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Luna laughed, and Allison walked toward Presley, who was holding multiple shoes in her hand.
“Well, that was painless.” Allison held up the bag with the dress. “I thought we were going to be here all day.”
“That heel is way too high.” Luna pointed to a pair of stilettos in Presley’s hand. Presley pouted and sulked over to the display where she found the shoe. Luna took a deep breath. “We’re not in the clear yet. It’s shoe time.”
Chapter 8
Reid had a feeling Allison was lying, or at the very least, wouldn’t tell him if she received another threat. He was completely aware she thought he was overreacting, and maybe he was, but he wasn’t someone who took chances. Not when he knew the dangers that lurked around every corner of society.
For her sake, he hoped if there was another letter, she would do the right thing and let him know. He wouldn’t hold his breath, though.
He took the thin gold chain he wore around his neck in his hand and ran his thumb across the cross.Please let it be nothing. He tucked the cross his mother gave him when he was only seven back into his shirt and continued to his cruiser.
He headed to the station and pulled into his reserved spot in the lot. The mayor had let him know this morning she approved his extra funding. Now he had to rearrange schedules and speak with his deputies about overtime.
It was times like this when he missed just being a deputy. He liked patrolling, and though he still did, there was all the extra paperwork always waiting for him at the station. He couldn’t escape it, and he refused to be anything but good at his job, so he hopped out of his cruiser and went inside to tackle all the administrative bullshit.
“Hey, boss,” Judy said as she walked by him holding a newspaper in one hand and blowing on a fresh cup of coffee, reminding him he never grabbed a cup when he was down at the boardwalk.
“Fresh pot?”
“Yup, just made it.”
“Thanks.” His eyes landed on the front page of the paper and it took everything for him to keep himself from lashing out. “Are you done with the paper?”
“Actually, I am. I was about to throw it in the recycling bin.”
“Do you mind?”
“Not at all.” Judy handed him the paper, and he purposely did not look at the headline. “They let some mob guy out. Lot of people up in arms about it.”
“Appreciate it.”
“Anytime, boss.”
Judy went to walk away, and Reid threw his hand up. “Oh, Judy?”
“Yeah?”
“The mayor approved the extra funding, so there will be some overtime in your future.”
“Great! I could really use the extra cash. Load me up.” She was one of his best deputies, still a little too naïve for his tastes, but she was good at what she did, while also bringing a positive approach to every citizen she encountered. He wished he could offer her more, but he simply didn’t have the funds. At least the overtime would help out.
“You got it. I’ll let you know the new schedule by the end of the day.”
“Perfect.”
Reid hurried into his office and shut the door. Placing his coffee on his desk, he slapped the newspaper down beside it. His eyes landed on the picture of a man he knew many, many moons ago, a man who was not only a danger to society, but one of the reasons Reid had fled home for the small town.
With the familiar eyes glaring at the camera lens on the front page of the paper, Reid wondered if going four and a half hours north was far enough. Then again, if Louie wanted him dead, he could have moved to Antarctica and Louie would still find him. With him released from prison, only time would tell.
Reid flipped open the paper and read the article. There was little to no information as to why Louie was released, only the list of charges that put him there in the first place. He had a forty-year sentence and didn’t even serve half of it. It didn’t make any sense.
He thrust his hands through his hair and stared at the paper. There was only one person who could give him more information, but he couldn’t call him now.
Disgusted by the news, he flipped the paper shut and disposed of it in the recycling bin. Louie’s eyes caught him as he went to walk away, and Reid couldn’t help but laugh. He’d spent the last decade and a half hiding from a past, and now his past was staring him in the face, mocking him, reminding him of one simple reality—there was no way out.
He stormed away from the bin and went back to his office, losing himself in paperwork until it was time to call it a day. Between Allison earlier, then the news on Louie, his nerves were shot to hell.
