventually.”

  Rhys waited patiently for her to explain.

  “He turned in an expense report. A gasoline charge. From here in Embers Ridge.”

  Son of a bitch.

  “No, I shouldn’t have been snooping, but—”

  “It was too coincidental,” he completed for her. He got it.

  She nodded. “Honestly. I think Amy Manning is…”

  The bells over the door jingled and Rhys looked up as Wolfe and Amy walked into the restaurant.

  The detective glanced over at the same time she inhaled sharply and then finished her sentence. “…here in Embers Ridge.”

  Well, fuck.

  25

  __________

  Wolfe hadn’t expected Rhys to be home when he woke up. He knew the man had business to take care of this morning. He’d said as much. However, Wolfe damn sure hadn’t expected Rhys to be sitting in the diner with a blond woman wearing a gun and a badge, either. The only point in Rhys’s favor was the fact he didn’t look happy to be there.

  His eyes locked on Rhys’s and he could see something that looked a hell of a lot like panic set in. Wolfe’s gaze snapped to the woman.

  Badge.

  Gun.

  Not from around here.

  Fuck.

  It didn’t take brains to figure out what the hell was going on. The blond was staring at Amy, her eyes wide with recognition, which could only mean one thing.

  Wolfe had royally fucked up this time. Bringing her here.

  Son of a bitch.

  “Amy?” the woman called out.

  Wolfe instantly put his arm around Amy and turned to lead her back out the door, his brain working a million miles a second in an attempt to reverse this clusterfuck and get Amy out of there. Fast.

  “Fuck,” he grumbled.

  “What’s wrong? Who was that?” Amy asked.

  “No idea, but I don’t think this is somethin’ you need to be in the middle of.” Wolfe was going to fucking kill Rhys. How the fuck could he do this?

  “What? Why?” Amy turned to look behind them, but Wolfe continued to usher her toward his truck.

  “Amy! Please wait!” the woman called out from behind them.

  Rhys was right behind her and it was clear they weren’t getting out of there without a confrontation.

  Wolfe’s body coiled tight, his need to protect Amy fierce.

  “What the fuck is goin’ on?” Wolfe questioned, keeping his body positioned in front of Amy when he turned to face the woman. “How do you know her?”

  Before she could answer, Rhys intervened. Wolfe couldn’t hear what he said to the woman, but after a few words, he moved toward them, keeping his back to the mystery woman.

  “What the fuck?” Wolfe kept his voice low, but it wasn’t easy.

  “Who is that?” Amy’s voice trembled nearly as much as her hands. Clearly she’d figured out what was going on as well.

  “She’s…” Rhys took a deep breath, released it slowly. “She’s a detective out of Houston.”

  Amy blanched, every ounce of color in her face draining away.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?” Wolfe yelled at Rhys. “How could you fucking do this? You brought the bastard right to her goddamn doorstep!” His hands were balled into fists and it took every ounce of his self-control not to punch the man.

  “It’s not what you think,” Rhys said, his voice calm.

  “The fuck it ain’t,” Wolfe snapped. “A goddamn Houston detective? Did he send her here?”

  Amy’s fingers dug into Wolfe’s arm and he turned to face her. She was so pale, her hands trembling, her eyes wide.

  Before Wolfe could get his arm around her, Rhys put his hands on her shoulders and leaned in.

  “Breathe, baby,” he whispered softly. “It’s not what you think. She contacted me.”

  When Rhys peered up at him, Wolfe tried to gauge whether or not Rhys was lying. After all, the man hadn’t said a fucking word about a detective from Houston contacting him. Nor had he mentioned meeting with her.

  “She wanted to talk about a Jane Doe case,” he explained, glancing between them. “I agreed to meet her this mornin’ to hear her out.” He stood tall. “I wasn’t entirely sure it was about you, but yes, I suspected. However, I had no idea you’d show up here.”

  “It’s the goddamn diner,” Wolfe countered.

  Rhys swallowed hard. “I thought I had some time. I thought you’d be at church.”

  “Time for what?” Wolfe didn’t fucking understand.

  “Did he send her?” Amy’s voice trembled.

  “No. Not that I can tell,” Rhys admitted. “From what she says, she’s lookin’ into this case unofficially. She thought it was too much of a coincidence that Chief Kelly Jackson’s longtime girlfriend up and went back to take care of her ailing grandmother at the same time a Jane Doe was found battered and nearly beaten to death a few hours away.”

  “Kelly Jackson?” Wolfe had no idea who that was. “Is that hi
s name?”

  They both looked at Amy. It took her a moment, but she finally nodded.

  Rhys clarified, “He’s the recently promoted chief of police in Houston.”

  Fucker.

  “But that’s not the worst part.”

  Wolfe didn’t know if he could handle hearing anything else.

  “She’s concerned because…” Rhys took a deep breath. “She has proof that he’s been here. In Embers Ridge.”

  “Oh, my God.” Amy leaned into Wolfe, and he instantly put his arm around her, tugging her close to his side. “Why is she here? What does she want?” Her words came out fast and clipped, her panic evident.

  “I want to bring that bastard to justice.”

  All three of them turned their attention to the woman now standing a few feet behind them.

  Wolfe had to give her credit. The woman had balls. She met Wolfe’s gaze head on, held it. “My name’s Joanna Tannenbaum and I’m a Houston detective. I’ve worked under Kelly Jackson for years.” She looked at Amy. “Your sudden exit from his life made me suspicious. That’s the only reason I’m here. I’ve been tracking this for the past nine months. When I found out he’d visited here, the red flags went off. I knew it wasn’t a coincidence at that point. Rather than approach you directly, I wanted to meet with the sheriff. See what we could do to … protect you.”

  “So he knows where I am? That I’m alive?” Amy asked, her short fingernails digging into Wolfe’s arm, her hands trembling.

  “I’d say it’s highly likely. And if he doesn’t, it’s not because he hasn’t tried to find you,” Joanna explained.

  Leaning down, Wolfe pressed his mouth close to Amy’s ear, speaking only loud enough for her to hear. “He won’t hurt you, Amy. I swear to you. I won’t let him.”

  Her grip on him tightened and he tugged her closer, glancing over at Rhys. “I need to get her somewhere she feels safe. This ain’t it.”

  Rhys nodded in agreement.

  “Come on.” Wolfe ushered Amy into the truck and offered one final look back at Rhys and the detective.

  “What if he followed her?” Amy questioned when he climbed in the driver’s seat after helping her in the truck. “What if he’s here?”

  Knowing he couldn’t answer her questions, Wolfe decided to call in backup. Grabbing his phone, he dialed Lynx’s number first.