Chapter 5 Between a Rock and a Hard Place #2
“Of course.” A ghost of a smile softened Luke’s hard features. “Two words. Lonestar Security.”
“You mean A.J. Pike?”
“Partly, but he’s not the only one there who finds you interesting.”
Interesting? That was one way of putting it. Aaron wasn’t sure how he was going to face his sister’s boyfriend again after trying to get him fired. “After getting so many details about me right, how could his conclusions be so wrong?”
Luke’s eyebrows rose. “Aren’t you going to ask me who else at Lonestar Security finds you interesting?”
“Sure.” Aaron snorted. “Who else is eyeballs deep in my personal business?”
Luke looked amused. “Decker Kingston, one of the owners.”
Uh-oh! “Any relation to Chanel Kingston?”
“She’s his wife.”
“I see,” Aaron groaned and slumped back against his pillows. “If you know that, then you know…” a lot more than I thought you did.
“Yep. We know your sister is on the team that Diamondback sends around the country.” Luke’s dark gaze narrowed with speculation. “What we don’t know is who else is on the team. It’s not something she disclosed in her contract with Modello’s, though we have our guesses.” He eyed Aaron knowingly.
“Don’t look at me,” he protested, “I’m not on Diamondback’s payroll.”
“True.” Luke’s expression grew sly. “But as one of the owners, you pocket a third of their profits. That’s the extra money being funneled into your account, isn’t it? Not hush money and not your cut from the jewel heists.”
We’re back to that again? Aaron gave him a disgusted look. “It sounds like A.J. and I need to have a long talk.”
“Yes, you do.” The sheriff eyed him curiously. “Like you, I’m convinced he was only trying to protect your sister.”
“From me.” Aaron shook his head. “That’s rich!” For the past two years, he’d been the only person standing between her and danger.
Luke spread his hands. “In his defense, the diamond ring your sister’s cat found didn’t improve his impression of you, and he has no idea what your sister really does for a living. Try putting yourself in his shoes.”
Aaron’s brain was too full of cobwebs to attempt anything of the sort.
“The ring my sister’s cat found is from a private collection my family owns.
” For the life of him, he couldn’t explain how Bandit had gotten his paws on it.
Aaron wasn’t normally that careless. Maybe the snake poison was to blame.
“You need to rest.” Luke abruptly straightened.
“But I’ll leave you with one final thought before I scoot back to the station.
” He held Aaron’s gaze. “We do things differently here. Heart Lake is filled with families and friends that go back for generations, people who’ve always had each other’s backs.
Some call it our cowboy brand of justice.
All I know is it’s real, and it works. So, if you intend to stick around, you need to get on board with it, you hear? ”
Aaron’s head pounded from the effort of wrapping his brain around what the sheriff was saying. He wasn’t a hundred percent sure what he meant by the town’s cowboy brand of justice, but he suddenly wanted to find out.
“Just keep the lines of communication open between us after you get out of here,” the sheriff added gruffly.
“I will.” Aaron was grateful for the second chance he’d been handed. “One last question.”
Luke paused in his exodus from the room. “Fire away.”
“Do you know when the gas leak will be repaired?”
“Already done, but it’s still classified as a crime scene.
Though you gave us the green light to investigate what happened, I’m shorthanded as usual.
” He gave Aaron a pointed look as if to remind him that he was partially to blame for that.
“In the hope of speeding things up, I’ve delegated the task to Lonestar Security. ”
“Great.” Aaron’s heart sank. “The guy trying to put me behind bars is now pilfering through my underwear drawer.”
Luke’s dark eyebrows rose. “Assuming you have nothing to hide…”
“Nothing illegal.” Aaron had plenty of stuff to hide concerning his sister, but doubted it would remain a secret from A.J. for much longer. To get ahead of the fallout that was sure to follow, he needed to get in touch with his uncle. Immediately.
As soon as the sheriff took off, Aaron tapped the button to bring one of the nurses running. “Any chance I can have my cell phone back?”
“Absolutely.” She smiled warmly at him—too warmly—the way a woman does when she’s checking a guy out. “It’s good to see you sitting up again.” She bustled around the room, checking the machines, refilling his water glass, and pushing the curtains open wider.
It was impossible not to be aware of her in return. She was a brunette with freckles across her nose and a bounce in her step, a bit on the curvy side the way he liked.
“Only the good die young, as they say.” He hated that she was seeing him in a hospital bed wearing a flimsy white gown.
His nurse chuckled merrily. “I would’ve never guessed you weren’t one of the good guys, Deputy Cannon. You don’t give off the evil overlord vibe, but maybe you’re just better at hiding it than other evil overlords.”
She knew his name and what he did for a living, which made him feel at a disadvantage. “Yeah, I’m pretty good at hiding my evilness, Miss…er…”
“Maggie,” she supplied in the same warm voice. “Maggie Meyer. I’ll be right back with your phone and other stuff.”
She left the room, and he stared after her, wondering against his better judgment if she was married. She returned with a clear plastic bag containing his cell phone, wallet, and the clothes he’d been wearing when he’d arrived in the ambulance. “Here you go!”
“Thank you, ma’am.” He hoped that calling her ma’am would squelch the mildly flirtatious note in her voice.
“Maggie,” she corrected brightly. “May I call you Aaron?”
“Sure.” So much for his attempt at keeping things professional between them. Next question. “How soon will the doc let me out of here?” His gaze moved to her left hand, and his chest grew lighter to see that her wedding ring finger was bare.
Her smile widened. “As soon as your sister returns. She said she and her boyfriend are getting a room ready for you at his apartment.”
Over my dead body. There was no way he was subjecting himself to A.J. Pike’s hospitality, even if it meant getting a hotel room for a couple of days. However, he kept his voice neutral. “Sounds good to me. Thanks for returning my things.”
“My pleasure, Aaron.” She gave him another smile as bright as the sunrise fingering its way into the room. “If you need anything else, call me.”
Call you? He felt his face turn red. Then he realized she was pointing at the nurse call button built into his bed. “Thanks.”
Her throaty chuckle made him turn even redder.
“Would you mind shutting the door when you leave, Maggie?” He waved his cell phone at her, unable to fully meet her gaze. “I need to make an important phone call.” And quit thinking about how hot my nurse is. He wouldn’t be in town long enough to pursue her. He never was.
“Consider it done.” She puttered some more over his monitors and checked his I.V. cord again. The way her warm fingers brushed against his wrist felt heavenly. Then she left the room, shutting the door behind her and plunging him into silence.
He immediately dialed his uncle.
Cary Cannon’s voice exploded across the line. “What’s this I hear about you being in the hospital?”
It warmed Aaron’s heart to discover Aurora had already reported his condition to their uncle. “Regardless of what my sister may have told you, I’m fine.”
“She said you were poisoned,” Uncle Cary returned bluntly. “That’s not what I would call fine.”
“Well, I’m fine now. That’s not why I’m calling.” Not directly, at any rate.
“Nothing is more important than your health, son.” His uncle sounded exasperated.
“Thank you, sir.” Aaron was glad to hear it. Hopefully, it would make it easier to get the guy’s approval for his next request. “Speaking of my health, Aurora and I could really use some more hands on deck right now.” At least until he could get back on his feet.
“My thoughts exactly,” his uncle drawled, “which is why I’m sending Elise your way on the next plane.”
It wasn’t at all what Aaron had in mind, but his uncle was still talking.
“I know she hasn’t spent much time in the field, but I’m sure you and Aurora can get her up to speed in no time.”
Aaron stared down at himself in dismay. The headachy, temporarily sidelined version of himself wasn’t how he wanted Elise Hathaway to see him.
He’d rather wait a few days before facing the woman he harbored such complicated feelings for.
“That’s very kind of you, sir.” But it would leave his uncle without any help himself. “However—”
“She’s already in the air, kiddo,” Uncle Cary interrupted. “She’ll arrive in a couple of hours and will remain through the weekend.”
Five whole days? Aaron’s headache flared between his temples with a vengeance once again. “I really wish you’d said something to me before buying her a plane ticket.”
“So you could tell me no?”
Something like that. Aaron drew a bracing breath, reminding himself he hadn’t yet gotten around to the main reason for his phone call.
“I’d like to float another idea past you, if you don’t mind.
” It was an idea that tasted bitter in his mouth, but he couldn’t see any way around it.
To clear the way for Aurora to share what she did for a living with A.J.
, their uncle needed to be on board with bringing a newcomer into their confidence.
“I’m listening,” his uncle assured affably. “Oh, and before I forget, Elise will be staying at a hotel on Main Street.” The name he rattled off was the nicest hotel in town, the same place where Aaron had been hoping to reserve a room.
Guess I’ll look at extended-stay motels instead. His mood worsened, but he forced himself to stay on task. “Did Aurora happen to mention she’s dating someone?”
“No, she did not.” Uncle Cary’s voice grew wary.