Chapter 6
Chapter Six
KINDRED
Igo back over my checklist, making sure I have everything in order. I’m worried I’m going to miss something with the way Hudson has fully overtaken my thoughts. I can’t go but for a few minutes and he’s there in my head.
I snort a laugh when I picture him as a pirate. The man could have a wooden leg and a hook for a hand and still do it for me.
“What is wrong with me?”
“You’re hungry?” I snap my head up at Candy’s question.
“What?”
“You asked what was wrong with you.”
“Oh.” Didn’t realize I said it out loud. At least she’s not rambling off a giant list of things.
“But you muttered something about a hook too. Is a hook a wedding term for something?” I really need to get the habit of talking to myself under control or at least keep it in my head.
“Thinking about pirates.”
“Pirates?” Her nose scrunches. “Like from Peter Pan?”
“You know, some believe that Peter Pan was the villain and Captain Hook the hero.” Candy tilts her head, thinking this over.
“People never wanted to grow up, and I suppose he forced that upon others.”
“And maybe Hook was merely responding to Peter’s actions.” Oh shit. Why does that hit a little close to home? Am I Peter and Hudson Hook? “I never cut off anyone's hand.”
“I didn’t say you did.” Candy giggles, but her expression lets me know she thinks I’m losing my mind. I might be. I can circle all things back to Hudson. He’s the one that has me all out of sorts and acting out of character.
“So you’re good with the flowers?”
“If I am, will you tell me why you’re talking about chopping off hands?" Candy glances around. My desk is out in the front, but I am alone for the most part when I'm here. A few people come and go every now and then. Candy drops her voice. "Are we going to catch a felony soon?”
“The day is young.” I wink at her, making her eyes widen a fraction. My phone dings with an alert. “The hell?” I stare at the picture of a girl in a police uniform walking into the police station.
I’m on my feet before I can think better of it. “What’s happening?” Candy hops to her feet too.
“Candy.” Hollis steps out of his office. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“She’s fine.” We both speak at the same time. In our defense, he asks that a lot.
“What’s going on in this town?” I ask Hollis my own question.
“Normally that’s what I ask you.”
“Is there anything I need to know? Everything with that psycho Maxwell is handled?” Hollis's expression turns dark at the mention of Maxwell. It’s not normal for other cops to be here.
“He’s in a prison, where he’ll be staying.”
“Then why is there a cop here?”
“Hudson?”
“Oh my God, never mind. I’ll find out for myself.”
That is, after all, why I'd gotten the picture. Ms. Judy was asking me what was going on over at the station. I go ahead and text her back, telling her it's nothing, just a cop from another county stopping in to say hi.
It's a lie. I have no clue, but I've learned it's better to ease the minds of people when it comes to some things.
I need to dig around before I sound the alarms. We can't be abusing the phone tree, which I'm at the very top of.
When we light that shit up, we need people at full attention, so I don't abuse the power, as much as I'd love to.
With great power comes great responsibility.
"What power?" Candy asks. Shit, I did it again. "We're totally catching a felony," she mutters when I don't respond. I grab my coat, slipping it on. The station isn’t far. I’ll just take a quick walk over there and take a peek.
I should probably put some sensible shoes on, but this trip calls for heels. There’s a new female in town, and based on the picture, she’s a damn stunner. The uniform did nothing to hide how gorgeous she is. I’ll be keeping my heels on for this visit down to the station.
Then again, what if it’s all the frills and extra I put into getting dressed every day that turn Hudson off? He’s all rugged and probably wants a girl who can hike a mountain or go camping. I might be a small-town girl, but I’m not a country girl.
I’m being petty and getting ahead of myself. She might be a total sweetheart that’s married or a lesbian. I hate how much this man gets me worked up over these things, but I know it’s not his doing. I’m doing it to myself. Hudson is merely existing.
I’ll take a walk past the station. I might get a peek inside. I don’t have a full game plan, but I don’t always need one.
“Why are you walking so fast?” Candy asks as she follows me out the door.
“There’s been a new development.” I stop when we are far enough away from Hollis and show her the picture that Judy sent me.
“Who is that? She’s too gorgeous to be wearing that ugly uniform.” I shoot Candy a glare. It may be true, but it’s not what I want to hear at the moment. “I mean, I guess she’s okay if you’re into people that look like her.”
Candy quickly backpedals, realizing this is not the time to be a girls’ girl. It’s time to be best friends. That’s how it goes. Your best friend on top and then a girls' girl.
“Tinsley.” I bump the side of her fist, about to walk by her, but she stops me. Tinsley is a bundle of energy. The girl is always up to something. It doesn’t matter that she’s only fourteen.
Tinsley does nails over at the salon. However, we would never openly admit that.
You need to be an adult and have a license for these kinds of things, but she works at the salon.
I’m sure as hell not shutting down Tinsley’s backdoor nail services.
The girl is freaking good. She does killer freehand designs.
“We got a problem,” she tells me, folding her arms over her chest and chewing her bubble gum. “There is a girl in there with the sheriff.”
“Really?” I pretend not to know. She nods adamantly, making those curls of hers bounce.
“Been in there for”—she checks her smartwatch—“thirty-two minutes and seven seconds.”
“She might be stopping in from another county.” I don’t think that’s the case, but one can hope.
“I saw her eyeing him up when she followed him into the station.” Now Tinsley glares toward the station.
“I’m sure it’s fine,” I tell her. I’m not sure if I’m trying to convince her or myself.
“Oh, we’re still pretending you’re not in love with him?” she asks.
“Yes,” Candy answers before I can. All right, Tinsley is turning into a little me. I need winter break to be over so she’s back at school and not out here clocking everyone's business.
“I’ll handle it,” Tinsley says.
“Tins.” I let out a small laugh. “I got it. I’ll find out who she is, and I’ll fill you in.”
“If you say so.” She blows a giant bubble and starts walking in the other direction.
“Come on.” I nod, walking across the street toward the station.
“Are we just going to bust up in there?”
“I have a plan.” I’m so not going to be giving a jealous girlfriend vibe.
That’s why I slow my steps when I enter the station. I see that the new girl has moved one of the desks over, extra close to Hudson. She’s staring at him, and he’s staring at his computer screen intently.
“Kindred.” He says my name before he even lifts his head.
"I was coming to see about my tire."
"Rusty has to order it, so it will be a few days." He stands.
"I'm guessing I can't use the spare?"
"No." We stare at each other. I'm waiting for him to introduce me to his new office person and fill me in on who she is, but he doesn't. Why?
"Hi," I say to her. "I'm Kindred. I work over at the mayor's office."
"Beckett." She only gives me a firm nod. It grows quiet again. Why is this so weird? Also, have I seen her before?
Hudson's radio goes off at the same time as my phone, but I already know what the text is because it's coming across his radio.
"There has been a pedestrian hit at the intersection of Forest and Main,” dispatch says.
I’m already stepping back toward the door.
“A young girl has been hit." My stomach drops. I turn, rushing out the station door, praying it’s not who I think it is.
Half a second later, Hudson runs past me. For a big man, he can move.
“Tinsley.” I gasp her name as I make it to the crosswalk. Hudson is already down on his knees next to her. I come to a halt at her feet. She appears peaceful lying there, red sparkles all around her. I knew she snatched that bag from me the other day.
“I didn’t hit her. I swear!” the driver, who isn’t a local, says. The man’s hands are up, his phone in one of them. He's standing in his open door. I glance around and see a few people staring, again not locals, while the locals are going about their day.
Candy and the new girl catch up to us, both out of breath. I pull out my phone and read the message.
Betty: Tinsley just threw herself on the hood of a car and rolled off. Pretty sure she’s fine. I saw her throw a bag of glitter up.
"Tinsley, stop playing possum," Hudson says to her, clearly on to her. That might be why she threw the glitter, not wanting to completely freak everyone out.
She pops one eye open before sitting up and spitting her gum out.
It almost hits Beckett. "What's happening?
" Tinsley blinks like she's lost. "Did I miss the bus?
" Wow, she's laying it on thick. Even though her antics are way out of line, I have to say she gets an A for effort. I think I’ve created a little monster.
"How did you run so fast in those heels?" Candy asks, and I shrug. I can run better in heels than sneakers. It's the ice that can get you.
"I didn't hit her. I think she's trying to get an insurance claim on me."
"Is that true?" Beckett asks, stepping forward.
"I don't know what happened." Tinsley makes her eyes owlish and innocent.
"That's okay. There is a camera there and there." Beckett points each out. I turn partly to assess her. "I'm sure it will show everything." Obviously, the new girl needs a little work. Looks like she’s one of those by the book types. She’s not gonna last in New Hope if she tries that here.
"Right," the man adds, nodding.
"Get in your car and go," I say, dismissing him. Beckett tries to speak, but I keep going. "You'll need a warrant for those cameras. Good luck with that."
"It's illegal to fake a crime." Beckett keeps on pushing it. Hudson helps Tinsley to her feet. "We should discuss this back at the station." Beckett tries to ignore me, addressing the man. "You'll need to come too."
I step forward, blocking her path.
"I would rather just go like the heels lady suggested," I hear the man say.
"You're new here," I tell her. "Act accordingly."
"Who do you think you are?" I see her shiny badge with the word deputy below her name.
"You can go," Hudson tells the man. "You get back to the station," he orders Beckett.
“But—”
“It was an order.” Even I stand up straighter at the tone in Hudson’s voice. Damn, that’s hot. Is that his Ranger voice?
The woman lets out a huff before turning and heading back to the station. “I don’t like her.” Tinsley glares at her.
“Tinsley, get to the salon or home.”
“Okay,” she says sweetly and actually skips off on her merry way.
“I didn’t put her up to that,” I tell him.
“I know that. Just wondering why she did it,” Hudson says, glancing up and down the road.
“I’m sure she’s bored.” Hudson doesn’t care for that suggestion.
“She’s fine, I promise, and if she wasn’t, I’d talk to her.”
He gives a small nod. “Did you eat breakfast?”
“I had toast,” Candy tells us. We both turn her way. “Not that anyone asked.”
“I’m not big on breakfast, and lunch is around the corner,” I point out. “And don’t be sending me food over.” Before yesterday, I was sure he did that shit because of my brother, but now I’m not sure why he's doing it.
“I was going to ask if you wanted to go to the diner.”
“Oh.” He's never asked that before. "What about her?" I can see Beckett lingering in front of the station's door, not going in. She's watching us.
"Shit," he mutters.
"I need to get back to my office anyway. Wedding plans." I keep using that excuse for everything.
"You haven't RSVP'd," Candy says to him.
"Sorry, I figured you knew I was coming."
"Yeah, I know, but I need to know if you're bringing a date." What the hell is she doing? I both hate and love that she asked. It depends on his answer, I guess.
"A date? We're supposed to bring a date?"
"Yeah, you've never been to a wedding before?"
"Not since I was a kid." That has my attention fully back on watching Hudson and not Candy. Who am I kidding? The man always has my attention.
Hudson never talks about his childhood. I hear him speak of his time in the Army and as a Ranger, but real personal stuff he keeps close to the chest. I only know he's not close to his family, and he never wants to talk about them either, so I have left it alone.
"Well, let me know," Candy chirps, giving him a bright smile, linking her arm into mine.
"Will do," he tells her.
Will do? What the hell does that mean? He's going to find one?
"Did I mess up?" Candy asks me.
"No." As much as it would kill me to see him with a date, that might be the thing I need to finally try to move on.
Or I could kill him. I'll have to think on it for now.