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"Work with you?" Kai scoffed.
The accusation stung, dredging up memories best left buried. Her aunt's disappointed gaze. The weight of tradition versus the calling of justice. Rachel's heart beat a staccato rhythm, each throb a reminder of the choices that had brought her here, to this precipice where past and present collided.
"Enough," she said, her tone leaving no room for argument. "There's a killer out there while we stand here divided."
Kai's sneer was a shadow across his face. "Fine. But remember, Blackwood, out here, you ask permission before you trespass. Get it?"
"Easy, Deputy," Ethan chimed in, his voice smooth, attempting to defuse the charge. His hand touched her arm lightly, a reassurance.
"Stay out of this, white boy." The deputy's lip curled. "This is family business."
Ethan stepped forward, the embodiment of calm. "There's a bigger picture here—"
A fist flew. Fast. Brutal. Ethan's head snapped back; blood bloomed bright against his lip. No warning. Just impact.
Rachel darted in to block any further abuse, but before she could, Ethan had already recovered.
He yelled and tackled Kai around the waist.
The two men hit the ground, fighting and shouting as they rolled about in the dirt.
CHAPTER THREE
"Break it up! Stop that, now!" Rachel surged in, snatching at Kai's shoulder to yank him off her partner. The two of them were grappling on the dirt road, cursing and spitting as they tried to punch in the close parameters.
Even as Rachel separated the two men, aided by two of the reservation cops and one local PD officer, she could feel Sheriff Dawes' sunken eyes staring at her from his leathery face.
The reservation sheriff didn't call out, didn't tell his son to stop; he just watched with a cold, calculating gaze.
Rachel finally managed to pull her partner back, while the two reservation deputies pulled Kai away.
Both men were breathing heavily, glaring at each other like wounded bulls.
Ethan's chest rose and fell as dust tumbled from his sinewy form in sheets. His button-up shirt was was rumpled, and one of the buttons had torn free.
Her sandy-haired, puppy-dog eyed partner now looked more rottweiler than golden retriever. His hair was more disheveled than usual, and his shark cheekbones strained against his skin as he jutted his jaw forward in defiance, a posture that matched the balling of his fists.
"Asshole!" Ethan was shouting.
Rachel held his arm, tugging him back. Her other hand surreptitiously patted him on the back in a gesture of gratitude. He'd stepped in because of her, only further serving to emphasize why she'd grown to trust Ethan. It was a rare thing for her to trust someone.
Now, though, Ethan seemed to be calming, while Kai was still spitting venom, making a hissing sound like a coiled cobra.
It wasn't until his father stepped forward and cleared his throat that Kai finally went silent. The young native man glanced at his father, his eyes narrowed to slits. He didn't calm down so much as turn his rage inward.
Rachel could see the hatred in Kai's eyes as he glanced from Ethan to her and back, a threat in every flick of his gaze.
But Rachel turned away from him.
She'd known coming home would have its challenges, and she wasn't about to let him derail her.
Now, she faced the sheriff.
Dawes didn't wear the same uniform as the rest of his officers. The sheriff's leathery features and sallow eyes were framed above a black uniform. A black bandana wrapped around his neck, black slacks and a loose-fitting black shirt open at the collar due to the Texas heat. He had no piercings but wore a single tooth around his neck. She wasn't sure what the tooth had come from, but she was certain he hadn't picked it up in a souvenir shop.
"The crime scene is that way," the sheriff said simply, pointing down the road.
Rachel frowned. "You're the one who called me," she reminded him.
