Chapter Six
He freezes solid at my words, his eyes scanning my face before recognition sparks.
“Calliope Hart.” The name comes out in one breath.
I nod. “That’s me.”
He swallows, looking unsure for a moment before he takes a step back. “Can you step out of the car for me, ma’am?”
And so it begins. I look at Jen, who gives me a tight, frustrated smile. I move to get out of the car, leaving my bag in the footwell.
“Step around the front of the car and place your hands on the hood.”
“What exactly is your issue, Officer?” Jen calls out from her still open window.
I do as the cop wants, not giving any excuses to call foul play. The other cops gather close, watching. Some look confused, but most have blank faces. When I feel his hands on me, I suck in a sharp breath as power rushes to my skin.
“You’ll take your hands off my client right now, Officer, or you’ll lose your badge. Not only are you illegally searching my client, but you’re doing so knowing exactly who she is and what happened to her.”
“She’s a murderer,” he hisses.
“She’s a rape victim. Congratulations, you’re now the second man to sexually assault her. Thank goodness I have dash cams so I can nip this type of harassment in the bud. And make no mistake, Officer, that’s what this is.”
He takes a step back the second the word assault is mentioned. I stay where I am, making no sudden movements, as I fight to keep my breathing under control. A panic attack is the worst thing that can happen now. It will leave me at their mercy, or worse, them at mine.
“Yes, hello, Sheriff. This is Jenny Banks. I was expecting you to meet me at the Corvis Wing Ranch.”
She’s quiet for the moment, and I sense the cop behind me move closer again. His hands move to my shoulders, making me tense.
“Yes, well, perhaps you can explain why my client is bent over the hood of my car with one of your officers’ hands on her.”
“Fuck.” I hear the words cursed before I’m yanked back to my feet. “Get back in the car before I change my mind.”
I turn, eyeing him like the piece of shit he is. That’s when it snaps into place, why he looks familiar. It’s not because I know him, it’s because I knew his father.
“I should have known. Your father was a dirty cop, too. I guess the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.”
He reaches out to grab me, but another officer intervenes. “That’s enough,” they snap. I don’t know if they’re talking to him or me, but I shut up anyway. I wouldn’t have said anything, but I’ll always choose anger over fear.
“Ma’am, please wait in the car,” the intervening cop says gently.
I nod and move slowly to the passenger side once more before climbing in.
“What the actual fuck was that?” Jen seethes.
“I believe they’re a welcoming committee.”
Jen looks like she wants to climb out the window and beat him to death.
“He’s the old sheriff’s son. I never met him before. He’d left town to go to college before I was arrested, but he has enough of his father in him for me to know who he is.”
“I really fucking hate this town,” she grumbles, just as a crow lands on the hood of the car and taps its beak on the glass, its beady eyes on me.
“Well, hello, handsome.”
He squawks a reply before flying up to perch on the sign above the gate.
“Well, that’s not weird at all. Okay, so the sheriff is on his way. We just need to sit tight for a minute. You okay? That was some bullshit.”
“It’s something I’m going to have to get used to again.”
“Excuse me?”
“I don’t mean being groped. And now that I’m not being bent over the hood of the car, I think he was just trying to search me. What I mean is people being dicks to me. It’s always baffled me how I manage to make so many people dislike me, most of whom I never even interacted with.”
“Jealously.”
I snort out a laugh, but Jen doesn’t seem to be joking. “Are you serious? What the hell would people be jealous over? Look at my life, Jen. I’m the fucking cautionary tale people warn their kids about.”
“Have you looked in a mirror recently?”
I frown, still not getting it.
“Jesus, Calliope, you’re the live version of Jessica Rabbit.”
“Who?”
“I can see I’m going to need to arrange a movie night for us and bring all the classics. Jessica is an animation with the perfect hourglass figure. She’s got tits and ass and knows how to work them. Add in all that thick glossy red hair and boom, you turn innocent boys into walking hard-ons.”
“Did you forget to take your meds?”
She gasps, holding her chest. “That was rude.”
I roll my eyes. She’s going to go on a tangent about respecting my elders. I keep my eye on the cops, who have returned to their cars. None of them has left, and it’s making me antsy. “Why are they still here?” I interrupt her mid-speech.
“They’re waiting for their boss. And talk of the devil.”
I look in the rearview mirror when I see lights flashing as the sheriff’s cruiser pulls in. “I’m sure this is going to be fun.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll get this sorted for you if I have to kick the sheriff’s ass myself.”
I reach for her wrist and squeeze it. She winks at me and climbs out first. The door to the cruiser opens, and a man steps out in jeans and a button-up. Before I can get a better look, he slips a black Stetson on his head.
Jen talks animatedly. The sheriff looks over to the car holding Officer Asshole before his gaze shoots to me. I can’t see his face from here, and in theory, he shouldn’t be able to see mine. And yet, for some reason, I feel like this man sees far more than I’d like him to.
When he walks in my direction, I take a few deep breaths to calm myself. “Nothing is going to happen. I’m fine. Everyone’s fine.”
He taps the window. I look out and see just his black shirt. I lower the window and wait for him to bend down. “Ma’am,” he greets me as he comes into view.
Holy shit. Looks like the sheriff’s department got a serious upgrade.
Too bad I’ve sworn off men and hate cops.
If anyone could tempt me, it might be him.
He has the most startling green eyes, ringed with a touch of gold, making them look almost otherworldly.
Teamed with enviable long lashes and a sexy-looking mouth, I can only imagine how popular he must be in our little community.
He tips his hat, revealing a brief glimpse of thick chestnut hair that curls at the front before it’s hidden once more under his cowboy hat.
“Sheriff.” I’m relieved when my voice comes out sounding normal.
“Name’s Shepard.”
“Calliope,” I reply unnecessarily.
He nods. “Your lawyer arranged for me to be here when you arrived in case there were any issues. I didn’t bank on my team being one of them. I can only apologize.”
I must stare at him like a fish, eyes blinking, mouth wide open.
He smirks, and dear lord, that thing should be illegal. I’d never touch him with a ten-foot pole, but I feel like he might have just landed a recurring role in my fantasies.
Get a hold of yourself, Calliope. You’re a grown-ass woman now. Act like it.
“I’ll follow you and your lawyer up. Stay in the car until I get there.”
“Okay. Thanks. Are we anticipating trouble?”
“Something tells me where you go, trouble follows.” That little dose of reality is enough for me to get my hormones under control.
I offer him a tight smile and raise the window, ignoring his huff of amusement.
Jackass. I think I prefer officer asshole.
At least I know where I stand with him. The sheriff, though, seems like he might enjoy toying with me way too much.
As he walks away, I take a deep breath and wonder if Jen is correct, if I should just count my losses and run.
But then I hear that dark whisper in the back of my head, the one that refuses to leave without people paying for what they did to me. Besides, I’ve survived much worse.
The driver’s side door is opened, and Jen climbs in. “Dear god, that man is a tall drink of water. If I didn’t already have a man at home, I’d ride that cowboy like a stallion.”
“Please stop. I think I just threw up a little bit.”
She cackles before driving through the archway where the sign hangs. I swear the land sighs in relief.
Jen reaches over and squeezes my knee. “Welcome home, Calliope.”
As we drive down the dusty road to the house, I take it in.
Corvis Wing has been just as affected as the rest of Crowhurst, if not more so.
Hell, it looks like some gothic mansion from one of my twisted fairy tale books, not like the cattle ranch it once was.
I smile when I see the porch swing is still there, waiting for me to curl up on it with a book.
“I’m not gonna lie, this place is not what I expected. It sure as heck doesn’t look like it did in the pictures.”
I don’t speak. My throat clogs with emotions as we park outside the house. Despite what Shepard said, I can’t just sit here. I feel compelled to move. I get out and stare up at the house, feeling swamped with emotion—emotion I’m not sure is all mine.
The sheriff’s cruiser pulls up. When his door opens and footsteps move toward me, I brace for his anger. Instead, he stands beside me and looks at the house that was both my castle and my dungeon over the years.
“How does it feel?” The hat casts a shadow over his face, giving him an air of mystery despite his open expression.
“To be back, or to see how the place has fallen into disrepair?”
“I don’t know. Both, perhaps.”
Before I can answer, the sound of horses’ hooves gallops toward us. Shepard steps in front of me, blocking my view for a moment until the horses stop.
“What are you doing here?” the voice rasps.
Though I haven’t heard it in over a decade, it might as well have been yesterday.
I find it impossible to believe nobody else has recognized it.
I suppose the eyes will only see what the brain lets it.
As far as everyone else is concerned, Martin Hart is dead.
“You were told you needed to vacate this property. When Mrs. Banks here told me you wouldn’t listen, I told her she was wrong. I hate it when people make liars out of me, Porter.”