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Narrowing her eyes at me, she didn’t let up. “Did you know that Clawson was obsessed with Margo, or even that they dated? Did you know? Yes or no?”
“No, I didn’t know.” Exasperation heaved out of me. “But it’s not like we share every tiny detail of our dating life with each other.”
“If the sheriff kept his relationship a secret from you, and you kept our fake engagement a secret from him, then who’s to say the guy couldn’t be keeping a bigger secret about getting wild with jealousy and killing the guy who wronged the girl he’s obsessed with?”
I blew up. “There’s no way in hell that happened.”
“You went all caveman when Zander merely touched me.Touchedme.” Her voice rose to match mine. “Maybe the same thing happened with Clawson. Remember, the deputy physically slept with somebody else, hurting Margo. If you ask me, that’s a big fucking motive for Clawson to want Hill dead.”
I paused. I couldn’t deny that I had lost my shit for a split second when I was jealous, and it could be possible for me to do something wildly reckless in that state. I still saw red when I thought about Zander’s arm around Tori’s waist.
Clawson was as much of a shifter, a dominant male, as I was. It was logical and made sense that something similar might have happened with Clawson, but I couldn’t believe it. There was too much pointing at Lola Kipling. That was where we needed to start.
“I still don’t think he did it,” I said. “It doesn’t matter if he was capable. He didn’t do it. Lola Kipling is the best suspect. That’s where the focus of the investigation needs to be right now.”
“You won’t even take what I said into account? We should at least put him up as a potential suspect as well.”
“No, I won’t. He’s the fucking sheriff.”
“And Lola is fucking shy, not a killer.”
We glared daggers at each other, the warm, soft feelings between us going up in ash.
Tori threw her hands up in the air and stopped yelling. “You know what? I’ll figure this out myself if you’re so blinded by loyalty. You really need to learn not to trust anyone. I’ve seen firsthand how everything in my life was a lie, and that might be the case between you and Clawson.”
Snapping back, I said, “Just because you have trust issues doesn’t mean I need to. You can’t just figure this entire thing out for yourself. You need to learn to rely on others, including me.Especiallyme.”
She pulled her back straight and scowled at me. “I don’t want to rely on you any longer. The second this murder case is solved, I’m leaving town. I’m gone.”
Without another word, she stormed out of the room, not looking back. I heard the front door slam.
Grimacing, I heaved out a breath and sank into one of the reading chairs. I rubbed a hand over my heart. I couldn’t believe how much it had hurt when she said she didn’t want to rely on me. It was like she’d fractured me, and now I was struggling to piece myself together.
Frustration mounted, easing the ache enough to let me function, but not enough to ease the hurt emotions swarming within me. All I wanted was to keep her here in Blackwood Creek with me, where she would be safe, but that wouldn’t happen if she kept running away.
This fight had taken me by surprise. She’d only said that to lash out; she must have. Because if she genuinely believed what she’d said, then I was screwed, and I couldn’t accept that yet.
I needed a shower to get rid of the grime and help me settle down. It would also give Tori time to cool off. Then I’d track her down and tell her what I suspected was going on between her and me. Our connection had to be something more, and if she left, we’d face bigger problems.
I’d ask her to stay in town so we could pursue our relationship further. I’d beg her to stay if I had to, because if I was hurting this much from what she’d said, what would happen if she left? I wouldn’t know what was happening with her. A hunter could trap her, torture her, kill her.
Another man would touch her at some point, and she’d accept that touch.
Growling rumbled in my chest. This time, it wasn’t from the wolf.
Chapter27
Tori
My frustration and anger fueled me as I stomped back into town. It hurt me that Ridge wasn’t listening, but it was also a little freeing. I had finally found a fault in him for being so blindly loyal and trusting of a friend. That was a dangerous trait and would get someone killed.
The minute I’d sensed Ridge’s presence in the manor, I had lost the resolve to distance myself from him because I was so happy to see him. When he walked in, it was like everything else had ceased to exist, and it was only the two of us in the world. It took a while for me to remember what I had to do, but then he told me about his family and how he felt responsible, and I started weakening again. My heart ached for him. It was nice not to have selfish feelings, to be free to care for somebody else—Ridge in particular.
The connection between us was growing with an intensity I didn’t know how to stop. Part of me was appeased that we’d fought because he was the perfect outlet for the rage stewing inside me. It was precisely what I needed to leave town, the push that helped me to do the right thing.
Confronting Clawson and solving this murder was my first order of business. Then I was out of here without a word to anyone. That was cold and callous, but it was the only way I could do it.
I was heading toward the sheriff’s office, thinking that might be where I’d find Clawson. My first question would be what he’d done after leaving Margo that night because everything stemmed from there. I needed to be prepared before I confronted him, though. He was the sheriff, after all, and more experienced in this than me.
