He hoped there was none of the ache he felt on his face.“I’m tired of playing around with cattle.I only stayed with Garrett because Icame out of prison with no money.He was useful.”
She shook her head.“No, you love him.”
Ranger leaned over, whispering, but he was loud.“Wait.Isthat like love love?Like Jack and Sam man loving?”
Olivia frowned.
Astro held up a hand.“No disrespect, Livie.If I were tobend that way, I would be all over Sam.”
Ranger snorted.“Obviously Jack is the hot one.”He clearedhis throat.“If one liked men.”
Jimmy seemed more sympathetic now.He closed a big handaround Olivia’s arm.“Come on, Liv.I’ll take you back out.It’ll be okay.”
She shook his off, moving right up to Keane, the bars theonly thing between them.“You’re saying you don’t love me and you don’t loveGarrett.”
She was being stubborn.He had to push her until it allbroke.“I don’t.Look, honey, I know you’re desperate, but you need to stick toGarrett.I think the two of you will make an excellent couple.I was onlyinterested in the sex, and quite frankly your money.Your daddy told me Iwouldn’t be touching any of that, so you’re no longer of interest to me.”
She held her hands up.“Get me out of these.”
At least she was talking sense now.“That’s right.Get herout of here.I don’t want to have to deal with her anymore.And get me a properattorney.I’m not using Garrett.All he knows how to do is push papers around.Send her back to her daddy.I don’t need her anymore.”
“Jack is going to eat him,” Astro said with a shake of hishead.“I don’t even think he’ll cook him first.”
“I don’t even think he’ll kill him first,” Ranger whisperedback.
He was sick of all of this.“Shut the fuck up, you two.”
The cuffs came off, but Olivia didn’t turn away from him.Infact, all her tears were gone and her eyes narrowed as she looked at him.Shedid not in any way look like a broken woman.“So let me get this straight.Youare a predatory male who used your best friend for cash after you got out ofprison, which you haven’t mentioned to me before today.”
He should have told her and ended all of this before she gothurt.It was his fault.Still, he managed what he hoped was a nasty smirk.“Well, I’ve found it’s hard to get into rich girl panties when you’ve servedtime.”
“So the violent criminal who doesn’t care about anyone upand confesses to a crime he didn’t commit?”
Astro gasped.“How does she know?”
Olivia turned to the men.He wasn’t sure which one was Treyand which one was Marty, but both were watching the scene like it was somedrama playing out for their entertainment.
“We can’t be sure of that.Just because we think Jessica waslying doesn’t mean he’s not guilty,” the deputy explained with a grave tone.“We still have the footage from the bar.”
“I want to see it.Tanya says it is not conclusive.Hedidn’t drug my drink,” she explained patiently.“I’m going to sit in here withhim and make sure he’s safe until your boss and my dad come to their senses andlet him out.”
“She’s camping out in prison for a man,” Ranger said.“Thisis some good gossip.Do you think her momma knows?I bet she’ll send food, andAbby sends real good food.”
She ignored the peanut gallery.“Keane, I know you didn’t doit, so that makes me wonder why a hardened criminal like yourself is sodesperate to push away a woman who would obviously do anything to help you.Iwill look at this footage they have.It will be clear whose drink it is.Do youremember seeing a margarita glass with an umbrella instead of a lime?”Sheseemed slightly flustered.“Of course you probably didn’t notice.Anyway, atleast we’ll be able to track it because I’m the only one they do that for.”
“That’s right,” Ranger said with a whistle.“Livie likesthat bougie stuff that costs more.My wife wanted to try it, but I told her shecould take the margaritas out of the slushie machine.We’re not fancy.”
“I don’t see what an umbrella has to do with this.”Whywasn’t she leaving?“Olivia, I’ve made myself plain.I did it.I was havingfun.That’s all.You need to leave before you get hurt again.”
“Damn, I missed that.”The deputy scratched his head.“Nowthat I think about it, there wasn’t an umbrella in the drink.I can be adumbass sometimes.I watched it four times.That drink wasn’t yours.Well, Ineed to talk to the sheriff.We’ll have some paperwork to do to get him out ofhere.Unless he still wants to confess, because that would actually save me alot of typing.”
“No, he is not going to jail so you don’t have to do somepaperwork,” Olivia announced.She pointed toward the other cell.“I thinkthey’ve sobered up now.Could you please let them out?I need to talk to my maneven though he’s being a massive martyr.”
What?He clenched the cell bars.“Olivia, I told you whatyou mean to me.”
He’d humiliated her in front of people she knew.Why was sheacting like this?Like she heard all the things and didn’t care.Like she stillcared about him.
“You told me a bunch of bullshit meant to make me cry andrun away.Well, buckle up because I’m stronger than a few words.You want tosay some nasty things to me?I can take it,” Olivia said with a frown, lookingtired and so fucking pretty it made his heart hurt.“You are being the worstkind of Dom.The one who sacrifices because he doesn’t think his subs canhandle it.”
