Page 18 of Warrant
I stepped up behind Ainsley, took her by the arm and had her moving before she had a chance to say anything.
“What are you doing?” she sputtered as I steered her a few more steps.
“Mom, this is Ainsley. The new sheriff in town. Ainsley, this is my mother, Cindy.”
My mom gave me a speculative look before she smiled at the woman—who didn’t know it yet—who was going to be my girl. “Hello, Ainsley. It’s so nice to meet you.”
Ainsley’s mouth was hanging open as she shook my mom’s hand. “I- You too,” she said, stumbling over her words. She shot me a glare, but then focused on Mom.
“We’re so grateful to have someone new in charge of the sheriff’s office,” Mom said, a twinkle in her eye because she knew me well and had already caught on to what I was doing.
“Everyone’s been so welcoming,” Ainsley said with a shake of her head. “I guess I have Denison to thank for that.”
Mom barked out a laugh and nodded. “Yeah, he left so much to be desired we were desperate.” Her smile was genuine. “Though from the looks of things, we got the best of the best anyway.”
Ainsley’s cheeks turned a dull red. “Thank you, Ma’am.”
Mom waved a hand at her. “Cindy, please. Ma’am makes me feel old.”
“Better go speak with Mary,” I muttered as I watched Brandon’s family walk into the funeral home. We were going to be creating a barrier—as much as we could—around them today. I shot Mom a grin, but my words were for my girl. “Be good.”
Ainsley looked at me like I’d grown another head when I winked at her. She didn’t know me yet. So she hadn’t picked up on the fact that introducing her to my mother was the first step in my plan to get her to fall in love with me. Well, second or third step. Watching her move around her home each night, learning her routines, had been my first and second steps. Some might call that stalking.
As an officer of the law, Ainsley certainly would, I just called it good reconnaissance. And being efficient. Cut down on so much needless small talk.What’s your favorite cereal? What kind of ice cream?Now I could skip all that. The woman likedTrix and chocolate peanut butter ice cream. Women respected efficiency. Dull questions gave them the ick.
It wasn’t like I’d put up cameras in her bathroom or bedroom. That would be crossing the line. I wasn’t a fucking pervert. Pausing, I thought about that. No, I definitely was a pervert, I just wasn’tthatkind of pervert. I did make sure the camera in the kitchen was placed to catch her reaching up on the top shelf in her little booty shorts. My God….
The woman had an ass I wanted to just bury my face in.
I was just trying to learn her movements. Make sure she was safe. And find any crack in that guarded exterior of hers that I could. The fact that I could enjoy a PG-thirteen show at the same time, yeah… Sue me.
It was prep work. And damn smart if you ask me. Just like I knew shoving her into my mom’s path meant she was going to be coming to dinner at my parents’ house sometime in the next couple of nights, which meant more time with her. A man needed to use every advantage he could. If there was anyone I could count on to be on my wavelength, it was my mother. She knew me better than I knew myself.
The funeral passed in a blur. We kept our eyes peeled for any trouble. There wasn’t any. The place was packed and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. That was expected. We escorted the town over to the local park where the gazebos had been decked out with more flowers and decorations and we helped carry various plates, platters, and crock pots filled with food out to the tables.
Though I kept an eye on Ainsley as she moved through the crowds of people, I didn’t approach her again. Today wasn’t the day to continue charming her. I had a duty to my club, to my town, to do everything possible to make this go smoothly for the Rice family.
Most wouldn’t believe it, but I took my duties seriously. Usually. When it came to my club, my job, my family, I was resolute and steadfast. The rest of the time, sure I liked to fuck around. Life was too goddamned short to be so fucking serious all the time.
Sometimes I wondered if Scythe was ever going to get that stick lodged out of his asshole. Fucker hardly ever even cracked a smile. But it suited him.
He glanced over, almost as if the asshole knew what I was thinking, then flipped me off. So clearly he knew I was thinking something unpleasant about him.
I chuckled and glanced around. I’d done recon on this park yesterday. Not that I didn’t grow up running around in it as a kid. There wasn’t an entry or exit point I didn’t know about now. If that prick from Cheyenne had any buddies who were pissed off he hadn’t gotten out on bail and thought they’d make some kind of statement, they wouldn’t be sneaking up on this gathering.
Not that I was expecting that kind of trouble. Glitch had sent me the information he’d dug up on Mike Linstrom and the man wasn’t exactly the kind that inspired that type of loyalty from people. He was some big shot banker, but he didn’t have a lot of friends or family and he drank like a fish.
Still. I was the Sergeant at Arms for my club. I was a former MP. Safety and security was always my main focus. My eyes scanned people’s faces as I walked around.
Grief was everywhere. As much as this hurt, time would move on. And so would everyone here. Mary and Jay and their girls would never forget. But they’d figure out how to keep living. Not easily. It was never easy to lose someone you loved.
I ran a hand through my hair and wished there was a way to spare them that loss. I paused, cocking my head as I watched Pyre step close to Rae and say something to her.
She looked up at him in surprise, then shook her head and walked away.
Pyre watched her leave then met my gaze. His eyes narrowed as a grin started to spread over my face. He walked away before I had a chance to go over and mention the fact that whatever he’d said to her had put a smile on his face for the first time in days.
Huh. Maybe I wasn’t the only dickhead with his eyes on a lady around here? Though I doubted Pyre would ever admit it. Which meant I should help him with that. A man needed to be open and honest about shit. Most shit. Feelings kind of shit. Nothing wrong or unmacho about that.
