Page 36 of Petty Deadly Gorgeous

I pushed myself up and stood over her. “That was…” I blew out another hard breath.

“Will you be coming back tonight?” She stretched and pushed herself to sit up on the table.

I shook my head and pressed my lips together. “Not tonight.”

A look of anger flashed over her face. “I see.”

“Anna, I need to do my job.”

She slid off the table and pushed me back. “That’s fine.”

Anna walked away from me, leaving her pants on the floor, and went up the backstairs.

A part of me hoped she would be in my room when I got there. My hands scrubbed over my face and I heard my phone go off with a message.

Reaching into my back pocket, I pulled my phone out and rolled my eyes.

Riley: Nothing at the grocery store or Raven’s. Heading to the church next.

Shit. I needed to get cleaned up and head to the police station.

After picking her pants up off the floor, I ran up the stairs to my room. There was a post-it note on the door.

Please leave the key on the dresser. Housekeeping will collect it later.

I think I broke a record for myself. Less than twenty-four hours and I’ve pissed a woman off so much she doesn’t want to see me. Way to go, jackass.

Opening the door, I stomped into the room and shoved her pants along with all my clothes into my bag. Grabbed my charger from the wall and tossed the key on the dresser. I couldn’t worry about her right now. I needed to focus on my job.

But my mind had other plans as I got in my car and cranked the ignition. I slammed my hands on the steering wheel in frustration and pulled out of the driveway.

The silence in the car gave me a moment to clear my head as I drove towards the Castle Hollow police station.

And that’s how you ended up divorced. That little voice inside me chided.

No. Not entirely. We didn’t mesh right, but when you knock your high school girlfriend up, you end up paying the consequences. Being married sucked. She sucked. Hell, I know I sucked. We were just kids and didn’t have a clue what we were doing.

Stillborn. That’s what they told us when she went in because she hadn’t felt the baby move like it had been. After that, I focused on work and she focused on spending all my money. Then she got pregnant again. I never would’ve known the baby wasn’t mine if her friend hadn’t let it slip.

The paramedic down the road showed up to pay his respects to the new baby, and that’s when Nora said it was sweet that he came to visit his kid. I had just walked in from a stakeout and after hearing that; I turned and walked out.

Shortly, she had me served with divorce papers and I gave dating a try. When I couldn’t find someone compatible, I turned to hookers to take the edge off. And that’s how I learned what I liked, what really got me off.

With them? I craved the fear in their eyes as I controlled their breath. The first time I went too far, I panicked and my younger brother came up with the plan. He said he knew pigs would eat anything. So that’s what we did.

I tried to be careful after that, and I had done well until about six months ago. That skinny little bitch whined like a newborn puppy. I lost my temper. I called up Anthony, and he fed his pigs again.

“Well, this has been a great trip down memory lane.” I snarled, blew out a hard breath, as I parked at the Castle Hollow police department and got out of my car.

Concrete surrounded the station, and there were signs pointing where to go for the jail or for the sheriff. I walked over to the door for the sheriff and went inside, where an older woman sat at a desk.

“Welcome to the Castle Hollow police department. Can I help you?”

“I’m Detective Dominick Moody from Grimgate. I need to see if Sheriff Lincoln is available.”

She smiled and motioned for me to take a seat while she lifted the receiver off her phone and called him. She spoke so quietly I didn’t hear a word she said, but she waved me back over. “You wanna go down this hall.” She pointed to her right. “And he’s the last door on the left.”

“Thank you.” I leaned back and spied the nameplate on her desk. “Miss Josie.”

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