No kidding.“You don’t appear to be hurt. You’re not glancing over your shoulder as if someone’s after you. Why are you here, at my home, instead of at the Mystic Lake police station if you need assistance?”
She hesitated, her teeth tugging at her plump bottom lip.
The sudden rush of his pulse in his ears proved he wasn’t as unaffected by her as he’d thought. But all that did was spike his temper and make him more determined to get rid of her. He hadthings to do, like break open a new bottle of whiskey and watch a rerun of last year’s Super Bowl.
“Lady, I don’t have time for your games.”
“No games. Just some harmless flirting. I really do need your help. But, uh, going to a police station doesn’t work for me.”
“Why not?”
She remained silent, her almond-shaped eyes glancing away as if she was suddenly unsure of herself. But he didn’t believe that. There was nothing shy or nervous about this woman. She was gorgeous and knew it and was obviously used to getting her way by using that beauty as a weapon.
“We’re done.” He grabbed her arm, once again intending to lead her off his property. His world suddenly tilted as she flipped him over her shoulder. He landed flat on his back.
Ignoring the pain radiating through his body, he kicked out, swiping her legs out from under her, dropping her down on top of him. Before she could recover from her obvious shock, he grabbed her wrists and rolled, pinning her beneath him with her arms above her head.
“Madre de Dios.”She stared up at him in wide-eyed surprise. “I guess there’s a reason you were the chief of police.”
“Were? I’m still the chief.”
“You sure about that? What time is it?”
“What difference does that make?”
“The difference between you being the current or former chief. The mayor’s holding a secret meeting this morning at your police station. The town council will be there, along with those who will speak for or against you. At the end of the meeting, the mayor and his minions will vote on whether or not to fire you. Smarmy, huh? The mayor put you on administrative leave while the town deals with the Jericho lawsuit and then, while you’re home, he tries to get rid of you, permanently, all behind your back.”
The dig about the lawsuit hit him hard, threatening to pull him to the dark place he tried to avoid day in and day out by not thinking about it. Careful to keep his expression blank, he considered her claim. He was supposed to meet with the mayor and the town’s lawyers early next week to find out whether there was any progress in getting the Jerichos to agree to a settlement. If the mayor was really doing what she’d said, he would have given Beau notice and a chance to speak on his own behalf. Wouldn’t he? One of his officers would have notified him, if nothing else. She had to be lying. But why? What did she have to gain?
“If this alleged meeting is a secret, how do you know about it?”
“I have my ways.”
“Crystal ball? Tarot cards?”
Her eyes flashed with anger. “Is it my black leather shorts or the tattoos that have you acting like a condescendinggringo?”
“Who the hellareyou,Chiquita?”
She tried to jerk her arms free, but he held on tight. When she didn’t answer, he decided this had gone on long enough. “We’re done.” He rolled off her, jumped to his feet and headed toward his cabin.
“Hey. Wait.” He heard her getting up, followed by the sound of her footsteps as she hurried after him in stilettos, of all things. Not exactly what people normally wore around here. She obviously wasn’t used to the rugged terrain of the eastern Tennessee mountains. “We’re not finished talking.”
“We never really started.” He jogged up the steps to his front porch. “You keep going in circles and still haven’t told me your name.”
He pushed the door open and half turned to look at her. “I’ll call one of my officers and ask about the so-called secretmeeting, just for kicks. And you’re going to get off my land. If you’re still here when I return, I’ll arrest you for trespassing.”
He stepped inside and started to push the door shut.
“Sierra Covington,” she called out. “That’s my name.”
He froze, alarm bells going off in his head. Was it even possible that she wastheSierra Covington? He’d seen pictures of the entire family, many times, as part of official notices from the FBI and other agencies. Was that why she seemed so familiar?
After grabbing his service weapon from the entryway table, he eased the door open halfway, keeping the pistol concealed from view.
She stood at the bottom of the steps, just in front of his police SUV parked out front. Her dark eyes searched his as she waited for his reaction.
“Sierra Covington? Any relation to Michael Covington? As in Memphis-Tennessee-crime-boss Michael Covington?”
