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“Okay.” Styles headed out the back of the store.
“What’s happening here?” Sheriff Cash Ryder came through the door, gun drawn and making the bell shake erratically. He stared at Beth openmouthed. “What the heck happened to you?”
Beth indicated to the guy on the floor. “He held a gun on that little girl over there and wanted to hurt me in an attempt to get even with Styles. How he knew we’d be walking by I have no idea.”
“Sheriff, and ah… ma’am.” The man holding the little girl came forward. “There was a woman with them. She locked this kid’s mother in the storage room. She had a gun. They were all talking before you arrived. They saw you walk into TJ’s and lay in wait. That woman who ran out the door, she’s one of them.”He hoisted the little girl onto one hip and looked at Beth. “Can I let her mother out of the storeroom now?”
Beth nodded. “Yes, please do, and don’t go anywhere. The sheriff will need to take a statement.”
“I know this guy.” Ryder peered at the man groaning on the floor. “He’s just been released from jail. He beat his wife real bad. Styles got her out of the county, and he went to jail for a year. It runs in the family. His brother did time for beating his wife and kids.” He glanced around. “I’m guessing the brother is the other guy?”
Beth nodded. “Yeah, the other guy attacked me with a baseball bat. I knocked him out with a can of peas. Styles is restraining him before he regains consciousness.” She indicated to the man at her feet. “I shot the gun from his hand, so he might have broken fingers. Best you call Nate. Duty of care and all that.”
It surprised Beth, but she actually liked Dr. Nate Mace. He had a very calming manner and helped out in cases when Ryder needed him.
“Okay.” Ryder reached for his phone.
“You’ll need to call the paramedics to pick up a body.” Styles came from the storeroom. He gave Beth a long look. “You’ve killed him, or he drowned in a pool of soap. Nate will be able to determine the cause of death. If he has soap in his lungs, it’s definitive.” He held out her gun. “Here, take your gun. I’ve taken photographs of the scene. Once you’re cleaned up, we’ll need photographs of your injuries. I’ll take some of you now, as well.”
Aghast, Beth stared at him. She couldn’t believe her ears. There was no way she’d meant to kill the stranger. Had her dark side slipped out and taken control without her knowing? Troubled, she ran the scenario through her mind. Everything had happened so fast. Had what Styles had said about her being replaceable triggered something from her past? Causing her toblack out and hit her attacker more than once? No, surely not…maybenot. He’d made her mad but not mad enough to kill him. No, it wasn’t possible. She shook her head and glared at Styles. “Dead? He can’t be dead. I only clipped him on the back of the head with a can of peas. He was breathing when I left him.”
When Styles nodded slowly, her stomach dropped. All she needed right now was an investigation. Being in the spotlight would mean the psychopath in Mischief would just keep on killing young girls. She swallowed hard and looked at him. “Are you suspending me?”
“Nope.” Styles shook his head. “I could hear you fighting for your life, Beth. Whatever happened here was self-defense. We’ll need to establish cause of death, is all. It’s protocol and you know that.” He took a few photos of her and smiled. “Can you make it home okay? Or do you want me to walk you across the road?”
Suddenly weary and sore, Beth shook her head. “I’ll be fine, but ask Nate if he’d mind taking the photos of me when he’s done here. I’ll go and get cleaned up.” She gave him a long look. “Him being my doctor and all, I’d prefer him to be taking the shots, if you don’t mind?”
“Sure, I’ll ask him. He’ll need to check you out anyway for the report. Can you take Bear with you? I’ll help Ryder mop up here and have someone from county come and collect this guy.” Styles frowned. “You’ll need to be in the office to allow Nate access to the building.” His gaze flicked over her and concern filled his eyes. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Hurting all over, Beth nodded. She’d never given in to pain or shown her suffering to anyone. It’s how she’d survived years in abusive foster care. It was a weakness she refused to accept, but recently something in her world had shifted. The psychopath side of her shouldn’t experience feelings, but since working with Styles, the remoteness she’d experienced after seeing her fathermurder her mom had eased. In fact, she actually liked the people she worked with, and this included everyone at TJ’s. This,liking people, had never happened before. She understood her condition was vastly different from others and she’d been able to control her dark side for years. What had happened? Did she actually care what Styles had said about her being disposable? Maybe she had. He was, after all, the only hero she’d ever had. Pushing his words to the back of her mind, she straightened, flicked her sodden hair over her shoulders, and wiped her hands on her ruined coat. She glared at him. “Oh, I’m just peachy, Styles. How couldn’t I enjoy being beaten with a baseball bat and then rolled in cherry blossom soap? Don’t take all day. We still have a killer to catch.” She headed out the door.
EIGHTEEN
Three hours later, Styles walked into the office. The smell of fresh coffee filled the room and Bear climbed out of his basket to greet him, tail wagging and his mouth stretched in a doggy smile. He removed his hat, coat, and gloves and stared at Beth. She was at her desk and he noticed a list of names on the whiteboard. She didn’t as much as look up when he went to the kitchenette to pour a cup of coffee. He looked at her over one shoulder, noting her rigid back. He blew out a breath. She controlled her emotions really well now, much better than when she first arrived, but she seemed upset. He poured her a cup of coffee, added the fixings, and took the cup to her desk. “Sorry I took so long. The perp needed X-rays before we sent him to County.” He looked her over. “Did Nate pass you fit for duty?”
“He did, and FYI, you do more damage to me when we work out in the mornings.” Beth didn’t look up. “He took the photographs and said he’ll go to the hospital and open up the perp’s chest and see if he died of drowning. If he didn’t, X-rays will determine if I crushed his skull.”
Nodding, Styles leaned against her desk. “Beth.”
“What?” She looked up at him eyes flashing.
Okay.Styles cleared his throat. “Is it something I’ve said? I figured we had a darn good working relationship. So spill it. What’s wrong?”
“Well…” Beth leaned back in her chair staring at him. “If you’d told me I was a pain in the butt and you wanted to replace me, I’d have asked the director to reassign me. You don’t have to put up with me, Styles. I can work anywhere. It’s not like I have any friends or family to worry about, is it?”
Ouch!Realization dawned on him and he grinned. “Oh, back there?” He indicated over one shoulder with his thumb and shook his head. “I was just trash-talking, is all. I didn’t want the perp to believe you had value to me.” He chewed on his bottom lip trying not to laugh. “You believed that?”
“Well, you sure convinced me.” Beth shook her head. “I don’t think it’s funny. Why are you laughing?”
Styles sobered, not sure if she was joking with him. From her expression, she was serious. He heaved a sigh. Beth sure was a contradiction. Had he glimpsed vulnerability beneath her tough cop exterior? If she needed security, he could give her that and the guys would back him up. They all liked her just fine. It must have been hard on her after such a traumatic childhood to be dragged from a stable position in DC and then dumped into the Wild West. “I’m sorry, Beth. You do have friends here. I’m your friend. TJ, Cash, Wez, and Nate are all friends.” He cleared his throat and walked back to his desk. “I admit, I didn’t want you around when you first arrived. I liked being alone, but we work together just fine. If you want to stay here, I’ll fight to keep you as my partner. I can see no reason why the director would want to move you again. He’s ecstatic with our results.”
“Okay.” Beth frowned. “It’s just when people say things behind my back, they usually mean it. I know I’m not the easiest person to work with. I like my space and I work at different angles to most agents.”
So, she’d come up against hostility on the job too. Styles took any kind of bullying at work very seriously. He met her gaze. “If ever I have something to say, Beth, I’ll say it to your face. You know that I’m a straight-up guy. Right?”
“Yeah, well, I’ve trusted you with my life and you haven’t let me down yet.” She reached for her coffee and met his gaze. A small smiled curled her lips. “I like that you’re honest with me, Styles, and I don’t have faith in too many people.”
Relaxing, he nodded. “I’ll always have your back. Now, I can see you’ve been busy. What have you got for me?”
