Page 12 of Bedded and Bred

I cock a brow. “Did she say where she was going?”

“Back to work.”

“They haven’t seen her. She never came back.”

My heart sinks and there’s a quiver along my back that I only get when something’s wrong.

“Which way did she go?”

She nods her blond head. “Back towards the library. I think she went the back way. Down the alleyway so she could avoid the traffic.”

That’s a shocker. It’s not exactly bustling around here but I guess she was really wanting to be alone.

I duck out the door and head around the back, keeping my eyes on the ground looking for anything out of place. I’m about halfway between the library and the diner when I see something peeking out from behind a dumpster at the back of a business. I move closer and my heart drops to my feet. I scuttle closer and there’s no mistake.

My angel’s purse is dusty, dirty and torn and nowhere near its owner.

I pick it up and open it, wincing. I know she’s gonna be pissed because no woman likes it when you go through her purse. My mama caught me in her purse one time and she bout tore my ass off.

The interior is jumbled and I don’t see her keys or her wallet. I also don’t see the pepper spray that I made her start carrying. She’s so tiny that I don’t think she could defend herself without it.

I squat down beside the dumpster and catch a glint of something metal under the edge of it. I put my hand under it, praying that there’s nothing under there that’s gonna take my hand off. But when I pull my hand out and I see that it’s Beth’s keys which have no business being under there, I almost wish that it was just a damn rat and not the human shit that it has to be.

When I pull the keys out, the pepper spray pops out too and I wince when I smell the unmistakeable scent, the burn. It’s been used.

I lift my head and glare around the alley, my eyes hoping that I’ll see her and she’ll be fine. Maybe she tripped. Maybe she bought a new purse.

But I know that I’m being an idiot. Something happened to my angel and when I get my hands on that bastard that touched her, he’s gonna wish that the pepper spray was the only thing that hit him.

I stalk out of the alley and head straight for the sheriff’s office. I met Gage a week ago and he’s a nice guy. Very mellow but I have a feeling he’s not always that way.

Sure enough, I open the door and he’s standing at the front desk talking to a young officer. He smiles when he sees me. “What are you doing here, Cannon? Just sightseeing?” But his smile fades when I hold out Beth’s keys and the pepper spray and handbag.

“What’s all this?”

“I found this in the alley that Beth was taking back to work. But she isn’t there and that pepper spray was used. I saw signs of a scuffle too. Some disturbed dirt and a lot of footprints in one area.”

He stands up slowly and his face smooths out. “Take me to see it.”

We walk out and the younger man stays behind to field any calls. Gage grunts, “You got any ideas?”

“I hate to even think it, because he’d have to be an idiot to do it, but I might.”

“Care to share?”

“My nephew had a thing for Beth. But we’re together and I’m not sure how accepting he is of that fact.”

“Okay.” He gets on his radio and calls the kid to get a car out to see if Jesse’s home or not.

“He might have her there and if he does, a cop showing up would set him off I think. He’s not the brightest bulb in the bunch.”

“Got it.”

I hear him tell the cruiser just to take a look for his car but not to approach.

When we hit the alley, I growl when I see the smaller footprints that I can clearly see were made by a pair of heels.

Gage growls under his breath and pushes his gray Stetson to the back of his head. His eyes meet mine. “Got any ideas where that idiot took her?”

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