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I nod slowly. “Okay, then break it down for me, Redford.”
He clears his throat, his gaze darting around the room before settling on mine. “See the thing is, there’s been some chatter lately.”
“Chatter,” I deadpan.
“Yep, mm-hmm, some citizens are real concerned about the fallout of what’s happening here with the Reapers and the Hell Hounds and the Savage Souls.”
“Citizens are concerned about the Hounds and the Savages. What about exactly?”
“Well, it seems your, uh, attempt to clean up the streets isn’t flying under the radar like last time.”
“Speak plainly, Redford. I just put ten hours in the garage without any fucking air conditioning.”
He winces and clears his throat. “Seems the other sheriffs are concerned that you picking off the enemies is going to create a problem for us. Blowback, ya know.”
I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. “So let me get this straight. We’re cleaning up a mess we didn’t start, and you’re in here asking me to, what? Stop cleaning up the mess? Stop making this town a safer place?”
“Well when you put it like that,” he says, shifting in his seat.
“It is like that.”
“Well, I understand what you’re doing. I really do. But it isn’t up to me anymore. I’m retired in two weeks, Silas. The transition has already started, and Ethan, I mean Sheriff Bellfleur, has already made arrangements.”
“What kind of fucking arrangements? What about our existing arrangement?”
Redford holds up his hands, palms toward me. “I can’t make him do anything, Silas. I already told you that. Our arrangement stays between us. It doesn’t roll over like a vacation fund, going to whoever becomes sheriff after me.”
“He’s your goddamn protégé, Anthony. What the fuck were you thinking?”
He straightens in his seat. “I was thinking that I came here as a professional courtesy to let you know that Bellfleur is making moves, so you’re not caught unaware.”
I can feel my blood pressure rising with every second of this conversation. We need another complication like we need a fucking hole in the head. “What kind of moves? So far all you’ve done is say a lot of words without saying much of anything.”
He clears his throat. “The kind that involves the sheriffs from the Diamond.”
“Fuck,” I curse under my breath, dragging my palm across my jaw. “What does that mean exactly?”
He shakes his head. “I don’t have all the details yet. But I pulled a few strings, and it seems like they’re forming some kind of co-op, a treaty of sorts so no one gets hurt.”
“And what does that mean for us?”
“It means you better tighten ranks, Silas. And keep your men in Rosewood for a while.”
“And what happens if someone wanders into Rosewood? Are we supposed to just let them roll up on us twenty-five deep like that again? Do I need to remind you who was in my fucking house at the time?”
“No, no. I remember. Look, all I’m saying is that expect Bellfleur to be knocking on your door soon. He’s gonna have some demands, and if I were you, I’d think long and hard about complying. You wanted out five years ago, and you did it. Don’t undo all the hard work, all the sacrifices you made to get here now.”
“You don’t need to tell me what we sacrificed for peace. Don’t forget that we didn’t start any of this. We didn’t want a war.”
“I know.” He nods his head slowly. “I’m just saying, remember to weigh the cost of everything Bellfleur says before you act.”
I nod, my mind already spinning to figure out how the fuck we’re going to navigate this upcoming development. “Thanks for the head’s up, Sheriff.”
“Yep. Be seeing ya, Silas.” Redford pushes to his feet and leaves my office with a backward wave.
43
SILAS
