Rhodes Read online

  “A what now?”

  “Get in the car and I’ll explain.”

  He doesn’t have to tell me twice.

  When I’m safely in the locked cruiser, I turn to Rhodes.

  “Explanation. Now,” I demand.

  “Yeah, take that tone,” he sighs. “That’s going to get you whatever you want.”

  “I was just held at gunpoint. I deserve some answers.”

  “I was held at gunpoint too. It was directly your fault. You can wait for answers.”

  “Rhodes-”

  “Ellie,” he cuts me off. “You don’t want to argue with me on this one. I know arguing with me is your greatest thrill in life, but it’s going to have to wait.”

  “It’s not my greatest thrill,” I mutter. “Where are you taking me?”

  “We’re going to talk to the Chief. You’re officially involved.”

  Chapter Four

  Rhodes

  Chief Howard thrums his fingers against his desk.

  “Do you have any idea how lucky you are?” He says to me. “I ought to shoot you in the leg for good measure.”

  “Should I have let those goons shoot Ellie? I don’t think that’s the kind of message I want to send.”

  “What kind of message do you want to send?” Ellie groans. “What the hell is going on?”

  “I’ll tell you what’s going on,” Chief turns to Ellie. “You walked right up to a drug dealer’s trailer and knocked on the door like you were selling girl scout cookies!”

  “How was I supposed to know they were drug dealers?”

  “Who parks a trailer in the middle of nowhere?” I shoot back.

  “I assumed it was you,” she says. “You were the one going on and on about your confidential investigation.”

  My gaze shoots to the Chief who looks like he’d love nothing more than to punch my lights out.

  “You told her about the investigation?”

  “She’s trying to acquire the land the trailer was on. I told her it’s not possible at that time because of a current investigation. I also explained that I could not elaborate on the details.”

  “You rubbed it in my face,” Ellie snaps.

  “That’s also true,” I admit.

  The Chief looks at me for a long while before turning to Ellie.

  “Not too long ago, a gang of drug dealers moved into town.”

  “So I gathered,” she says through clenched teeth. “Why are they still in town and why weren’t the Mayor and I notified about this?”

  “Oh, the Mayor knows,” the Chief says. “He asked me to handle it discreetly so we don’t cause public panic.”

  “I should have been told,” Ellie says. “I never would have gone after the land at this time if I knew.”

  “Yes,” the Chief nods. “I have to agree with you on that.”

  “Why haven’t you arrested them?” She asks. “Or kicked them out of town?”

  “And make it someone else’s problem to deal with?” I interject. “No, we want to eliminate this drug ring completely. If we take down the lackey’s and errand boys, the bug guns will bail before we even learn their names.”

  “That’s another reason we’ve kept this so hush-hush,” the Chief adds. “We don’t know how big this ring is, who their contacts are, or who is in charge. The less the town knows the less likely one of our targets will learn we’re after them.”

  “I think they know we’re after them now,” I say. “I pulled my gun on one of them.”

  “They know you came to the aid of a young woman. That’s it.”

  “I may have told them I had them surrounded with other members of the force,” I wince.

  “What?” The Chief snaps.

  “I had to make sure I don’t get my face blown off! There wasn’t anyone else out there.”

  “What?” Ellie shrieks. “You lied about that?”

  “It got you to calm down and get in the car, didn’t it?” I reply.

  “You did well getting the civilian out of danger but now whoever was in that trailer thinks we’re after them. They’ll tell all of their buddies. We’re going to have to start from square one.”

  “We never even left square one,” I challenge. “We’re totally unequipped to deal with a drug ring.”

  “We’ve never had to do this before,” the Chief snaps. “If I didn’t need your skills, I’d kick you off the case for this incident.”

  “But you need me,” I say. “So, where do we go from here?”

  “Nowhere.”

  “I don’t understand,” I say.

  “The Rangers are going to lie low until the drug dealers relax again,” the Chief explains. “Unfortunately, Ellie will need to spend a few days in protective custody.”

  “That’s not necessary,” Ellie speaks up.

  “You told them exactly who you are,” I point out. “They know how to find you. Hurting you would be a good way to establish their turf in town. It’s not a bad idea to keep you at the safehouse for a little while.”

  “I’m glad you think so, Rhodes. You’ll be joining her.”

  “What?” I sputter. “Why?”

  “They know your face. They know where you work. They know your name because it’s stitched onto your shirt. You’re not safe.”

  “I can handle myself.”

  “I will not have a shootout in the streets if they come after you,” the Chief says. “You two will stay in the safe house. The Rangers will watch your homes. If someone comes looking for you, we’ll grab them, and get our investigation back on track. Two birds, one stone.”

  I want to argue, but I can’t. There’s a protocol to be followed, though I never thought I’d see the day where we actually have to follow it, yet here we are.

  “Fine,” I grumble.

  “Not fine!” Ellie snaps. “You can’t stick us in a safehouse. I have a job to do.”

  “And I don’t?” I fire back.

  “Enough,” the Chief sighs. “You will both be escorted to the safehouse. Once there, you will have the opportunity to send a Ranger to your homes to gather one duffel bag worth of items.”

  “One bag?” Ellie gasps.

  “Essentials will be provided to you,” the Chief goes on.

  “I haven’t agreed to this,” Ellie protests.

  “This isn’t the kind of thing you agree to,” I say. “You’re not bringing cookies to a bake sale. You’re hiding from drug dealers.”

  “I gathered that, thank you very much,” she hisses.

  “I can’t take any more of this.” The Chief presses his fingers into his temple. “Your escort is waiting for you. Try not to kill each other while you’re in lockdown.”

  “No promises,” I grumble.

  Chapter Five

  Ellie

  “This is your fault,” I snap.

  I stand in the living room of a one-bedroom cottage just off the town’s main road. It’s a cute, unassuming house no one would notice if they drove by. I suppose that’s the point.

  “My fault?” Rhodes laughs. “You’re the one who banged-”

  “On a drug dealer’s trailer, I know!” I throw my hands up.

  “And told him your name.”

  “I know.”

  “And your exact profession.”

  “I know!”

  “So how is this my fault?” He demands.

  “It’s not,” I admit. “But yelling at you will bring me joy at this moment.”

  I don’t understand how he can be so calm about this. Right now, he’s sitting on the couch, sipping a beer, without a care in the world.

  “Since we’re in hiding, I’d advise against yelling,” he says. “But if you want to tear into me, go ahead.”

  “Are you saying I’m right?”

  “God, no,” he laughs. “I just like seeing you all riled up.”

  “Why?” I put my hands on my hips. “Because it makes you feel powerful? Because you like to look down on women for being emotional when they’re pissed of
f?”

  “Wow.” He raises his brows. “Someone’s projecting. To answer your question, no. I don’t rile you up to put you down. You’re just incredibly sexy when you’re mad.”

  “Excuse me?” I gasp. My cheeks grow hot.

  “Well, also because you’re a pain in the ass,” he adds.

  “I’m a pain in the ass?” I bark out a laugh. “That’s rich.”

  “Did you miss the part where I called you sexy?”

  Once again, my cheeks turn red.

  “No, I didn’t because how can I miss something so blatantly inappropriate?”

  “What’s inappropriate about calling you sexy? It’s true,” he shrugs.

  “Didn’t your mother ever teach you the rules of common decency? Or how to talk to women?” I go to the fridge so I don’t have to look at him. I’m not hungry, but I have to grab something now. I decide to take a beer, which I never drink.

  “No, but my eight foster moms tried their best,” he says.

  I halt half-way back to the couch.

  “I’m sorry,” I say. “I didn’t realize.”

  “I know,” he says. “You never paid much attention to anyone outside your pastel school-spirit bubble in school. How would you know?”

  “You’re an asshole to me because I didn’t know what you were going through in high school?” I shake my head in confusion.

  “No,” he scoffs. “We weren’t friends. Why would you know?”

  “Then why are you an asshole to me?” I ask. “You can tell me the truth. Don’t worry about hurting my feelings, not that you’d care in the first place.”

  “I know I give you a lot of crap when I see you but have I ever hurt your feelings?” He asks.

  “Not really,” I admit. “You piss me off to no end, but you’re annoying. Not mean.”

  “Put that on my gravestone, please,” he laughs. “Here lies Rhodes Tavish. He was annoying, but not mean.”

  “I’m being serious,” I say even as I laugh. “We’re going to be stuck here for a day or two. It’s going to be easier for both of us if we get along.”

  “I think we get along well,” he shrugs.

  “Have I been yelling at a different Rhodes Tavish all these years?” I scoff.

  “Nope, you’ve been yelling at me. I provoke you because it’s fun.”

  “It’s not fun for me!” I exclaim.

  “Come on,” he chuckles. “You’re telling me you don’t get a little thrill every time you put me in my place?”

  I totally do, but I don’t want to admit it. He’ll be smug about it.

  “Not at all.” I try to twist off my bottlecap and fail. The jagged edges cut into my skin.

  “Want me to get that?”

  “I got it,” I insist. After three more tries, I reluctantly pass the bottle to him. He pulls a bottle opener from his pocket.

  “You just carry that around with you?” I ask.

  “Always,” he grins. “It’s a great way to calm down bar fights.”

  “I can imagine.”

  He passes the beer back to me and stares at me while I take my first sip. I squirm under his gaze, direct and intense.

  “I did hate you at one point,” he says.

  “Thanks very much,” I chuckle, caught off guard.

  “Well, not you specifically. I hated everyone in your friend group. I hated you for having things I didn’t have. A family. Stability. A future.”

  “But you had a future,” I point out. “You’re a Ranger now. That’s not nothing.”

  “I very nearly didn’t,” he says. “The Chief took pity on me and put me in the training program.”

  I shake my head, amazed. “I never knew.”

  “How would you?” He shrugs. “I don’t exactly advertise it. People don’t want to know the Ranger they trust to protect them almost went to prison for twenty years.”

  “Twenty years?” I gasp before I can stop myself.

  “Don’t worry, I didn’t murder anyone if that’s what you’re thinking,” he laughs.

  “It wasn’t, but that’s exactly what I’d expect a murderer to say,” I reply.

  “I drove a stolen car,” he says. “I was the getaway driver while some older guys I thought were cool robbed a house. I was the only one who got caught. The court wanted to pin it all on me. The Chief was the only one who believed me when I said I didn’t partake in the robbery or kicking the crap out of the people who lived in the house. All I did was drive a car I didn’t know was stolen.”

  “The Chief is a good guy,” I nod and force down another sip of beer. It tastes terrible but it’s definitely helping me mellow out. “Thanks for telling me.”

  “Don’t mention it.” He shrugs and looks away as if he’d just told me I dropped a dollar.

  “Why did you?”

  “Hmm?” He looks back at me.

  “Tell me, I mean. Why did you tell me?”

  “You said you want to get along,” he says. “I figure that’s a good first step.”

  To my surprise, I find myself laughing.

  “Most people start with their favorite food or their dream vacation, but I’ll take your criminal backstory instead.”

  “Good,” he grins. “Because now it’s your turn to share something.”

  Chapter Six

  Rhodes

  She looks nervous. It’s adorable. I think about teasing her for it but I hold back. I didn’t expect her to be cool about me nearly going to jail for twenty years. I expected her to freak out and demand to be taken to a Four Seasons or something. She plops down on the armchair beside the couch.

  “I don’t know what to share,” she shrugs. “My life is what you’d expect it to be. Two parents with distinguished careers. A younger brother attending an Ivy League. I love my job and my coworkers. I’m preparing for the future.”

  “There has to be something,” I prod. “Why do you want that plot of land so bad you’d drive an hour just to walk across it?”

  “I normally wouldn’t do that,” she says. “But when you said you were investigating something, I wanted to know. It was stupid. You don’t have to tell me.”

  “Yes, it was,” I nod. “But your dedication is admirable. I’d sic you on the drug dealers if I knew you wouldn’t get shot. Ten minutes going against you is enough to drive most people off.”

  “Thanks,” she scoffs.

  “I mean it as a good thing,” I laugh. “You’re fearsome, do you know that? I’ve never once seen you back down from a single challenge.”

  She looks at me with narrowed eyes. “You’re being suspiciously nice.”

  “Maybe I’ve always been this nice,” I say. “We’ve never really talked to each other until now.”

  “I can’t argue that,” she admits. “You’re pretty fearsome, yourself.”

  “All in a day’s work,” he winks. “You won’t get out of sharing, though. Tell me about the plot.”

  “I told you it’s going to be a clinic for ranchers,” she says. “That land can be connected to the road. It’s centrally located from the point of view of the ranchers.”

  “It’s a huge project,” I say. “The town hasn’t taken on something like that in forever. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a rancher complain about having to drive all the way into town to get to the hospital.”

  “What’s your point?” She asks.

  “I guess I’m just curious about what motivates you.”

  The question alarms her. She opens her mouth and closes it several times but never manages to form a word.

  “You’re horrible at talking about yourself,” I laugh.

  “I don’t do it often,” she replies.

  “I find that hard to believe.”

  “Why?” She furrows her brow at tilts her head. The golden strands of her red hair shine under the yellowish light of the ceiling fixture.

  “You’re the assistant Mayor, for one thing.”

  “People want to talk to the Mayor, not me,” she replies.

&n
bsp; “That can’t be true,” I frown. “You work just as hard as the Mayor, if not harder.”

  “That doesn’t make me someone worth talking to. Or about.”

  “You ran just about every club in high school if I remember. That’s something.”

  “High school clubs mean very little after high school finishes.”

  “Are you going to diminish all of your accomplishments?” I ask.

  “I’m not.”

  “You are,” I insist. “So, I suppose I’d like to know why someone like you, who goes after what she wants like a hound after a fox, would downplay yourself once you’ve reached your goal.”

  “I hold myself to high standards.” She doesn’t look at me when she speaks. In fact, she seems to be looking at everything but me. “Once I meet them, then I’ll call myself accomplished.”

  “Will building the clinic meet your standards?” I ask.

  “It’s a start,” she says. “I have a vision for this town. I want to revive our dead tourism industry.”

  “There isn’t anything here for tourists to see,” I point out.

  “There are two dude ranches stocked with empty cabins just waiting for people to come stay,” she counters. “Right now, this town gets most of its income from exporting meat. That’s diminishing. Between droughts, herds falling ill, and huge competitors we can’t hope to out-profit, we need to change something before it’s too late.”

  “And dude ranches will save us?” I ask.

  “They’ll help. If Roger’s Ranch fills all of their guest cabins once a month, they’ll make an extra forty grand a year. That’s not counting trail rides, camping trips, or hikes.”

  “Damn,” I murmur.

  “If we found a way to get a B&B open, that’s even more revenue.”

  “So, where does the clinic come in?”

  “It’s a jumping-off point.” She gets to her feet and starts pacing as she speaks. “A clinic will provide better care for ranchers, it’ll bring some new jobs, and it will show the people of Rose Haven that actively bringing about change isn’t a bad thing.”

  “Ah, so it’s a guinea pig project.”

  “More or less,” she admits.

  “And then what? When you’ve healed the ranchers, saved our tourism industry, and installed a Starbucks on the main street, will you call yourself accomplished?”