Page 44 of Love Me Back
“Sorry. I have his coordinates, and I can send them to you. Ican’t meet you out there for obvious reasons, but I can send one of my brothers to meet you and escort you, so you don’t get lost.”
“That’s a good idea. Thank you, Grayson.”
“Another body?” Tyson asked, and I nodded. “That’s the third one. Think he’ll call in the Feds?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think he wants to. If he does, I don’t want you anywhere near here. Tell King to send you on a run somewhere.”
“Why?”
“Why the fuck do you think? I don’t want you or Addie to be fingerprinted.” I lowered my voice and hissed, “If there is even a partial print somewhere associated with that bullet, I will send you both out of the country.”
“There isn’t. They’ll never solve that murder, and I don’t think Dec is trying very hard, anyway. Pretty sure he’s already labeled it a cold case.”
“Still, I’m not taking that chance. Daniel Scott was a prominent man, and if the Feds come in and get wind of it, who knows what they’ll try to dig up. I have to call Hudson to meet Declan and take him out to where Jeff is.”
Tyson stood and walked to the door. Over his shoulder, he called out, “At least think about what I said.”
“I will, I promise. Let King know about the body, okay?” He nodded before walking out of my office, closing my door behind him.
I called Hudson and sent him to meet the sheriff. I couldn’t be sure the sheriff would stop and give me the details, but with Hudson out there, I would know enough.
It had been months since the last woman was found. All the sheriff told us was that the women were similar in looks and both attended the local community college. They had no other connection, including how they died. Only that they were both found naked on my ranch.
I couldn’t help but wonder if it could somehow be related to Thunder’s disappearance. I just couldn’t figure out how.
Dinner was quiet. The entire ranch knew why the sheriff had stopped by. I chose not to mention my missing horse, despite being sure it had nothing to do with the Death Dogs, or Tyson killing Daniel Scott.
He confirmed what I suspected. I hadn’t asked Jeff for details; I wanted to know what the sheriff had found when he got there. He found another young woman—dark hair, naked, and beaten.
There was no question that this woman had not simply succumbed to her environment. The medical examiner had reported there was no mistaking the handprints on the woman’s neck.
Someone had strangled her.
That meant that the other two cases, as well as this one, were officially homicide investigations. We had a serial killer in Diamond Creek. And more than likely on my fucking ranch.
I’d called King, and he said he’d make sure Nav was working solely on the background records for my men. I didn’t want to believe that a man I hired, a man I trusted, could be a murderer. And it might make me an asshole for thinking it, but thank God my sister was a blonde.
Jessie, on the other hand, was a brunette. Her long dark hair was the first thing I noticed that day on the mountain. I wanted to run my fingers through it. Wanted to wrap it around my fist while I fucked her from behind. Which would never happen now unless she was into reverse cowgirl.
Then again, if the tingling I felt in my toes was the feeling coming back in my legs, I swore I would fuck her on every goddamn surface in this house.
When dinner was over, I went to my room. Jessie would come in when she was done helping my sister clean up. I glared at the bed. I didn’t want her to help me get my ass up there. I wanted to be a fucking man and lift myself out of this damn chair.
I set the brake and stared at my feet, willing them to move. After the first couple of days, I didn’t bother wearing shoes unless I was going outside, which I didn’t do often. It was too damn depressing.
I felt the tingling begin. It had to be my feeling coming back. It was a similar feeling to when your hand or your foot fell asleep and went numb and the pins and needles sensation told you it was waking up.
I remembered as a kid watching my foot move, but I wouldn’t really feel it. How, when you tried to stand on feet that had fallen asleep, it felt like standing on two sticks. But it was still possible.
That was what I was thinking about when it happened. My toe moved. At first, I thought I’d imagined it. But then it did it again. A smile spread across my face as I watched my toe move up and down. I couldn’t feel it. But the fact that it was moving had to be a good sign, right?
I heard Jessie and Addie laughing down the hall. They would be done soon, and Jessie would be in here to help with my exercises. It was now or never. I lifted my leg, setting my foot flat against the floor. Then did the same with the other one. I folded the footrests, moving them out of the way.
I lifted myself up on my arms and straightened my knees after putting one hand on the bed. Then, I moved the other hand. My foot hit the chair behind me as I launched myself onto the bed. My knees hit the edge of the mattress and almost pulled me back down.
I pushed up on my hands and rolled myself onto my back. Then I turned, pulling each leg onto the bed, before scooting back against the headboard. I was exhausted, but I had done it.
My eyes were closed when I heard Jessie gasp. I smiled when I saw the surprise on her face that quickly turned to pride.
