Page 57 of Grumpy Ex's Secret Baby

Drew scoffed. “I know how that is. Drive safe and let me know you got there safely.”

“Thank you,” I said, clapping a hand on his shoulder before turning and taking off.

***

I was exhausted as I arrived at the sheriff’s office, but I needed answers about what had been done in the time that I had been gone. If Corey was about to tell me that there were still no leads or enough evidence to look deeper into the case, our friendship would be over.

There was no way I was going to place my friendship with him above the safety of my family.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Corey asked the moment I stepped into the office. “Wasn’t calling the FBI and involving them enough interference for you?”

“Not nearly,” I said, standing a few feet away from him. If looks could kill, his glare would have put me in the ground then and there. “I called in a favor with a friend. Your department wasn’t doing its job.”

“That wasn’t your place.”

The other officers were watching us. I could feel their eyes on my back as I jerked my chin toward Corey’s office. He sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly as he turned and stormed away. I followed him and shut the door behind me.

“This is a small town,” Corey said, dropping down into his seat. “Doris, Ray, and Reggie have all been here within the last day to hound me.”

“So, the news is finally out about what’s been happening to Haley, then?” I asked, feeling pleased about the progress that had already been made. The FBI agent was stirring things up, and Corey clearly didn’t appreciate it.

“News is all over the damn town. If one more person storms in here and insists that a fire is lit under my ass, I’m personally coming after you.”

“I just want to know that whoever is doing this to her is put away. That’s all I care about.”

Corey ran his fingers through his hair. Streaks of gray were starting to appear, and there were more lines at the corners of his eyes than there had been when I first arrived in town.

“I want that too.”

“It took you too long to get on it,” I said. “I did what I had to.”

“And I can respect that, but you have to understand that this undermines my authority in town.”

I shrugged. “Would you have done any differently if our positions were reversed?”

His lips pressed into a thin line. “No. I wouldn’t have done any differently, and that’s the only reason I haven’t lost my shit yet.”

“Wait until her father comes storming through your door next,” I said with a smirk.

“He can’t be any worse than dealing with you.”

I shrugged. There had been more than one time that I had been on the receiving end of one of her father’s lectures. I didn’t want to receive one ever again.

“Great,” Corey said, turning to look out the window at the parking lot.

“He’s not out there,” I said, laughing as I stood up. “I’m not going to tell you that I’m sorry for overstepping my boundaries, but I am sorry that it has put a strain on our friendship.”

“We’re fine,” Corey said, his easy grin slipping back onto his face. “Just get out of my office and stop sending federal agents into my jurisdiction.”

“Never again,” I said as I walked to the door.

“I don’t believe that,” he called after me, laughing even as I left the office.

I looked at the time on my phone. It was getting late, but I needed to see Haley and Trinity.

As I drove, I drummed my fingers on the wheel, wondering what I was walking into. With Haley asking me to come home and then ignoring my calls, I didn’t know what to think. There could have been any number of things that happened when I was at the charity event.

I only hoped that I wouldn’t have to start all over with her again. Losing her and Trinity wasn’t an option.

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