“So, what brings you in here today?” Willis asked, escorting them back to his office. “Nothing serious, I hope.”
She grimaced. “I wish I didn’t have to bring this to you, but I can’t think of anyone else who can help,” she explained. “Aaron told me you’re a good cop, and we need more of those around. I’m really hoping you can help me out here.”
She filled him in as quickly as she could on what had happened with the guys at Kings Mountain, and Willis paused to take it in, his eyes widening as the enormity of it seemed to settle over him. Though he had dealt with some big cases in his time, he had probably never had to work one that was aimed at his fellow cops.
“I’m so sorry that happened to you,” he told Bailey, his voice quiet, as though he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “To think of our own people turning on us like that.” He shuddered, shaking his head.
“It was an eye-opener for me, that’s for sure.” She nodded with a grim smile. “I never expected something like that from the guys I worked with.”
“It’s unthinkable,” he muttered. “But I’m sure you understand where I’m coming from when I say I need a little more proof of your status. Do you have ID on you? Someone who can vouch for you?”
“Of course,” Bailey replied, not missing a beat. She didn’t seem offended at all. Aaron guessed she was just glad someone was actually listening to her and taking her seriously. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her ID, then handed it over. Willis inspected it for a moment, lifting it so he could compare the picture to her face. Satisfied, he nodded, and handed it back to her.
“Well, I hope I can be a better cop to you than those guys were,” Willis remarked. “What exactly is it you need?”
“I need to get any information that has been passed around about them, what they’ve been doing, all of it,” she replied. “There has to be someone who knows something and kept quiet, or someone who’s passed something around the local departments, even if it’s not much. I don’t want to arouse any suspicion by going after it myself, but someone like you…they’re far more likely to hand over what we need.”
He nodded, leaning back against the desk.
“I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to get,” he warned her. “I’ll look into what I can, but I don’t know how much would have filtered down from Kings Mountain to here. I do have a few contacts around the state. They might be able to help out.”
“Can you trust them?” Bailey asked.
Willis narrowed his eyes and nodded. “I’d trust them with my life,” he replied firmly. “I’m happy to let you into the system, Bailey, but Aaron, you’re not a cop, so I’m going to have to keep it in the business.”
Bailey passed him a quizzical look. “Oh, but Aaron—”
“Of course, Sheriff,” Aaron replied, cutting her off. He had never mentioned to Willis that he’d been a cop before, because he was worried it would bring up too much of his past that he didn’t want to talk about. But the more he got to know the older man, the more he trusted him. Maybe he would start to come clean about some of his past when all of this was over.
If they could finish it, of course.
“But you might be better off talking to Lawson and Xavier about this,” he continued. “They used to be CIA, after all.”
Bailey spun around to face Aaron, her eyes wide.
“Theywhat?”she demanded. “You never thought to tell me that?”
Aaron shrugged. He had his reasons. But he got the feeling he wasn’t going to be able to keep them to himself for much longer.
Mainly because Bailey got the truth out of him, one way or another. He couldn’t hide himself from her.
Even if that made him feel vulnerable in a way he hadn’t for a very long time.
Chapter Eleven
“You think it’s safe for us to be out like this?” Bailey whispered to Aaron, as they pulled the truck up to a restaurant at the edge of town.
He smiled at her, raising his eyebrows. “You have nothing to worry about,” he promised. “It’s just a little family-owned place. They don’t ask any questions, apart from what kind of wine you want with dinner.”
A smile spread over her face. “That sounds really good,” she agreed, biting her lip excitedly.
Bailey and Aaron had spent the better part of the day with Willis, talking over everything that had happened and figuring out what their next moves were going to be. There was still a whole lot Willis needed to look into, and the best thing they could do for now was give him his space, and try to get some rest. Not that Bailey had been able to rest much, but he had convinced her to stop by this little Italian place on the edge of town before they headed home. The food was good at the lodge, but sometimes it was nice to get out and go somewhere fresh, especially when that place made the best garlic bread in the state.
Was this a date? She certainly wasn’t trying to think of it like that. It was just a couple of old friends hanging out together, taking a chance to catch a breath after everything that had been going on. She might even consider him a friend again—or at least an ally. Yes, their past was messy, but they were working toward the same goal here, and that had to count for something.
The restaurant was quiet when they walked in, and they were led to a red-and-white-checked table at the far side of the room, next to the window. Trees swayed in the breeze beyond as the sun dipped behind the mountains. A single candle flickered between them. If it wasn’t for the history between them, she would have said it was almost romantic.
“Why didn’t you tell me about Lawson and Xavier being former CIA?” she asked as soon as they sat. Now that they were out of the sheriff’s office and alone, she couldn’t stop herself from interrogating him. She’d never been a patient person.
