Page 88 of Wild Justice

“You have to stop your boyfriend now. I won’t allow it.”

Lulu had been working on acting more adult and mature for years. She’d left her wild child days long behind her. She was a professional working an important job. She didn’t take double-dog dares or impulsively drive her mother’s minivan to Canada on a whim for poutine. Without telling her parents.

Okay, that was a teenage escapade that I shouldn’t have done. But it was delicious.

She did, however, still have one flaw. She didn’t like other people telling her what to do. Especially, when they assumed they had the right to do it. It was a Reilly family trait. They had issues with authority. Her dad had managed fine in the Army, but he’d been happier as his own boss. Her mom and brothers were the same.

“I am the sheriff, and I don’t think what he’s doing is wrong,” she said, her teeth gritted with every word. “It’s a harmless request. If you don’t want to answer, then don’t.”

There was a whole lot she hadn’t said.

Ray wasn’t reacting well to her response. His hands were furled into fists, and his face red as he berated her under his breath. She could only catch about every third word, but it was something about not respecting his authority and thinking she could make her own decisions. She was just a dumb girl who had delusions of her own grandeur.

Or something in that vein, but with more cuss words.

He used his larger frame to push past her despite her protests, planting himself in the middle of the living room. In her current state of dress, she couldn’t manhandle him and yeet him out of the front door.

“We’re going to talk about this, and I’m not going to leave until we do,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

She’d been firm. Patient. She’d even muffled her instinct to be sarcastic. But Ray Ramsey was the pushy type. Maybe that was how he bought and sold real estate. She didn’t know, and frankly, she didn’t care. Her patience with this man-child was at an end. He needed to leave, preferably in the next thirty seconds.

“Ray,” she said sharply, getting his attention. Her patience was at an end, and her anger was beginning to boil. “You need to leave my home right now. You were not invited in and are presently trespassing. We are not going to discuss this. We can talk about it tomorrow. I’ve had a long day at work, and I am in no mood for this. Please leave.”

“Or what?”

His soft-spoken question belied the anger she could see in his eyes. He was furious with her.

Good. She wasn’t so damn happy either. She hadn’t had “Ray Ramsey being an asshole” on her bingo card for the day, but here they were.

“Staying here when I’m asking you to leave is a good way to end up in jail.”

“You work for the town council.”

“I work for the citizens of Harper. You only represent them, and that doesn’t give you the right to break any laws. I’ll arrest you. If the town council wants to scream about it, they can.”

Chuckling, Ramsey shook his head and took a few steps closer so she could more clearly see his angry but amused expression.

“Lulu, the only reason you even got this job was because I pressed for them to hire you. If it weren’t for me, you never would be sheriff. You should be grateful to me.”

Her heart bumped slightly at his words. Was it true? She didn’t have a clue, and at this moment, she didn’t care. It didn’t matter how it happened.

I’m the damn sheriff now. How I got here is irrelevant. And I’m doing a good job.

“It doesn’t matter how. What’s important is that I am the sheriff, and I will arrest you.”

The happy, genial real estate agent was completely gone. Ray Ramsey had turned into a ravenous predator, his eyes gleaming with want as his gaze roamed her from head to toe. She wanted to vomit just watching him.

“In your bathrobe?” he scoffed. “You’re not so scary out of uniform, Lulu. I think we’ll have that talk right now. If you want to keep your job, that is. Are you going to call your boyfriend and tell him to back off or not?”

She didn’t bother asking if he was threatening her because he clearly was.

Sadly, he had a point. She was standing barefoot, wearing a robe and not a uniform. She wasn’t exactly intimidating people left and right in her pink terrycloth robe with a kitten on it. She was, however, pissed off. If he thought he could shake her up with his behavior, he was barking up the wrong tree.

Her gaze landed on the calendar he’d given her when she’d moved into the house. It was on the refrigerator, just in her line of sight and right behind his head. The picture showed a happy, smiling man, telling potential clients without a word that they could trust him with the largest purchase or sale of their lives.

“You haven’t answered me,” Ray said, his tone sharp. “What’s your problem?”

No, she hadn’t replied to his barely veiled threat. He was not happy at the moment, angry and frustrated that he couldn’t browbeat her into doing what he wanted. He’d threatened her job, and she hadn’t folded either.

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