Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 138588 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 554(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138588 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 554(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
He’d eaten a hearty breakfast this morning, but now it turned sour in his gut. He shook his head. “No, but thank you, Deputy.”
“Cam, please,” Cam corrected as he started for the breakroom. “And I’m glad you took care of things. Be careful. The guys from last night have already made bail and processed out. They have some good lawyers. I would hope they would head back to Colorado Springs, but you can never be sure.”
Cam strode away, and Wyatt was left alone in Cam’s cubicle. The only private office in the entire building was Nate Wright’s, and it was adorned with a Gone Fishing sign. It was quiet this morning. Sabrina had given her statement first because she was needed at the school. He’d insisted she do it in the closed office since there was a chance the men in the cells might get another look at her.
Gemma sat at the front desk along with a deputy he recognized as the other half of Sabrina’s earlier date. The Creede boys. Wyatt could remember the shock on Knox’s face when he figured out Sabrina was with him and Sawyer. Sabrina hadn’t blinked an eye but Wyatt had watched the deputy, and he hadn’t been happy.
“So those are your brother’s men?” a deep voice asked.
Speak of the devil. Marshall Lethe wore his khaki uniform with obvious pride. It was perfectly pressed, unlike Cam’s, which Wyatt was pretty sure bore the marks of the man’s young daughter on his back shoulder. There was a small hand-like print where someone had clung to him. After eating something sticky. Syrup, maybe.
Wyatt put the statement down. It didn’t matter. So much of it was lies. It didn’t matter if he reread it for accuracy. “He’s not my brother anymore.”
Marshall was probably an inch or two shorter than Wyatt, but he had way more muscle. The deputy clearly spent time in the gym. He leaned against the cubicle wall, pinning Wyatt with a stare they only taught at the police academy. Or whatever passed for it in these parts. “I overheard the sheriff say you left the Horde last year. I’ve found it’s harder to leave than you would think. If you left, why would he send men to fuck with you?”
This was the part they’d agreed on. A partial truth. “I used to work in one of the legitimate businesses before I left. The dealership. They’re coming up on quarterly taxes, and no one knows how to get into my accounting system. He wanted some codes.”
“Is that what you call it?” Marshall asked, brows rising. “Accounting? Or was it laundering?”
This was what he’d expected. He was getting as bad as Sawyer, but then Sawyer had been right about most things. “I don’t work for my brother, Deputy. You would have to ask him.”
“But you did work for him. As recently as last year,” Marshall mused. “You know the statute of limitation on money laundering is seven years here in Colorado. You still have six before you can feel like you got away with it.”
“Are you planning on arresting me?” Wyatt asked, wanting to get to the real point.
“Just letting you know I’m not naïve like the rest of this department.” He looked to the side as though trying to ensure Cam couldn’t hear him. “Which is surprising since the sheriff used to deal with people like you all the time.”
“People like me?” He hated the sense of shame that washed over him.
“Criminals.”
“You know I didn’t join the Horde. I was born into it. Not many choices for me, and when I did get into a position where I could decide for myself, I left.” Wyatt stood and signed his name to the statement with the pen left on the desk. He didn’t have to take this man’s vitriol. “Now, if you don’t mind, let Deputy Briggs know I’ll be around if he has any other questions.”
“You’re going to get her killed, you know.” Marshall crossed his arms over his chest. “Sabrina Leal is a nice woman, and you’re dragging her down.”
Was this about him or Sabrina? “She’s a nice woman who decided she didn’t want to see you again.”
“Sometimes even nice women make bad choices,” Marshall allowed. “They buy into the bad-boy persona and don’t understand how much better off they would be with a nice guy.”
Wyatt chuckled, though he wasn’t even close to being amused. “Bad boy? You know I can’t fucking win. My brother calls me a pussy because I don’t want to walk around with a gun all the time, taking out anyone who looks at me the wrong way. You think I’m bad because I was born into a family I had a hard time getting out of. I assure you I didn’t woo Sabrina with my bad-boy ways. I did it with brownies. See, the key is to use coffee instead of water. Gives the box mix a certain depth of flavor. Oh, and she likes our dog. And I’m reading Twilight and discussing my feelings about the whole love triangle with her. I don’t see why Bella has to choose. But do go on about how badass I am.”