Page 13

“Dee, I’m not going to lie. I’ll run a few checks. Only a fool hires someone off the street. I’ve a town to protect. If you leave everything with me, I’ll get back to you within forty-eight hours. Which position were you interested in—the night or the day shift?”

“The latter, but right now, sheriff, I’d just be grateful for any role, thank you. Honestly, I love being a cop and helping people. That’s why I joined the force. I made the mistake of being involved with a senior officer. That’s a situation I’m gonna have to live with. It’s not something I’ll do again.” Dee held my gaze, and I saw how genuine she was.

Slowly, I nodded. “You’ll be hearing from me, Dee, one way or another.”

She got to her feet, stood, and stuck out her hand. “I appreciate your time, sheriff. Whether it’s a yay or nay, thank you for your consideration.”

Dee walked out as Bow entered, glanced across, and sat at his desk. She smiled and left.

“Who was that?” Bow asked.

“Someone interested in the day position,” I replied.

Bow looked at me like I was insane. “Tell me you hired her?” he demanded.

“She’s got a few… shall we say difficulties? She left home to work in New York with her boyfriend, who was her senior officer.”

Beau winced. “Same old story then?” he asked. “When will women officers learn? Senior cops take advantage.”

“Not their fault; most are snowed by the attention. Those in charge need disciplining but walk away scot-free. Dee seemed quite matter-of-fact about it. I think there’s more to it than she fell for a senior officer. Maybe he got promoted ahead of Dee, or maybe it’s just the same BS as usual. I’ll soon know,” I replied.

Bow shrugged and then sat down to write his report.

Dee

I didn’t leave Merritt straight away, choosing to look around where I hoped to work. From the literature I’d found online, Merritt was an old, abandoned mining town where most of its buildings had fallen into disrepair. I’d read that the Unwanted Bastards MC had bought and restored it, and opened it as a themed town. I had to admit that what I was looking at was pretty damn impressive.

Everything seemed like it had been built several hundred years ago. The restoration had been done very sympathetically indeed. That was a quality I respected. I spotted a restaurant and headed over, intending to sit down and grab something to eat when I heard a shriek.

I turned around and saw a woman grabbing two children and pulling them close. She was white-faced and appeared absolutely horrified.

My instincts kicked in, and I rushed over to check that she was okay. Shakily, she pointed, and I followed it and blinked. A guy in old-fashioned clothes appeared in front of us. He grinned, tipped his hat, and faded.

“Howdy, Ma’am,” he wheezed as he faded.

“Oh my God, I thought this was a Wild West town. No one said there was a ghost!” the lady exclaimed in sheer excitement.

I wasn’t sure how to respond because, honestly, ghosts didn’t exist, but how could I explain what we’d witnessed? The woman kept babbling and waving her phone around, and I had a sinking suspicion that she’d snapped a photo. Before I could ask, she’d hurried away with the children, and I closed my eyes, feeling something bad had just happened.

Moments later, the sheriff and his deputy rushed over.

“We heard a woman was screaming over here. Was that you?” Law asked.

“Nope, but is this town haunted?” I demanded. Law and Bow exchanged glances, and I knew they’d deny it. “You’ve got a problem, gentlemen; one of your visitors got a photo.”

“Oh fuck,” the deputy complained. “Someone better warn Prez. We’re gonna get swarmed.”

The sheriff looked at me, and I could tell he was making a decision. “I can’t hire you without doing my due diligence. But I can offer you a security guard job for now, until I get all the boxes ticked. I’ll deputise you, okay, Dee?”

I didn’t bother hesitating. “That’s fine, Law. Shall I start tomorrow?”

“Yes, early morning, okay? Bow will take you through orientation.”

“Thanks, sheriff, I’m grateful for this.” Both men nodded their heads before walking away. As bitter as I was about what my ex had done, I could still appreciate a beautiful guy, and both of them fit that description perfectly.

Law

I wasn’t surprised when I hung up after speaking with Dee’s former lieutenant. The man sang Dee’s praises and openly admitted that if he had a position, he’d have offered it to her. He said he would send a written endorsement, and he also warned me not to contact her previous captain. He claimed he was a full-on asshole.