With no hesitation, Dani handed it over. “Oh, sure. Just a bunch of tampons in there.”
Just as Cole was wondering why in the hell she was choosing to share that bit of information, the guard returned her bag without looking. “I’ll take your word for it, ma’am.”
Cole grinned and snuggled Dani closer as she hooked her arm in his and they made their way up the stairs to the front door.
A tuxedoed waiter with a silver tray of champagne was waiting inside the door. A young woman with a clipboard was checking names. “You must be Mr. Pearson and Ms. Skye. Sheriff Orson is eager to meet you both.”
Dani smiled and said, “We’re eager to meet him, too.”
As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Cole caught sight of their target, Sheriff Orson. A trim and fit man, he was well groomed, wearing a fitted dark suit and crisp white shirt.
The sheriff noticed them and came right over, introducing himself. “Sheriff Billy Orson. You must be Mr. Pearson and Ms. Skye. Pleased to meet you both.” He turned to Cole. “Mr. Pearson, I hope you’re going to write me a big fat check this evening. It won’t be much fun if you don’t.”
This guy does not mess around.Cole couldn’t believe he’d hardly been through the door before he was the recipient of a thinly veiled threat. “I assure you, I’ve come here tonight with only the best intentions.”
“Glad to hear it.” He then turned to Dani. “As for you, Ms. Skye, I hope you will join me for a drink. I’ll be sorely disappointed if you say no.” The man had the nerve to reach out and take her hand, looping her arm around his and leading her to the far side of the room, where a long line of bar stools sat along a counter with a view of the gourmet kitchen.
It took every ounce of control Cole had in his body not to pounce on the guy. He followed them closely, watching every move. Orson asked Dani to sit at the bar but didn’t offer Cole a seat. He did, however, pour them both a drink. He and Dani had agreed ahead of time that they would fake their way through drinking this evening. They needed to be on top of their game.
“Could I get some extra ice?” Dani asked, her voice dripping with sweetness.
“Why of course, you can, beautiful,” the sheriff replied. Cole wanted to strangle him.
The sheriff downed his drink in a single gulp and poured himself another, then proceeded to go into his sales pitch to Cole about the pipeline investment. He said everything a wealthy man who wanted to get wealthier could want to hear—that it was not just a gold mine ripe for the taking, but that he was the only person who could get the pipeline approved. He had the contacts with all local authorities. They would do whatever he wanted. He also knew how to put the thumbscrews to what he called “the do-gooder environmental groups.” He claimed that he would have no problem rushing through the project and getting the oil flowing, and the money would start rolling in. Sheriff Orson would simply be receiving a generous cut of the deal for his expertise and connections.
Dani hung on every word, and there were a lot of them. The guy would not stop talking. Every time another high-roller guest walked by, the sheriff would pull them into the conversation and start the sales pitch all over again. Cole and Dani endured hours of the sheriff bragging about his power and unfortunately witnessed his inappropriate flirtation and not-so-subtle innuendo with the women at the party. By the end of it, Cole felt like he needed to take a shower.
The sheriff was very good at closing the deal, though. He got signed investment agreements from every guest at the party.
“Are you ready to sign on the dotted line, Mr. Pearson?” Orson asked now that Cole was the sole remaining holdout.
“What do you think, Melanie?” Cole asked Dani the question as if it actually mattered. Chet Pearson’s signature meant nothing.
“I think you should do it. Then we can have a drink to celebrate.”
The sheriff squared his sights on Dani. “I’m not sure which is better, hearing those words or hearing them come out of your gorgeous mouth.”
Cole glanced at her as she smiled through what had to be unimaginable disgust. All he could think was that they had to steer this conversation in the right direction, or Sheriff Orson was going to be dead. A few more comments like that about Dani, and Cole would have to kill him with his bare hands.
* * *
The other guests had departed, meaning Dani’s determination to nail Sheriff Orson to the wall was as strong as ever. After hours of watching him be inappropriate with women and boastful with men, he’d proven himself to be exactly what Dani had thought the first time she’d met him—scum of the highest order. Knowing that he’d played the pivotal role in the cover-up of Jason’s death made it that much more certain. Now they just needed to get him to talk.
“Sheriff, now that Mr. Pearson has signed your agreement and we’ve had our celebratory drink, I think we should go. I’m afraid we’ve overstayed our welcome.” She had no intention of leaving. She just wanted to threaten him with it.
“Little lady, as long as you’re wearing that dress, you can stay as long as you like.” Sheriff Orson was slurring his words now. All the drinks he’d had were taking effect. Little did the sheriff know that Cole and Dani had been dumping their drinks into a nearby potted plant all night.
Dani really hated being calledlittle lady. “Sheriff, I have to say that you have quite an impressive home. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a public servant with such a grand setup.”
Cole took a sip of his drink but stayed otherwise quiet, letting her take the reins.
“Public servant? Is that what you think of me? The people of this county are damn lucky to have me. I work hard.”
Judging by the way he was raising his voice, Dani knew this was the right approach. Men like Sheriff Orson felt that they weren’t like everyone else. They were above the law and the rules simply didn’t apply to them. “I’m not saying you don’t work hard. I’m sure you do. I just wasn’t aware that driving around in a car with a shotgun all day was so lucrative.”
“I have business interests on the side. A man is entitled to augment his salary.”
“Of course. Like your little pipeline, which sounds like such a neat project.” Dani was sure to lend extra emphasis tolittleandneat. She knew how much egotistical men hated to be dismissed like that.
