Page 68 of Claimed By the Deputies

“Wait, you knew the DEA was coming?”

“No, but we figured it was only a matter of time before someone started pointing fingers at you and dredging up your past,” Lucas says. “For what it’s worth, Tassia, we didn’t really buy that guilty verdict of yours. I even got on the phone with Judge Forsythe.”

“The judge who presided over my case?”

“Yeah, he didn’t exactly buy it either. But he understood the circumstances and he agreed that the prosecution could’ve convinced the jury, which would’ve sent you down an even darker road. You’re right. You did pick the best out of the worst options handed to you. And you have handled yourself honorably ever since,” Lucas says, smiling. “Did you really think I wouldn’t make inquiries of my own before letting you work my evidence room?”

“Oh my god,” I gasp, my blood running hot and cold at the same time. “You knew. You all knew. This whole time.”

“Don’t be mad,” Tyler says softly.

I raise my hands. “Mad? Tyler, you’ve been giving me the stink-eye since Patterson basically accused me of being Trevor’s mole!”

“She made me mad as hell. It wasn’t you.”

“A little warning beforehand would’ve made all of this more bearable,” I mutter.

I’m not upset. Well, maybe a little, but it’ll pass. I’m more relieved. I find comfort in knowing my men are with me. They’re all the way with me, and it means the world. It isn’t a green light to disclose my pregnancy yet, though. The last thing they need is a distraction. And Lord knows a baby is the biggest possible kind.

It might also be a weakness. It could render me vulnerable to anyone who might seek to harm them. And we’re about to blow the lid off one hell of a drug trafficking and mayoral corruption issue in Frost Valley.

“Tassia, are you okay?” Lucas sounds concerned.

I must’ve gone blank again, drowning in my own thoughts. “Yes. Sorry. I’m just… dammit, you three just confused the hell out of me!”

“What matters is you’re not alone anymore. And as long as the three of us are here, you are safe,” Tyler says softly, placing a hand on my shoulder. “You are wanted.”

“We believe you,” Lucas adds. “Agent Patterson will need a lot more convincing, though.”

All I can do is shrug. “Whatever I can do or say to help, I will. But I’m also going to keep doing my job, just like before.”

“Good. And rest assured, Trevor Callaghan isn’t coming anywhere near you. I’ll run him out of town myself if I have to.”

“I wonder if he knows I’m here?”

“Probably. But if he’s got bigger fish to fry, which it sounds like he does, you won’t be at the top of his list of priorities,” Mitch says, giving me a soft smile.

What worries me is I might not be at the bottom, either. Whatever he’s up to, it might reverberate. The echoes might reach across the fabric of the town and hit me right in the solar plexus.

His dealings got me in trouble once. What’s to say Trevor won’t find another way to ruin my life again?

17

MITCH

What started out as a murder investigation turned up so much dirt festering beneath the surface of Frost Valley it makes me sick to my stomach. I knew we had underlying issues to work on in order to make this a safe place for everyone, but it keeps getting worse.

“I appreciate the request for assistance,” Agent Patterson says as she meets us a block away from the stash house we staked out the day before.

“You came alone?” I ask, looking around.

“We assumed you’d be bringing in the big guns,” Tyler mutters.

“Where is your sheriff?” Patterson asks, sounding rather confused. I notice the Kevlar vest she’s wearing beneath her DEA windbreaker. Good.

“He’s keeping an eye on the mayor today. We managed to get some intel about a number of meetings he’s got scheduled. Jerry Spring will be taking part in a few of them.”

“So what is the purpose of us coming here?”

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