Justice Inked (Cowboy Justice Association 7) Read online

  The worst thing was she didn’t see how vulnerable she was.

  “I don’t think you should go.”

  Her blue eyes, so like his own, filled with tears. “You want me to stay? And do what, Dare? Get a minimum wage dead end job that leads nowhere? Because that’s what we’re talking about if I stay here. My life will basically be over before it’s started. And the worst thing is that you know that. It’s why you left when you were my age. You know this and you’re holding me back for some selfish reason that I cannot even begin to comprehend. Do you not want me to make something of my life?”

  It wasn’t that simple. Either-or. This or that. It was far more complex and he wasn’t sure he had the words to explain it.

  “Of course I do. You deserve everything in the world. But leaving town with Tim Wallace isn’t the way to accomplish it. You have to be patient.”

  Her mouth fell open and then she laughed, but she didn’t sound amused. “What am I waiting for? Prince Charming? I think this little podunk town is fresh out of those. If I want to do something in my life, I can’t wait around for someone to rescue me. I have to do it myself and that means taking chances. Something that you excel at and yet you don’t want anyone else to do it.”

  Dare flushed as Sophie reminded him of his past. He may have done some foolhardy things in his youth but now he acted like a damn adult.

  Except the other night when he’d danced in the rain with a sexy little tattoo artist. That had been out of character for the adult Dare. Obviously he hadn’t been thinking straight, or at all for that matter. His libido had been doing the talking. Rayne had looked gorgeous, wet from the storm, her smile wide and her eyes lit from within, a joy she seemed to radiate. He’d wanted to get closer and be a part of it.

  “Earth to Dare.” Sophie waved her hand in front of his eyes, pulling him back to reality. “You’re not listening again. Should we table this and try again another time? Not that it matters. I’m going and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

  Christ on a pogo stick, he was in deep today. Half of his brain was still thinking about Rayne and the other half was desperately trying to keep his little sister from making a horrible mistake. If he’d had any brain cells left he would have been concentrating on bringing a killer to justice, but the women in his life had him twisted sideways and upside down.

  “You’re right. Short of physically restraining you, I can’t stop you. But I can keep telling you that Tim Wallace isn’t the wonderful boyfriend that you think he is. I’ve seen his type before and it always ends the same. As for moving, I don’t want you to go. There are closer schools, Sophie. You could even go to school online. You don’t have to leave Montana to get an education.”

  “I don’t have to. I want to.”

  Anger and frustration had given way to sadness and Sophie was blinking back tears, leaving Dare to feel like the worst big brother on the planet. He loved his sister and only wanted to protect her but he didn’t want to hurt her either. That wasn’t what this was about.

  Dare took in a controlled breath, letting it out slowly. “Let’s table this for a few days. That will give both of is time to think about it. I’m a little blindsided and if we keep talking about this I’m going to say something I can’t take back.”

  Sophie nodded. “Fine. But I won’t change my mind.”

  “You’ve said that already.”

  “You haven’t been listening very well today so I thought I’d say it again. I want to be sure you’ve heard me.”

  He’d heard her all right, and hadn’t liked anything she’d said.

  “I understand how you feel. Let’s just get the check, okay? I need to get back to the office.”

  He signaled the waitress and pushed his plate away, his appetite gone. This was easily the worst lunch he’d had in months and it had nothing to do with the food.

  “And Dare?” Sophie leaned forward, a smile playing on her lips. “I’m getting that tattoo as well. You can’t stop that either.”

  * * * *

  Duke Wallace – older brother of Tim – squirmed in his chair as Dare leaned across the interrogation table, his palms flat on the smooth surface. Deputy Billy had picked up Duke at the local watering hole and brought him to the station. Dare had seen Duke’s beat-up truck in some of the security footage from a Harper eatery that had been visited by Patrick Moulson at the exact same day and time.

  Dare pushed the folder closer to Duke, pictures of a deceased Moulson front and center.

  “Do you recognize him? Take your time. This is important. It’s a man’s life.”

  “I don’t need to take my time. I don’t know him. Never seen him before.”

  There was a tinny note of desperation in Duke’s voice that was music to Dare’s ears. Duke was hiding something. It might not have anything to do with Moulson, but he was lying. Dare had questioned too many suspects not to know when one wasn’t telling the whole truth.

  “Listen, I’m not busting your balls about anything you’ve done. Not this time. I’m only hoping you noticed this guy when you were there that day. Frankly, I’m having trouble believing you when you say you didn’t see him. Your body language is telling a different story. You’re sweating. Your hands are trembling, and shit, you can’t sit still. You’re awful nervous for someone who is as pure as the driven snow.” Dare tapped the photo with his index finger. “Let’s try this again. Do you recognize him?”

  Somewhere Duke must have found his balls – or at least wanted Dare to believe he wasn’t nervous – because he sneered and leaned back in the chair, propping his foot on the table. “No. Shit. Leave me alone. You’re only harassing me because you don’t like my brother giving the high hard one to your baby sister.”

  Dare was dying to wipe that fucking smirk off of Duke’s face with his fist but this was business not pleasure. Deep down, Dare had known his sister wasn’t a virgin but hearing this little puke talk about it didn’t set well. Keeping a tight lid on his emotions was second nature though, and nothing Duke said or did was going to rattle his demeanor. He had to keep control of this discussion.

  But first he needed to make a point.

  Dare reached over and knocked Duke’s foot off the table before leaning down and caging the man in with his arms, their faces inches apart. “I wouldn’t mention Sophie if I were you.”

  He kept his voice soft, menacing, and icy as hell. Duke seemed to get the message, swallowing hard but saying nothing.

  “Now you were at the barbecue joint at the same time as this man. If you don’t know him, did you see him? If he was with people did you see them?”

  Duke shook his head, twisting in his chair. “No, I’ve never seen him. Tim, Sophie, and I were there meeting an old friend of mine from high school. We sat down, had a few beers and some nachos, but Sophie didn’t drink or anything. She had a root beer. Then we came back to Valley Station. That’s it. I didn’t talk to anyone else and I didn’t notice this guy. I swear, Sheriff.”

  Dare stiffened at the mention of his sister’s name. “Sophie was there?”

  “Yeah, it was the three of us and we didn’t stay more than an hour. I dropped Tim and Sophie off at your house and then picked up my girlfriend. We went to see a movie. There were witnesses.”

  Dare’s fingers curled into fists and he had to consciously relax them one at a time. “If you remember anything I want you to call me.”

  Duke pasted on a fake smile. The animosity was mutual. “You’ll be the first person I tell.”

  Dare didn’t believe him for a minute.

  Now he needed to talk to his own sister about a killer. This day was going downhill fast.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Rayne settled Sophie in a comfortable chair, her boyfriend Tim close by holding her hand. The entire situation was messed up and Rayne would certainly hear about this from Dare, but the fact was…he wasn’t the boss of her.

  Running this business was her livelihood and turning away a paying customer wasn’t a sm
art idea. That customer might be the sheriff’s sister, but she was old enough to consent to this and Rayne had given her a lecture that would have scared off most other people. Sophie wanted this and Rayne wanted to make sure that she didn’t get it from someone who had little idea as to what they were doing.

  “Your brother is going to kill me. Heck, he may kill you too. Then me again just for fun. Either way, he’s going to be mighty unhappy. You’ve thought this through, right?”

  “I have. I know he’s going to have a kitten or a cow but he doesn’t get to run my life. It’s going to be a hard lesson for him to learn but I’m determined he will learn it.”

  Rayne had a sinking feeling this tat was simply the opening shot in an ongoing battle for control of Sophie’s young life. Dare wouldn’t give up without a fight.

  “Just relax then. I need to run into the back room for a few supplies. I’ll be right back.”

  The shop was empty this late in the evening and Rayne had turned her door sign to Closed to give Sophie more privacy. The back room was still cluttered from the break-in, supplies in stacks instead of put away neatly. Rayne needed an uninterrupted afternoon to organize everything but she never seemed to have the time.

  She had everything balanced perfectly in her arms and was turning off the light switch with her elbow when she heard them.

  Raised voices.

  Dammit, it was Dare. Did he have some sort of radar as to the whereabouts of Sophie? She wouldn’t put it past him to have implanted a chip in the back of her neck so he could keep tabs on her all hours of the day.

  Striding into the front of the shop, she dumped her armload on the table and turned to face the man that hadn’t called her since their date.

  “Good evening, Sheriff,” she said loudly enough to be heard over the argument brewing between brother and sister. “Can we keep it civil tonight?”

  Whatever she expected him to say or do, she sure as hell didn’t think he’d clamp his large hands on her shoulders and propel her backwards until they were in the storeroom. He slammed the door behind them and bent his head so they were eye to eye.

  Rayne was trembling inside. She wasn’t a stupid woman and Dare looked livid, but images of Dare dancing in the rain with her kept coming to the forefront of her mind and keeping her from turning around and running. Ultimately she didn’t believe he’d hurt her.

  He’d yell. Probably a bunch. He’s stomp around and growl as if this was the end of the world and only her acquiescence could save it. But this man wasn’t going inflict any damage on her person.

  “I thought we talked about this.” His voice came out as a deep rasp, clearly unhappy but then that was nothing new. “I told you not to ink Sophie.”

  Straightening her spine, she placed her hands on Dare’s arms and gave them a push. “Unhand me, Dare. I don’t enjoy being manhandled.”

  His hold loosened and his arms fell back to his sides as he took a step back. “Fine. I apologize.”

  “Thank you. Now if you’re going to make a scene please leave my place of business. I won’t have that kind of drama here.”

  “Then don’t ink Sophie,” he retorted. “I told you not to.”

  Rayne rolled her eyes at his high-handed attitude. Boy, he was barking up the wrong tree trying to order her around. This might work with his airheaded blonde girlfriends but it wouldn’t work with her.

  “And your point is? You don’t get to decide who my customers are, Dare. This is my business. I don’t tell you how to run yours or place citizen’s arrests when people speed down Main Street. I can’t afford to let a third party’s capricious nature mess with this shop. If you and Sophie have issues you need to deal with them and stop putting me in the middle. I tried to scare her off, believe me, but she’s determined. If she’s going to do this I’d rather do it myself and not send her to some fly by night shop that will do God knows what. I know you’re trying to protect her, but so am I.”

  Like a fish out of water, Dare’s mouth gaped open, closed, and then opened again. Rarely at a loss for words, he appeared to be completely flummoxed.

  “Cat got your tongue?”

  Dare’s head fell back and he stared at the ceiling for several heartbeats before facing her again.

  “Fuck.”

  Rayne couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s the eloquent curmudgeon we all know and love. Care to elaborate?”

  “I hate it when other people are right,” he sighed, resignation in his tone.

  “So do I. Luckily it doesn’t happen to me often.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck, and she noticed the dark circles under his eyes indicating he hadn’t had much sleep lately.

  “I need to talk to Sophie and Tim. It turns out they and Tim’s brother were in the same restaurant at exactly the same time as our victim. I want to know if they saw him or anyone he may have been with.”

  That was interesting news. “So you were looking for your sister to ask her questions and you found out she was here. Cue the general anger and frustration. Have I guessed correctly?”

  Dare glared but she wasn’t too scared. “You’re right again.”

  She was on a roll so why not go for broke. “In addition, you’re freaked out that Sophie was in the same room with possible bank robbers and killers. Also correct?” He gave her a curt nod. “So you stomped in here treating her like a naughty toddler, so she’ll have no choice but to leave for Denver sooner and you won’t be able to protect her there even though you can’t really do it here either. You just can’t admit that.”

  Dare sat heavily into a chair and leaned his elbows on his knees. “Damn, woman, you’re annoying. Anyone ever tell you that?”

  Rayne inwardly snickered. He didn’t know the half of it. “Tons. Loads. You’re not even close to the first.”

  “I’m not surprised but I am sorry I barged in here like that. Sometimes my brain doesn’t engage correctly when it comes to someone I care about.”

  She liked a man who could apologize and didn’t make it sound passive-aggressive.

  “Thank you and I appreciate that. I can understand it too. My family can make me crazy as well, although I’m sure I do it to them too. So are you going to talk to Sophie and Tim?”

  “What about the tattoo?”

  “Now you’re just giving me a hard time. You don’t want her to have it and you have a perfect excuse for why she can’t get it today. You need to talk to her about a murder. It doesn’t get much more important than that.”

  She could swear she saw a smile ghost across his lips. “You are fun to tease.”

  “But not fun enough to call for a second date?”

  Dammit. She hadn’t meant to say that. She hadn’t meant to say anything at all about it.

  His cheekbones were streaked with red. “About that…I meant to call but work kind of got crazy.”

  “Sure. I get that.” Rayne shrugged her shoulders as if it didn’t matter. It didn’t really. The kiss had been awesome and they’d had fun, but that didn’t mean she was disappointed. “Just so you know I’ve been busy too.”

  Dare scratched his head and stood, grabbing one of her hands in his. “I truly meant to call and I’m sorry I didn’t. The fact is I’m not very good at balancing work and a personal life. I tend to get wrapped up in the job. If I ask nicely, will you go out with me again?”

  Rayne rolled her eyes even as her heart tumbled in her chest. “I’d love to. I won’t even make you run around in the rain this time. Maybe we can just have a nice meal or something, completely warm and dry.”

  His expression went blank at that and he dropped her hand. “What about that guy?”

  Rayne looked around the room. They were the only two people in it. “What guy?”

  “The guy you were having lunch with the other day.”

  Rayne had only gone out to lunch one day that week…Oh hell! He was talking about James. The handsome sheriff was jealous. This was too delicious and a part of her wanted to see how jealous he could get but
she wasn’t that cruel. She wouldn’t want him to do that to her.

  “That was James and he’s just a friend.”

  Dare crossed his arms over his broad chest, a dubious expression on his face. “He paid the check and he put his hand on your back when you walked out. It looked closer than friends.”

  He was jealous and she shouldn’t enjoy it, but she did. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach at the thought of this gorgeous man not wanting her to be with anyone else.

  “I’m not sure how it looked but I can assure you he’s just a friend. We ran into each other and he joined me for lunch. I don’t know if I’ll even see him again. I doubt I will. He’s a veterinarian over in Springwood and a friend of Jared’s.”

  Dare stared down at the toe of his well-worn boots. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to go out with me if you’d rather…”

  She’d had enough. Playing games weren’t her style. She smacked his chest with her palms, pressing them against his warm and solid frame. “Shut up, Sheriff. God help us both, it looks like we like each other. I don’t want to date James, okay? I want to date you. How’s that for getting things out into the open?”

  When he raised his head, she almost staggered back in shock. Dare was smiling.

  Smiling. A blinding, beautiful smile that took her breath away and sent electric tingles to some very intimate places.

  The asshole was all even white teeth and fucking dimples. He was sexy and gorgeous and it was all she could do not to jump his bones right then and there with his sister and her boyfriend not fifteen feet away on the other side of the wall.

  “God help us is a good way to put it, honey, because you and I are going to be the death of one another,” he drawled, that grin still on his face. “So what do you say? Want to get something to eat after I talk to Sophie and Tim?”

  Praying that “get something to eat” was a euphemism for something a hell of a lot more personal she nodded her head, not able to get a word out before his lips came down on hers. The kiss was all-consuming and finished much too quickly, leaving her weak-kneed and dizzy.