She never wanted to see him again as long as she lived. He must hate her. Nobody could betray someone like he’d betrayed her and not hate their guts. She didn’t need that kind of negativity in her life. She was back in Kings Mountain and nothing—and no one—was going to mess it up for her this time. She’d worked too hard to get to where she was to let someone from her past affect her present or future.
When she got to the bar, she noticed the guys were already inside. She must have been a little more lost in her head than she thought, so she quickly jumped out of her truck and hurried to join them. They were just walking up to the bar, so Bailey rushed forward to buy the first round of drinks. She was determined to make a good impression so they’d see her as a team player from the start and want to keep her around. They retreated to a table at the back of the room, and she noticed a few people glancing in their direction. Some of them were familiar faces—cops she hadn’t seen in years—and some were regular patrons winding down after work or meeting up with friends.
“To Bailey’s return!” Ziegler led a toast, and everyone clinked their beers together. Bailey sipped on hers, not wanting to get carried away, and her eyes darted around the table. She had been out with these guys before, but there had always been someone else there, too. Someone she couldn’t help but miss, despite all of her better judgment.
“So, what have you guys been up to these days?” Bailey inquired, hoping to get a little background of what’d been happening lately.
“Ah, same old, same old. Not much has changed. We’re still kicking ass and taking names,” Ziegler replied with a darkchuckle. Her eyes darted to him, and she started to feel a little uneasy at his tone.
“Still the biggest and baddest,” Moore added with a smirk.
“Here, here!” they all called out, and clinked their bottles together again.
“Where’s Aaron these days?” she asked, doing her best to keep her voice casual. She figured it was better to just ask upfront. No point in pretending she didn’t notice his absence.
“Oh, I heard he’s fixing fences for some lodge for wimps, even if they call it Warrior Peak,” Lee replied, waving his hand. “Haven’t heard from him since…well, since you left, actually.”
“Good riddance,” Benning muttered, shaking his head. Her ears perked up at once.
“What do you mean?”
“We’re better off without him,” Lee cut in, trying to shut down Benning before he said too much.
“Yeah, we don’t need his whistleblowing ass,” Benning snapped.
Bailey froze for a moment, not sure how to respond.
“Whistleblowing?” she asked, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end.
“Yeah, we don’t need someone who doesn’t stand by his fellow cops,” Ziegler added. Suddenly, the atmosphere at the table changed and she felt the tension rise. Something was off, and she didn’t like it at all.
“But that’s not a problem we’re going to have with you, is it?” he asked, leaning toward Bailey.
She drew her beer closer to her, as though it might provide some degree of protection.
What were they talking about? Aaron was a whistleblower? When had this happened? Or…or was that why she had been sent away? Her mind raced, but she could tell one thing for sure—this wasn’t the welcoming outing she had thought it was.
Ziegler lowered his voice, making sure only Bailey could hear him.
“Exactly how far are you willing to go to keep this job, Bailey?” he asked her.
She shifted in her seat.Crap. She had no idea what to say.
Instead of answering him, she pasted on a smile and stood up. “Well, guys, it was great to hang out like old times but I better be going. I still have a lot of unpacking to do at my new place, and I want to be rested for my first day back on the beat tomorrow.”
She tossed a few bills on the table to cover her half-finished beer and turned to leave, trying to look casual as she walked away and not like she was rushing toward the exit. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she headed to the door and she could feel their eyes on her. It took all her willpower not to glance over her shoulder.
She waved to a few people she recognized on her way out but once she was outside, she started walking faster. The bar was crowded so her truck was parked pretty far back in the lot. She was about halfway across the lot when the loud music from inside the bar filtered out like someone had opened the door.
Deep down she knew it was them and real panic was setting in fast, but she still didn’t look back. She kept herself moving as quickly as she dared toward the safety of her truck. She allowed herself to feel a little bit of relief as the truck finally came into view.
Had she blown that conversation in the bar out of proportion? It had made her uncomfortable, but the guys hadn’t said or done anything explicitly damning. Maybe she had overreacted.
She would have to apologize for her quick and awkward exit tomorrow at work. But just as that thought entered her mind,she heard a noise close behind her. She spun around to see Ziegler and the others closing in.
“Where are you going in such a hurry, Bailey?” Benning said in a taunting voice.
“Like I said, I need to unpack and get some rest,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady.
