Though I knew it was a bad idea, I couldn’t help noticing how the uncertainty of her blue eyes turned me on. The rise and fall of her breasts, the curves of her body—all of it made me hard.
But that was where it ended. She’d made it clear I wasn’t good enough.
I wasn’t a hard learner.
“I’m sorry.” Her voice shook.
“Not interested, Ellie.” I told her. “Your apology means nothing to me.”
“You can’t mean that.”
“Can’t I?” I glanced over at her then back at the road. “How many years has it been? Fifteen? Sixteen? Your sorry means nothing.”
“People change, you know?”
I frowned. “Sure, for the worse. Rarely, do they ever change for the better.”
“Rare, but possible.”
“In your case, most likely not.”
Ellie didn’t speak.
The hour and a half ride to just outside Big Timber was torture. Her silence was a little unnerving because I didn’t know what was happening inside her head. Thoughts swirling through my head about this entire thing left me exhausted over it all. I shouldn’t ever be thinking of anything long term with Ellie Sargent. I shouldn’t be craving anything carnal with her—ever. But someone hadn’t bothered telling my cock. Each time I thought of the pink of her lips and wondered if her nipples were the same colour, my entire body heated to bursting.
At the welcome sign, I pulled over and killed the engine. For a moment, I merely sat there, taking in the area, looking around for anything or anyone that would seem out of place. The place was pretty much bare. Someone had tried making the front of the sign presentable. They’d set up some lawn as well as flowers, but their hard work had been in vain. Since there hadn’t been rain for weeks, the flowers were wilted, and the lawn had turned brown.
I climbed from the vehicle and closed the door but didn’t cross the street. Instead, I leaned on the vehicle and waited. The air was a touch cooler and I appreciate that.
Traffic was less than light and aside from a rusted-out Honda, nothing else passed. Still, I checked both directions before jogging across the street with Ellie on my heels. I hunched down to inspect tire tracks which had dried in the mud. Those were definitely not Jeffrey’s.
A piece of police tape fluttered in the breeze drawing my attention and I headed for it. Just below the sign were footprints, but I couldn’t be sure whose they were. A little way down, I found blood. I stoop to check out the area with the blood and Ellie gasped.
“Is that…?”
“Blood, yes.” I replied.
“A gun?” She asked.
“I’m a cop, Ellie.” I signed in exasperation and without looking up at her. “We carry them around these parts.”
She made an annoyed sound in her throat and I ignored it.
My inspection of the location gave me very little. I wasn’t sure what I expected to find. But this wasn’t it. “There must be a reason Jeffrey pulled over here.”
“Maybe he was tired?” Ellie volunteered.
I pushed to my full height and looked around then focused in the direction of the town. From where I stood, I could see right down the center of it, along the main street. “Maybe.” I mused. “But why here? There’s nothing here. The town isn’t very far from…”
The familiar ping of a bullet clanging off the metal echoed around us.
Ellie screamed.
I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her to the ground beneath my frame. We were in the open and if I didn’t think of something, we were both dead.
“The actual fuck?” She screeched.
What the actual fuck is my sentiment too.
