by Morgan Blaze
“Oh! That’s great. We definitely need help.” Her smile broadened. “Are you new in town? I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”
“No, I’ve been here a while. I just didn’t get out much until now.” She breathed a little easier. Good thing she’d planned how to answer that question without all the yes-I-mean-sort-of-not-really babbling. At least that hadn’t sounded completely stupid. “Are you Mags?”
The woman laughed. “No. Mags doesn’t speak to people until she’s finished her first cup of coffee.” She held a hand out. “Luka Dawson.”
Oh God. This was Gage’s sister.
For an instant she couldn’t move, and she was sure her jaw must’ve dropped. But her brain screamed a warning that hesitation was a bad idea, and her arm came up without conscious effort. The contact managed to loosen her tongue. “Kyla Harding,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound as surprised as she felt. “It’s nice to meet you.”
She thought Luka’s eyes narrowed for a moment, but she could’ve imagined it. “Likewise,” she said, releasing her hand to walk around the other side of the desk. “I have to warn you, we’re not looking for a real experienced hire right now. This is kind of a beginner position. So if you’ve got experience, you might want to wait—”
“No, that’s perfect,” Kyla said too quickly. “Er. Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. It’s just that I really need a better job, but I haven’t really done a lot of hair. I was hoping I could…um, a beginner position is perfect.” She offered a nervous smile.
Luka smiled back. “I’m glad it’s what you’re looking for, then,” she said. “You’ll have to talk to Mags. But don’t worry—she doesn’t bite. Come on, I’ll take you to her.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
Kyla followed her down a short hallway behind the reception desk and tried to stop thinking about Gage. She couldn’t believe she’d run across his sister at the first place she’d walked into, and she wasn’t sure how to take it. Maybe it was a sign…or a warning. She’d stopped trusting her instincts soon after she realized what her ex-husband really was, but she used to listen to them. They hadn’t let her down until Mike happened.
Luka stopped in front of a door at the end of the hall and knocked twice. “Mags,” she called. “You decent?”
“Do I sound decent?”
The voice was clear, even through the closed door. Luka smirked and shook her head. “She hasn’t finished her coffee yet,” she said in a half-whisper. Then louder, she said, “We’ve got somebody here for the job.”
“Do I know her?”
“No.”
“Do you?”
“No, but—”
“Can she use a sink and a broom?”
Luka glanced at Kyla, and she nodded slowly, brow furrowed. “Yes,” Luka called.
“Is she a serial killer?”
“Mags!”
“Okay, she’s hired. Now go away.”
Giggling a little, Luka took her arm gently and steered her back down the hall. “Welcome aboard, Kyla,” she said. “Let me give you the grand tour. Oh, and can you start today? We’ve got plenty to do.”
“Wait a minute.” She stopped and stared at the other woman. “She was serious? I mean, I’m really hired? She didn’t even interview me or anything.”
Luka shrugged. “That’s how Mags rolls. Besides, she knows I’d never bring anybody back there unless I thought she should hire them.”
“But…you didn’t interview me, either.”
“Sure I did.” She grinned. “I told you it wasn’t a great position, and you totally jumped all over it before I could finish my sentence. That said you really need a job more than actually saying it, which you did. Plus, you’re sweet. You remind me of my best friend.”
“Oh.” Kyla blinked a few times, and her throat felt a little tight. She’d thought it would be a lot harder to find a job, and she expected people wouldn’t be too friendly toward her right away. After all, she was a virtual stranger in a tight-knit town. But she already liked Luka a whole lot. “Well, thank you,” she managed. “Thank you very much.”
“You’re welcome. How about that tour?”
“Sounds great.”
She trailed Luka out to the main part of the salon, unable to keep from smiling. Maybe building a life here wouldn’t be as hard as she thought—because things were definitely looking up.
* * * *
“Gage! Get out here, now.”
The shout carried through the half-finished house. Gage rolled his eyes and finished pounding the sheetrock he was nailing into place before he reacted. He’d been waiting for this all morning. Mark hadn’t said a word about last night yet, not even when he wore sunglasses through breakfast. He figured the explosion was coming.
“Goddamn it, Gage!”
He sighed and set the hammer down. “Heard you the first time,” he called, wiping his dusty hands on his jeans as he walked through what would eventually be the kitchen. This wasn’t a great time for a lecture—and it wasn’t like Mark, either. Taking work time for personal issues wasn’t his style. Normally he would’ve waited until at least the lunch break.
When he reached the living room, he found out he’d been right about this not being Mark’s style. In the worst possible way.
“Sheriff Tanner.” Gage stopped as soon as he caught sight of the big man standing in the front entrance with a stern glare on his face. Son of a bitch. Dean must’ve decided to hide behind his badge again—not that he should’ve expected the weasel to suddenly grow some balls, just because he’d called him a coward. “What’s going on?” he said to the sheriff.
“You know why he’s here.” Mark looked like he’d happily break Gage’s face, if he wasn’t standing right next to the long arm of the law. “No wonder you’ve been avoiding me all day.”
“Hey, you’re the one who—”
“All right. Enough,” the sheriff said firmly. “Son, would you mind taking those glasses off for me?”
“Actually, I would mind. But I guess that wasn’t really a question.”
“Good guess.”
Holding back a sneer, Gage removed the sunglasses. He avoided looking at Mark—but couldn’t help noticing the way his brother’s eyes narrowed when he saw the shiner. Typical Mark. The know-it-all probably assumed he’d started a fight.
Grudgingly, he had to admit he’d assume the same thing.
Sheriff Tanner sighed. “I’ll need you to come down to the station with me,” he said. “Are you going to cooperate?”
“Is he under arrest?”
The rumbling voice behind Gage startled him. He hadn’t even heard Jonah’s approach. “Stay out of this, bro,” he said without turning. “I’ll handle it.”
“Right.” Jonah stepped up beside him with a glare that met the sheriff’s. “Like you handled it last time. That was real justice.”
“You want to mind your step there, Jonah,” Sheriff Tanner said evenly.
“Or what?”
“Knock it off,” Mark practically growled. “Gage made the mess. You need to let him clean it up himself.”
Jonah took a menacing step forward. The sheriff didn’t flinch—but Mark did. “He didn’t make it himself,” Jonah said. “Dean wasn’t alone last night. You just keep that in mind when you step there, Sheriff.” With that, he turned and stalked out of the room.
Mark stared at him. “That true, Gage?”
“Never mind.” Maybe he shouldn’t be so pissed off, but he was sick of people assuming the worst about him. Even if they were right half the time. Which meant it was his own damned fault—and that pissed him off even more. “I’m cooperating,” he said. “Let’s go.”
Sheriff Tanner walked outside, and Gage followed him without sparing a glance for Mark. It’d only make things worse, since he probably felt bad now. But neither of his brothers knew what really happened last night—again, his fault. He hadn’t told them.
There was a standard police car parked at the curb. The sheriff
reached it first and opened the back door, motioning for Gage to get in. At least he wasn’t going to be handcuffed. He climbed inside and waited while Tanner shut the door, then got in the front and pulled away in a U-turn to head for the station.
“So, you didn’t answer Jonah’s question,” he said eventually. “Am I under arrest?”
“Not yet.”
“Great. So you’re planning on arresting me, you just haven’t gotten around to it.”
The sheriff glanced in the rearview mirror. “If this was the first time you and Dean went at it, maybe.” He shook his head. “Look, I know how he can get. But he’s a damned sight worse than you right now, and it’s my job to find out what happened. So how about you tell me?”
“What’d he say happened?”
“You know I’m not going to tell you that.”
“Fine.” Gage leaned back against the seat with a frown. He absolutely didn’t want to mention Kyla. There was no reason for her to be on the sheriff’s radar, just because she’d stood up to Dean Wesley. She deserved a medal for that. The good news was, Dean probably hadn’t mentioned her either. He wouldn’t want it known that he’d been taken down by a girl.
“Well?” Sheriff Tanner said. “What’s your side of the story?”
Gage held back a groan. He could’ve used a little more time to think, to come up with something that sounded plausible and didn’t involve Kyla. It probably didn’t matter much, though—in the end, Tanner would take Dean’s word over his and he’d likely spend the weekend in a cell. But he had to say something, or that likely would become a definite.
“All right,” he said slowly. “Dean got a little pissed off because I took Jenny out to the bar. She told me she dumped him,” he said quickly when the sheriff shot him a narrow-eyed glance in the mirror. “We shot a few rounds of pool, and we left. Dean was waiting in the parking lot.”
“Alone?”
“Not exactly. Couldn’t say who else was there, though.”
“Well pardon my French, but that’s bullshit.” They were nearing the sheriff’s station now, and Tanner drove toward the back parking lot. “If Dean wasn’t alone, I need to know who else was with him. And don’t you play clueless with me, Mr. Dawson, because you know just about every soul in this town.”
“Yeah, well maybe I just wasn’t paying attention.”
“You’d better start thinking real hard, then. Because you’re not going anywhere until I find out what happened last night.”
Sheriff Tanner parked near the building and got out. A moment later, he opened the back door. “Come on,” he said. “I’ve got half a mind to lock you up for obstruction, but I won’t just yet.”
“There’s a surprise,” Gage muttered.
“What was that?”
“Nothing.” Heaving a short breath, he slid out of the car and stood—just in time to see Jenny Steele stalking out the back door of the station.
Suddenly, he knew Dean hadn’t been the one to report the fight.
“Where is she?” Jenny looked right past Gage, into the empty back seat of the cruiser. “Sheriff, you said you were going to bring her in. That bitch almost blinded my boyfriend for life.”
“Watch your language, Miss Steele.” There was a warning edge to the sheriff’s tone. “Last I checked, you weren’t a member of the sheriff’s department. I’m conducting this investigation.” He turned to Gage, and said, “So, Mr. Dawson. Why don’t you come inside with me—and this time, tell me what actually happened. Because if it doesn’t match this mystery woman’s story, you’re going to have problems.”
Gage went, but he had no intention of telling the truth. Tanner could lock him up if he wanted. He wasn’t going to let them have Kyla, too.
Chapter 6
By the end of the morning, Kyla knew she was going to enjoy working at Magic Mags. Luka had walked her through everything, and she’d already given her first manicure. And Mags was fun and hilarious, once she’d finished her morning coffee. For now, her job was mostly doing nails, washing hair, and cleaning up—all tasks she could handle with no problems. Eventually she’d get to do some styling, and Luka said she’d teach her the tricks of the trade.
More than once she’d tried to find an opportunity to tell Luka about meeting Gage last night. It was going to come up sooner or later, and she felt it would be better if she mentioned it before Luka found out some other way. This town probably had a massive grapevine, and rumors tended to warp as they passed through those things.
The last of a small rush of customers walked out just before noon, and Mags went to the back for something. Kyla decided that now would be a good time to talk to Luka—but before she could say anything, the front door opened and a man in a uniform walked in.
Her heart jumped hard, and she actually took a step back before she realized it wasn’t the cop from last night. This guy was a lot taller, with muscles that strained at his shirt. Plus, he hadn’t been Maced in the eyes. His gaze locked on her for a moment before Luka cleared her throat, and his attention turned to her.
“Hey, Donovan,” Luka said in a tone that was almost frosty. “Where’s your partner?”
“He took the day off, ma’am.” The cop sounded cautious, like he was afraid of upsetting her. “Um. Sorry to bother you folks, but I’m looking for a witness to an…incident at The Klinker last night. No one seems to know her personally.” He faced Kyla again. “The bartender who was working then says she’s blonde, about five-two, and her first name is Kyla.”
She froze. From the corner of her eye, she caught Luka staring at her with an open mouth. This was not good—she hadn’t even considered the possibility of an investigation. But she’d injured an officer, even if he was off-duty. As an outsider she could be in a lot of trouble here.
At the least, she’d probably just lost her new job.
“Um.” She swallowed and avoided looking at Luka. “My name is Kyla.”
For some reason, the deputy looked unhappy to hear that. “Ma’am, were you at The Klinker last night at approximately ten p.m.?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“I need you to come to the sheriff’s station with me to give a statement,” he said. “Please.”
“All right.” She shivered a little, and finally faced Luka. The woman looked furious. “Luka, I’m so sorry,” she said. “I just…I guess I won’t come back. It was nice to meet you.”
Luka’s expression changed instantly to concern. “Of course you’re coming back,” she said. “Did you think—oh, I’m not mad at you! Am I, Donovan?” The anger returned as she looked at the deputy. “What’s going on here?” she said. “I swear to God, if your partner has anything to do with this, I’m going to the sheriff myself.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am. I can’t discuss an open investigation with you.”
“Don’t you ‘ma’am’ me, Nick.”
“Luka, please.” The deputy looked almost frantic. “I really am sorry. I have to do my job. But I promise she’ll be back, safe and sound.”
Luka sighed and relented a little. “She’d better.”
He nodded. “Miss…uh, Kyla? Could you come with me, please?”
“Okay.” She tried to smile, though she felt downright sick. “Thank you, Luka.”
“Don’t worry about it. And listen, if this has to do with Dean Wesley, don’t let him push you around. He’s nothing but a bully with a badge.”
It was all she could do not to laugh. This definitely concerned Dean, but things were completely opposite to what Luka thought. Kyla had been the one to push him around last night—and now she had to answer for it.
She only hoped they wouldn’t lock her up right away.
The deputy, Nick, led her outside to a police car parked next to her truck, and opened the passenger door. She frowned and looked from the car to him. “Don’t the police usually put people in the back seat?” she said. “I mean, in case they try to escape or something.”
He smiled. “Are you planning an escape?”
“Well, no. But…”
“Don’t worry, ma’am. The sheriff just wants to get a statement from you. That means you get to ride shotgun.”
“All right. Thank you.”
She climbed in and fastened her seat belt, trying to ignore the heavy weight in her gut. The last time she’d been to a police station, things hadn’t turned out well. The officers had barely listened to her—and even after she told them exactly who’d given her a black eye and a split lip, they’d called her husband to get her. One of them had actually held her arm when she tried to run, and then physically handed her over to Mike.
Knowing that couldn’t possibly happen this time didn’t make her feel any better.
Nick slid behind the wheel and backed out with practiced ease, then headed down Main Street. “I am sorry about this,” he said without looking at her. “But I’m sure it won’t take long. Oh, and we haven’t really met, have we?”
She managed a smile. “I gather your name is Nick Donovan.”
“Yes. Luka and I were in high school around the same time.” He smirked. “Dean too. Obviously, she doesn’t like him much.”
“Looks that way.” She thought of Gage last night, and the way he looked when he said he hurt my sister. Dislike was probably an understatement. “Well, I guess you know my name already,” she said.
“Kyla.” He glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. “Wouldn’t think you’d be so hard to find with a name like that, in a town like this. Even without a last name to go on. But I’ve been looking for you all morning.”
She decided not to mention that she wanted to be hard to find. That might sound a little suspicious to the police. “Um, how far are we going?”
“Actually, we’re here.” Nick signaled and turned right, toward a brick building situated on a low hill. He drove around to the back and parked between two other police cars. “Okay,” he said. “If you’ll just follow me, I’ll take you to the sheriff.”
She nodded and took a moment to gather her nerves before she got out of the car. Nick led her through a back door, into a dimly lit hallway that didn’t help her feel very settled. They passed a closed door with a large, reinforced glass window, and she happened to glance into the room beyond it. What she saw wrenched her heart.
